The Illinois House of Representatives passed House Bill 4860, with House Amendment 1, by an 88 to 6 vote. Sponsored by state Representative Brad Halbrook (R-110), HB 4860, as amended, provides law enforcement agencies with the option to sell confiscated firearms at public auction rather than destroying or keeping them for agency use. HB 4860 now goes to the Senate where it will await a committee referral.
Saturday, April 12, 2014
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Specifics on Guilty Plea of SAC Capital Management Companies Accepted
Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that S.A.C. CAPITAL ADVISORS L.P. (SAC Capital LP), S.A.C. CAPITAL ADVISORS, LLC (SAC Capital LLC), CR INTRINSIC INVESTORS LLC (CR Intrinsic), and SIGMA CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LLC (Sigma Capital) (collectively, the SAC Companies), which are responsible for the management of a group of affiliated hedge funds (collectively the SAC hedge fund or SAC), were sentenced by U.S. District Judge Laura T. Swain. The District Court accepted the guilty plea entered by the defendants on November 8, 2013, and approved the parties’ plea agreement. The court imposed a sentence that included a criminal fine of $900 million (which is not tax-deductible), a statutory maximum five-year term of probation for each of the SAC Companies, the condition that the SAC hedge fund terminate its investment advisory business, effectively closing the hedge fund to outside investors; and a requirement that the defendants, and any successor entities, employ the compliance procedures necessary to identify and prevent insider trading; and that the defendants retain an independent compliance consultant, who will review, revise, and report to the government on those compliance procedures. Together with the settlement of the civil forfeiture action, which was approved by U.S. District Judge Richard J. Sullivan on November 6, 2013, the SAC hedge fund is required to pay an additional $1.184 billion financial penalty on top of the $616 million the SAC Companies have already agreed to pay to the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC).
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said, “After due consideration, the court has accepted the guilty plea and imposed sentence on SAC, including the payment of $1.184 billion in financial penalties. Today marks the day of reckoning for a fund that was riddled with criminal conduct. SAC fostered pervasive insider trading and failed, as a company, to question or prevent it. So far, this office has successfully convicted eight SAC employees of insider trading, and when so much criminal conduct takes place within one institution, it is appropriate to impose criminal liability on the institution itself. Today’s sentence affirms that when institutions flout the law in such a colossal way, they will pay a heavy price.”
As alleged in the Indictment, the forfeiture complaint filed against the funds, other court documents filed in the case, and statements made during the guilty plea and sentencing proceedings:
From 1999 through at least 2010, numerous employees of the SAC Companies obtained and traded on material, non-public information that they were not permitted to have (inside information) or recommended trades based on such information to SAC portfolio managers (SAC PMs) or the SAC owner. Specifically, the Indictment charges the SAC Companies with insider trading offenses committed by numerous employees, occurring over the span of more than a decade and involving the securities of more than 20 publicly traded companies across multiple sectors of the economy. As charged in the Indictment, the systematic insider trading engaged in by SAC PMs and Research Analysts was the predictable and foreseeable result of multiple institutional failures. The failures alleged included hiring practices heavily focused on recruiting employees with networks of public company insiders, the failure of SAC management to question employees about trades that appeared to be based on Inside Information, and ineffective compliance measures that failed to prevent or detect such trading, particularly prior to late 2009.
At the guilty plea hearing on November 8, 2013, the SAC Companies pled guilty to all five counts in the indictment and admitted that the six employees who had previously pled guilty to insider trading engaged in that criminal conduct while acting within the scope of their employment of the SAC Companies and for the benefit of the firm. The plea agreement does not provide immunity from prosecution for any individual and does not restrict the government from charging any individual for any criminal offense and seeking the maximum term of imprisonment applicable to any such violation of criminal law. In fact, since the time of the guilty plea and prior to the sentencing, two additional SAC portfolio managers, Michael Steinberg and Matthew Martoma, were convicted of insider trading after separate jury trials.
Indeed, the total criminal fine imposed by the Court exceeded a Sentencing Guidelines range that was, in turn, based on all of the illicit profits gained and losses avoided resulting from all of the insider trading alleged in the Indictment. Neither the criminal fine nor the forfeiture amount to be paid in the civil forfeiture case can be claimed as a tax deduction or credit by the SAC Companies or their owner.
The court further imposed a series of non-financial penalties on the SAC Companies that include the following:
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said, “After due consideration, the court has accepted the guilty plea and imposed sentence on SAC, including the payment of $1.184 billion in financial penalties. Today marks the day of reckoning for a fund that was riddled with criminal conduct. SAC fostered pervasive insider trading and failed, as a company, to question or prevent it. So far, this office has successfully convicted eight SAC employees of insider trading, and when so much criminal conduct takes place within one institution, it is appropriate to impose criminal liability on the institution itself. Today’s sentence affirms that when institutions flout the law in such a colossal way, they will pay a heavy price.”
