MIL Security Engine-1

Source: US FBI

WILMINGTON, N.C. – A Raleigh fentanyl dealer who used social media platforms to advertise his product was sentenced to 144 months in prison, which includes an enhancement for the defendant’s attempts to intimidate government witnesses. On April 25, 2024, Axel Rodriguez a/k/a “Flash,” age 23, pled guilty to conspiracy and trafficking of fentanyl.

“Drug traffickers are increasingly pushing deadly fake pills through social media.  They’ve learned they don’t need to stand on street corners when they can reach kids on their smart phones,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “Counterfeit Oxycontin, Percocet, and Xanax sold on social media are driving addiction and overdose death. It’s time to get the word out and warn kids of the risks.”

According to court documents and other information presented in court, in March 2023, Rodriguez became the subject of a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Raleigh Police Department (RPD) investigation after he was identified as selling fentanyl in the Raleigh area using his Instagram account. Rodriguez regularly used his Instagram account to post pictures of the pills he was selling, as well as guns. Rodriguez would advertise that he was able to sell “K packs” of fentanyl pills, which is slang for 1,000 pills. Investigators reviewed Rodriguez’s Instagram account and observed numerous posts of firearms, gang members with firearms, and fentanyl pills for sale.

The investigation revealed Rodriguez was obtaining thousands of pills at a time and then distributing them in the Raleigh area. Between March and May of 2023, investigators conducted multiple controlled purchases of blue pills marked “M-30” from Rodriguez. For example, on March 13, 2023, investigators purchased 25 pills marked “M30.” The confidential informant reported that he observed four firearms in Rodriguez’s vehicle during that transaction. The pills tested positive for the presence of fentanyl.

On one occasion in April 2023, Rodriguez was observed purchasing as many as 8,000 pills from a dealer. That same day, Rodriguez was observed in possession of four firearms in a townhouse he was using to store fentanyl pills. Later that month, Rodriguez was observed in possession of four firearms in a hotel room where he was selling fentanyl pills. In total, Rodriguez is being held accountable for more than 700 grams of fentanyl and 3.6 grams of heroin.

Rodriguez, a validated member of the Bloods, also used his Instagram account to attempt to intimidate an individual Rodriguez suspected of being a government witness. Specifically, while in custody for the instant offense, Rodriguez directed another individual to post a photo of an individual Rodriguez believed to be a witness against him, along with photos of sealed court documents and an image of a rat.

At sentencing, the Government argued Rodriguez’s posts were clear attempts to intimidate a potential witness and asked that his sentence reflect that. The Court agreed and applied an enhancement for attempted obstruction of justice.

“The sentencing of this dangerous individual is an example of our strong working relationship with our federal partners, especially the FBI. The Raleigh Police Department (RPD) will not tolerate the use of social media as a tool for drug trafficking in our city. Using social media to harm our community with fentanyl and heroin will be met with the collective investigative efforts of Federal, state, and local law enforcement. The RPD is grateful to the FBI and U.S. Attorney Michael Easley for our partnership in making our community safe,” said Chief Estella Patterson.

This investigation was part of Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force Operation (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launders, 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.

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II. The FBI and RPD investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Casey Peaden  prosecuted the case.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:23-CR-00295.

Source: US FBI

I joined the FBI in 1995 as a certified public accountant (CPA). I have served my entire career in the New Orleans Field Office. I have investigated public corruption for the last 25 years. I have been a team leader for the Evidence Response Team for more than 20 years, the election crimes coordinator for the division for the past seven years, and I am a certified fraud examiner.  

What drew you to the FBI?

I was a little girl from a small town in North Dakota who spent her allowance on walkie-talkies and convinced friends to surveil the neighborhood boys. It was fun but ironic because surveillance was never one of my strongest FBI skills. My brothers and sisters teased me that I was too small for the job; it was a pipe dream.

Fast-forward 20 years, I was a CPA working in a public accounting firm, and my husband was an attorney in our hometown. A friend sent me a job notice from a Minneapolis newspaper advertising the special agent position and encouraged me to apply. Around the same time, the local FBI agent met my husband and encouraged him to apply. I convinced my husband we should apply, so I could say I gave it a try and we could go about our lives. The job was everything I ever imagined it to be. I am grateful my friend gave me the push I needed.

Source: US FBI

Marat Lerner Stole Approximately $2.5 Million Intended for Mortgage Payments From Vulnerable Victims Who Were in Financial Distress

Source: US FBI

Defendant Exported Millions of Dollars of Electronics Used by Russia in Missiles and Drones

Source: US FBI

I was a nurse before I came to the FBI, and I applied to the FBI right after 9/11, like so many. About a year after starting the application process, I was doing pushups at Quantico and thinking, “I can’t believe I’m here.” It has been the most rewarding and incredible adventure. I have worked in the New Orleans Field Office, the Phoenix Field Office, FBI Headquarters, and the Mobile Field Office. In Mobile, I have worked crimes against children and am now the Evidence Response Team (ERT) senior team leader and embedded on a violent crime squad.

Describe your most memorable case or investigative success.

