FBI announces the arrest last night of Rashad Emon Clark, aka Shagg Dogg, 33, of West Palm Beach, Florida, on federal charges.

The arrest was made at approximately 7:00 p.m. without incident in North Houston, Texas, by the FBI and members of the Human Trafficking Task Force.

There is no information as to status of his extradition to the Southern District of Florida available at this time.

The FBI was assisted in this investigation by the West Palm Beach Police Department (PD), Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office and the Jupiter PD.

The FBI continues its investigation.

Florida Man Wanted on Federal Charges Arrested in Texas | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

U.S. and Chinese Defendants Charged with Economic Espionage and Theft of Trade Secrets in Connection with Conspiracy to Sell Trade Secrets to Chinese Companies | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

February 7, 2012

Originally reported by Illinois Statehouse News. Read the original article here.

Lawmakers Still Have Questions About Quinn Closing Plan | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

February 7, 2012

Originally reported by Illinois Statehouse News. Read the original article here.

Lawmakers still skeptical of Quinn facilities-closure plan | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

Loretta E. Lynch, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Janice K. Fedarcyk, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office, today announced that Taleek Brooks was arrested last night for production of child pornography.¹ The defendant is scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge Joan M. Azrack, at the U.S. Courthouse, 225 Cadman Plaza East, Brooklyn, New York. This is the second time in the past month that the defendant, a teacher’s aide at PS 243, The Weeksville School, in Brooklyn, New York, and an after-school volunteer at the school with the Madison Square Boys and Girls Club, has been arrested on child pornography charges.

According to the government’s complaint, on December 29, 2011, FBI special agents downloaded several videos and images depicting child pornography from shared directories that the defendant maintained on a peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing program. On January 13, 2012, FBI special agents executed a search warrant of the defendant’s residence in Brooklyn. During the search, agents seized, among other items, a computer and two external hard drives from the defendant’s bedroom. The defendant admitted to agents that he has been using a P2P file sharing program to download and share child pornography for approximately seven years, and that he has collected and saved over 1,000 digital files on his computers containing child pornography. The defendant was arrested on January 13, 2012, and had an initial appearance in the U.S. District Court in Brooklyn on child pornography shipping and transportation charges.

The defendant’s arrest last night stems from the FBI’s forensic examination of the computer equipment that was seized from the defendant’s bedroom on January 13, 2012. As alleged in the criminal complaint filed today, that examination revealed that in between approximately January 2008 and January 2011, the defendant, in addition to downloading and sharing child pornography with others on the P2P file sharing program, was also producing child pornography. Among the videos and images that the defendant allegedly produced is a video of the defendant touching a child’s penis and a video of the defendant spanking a naked child. Both incidents appeared to have occurred in a school classroom.

If convicted of possession of child pornography, the defendant faces a maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment. If convicted of distribution of child pornography, he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years’ imprisonment. If convicted of production of child pornography, he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment. Anyone with information concerning this matter is asked to call the FBI at (212) 384-2700.

¹ The charges in the complaint are merely allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Brooklyn Man Charged with Production of Child Pornography | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

Carey L. Breshers, 52, of Oklahoma, was sentenced on February 6, 2012, to 293 months’ imprisonment on each of two counts of kidnapping, and 240 months’ imprisonment for interference with commerce by robbery, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Stephen R. Wigginton, announced today. Breshers was also sentenced to five years’ supervised release to follow imprisonment, a $300 special assessment, and ordered to make restitution in the amount of $44,618.50. The terms of imprisonment were ordered to run concurrently with each other, but consecutively to a sentence of 121 months’ imprisonment imposed on Breshers by a federal district court in Kansas, for a total sentence of 24 years and five months.

According to court documents, on October 26, 2010, at around 10:00 a.m., Breshers walked into World Finance in O’Fallon, Illinois, and held two female employees at gunpoint while questioning them about their personal checking accounts, finances, and vehicles, as well as the location of the bank for the business. He eventually made one of the employees write a company check for $3,000. Breshers then told the women to leave their cell phones, lock the business, and come with him. He directed one of the employees to drive her car and forced the other to get in the backseat with him.