As alleged in the Indictment, the forfeiture complaint filed against the funds, other court documents filed in the case, and statements made during the guilty plea and sentencing proceedings:
From 1999 through at least 2010, numerous employees of the SAC Companies obtained and traded on material, non-public information that they were not permitted to have (inside information) or recommended trades based on such information to SAC portfolio managers (SAC PMs) or the SAC owner. Specifically, the Indictment charges the SAC Companies with insider trading offenses committed by numerous employees, occurring over the span of more than a decade and involving the securities of more than 20 publicly traded companies across multiple sectors of the economy. As charged in the Indictment, the systematic insider trading engaged in by SAC PMs and Research Analysts was the predictable and foreseeable result of multiple institutional failures. The failures alleged included hiring practices heavily focused on recruiting employees with networks of public company insiders, the failure of SAC management to question employees about trades that appeared to be based on Inside Information, and ineffective compliance measures that failed to prevent or detect such trading, particularly prior to late 2009.
At the guilty plea hearing on November 8, 2013, the SAC Companies pled guilty to all five counts in the indictment and admitted that the six employees who had previously pled guilty to insider trading engaged in that criminal conduct while acting within the scope of their employment of the SAC Companies and for the benefit of the firm. The plea agreement does not provide immunity from prosecution for any individual and does not restrict the government from charging any individual for any criminal offense and seeking the maximum term of imprisonment applicable to any such violation of criminal law. In fact, since the time of the guilty plea and prior to the sentencing, two additional SAC portfolio managers, Michael Steinberg and Matthew Martoma, were convicted of insider trading after separate jury trials.
Indeed, the total criminal fine imposed by the Court exceeded a Sentencing Guidelines range that was, in turn, based on all of the illicit profits gained and losses avoided resulting from all of the insider trading alleged in the Indictment. Neither the criminal fine nor the forfeiture amount to be paid in the civil forfeiture case can be claimed as a tax deduction or credit by the SAC Companies or their owner.
The court further imposed a series of non-financial penalties on the SAC Companies that include the following:
- The SAC Companies will no longer accept third party investor funds and will terminate operations as an investment adviser.
- The SAC Companies were each sentenced to a five-year term of probation—the maximum allowed by law—with a provision to end probation earlier if the SAC Companies cease operating entirely. The terms of probation require, among other conditions, that the SAC Companies employ appropriate compliance measures to identify and prevent insider trading. Additionally, the insider trading compliance measures of the SAC Companies and any related entities trading securities will be reviewed by an independent compliance expert who will direct the SAC Companies to correct identified deficiencies and who will report to the United States Attorney’s Office as to the progress of the corrective measures undertaken.
Full Details on Jesus Vicente Zambada-Niebla, of the #SinaloaCartel, Guilty Plea and Cooperation with US Feds
A high-level member of the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico pleaded guilty a year ago to participating in a vast narcotics trafficking conspiracy and is cooperating with the United States, federal law enforcement officials announced. A written plea agreement with the defendant, Jesus Vicente Zambada-Niebla, was made public in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
Zambada-Niebla, 39, pleaded guilty on April 3, 2013, before U.S. District Chief Judge Ruben Castillo. Zambada-Niebla was arrested in Mexico in 2009, and he was extradited to the United States in February 2010.
Zambada-Niebla remains in U.S. custody and no sentencing date has been set. Under the plea agreement, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison¸ a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years, and a maximum fine of $4 million. If the government determines at the time of sentencing that Zambada-Niebla has continued to provide full and truthful cooperation, as required by the plea agreement, the government will move to depart below the anticipated advisory federal sentencing guideline of life imprisonment. In addition, Zambada-Niebla agreed not to contest a forfeiture judgment of more than $1.37 billion.
“This guilty plea is a testament to the tireless determination of the leadership and special agents of DEA’s Chicago office to hold accountable those individuals at the highest levels of the drug trafficking cartels who are responsible for flooding Chicago with cocaine and heroin and reaping the profits,” said Zachary T. Fardon, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois. Mr. Fardon announced the guilty plea with Jack Riley, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Zambada-Niebla pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute multiple kilograms of cocaine and heroin between 2005 and 2008. More specifically, the plea agreement describes the distribution of multiple tons of cocaine, often involving hundreds of kilograms at a time on a monthly, if not weekly, basis between 2005 and 2008. The guilty plea means that there will be no trial for Zambada-Niebla, whose case was severed from that of his co-defendants. Among his co-defendants are his father, Ismael Zambada-Garcia, also known as “Mayo,” and Joaquin Guzman-Loera, also known as “Chapo,” both alleged leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel. Zambada-Garcia is a fugitive believed to be in Mexico, and Guzman-Loera is in Mexican custody after being arrested this past February.
Zambada-Niebla admitted that between May 2005 and December 2008, he was a high-level member of the Sinaloa Cartel and was responsible for many aspects of its drug trafficking operations, “both independently and as a trusted lieutenant for his father,” for whom he acted as a surrogate and logistical coordinator, the plea agreement states. Zambada-Niebla admitted he was aware that his father was among the leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel since the 1970s and their principal livelihood was derived from their sale of narcotics in the United States.
