Category: US Department of Justice

Source: United States Department of Justice News

            WASHINGTON – Demetrius Green, 33, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 84 months in prison for gun and drug charges, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Special Agent in Charge is Craig B. Kailimai, and Interim Chief Ashan Benedict, of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            Green was convicted, on December 14, 2022, after a one-week jury trial, of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a prohibited person (previous conviction for a term of imprisonment exceeding one year) and three counts of unlawful possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance (including crack cocaine, hydromorphone, and oxycodone).

            According to the evidence, on January 20, 2020, at approximately 4:45 a.m., Green, a twice convicted felon, stepped onto the back porch of 917 Wahler Place, Southeast, in Washington, D.C., and fired a machinegun into the air. The Metropolitan Police Department (“MPD”) quickly responded and knocked on both the back and front door, but the individual inside refused to come out. MPD officers gathered the spent shell casings from the back porch and obtained pole camera footage from a camera that had been installed days earlier to monitor suspected drug trafficking and violence in the area. The pole camera captured Green stepping onto the back porch and firing off a weapon at 4:45 a.m, and then stepping onto the same back porch on at least two occasions later that morning. After reviewing this footage, law enforcement returned that evening with a search warrant.

            As the warrant was executed, Green attempted to run out the back door, but was stopped and arrested. From inside the residence, MPD and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (“ATF”) recovered approximately $30,000 of drugs (including 33 zips of crack cocaine, 288 hydromorphone pills, and 700 oxycodone pills), drug paraphernalia, and a machinegun that forensically matched the five spent shell casings that MPD had recovered from the back porch. Green was the only individual inside the residence. Several of Green’s ID cards were found merely feet away from the crack and the machinegun, and Green appeared to be the only person living in what the Government’s expert witness testified was a quintessential “stash house,” where controlled substances were stored in order to be sold to the public.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves, Special Agent in Charge Kailimai, and Interim Chief Benedict commended the work of the detectives and patrol officers of the Metropolitan Police Department’s Seventh District, and agents and experts from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).  They also expressed appreciation to those who prosecuted the case Assistant U.S. Attorneys David T. Henek from the office’s Violence Reduction and Trafficking offenses section and Gilead Light from the Federal Major Crimes section.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Defendant Accused of Sexually Assaulting Two Patients During Physical Exams

            WASHINGTON – Haileleoul Erbello (Desta), 47, of Laurel, Maryland, was arraigned today on six counts of second degree sexual abuse of a patient or client arising from events that occurred in August of 2019 and April of 2021, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves and Interim Chief Ashan Benedict of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            On May 17, 2023, Erbello was indicted by a grand jury in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on six counts of second degree sexual abuse of a patient or client.  He faces a maximum of five years in prison on each count if convicted.

             According to the government’s evidence, between August of 2019 and April of 2021, the defendant was working at Metro Lab clinic in Washington, D.C.  On or about August 20, 2019, he was performing a physical exam on a patient to certify her eligibility for employment when he groped her breasts, pressed his chest up against her breasts, and pressed his genitalia up against her arm. The indictment also charges that Erbello sexually abused a second patient on or about April 10, 2021. He was, again, performing a physical exam to certify a patient’s employment eligibility when he pressed his groin up against the patient’s buttocks, groped her breasts, and touched her buttocks with his hand. 

            An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal laws and every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.

            In announcing the charges, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Benedict commended the work of those investigating the case from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Sexual Assault Unit.  They acknowledged the efforts of those who are working on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Investigative Analyst Durand Odom; Victim/Witness Advocate Lezlie Richardson; and Paralegal Specialists Cynthia Muhammad and ReShawn Johnson. Finally, they commended the work of former Assistant U.S. Attorney Angela Buckner, along with Assistant U.S. Attorney Bonnie Thompson, who is investigating and prosecuting the case.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Defendant Accused of Pushing Against Police in the Lower West Terrace Tunnel

            WASHINGTON — A North Carolina man has been arrested on a felony charge of civil disorder and three misdemeanor charges, for his actions during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.

            Alan Michael St. Onge, 35, of Brevard, NC, is charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with civil disorder, a felony, and the following misdemeanors: entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, and impeding passage through the Capitol grounds or buildings. He was arrested today in North Carolina and made his initial appearance in the Western District of North Carolina.

            According to court documents, on Jan. 6, 2021, St. Onge was seen in camera footage on the east and west sides of the U.S. Capitol and near an entrance to the U.S. Capitol building on the Lower West Terrace (“LWT”) known as “the tunnel.” Specifically, St. Onge participated in the breach of the police barricade on the east plaza of the U.S. Capitol before traveling to the LWT tunnel, which he entered and while inside, repeatedly pushed against the police line. St. Onge was located at the east plaza barricades set up around the U.S. Capitol building at approximately 1:55 p.m. Publicly available video shows St. Onge pushing against the barricades along with other rioters shortly before the police line on the east plaza was overrun.

            After the police line was breached on the east side, St. Onge walked toward the southwest side of the U.S. Capitol building. Another video shows St. Onge walking toward the west front of the U.S. Capitol where numerous police officers were protecting the building. According to body-worn camera (“BWC”) footage, St. Onge was located at the police barricades during confrontations between the police and other rioters. Specifically, St. Onge is seen standing at the police line on the west front as rioters assaulted police. St. Onge then moved closer to the U.S. Capitol building after the police line on the westside was breached.