Breshers directed the women to attempt to cash the check at the O’Fallon branch of Regions Bank. After two unsuccessful attempts to cash the check, Breshers ordered the women back to World Finance, where he took $1,104 from the business. Breshers then forced the employees to drive him to St. Louis. During the drive, Breshers removed the firearm from his pocket and fiddled with it. He told the women that he had committed a similar crime in Oklahoma, and that he had safely released the victim in that situation. Breshers made the women take the exit at I-44 and Jefferson, and drive around the back of an abandoned building, where he released them. He left in the employee’s car which was later found at a Metro Link station in Missouri. Breshers was arrested on October 31, 2010, in Topeka, Kansas, after committing the federal offense of interference with commerce by robbery, and found to be in possession of the firearm used in the kidnappings and robbery in the Southern District of Illinois. He has been in custody since his Kansas arrest.

The case was investigated by the O’Fallon Police Department, the FBI, and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. The case is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Kit Morrissey.

Oklahoma Man Sentenced for Kidnapping and Robbery | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

PLANO, TX—A 45-year-old DeSoto, Texas man has been found guilty by a jury in a mortgage fraud scheme that involved homes in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney John M. Bales today.

Rodney Lavann Giles was convicted of conspiracy to commit bank fraud on Jan. 25, 2012, following a three-day trial before U.S. District Judge Richard Schell.

According to the indictment, from Aug. 8, 2005, to May 30, 2006, Giles, operating as RLG Properties, conspired to defraud Long Beach Mortgage Company by finding buyers for properties for amounts in excess of the sellers’ asking prices. To facilitate the fraud, Giles created false lease agreements, created false letters representing a buyer had agreed to move his business to the area, overstated the monthly income of buyers, and deposited funds in a buyer’s account to falsely represent the buyer had funds available to purchase a property. As a result of Giles’ scheme, buyers purchased property in Denton, Texas on Camelot Court for $450,000 and Yoakum Drive for $340,000. Both loans resulted in defaults and foreclosures.

Giles faces up to 30 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not been set.

This law enforcement action is part of President Barack Obama’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force.

President Obama established the interagency Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force to wage an aggressive, coordinated and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes. The task force includes representatives from a broad range of federal agencies, regulatory authorities, inspectors general, and state and local law enforcement who, working together, bring to bear a powerful array of criminal and civil enforcement resources. The task force is working to improve efforts across the federal executive branch, and with state and local partners, to investigate and prosecute significant financial crimes, ensure just and effective punishment for those who perpetrate financial crimes, combat discrimination in the lending and financial markets, and recover proceeds for victims of financial crimes.

This case is being investigated by the FBI, IRS-CI, HUD-OIG, and the Secret Service and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher A. Eason and J. Andrew Williams.

Jury Convicts Dallas County Man in Mortgage Fraud Scheme | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

BATON ROUGE, LA—United States Attorney Donald J. Cazayoux, Jr. announced yesterday that U.S. District Court Judge Frank J. Polozola sentenced REGINALD SPEARS, a/k/a RLS AR ABDUL AZIZ, age 41, of Baton Rouge, LA, to 30 years’ imprisonment and eight years’ supervised release after imprisonment.

SPEARS, a/k/a AZIZ, was found guilty after a two-day jury trial on June 26-27, 2011, of possession with the intent to distribute cocaine base, also known as crack cocaine. SPEARS, a/k/a AZIZ, has two prior federal drug trafficking convictions resulting in his designation as a a “career offender” under the United States Sentencing Guidelines, and the enhanced sentence of 30 years.

United States Attorney Cazayoux praised the coordinated efforts of the Baton Rouge Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for their joint law enforcement investigations directed at career drug traffickers to remove them from the streets of Baton Rouge.

This matter was investigated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Baton Rouge Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The matter was prosecuted by Deputy Criminal Chief and Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Kleinpeter and Assistant United States Attorney Lane Ewing.

Career Offender Sentenced to 30 Years for Distribution of Crack | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

LAREDO, TX—Eduardo Garcia, a former Webb County deputy constable, has been sentenced to five years in federal prison for interference with commerce under color of official right, a violation of the Hobbs Act, United States Attorney Kenneth Magidson announced today.

On Sept. 28, 2011, Garcia pleaded guilty to one count of interference with commerce under color of official right, admitting he escorted a vehicle he believed to have been loaded with one kilogram of cocaine. On Oct. 22, 2011, Garcia, driving a Webb County Prisoner transport van, met and followed the “load vehicle” driven by a confidential source from the “Los Presidentes” area on Loop 20 to the Doctor’s Hospital parking lot in Laredo. At the conclusion of the escort, Garcia was paid $500 in cash. At the time, Garcia was wearing his law enforcement badge on his belt.

