Category: US Department of Justice

Source: United States Department of Justice News

U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland met Tuesday in Washington, D.C., with Ukraine Chief Justice Vsevolod Kniaziev.

The Attorney General reaffirmed the Department’s steadfast commitment to accountability for Ukraine.  Chief Justice Kniaziev thanked Attorney General Garland for the Justice Department’s support.

In the meeting, Chief Justice Kniaziev spoke about Ukraine’s justice system – the challenges posed by wartime conditions, his dedication to continuity of operations, and Ukraine’s ongoing implementation of justice sector reforms consistent with our countries’ shared democratic values that will deliver justice and uphold the rule of law. Both leaders discussed the need for openness and transparency in ensuring public trust in the judiciary and expanding access to justice, especially in those areas most affected by the war. Chief Justice Kniaziev and Attorney General Garland agreed on the importance of deepening U.S.-Ukraine cooperation to strengthen democracy and to build a judicial system that can provide justice for all, including victims of war crimes and other atrocities. 

Also at the meeting was Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Ukraine’s Ambassador to the United States Oksana Markarova.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

ANCHORAGE – A federal grand jury in Alaska returned an indictment today charging a Washington man with three counts of assault in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States.

Adam David Seymour was arrested on Wednesday, April 5, 2023, and was originally charged by complaint. The Complaint charged that on April 5, 2023, while aboard Alaska Airlines Flight 49 inbound to Anchorage, Alaska from Seattle, Washington, Adam David Seymour of Seattle, Washington, 37, assaulted a female passenger intending to make sexual contact, and assaulted two male passengers. According to court documents, flight crew had to remove Seymour from his seat and restrain him in the jump seat at the front of the airplane for the remainder of the flight.

On April 19, 2023, the grand jury indicted Seymour with one count of assault in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States, with the intent to commit abusive sexual contact, and two counts of assault in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States. If convicted he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on the count of assault with intent to commit abusive sexual contact, and 6 months in prison on the two assault counts. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

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

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ainsley McNerney 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.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

CONCORD – A Keene woman was sentenced in federal court for operating an unlicensed money transmitting business, U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young announces.

Aria DiMezzo, 35, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Joseph LaPlante to 18 months in prison and one year of supervised release. DiMezzo was also ordered to pay a fine of $5,000, and to forfeit 1.93 bitcoin and more than $14,000 in U.S. currency.

“The defendant’s unlicensed bitcoin business allowed scammers of all kinds to obtain their victims’ money anonymously,” said U.S. Attorney Young. “The sentence today sends an important message that those who sell bitcoin, like other money exchangers, must register and comply with the rules meant to ensure that these businesses are not used to facilitate frauds.”

Between June 2020 and January 2021, DiMezzo charged a fee to exchange fiat currency (mostly U.S. dollars) for virtual currency.  DiMezzo recruited customers on websites, including localbitcoins.com. Her customers sent money to her through bank accounts in her name, and in the name of an organization she created, the Reformed Satanic Church.  DiMezzo then sent customers bitcoin or other virtual currency in return.  DiMezzo also worked with Ian Freeman, selling virtual currency to customers that Freeman recruited, and she paid Freeman a percentage of the profits from the sales. A federal jury found Freeman guilty of money laundering, conspiracy to launder money, operation of an unlicensed money transmitting business, and tax evasion, on December 22, 2023. He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 17, 2023.

DiMezzo sold more than $3 million worth of virtual currency through her business.  DiMezzo did not register her business as a money transmitting business and she did not comply with any of the various regulations imposed on money transmitting businesses.  For example, DiMezzo never filed currency transaction reports for transactions over $10,000 or suspicious activity reports for transactions over $2,000 that may have involved funds derived from illegal activity, among other things.    

This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service, and the United States Postal Inspection Service in coordination with the U.S. Treasury Department Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. The National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team provided substantial assistance in the case. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Georgiana L. MacDonald, John J. Kennedy, and Seth R. Aframe.

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Source: United States Department of Justice News

PROVIDENCE – A Pawtucket man admitted to a federal judge on Monday that he was in possession of more than two kilos of fentanyl, a loaded Glock handgun, and nearly $80,000 in cash when Pawtucket Police executed a court-authorized search of his home and arrested him in October 2019, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.

