Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

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Former Benicia Man Sentenced to 41 Months in Prison for $3.2 Million Fraud Scheme

Source: US FBI

SACRAMENTO, Calif. —Euan David MacGregor, formerly known as David Joseph Bean, 54, of Iowa City, Iowa, was sentenced by Senior Judge John A. Mendez to 41 months in prison and 36 months of supervised release for defrauding his former employer out of over $3.2 million, Acting United States Attorney Michele Beckwith announced. In addition, MacGregor was ordered to pay $3,217,456.41 in restitution to his victim.

According to court documents, between approximately November 2014 to January 2020, Euan MacGregor, then known as David Bean, used his position as a Chief Administrative Officer to execute a scheme to defraud his employer. 

According to court documents, MacGregor defrauded his former employer in two ways. First, he diverted at least 122 checks made payable to his employer to bank accounts that he controlled. MacGregor did this by creating a shell corporation that had a business name similar to the name of his employer and depositing the checks into bank accounts that he opened in the name of the shell corporation. MacGregor then presented false financial information to the company’s president and shareholders, causing them to believe they had received the monies he diverted. In addition, MacGregor falsely represented to his employer that he was outsourcing his employer’s bookkeeping work to a third party, a company named Essential Business Services. In reality, Essential Business Services was another shell company that MacGregor created and controlled. MacGregor’s false representations caused his employer to pay Essential Business Services thousands of dollars each month for bookkeeping services that it did not perform. MacGregor used the money he fraudulently obtained to pay for personal expenses for him and his family, including mortgage payments, the payment of credit cards, educational expenses, travel, and the purchase or lease of vehicles.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Shelley D. Weger is prosecuting the case.

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Registered Sex Offender Going to Prison for More Than 15 Years on New Child Pornography Charge

Source: US FBI

BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Christopher Rucker, 45, of Cheektowaga, NY, who was convicted of possession of child pornography with a prior sex offense, was sentenced to serve 188 months in prison and lifetime supervised release by U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Caitlin M. Higgins, who handled the case, stated that in March 2022, the New York State Police (NYSP) conducted a search warrant at Rucker’s residence, during which they seized a laptop computer and a cell phone. The laptop and cell phone both contained images and videos of child pornography. Subsequent investigation determined that between October 1 and December 28, 2021, Rucker downloaded approximately 1300 images of child pornography. Some of the images depicted prepubescent minors, as well as violence against children and the sexual abuse of an infant or toddler.

Rucker is a registered Level 2 sex offender, following two convictions in 2002 on Sodomy in the 2nd Degree and Using and Interstate Facility to Persuade/Induce a Child to Engage in Sexual Activity.

The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia, the Cheektowaga Police Department, under the direction of Chief Brian Coons, and the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Amie Feroleto.  

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Roseville Man Sentenced to Three Years and 10 Months in Prison for Money Laundering Conspiracy

Source: US FBI

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Alex Altoh, 64, of Roseville, was sentenced Tuesday to three years and ten months in prison for money laundering conspiracy, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced.  Altoh was also ordered to pay  $1,478,068.99 in restitution.

According to court documents, between January 2021 and November 2021, Altoh and his co-defendant Oumar Sidibe, 31, were involved in a conspiracy to launder the proceeds from two large business email compromise schemes, in which two corporate victims were tricked into making payments to bank accounts controlled by Altoh and another person, rather than to the intended beneficiaries of the payments.  Altoh, Sidibe, and others then quickly withdrew a large portion of the funds by way of check deposits, which effectively transferred the funds, concealed their unlawful nature, and prevented them from being clawed back. 

For instance, on October 26, 2021, an employee of a victim company was tricked into wiring approximately $3.5 million to Altoh’s account at Wells Fargo. That same day, in a span of less than two hours, Altoh withdrew money from the Wells Fargo account by depositing five checks in five separate transactions at multiple bank branches in the Sacramento area.  One transaction included a check for $248,000 that Altoh wrote to himself and deposited into his own Chase bank account.  In that one day, Altoh successfully withdrew approximately $1.1 million of the funds out of his Wells Fargo account, which was never recovered. Law enforcement traced Altoh and Sidibe to almost $3.9 million in laundered fraud proceeds. 

