Category: MIL-OSI

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

BOSTON – A Leominster man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to a scheme to steal $1,355,863 by depositing a forged tax refund check and then laundering the money using cashier’s checks payable to shell companies.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Jacksonville, Florida – Gyasi Wallace (33, California) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Wendy W. Berger to 20 years and 10 months in prison for producing of child sexual abuse material. He pleaded guilty on August 26, 2025. Wallace is also required to serve 25 years of supervised release and register as a sexual offender.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Jevan Antonio Miller, 28, a Jamaican citizen residing in Thomasville, Georgia, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for attempting to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity and interstate travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct after previously pleading guilty in federal court. 

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Christopher J. Watson, 43, of Pensacola, Florida, was indicted in federal court for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute over 400 grams of fentanyl and over 500 grams of cocaine; conspiracy to utilize a telephone communication facility to carry out a drug trafficking crime; conspiracy to commit money laundering; possession with intent to distribute fentanyl; and attempting to prevent the seizure of drug trafficking evidence by lawful authorities.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

A Jacksonville minister pleaded guilty today to obstructing the IRS’s efforts to collect his tax debts.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Brian Carn, Jr. operated a ministry under various names, including Healing House Ministries, Inc., Brian Carn Ministries, Inc., and Kingdom Culture City Churches. In 2016, Carn filed his tax return for 2015 that properly reported that he earned more than $1.4 million in income and owed more than $600,000 in taxes. He did not, however, pay those taxes to the IRS and instead came up with a scheme to deceive the IRS.

A few months later, when the IRS attempted to collect his unpaid taxes — including by placing liens on his properties and attempting to levy his bank accounts — Carn amended his 2015 tax return and falsely removed nearly $1.3 million in income that he previously reported. To accomplish this, Carn hired a new accountant and provided him with a fictitious, backdated employment agreement that provided for an annual salary of $120,000 and an annual parsonage allowance of $24,000. Carn represented to his accountant that this was all the income he earned for the year. Carn represented third parties on credit applications, financial account openings, and lease applications, and otherwise knew that the income he actually earned far exceeded the purported salary in the employment agreement provided to the new accountant..

In the following years, operating under the premise of the fictitious employment agreement, Carn filed a series of other tax returns that drastically underreported his true income. But in 2020, he stopped filing tax returns, despite continuing to earn income by using ministry funds to pay for personal expenses.

Finally, when the IRS was trying to collect the outstanding taxes, Carn made a number of false representations and material omissions to the IRS to conceal his assets and income.

Carn’s obstruction caused a loss to United States of between $550,000 and $1,500,000. Carn faces a maximum penalty of three years in prison. 

Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division made the announcement.

IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.

Assistant Deputy Chief David Zisserson and Trial Attorney Max Wilner-Giwerc of the Criminal Division, Tax Section are prosecuting the case, with the assistance of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida. 

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Richler Morette, also known as “Breezy,” a member of the Brooklyn-based Hyena Crips gang, pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Brooklyn to racketeering in connection with the murder of a man mistaken to be a rival gang member and conspiracy to murder rival gang members.  The proceeding was held before United States District Judge Ann M. Donnelly.  When sentenced, Morette faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.  Morette is the eighth member of the Hyena Crips to plead guilty to a superseding indictment charging members and associates of the violent street gang with racketeering activity over a decade, including the murders of Samuel Joseph, Leandre Mallinckrodt, and Roodson Polynice.  When sentenced, Morette faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. 

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

BROOKLYN, NY – Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, Elaine Antao and Manal Wasef pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud Medicaid by paying health care kickbacks for services that were not provided at two Brooklyn social adult day cares and a home health care company. Today’s proceeding was held before United States District Judge Natasha C. Merle.  When sentenced, the defendants each face a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Two defendants pleaded guilty today to conspiring to defraud Medicaid by paying health care kickbacks for services that were not provided at two Brooklyn social adult day cares and a home health care company.

“The defendants were large-scale recruiters who bribed patients with laundered cash and billed Medicaid over $68 million for services that were not provided,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Today’s guilty pleas demonstrate the Department’s longstanding commitment to rooting out fraud in government health care programs by aggressively prosecuting those who steal from taxpayer-funded programs.”

“As demonstrated by today’s guilty pleas, our Office will hold accountable corrupt individuals who steer patients to health care providers in exchange for illicit kickbacks,” said U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. of the Eastern District of New York. “We will continue to investigate and aggressively prosecute fraud schemes that steal from taxpayer funds from federal health care programs.”

“These defendants orchestrated an egregious scheme involving illegal kickbacks to steer Medicaid claims and to receive payment for services not rendered,” said Special Agent in Charge Naomi Gruchacz of the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Extensive fraudulent operations like this jeopardize the availability of federal health care program funds intended to support millions of beneficiaries. HHS-OIG is committed to working with our law enforcement partners to bring to justice those who prioritize greed over patient care.” 

“These defendants placed profit over people and public well-being and stole $68 million in welfare funds meant for those who need it most,” said Special Agent in Charge Ricky J. Patel of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York. “Their guilty pleas today reflect that they knew exactly what crimes they were committing — they were cheating the system and, in turn, hurting vulnerable Americans. I commend HSI New York and our law enforcement partners for their unrelenting focus on dismantling and disrupting financial fraud schemes that exploit the American public and hurt our economy.”

According to court documents, Manal Wasef, 46, and Elaine Antao, 46, both of Brooklyn, were marketers and recruiters for two social adult day cares: Happy Family Social Adult Day Care Center Inc. and Family Social Adult Day Care Center Inc., as well as Responsible Care Staffing Inc., a home health care fiscal intermediary. Between approximately October 2017 and July 2024, in exchange for illegal kickbacks and bribes, Wasef and Antao referred Medicaid recipients to the social adult day cares and the home health company. The defendants also paid illegal kickbacks and bribes to Medicaid recipients for social adult day care services and home health care services that were billed to Medicaid but were not provided or that were induced by kickbacks and bribes. Wasef and Antao used multiple business entities to launder the fraud proceeds and generate the cash used to pay kickbacks and bribes. In connection with their guilty pleas, Wasef and Antao agreed to collectively forfeit approximately $1 million. Wasef and Antao are the sixth and seventh individuals, respectively, to plead guilty in this case.

Wasef and Antao pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud. Antao is scheduled to be sentenced on May 20 and Wasef is scheduled to be sentenced on May 27. They each face a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

HHS-OIG, HSI, and the NYPD are investigating the case.

Trial Attorneys Patrick J. Campbell and Leonid Sandlar of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Castiglione for the Eastern District of New York is handling forfeiture matters.

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, currently comprised of 9 strike forces operating in 27 federal districts, has charged more than 5,800 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $30 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, 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.