Appearing in U.S. District Court, Adrian Montalvo, 36, pleaded guilty to charges of possession with intent to distribute 40 grams of more of fentanyl and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

According to information presented to the court, members of the Pawtucket Police Department’s Special Squad /Narcotics Unit developed information that Montalvo, previously convicted multiple times in state courts for trafficking narcotics, was selling large quantities of fentanyl in the city of Pawtucket. Following an investigation that included surveillance of Montalvo and his residence, Pawtucket Police requested and received a court-authorized search warrant for his residence. Pawtucket Police executed the search warrant on October 1, 2019, and seized a total of 2,118.35 grams of fentanyl; $79,106 in cash; a Glock 9mm semi-automatic pistol with an obliterated serial number; as well as several items used in the preparation and packaging of fentanyl for distribution.

Montalvo is scheduled to be sentenced on July 27, 2023. The defendant’s sentences will be determined by a federal judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald R. Gendron.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

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Source: United States Department of Justice News

SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio man was sentenced in a federal court in San Antonio Monday to 188 months in prison for wire fraud and tax fraud.

According to court documents, Keith Alan Seguin, 57, was a civilian government employee authorized by the Air Force to solicit and accept orders for flight simulator technology and support, and to promote and manage related contracts.  As part of a scheme that spanned more than 10 years, Seguin conspired with others who paid him more than $2.3 million in cash and bribes for $100 million in work on Air Force projects.

Senior United States District Judge David Ezra sentenced Seguin to 36 months confinement with one year of supervised release for the charge of making a false income tax return, and 188 months confinement followed by three years of supervised release for the charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.  Those sentences will run concurrently. The judge also ordered Seguin to pay $736,618 in restitution to the IRS and, $38,733,720.65 in restitution to the Air Force, Army and General Services Administration and to  forfeit $2,342,095 that he received in bribe money.

“Government employees who collude with dishonest contractors to defraud the integrity of a government contracting system for personal gain will not be tolerated,” said U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza of the Western District of Texas.  “It removes legitimate businesses from competition and harms the American taxpayer. It harms our nation’s warfighters by inflating the cost to the Government, thereby reducing the materials and training available to our service members.  This office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to bring those offenders to justice.”

“The GSA OIG is committed to holding accountable those who abuse their government positions of trust for personal gain,” said the Honorable Carol Fortine Ochoa, Inspector General for the U.S. General Services Administration. “The outcome in this complex procurement fraud case is due to the dedicated efforts of GSA OIG special agents and our law enforcement partners.”

“These results are a testament to the commitment of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), together with our investigative partners to protect the integrity of the DoD contracting process,” said The Honorable Robert P. Storch, Inspector General, Department of Defense Office of Inspector General.  “DCIS stands vigilant to combat corruption within the DoD and will tirelessly pursue those who seek to fraudulently enrich themselves at the American taxpayer’s expense.”

“Today’s sentencing should serve as a stark reminder that our agents, and those of our partner law enforcement agencies, are relentless in their pursuit of those who choose to defraud the government,” said Special Agent in Charge Larry S. Moreland, of the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division’s, Major Procurement Fraud Field Office.

“The sentences reflect the results of the skilled and hard work put forth by all agencies involved,” said Special Agent in Charge Blair Holmstrand, Air Force Office of Special Investigations, Procurement Fraud Detachment 3, San Antonio, Texas.

“Keith Seguin’s decade of millions of dollars of bribes and fraudulent contracts is insidious, infecting the trust placed in our government to serve the needs of its citizens. Now, he can dwell on his crimes while sitting in prison,” said Special Agent in Charge Ramsey E. Covington of IRS Criminal Investigation’s IRS-CI Houston Field Office. “IRS-CI and our law enforcement partners are here to help restore the trust that was lost and protect the interests of this nation and its people.”

The GSA OIG; DCIS; AFOSI; Army CID; and IRS-CI investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys William Lewis, Kelly Stephenson and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Porier prosecuted the case.

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