Sidibe is yet to be apprehended. The charges against Sibide are only allegations; he is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Denise N. Yasinow and Matthew Thuesen prosecuted the case.

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Bakersfield Man Charged with Laser Strikes of Police Helicopter

Source: US FBI

FRESNO, Calif. — Brett Curtis Hair, 22, of Bakersfield, was arrested today for aiming the beam of a laser pointer at an aircraft, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced. 

According to the indictment, on Sept. 11, 2024, Hair aimed the beam of a laser pointer at a Kern County Sheriff’s Office helicopter (Air One).

According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), laser exposure can result in visual impairment and therefore poses a serious hazard to the safe operation of an aircraft. In 2024, the FAA received 12,840 reports of laser strikes from pilots. 

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Kern County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Escobar is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Hair faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charge is only an allegation; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

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Medical Billing Company Owner Sentenced for Health Care Fraud

Source: US FBI

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Scott Newcombe, age 41, of Plattsburgh, New York, was sentenced today to 1 year of probation, and ordered to pay $34,583.21 in restitution, for health care fraud.

Acting United States Attorney Daniel Hanlon; Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); and Naomi Gruchacz, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), New York Regional Office, made the announcement.

As part of his guilty plea, Newcombe admitted that from approximately April 2020 through April 2023, he acted as the office manager and health care claims biller for two physicians’ practices in Plattsburgh through a company that he formed called SJ Healthcare Management Services, LLC (SJHMS).  SJHMS charged a fixed monthly fee under which Newcombe performed various management, administrative, and billing services for the practices.  He admitted that he submitted false and fraudulent claims to public and private insurers on behalf of those practices for services that, in some instances, were never provided and, in other instances, were provided at lower reimbursement rates than the amounts billed.  For example, Newcombe admitted that he submitted claims to insurers for medical procedures that were purportedly performed by a provider on him but which, in fact, never occurred.

The FBI and HHS-OIG investigated this case.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael D. Gadarian and Adam J. Katz prosecuted the case.

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Vallejo Man Indicted for Illegally Possessing Ammunition

Source: US FBI

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment Thursday against Jeffrey Caldwell, 36, of Vallejo, charging him with being a felon in possession of ammunition, Acting United States Attorney Michele Beckwith announced.

According to court documents, Caldwell was arrested after a standoff with the Vallejo Police Department SWAT Team. The arresting officers found that Caldwell was in possession of a privately manufactured firearm and accompanying ammunition. Caldwell is prohibited from possessing ammunition due to more than ten prior felony convictions in California and Arizona, including for assault, burglary, and stalking. This case was the product of an investigation by the Vallejo Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Charles Campbell is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Caldwell faces a maximum statutory penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

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. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

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Schenectady Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl

Source: US FBI

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Terrell Bell, age 27, of Schenectady, New York, pled guilty today to possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl. Acting United States Attorney Daniel Hanlon and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.

Bell was on parole in January 2024 when law enforcement searched his home in Schenectady and discovered nearly 1,800 fentanyl pills in his bedroom and over $90,000 throughout the home.

At sentencing scheduled for July 9, 2025, Bell faces a minimum term of 5 years and a maximum term of 40 years in prison, a maximum fine of $5 million, and a term of supervised release after imprisonment of between 4 years and life. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the statute the defendant violated, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors. Bell has also consented to the forfeiture of the currency seized from his home.

FBI investigated this case with the assistance of the Schenectady Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mikayla Espinosa is prosecuting this case.

