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Sells Man Sentenced to Over 20 Years for Child Exploitation Offenses

Source: US FBI

TUCSON, Ariz. – Jeremy Espuma, 31, of Sells, was sentenced Monday by United States District Judge Scott H. Rash to 248 months in prison for child exploitation offenses. Espuma, a member of the Tohono O’odham Nation, pleaded guilty to Child Exploitation by way of Production of Child Pornography on March 22, 2023. Upon release from prison, Espuma will be placed on lifetime supervised release with sex offender conditions and will be required to register as a sex offender.

The case against Espuma arose after undercover agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation discovered that he was sharing child exploitation material online. A subsequent investigation led to the identification of a child victim that Espuma had sexually abused. Espuma had also distributed images of the child and offered access to the child in exchange for money in the online forum where he was found by law enforcement. The investigation also led to the identification of another individual with whom Espuma shared the images. That offender, Kyle Adam Haney, was sentenced to 120 months in prison on August 31, 2023.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and 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 www.justice.gov/psc.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation in Tucson, Arizona and Knoxville, Tennessee, and the Tohono O’Odham Police Department conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carin Duryee and Scott Turk, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
 

CASE NUMBER:           CR-21-02971-TUC-SHR
RELEASE NUMBER:    2023-198_Espuma

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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/q
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.

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Malas Manas Transnational Criminal Organization Leadership Indicted on Charges of Human Smuggling and Drug Trafficking

Source: US FBI

TUCSON, Ariz. – On November 29, 2023, a federal grand jury in Tucson returned an 11-count indictment against Jorge Damian Roman-Figueroa, Luis Eduardo Roman-Flores, Manuel Jose Bernal, Joel Salazar-Ballesteros, and Jesus Armando Gonzalez-Villela, citizens of Mexico, for Conspiracy to Transport Aliens; Conspiracy to Launder Monetary Instruments; Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana, Methamphetamine, Fentanyl, and Cocaine; Distribution of  Marijuana, Methamphetamine, Fentanyl, and Cocaine; and Brandishing a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime.

“These actions are the latest in a long line of the Justice Department’s efforts to dismantle, piece-by-piece, violent cartels like Malasa Manas and Sinaloa,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “We will continue to target and prosecute the leaders and associates of the criminal groups responsible for poisoning the American people with fentanyl and endangering vulnerable migrants for profit.”

The indictment alleges that defendants Jorge Damian Roman-Figueroa, also known as Soldado, Luis Eduardo Roman-Flores, Manuel Jose Bernal, also known as Peque, and Joel Salazar-Ballesteros, also known as Catorce, are members of the Malas Manas Transnational Criminal Organization (TCO), operating in the Santa Cruz and Mascarenas areas of Mexico, with the permission of the Sinaloa Cartel. 

The indictment alleges that these defendants operated a human smuggling organization as part of the Malas Manas TCO, trafficked drugs, and laundered the proceeds of both criminal activities.  More specifically, the indictment alleges that beginning at an unknown time but including December 2020 and continuing through November 12, 2021, defendants Roman-Figueroa, Roman-Flores, Bernal, and Salazar-Ballesteros conspired to transport aliens within the United States as part of the Malas Manas Transnational Criminal Organization. 

The indictment alleges that between January 2019 and August 2023, defendants Roman-Figueroa, Roman-Flores, and Salazar-Ballesteros conspired to launder the profits of alien smuggling and drug smuggling through the movement of monetary instruments from the United States to the Republic of Mexico. 

The indictment further alleges that from 2019 until 2023 Roman-Figueroa, Bernal, Salazar-Ballesteros, and Gonzalez-Villela conspired to distribute and did distribute various quantities of fentanyl, marijuana, methamphetamine, and cocaine.  Finally, the indictment alleges that Bernal brandished a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime involving methamphetamine on February 3, 2021.  The most serious of these crimes carries a minimum mandatory term of 10 years and up to a maximum term of life in prison, and a fine of up to $10,000,000. 