            After the police were forced to retreat, St. Onge then made his was up to the LWT tunnel. He was initially located outside the entrance to the tunnel beginning at approximately 2:55 p.m. According to CCTV footage, St. Onge received a stolen U.S. Capitol Police riot shield from another member of the crowd as he stood near the mouth of the tunnel. He held that shield for a moment and then set it down in the mouth of the tunnel. He left the tunnel approximately one minute later but returned to the mouth of the tunnel for a second time at approximately 2:58 p.m.

            At 3:09 p.m., St. Onge made his way further into the tunnel and joined in with the crowd’s concerted push against the police line. Specifically, CCTV footage shows St. Onge. pushing, with great effort, against other rioters in an attempt to collectively breach the police line. At approximately 3:18 p.m., the police inside the tunnel gained momentum and successfully pushed the rioters, including St. Onge, out of the tunnel.

            This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina.

            The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Charlotte and Washington Field Offices. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.

            In the 29 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,000 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including nearly 350 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing. 

            Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

            A complaint is merely an allegation, and 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 federal jury convicted a Florida man for his role in a $54 million bribery and kickback scheme involving TRICARE, a federal program that provides health insurance benefits to active duty and retired service members and their families. 

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, David Byron Copeland, 55, of Tallahassee, was a part-owner and senior sales manager at Florida Pharmacy Solutions (FPS), a Florida-based pharmacy that specialized in compounded prescription drugs. Copeland, along with his accomplices, engaged in a practice known as “test billing” to develop the most expensive combination of compounded drugs to maximize reimbursement from TRICARE. Copeland and his accomplices targeted physicians who treated TRICARE beneficiaries and paid bribes and kickbacks to physicians and salespeople to encourage the referral of prescriptions to FPS. The bribes included lavish hunting trips and expensive dinners. In addition, Copeland and his accomplices used “blanket letters of authorization” that allowed FPS to modify the prescription components to make them more profitable.   

Copeland and his sales representatives were paid millions of dollars in kickbacks based on a percentage of the amount that TRICARE reimbursed for their prescriptions, which provided an incentive to seek prescriptions for the most expensive compounded drugs possible, including pain and scar creams. Copeland facilitated the kickbacks through companies he set up to receive and funnel the payments. From late 2012 through mid-2015, FPS billed TRICARE over $54 million for its compounded pharmaceuticals.   

The jury convicted Copeland of two counts of soliciting and receiving illegal health care kickbacks and three counts of offering and paying illegal health care kickbacks. The jury acquitted Copeland of conspiracy to defraud the United States and to pay and receive illegal health care kickbacks. His sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 14. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for each kickback count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Two other men, James Wesley Moss, the former chief executive officer of FPS, and Michael Gordon, a former FPS sales representative, previously pleaded guilty for their roles in the scheme and are awaiting sentencing.

Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Roger Handberg for the Middle District of Florida; Special Agent in Charge Darrin K. Jones of the U.S. Department of Defense Office of Inspector General (DOD-OIG), Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Southeast Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Omar Perez of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG), Miami Regional Office; Special Agent in Charge David Spilker of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General (VA-OIG), Southeast Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge David Walker of the FBI Tampa Field Office made the announcement.

The DOD-OIG, HHS-OIG, VA-OIG, and FBI investigated the case.

Trial Attorneys Devon Helfmeyer, Katie Rookard, and Clayton Solomon of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case.

The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, comprised of 15 strike forces operating in 25 federal districts, has charged more than 5,000 defendants who collectively have billed the Medicare program for more than $24 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

            WASHINGTON – A New Jersey man pleaded guilty today to a felony charge for his actions during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.

            Ezekiel Kurt Stecher, 48, of Sewell, New Jersey, pleaded guilty in the District of Columbia to one count of civil disorder, a felony offense. U.S. District Court Judge Randolph D. Moss scheduled a sentencing hearing for Sept. 7, 2023.

            According to court documents, on Jan. 6, 2021, Stecher entered the exterior of the lower terrace tunnel door of the U.S. Capitol building and began to forcefully push the crowd forward towards the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) riot line and into the doors of the building. Court documents state that Stecher repeatedly pushed at the law enforcement officers attempting to stop the crowd from entering the building.

            Court records say that Stecher and members of the crowd outside the doors chanted, “our house!” “stop the steal!” as they attempted to push their way inside the building. According to court documents, other individuals began to fight with police in the doorway, attempting to push and pull the officers out of the way to clear a path for the rioters to enter the building. A short time later, law enforcement officers sprayed chemical eye irritant to disperse the rioters, including Stecher, from the area.

            Stecher was arrested on Dec. 8, 2021, in Mantua Township, New Jersey. He faces a statutory maximum of five years in prison, as well as potential financial penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

            This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey.

            The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington and Philadelphia Field Offices, which listed Stecher as #118 on its seeking information photos. Valuable assistance was provided by the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Capitol Police.

            In the 29 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,000 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including nearly 350 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing.

            Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.