Category: MIL-OSI

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Putnam Valley Husband and Wife Sentenced to Prison for Operating Prostitution Businesses at Multiple Massage Parlors in New York

Source: US FBI

Edward Y. Kim, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that HONG RU LIN, a/k/a “Bruce,” and KENA ZHAO, a/k/a “Angela,” were each sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kenneth M. Karas to prison for violating the Travel Act by operating prostitution businesses at multiple massage parlors in Putnam, Westchester, New York, and Queens County.  ZHAO was sentenced on January 10, 2025, to 12 months and one day in prison, and  LIN was sentenced today to 12 month and one day in prison.  LIN and ZHAO also forfeited over $1.3 million representing proceeds derived from their prostitution scheme.

Acting U.S. Attorney Edward Y. Kim said: “Hong Ru Lin and Kena Zhao operated an extensive prostitution business, using massage parlors as cover for their illegal activities.  Today’s sentences hold them accountable for their actions.  This Office will continue to investigate those who sponsor illegal prostitution, even if their criminal activities take place behind the closed doors of supposedly legitimate businesses.”  

According to the charging documents, public court filings, and statements made in court:

Between at least September 2020 and September 2023, LIN and ZHAO operated a prostitution business out of multiple massage parlors that they owned in Putnam, Westchester, New York and Queens County.  LIN and ZHAO managed a roster of women who worked at the massage parlors and performed sexual acts for the customers of LIN and ZHAO.  LIN and ZHAO communicated by cellphone and private chatroom to manage and operate their prostitution business.  Among other things, LIN and ZHAO used cellphones to communicate with potential customers, assign particular employees to customers, monitor the income of their prostitution business, and set performance goals for the women who worked in the massage parlors.  In addition, on at least one occasion, ZHAO personally participated in a massage during which a sexual act was offered to a customer.

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In addition to the prison terms, LIN, 51, and ZHAO, 46, of Putnam Valley, New York, were both sentenced to two years of supervised release and agreed to forfeit the massage parlors’ bank accounts, various assets and cash proceeds derived from the massage parlors, and a $1.3 million money judgment.

Mr. Kim praised the outstanding work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Westchester County Safe Streets Task Force and the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office.  Mr. Kim also thanked the Town of Carmel Police Department, the Westchester County Police Department, and the Yonkers Police Department for their assistance in this matter.

The case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Civil Rights Unit in the Criminal Division and the White Plains Division.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan W. Allison, Jamie Bagliebter, and Margaret N. Vasu are in charge of the prosecution.

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Three High-Ranking MS-13 Gang Members Plead Guilty to Racketeering Charges in Connection with Nine Murders

Source: US FBI

Two Defendants Were the New York Leaders of the Gang’s Hollywood and Sailors Cliques

Earlier today and on January 16, 2025, in federal court in Central Islip, three members of the violent transnational criminal organization La Mara Salvatrucha, also known as the MS-13, pleaded guilty to multiple crimes, including nine murders committed on Long Island and elsewhere between 2016 and 2017.  David Sosa-Guevara, also known as “Risky,” the New York regional leader of the Hollywood Locos Salvatruchas (Hollywood) clique of MS-13, and Victor Lopez-Morales, also known as “Persa,” a high-ranking member of the Hollywood clique, pleaded guilty on January 16, 2025.  Kevin Torres, also known as “Inquieto” and “Quieto,” the New York regional leader of the Sailors Locos Salvatruchas Westside (Sailors) clique of MS-13, pleaded guilty on January 17, 2025.  

Collectively, the three defendants pleaded guilty to racketeering charges in connection with their respective roles in nine MS-13 driven murders: (1) the April 26, 2016 murder of Samuel Martinez-Sandoval in Freeport; (2) the April 29, 2016 murder of Oscar Acosta in Brentwood; (3) the May 21, 2016 murder of Kerin Pineda in Freeport; (4) the September 4, 2016 murder of Josue Amaya-Leonor in Roosevelt; (5) the September 5, 2016 murder of Marcus Bohannon in Central Islip; (6) the October 10, 2016 murder of Javier Castillo in Freeport; (7) the October 14, 2016 murder of Carlos Ventura-Zelaya in Roosevelt; (8) the July 21, 2017 murder of Angel Soler in Roosevelt; and (9) the August 29, 2017 murder of David Rivera in Maryland, as well as narcotics trafficking. Additionally, Sosa-Guevara and Lopez-Morales pleaded guilty to participating in an August 2017 conspiracy to kidnap an individual identified in the superseding indictment as “John Doe #3.”

