University of Phoenix® and Green For All held a workshop centered on building Chicago’s emerging green entrepreneurs. During the event, small business owners and entrepreneurs learned valuable information on sustainable business resources, working with the government, financing options and The Affordable Care Act’s effect on green businesses. Participants also pitched their business ideas and received constructive feedback from established local professionals.
As the green economy continues to thrive, Chicago is becoming a leader in the field. It ranks third for green jobs among the nation's largest metro areas. According to a Brookings Institution report, the Chicago area enjoyed 79,388 clean economy jobs.
“Chicago is one of the greenest cities in the country,” said Green For All’s Program Manager for Business Engagement, Zakiya Harris. “This business academy supports the city’s green entrepreneurs and small business owners – particularly those coming from low-income areas and communities of color – and arms them with the resources to grow their businesses and a place to interact with local organizations and community stakeholders.”
The Chicago Green Business Academy was Green For All and University of Phoenix’s 14th business academy to support green entrepreneurs in growing their businesses, especially businesses located in underserved communities.
“University of Phoenix is dedicated to being a good corporate citizen by serving communities and individuals across the country in the areas of education, workforce readiness and sustainability,” said Pat Gottfried, vice president of Corporate Social Responsibility for Apollo Education Group, parent company of University of Phoenix. “We are proud to work with Green For All to bring this exciting event to Chicago and help pair Chicago’s green entrepreneurs with resources needed to grow within this industry.”
Chicago Green Business Academy panelists included: Elise Zelechowski, Founder & Executive Director, Rebuilding Exchange; Brenda Palms Barber, CEO, North Lawndale Employment Network and Sweet Beginnings, LLC; Melissa Antone, Director of Sustainability, Apollo Education Group, parent company of University of Phoenix; Zakiya Harris, Program Manager for Business Engagement, Green For All; Charles Sprague, Lead Faculty Area Chair, University of Phoenix Chicago Campus; Mark Ferguson, Public Information Officer, U.S. Small Business Administration; Jumaani Bates, Sustainability Consultant & Green For All Fellow; Walter Bush IV, Operations Manager & Founding Partner, Bronzeville Green Landscaping, LLC; Mary Timmel, Outreach Manager, Small Business Majority; Jon Levey, Executive Vice President & Chief Lending Officer, GreenChoice Bank; and Marc Lane, Founder, The Law Offices of Marc J. Lane.
Monday, December 16, 2013
Friday, December 13, 2013
Interpol Praises Belarus’ Contribution to Combating #OrganizedCrime
Belarus makes an appreciable contribution to combating international organized crime, said Interpol President Mireille Ballestrazzi and Interpol Secretary General Ronald Noble in their message of congratulations on the occasion of the 20th anniversary since the establishment of Interpol’s National Central Bureau in the Republic of Belarus and the country’s membership in the organization.
“A plenty of important events have taken place over the past two decades. When Belarus became an independent country, one of the first things it did was to join the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) in 1993. A decade ago, in 2003, the Belarusian bureau of Interpol was among the first to get access to Interpol’s I-24/7 global police communications system. For the two decades Belarus has been making a valuable contribution to combating international organized crime. The country takes part in Interpol’s project Millennium meant to counteract organized criminal groups operating in Eurasia,” the message of congratulations reads.
At present the I-24/7 system is available to Belarusian policemen, border services and other law enforcement agencies. The system offers important and relevant international police information. In 2012-2013 Belarus was actively involved in Interpol’s Operation Black Poseidon aimed to identify, disrupt and dismantle transnational organized networks behind trafficking in illicit goods and counterfeiting. As a result of the operation, millions of illicit goods were seized all over Eastern Europe, many people were arrested for counterfeiting. In 2013 Belarusian law enforcement agencies conducted over five million checks using Interpol databanks. “This testifies to the great interest of Belarusian law enforcement agencies in maintaining the security of their citizens,” Interpol believes.
Belarus was one of the first member states to officially recognize Interpol’s travel documents, thus demonstrating its willingness to deepen cooperation.