Garcia also escorted another vehicle he believed had been loaded with one kilogram of cocaine on Nov. 21, 2008. Driving his personal vehicle, Garcia escorted a vehicle which he believed to be carrying approximately one kilogram of cocaine starting from the Conoco gas station near the intersection of Loop 20 and Highway 359 in Laredo. During the escort, Garcia called the confidential source to warn him that there was a suspicious vehicle in the area and to advise to exit Loop 20. However, the confidential source continued to drive the pre-planned route and, at the conclusion of the escort, once again paid Garcia $500 in cash.

In actuality, the vehicle had been loaded with a “brick” of sham cocaine on both occasions. Garcia’s job during the escorts was to keep an eye out for legitimate law enforcement which would be identified as “uglies” or “bad guys,” and to alert the driver of the load vehicle.

Today, U.S. District Judge George P. Kazen sentenced him to 60 months’ imprisonment to be followed by a three-year-term of supervised release in addition to a $3,000 fine. Garcia was allowed to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

The case was investigated by the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Roberto F. Ramirez and Elizabeth R. Rabe.

Former Webb County Deputy Constable Sentenced to Five Years | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

United States Attorney Richard S. Hartunian announced that on February 1, 2012 United States District Court Judge Lawrence E. Kahn sentenced Victor Toomer, 26, of Schenectady, New York to 188 months in federal prison. This sentence was for Toomer’s conviction for the crime of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute cocaine and crack cocaine. Judge Kahn sentenced Toomer as a career offender. Toomer has been in federal custody since October 4, 2010.

Victor Toomer was indicted with 15 others for a conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute cocaine and crack cocaine between August 2009 and March 2010. The indictment charges that it was the role of Victor Toomer to receive cocaine and/or crack cocaine from Jamie Lee Toomer for redistribution. The Indictment further charges that on March 28, 2010, Jamie Lee Toomer was in an apartment in Schenectady, New York in which there was approximately 750 grams of crack cocaine and 220 grams of cocaine.

Jamie Lee Toomer, Victor Toomer, Jeffrey McGough, Sr., Trinelle Frye, Koshon Taylor, Riccia Goody, Jeffrey McGough, Jr., and Alexis Bass, all of Schenectady, and Jamar Green of Ft. Lee, New Jersey, have pled guilty to the conspiracy charge. Judge Kahn has sentenced Jamie Lee Toomer and Jamar Green to 240 months in federal prison; Trinelle Frye to 120 months in federal prison; Koshon Taylor to 71 months in federal prison; Jeffrey McGough, Sr to 70 months in federal prison; and Alexis Bass to 24 months in federal prison.

Charges are pending against the remaining six defendants and trial is scheduled for February 28, 2012 in Albany.

The investigation that resulted in these convictions was conducted by U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New York State Police, the Schenectady Police Department, and the Office of the District Attorney of Schenectady County.

Career Offender Sentenced to Federal Prison Term | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

Stephen R. Wigginton, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced that David R. Childers, 38, of West Frankfort, Illinois, was sentenced in United States District Court in Benton today to a term of 24 months’ imprisonment for his role in receiving fraudulent refunds from false income tax returns submitted to the Internal Revenue Service between 2008 and 2010. Previously, on August 11, 2011, Childers and his wife, Jessica N. Childers, 35, also of West Frankfort, were charged in an information with conspiracy to submit false, fictitious, and fraudulent claims to the United States and receipt of money stolen from the United States. Jessica Childers was also charged with aggravated identity theft. Both Childers pled guilty to the offenses with which they were charged.

Evidence offered in support of the guilty pleas and sentence showed that in January 2008, Jessica Childers began electronically submitting false income tax returns to the IRS using the names, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers of real individuals who were deceased. Between January 2008 and March 2010, Jessica Childers submitted 572 such false returns claiming entitlement to $1,532,184 in refunds. From these claims, David and Jessica Childers actually received $998,614.34. These refunds came primarily in the form of direct electronic deposits into David Childers’ bank account. After discovering the scam, federal authorities were able to seize $192,512.55 from David Childers’ bank account of the nearly $1 million the Childers actually received.

In addition to the two-year term of imprisonment, David Childers was ordered to pay $806,101.79 in restitution to the United States Treasury and a special assessment of $200 and was placed on a term of three years’ supervised release to follow his incarceration.

Jessica Childers was sentenced on January 13, 2012, to a 9 year term of imprisonment for her role in the scheme. She was also ordered to pay $806,101.79 restitution to the IRS.

Under federal law, parole has been abolished meaning that both Childers will be required to serve a minimum of 85 percent of their sentences.

