FBI in the News
Sun Apr 24 04:23:40 EDT 2011
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New Mexico Man Pleads Guilty to Killing His 95-Year-Old Grandmother - Brian Joseph Chavez, an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Cochiti, pled guilty in Albuquerque, New Mexico to murdering his 95-year-old grandmother by shooting her several times in the chest. Chavez claimed he had killed his grandmother at her request and in order to end her suffering.

Business Owner Sentenced in Georgia for Employing Illegal Aliens - Pili Chen, of Norcross, Georgia, who was both an employment agency owner and driver, was sentenced for recruiting and employing illegal aliens in Chinese restaurants, where they were provided housing and transportation to work. This sentencing follows the January 2011 sentencings in a related case of owners and operators of a neighboring agency and a Chinese restaurant in the Atlanta area.

Navajo Man Pleads Guilty in New Mexico to Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury - Tony Curtis Jr., an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, was convicted in Santa Fe, New Mexico of assault resulting in serious bodily injury for hitting a man in the head with a sledge hammer, causing a depressed skull fracture.

Navajo Man Pleads Guilty in New Mexico to Abusive Sexual Contact - Damon Largo, a member of the Navajo Nation who resides in Whitehorse Lake, New Mexico, pled guilty to sexually abusing an 11-year-old girl.

Alabama Woman Sentenced for Fraud Scheme Based on Non-Existent Lawsuit - Katherine Hope Lane, of Shelby County, Alabama, was sentenced to more than seven years in prison for her role in a four-year scheme that collected $425,000 for the expenses of a lawsuit that did not exist.

Attorney Pleads Guilty in New York to Insider Trading Charges - Attorney Jason Goldfarb pled guilty in New York to conspiracy and securities fraud charges arising from a scheme in which he gave material, non-public information from the law firm of Ropes & Gray to Zvi Goffer, who allegedly traded on that information. Goldfarb received cash payments for his role in the insider trading scheme.

FBI's Top Ten News Stories for the Week Ending April 22, 2011 - Read about our Top Ten news stories of the week, including the sentencing of a longtime Gambino family associate on murder and assault charges; the indictment of a Latin Kings gang member on murder-related racketeering charges; and the guilty plea of an executive to his role in a $9 million kickback and bribery scheme involving naval funds.

Connecticut Man Admits Participating in Mortgage Fraud Conspiracies - Steven J. Kottage, of Weston, Connecticut, pled guilty to two counts of conspiracy stemming from mortgage fraud schemes in which he participated.

Former Police Officer Sentenced in Pennsylvania for Insurance Fraud - Drexel Reid, 39, of Philadelphia, was sentenced to 30 months in prison for an insurance fraud scheme that cost insurance companies more than $450,000. Reid was a Philadelphia Highway Patrol Officer at the time of the scheme.

New Jersey Real Estate Developer Pleads Guilty in Investment Fraud Conspiracy - Real estate developer Allen Weiss, of Marlboro, New Jersey, pled guilty to his role in an investment fraud conspiracy which embezzled nearly $1 million raised in connection with purported commercial real estate developments in New Jersey.

D.C. Man Sentenced for Bank Robbery - Timothy Brown, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced to 37 months in prison for committing a bank robbery in August 2010 in Southeast Washington.

Minnesota Man Sentenced for Assault - Orville Dean White, Jr., a member of the Red Lake Band of Chippewa, was sentenced to 33 months in prison for punching a female resident of the Red Lake Indian Reservation, breaking her nose.

South Dakota Man Indicted for Murder - Kendall Lee White Tail, of McLaughlin, South Dakota, was indicted for second-degree murder.

Three Minnesota Residents Charged in $4.2 Million Mortgage Fraud Scheme - Sheri Lynn Delich, My Dinh Lam, and Ashley Elizabeth Prasil were charged in St. Paul, Minnesota with orchestrating a scheme to defraud mortgage lenders out of approximately $4.2 million relative to a Minnetonka development.

Hedge Fund Managers Plead Guilty in Minnesota to Lying to Investors - Two Florida hedge fund managers pled guilty in St. Paul, Minnesota to committing fraud by making material misrepresentations to investors in their hedge funds concerning investments in Petters Company, Inc.

Minnesota Man Indicted for Firing AK-47 Assault Rifle at a Residence - Jesse Dale Roy, a member of the Red Lake Band of Chippewa, was indicted in Minnesota for allegedly firing an AK-47 assault rifle at a residence on the Red Lake Indian Reservation.