“DEA’s top operational priority is to defeat the two criminal organizations responsible for the influx of fentanyl into the United States— the Sinaloa and Jalisco Cartels.   As alleged in the indictment, these defendants worked with the Sinaloa Cartel to send fentanyl and other deadly drugs into the United States,” said DEA Administrator Anne Milgram.  “Today’s actions demonstrate that DEA will relentlessly pursue every member and associate of these global criminal organizations, which threaten the public health, safety, and national security of the American people.”

“The facts alleged here illustrate the breadth and diversity of the harmful actions by transnational criminal organizations,” said United States Attorney Gary Restaino.  “This case isn’t about just guns, or drugs, or aliens.  In our continuing efforts to safeguard and bolster border communities, we look forward to establishing the interconnectedness of these three related crimes.”

An indictment is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

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. This case also involves the OCDETF Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence driven, multi-jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

Homeland Security Investigations – Nogales Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration – Tucson Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation OCDETF Strike Force in Tucson conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys (AUSA) Rui Wang, Arturo Aguilar, and David Petermann worked on the investigation.  AUSA David Petermann is handling the prosecution.
 

CASE NUMBER:           CR-23-01975-TUC-JCH (AMM)
RELEASE NUMBER:    2023-200_Roman-Figueroa, et al.

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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.

2023-200_Roman-Figueroa, et al.

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Federal Prosecutors in Los Angeles and Alaska Charge Six Defendants with Operating Websites That Offered Computer Attack Services

Source: US FBI

As Part of International Efforts Targeting So-Called ‘Booter’ Services, FBI Seizes 48 Internet Domains that Offered DDoS-for-Hire Services

          LOS ANGELES – The Justice Department today announced the court-authorized seizure of 48 internet domains associated with some of the world’s leading DDoS-for-hire services, as well as criminal charges against six defendants who allegedly oversaw computer attack platforms commonly called “booter” services.

          The FBI is now in the process of seizing the websites that allowed paying users to launch powerful distributed denial-of-service, or DDoS, attacks that flood targeted computers with information and prevent them from being able to access the internet. Booter services such as those named in this action allegedly attacked a wide array of victims in the United States and abroad, including educational institutions, government agencies, gaming platforms and millions of individuals. In addition to affecting targeted victims, these attacks can significantly degrade internet services and can completely disrupt internet connections.

          The websites targeted in this operation were used to launch millions of actual or attempted DDoS attacks targeting victims worldwide. While some of these services claimed to offer “stresser” services that could purportedly be used for network testing, the FBI determined these claims to be a pretense, and “thousands of communications between booter site administrators and their customers…make clear that both parties are aware that the customer is not attempting to attack their own computers,” according to an affidavit filed in support of court-authorized warrants to seize the booter sites.

          The coordinated law enforcement action comes just before the Christmas holiday period, which typically brings a significant increase in DDoS attacks across the gaming world.

          In conjunction with the website seizures, the FBI, the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency, and the Netherlands Police have launched an advertising campaign using targeted placement ads in search engines, which are triggered by keywords associated with DDoS activities. The purpose of the ads is to deter potential cyber criminals searching for DDoS services in the United States and around the globe, as well as to educate the public on the illegality of DDoS activities.

          “These booter services allow anyone to launch cyberattacks that harm individual victims and compromise everyone’s ability to access the internet,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “This week’s sweeping law enforcement activity is a major step in our ongoing efforts to eradicate criminal conduct that threatens the internet’s infrastructure and our ability to function in a digital world.”

          “Criminals are increasingly targeting essential services and our critical infrastructure with DDoS attacks that can cost victims valuable time, money and reputational harm,” said Donald Alway, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “Whether a criminal launches an attack independently or pays a skilled contractor to carry one out, the FBI will work with victims and use the considerable tools at our disposal to identify the person or group responsible. Victims of cybercrime are urged to contact their local FBI field office or file a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.”

          The law enforcement actions this week include the filing of charges against six defendants across the United States who allegedly offered booter services. Each defendant allegedly operated at least one website that offered one-stop DDoS services and subscriptions of various lengths and attack volumes. In each of these criminal cases, the FBI posed as a customer and conducted test attacks to confirm that the booter site functioned as advertised.

          Central District of California

          Prosecutors in Los Angeles this week filed four criminal informations charging four defendants with running booter services.