The three guilty plea proceedings were held before United States Magistrate Judge Lee G. Dunst.  When sentenced by United States District Judge Joan M. Azrack, pursuant to the terms of their plea agreements, Sosa-Guevara and Torres each face up to 65 years in prison, and a minimum sentence of 40 years in prison.  Victor Lopez-Morales faces up to 60 years in prison and minimum sentence of 40 years. 

Carolyn Pokorny, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, James E. Dennehy, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), Robert E. Waring, Acting Commissioner, Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD), Patrick J. Ryder, Commissioner, Nassau County Police Department (NCPD) and Anne T. Donnelly, Nassau County District Attorney, announced the guilty pleas.

“The defendants have admitted to their participation in numerous murders savagely committed with machetes and guns, all on behalf of the MS-13 and to increase their status in that depraved criminal organization,” stated Acting United States Attorney Pokorny.  “As a result of the guilty pleas, the defendants will be severely punished by serving decades in prison and provide some measure of relief and closure to the families of the many victims.” 

FBI Assistant Director in Charge Dennehy stated: “MS-13 callously used murder in an attempt to exert control over territory for their ruthless gang operations.   As demonstrated by the guilty pleas of these three, high-ranking MS-13 members for their roles in nine murders, this type of extreme and senseless violence will not go unpunished. The FBI’s Long Island Gang Task Force, along with our law enforcement partners, will continue to bring to justice members of MS-13 or any other violent gang using violence and murder to terrorize our communities.”

“These defendants used their rank in the gang to help orchestrate multiple brutal murders and other crimes,” stated SCPD Acting Commissioner Waring.  “We in law enforcement will never stop working to fight the pervasive violence sowed throughout these gangs.”

“The charges brought forth is a clear example of the results when Law Enforcement Personnel from Federal and Local Agencies combine their efforts and resources,” stated NCPD Commissioner Ryder.  “Their relentless and continued investigations resulted with the charging of these criminals who were responsible for committing these murders. This combined investigation demonstrates the diligence of the well trained and determined investigators.  The Nassau County Police Department remains committed in working with our law enforcement partners halting any gang activity on our streets and keeping our residents safe.  I would like to thank all of the assisting agencies and their investigators on a job well done.”

“These defendants carried out vicious and senseless violence to instill fear and assert their dominance. Today’s guilty pleas bring us one step closer to ridding this dangerous gang activity from Nassau County communities,” stated Nassau County District Attorney Donnelly.  “Together with our partners, we remain committed to protecting Long Island from this criminal organization’s brutality and ensuring individuals involved in these devastating acts are held accountable for their crimes.”  

According to court filings and statements made during the guilty plea proceedings, Torres was the New York regional leader of the Sailors clique, Sosa-Guevara was the New York regional leader of the Hollywood clique, and Lopez-Morales was a high-ranking member of the Hollywood clique.  The defendants admitted to committing the crimes set forth below in order to maintain and increase their membership and status within the gang, and to further the mission of the MS-13.

April 26, 2016 Murder of Samuel Martinez-Sandoval

The defendants pleaded guilty to the murder of 20-year-old Martinez-Sandoval, which was carried out in April 2016, by the defendants and other members from the Sailors, Hollywood and Normandie Locos Salvatruchas cliques, who planned a joint operation to lure and kill Martinez-Sandoval because they believed that he was a member of the rival Sureños gang.   

On April 26, 2016, MS-13 members convinced Martinez-Sandoval to drive with them to a secluded, wooded area near Freeport Lake in Roosevelt, under the guise of smoking marijuana.  Separately, more than a half dozen MS-13 members, including the defendants, armed with machetes and other weapons, had gathered at a designated location along Freeport Lake where it was agreed that the other gang members would bring the victim.  When Martinez-Sandoval arrived, Sosa-Guevara, Torres, Lopez-Morales and the other MS-13 members surrounded and attacked the victim, each taking turns hacking him with a machete and other weapons.  After the victim was killed, the MS-13 members dug a shallow grave and buried the victim.  However, because the initial hole was not deep enough to conceal Martinez-Sandoval’s body, a group of MS-13 members went back the following day, reburied the victim and covered his body with cement and dirt.  Martinez-Sandoval’s body was not found until September 2024.