Zambada-Niebla admitted that he participated in coordinating the importation of multi-ton quantities of cocaine from Central and South American countries, including Colombia and Panama, into the interior of Mexico, and facilitated the transportation and storage of these shipments within Mexico. The cartel used various means of transportation, including private aircraft, submarines and other submersible and semi-submersible vessels, container ships, go-fast boats, fishing vessels, buses, rail cars, tractor-trailers, and automobiles.
Zambada-Niebla “subsequently assisted in coordinating the delivery of cocaine to wholesale distributors in Mexico, knowing that these distributors would in turn smuggle multi-ton quantities of cocaine, generally in shipments of hundreds of kilograms at a time, as well as on at least one occasion, multi-kilogram quantities of heroin, from Mexico across the United States border, and then into and throughout the United States, including Chicago,” according to the plea agreement.
On most occasions, the Sinaloa Cartel supplied this cocaine and heroin to wholesalers on consignment, including to cooperating co-defendants Pedro and Margarito Flores, whom Zambada-Niebla knew distributed multi-ton quantities of cocaine and multi-kilogram quantities of heroin in Chicago, and in turn sent payment to Zambada-Niebla and other cartel leaders. Zambada-Niebla also admitted being aware of, and directly participating in, transporting large quantities of narcotics cash proceeds from the U.S. to Mexico.
Zambada-Niebla also admitted that he and his father, as well as other members of the Sinaloa Cartel, “were protected by the ubiquitous presence of weapons,” and that he had “constant bodyguards who possessed numerous military-caliber weapons.” Zambada-Niebla also admitted that he was aware that the cartel used violence and made credible threats of violence to rival cartels and to law enforcement in Mexico to facilitate its business.
Zambada-Niebla, 39, pleaded guilty on April 3, 2013, before U.S. District Chief Judge Ruben Castillo. Zambada-Niebla was arrested in Mexico in 2009, and he was extradited to the United States in February 2010.
Zambada-Niebla remains in U.S. custody and no sentencing date has been set. Under the plea agreement, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison¸ a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years, and a maximum fine of $4 million. If the government determines at the time of sentencing that Zambada-Niebla has continued to provide full and truthful cooperation, as required by the plea agreement, the government will move to depart below the anticipated advisory federal sentencing guideline of life imprisonment. In addition, Zambada-Niebla agreed not to contest a forfeiture judgment of more than $1.37 billion.
“This guilty plea is a testament to the tireless determination of the leadership and special agents of DEA’s Chicago office to hold accountable those individuals at the highest levels of the drug trafficking cartels who are responsible for flooding Chicago with cocaine and heroin and reaping the profits,” said Zachary T. Fardon, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois. Mr. Fardon announced the guilty plea with Jack Riley, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Zambada-Niebla pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute multiple kilograms of cocaine and heroin between 2005 and 2008. More specifically, the plea agreement describes the distribution of multiple tons of cocaine, often involving hundreds of kilograms at a time on a monthly, if not weekly, basis between 2005 and 2008. The guilty plea means that there will be no trial for Zambada-Niebla, whose case was severed from that of his co-defendants. Among his co-defendants are his father, Ismael Zambada-Garcia, also known as “Mayo,” and Joaquin Guzman-Loera, also known as “Chapo,” both alleged leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel. Zambada-Garcia is a fugitive believed to be in Mexico, and Guzman-Loera is in Mexican custody after being arrested this past February.
Zambada-Niebla admitted that between May 2005 and December 2008, he was a high-level member of the Sinaloa Cartel and was responsible for many aspects of its drug trafficking operations, “both independently and as a trusted lieutenant for his father,” for whom he acted as a surrogate and logistical coordinator, the plea agreement states. Zambada-Niebla admitted he was aware that his father was among the leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel since the 1970s and their principal livelihood was derived from their sale of narcotics in the United States.
Zambada-Niebla admitted that he participated in coordinating the importation of multi-ton quantities of cocaine from Central and South American countries, including Colombia and Panama, into the interior of Mexico, and facilitated the transportation and storage of these shipments within Mexico. The cartel used various means of transportation, including private aircraft, submarines and other submersible and semi-submersible vessels, container ships, go-fast boats, fishing vessels, buses, rail cars, tractor-trailers, and automobiles.
Zambada-Niebla “subsequently assisted in coordinating the delivery of cocaine to wholesale distributors in Mexico, knowing that these distributors would in turn smuggle multi-ton quantities of cocaine, generally in shipments of hundreds of kilograms at a time, as well as on at least one occasion, multi-kilogram quantities of heroin, from Mexico across the United States border, and then into and throughout the United States, including Chicago,” according to the plea agreement.
On most occasions, the Sinaloa Cartel supplied this cocaine and heroin to wholesalers on consignment, including to cooperating co-defendants Pedro and Margarito Flores, whom Zambada-Niebla knew distributed multi-ton quantities of cocaine and multi-kilogram quantities of heroin in Chicago, and in turn sent payment to Zambada-Niebla and other cartel leaders. Zambada-Niebla also admitted being aware of, and directly participating in, transporting large quantities of narcotics cash proceeds from the U.S. to Mexico.