I’ve been on ERT since 2007, so I’ve been on a lot of searches and a wide variety of scenes. I think the Gabrielle Giffords mass shooting scene in Tucson in 2011 was probably the most memorable. It happened at a grocery store close to our home, where we would occasionally shop, and there were several victims at the scene upon arrival. It made it really personal. We do what we do for the victims, and we do it together as a team. While rough at times, I wouldn’t trade a day of it. 

Source: US FBI

I have been a special agent with the FBI since 1998. After completing new agent training, I was assigned to the Newark Division, where I worked international drug investigations, public corruption, and terrorism matters. I was part of the team that processed evidence linked to the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, and I assisted in body recovery efforts and conducted victim impact interviews for family members of those who perished on Flight 93. Since 2003, I have been assigned to the Memphis Division of the FBI, where I currently supervise civil rights investigations.

Describe your most memorable case or investigative success.

My most memorable case was an international trafficking investigation involving a 12-year-old girl from Oaxaca, Mexico. The victim was tricked by a trusted female from her village with the promise of working in a Mexican restaurant in the United States. However, upon arriving in Tennessee, the victim was raped by the pimp and promptly placed on a human trafficking circuit. On the first stop of the circuit, she was forced to have sex with 60 men the first day and hundreds more in the months to follow. The case resulted in the indictment of 15 subjects, and the main trafficker received a 50-year sentence in prison. In 2010, I received the Attorney General’s Award for the investigation.

Source: US FBI

Share the thing you’re most proud of from your FBI career. 

 The decision to work crimes against children was the best career move I could have made, but of course, I made it without knowing how powerful it would be. 

All of my investigations have left a mark on my career, but it is the work from the last several years that have made the biggest impact. I have seen huge changes in the technology used to distribute child sexual abuse material in the years I have worked these cases, but the one constant is that there is always a real child behind those images.

Having the honor and privilege of meeting victims face to face, hearing their stories, holding their hands, crying with them as they must relive their abuse, and sitting with them as their abuser is sentenced is incredibly powerful. These young victims have helped shape and mold my career in a way no other violation can.

Unless you work this, you may not fully understand the impact. But for those of us who do, we get it, and we share a bond that is unlike any other in the Bureau and law enforcement in general. We know what another investigator is going through, and we are there in a heartbeat for each other. I am proud of the 50, 60, and even 100-year jail sentences our team has been able to get for the abusers in these cases. But I am most proud of the difference our cases have made for those we helped and the team that has been with me every step of the way.

Source: US FBI

Share the thing you’re most proud of from your FBI career.

When I joined the FBI as a special agent, I believed this was the pinnacle of any career and assumed I would remain an agent until I retired. I had no aspirations to go into management. Had it not been for colleagues, friends, and managers encouraging me to seek out career advancements, I don’t know if I would have done so on my own. They provided me with the information and inspiration I needed to be willing to raise my hand and take the next steps.

I am hoping I can be a role model, not only for other female agents coming into the FBI, but to young women who may one day want to join the FBI. I want them to see in me a reflection of themselves and realize, as a woman and ethnic minority, the FBI will benefit from your experience and provide a great opportunity to shine.

Describe your most memorable case or investigative success.

My most memorable case was my first health care fraud investigation. It involved a group of individuals involved in a prescription drug ring where they used stolen prescription pads from various doctor offices to forge approximately 175 prescriptions. These forged prescriptions were used to obtain controlled substances, including Percocet and Oxycodone. The subjects used stolen identification documents and information on the forged prescriptions to have them filled in over 50 pharmacies. As a result of our efforts, five search warrants were executed and seven individuals were prosecuted.

We even received help from the sister of one of the main subjects. She was willing to provide information in the hopes of getting help for her sister’s drug addiction. Although her assistance strained their relationship, she was grateful for the work we did on the case. It led to her sister getting the help she needed and entering a drug rehabilitation program.

Source: US FBI

I have been with the FBI for 12 years. I have worked counterintelligence, counterterrorism, violent crime, and drug cases. I have also served as the weapons of mass destruction assistant coordinator, primary fitness coordinator, and bank robbery investigation coordinator.

Prior to the FBI, I served for 11 years in the Army Reserves with one deployment to Afghanistan. I previously worked in database marketing and sales in the private sector for 12 years and am the mother of three boys, an author, and an artist.

What drew you to the FBI?

I was drawn to the FBI after a year long deployment to Afghanistan. After losing two soldiers on that tour, I really felt that I wanted to work in national security and continue to support the fight against terrorism. After researching several federal agencies, I believed the FBI would give me that chance, and it did.

I worked on the Joint Terrorism Task Force in the Little Rock Field Office for several years. That gave me the opportunity to work with intelligence community partners and other countries. No other federal agency would have offered what the FBI can do in that realm.

Describe your most memorable case or investigative success.

I have been privileged to work several interesting and successful investigations in the FBI.