April 29, 2016 Murder of Oscar Acosta

Torres pleaded guilty to the murder of 19-year-old Acosta.  In early 2016, Torres, as leader, ordered a “greenlight” authorizing other gang members to murder Acosta because the gang suspected that he was associating with the rival 18th Street gang after previously aligning himself with the MS-13.  Torres assigned roles as to which members would take the lead in planning and carrying out the murder. 

 On April 29, 2016, MS-13 members met Acosta in a wooded area near an elementary school in Brentwood where he had been lured under the guise of smoking marijuana.  They brutally beat Acosta with tree limbs, knocking him unconscious. They bound Acosta’s hands and feet, wrapped an article of clothing around his mouth to prevent him from making noise and summoned other MS-13 members who arrived in two cars.  The MS-13 members loaded Acosta into the trunk of one of the cars and drove to a more secluded area in Brentwood near the abandoned Pilgrim State Psychiatric Hospital.  The MS-13 members then removed Acosta, who was still alive, from the trunk and carried him deeper into the woods where they took turns hacking him to death with a machete.  The murder was supervised by the local leaders of the Sailors clique who reported back to Torres once completed.  After killing Acosta, the MS-13 members buried his body in a shallow grave.

Acosta’s body was discovered by law enforcement nearly five months later, on September 16, 2016, during a search for another MS-13 victim.  His cause of death was homicidal violence, including sharp and blunt force injuries to his head and torso.

May 21, 2016 Murder of Kerin Pineda

The defendants also pleaded guilty to the murder of 20-year-old Pineda, who, like Acosta, was killed because of his suspected membership in the 18th Street gang. Torres, again, ordered the “greenlight” for Pineda, marking him for death.  In response, MS-13 members from the Sailors and Hollywood cliques, including Sosa-Guevara and Lopez-Morales, devised a plan to kill Pineda.

On May 21, 2016, MS-13 members, armed with machetes, lured Pineda to a secluded wooded area near the Merrick-Freeport border.  Torres, Lopez-Morales, and Sosa-Guevara acted as lookouts for police and coordinated the attack, staying in contact with the MS-13 members in the woods while they waited for Pineda.  When Pineda arrived, he was surrounded and violently attacked by the group of MS-13 members, each of whom took turns hacking and slashing him with the machetes. Pineda’s body was then buried in a hole that had been dug in the ground the day before, in anticipation of the murder. Before leaving the scene, the MS-13 members contacted the lookouts – Torres, Lopez-Morales, and Sosa-Guevara – who advised them that they could safely come out of the woods and drove them away from the scene.

September 4, 2016 Murder of Josue Amaya-Leonor

Sosa-Guevara and Lopez-Morales pleaded guilty for their roles in the murder of 19 year-old Amaya-Leonor on September 4, 2016.  Like the other victims, Amaya-Leonor was lured to a secluded wooded area and killed because of his perceived association with the 18th Street gang.  On the evening of the murder, MS-13 members convinced Amaya-Leonor to venture deep into the Roosevelt Preserve, in Roosevelt, to smoke marijuana.  Sosa-Guevara was in communication with the gang members by cell phone and was directing them on where to bring the victim.  Once there, Amaya-Leonor was surrounded by the MS-13 members who were armed with machetes; he was struck repeatedly, and killed.  Thereafter, Lopez-Morales, who was in the immediate area of the murder looking out for police, arrived on the scene and supervised the other MS-13 members as they dug a hole and buried Amaya-Leonor’s body, which was not found until May 2018 – over a year and a half after the murder had occurred.