Maryland Man Pleads Guilty to Insurance Fraud - Kenneth Williams, of Silver Spring, Maryland, pled guilty in Virginia to conspiring to commit wire fraud in connection with his role in an insurance fraud scheme. The victim insurance companies suffered losses of between $400,000 and $1 million as a result of Williams' conduct.

Somali Hostage Negotiator Charged with Piracy in Attack on Merchant Ship - Ali Mohamed Ali, of Somalia, was arrested and indicted in Washington, D.C. for conspiracy to commit piracy and other charges that allege he acted as a negotiator on behalf of Somali pirates during the takeover of a merchant ship in the Gulf of Aden that started on November 7, 2008 and lasted for 71 days.

Texas Sheriff's Deputy Sentenced in Connection with Inmate Beating, Cover-Up - Former Bexar County (Texas) Sheriff's Office Deputy Daniel Melgoza was sentenced to 27 months in prison for depriving a man of his constitutional right to be free from excessive force and for obstructing justice.

Florida Man Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography Charge - Derek Alan Lee, of Orange Park, Florida, who was an employee with the U.S. Forest Service at the time of his arrest, pled guilty to receiving images and videos of child pornography over the Internet.

Michigan Man Indicted on Bombing Charges - Gary John Mikulich, of Kingsford, Michigan, was indicted on three counts related to the improvised explosive device left outside of the Patrick V. McNamara Building in Detroit in late February.

Ohio Couple Guilty in $20 Million Stock-Based Loan Scheme - Michael Spillan and his wife, Melissa Spillan, both of Gahanna, Ohio, pled guity to running a fraudulent stock-based loan scheme that caused at least 38 victims to lose $19,695,580.

New Mexico Man Charged with Murder - Dennis J. Lovato, a member of the Pueblo of Kewa, was charged in Albuquerque, New Mexico with murdering a man by repeatedly punching and kicking the victim.

Georgia Man Sentenced for Producing Child Pornography - Andrew Lastinger, of Moultrie, Georgia, was sentenced to 25 years in prison in connection with molesting and producing child pornography images of a minor boy, and attempting to produce child pornography of another minor boy. More than 100,000 images of child pornography were found at Lastinger's residence.

Registered Sex Offender Convicted in Texas on Child Pornography Charges - Registered sex offender Burt Hughes, of Houston, was convicted of distributing and possessing child pornography.

Florida Man Sentenced for Bank Robbery - Jonathan Laaten Worth, of Tampa, Florida, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for bank robbery. Worth was sentenced as a career offender based on his history of committing crimes of violence.

Oklahoma Man Indicted for Wire Fraud, Mail Fraud, and Money Laundering - Mark S. Trimble, of Edmond, Oklahoma, was indicted for wire fraud, mail fraud, and money laundering in connection with allegedly devising a scheme to defraud and to obtain money from his cycling coach, ostensibly to trade on the commodities market on behalf of the coach, and convert the money to his own use.

Former Police Chief Sentenced in Texas for Drug Trafficking - Hernan Guerra, of Mission, Texas, the former police chief of Sullivan City, Texas, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison without parole for drug trafficking.

Four-Time Convicted Felon Sentenced in Maryland on Drug Charges - Sean Bundy, of Baltimore, Maryland, was sentenced to more than 24 years in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin. Bundy's sentence was enhanced due the the fact that he is a career offender based on four previous narcotics and violent crime convictions.

New Jersey Doctor, Wife Plead Guilty in Health Care Fraud Scheme Involving Fake Physicians - Yousuf Masood, a doctor with a practice in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and his wife, Maruk Masood, pled guilty to their roles in a health care fraud scheme in which more than 20,000 patient visits were conducted by individuals posing as licensed physicians for as little as $10 an hour.

Eight Sentenced in Georgia for Defrauding AFLAC - Eight defendants were sentenced in Columbus, Georgia after pleading guilty to health care insurance fraud against American Family Life Assurance Company, also known as AFLAC.

Tennessee Man Indicted for Health Care Fraud and Other Criminal Violations - Matthew Paul Brown, of Nashville, Tennessee, was indicted in Atlanta, Georgia in connection with an alleged scheme in which he defrauded Medicare, Medicaid, and private health insurance companies by impersonating a doctor, treating over 1,000 patients, and wrongfully disclosing their health information.

Minnesota Man Indicted for Robbing Two Banks - Michael Lewis Johnson, of Minneapolis, was indicted for robbing two banks in St. Paul, Minnesota earlier this year.

Minnesota Woman Indicted for Making Threats Against Vice President, Federal Agents - Kim Rolene Hutterer, of New Prague, Minnesota, was charged with threatening to kill Vice President Joe Biden and several federal law enforcement officers.

