Category: US Department of Justice

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Extensive coordination and cooperation efforts between the United States Department of Justice and law enforcement authorities in Canada, Colombia, Germany, Honduras, Kosovo, Israel, Mexico, Spain, and Thailand resulted in the extraditions last week of individuals alleged to have committed murder child sexual abuse, drug trafficking, cybercrime, money laundering, and fraud.

The fugitives extradited to the United States include:

• Roberto Avina-Casillas, 30, a Mexican citizen, was extradited from Mexico to stand trial in Franklin County, Ohio for murder, felonious assault and endangering children. Avina-Casillas evaded arrest for more than 11 years after he was accused of the Aug. 7, 2013 death of his former girlfriend’s 3-year-old son.
• Justin David Lanoue, 44, a Canadian citizen, was extradited from Canada to stand trial in Washington County, Utah, on charges filed against him in 2015 related to child rape and felony sexual abuse of a minor. The Washington County Attorney’s Office is handling the prosecution.
• Dominik Rydz, 24, a Polish national, was extradited from Germany to stand trial in the state of Michigan, where he faces two counts of criminal sexual conduct in the second degree and one count of unlawful imprisonment. On the night of Sept. 3, 2023, Rydz allegedly lured a woman away from her friends at a social gathering and proceeded to sexually assault the victim and would not let her leave. Rydz’s extradition was first sought from Poland, where he resided. While out on release from the Polish proceedings, Rydz travelled to Germany and was arrested there on an INTERPOL Red Notice.
• Olof Kyros Gustafsson, also known as “El Silencio,” 31, a Swedish national, was extradited from Spain to face conspiracy, wire and mail fraud, and money laundering charges in a 115-count federal indictment filed in the Central District of California alleging that he licensed the rights to use the name and persona of the late Colombian narco-terrorist Pablo Escobar and defrauded investors around the world by marketing and selling products — including flamethrowers and cellphones — that did not exist and that he never delivered to paying customers.
• Ardit Kutleshi, 26, and Jetmir Kutleshi, 28, both Kosovo nationals, were extradited from Kosovo to face identity theft, access device fraud, and money laundering charges in the Western District of Pennsylvania for their roles as the alleged administrators of the Rydox cybercrime marketplace, an illicit website dedicated to selling stolen personal information, access devices, and other tools for carrying out cybercrime and fraud. The Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania are handling the prosecution.
• Rene Javier Santos Alfaro, 53, a Honduran citizen, was extradited from Honduras to stand trial in the Southern District of Florida for drug trafficking offenses. Santos Alfaro is an alleged leader of a drug trafficking organization based in Honduras that was allegedly responsible for importing large quantities of cocaine from Honduras directly into Miami via commercial aircraft.
• Cristian Eduardo Garcia Jerez, 36, a Colombian national, was extradited from Colombia to face drug trafficking charges in the Northern District of Georgia. Garcia Jerez is alleged to have owned two cocaine processing laboratories and coordinated the manufacturing of cocaine in Colombia and the smuggling of cocaine from Colombia into the United States.
• Jose Guillermo Granja Rojas, 36, a Mexican national, was extradited from Colombia to face a money laundering conspiracy charge in the Northern District of Georgia. Granja Rojas was allegedly a money launderer for a Mexico-based drug trafficking organization (DTO) who collected hundreds of thousands of dollars of proceeds from the sale of methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin in the United States and transferred them to Mexico. DTO members directed the deposit of drug proceeds into accounts allegedly controlled by Granja Rojas, and Granja Rojas also allegedly traveled from Mexico to the United States to receive cash drug proceeds in person.
• Tien Vy Tai Truong, 46, an alleged leader of a transnational drug trafficking organization, was extradited from Thailand to face conspiracy to export methamphetamine charges in a 2024 indictment filed in the Central District of California. Truong is alleged to have engaged in negotiations with a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) confidential human source to export about 200 pounds of methamphetamine from the United States to Australia for sale.

The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs (OIA) provided significant assistance in securing the defendants’ arrests and extraditions along with the U.S. Marshals Service. OIA and the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section’s Office of Judicial Attaché in Bogotá, Colombia provided significant assistance in securing the arrests and extraditions from Colombia. The Criminal Division’s Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training (OPDAT) also provided assistance with the extraditions from Kosovo. The Justice Department thanks and acknowledges the instrumental role of its law enforcement partners in Canada, Colombia, Germany, Honduras, Kosovo, Israel, Mexico, Spain, and Thailand for making these extraditions possible.