September 5, 2016 Murder of Marcus Bohannon

Torres pleaded guilty to authorizing the murder of 27-year-old Marcus Bohannon.  On September 4, 2016, members of the Sailors clique met at the house of local clique leaders Alexi Saenz and Jairo Saenz, in Central Islip, where Torres directed the gang members to go out hunting for rival gang members to kill.  The MS-13 members separated into several cars and drove around Central Islip and Brentwood, until one of the cars spotted Bohannon walking along Lowell Avenue in Central Islip in the early morning hours of September 5.  Suspecting that Bohannon was a member of the rival Bloods gang, two MS-13 members, carrying firearms, got out of the vehicle, approached him and started shooting. Bohannon was struck nine times, including in his head, neck, and chest, and died from his wounds.

October 10, 2016 Murder of Javier Castillo

Torres also pleaded guilty to the murder of 15-year-old Javier Castillo.  In October 2016, the MS-13 targeted Castillo because he was believed to be a member of the 18th Street gang.  On October 10, 2016, members of the Sailors clique in Brentwood convinced Castillo, who lived in Central Islip, to go with them to Freeport – approximately 30 miles away – to smoke marijuana.  Torres authorized the members of the clique operating in Brentwood to bring Castillo to his territory in Freeport to be killed.  The MS-13 members took Castillo to an isolated marsh area along the water in Cow Meadow Park, in Freeport, where they attacked and killed him, taking turns hacking him with a machete.  Torres also served as the lookout for police in the area during the murder. Thereafter, the MS-13 members dug a hole and buried Castillo’s body, which was not recovered until one year later, in October 2017.

October 14, 2016 Murder of Carlos Ventura-Zelaya

Sosa-Guevara and Lopez-Morales pleaded guilty to the murder of 24-year-old Ventura-Zelaya, who had been marked for death by the MS-13 because of his suspected membership in the rival 18th Street gang.  On the day of the murder, Ventura-Zelaya was observed at a deli in Roosevelt by a member of the Hollywood clique. Sosa-Guevara mobilized other members of the clique to kill Ventura-Zelaya and conducted surveillance of the victim until the other gang members arrived.  The gang members tasked with carrying out the murder first drove to pick up a gun from Lopez-Morales.  After obtaining the weapon, the group drove in the direction of the deli to look for and kill the victim.  Once they spotted Ventura-Zelaya walking on Hudson Street in Roosevelt, two MS-13 members got out of the car, approached him and one

of them fired multiple times, striking and killing the victim.  They then ran back to the car and drove away from the scene.  

July 21, 2017 Murder of Angel Soler

Sosa-Guevara and Lopez-Morales also pleaded guilty to the murder of 15-year-old Soler. The MS-13 suspected Soler was an 18th Street gang member, and Sosa-Guevara ordered his murder. Lopez-Morales and other MS-13 members carried out the murder, luring Soler to wooded lot near Milburn Creek in Roosevelt to smoke marijuana.  The group attacked Soler with machetes and a pickaxe, and buried his body in a shallow grave.  The following day, MS-13 members went back to lay cement over Soler’s body, in order to better conceal it.  Soler’s remains were recovered in October 2017.

August 2017 Conspiracy to Kidnap John Doe #3

Lopez-Morales and Sosa-Guevara also admitted that, just weeks after the Soler murder, they and other MS-13 members planned the kidnapping, assault, and/or murder of John Doe #3, an MS-13 member who had violated the rules of the gang. Specifically, Sosa-Guevara assigned Lopez-Morales and two other MS-13 members to carry out the kidnapping and attack. Lopez-Morales was instructed that, once they had John Doe #3, to wait for further guidance from MS-13 leadership as to whether to kill or brutally assault him.  On August 6, 2017, Lopez-Morales and the other gang members’ plan to kidnap John Doe #3 was foiled by law enforcement, who had been intercepting the calls arranging the attack, pursuant to court-ordered wiretaps of certain MS-13 members’ cell phones, and Lopez-Morales was taken into custody.

August 29, 2017 Murder of David Rivera

Sosa-Guevara also admitted to his participation in the murder of 16-year-old Rivera in Maryland.  To avoid law enforcement in New York, Sosa-Guevara and another Hollywood member from Long Island relocated to Maryland where they connected with the local Hollywood clique.  After arriving, Sosa-Guevara learned of a plan to kill a rival gang member and directed the other Long Island member of his clique to participate.  On August 29, 2017, Sosa-Guevara drove the other gang member to a park outside of Edgewater, Maryland, for him to participate in the Rivera murder.  The victim was brought to that location by other MS-13 members, attacked with machetes and killed.  After the murder, Sosa-Guevara drove the member of his clique away from the scene. Rivera’s body was not found until June 7, 2024.