Illinois Felon Indicted for Possessing Pipe Bomb Components - Robert Allen Sloat, of Herrin, Illinois, was charged with possession of explosive materials by a previously convicted felon and with possession of an unregistered destructive device.

Department of Defense Police Officer Guilty of Attempting to Engage in Sex with Minor - Department of Defense police officer Matthew McMullen, of California, Maryland, pled guilty in Washington, D.C. to traveling interstate to engage in illicit sexual conduct and to enticing a minor.

New York Man Charged with Child Pornography Offense - Justin Gero, of Albany, New York, was charged with distributing child pornography.

New Mexico Real Estate Agent Convicted of Federal Mortgage Fraud Offenses - Albuquerque, New Mexico real estate agent Kevin Powers was convicted of 17 counts of wire fraud in connection with an unlawful scheme to defraud mortgage lenders and to obtain over $5.5 million in loan proceeds through false pretenses, misrepresentations, and omissions.

Texas Attorney and Court Clerk Sentenced on Corruption Charges - El Paso, Texas attorney Luther Jones and El Paso County District Clerk Gilbert Sanchez were convicted for their roles on a scheme to deprive El Paso County and its citizens of the right to the honest services of elected members of the El Paso County Commissioner's Court.

Texas Man Sentenced in Connection with Ongoing Corruption Case - Jose Gallegos was sentenced in El Paso, Texas to 24 months in federal prison for defrauding El Paso County and depriving citizens of honest services in connection with conspiring to pay a $13,000 bribe to to an El Paso Independent School District trustee for his help in securing contracts for subcontractors on construction projects.

Man Who Impersonated FBI Agent Sentenced in Texas - William Trinity Mendoza was sentenced in El Paso, Texas to 36 months in federal prison for writing a series of bad checks while impersonating an FBI agent.

Two Plead Guilty in Texas to Copper Wire Theft from Drilling Rig - Sean Michael Geer and Leslie Gayle Hurst, both of Odessa, Texas, pled guilty to stealing copper wire from a drilling rig, thereby causing a substantial interruption and impairment of its function. The costs of rewiring and repairing the rig are estimated to exceed $100,000.

Social Security Administration Employee Guilty of Illegally Distributing SSNs - Rachel Ochoa, who worked at the San Jose, California office of the Social Security Administration for 29 years, admitted issuing Social Security numbers and cards to more than 25 individuals she knew did not have a legal right to obtain them.

California Man Guilty of Establishing Fake Medical Clinics to Defraud Medicare - Eduard Aslanyan, of Sherman Oaks, California, pled guilty to establishing fraudulent medical clinics and using stolen identities of physicians to defraud Medicare of up to $13.6 million.

New York Businessman Arrested for Operating Multi-Million-Dollar Ponzi Scheme - Joseph Mazella, the founder and president of the Great Atlantic Group, Inc., a Staten Island, New York-based real estate and financial consulting company, was charged with securities fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering in connection with his alleged operation of a $12 million Ponzi scheme from 2007 to 2010.

Eighteen Indicted in Ohio on Drug Trafficking Charges - Eighteen individuals were indicted for their roles in large scale drug rings that brought cocaine, heroin, and marijuana into Akron, Ohio.

Two Florida Men Plead Guilty to Mortgage Fraud Conspiracy - Christopher Michael Paladino and Patrick Michael Micheletti, both of Melbourne, Florida, pled guilty to wire fraud charges in connection with conspiring to defraud certain financial institutions by submitting false loan applications to purchase six homes in Melbourne and Palm Bay, Florida.

Massachusetts Couple Guilty of Tax Evasion, Illegal Structuring - Joseph A. Pingaro and his wife, Christine Scola, both of Middleton, Massachusetts, pled guilty to conspiring to defraud the United States by filing false income tax returns and illegally structuring cash transactions to evade reporting requirements.

Convicted Felon Sentenced in Oregon for Two Bank Robberies - Dean John Perri was sentenced in Eugene, Oregon to 188 months in federal prison for committing two bank robberies. At the time of the robberies, Perri was on supervised release on two prior federal convictions, riot at a federal penal facility and felon in possession of a firearm. Perri also has prior convictions for unlawful use of a weapon, unlawful possession of a firearm, assault on a public safety officer, menacing, and theft.

Three Florida Men Indicted in Minnesota for Lying to Investors - Florida residents Frank E. Vennes, David W. Harrold, and Bruce F. Prevost were indicted in Minneapolis on securities fraud charges for fraudulently marketing a hedge fund's investments in Petters Company, Inc. (PCI). PCI was owned by Thomas J. Petters, whose $3.65 billion Ponzi scheme unraveled in 2008.