Zambada-Niebla also admitted that he and his father, as well as other members of the Sinaloa Cartel, “were protected by the ubiquitous presence of weapons,” and that he had “constant bodyguards who possessed numerous military-caliber weapons.” Zambada-Niebla also admitted that he was aware that the cartel used violence and made credible threats of violence to rival cartels and to law enforcement in Mexico to facilitate its business.
Could William Bradford Bishop Jr, Newest Member of FBI's Most Wanted List, Be Hiding in Plain Sight?
Although William Bradford Bishop, Jr. traveled extensively overseas through his job with the U.S. Department of State and spoke several foreign languages, investigators believe he may have assumed a new identity and be hiding in plain sight in the United States.
Even an experienced traveler might find it difficult to maintain a new identity in a foreign country, said Steve Vogt, special agent in charge of our Baltimore Division. “If you’re a U.S. citizen it’s usually easier to hide in this country,” he explained. “Americans overseas tend to stand out.”
“The reality is, he could be anywhere,” Vogt added. “But we don’t want people to assume that he’s out of the country and overlook the fact that he might be living in their community. People might see someone who looks like him and think, ‘It couldn’t be him.’ Well, it could be him,” Vogt said. “That’s why we need the public’s help.”
Vogt doesn’t dismiss the possibility that Bishop died years ago, but currently there is no proof either way. “If he’s dead, so be it,” Vogt said, “but until we know for certain, we will not stop searching for him.”
Even an experienced traveler might find it difficult to maintain a new identity in a foreign country, said Steve Vogt, special agent in charge of our Baltimore Division. “If you’re a U.S. citizen it’s usually easier to hide in this country,” he explained. “Americans overseas tend to stand out.”
“The reality is, he could be anywhere,” Vogt added. “But we don’t want people to assume that he’s out of the country and overlook the fact that he might be living in their community. People might see someone who looks like him and think, ‘It couldn’t be him.’ Well, it could be him,” Vogt said. “That’s why we need the public’s help.”
Vogt doesn’t dismiss the possibility that Bishop died years ago, but currently there is no proof either way. “If he’s dead, so be it,” Vogt said, “but until we know for certain, we will not stop searching for him.”
William Bradford Bishop Added to FBI Top Ten List
William Bradford Bishop, Jr., wanted for the brutal murders of his wife, mother, and three sons in Maryland nearly four decades ago, has been named to the Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list.
A reward of up to $100,000 is being offered for information leading directly to the arrest of Bishop, a highly intelligent former U.S. Department of State employee who investigators believe may be hiding in plain sight.
On March 1, 1976, Bishop used a hammer to bludgeon his family, including his three boys, ages 5, 10, and 14. Investigators believe he then drove to North Carolina with the bodies in the family station wagon, buried them in a shallow grave and set them on fire. The last confirmed sighting of Bishop was one day after the murders at a sporting goods store in Jacksonville, North Carolina, where he bought a pair of sneakers.
“Nothing has changed since March 2, 1976 when Bishop was last seen except the passage of time,” said Steve Vogt, special agent in charge of our Baltimore Division. Vogt has teamed with local Maryland law enforcement officials to apprehend Bishop, a man described by investigators as a “family annihilator.”
“There is no indication that Bishop is dead,” Vogt said, explaining that the area where the bodies were discovered was searched extensively, and hundreds of individuals were interviewed at the park where the abandoned station wagon was later discovered, and there was no trace of Bishop.
The FBI, along with the Montgomery County Police Department, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, and the Department of State formed a task force last year to take another look at the Bishop case and to engage the public in locating him. As part of that effort, a forensic artist created a three-dimensional, age-enhanced bust of what the fugitive may look like now, at the age of 77.
Naming Bishop to the Top Ten list is expected to bring national and international attention to the case in a way that was impossible decades ago. “When Bishop took off in 1976, there was no social media, no 24-hour news cycle,” Vogt said. “There was no sustained way to get his face out there like there is today. And the only way to catch this guy is through the public.”
“If Bishop is alive—and there is every chance that he could be,” said Tom Manger, chief of the Montgomery County Police Department and a member of the task force, “we are hopeful someone will call with the tip we need to catch him.” Manger added, “When you have a crime of this magnitude, no matter how long ago it occurred, the police department and the community never stop trying to bring the person responsible to justice.”
“No lead or tip is insignificant,” Vogt explained. “If Bishop is living with a new identity, he’s got to be somebody’s next-door neighbor.” Vogt, a Maryland native who remembers when the murders happened 38 years ago, echoed Manger’s sentiments about never giving up trying to locate the fugitive. “Don’t forget that five people were murdered,” he said. “Bishop needs to be held accountable for that.”
We need your help: If you have any information concerning William Bradford Bishop, Jr., contact your local FBI office, the nearest law enforcement agency, or the appropriate U.S. Embassy or Consulate. You can also submit a tip online.
A reward of up to $100,000 is being offered for information leading directly to the arrest of Bishop, a highly intelligent former U.S. Department of State employee who investigators believe may be hiding in plain sight.