Narcotics Trafficking Conspiracies

Finally, Torres pleaded guilty to conspiring with the members of the Sailors clique to distribute cocaine and marijuana, and Sosa-Guevara and Lopez-Morales pleaded guilty to conspiring with members of the Hollywood clique to distribute marijuana. These charges stemmed from the MS-13 cliques’ street-level sales of cocaine and marijuana on Long Island, the proceeds of which were used to help finance the MS-13’s criminal operations.

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These guilty pleas are the latest achievements in a series of federal prosecutions by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York targeting members of the MS-13, a violent, transnational criminal organization.  The MS-13’s leadership is based in El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico, but the gang has thousands of members across the United States.  With numerous branches, or “cliques,” the MS-13 is the most violent criminal organization on Long Island.  Since 2003, hundreds of MS-13 members, including dozens of clique leaders, have been convicted on federal felony charges in the Eastern District of New York. A majority of those MS-13 members have been convicted on federal racketeering charges for participating in murders, attempted murders and assaults.  Since 2010, this Office has obtained indictments charging MS-13 members with carrying out more than 70 murders in the Eastern District of New York, resulting in the convictions of dozens of MS-13 leaders and members in connection with those murders.  These prosecutions are the product of investigations led by the FBI’s Long Island Gang Task Force, which is comprised of agents and officers of the FBI, SCPD, NCPD, Nassau County Sheriff’s Department, Suffolk County Probation Office, Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office, the New York State Police, the Hempstead Police Department, the Rockville Centre Police Department and the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.

This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation.  OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

The government’s case is being handled by the Criminal Section of the Office’s Long Island Division.  Assistant United States Attorneys Paul G. Scotti, Justina L. Geraci and Megan E. Farrell are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Assistant District Attorney Jared Rosenblatt of the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office and Paralegal Specialist Kerry Ucci and Automated Litigation Specialist Michael Compitello.

The Defendants:

VICTOR LOPEZ-MORALES (also known as “Persa”)
Age:  36
Roosevelt, New York

DAVID SOSA-GUEVARA (also known as “Risky”)
Age:  33
Roosevelt, New York

KEVIN TORRES (also known as “Quieto” and “Inquieto”)
Age:  29
Freeport, New York

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 20-CR-251 (S-1)(JMA)

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Four Defendants Charged Following Niagara Falls Drug Raids

Source: US FBI

BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that four Niagara Falls men were arrested and charged in separate criminal complaints for their roles in a drug trafficking ring operating in Niagara Falls, NY.   

  • Paul Fields, 39, and Edward Rollie, 49, are charged with possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, which carry a minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum of life, and a $5,000,000 fine.
  • Rashawn Salmon, 39, is charged with possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, which carries a minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum of life and a $10,000,000 fine.
  • Jermaine McQueen, 46, is charged with possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, which carry a minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum of life, and a $10,000,000 fine.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy C. Lynch, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaints, on August 28, 2024, search warrants were executed at multiple residences associated with all four defendants. During the searches, law enforcement recovered 1.5 kilograms of fentanyl, over a kilogram of cocaine, three firearms, and $25,000 in U.S. currency.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

The complaints are the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia, the Niagara Falls Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Nick Ligammari, the Niagara County Sheriff’s Department, under the direction of Sheriff Michael Filicetti, the North Tonawanda Police Department, under the direction of Chief Keith Glass, the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Stanley Edwards, and the Erie County Sheriff’s Department, under the direction of Sheriff John Garcia.

The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.     