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Nigerian Citizen Admits Guilt in Bank Fraud and Money Laundering Conspiracies Causing More Than $1.7 Million in Losses

Source: US FBI

David Daniyan Admits Supervising Conspiracies Led by Nigerian Citizen Oluwaseun Adekoya

ALBANY, NEW YORK – David Daniyan, a/k/a “Bamikole Laniyan,” a/k/a “David Enfield,” a/k/a “Africa,” age 60, of Brooklyn, New York, pled guilty today in connection with his role in bank fraud and money laundering conspiracies led by Oluwaseun Adekoya, age 39, also a Nigerian citizen, of Cliffside Park, New Jersey.  Acting United States Attorney Daniel Hanlon and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.

Daniyan pled guilty today to conspiracy to commit bank fraud, money laundering conspiracy, and aggravated identity theft. Daniyan admitted that, working with Adekoya, he obtained the personal identifying information of people residing all over the United States and recruited lower-level conspirators to impersonate those people using fake driver’s licenses to fraudulently obtain cash, checks, and loans at their financial institutions and obtain merchandise using credit at retailers including Saks Fifth Avenue.  Daniyan also admitted to conspiring with Adekoya and others to launder the proceeds of their bank fraud by, among other things, using fraudulently obtained funds to purchase additional fake driver’s licenses and depositing fraudulently obtained checks into accounts in the names of identity-theft victims that were controlled by coconspirators.  Daniyan admitted that the bank fraud conspiracy netted over $1.7 million in fraud proceeds, and was perpetrated in the Northern District of New York and all over the country. 

According to documents previously filed in the case, Daniyan, a citizen of Nigeria, has been living in the United States without authorization under numerous aliases since at least the 1990s when he was first investigated, charged, and convicted in another federal district under the stolen identity of a U.S. citizen. 

The following defendants are charged as follows in the superseding indictment: 

  • Adekoya is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, one count of money laundering conspiracy, and nine counts of aggravated identity theft;
  • Kani Bassie, age 36, of Brooklyn, is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft;
  • Davon Hunter, age 27, of Richmond, Virginia, is charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft;
  • Jermon Brooks, age 20, of Richmond, is charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft;
  • Christian Quivers, age 20, of Richmond, is charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft; and
  • Crystal Kurschner, age 44, of Brooklyn, is charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.

As to these defendants, the charges in the superseding indictment are merely accusations. These remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The prosecution is the result of an ongoing investigation led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and FBI-Albany, which began after the May 2022 arrest of Daniyan, Gaysha Kennedy, age 46, of Brooklyn, and Victor Barriera, age 64, of the Bronx, New York, by the Cohoes Police Department after the trio traveled to the Capital Region to commit bank fraud. 

Adekoya, Daniyan, Kennedy, and Barriera were originally indicted, along with coconspirators Jerjuan Joyner, age 50, of Brooklyn, Akeem Balogun, age 56, of Brooklyn, Danielle Cappetti, age 46, of the Bronx, and Lesley Lucchese, age 53, of Brooklyn, in connection with the conspiracy in an indictment returned in December 2023. 

Sherry Ozmore, Kennedy, Barriera, Joyner, Balogun, Cappetti, and Lucchese have pled guilty to bank fraud conspiracy.

At sentencing on July 10, 2025, Daniyan faces a maximum term of 30 years in prison for the bank fraud conspiracy, 20 years in prison for the money laundering conspiracy, and a mandatory consecutive term of 2 years in prison for his conviction of aggravated identity theft; as well as an order of restitution of at least $1,776,705.43 and a term of supervised release of up to 5 years.  Daniyan also agreed to forfeit nearly $100,000 in proceeds of the bank fraud conspiracy seized by federal authorities. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statutes the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.

Following his term of imprisonment, Daniyan will be placed into immigration removal proceedings.