On March 1, 1976, Bishop used a hammer to bludgeon his family, including his three boys, ages 5, 10, and 14. Investigators believe he then drove to North Carolina with the bodies in the family station wagon, buried them in a shallow grave and set them on fire. The last confirmed sighting of Bishop was one day after the murders at a sporting goods store in Jacksonville, North Carolina, where he bought a pair of sneakers.
“Nothing has changed since March 2, 1976 when Bishop was last seen except the passage of time,” said Steve Vogt, special agent in charge of our Baltimore Division. Vogt has teamed with local Maryland law enforcement officials to apprehend Bishop, a man described by investigators as a “family annihilator.”
“There is no indication that Bishop is dead,” Vogt said, explaining that the area where the bodies were discovered was searched extensively, and hundreds of individuals were interviewed at the park where the abandoned station wagon was later discovered, and there was no trace of Bishop.
The FBI, along with the Montgomery County Police Department, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, and the Department of State formed a task force last year to take another look at the Bishop case and to engage the public in locating him. As part of that effort, a forensic artist created a three-dimensional, age-enhanced bust of what the fugitive may look like now, at the age of 77.
Naming Bishop to the Top Ten list is expected to bring national and international attention to the case in a way that was impossible decades ago. “When Bishop took off in 1976, there was no social media, no 24-hour news cycle,” Vogt said. “There was no sustained way to get his face out there like there is today. And the only way to catch this guy is through the public.”
“If Bishop is alive—and there is every chance that he could be,” said Tom Manger, chief of the Montgomery County Police Department and a member of the task force, “we are hopeful someone will call with the tip we need to catch him.” Manger added, “When you have a crime of this magnitude, no matter how long ago it occurred, the police department and the community never stop trying to bring the person responsible to justice.”
“No lead or tip is insignificant,” Vogt explained. “If Bishop is living with a new identity, he’s got to be somebody’s next-door neighbor.” Vogt, a Maryland native who remembers when the murders happened 38 years ago, echoed Manger’s sentiments about never giving up trying to locate the fugitive. “Don’t forget that five people were murdered,” he said. “Bishop needs to be held accountable for that.”
We need your help: If you have any information concerning William Bradford Bishop, Jr., contact your local FBI office, the nearest law enforcement agency, or the appropriate U.S. Embassy or Consulate. You can also submit a tip online.
Wednesday, April 09, 2014
Chicago Transportation Department Clerk Antionette Chenier Arrested for Allegedly Embezzling More Than $741,000 from City Permit Fees
A clerk for the City of Chicago’s Department of Transportation (CDOT) was arrested for allegedly embezzling more than $741,000 from fees that were paid for certain city permits. The defendant, Antionette Chenier, a city clerk since 1990, allegedly diverted the funds from checks that were written by companies that applied for and received city permits to block public ways with dumpsters or moving vans. Chenier, 50, of Homewood, was charged with embezzlement in a criminal complaint that was unsealed following her arrest.
The arrest and charge follow an investigation by the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation Division, and the City of Chicago Office of Inspector General.
From 1993 through 2005, Chenier was assigned to CDOT, and from 2006 through 2008, she was assigned to the city’s Office of Emergency Management and Communication (OEMC) before being transferred back to CDOT. As a clerk working in CDOT’s City Hall permitting office, she was involved in processing the moving van and dumpster permit fees.
The city charges a $25 daily fee for a residential moving van and between $50 and $200 (or higher) per dumpster, depending on the size, location, and length of time the dumpster will be on a city street. For several years, companies have been able to apply for permits through a website operated by CDOT. Although CDOT issues the permits and collects payment, the checks are often made payable to OEMC, which previously administered the permit process.
According to the complaint affidavit, bank records show that Chenier opened a personal bank account in August 2008 and a business account at the same bank in March 2009 under the name “OEMC Chenier,” and she was the sole signatory on both accounts. Between August 2008 and January 2014, she allegedly deposited several hundred checks, totaling $741,299 and payable to OEMC and other city departments into her personal and business accounts.
In January this year, bank officials noticed Chenier’s unusual banking activity and froze her business account, according to the affidavit.
The arrest and charge follow an investigation by the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation Division, and the City of Chicago Office of Inspector General.
From 1993 through 2005, Chenier was assigned to CDOT, and from 2006 through 2008, she was assigned to the city’s Office of Emergency Management and Communication (OEMC) before being transferred back to CDOT. As a clerk working in CDOT’s City Hall permitting office, she was involved in processing the moving van and dumpster permit fees.
The city charges a $25 daily fee for a residential moving van and between $50 and $200 (or higher) per dumpster, depending on the size, location, and length of time the dumpster will be on a city street. For several years, companies have been able to apply for permits through a website operated by CDOT. Although CDOT issues the permits and collects payment, the checks are often made payable to OEMC, which previously administered the permit process.
According to the complaint affidavit, bank records show that Chenier opened a personal bank account in August 2008 and a business account at the same bank in March 2009 under the name “OEMC Chenier,” and she was the sole signatory on both accounts. Between August 2008 and January 2014, she allegedly deposited several hundred checks, totaling $741,299 and payable to OEMC and other city departments into her personal and business accounts.
In January this year, bank officials noticed Chenier’s unusual banking activity and froze her business account, according to the affidavit.