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Former Youth Pastor Sentenced on Child Pornography Charge

Source: US FBI

BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Nathan L. Rogers, 40, of East Aurora, NY, who was convicted of attempted receipt of child pornography, was sentenced to serve 84 months in prison by Senior U.S. District Judge William M. Skretny.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul E. Bonanno, who handled the case, stated that in July 2019, at Darien Lake Park in Genesee County, NY, Rogers, a church youth pastor, set up iPhones in his camper to surreptitiously record, for the purposes of his own sexual gratification, nude images of a minor victim. Shortly after setting up the phones, Rogers invited the minor victim to change out of her bathing suit in his camper. She agreed and, as she changed, the iPhones recorded nude images. After changing, the minor victim noticed the phones recording her, she attempted to delete the videos, and then reported the incident to authorities. Responding law enforcement officers detained and questioned Rogers. Subsequently, nude images of the minor victim were located on the phones.

The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia, and the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff William A. Sheron, Jr.  

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Cheektowaga Man Going to Prison for Using Stolen Credit Card Numbers to Purchase Tens of Thousands of Dollars Worth of Gas

Source: US FBI

BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Cross Malik Williams, 25, of Cheektowaga, NY, who was convicted of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, was sentenced to serve 12 months in prison by U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles M. Kruly, who handled the case, stated that between August 2022, and July 2023, Williams, along with co-defendant Kingsley Brown, purchased approximately 570 stolen bank cards from various online marketplaces. Williams and Brown then used a card-making device to load the stolen banking card information onto blank plastic bank cards with magnetic strips, which allowed purchases to be made using the victims’ funds from the victims’ bank accounts. Williams and Brown used, or allowed others to use, the stolen bank card information to purchase gas for other individuals. The gas customers would then pay Williams and/or Brown an amount of money less than the cost of the gas. Williams agreed that he was responsible for between $250,000 and $550,000 of total loss.

Kingsley Brown was previously convicted and is awaiting sentencing.

The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia.

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Greece Man Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography Charge

Source: US FBI

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Isolino S. Presutti, Jr., 36, of Greece, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Charles J. Siragusa to possession of child pornography involving prepubescent minors, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas M. Testani and Meghan K. McGuire, who are handling the case, stated that in March, 2023, Presutti possessed three desktop and two laptop computers, which contained approximately 5690 images and 28 videos of child pornography. Some of the images and videos depicted prepubescent children engaged in sexually explicit conduct and violence against children.

The plea is the result of an investigation by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Todd Baxter and the Federal Bureau of Investigation Child Exploitation Human Trafficking Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia.

Sentencing is scheduled for December 12, 2024, at 9:15 a.m. before Judge Siragusa.

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Stowe Man Charged with Drug and Firearms Violations Related to Two Homicides

Source: US FBI

Burlington, Vermont – The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that on September 12, 2024, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging  Theodore Bland, 29, of Stowe, Vermont, with conspiracy to distribute cocaine base, possession of cocaine base and fentanyl with intent to distribute, using and carrying a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime, and discharging that firearm during the commission of the offense.

Bland is currently scheduled to be sentenced on October 21, 2024, following his March 22, 2024, guilty plea to knowingly possessing a firearm while being an unlawful user of controlled substances related to a March 17, 2023 event. The United States has filed a motion asking the Court to order Bland to remain in custody based on these new charges following the completion of any sentence imposed on October 21, 2024. Bland’s arraignment on the new charges will occur on a date to be determined by the United States District Court for the District of Vermont, at which the Court is anticipated to rule on the government’s detention motion.

According to court records, on October 12, 2023, Bland used, carried, and discharged a firearm, in relation to his drug trafficking activities. Also, according to court records, Bland’s October 12 firearm discharges caused the deaths of Jahim Solomon and Eric White. Bland used social media messaging to communicate with his co-conspirators regarding, among other topics, the procurement of controlled substances for distribution, the pricing of controlled substances for sale to drug customers, and the distribution of controlled substances to drug customers. Bland also used social media messaging to communicate with his co-conspirators following the homicides of Solomon and White on October 12, 2023, including communications about his attempts to conceal the homicides. Court documents also state that Bland induced others to help him move the bodies of Solomon and White to two wooded areas in Eden, Vermont, where the bodies were discovered by law enforcement on October 24 and 25, 2023.

The United States Attorney’s Office emphasizes that an indictment contains allegations only and that Bland is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. Bland faces a term of imprisonment of up to life, with a mandatory minimum of ten years, if convicted. The actual sentence, however, would be determined by the Court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the statutory sentencing factors.