FBI Albany is investigating the case, with assistance from the FBI Field Offices in New York, Newark, Richmond and Resident Agencies in Westchester, New York; Brooklyn/Queens, New York; Garrett Mountain, New Jersey; and Fort Walton Beach, Florida.  Additional assistance was provided by other law enforcement agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Enforcement & Removal Operations (New York Field Office & Albany sub-office); U.S. Department of State Diplomatic Security Service (Buffalo Field Office & St. Albans Resident Office); U.S. Social Security Administration – Office of the Inspector General; New York law enforcement agencies including the New York State Police; Cohoes PD; Colonie PD; Elmira PD; Corning PD; Plattsburgh PD; Florida law enforcement agencies including the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office and Escambia County Sheriff’s Office; the Pennsylvania State Police; Alabama law enforcement agencies including the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office, Gasden PD, and Rainbow City PD; Georgia law enforcement agencies including the Georgia State Patrol, Bartow County Sheriff’s Office, and Morrow PD; Kansas law enforcement agencies including Lawrence PD and Overland Park PD; New Hampshire law enforcement agencies including Rochester PD, Manchester PD, and Amherst PD; the Delaware State Police; Maryland law enforcement agencies including the Maryland State Police, Harford County Sheriff’s Office and Baltimore County Sheriff’s Office; Wisconsin law enforcement agencies including Onalaska PD and Eau Claire PD; and Indiana law enforcement agencies including the Allen County Sheriff’s Office.

Assistant United States Attorneys Benjamin S. Clark and Joshua R. Rosenthal are prosecuting this case.

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Bakersfield Man Pleads Guilty to Manufacturing a Bomb and Being a Felon in Possession of a Destructive Device

Source: US FBI

FRESNO, Calif. — Robert Lawrence Hunt, 40, of Bakersfield, pleaded guilty today to being a convicted felon in possession of a destructive device and manufacturing a destructive device, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced.

According to court documents, between July 4 and 5, 2022, Hunt constructed a destructive device containing metal screws and explosives, which was likely to cause injury if detonated. The device was found at a community pool in a residential neighborhood. The defendant was residing at a home closest to the pool. Hunt, a convicted felon, was previously convicted in Kern County Superior Court of two robberies and a burglary and is prohibited from possessing or manufacturing firearms, including destructive or explosive devices.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Bakersfield Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Escobar is prosecuting the case.

Hunt, who has been detained pretrial since September 2024 as a danger to the community, is scheduled for sentencing on July 14, 2025. For being a felon in possession of a destructive device, Hunt faces a maximum statutory penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 for and manufacturing a destructive device. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

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Baldwinsville Man Sentenced to 45 Years in Prison for Sexual Exploitation of a Child and Distribution and Receipt of Child Pornography

Source: US FBI

Kenneth Koegel, Jr. Had a Prior Conviction for Sexual Abuse in the 1st Degree Involving a 6-Year-Old

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Kenneth Koegel, Jr., 40, of Baldwinsville, New York was sentenced today to 45 years in federal prison and lifetime supervised release following his conviction by guilty plea to seven counts of sexual exploitation of a child, one count of commission of a felony offense involving a minor by a registered sex offender, one count of distribution of child pornography, and one count of receipt of child pornography. Acting United States Attorney Daniel Hanlon and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) made the announcement.

As part of his prior guilty plea, Koegel admitted that he was convicted in 2004 in Monroe County Court of sexual abuse in the first degree for exposing his penis to a 6-year-old girl in a public park and touching her vagina with his hand and that he was required to register as a sex offender because of that conviction. He then admitted that, starting in or about 2014 and continuing until October 2022, he sexually abused a girl from the time she was approximately 2 years old until she was approximately 9 years old. During that time, Koegel created numerous sexually explicit images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of his victim, including Koegel subjecting her to multiple sex acts. He also used a social messaging application to distribute the material he produced to someone else, with whom he also traded thousands of other child pornography files.

In addition to the 45-year imprisonment term and lifetime supervision, the district court also ordered Koegel to pay $12,000 in restitution and a $1,000 special assessment. Koegel will have to register as a sex offender upon release from prison.

This case was investigated by the FBI’s Albany Division Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force – comprised of FBI Special Agents and state and local police investigators, including from the New York State Police. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Michael D. Gadarian and Adrian S. LaRochelle as part of Project Safe Childhood.

Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice and led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.