          The defendants charged in Los Angeles are:

  • Jeremiah Sam Evans Miller, aka “John The Dev,” 23, of San Antonio, Texas, who is charged with conspiracy to violate and violating the computer fraud and abuse act related to the alleged operation of a booter service named RoyalStresser.com (formerly known as Supremesecurityteam.com);
  • Angel Manuel Colon Jr., aka “Anonghost720” and “Anonghost1337,” 37, of Belleview, Florida, who is charged with conspiracy to violate and violating the computer fraud and abuse act related to the alleged operation of a booter service named SecurityTeam.io;
  • Shamar Shattock, 19, of Margate, Florida, who is charged with conspiracy for allegedly running a booter service known as Astrostress.com; and
  • Cory Anthony Palmer, 22, of Lauderhill, Florida, who is charged with conspiracy for allegedly running a booter service known as Booter.sx.

          The four defendants have been informed of the charges against them and are expected to make their initial court appearances in United States District Court in Los Angeles early next year.

          Assistant United States Attorneys Cameron L. Schroeder, Chief of the Cyber and Intellectual Property Crimes Section, and Aaron Frumkin, also of the Cyber and Intellectual Property Crimes Section, are prosecuting the Los Angeles cases. Assistant United States Attorney James E. Dochterman of the Asset Forfeiture and Recovery Section is handling the seizure of the domains.

          District of Alaska

          The defendants charged in criminal informations filed in Alaska are:

  • John M. Dobbs, 32 of Honolulu, Hawaii, who is charged with aiding and abetting violations of the computer fraud and abuse act related to the alleged operation of a booter service named Ipstressor.com, also known as IPS, between 2009 and November 2022.
  • Joshua Laing, 32, of Liverpool, New York, who is charged with aiding and abetting violations of the computer fraud and abuse act related to the alleged operation of a booter service named TrueSecurityServices.io between 2014 and November 2022.

          The two defendants have been informed of the charges against them and are expected to make their initial court appearance early next year.

          Assistant United States Attorney Adam Alexander is prosecuting the Alaska cases.

          Criminal informations contain allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

          In recent years, booter services have continued to proliferate as they offer a low barrier to entry for users looking to engage in cybercriminal activity. These types of DDoS attacks are so named because they result in the “booting” or dropping of the targeted computer from the internet. For additional information on booter and stresser services and the harm that they cause, please visit: https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/anchorage/fbi-intensify-efforts-to-combat-illegal-ddos-attacks.

          The cases announced today are being investigated by the FBI’s Anchorage and Los Angeles field offices.

          Invaluable assistance was provided by the FBI field offices in Albany, Honolulu, Miami, Philadelphia and San Antonio; the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency; the Netherlands Police; EUROPOL; and the Brandon Police Service in Manitoba, Canada. Akamai, Cloudflare, Digital Ocean, Entertainment Software Association, Google, Oracle, Palo Alto Networks Unit 42, PayPal, Unit 221B, the University of Cambridge, Yahoo and other valued private sector partners provided additional assistance.

          These law enforcement actions were taken in conjunction with Operation PowerOFF, an ongoing, coordinated effort among international law enforcement agencies aimed at dismantling criminal DDoS-for-hire infrastructures worldwide, and holding accountable the administrators and users of these illegal services.

          In a previous law enforcement action involving prosecutors and investigators in Los Angeles and Anchorage four years ago, the Justice Department charged three defendants who facilitated DDoS-for hire services and seized 15 internet domains associated with DDoS-for-hire services. The multi-prong investigation announced today builds on the success of the prior cases by targeting all known booter sites, shutting down as many as possible, and undertaking a public education campaign.

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Anchorage Woman Sentenced to 20 Years for Kidnapping

Source: US FBI

ANCHORAGE – An Anchorage woman was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Joshua M. Kindred to 20 years in prison for kidnapping an 18-year-old victim.