The investigation into the case was conducted by the Criminal Investigation Division of the Internal Revenue Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney James M. Cutchin.

West Frankfort Man Sentenced to 24 Months in Prison for Receiving Nearly $1 Million in Fraudulent Income Tax Refunds | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

Laurie Schneider, of Oceanside, New York, has been indicted for operating Ponzi schemes that defrauded investors of more than $4 million.¹ The defendant was arraigned earlier today before United States Magistrate Judge A. Kathleen Tomlinson at the United States Courthouse, 100 Federal Plaza, Central Islip, New York.

The charges were announced by Loretta E. Lynch, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Janice K. Fedarcyk, Assistant Director in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office.

As alleged in the indictment, Schneider began accepting money in September 2006 from individuals seeking a return on their investment. In one scheme, operating a shell company incorporated as Janitorial Close-Out City Corp., Schneider falsely informed potential investors that Janitorial Close-Out invested in industrial equipment and machinery manufactured by companies in China. To induce investments, Schneider, among other things, (1) personally guaranteed specified positive rates of return as high as 60 percent, (2) represented that she had a business contact who had strong relationships with companies in China, and (3) represented that she would be able to buy the industrial equipment and machinery at wholesale prices which Janitorial Close-Out would resell in the United States at a 15 to 60 percent profit over a nine to 18-month period. In fact, the indictment charges that Schneider actually was running a Ponzi scheme, paying returns to Janitorial Close-Out investors not from any profits earned on the purchase and resale of industrial equipment and machinery, but rather from existing investors’ deposits or money paid by new investors. Schneider never produced or earned the rates of return that she promised. Rather, the positive rates of return were simply pre-determined rates made up by Schneider based upon fictitious profits.

The government estimates that Schneider defrauded over 25 investors in Janitorial Close-Out of more than $4 million, and more than $5 million through related schemes.

“In these difficult economic times, it’s all the more troubling that, as alleged in the indictment, someone would take advantage of the trust of investors for personal financial gain,” stated United States Attorney Lynch. “As alleged, this defendant falsely represented herself as having international business connections that would benefit her investors, when in reality she was engaged in purely homegrown fraud and deception. This indictment serves as a warning that we will vigorously investigate and prosecute those who, by deceit and false promises, would steal from those who believed they were investing in a legitimate enterprise.” Ms. Lynch added that the government’s investigation is continuing.

FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Fedarcyk stated, “Ponzi schemes have been around for so long because, unfortunately, they are such an effective means of swindling people out of their hard-earned money. Investors need to be wary of ‘investment opportunities’ that ‘guarantee’ inordinately high rates of return, and should perform due diligence. But it is the perpetrators of these fraudulent schemes, not their victims, who are to blame. The FBI remains committed to protecting the investing public from them.”

If convicted, Schneider faces a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment on each of three counts of wire fraud count.

The government’s case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Richard T. Lunger and Lara Treinis Gatz.

The Defendant:

LAURIE SCHNEIDER Age: 37

¹ The charges in the indictment are merely allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Oceanside Woman Indicted for Operating Ponzi Schemes | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

January 30, 2012

Originally reported by Illinois Statehouse News. Read the original article here.

IL to struggle with controlling exploding Medicaid costs | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

ROCHESTER, NY—U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Aviva Goldstein, 34, of Brighton, N.Y., a licensed pharmacist, who was convicted of knowingly causing drugs to be dispensed without a valid prescription, was fine $500 and order to pay $718 in restitution by Magistrate Judge Jonathan Feldman.

According to Assistant U.S. Attorney John Field, who handled the case, the defendant forged prescriptions for various non-narcotic medicines over a 20-month period causing these controlled drugs to be dispensed to her in violation of federal health laws.

The sentencing is the result of investigative work by special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Christopher M. Piehota, Special Agent in Charge; and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Mark Dragonetti.

Rochester Pharmacist Sentenced for Forging Prescriptions | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

MCALLEN, TX—The owner of a purported health care resource center has been charged by a federal grand jury with one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and two counts of soliciting and receiving kickback payments in violation of the federal anti-kickback statute, United States Attorney Kenneth Magidson announced today.

Alicia Vasquez, of San Juan, Texas, the owner of David’s Star Loving Vision Resource Center (DSLV), was charged in a three-count indictment returned under seal on Nov. 1, 2011. The indictment was unsealed this morning, following the arrest of Vasquez by FBI and Department of Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General (DHHS-OIG) agents. Vasquez, 51, is scheduled to appear in McAllen federal court later this morning for an initial appearance.