Source: US FBI

Daniel M. Gitner, Attorney for the United States, Acting under Authority Conferred by 28 U.S.C. § 515, announced today that YVETTE WANG, a/k/a “Yanping,” was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres to 10 years in prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering in connection with her managerial role in a sprawling and complex scheme WANG and her co-conspirator, Miles Guo, orchestrated in order to fraudulently solicit investments from thousands of Miles Guo’s online followers in various entities and programs.  As part of that scheme, WANG and Guo made false representations to induce victims to invest money in various entities WANG and/or her co-conspirators controlled, including GTV Media Group, Inc. (“GTV”), the Himalaya Farm Alliance, G Club Operations, LLC (“G|CLUBS”), and the Himalaya Exchange.  And then WANG and her co-conspirators spent their victims’ money on themselves, purchasing luxurious items such as million-dollar sports cars and a New Jersey mansion.

Attorney for the United States Daniel M. Gitner said: “Yvette Wang worked with Miles Guo to defraud thousands of victims out of more than $1 billion.  Today’s sentence is a reminder that there will be serious consequences for this conduct, and that this Office will tirelessly in its work to detect, prosecute, and punish fraud.”

According to the charging documents, public court filings, statements made in court, and evidence admitted at Miles Guo’s trial:

From at least in or about 2018 through at least in or about March 2023, WANG and others conspired to defraud thousands of victims of more than approximately $1.4 billion.  Miles Guo was the leader of this complex conspiracy.  WANG was Guo’s “Chief of Staff.” In that capacity, WANG played a managerial role in a variety of entities that the Government has alleged were part of the “G Enterprise” – a series of interrelated entities and companies that were used by WANG and her co-conspirators to carry out this billion-dollar fraud scheme.  Through her work in the G Enterprise, and as WANG well knew, WANG directed the expenditure of fraud proceeds on luxury items for herself, Miles Guo’s family, and others.

WANG and her co-conspirators’ fraud relied on several interrelated operations:  the Rule of Law Charities, GTV Private Placement, the Farm Loan Program, G|CLUBS, the Himalaya Exchange, and A10.

Between on or about April 20, 2020, and on or about June 2, 2020, approximately $452 million worth of purported GTV common stock was sold to more than 5,500 investors.  Investors participated in the GTV Private Placement based, in part, on the belief that their money would be invested into GTV to develop and grow that business. In early June 2020, as WANG and her co-conspirators agreed, WANG transferred $100 million of funds raised from the GTV Private Placement into a high-risk hedge fund for the benefit of GTV’s parent company and its ultimate beneficial owner, Guo’s son.

On or about July 22, 2020, in a video distributed via social media, WANG’s co-conspirator promoted the Farm Loan Program, which was a purported opportunity to obtain stock in GTV in exchange for a loan.  However, no stock was ever provided, and WANG and her co-conspirators misappropriated funds that were raised through the Farm Loan Program. For example, approximately $2.3 million was used to cover maintenance expenses associated with an approximately 145-foot luxury yacht worth approximately $37 million.

From at least in or about October 2020 through at least in or about March 2023, WANG and her co-conspirators fraudulently obtained more than approximately $250 million in victim funds through G|CLUBS.  G|CLUBS claimed on its website to be “an exclusive, high-end membership program offering a full spectrum of services” and “a gateway to carefully curated world-class products, services and experiences.”  WANG was the de facto CEO of G|CLUBS, and as she well knew, G|CLUBS did not provide anything other than superficial services to its members.  Moreover, on the basis of Guo’s statements in online videos, victims sent money to G|CLUBS expecting to receive stock in GTV, G|Fashion, or other entities.  But, as WANG well knew, victims never received stock and instead G|CLUBS funds were used—often at WANG’s direction—to purchase, among other things, a 50,000 square foot New Jersey mansion; various furniture and decorative items including, among other items, Chinese and Persian rugs worth approximately $978,000, a $62,000 television, and a $53,000 fireplace log cradle holder; a $900,000 Lamborghini, and a custom-built Bugatti sports car for approximately $4.4 million.

On or about November 1, 2021, WANG’s co-conspirators introduced purported cryptocurrencies called the Himalaya coin and the Himalaya dollar through a fraudulent cryptocurrency exchange called the Himalaya Exchange.  These purported cryptocurrencies were fraudulent and designed so that the conspiracy could collect additional money from victims.  On or about September 20, 2022, and September 21, 2022, U.S. authorities served judicially-authorized seizure warrants on several domestic banks and subsequently seized approximately $335 million of proceeds from bank accounts held in the names of Himalaya Exchange entities and other entities associated with WANG and her co-conspirators.        

Wang was arrested on March 15, 2023, at which time FBI agents located $130,000 of cash in a safe in her apartment.

In connection with the sentencing, Judge Torres said that Wang was an “integral part of the conspiracy and knew what she was doing was illegal.”

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In addition to the prison term, WANG, 45, of New York, New York, was sentenced to three years of supervised release concurrently on each count. WANG also agreed to pay forfeiture in the amount of $1.4 billion. 

Guo was convicted at trial on July 16, 2024. Guo’s sentencing date is pending.

Mr. Gitner praised the outstanding investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The case is being handled by the Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit of the Office’s Criminal Division.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Micah F. Fergenson, Ryan B. Finkel, Justin Horton, and Juliana N. Murray are in charge of the prosecution.