An indictment and criminal complaint are merely allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division hosted two roundtables today to meet with key stakeholders and market participants to discuss competition issues in the entertainment industry and to identify harmful labor market conduct and how these impact American workers.

In the first roundtable discussion, Assistant Attorney General Gail Slater convened members of Teamsters Local 25 and Local 804 and legal experts. Roundtable participants shared their personal stories and detailed ways that non-compete agreements, no poach agreements and other forms of unfair practices impact their livelihood. Legal experts, worker advocates and labor economists provided their insightful perspective and strategies to protect American workers.

In the second roundtable discussion, Assistant Attorney General Slater heard from market participants, advocates and policymakers about unfair practices in the live entertainment market.  

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

The United States filed a complaint under the False Claims Act against Vohra Wound Physicians Management LLC (Vohra) and its founder and majority owner, Dr. Ameet Vohra, for allegedly causing the submission of false claims to Medicare for overbilled and medically unnecessary wound care services. Vohra is one of the nation’s largest specialty wound care providers and contracts with hundreds of nursing homes and skilled nursing facilities throughout the country to provide wound care services to those facilities’ patients at their bedside.

“Providers that overbill the government for services, or bill for services that are unreasonable or medically unnecessary, undermine the integrity of the Medicare program and waste taxpayer dollars,” said Deputy Assistant Attorney General Michael D. Granston of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The Justice Department will hold accountable providers who prioritize their own enrichment over the medical needs of their patients.”

“This office is committed to protecting our nation’s seniors and the important federal programs that support them,” said U.S. Attorney Hayden O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida. “When providers seek to misappropriate public funds for private gain, we will work with our partners to pursue those responsible.”

“Healthcare fraud is harmful to all consumers, artificially and unnecessarily increasing the costs of care for everyone,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Tara M. Lyons for the Southern District of Georgia. “Identifying and ending fraudulent billing activity is essential to keeping healthcare costs manageable for patients and for taxpayer-funded healthcare programs.”

According to the United States’ complaint, Vohra and Dr. Vohra knowingly engaged in a nationwide scheme to falsely bill Medicare for surgical debridement procedures to maximize revenue.  Debridement is a procedure to remove impediments to healing from a wound, such as dead or unhealthy tissue, and can be accomplished in several ways including nonsurgical and surgical methods.

The complaint alleges that the defendants pursued their fraudulent scheme in three primary ways. First, Vohra created a proprietary Electronic Medical Record (EMR) software that was programmed to bill debridements as surgical procedures even when they were not. Second, Vohra hired physicians without wound care expertise and provided training that omitted relevant Medicare payment rules and intentionally conflated the definitions of surgical and nonsurgical debridement procedures. Third, Vohra set corporate debridement targets based solely on revenue goals and pressured its physicians to meet those targets. As a result, Vohra allegedly caused the submission of claims for surgical debridement services that were not medically necessary and used billing codes that represented more complex procedures than were actually performed (commonly referred to as “upcoding”).   

The complaint also alleges that the defendants programmed Vohra’s proprietary EMR software to improperly apply the Modifier 25 billing code and charge Medicare for exams that were not separately billable from surgical debridement procedures performed on the same day. Because surgical debridements are billed as global surgical packages and include payment for an examination, evaluation and management (E&M) services are only payable on the same day if a significant service is performed that is separately identifiable from the surgical debridement as signified by Modifier 25. According to the United States’ complaint, Vohra’s proprietary EMR software automatically added Modifier 25 to its E&M claims without regard to whether the modifier was appropriate, thereby causing the submission of claims for E&M services that were not payable.

This matter is being handled by the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Southern District of Florida and Southern District of Georgia.  Investigative support is being provided by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida and is captioned United States v. Dr. Ameet Vohra; Vohra Wound Care Management, LLC; and VHS Holdings, PA, No. 25-cv-21570 (S.D. Fla.).

Trial Attorney Kirsten Mayer of the Civil Division’s Fraud Section, Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Grover for the Southern District of Georgia, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Cheek for the Southern District of Florida are handling the matter.

The investigation and prosecution of this matter illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating healthcare fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement can be reported to the HHS at 800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).

The claims asserted in the government’s complaint are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

After an 11-day trial, a federal jury returned a guilty verdict yesterday against Zimnako Salah, 45, of Phoenix, Arizona, convicting him of strapping a backpack around the toilet of a Christian church in Roseville, California, with the intent to convey a hoax bomb threat and to obstruct the free exercise of religion of the congregants who worshipped there.  The jury’s verdict included a special finding Salah targeted the church because of the religion of the people who worshipped there, making the offense a hate crime.