The federal anti-kickback statute prohibits individuals and entities from knowingly and willfully paying or offering to pay, as well as soliciting or receiving, remuneration (money or other things of value) in return for the referral of patients for medical services or items which are benefits under a federal health care program, such as Medicare or Medicaid. A violation of the anti-kickback statute is a felony offense that is punishable by up to five years in federal prison without parole and a $25,000 fine.

According to allegations in the indictment, from September 2009 through April 2011, Vasquez solicited numerous Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries through DSLV for the purpose of referring them to a variety of health care providers in Hidalgo and Cameron Counties including durable medical equipment (DME) companies, physicians and home healthcare agencies.

Over time, Vasquez allegedly referred the Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries to these providers in exchange for a total of at least $70,000 in payments in violation of the anti-kickback statute. In turn, the providers billed hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Medicare and Medicaid programs as a result of the allegedly illegal referrals. The indictment further charges that Vasquez, and the providers to which she referred beneficiaries, undertook a variety of measures to conceal Vasquez’s involvement with respect to the referrals. For example, the indictment alleges one owner of a DME company paid kickbacks to Vasquez through a third-party—referred in the indictment as “Person A.” The kickbacks were allegedly deposited into Person A’s bank account, from where the money was later diverted to Vasquez.

The ongoing investigation in this case is being conducted by the FBI and DHHS-OIG. Assistant United States Attorney Greg Saikin is prosecuting the case.

McAllen-Area Health Care Marketer Arrested for Conspiracy and Anti-Kickback Violations | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

SPRINGFIELD – An Illinois Environmental Protection Agency contractor today is beginning cleanup of a dump site that has plagued the Lake Barrington – Wauconda area for decades. The cleanup is expected to take four to six weeks, weather permitting.  

The Agency is working with the Village of Lake Barrington through an intergovernmental agreement to complete cleanup of the 16-acre John Tarkowski property located in unincorporated Lake County. Tarkowski had been illegally receiving waste material on his property since the late 1960s, according to public records. 

“The Agency is pleased that we can finish cleanup of this environmental and safety hazard thanks to the efforts of the Village and their representatives in the General Assembly. The neighbors and the community have endured this mess too long,” said Illinois EPA Interim Director John Kim.   

This last phase of the cleanup is being funded through a $430,000 state grant supported by Sen. Dan Duffy (Barrington), and Rep. Kent Gaffney (Wauconda). Remaining wastes will be removed and disposed of in a permitted landfill. Any recyclable materials will be separated and recycled to help defray the overall cost of the cleanup.

 “The Village of Lake Barrington extends its thanks and appreciation to Governor Quinn, Sen. Dan Duffy, Rep. Kent Gaffney and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency for their assistance in securing the funding for the final clean-up of the Tarkowski dumpsite located in the Lakeland Estates neighborhood of Lake Barrington,” said Lake Barrington Village President Kevin Richardson.  “These funds will address a vital environmental objective for the Village and help assure that the ground water in the northern part of our community remains protected.”

Acting on results of an investigation, in 2004 the Illinois EPA confirmed through surveillance that Tarkowski was allowing trucks hauling various waste materials to illegally dump waste on his property. A notice of intent to pursue legal action was sent to Tarkowski. Subsequent court hearings resulted in a court order in April 2006 that required John Tarkowski to pay a $150,000 penalty and conduct a systematic cleanup of the property. 

Tarkowski ignored the order and continued to allow dumping on the property; in July 2006 the Illinois EPA issued an Order to Seal the site to protect the public and the environment. Tarkowski removed the seal order sign within a few days and removed it again after the Agency replaced it. Illinois EPA worked with the Lake County Sheriff’s Department, and Tarkowski was arrested for violating the seal order. Cost recovery actions are currently pending with the Illinois Attorney General’s office, and environmental liens have been placed on the property.

In 2006, the Illinois EPA conducted a partial cleanup which included spraying for mosquitoes to eliminate the risk of West Nile Virus, removing and recycling over 10,000 tires, removing and disposing various liquid waste containers, car batteries and various other special and hazardous wastes. An assortment of scrap metals and other materials were removed and when possible were recycled, which reduced the overall cost. Other costs were covered with funds from the Waste Tire Program.

###

Illinois EPA to Clean Up Tarkowski Property | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

ALEXANDRIA, VA—Yonathan Melaku, 23, of Alexandria, Va., pleaded guilty today to damaging property and firearms violations involving five separate shootings at military installations in northern Virginia between October and November 2010 and attempting to injure veterans’ memorials at Arlington National Cemetery.