According to court documents, Nellie Sherry Serradell, 28, attempted to stop multiple vehicles as she walked in and out of traffic on Dimond Boulevard in the early morning hours of November 17, 2019. The 18-year-old-victim was driving to work at 5:48 a.m. when Serradell ran in front of her vehicle at Dimond and C Street. The victim agreed to give Serradell a ride to her workplace. When they arrived in the parking lot, Serradell grabbed the victim and told her she had a gun and that she needed to keep driving. After punching the victim in the face several times, Serradell directed her to drive to a trailer park on Muldoon Road where she sexually assaulted the victim. In an effort to get Serradell to stop, the victim offered to give her money and Serradell agreed they could drive to an ATM machine. As they drove, Serradell fell asleep and the victim pulled into a gas station on 15th Ave., quietly got out of the car, went inside and called 911. Serradell woke up, saw the victim in the gas station, and drove off in the victim’s car. Serradell was arrested the next day in a nearby motel, wearing the victim’s brown Bearpaw boots. Investigators recovered the victim’s car abandoned on Boniface Parkway and found Serradell’s DNA in two places inside the passenger compartment. She pleaded guilty to the federal kidnapping charge on July 25, 2022.

“The victim was trying to be a good Samaritan, helping someone who was flagging down cars in the street,” said U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker for the District of Alaska. “The defendant took advantage of the victim’s kind nature by kidnapping and assaulting her. When individuals such as the defendant threaten the safety our community, they will be met with certain justice.”

The FBI and the Anchorage Police Department investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Schroeder prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

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Alaska Man Sentenced to 78 Months for Years-Long Fraud and Identity Theft

Source: US FBI

FAIRBANKS – Jared Wilkes Post, 26, of Fairbanks was sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge Ralph R. Beistline to 78 months of imprisonment and ordered to pay at least $100,000 in restitution for defrauding banks and other victims of over $100,000 through a sophisticated check kiting and identity theft scheme.

According to court documents, between 2017 and 2021, Post and his co-conspirator committed bank fraud and aggravated identity theft and defrauded multiple banks and individuals of at least $100,000. Post contacted individuals he called “Plays” via social media and convinced them to share their bank account information under the false pretense that Post needed to deposit a legitimate check into the “Play’s” account. Post then offered the “Play” a portion of the deposited check in return for use of their bank account. Once the check posted in the account, Post would withdraw or transfer the funds electronically or direct the “Play” to transfer the funds to him via a cash app or Western Union.

In reality, the checks Post and his co-conspirator deposited were stolen and fraudulently altered, and they withdrew the funds prior to the banks’ flagging the checks as fraudulent. Post and his co-conspirator discussed stealing the checks from the elderly and other victims they viewed as susceptible to “scams.” Once Post withdrew the cash the banks, the “Plays,” and the initial victim whose checks were stolen were left paying losses and overdraft fees.

“Elder abuse and financial fraud targeted at seniors is a serious crime against some of our nation’s most vulnerable citizens,” said U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker, District of Alaska. “Today’s sentence sends a strong message that fraudulent conduct on this scale will be met with serious consequences. Predators who target older citizens for fraud and financial scams are especially abhorrent and my office will continue to take aggressive action, pursuing all legal means to bring these criminals to justice.”

“Motivated by greed, the defendant and his co-conspirator operated a sophisticated check fraud scheme, targeting victims they perceived as vulnerable,” said Special Agent in Charge Antony Jung of the FBI Anchorage Field Office. “This scheme led to prison time and should serve as a message to anyone who would engage in this conduct to reconsider. The FBI and our law enforcement partners will continue to hold accountable those who commit such offenses.”

The FBI Anchorage Field Office, Alaska State Troopers, Fairbanks Police Department, Anchorage Police Department and the Vancouver, Washington, Police Department are investigating the case. The FBI’s Phoenix Field Office also assisted in the investigation.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan D. Tansey.

Anyone who believes they may be a victim of this scheme and entitled to restitution may contact the FBI Anchorage Field Office at 907-276-4441. The District Court will hold a restitution hearing in 90-days to enter a final restitution order.