Former Markham Deputy Police Chief, Tony D. Debois, Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Lying to FBI About Raping Woman in Police Custody
The former deputy police chief in south suburban Markham was sentenced to the maximum of five years in federal prison after a judge ruled that he sexually assaulted a woman in police custody in 2010. The defendant, Tony D. Debois, pleaded guilty last September to lying to FBI agents in 2012 about having had sex in his office, but he contended at a lengthy sentencing hearing last month that the woman he had sex with was not the victim and the sex was consensual.
“It is a case about lying about a rape that occurred under the most egregious circumstances that law enforcement could imagine,” Assistant U.S. Attorney April Perry argued today before the sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Joan Lefkow. “The seriousness should not be underestimated,” Judge Lefkow said, adding that she found Debois’ conduct “revolting.”
Debois, 42, of Frankfort, was also placed on supervised release for three years following his sentence, which he was ordered to begin serving on June 10.
Judge Lefkow ruled that the government established that Debois raped the 21-year-old highly vulnerable victim by a “considerable” preponderance of the evidence presented at the hearing last month, including the victim’s testimony, which the judge said was corroborated by other factors. The victim and a man were arrested by Markham police officers on September 23, 2010, after the man was suspected of engaging in a counterfeit currency transaction. The victim, who had no prior contact with law enforcement, was handcuffed, taken to the Markham Police Department, and placed in a holding cell for about 30 minutes. One of the arresting officers then took her to Debois’ tactical office, where, according to Judge Lefkow’s ruling, “he insinuated she could escape further trouble if she engaged in sex with him.” The judge found that Debois’ conduct was rape and that he later obstructed justice to avoid punishment for the sexual assault.
DeBois served as deputy chief in Markham between 2008 and 2011 and also served as the department’s head of internal affairs until 2011, when he became Markham’s inspector general until 2012. DeBois began his law enforcement career with the former Chicago Housing Authority Police Department in the 1990s, and he was a police officer in south suburban Harvey from 1999 to 2007, when he joined the Markham department.
“It is a case about lying about a rape that occurred under the most egregious circumstances that law enforcement could imagine,” Assistant U.S. Attorney April Perry argued today before the sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Joan Lefkow. “The seriousness should not be underestimated,” Judge Lefkow said, adding that she found Debois’ conduct “revolting.”
Debois, 42, of Frankfort, was also placed on supervised release for three years following his sentence, which he was ordered to begin serving on June 10.
Judge Lefkow ruled that the government established that Debois raped the 21-year-old highly vulnerable victim by a “considerable” preponderance of the evidence presented at the hearing last month, including the victim’s testimony, which the judge said was corroborated by other factors. The victim and a man were arrested by Markham police officers on September 23, 2010, after the man was suspected of engaging in a counterfeit currency transaction. The victim, who had no prior contact with law enforcement, was handcuffed, taken to the Markham Police Department, and placed in a holding cell for about 30 minutes. One of the arresting officers then took her to Debois’ tactical office, where, according to Judge Lefkow’s ruling, “he insinuated she could escape further trouble if she engaged in sex with him.” The judge found that Debois’ conduct was rape and that he later obstructed justice to avoid punishment for the sexual assault.
DeBois served as deputy chief in Markham between 2008 and 2011 and also served as the department’s head of internal affairs until 2011, when he became Markham’s inspector general until 2012. DeBois began his law enforcement career with the former Chicago Housing Authority Police Department in the 1990s, and he was a police officer in south suburban Harvey from 1999 to 2007, when he joined the Markham department.
Easy Money is Still Name of the Game with the Mob
The names change, the languages vary, and the players keep evolving. But when it comes to organized crime activity, the game on the street remains remarkably consistent.
It’s a lesson former Metro Det. Jason Hahn many years ago. Hahn, who retired from the department in December after nearly 27 years, spent most of his career working on the street as a member of Metro’s Criminal Intelligence Bureau. He also partnered with a federal task force focused on Asian organized crime.
The result was an impressive series of cases in which prolific prostitution rings and criminal gangs were taken down hard. Among the more notable were operations were Doll House, Jade Blade and Vegas Hold’em. Doll House and Jade Blade were prostitution-related. Vegas Hold’em was a joint task force operation that nailed a California-based Korean organized crime crew that was making high-dollar home invasions. By the time those cases closed, dozens of criminals were hit with long prison sentences.
These days Hahn has teamed up with former FBI agent Charles Bevan, his partner in the Korean case, in a local private investigations firm. The pair will no doubt benefit from its organized crime expertise.
Early in his career, Hahn realized what most good mob investigators know: Although criminal group identification and affiliations are important, many gangsters will gladly cross traditional ethnic lines to make a score. That’s why astute observers will commonly see Asian hoodlums in association with European criminals, Russian mobsters teaming up with Israeli counterparts, and traditional La Cosa Nostra figures taking advantage of alliances in outlaw motorcycle clubs. Who knows, maybe one day we’ll even see a casino guy keeping company with a notorious Chinese Triad associate.