Neil H. MacBride, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and James W. McJunkin, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement after the plea was accepted by U.S. District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee.

Melaku pleaded guilty to a three-count information that included injuring property of the United States, use of a firearm during a crime of violence and attempted injury to veterans’ memorials on U.S. property. The defense and government jointly recommended in the plea agreement a sentence of 25 years in prison. He will be formally sentenced on April 27, 2012.

“Yonathan Melaku pled guilty to carrying out a calculated, destructive campaign to instill terror throughout our community,” said U.S. Attorney MacBride. “The video he filmed during one drive-by shooting is a chilling portrayal of his intent and the escalating danger he posed. Thanks to the FBI and their law enforcement partners, we were able to apprehend Mr. Melaku, develop the evidence that linked him to the shootings, and secure this conviction today.”

“The partnerships and resources shared on the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force are essential to the safety of our national capital region,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge McJunkin. “I want to thank our law enforcement partners at Prince William County Police, Virginia State Police, Fairfax and Arlington Police, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the Coast Guard Investigative Service, U.S. Park Police, Pentagon Force Protection Agency, the Military District of Washington, and the U.S. Marine Corps for their steadfast efforts throughout this investigation.”

According to the statement of facts filed with his plea agreement, Melaku admitted that he carried out a series of five shootings from Oct. 17, 2010, through Nov. 2, 2010, at the following locations: the National Museum of the Marine Corps (twice), the Pentagon, a Marine Corps recruiting sub-station in Chantilly, Va., and a U.S. Coast Guard recruiting office in Woodbridge, Va. Each shooting took place late at night or early in the morning and involved multiple 9mm rounds fired at each building. The cost for repairs at the facilities exceeded $100,000.

Melaku admitted today that during the second shooting at the National Museum of the Marine Corps, he set up a video camera within the interior of his vehicle to record the shooting incident. The video shows Melaku repeatedly firing a handgun out the passenger-side window, and he narrates the incident on the video and states, among other things: “That’s my target. That’s the military building. It’s going to be attacked,” and at the conclusion of multiple shots exclaiming, “Allahu Akbar,” repeatedly.

In his statement of facts, Melaku stated that he attempted to flee law enforcement after being spotted on the property of Ft. Myer in Arlington, Va., at approximately 1:30 a.m. on June 17, 2011. During the pursuit, he dropped a backpack that contained numerous spent 9mm shell casings; four bags containing ammonium nitrate, and a spiral notebook with numerous Arabic statements referencing the Taliban, al Qaeda, Osama bin Laden, “The Path to Jihad,” as well as a list of several other individuals associated with foreign terrorist organizations.

Melaku admitted that, at the time of his apprehension, he was attempting to enter the area of Arlington National Cemetery containing graves of deceased Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans, intending to desecrate and injure the grave markers by spray-painting the markers with Arabic statements and by leaving the ammonium nitrate he was carrying at the sites of the grave markers.

On June 17, 2011, during a search of his residence, FBI search teams found Melaku had stored within the bedroom closet of his residence a typed list titled “Timer” that included nine items that Melaku admitted are consistent with what would be required to construct the firing mechanism for an explosive device. Four of those items had been crossed through.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, including the police departments of Arlington County, Fairfax County, and Prince William County; the Pentagon Force Protection Agency; the Virginia State Police; the Naval Criminal Investigative Service; the Coast Guard Investigative Service; the U.S. Park Police; U.S. Marine Corps Base Quantico; and the Military District of Washington Provost Marshal Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel Grooms, Neil Hammerstrom, and Lynn Haaland of the National Security and International Crime Unit are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

Man Pleads Guilty to Shooting Military Buildings in Northern Virginia | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

WASHINGTON—Paul Beebe and Jesse Sanford of Farmington, N.M., were sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Santa Fe, N.M., on federal hate crime charges related to a racially motivated assault on a 22-year-old developmentally disabled man of Navajo descent, the Department of Justice announced. Beebe was sentenced to eight-and-a-half years in prison followed by three years’ supervised release. Sanford was sentenced to five years in prison followed by three years’ supervised release. A third defendant, William Hatch, of Fruitland, N.M., previously pleaded guilty in June 2011 to conspiracy to commit a federal hate crime. Hatch has not yet been sentenced.