The Justice Department has established a National Elder Fraud Hotline to provide services to seniors who may be victims of financial fraud. The Hotline is staffed by experienced case managers who can provide personalized support to callers. Case managers assist callers with reporting the suspected fraud to relevant agencies and by providing resources and referrals to other appropriate services as needed. When applicable, case managers will complete a complaint form with the Federal Bureau of Investigation Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) for Internet-facilitated crimes and submit a consumer complaint to the Federal Trade Commission on behalf of the caller. The Hotline’s toll-free number is 833-FRAUD-11 (833-372-8311).

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Former Federal Contractor Sentenced to 42 Months and $172,500 Fine for Bribery Involving Millions in U.S. DOD Contracts

Source: US FBI

Second defendant sentenced in case involving nearly half a million dollars in bribes for confidential bidding information about U.S. Department of Defense contracts

FAIRBANKS – A former government contractor and owner of Best Choice Construction LLC (Best Choice) was sentenced to 42 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release and a criminal fine of $172,500 by Senior U.S. District Court Judge Ralph R. Beistline for conspiracy and bribery of a public official.

According to court documents, Ryan Dalbec, 44, of Mesa, Arizona, agreed to pay over $460,000 in bribes to former U.S. Air Force contracting official, Brian Lowell Nash II, in exchange for confidential bidding information on over $8,250,000 in U.S. Department of Defense contracts at Eielson Air Force Base and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER). The confidential bidding information Nash provided helped Dalbec and Best Choice win some of those contracts, including a $6,850,000 construction contract related to the F-35 aircraft program at Eielson Air Force Base. Dalbec and his wife, Raihana Nadem, also helped Nash launder the bribery proceeds through family members and third-party bank accounts to conceal the nature and source of the funds. Dalbec previously pleaded guilty to the charges on September 2, 2022.

Judge Beistline commented that Dalbec’s conduct was motivated by greed and his activity was premediated and likely would have continued had he not been caught. In addition to the other penalties, Judge Beistline ordered Dalbec to pay $16,296.80 in restitution to Eielson Air Force Base.

Nash was previously sentenced in November to serve 30 months imprisonment and ordered to forfeit $47,000 in unlawful gains.

Nadem pleaded guilty to a felony for related misconduct and is scheduled to be sentenced on December 16, 2022.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI) conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan D. Tansey.

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Wasilla Man Indicted on Federal Kidnapping and Firearm Charges

Source: US FBI

ANCHORAGE – A federal grand jury in Alaska returned an indictment charging a Wasilla man with kidnapping and being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.  

Anderson was arrested on November 3 by Alaska State Troopers and remains in custody at Anchorage Correctional Complex. He is a registered sex offender based on a 2001 conviction for sexual assault in the first degree in Kenai.  

Anderson also faces State of Alaska charges of attempted murder, kidnapping, sexual assault, sexual abuse of a minor, robbery, assault, misconduct involving a controlled substance and tampering with evidence.

If the public has any further information regarding Anderson’s activities, please contact the FBI Anchorage Field Office at 907-276-4441.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker of the District of Alaska made the announcement.

The Alaska State Troopers and FBI are investigating the case, with assistance from the FBI’s Joint Child Abduction Rapid Deployment (J-CARD) Team. The FBI’s J-CARD Team consists of specially trained investigators and intel personnel from the FBI, Alaska State Troopers and Anchorage Police Department who are experienced in child abduction cases and can rapidly deploy anywhere in the state. The team is designed to provide investigative, technical, and resource assistance to state and local law enforcement during the most critical time period following a child abduction.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chris Schroeder and Adam Alexander are prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, Project Safe Childhood combines 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 www.justice.gov/psc.

An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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Alabama Man Found Guilty of Charges Related to Capitol Breach

Source: US FBI

            WASHINGTON – An Alabama man was found guilty today by a jury in the District of Columbia of misdemeanor charges for his actions during the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol breach. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the presidential election.

            Russell Dean Alford, 62, of Hokes Bluff, Alabama, was found guilty of four charges.

            According to the government’s evidence, on Jan. 6, 2021, Alford attended a “Stop the Steal” rally near the Ellipse and then walked towards the U.S. Capitol, where he entered the upper House door on the southeast side of the building, at approximately 2:43 p.m. He went into the building through doors that had been broken by others. He remained inside for approximately 15 minutes. He later posted videos and photographs on social media, including to his YouTube page.