Given Hahn’s background, it’s not surprising he would play an integral role in the growth of the International Asian Organized Crime Conference, as it was first known. It has undergone its own evolution over the years. Following the 9/11 attacks, the group added “Terrorism” to its title. With the spread of international organized crime, and investigations revealing liaisons between disparate criminal operations, this year’s gathering reflects the law enforcement group’s larger mission.
It’s now called the International Conference on Transnational Organized Crime &Terrorism. This year’s conference, which is closed to the public and most press, is set to begin Monday at the Red Rock Resort. More than 400 members of law enforcement from around the world are expected. This year, Metro Sgt. Darren Heiner and FBI agent Chuck Ro are the local conference coordinators.
“It basically covers everything — all different types of organized crime groups,” Hahn says. “These organized crime groups are working together. If there’s a profit to be made, it doesn’t matter if they’re Asian, Israeli, Italian, Eastern European or Russian.”
The conference reflects the reality of the new street. A sample of the workshops: “Narco-Terrorism,” “Detection of Counterfeit Currency,” “International Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs,” “Yakuza and Banks,” “Automating Investigative Tools for Social Networking Sites” and something called “Using Casinos as a Source of Information.”
That last one sounds intriguing.
When it comes to understanding the power of Japan’s Yakuza organized crime families, few can match the insight author and investigative journalist Jake Adelstein gained at Yomiuri Shimbun, Japan’s largest newspaper. The scheduled speaker is the author of “Tokyo Vice: An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard).”
Although it’s nothing the chamber of commerce would want to advertise, it also makes sense to hold an organized crime conference here — and not just because we have our own Mob Museum.
Although the traditional mob influence is largely a thing of the past, international organized crime associates continue their fascination with Las Vegas. In recent years, authorities have investigated and prosecuted groups representing Russian, Yugoslavian, Korean, Mexican, and Israeli mob factions.
Some of the crews are remarkably sophisticated, others are pretty crude, but they all share the same desire for easy money.
The players come and go on the street, but the game remains the same.
Thanks to John L. Smith.
It’s a lesson former Metro Det. Jason Hahn many years ago. Hahn, who retired from the department in December after nearly 27 years, spent most of his career working on the street as a member of Metro’s Criminal Intelligence Bureau. He also partnered with a federal task force focused on Asian organized crime.
The result was an impressive series of cases in which prolific prostitution rings and criminal gangs were taken down hard. Among the more notable were operations were Doll House, Jade Blade and Vegas Hold’em. Doll House and Jade Blade were prostitution-related. Vegas Hold’em was a joint task force operation that nailed a California-based Korean organized crime crew that was making high-dollar home invasions. By the time those cases closed, dozens of criminals were hit with long prison sentences.
These days Hahn has teamed up with former FBI agent Charles Bevan, his partner in the Korean case, in a local private investigations firm. The pair will no doubt benefit from its organized crime expertise.
Early in his career, Hahn realized what most good mob investigators know: Although criminal group identification and affiliations are important, many gangsters will gladly cross traditional ethnic lines to make a score. That’s why astute observers will commonly see Asian hoodlums in association with European criminals, Russian mobsters teaming up with Israeli counterparts, and traditional La Cosa Nostra figures taking advantage of alliances in outlaw motorcycle clubs. Who knows, maybe one day we’ll even see a casino guy keeping company with a notorious Chinese Triad associate.
Given Hahn’s background, it’s not surprising he would play an integral role in the growth of the International Asian Organized Crime Conference, as it was first known. It has undergone its own evolution over the years. Following the 9/11 attacks, the group added “Terrorism” to its title. With the spread of international organized crime, and investigations revealing liaisons between disparate criminal operations, this year’s gathering reflects the law enforcement group’s larger mission.
It’s now called the International Conference on Transnational Organized Crime &Terrorism. This year’s conference, which is closed to the public and most press, is set to begin Monday at the Red Rock Resort. More than 400 members of law enforcement from around the world are expected. This year, Metro Sgt. Darren Heiner and FBI agent Chuck Ro are the local conference coordinators.
“It basically covers everything — all different types of organized crime groups,” Hahn says. “These organized crime groups are working together. If there’s a profit to be made, it doesn’t matter if they’re Asian, Israeli, Italian, Eastern European or Russian.”
The conference reflects the reality of the new street. A sample of the workshops: “Narco-Terrorism,” “Detection of Counterfeit Currency,” “International Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs,” “Yakuza and Banks,” “Automating Investigative Tools for Social Networking Sites” and something called “Using Casinos as a Source of Information.”
That last one sounds intriguing.
When it comes to understanding the power of Japan’s Yakuza organized crime families, few can match the insight author and investigative journalist Jake Adelstein gained at Yomiuri Shimbun, Japan’s largest newspaper. The scheduled speaker is the author of “Tokyo Vice: An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard).”
Although it’s nothing the chamber of commerce would want to advertise, it also makes sense to hold an organized crime conference here — and not just because we have our own Mob Museum.
Although the traditional mob influence is largely a thing of the past, international organized crime associates continue their fascination with Las Vegas. In recent years, authorities have investigated and prosecuted groups representing Russian, Yugoslavian, Korean, Mexican, and Israeli mob factions.