Beebe, Hatch, and Sanford were indicted by a federal grand jury in November 2010 on one count of conspiracy and one count of violating the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act (Shepard/Byrd Act). They were the first defendants ever to be charged under this law, which was enacted in October 2009. Beebe pleaded guilty to one count of violating the Shepard/Byrd Act, and Sanford pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit a violation of the Shepard/Byrd Act.

“The sentence imposed today by the court reflects the hateful and heinous nature of the defendants’ actions, and serves as a reminder of courage of the victim who survived those acts and reported these crimes,” said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department will not tolerate violent racially motivated assaults and will continue to work cooperatively with our state and local partners to aggressively enforce the Shepard/Byrd Hate Crimes Prevention Act.”

“Today the court sentenced Paul Beebe and Jesse Sanford to significant terms of imprisonment for the inexcusable crime of assaulting, branding, and scarring a young man simply because he happened to be a Native American,” said Kenneth J. Gonzales, U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico. “Violence motivated by racial or ethnic hatred exacerbates fear and tears at the fabric of our society. Here in New Mexico, where we celebrate our ethnic, racial, and cultural diversity, I will continue to work with the FBI to vigorously investigate and prosecute acts of violence that are motivated by hatred of another’s race or ethnic heritage.”

“Today’s sentencing is the result of the hard work of FBI special agents and our law enforcement partners, who were committed to pursuing justice until the perpetrators of this hate crime answered for their actions. But the fight against acts of hatred and intolerance goes on,” said Carol K.O. Lee, Special Agent in Charge of the Albuquerque Division of the FBI. “The Albuquerque FBI Division will continue to work with our federal, state and local law enforcement colleagues to investigate hate crimes, the number one priority of our civil rights program.”

During their plea hearing in August 2011, Beebe and Sanford admitted that Beebe took the victim to his apartment, which was adorned in racist paraphernalia, including a Nazi flag and a woven dream catcher with a swastika in it. After the victim had fallen asleep, the defendants began defacing the victim’s body by drawing on him with blue, red, and black markers. Once the victim awoke, Beebe branded the victim, who sat with a towel in his mouth, by heating a wire hanger on a stove and burning the victim’s flesh, causing a permanent deep impression of a swastika in his skin. The defendants used a cell phone to create a recording of the victim in which they coerced him to agree to be branded.

The defendants also admitted that they defaced the victim’s body with white supremacist and anti-Native American symbols, including shaving a swastika in the back of the victim’s head and using markers to write the words “KKK” and “White Power” within the lines of the swastika. The defendants further mocked the victim’s heritage by drawing an ejaculating penis and testicles on the victim’s back, telling him that they were drawing his “native pride feathers,” all the while recording the incident on a cell phone to later play for law enforcement, as “proof” that the victim consented to their acts.

The prosecution of these defendants was the result of a cooperative effort between the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico, the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division and the San Juan, N.M., County District Attorney’s Office. This case was investigated by the Albuquerque Division of the FBI in cooperation with the Farmington Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Roberto Ortega for the District of New Mexico and Special Litigation Counsel Gerard Hogan and Trial Attorney Fara Gold of the Civil Rights Division.

Two Men Sentenced for Racially Motivated Assault in New Mexico | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

NEWPORT NEWS, VA—Andra G. Green, 24, of Hampton, Va., was sentenced today to a life sentence for the murder of John Henry Green on January 18, 2007, and to a concurrent life sentence for participating in the murder of Demareo Dontae Hardy on March 20, 2009. Both victims were killed during attempted drug robberies.

Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Dean C. Bryant, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Division; James D. Fox, Chief of Newport News Police; Charles Jordan, Chief of Hampton Police, and other state and local representatives made the announcement after the plea was accepted by United States District Judge Rebecca Beach Smith. Green pleaded guilty to the murders on October 3, 2011.

According to court documents, Green was indicted on March 11, 2011 along with seven other alleged members of the “Ivy Street Gangstas, (ISG)” which operated in the area around the intersection of 9th Street and Ivy Avenue in Newport News Virginia and the area of Brittany & Sweetbriar Apartments in Hampton, Va. Members and associates of “ISG” included members of the “Bloods” and “Crips,” which are national gangs. According to the indictment, members of “ISG” were accused of coordinating with one another to commit robberies, narcotics distribution and acts of fraud in an effort to obtain money and property to benefit the gang.

In a statement of facts filed with his plea agreement, Green admitted to killing John Henry Green after asking him for marijuana and picking him up outside a Speedy Mart in the City of Newport News. Upon entering the van, the victim was pistol whipped with a handgun by co-defendant, Bobby Mangrum. Andra Green, armed with a shotgun, and Mangrum then attempted to rob the victim. After failing to find money or drugs, an argument ensued and the victim was ordered out of the van. As he was exiting the van Andra Green aimed the shotgun at the back of the victim’s head and shot him. John Henry Green fell to the shoulder of the road and died of his injuries.