            On Jan. 20, 2021, Alford was interviewed by the FBI at his business in Alabama. Upon seeing the agents walk towards him in the parking area of his business, he stated, “I wondered when ya’ll were going to show up. Guess you’ve seen the videos on my Facebook page.”

            Alford was arrested on March 29, 2021, in Birmingham, Alabama.

            Alford was found guilty of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building.

            He is to be sentenced on Jan. 23, 2023. The four offenses carry a combined statutory maximum of three years of incarceration and potential financial penalties. The Court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

            The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Valuable assistance was provided by the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Alabama.

            The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Birmingham and Washington Field Offices. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.

            In the 20 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 870 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including over 265 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing. 

            Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

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Gadsden Man Charged with Multi-Million-Dollar Kickback and Health Care Fraud Conspiracies

Source: US FBI

Tuscaloosa, Ala. – A federal grand jury last week indicted a Gadsden man for conspiring to pay and receive kickbacks and commit health care fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona, Federal Bureau of Investigation Acting Special Agent in Charge Felix A. Rivera-Esparra, and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, Special Agent in Charge Tamala E. Miles. 

A six-count indictment filed in U.S. District Court charges James Ewing Ray, 51, of Gadsden, Alabama, with one count of kickback conspiracy, four substantive kickback counts, and one count of health care fraud conspiracy. 

Ray owned Integrity Medical, LLC, a company through which he marketed health care items and services to medical providers.  According to the indictment, between about 2012 and 2018, Ray conspired with others to pay and receive kickbacks to induce medical providers to issue medically unnecessary prescriptions and order medically unnecessary goods and services, which were then billed to Medicare and other health insurers.

One of those services was electro-diagnostic testing by QBR, a Huntsville-based testing company whose owner, John Hornbuckle, is under indictment in a related case.  The indictment against Ray alleges that QBR billed insurers millions of dollars for electro-diagnostic testing that its technicians performed, regardless of whether there was a medical need for them.  QBR is alleged to have paid Ray a fee for every patient his doctors referred, and to have paid those doctors a per-patient fee for their referrals.  Federal insurers were billed millions of dollars for these tests, the indictment alleges.

The maximum penalty for kickback conspiracy is five years in prison.  The maximum penalty for health care fraud conspiracy  is ten years in prison.  Each of the four substantive kickback counts carries a maximum of ten years in prison.

The FBI and HHS-OIG investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys J.B. Ward and Don Long are prosecuting the case. 

An indictment contains only charges.  A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

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Birmingham Teacher Sentenced to More Than Four Years in Prison for Transfer of Obscene Material to a Minor

Source: US FBI

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Last week, a federal judge sentenced a Birmingham teacher for transferring obscene material to a minor, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Felix A. Rivera-Esparra.

U.S. District Court Judge Madeline H. Haikala sentenced Richard Pope, 57, of Birmingham, to 54 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. As a condition of his supervised release, Pope must register as a sex offender in accordance with the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). Pope previously pleaded guilty to three counts of transmission of obscene material to a minor. 

According to the plea agreement, Richard Pope was a graphics art teacher and baseball coach at G.W. Carver High School in Birmingham. In March 2020, Pope messaged a minor on Facebook. During the chats, Pope engaged the minor in sexually explicit conversations and sent the minor obscene images.

“This sentence sends a strong message that those who abuse their positions of trust with our children will be prosecuted and punished,” U.S Attorney Escalona said. “My office, along with our law enforcement partners, will work to ensure that our schools are always safe for our children.”

“Pope betrayed the trust granted to him in his position as a teacher and now will pay the consequences for his actions,” SAC Rivera said. “The public can rest assured that the FBI will always be vigilant in pursuing those who choose to prey on our most vulnerable, especially our children. I am proud of the work done by the FBI Birmingham Child Exploitation Human Trafficking Task Force and our partners at ALEA for bringing Pope to justice.”

FBI Birmingham’s Child Exploitation Human Trafficking Task Force investigated the case along with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John M. Hundscheid and R. Leann White prosecuted the case.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by 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, and to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.