Some of the crews are remarkably sophisticated, others are pretty crude, but they all share the same desire for easy money.
The players come and go on the street, but the game remains the same.
Thanks to John L. Smith.
Samir Azizi, International Fugitive, Arrested at @flySFO
U.S. Marshal Don O’Keefe announces the arrest of Samir Azizi by the U.S. Marshals Pacific Southwest Regional Fugitive Task Force at San Francisco International Airport (SFO).
Azizi, 24, a German national, landed at SFO March 31 en route from Dubai, where he was intercepted by Deputy U.S. Marshals and members of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. According to a criminal complaint filed in San Jose by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Azizi is wanted in Germany for several financial crimes – 89 counts related to tax evasion – committed between 2008 and 2012, in which Azizi allegedly formed a “gang” for the purpose of setting up 11 companies that primarily dealt in cellular communication and other technologies. The companies allegedly participated in criminal activity including filing false tax forms for the purposes of receiving fraudulent tax returns. The alleged criminal activity resulted in a loss to German tax authorities of more than 61 million euros.
Azizi holds a passport from Afghanistan and is also a legal resident of Germany and the United States. The criminal complaint filed with the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of California and the ensuing arrest warrant were issued for the purpose of seeking Azizi’s extradition to Germany.
Azizi appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Howard R. Lloyd in San Jose on April 1, at which time he was ordered held without bail and remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. Extradition proceedings are currently pending, and a status hearing is scheduled before Judge Lloyd on May 23.
Azizi, 24, a German national, landed at SFO March 31 en route from Dubai, where he was intercepted by Deputy U.S. Marshals and members of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. According to a criminal complaint filed in San Jose by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Azizi is wanted in Germany for several financial crimes – 89 counts related to tax evasion – committed between 2008 and 2012, in which Azizi allegedly formed a “gang” for the purpose of setting up 11 companies that primarily dealt in cellular communication and other technologies. The companies allegedly participated in criminal activity including filing false tax forms for the purposes of receiving fraudulent tax returns. The alleged criminal activity resulted in a loss to German tax authorities of more than 61 million euros.
Azizi holds a passport from Afghanistan and is also a legal resident of Germany and the United States. The criminal complaint filed with the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of California and the ensuing arrest warrant were issued for the purpose of seeking Azizi’s extradition to Germany.
Azizi appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Howard R. Lloyd in San Jose on April 1, at which time he was ordered held without bail and remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. Extradition proceedings are currently pending, and a status hearing is scheduled before Judge Lloyd on May 23.
Ray Allen Flener Pleads Guilty to Conveying False Allegations of a Terrorist Plot to Disrupt Election Day
The United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Stephen R. Wigginton, announced that Ray Allen Flener, 25, of Sesser, Illinois, pled guilty to federal charges that he made a false statement to a federal officer and that he conveyed a false threat. Sentencing is set for July 31, 2014.
At the change of plea hearing, Flener admitted that on November 2, 2012, as a detainee at the Franklin County Jail in Benton, he told a special agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) that he had knowledge of a plan by a group called “the New World Order” to disrupt Election Day on November 6, 2012, by using weapons and explosives. Specifically, Flener told and showed the FBI agent the area in which the weapons and explosives allegedly had been stored in August 2012. Flener’s representations were false because, as Flener knew, he had no such knowledge of weapons and explosives having been stored at that location.
Flener also admitted that on November 1, 2012, he did intentionally convey false and misleading information, under circumstances where such information may reasonably have been believed. Specifically, Flener told law enforcement officers from the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI that he had personal knowledge of a plan by a group called the New World Order to disrupt Election Day, November 6, 2012, by using weapons and explosives.
The first charge of making a false statement carries a maximum penalty of eight years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release. The second charge of conveying a false threat carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Illinois State Police; the Illinois Department of Corrections; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the sheriff’s offices of Franklin County, Williamson County, Saline County, and Jackson County; and the police departments of Marion, West Frankfort, and Johnston City. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Liam Coonan.
At the change of plea hearing, Flener admitted that on November 2, 2012, as a detainee at the Franklin County Jail in Benton, he told a special agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) that he had knowledge of a plan by a group called “the New World Order” to disrupt Election Day on November 6, 2012, by using weapons and explosives. Specifically, Flener told and showed the FBI agent the area in which the weapons and explosives allegedly had been stored in August 2012. Flener’s representations were false because, as Flener knew, he had no such knowledge of weapons and explosives having been stored at that location.
Flener also admitted that on November 1, 2012, he did intentionally convey false and misleading information, under circumstances where such information may reasonably have been believed. Specifically, Flener told law enforcement officers from the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI that he had personal knowledge of a plan by a group called the New World Order to disrupt Election Day, November 6, 2012, by using weapons and explosives.
The first charge of making a false statement carries a maximum penalty of eight years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release. The second charge of conveying a false threat carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Illinois State Police; the Illinois Department of Corrections; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the sheriff’s offices of Franklin County, Williamson County, Saline County, and Jackson County; and the police departments of Marion, West Frankfort, and Johnston City. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Liam Coonan.
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