According to the evidence at trial, from September to November of 2023, Salah traveled to four Christian churches in Arizona, California, and Colorado, wearing black backpacks. At two of those churches, Salah planted those backpacks, placing congregants in fear that they contained bombs. At the other two churches, Salah was confronted by security before he got the chance to plant those backpacks.

While Salah had been making bomb threats by planting backpacks in Christian churches, he had been building a bomb capable of fitting in a backpack. During a search of his storage unit, an FBI Bomb Technician seized items that an FBI Bomb Expert testified at trial served as component parts of an improvised explosive device (IED).

A search of Salah’s social media records revealed that he had consumed extremist propaganda online. Specifically, those records showed that Salah had searched for videos of “Infidels dying,” and he had watched videos depicting ISIS terrorists murdering people.

“This Department of Justice has no tolerance for anyone who targets religious Americans for their faith,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “The perpetrator of this abhorrent hate crime against Christians will face severe punishment.”

“Planting a hoax bomb at the Roseville church was not an isolated incident or a prank for this defendant,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith for the Eastern District of California. “His actions were designed to threaten and intimidate the congregation because he disagreed with their religious beliefs. Thanks to the coordinated efforts of federal and local law enforcement and the attorneys from my office and our DOJ partners in Washington D.C., our communities are safer with yesterday’s verdict. People of all religions should be able to worship freely and exercise their First Amendment rights in this country without fear of violence.”

“The Sacramento Division of the FBI is proud of our collaboration with local partners in bringing Mr. Salah to justice. His deliberate targeting of multiple places of worship and calculated efforts to spread panic were intended to terrorize people of faith and disrupt the peace of our communities,” said Special Agent in Charge Sid Patel of the FBI Sacramento Field Office. “The FBI remains committed to protecting the American people and will continue to work within the confines of the law to hold individuals accountable for acts of terrorism whether those acts are true threats or intended as hoaxes.”

Salah faces a maximum penalty of six years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Salah is scheduled to be sentenced on July 18 by U.S. District Judge Dena Coggins. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Roseville (CA) Police Department, the San Diego Police Department, the San Diego Harbor Police Department, and the Arapahoe County (CO) Sheriff’s Office. This case was prosecuted by Special Litigation Counsel Christopher Perras and Trial Attorney Sarah Howard of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, and Assistant United States Attorney Shea Kenny for the Eastern District of California.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Today, amid a staggering volume of Title IX complaints, the U.S Department of Education (ED) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announce the Title IX Special Investigations Team (SIT) to ensure timely, consistent resolutions to protect students, and especially female athletes, from the pernicious effects of gender ideology in school programs and activities.

The Title IX SIT will streamline Title IX investigations by creating a specialized team of investigators from across ED and Department of Justice offices. The establishment of the Title IX SIT will allow personnel to apply a rapid resolution investigation process to the increasing volume of Title IX cases and also enable ED and the Justice Department to work together to conduct investigations that are fully prepared for ultimate Justice Department enforcement.

“Protecting women and women’s sports is a key priority for this Department of Justice,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “This collaborative effort with the Department of Education will enable our attorneys to take comprehensive action when women’s sports or spaces are threatened and use the full power of the law to remedy any violation of women’s civil rights.”

“Today’s establishment of the Title IX SIT will benefit women and girls across this nation who have been subjected to discrimination and indignity in their educational activities,” said Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. “From day one, the Trump Administration has prioritized enforcing Title IX to protect female students and athletes. Traditionally, our Office for Civil Rights (OCR) takes months, even years, to complete Title IX investigations. OCR under this Administration has moved faster than it ever has, and the Title IX SIT will ensure even more rapid and consistent investigations. To all the entities that continue to allow men to compete in women’s sports and use women’s intimate facilities: there’s a new sheriff in town. We will not allow you to get away with denying women’s civil rights any longer.”

The Title IX SIT includes:

• ED Office for Civil Rights investigators and attorneys
• DOJ Civil Rights Division attorneys
• ED Office of General Counsel attorneys
• ED Student Privacy and Protection Office case workers and an FSA Enforcement investigator

Background:

President Trump’s Executive Order Keeping Men out of Women’s Sports articulates United States policy, consistent with Title IX, to protect female student athletes from having “to compete with or against or having to appear unclothed before males.” President Trump’s Executive Order Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism states the truth that “The erasure of sex in language and policy has a corrosive impact not just on women but on the validity of the entire American system.”