Green also admitted his involvement in the homicide of Demareo Dontae Hardy in the area of the Brookridge Apartment complex. Green was driving a Suburban and noticed the victim walking on the sidewalk. Alfonso Sheppard approached the victim and pushed him to the ground where two others joined in the assault by stomping and kicking the victim. The victim was shot multiple times and left without any clothes to die on the street. Green was the driver of the getaway vehicle.

The co-defendants each pled guilty to their participation in the murders. Bobby Mangrum was sentenced to 360 months’ imprisonment, Raymond E. Brown was sentenced earlier this month to 320 months’ imprisonment, and Alfonso Sheppard awaits sentencing on April 4, 2012.

This case was investigated by FBI and Newport News Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Lisa R. McKeel, Eric M. Hurt and Howard J. Zlotnick prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.

Leader of Ivy Street Gang Sentenced to Life for Murders | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

PROVIDENCE, RI—A Woonsocket, R.I., woman who allegedly promised custom fit shoes for diabetics and medical equipment for arthritis sufferers “at no cost” to Medicare beneficiaries at Rhode Island senior centers, housing complexes and assisted living centers, has agreed to plead guilty to defrauding Medicare of more than $70,000, announced U.S. Attorney Peter F. Neronha.

Sonja Ascoli, 59, of Woonsocket, R.I, is charged in an information filed with the U.S. District Court in Providence on Monday with allegedly participating in a scheme to entice Medicare beneficiaries to order products and medical equipment from the company she represented, Planned Eldercare, of Illinois, by promising that the products would be provided “at no cost” to them. The Medicare Program does not permit copayments to be waived.

According to the information, it is alleged that once Ascoli obtained some beneficiaries Medicare and physician information, she ordered as many products as possible without regard to whether the beneficiaries actually requested the products or had medical need for the equipment. When beneficiaries complained about receiving items they did not order, it is alleged that Ascoli responded by telling them, “Keep the products in the closet until you need them.”

The information also alleges that as part of the scheme, Ascoli, upon receiving products and equipment returned to her by beneficiaries, did not send the items back to Planned Eldercare, but kept them and gave them to individuals who would not otherwise have qualified for the products. These actions resulted in Medicare paying for products that were not received by beneficiaries and Ascoli allegedly keeping any commissions she had earned on the products sold.

The information alleges that Ascoli was the highest-paid outside sales representative employed by Planned Eldercare for the years 2007 and 2008, who, like other sales representatives working for the company, was paid on a commission basis.

According to the information, is alleged that Ascoli defrauded Medicare of a total of $70,354.

On November 17, 2011, Gary Winner, 49, of Northbrook, Ill., owner of Planned Eldercare, pled guilty in U.S. District Court in Providence to two counts of health care fraud, and one count each of money laundering and the introduction of an adulterated and misbranded medical device into interstate commerce.

Winner admitted to the court that from 2005 through early 2009 he instructed Planned Eldercare employees, upon successfully reaching individuals as a result of unsolicited telemarketing calls, to inform recipients that Planned Eldercare could provide them with products to help with their diabetes or arthritis ailments “at no cost to you” by waiving copayments required by Medicare. Winner admitted that he instructed employees to order as many products as possible whether or not the beneficiaries requested them or had a medical need for the equipment. Winner admitted that Medicare was billed for thousands of products that beneficiaries did not order.

Winner also admitted that he instructed his employees to falsely inform male diabetic beneficiaries that an “erectile pump” was good for prostate problems, and was designed to help blood circulation exclusively in the urinary tract and prostate region. Winner admitted that as part of the scheme, he actually ordered penis enlargers from an x-rated website for $26.00 each, repackaged them, and shipped them to Medicare beneficiaries, for which he received reimbursement from Medicare on average of $284 per item.

Winner is scheduled to be sentenced in U.S. District Court in Providence on February 10, 2012. He has agreed to forfeit approximately $2 million in proceeds derived by defrauding the Medicare program.

The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S Attorney Dulce Donovan.

The matter was investigated by Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations; the United States Railroad Retirement Board, Office of Inspector General; and the Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations.

An information is merely an allegation and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Rhode Island Medical Equipment Sales Representative to Plead Guilty to Health Care Fraud | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.