United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the investigatory efforts of the Vermont State Police, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Morristown Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Lamoille County Sheriff’s Department.

The prosecutors are Assistant United States Attorneys Jason Turner and Paul Van de Graaf. Bland is represented by David Sleigh, Esq.

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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Kris Roglieri Indicted on Five Counts of Wire Fraud

Source: US FBI

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Kris Roglieri, age 44, of Queensbury, New York, has been indicted on wire fraud charges.

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.

Roglieri operated Prime Capital Ventures, LLC (“Prime Capital”) and Prime Commercial Lending, LLC (“Prime Commercial”), among other companies, that were based in Albany.

The indictment and an earlier-filed criminal complaint allege that Prime Capital held itself out as a commercial lending business. As part of contractual arrangements with its borrower clients situated across the country, Prime Capital obtained upfront interest payments from prospective borrowers while it sought to secure loans for those borrowers; these upfront interest payments were characterized by Prime Capital as the “Interest Credit Account Payment,” or “ICA” payment for short. ICA payments did not represent fees to Prime Capital. Instead, each borrower’s upfront ICA payment would be debited over time as the loan was funded and accrued more interest. An ICA payment would also be refundable if Prime Capital failed to secure a loan for the borrower client.

Roglieri is alleged to have defrauded a Minnesota company in December 2023, by committing to fund, through Prime Capital, an approximately $100 million commercial project, even though, at the time, Prime Capital had failed to fund numerous loans promised to earlier clients; failed to return tens of millions of dollars in ICA payments to earlier clients once those loans did not materialize; and had been sued multiple times by clients alleging fraud and seeking the return of ICA payments.

On December 22, 2023, Roglieri, on behalf of Prime Commercial, signed a Deposit Agreement by which he agreed to keep the Minnesota company’s ICA payment in a “separate and distinct” bank account, and to hold it as a “trust fund.”  That same day, the Minnesota company wire transferred a $5 million ICA payment to a Prime Capital account controlled by Roglieri. Roglieri then transferred and spent these funds, including by transferring $950,000 in order to meet a financial obligation to another Prime Capital client; paying $84,000 for his purchase of a Rolex day-date 36 mm yellow gold diamond bezel watch; paying $101,000 to a private jet services company, for round-trip, private air travel between Albany International Airport and Anguilla, for a family vacation that Roglieri took from about December 29, 2023 to January 5, 2024; and paying $400,000 to a law firm that represented Prime Capital in court proceedings.   

The charges in the indictment are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

If convicted, Roglieri faces up to 20 years in prison and a maximum $250,000 fine per count, as well as up to 3 years of supervised release. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.

United States Magistrate Judge Christian F. Hummel ordered Roglieri detained after Roglieri’s May 31, 2024 arrest on the criminal complaint.

The FBI is conducting this ongoing investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua R. Rosenthal and Michael Barnett are prosecuting this case.

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Schenectady Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison for Receiving Child Pornography

Source: US FBI

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Richard Nejame, age 29, of Schenectady, New York, was sentenced today to serve 240 months (20 years) in federal prison, to be followed by 25 years of supervised release, for receiving and attempting to receive child pornography.

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman 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 guilty plea, Nejame admitted that between about October 2022 and May 1, 2023, he communicated with several different minor females over various social media applications to include Snapchat.  Nejame further admitted that his online personas on social media claimed that he was a teenage boy.  During Nejame’s online communications with the minor females, he encouraged them to take nude pictures and videos of themselves, and to then send the pictures and videos to him.  Once in receipt of the nude picture and videos of the minor females, Nejame directed the females to take more sexually explicit pictures and videos of themselves, to send those sexually explicit pictures and videos of themselves to him, and that if the females did not comply with his demands, Nejame would threaten to embarrass and expose the females by publishing their pictures and videos on the Internet. 

In addition to the imprisonment and supervised release terms, Nejame will be required to register as a sex offender upon release from imprisonment. 

The FBI’s Albany Division Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force investigated this case.  The Task Force includes members of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. Assistant United States Attorneys Rick Belliss and Benjamin S. Clark prosecuted the case as part of Project Safe Childhood.

Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS).  Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locates, 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.