“Interpol appreciates Belarus’ contribution to the international anti-crime efforts. We are convinced that the National Central Bureau will do its utmost to fulfill our goal – to make people feel safe whenever they are,” the message reads.
“A plenty of important events have taken place over the past two decades. When Belarus became an independent country, one of the first things it did was to join the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) in 1993. A decade ago, in 2003, the Belarusian bureau of Interpol was among the first to get access to Interpol’s I-24/7 global police communications system. For the two decades Belarus has been making a valuable contribution to combating international organized crime. The country takes part in Interpol’s project Millennium meant to counteract organized criminal groups operating in Eurasia,” the message of congratulations reads.
At present the I-24/7 system is available to Belarusian policemen, border services and other law enforcement agencies. The system offers important and relevant international police information. In 2012-2013 Belarus was actively involved in Interpol’s Operation Black Poseidon aimed to identify, disrupt and dismantle transnational organized networks behind trafficking in illicit goods and counterfeiting. As a result of the operation, millions of illicit goods were seized all over Eastern Europe, many people were arrested for counterfeiting. In 2013 Belarusian law enforcement agencies conducted over five million checks using Interpol databanks. “This testifies to the great interest of Belarusian law enforcement agencies in maintaining the security of their citizens,” Interpol believes.
Belarus was one of the first member states to officially recognize Interpol’s travel documents, thus demonstrating its willingness to deepen cooperation.
“Interpol appreciates Belarus’ contribution to the international anti-crime efforts. We are convinced that the National Central Bureau will do its utmost to fulfill our goal – to make people feel safe whenever they are,” the message reads.
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism
The gap between rich and poor has never been wider…legislative stalemate paralyzes the country…corporations resist federal regulations…spectacular mergers produce giant companies…the influence of money in politics deepens…bombs explode in crowded streets…small wars proliferate far from our shores…a dizzying array of inventions speeds the pace of daily life.
These unnervingly familiar headlines serve as the backdrop for Doris Kearns Goodwin’s highly anticipated The Bully Pulpit—a dynamic history of the first decade of the Progressive era, that tumultuous time when the nation was coming unseamed and reform was in the air.
The story is told through the intense friendship of Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft—a close relationship that strengthens both men before it ruptures in 1912, when they engage in a brutal fight for the presidential nomination that divides their wives, their children, and their closest friends, while crippling the progressive wing of the Republican Party, causing Democrat Woodrow Wilson to be elected, and changing the country’s history.
The Bully Pulpit is also the story of the muckraking press, which arouses the spirit of reform that helps Roosevelt push the government to shed its laissez-faire attitude toward robber barons, corrupt politicians, and corporate exploiters of our natural resources. The muckrakers are portrayed through the greatest group of journalists ever assembled at one magazine—Ida Tarbell, Ray Stannard Baker, Lincoln Steffens, and William Allen White—teamed under the mercurial genius of publisher S. S. McClure.
Goodwin’s narrative is founded upon a wealth of primary materials. The correspondence of more than four hundred letters between Roosevelt and Taft begins in their early thirties and ends only months before Roosevelt’s death. Edith Roosevelt and Nellie Taft kept diaries. The muckrakers wrote hundreds of letters to one another, kept journals, and wrote their memoirs. The letters of Captain Archie Butt, who served as a personal aide to both Roosevelt and Taft, provide an intimate view of both men.
The Bully Pulpit, like Goodwin’s brilliant chronicles of the Civil War and World War II, exquisitely demonstrates her distinctive ability to combine scholarly rigor with accessibility. It is a major work of history—an examination of leadership in a rare moment of activism and reform that brought the country closer to its founding ideals.
These unnervingly familiar headlines serve as the backdrop for Doris Kearns Goodwin’s highly anticipated The Bully Pulpit—a dynamic history of the first decade of the Progressive era, that tumultuous time when the nation was coming unseamed and reform was in the air.
The story is told through the intense friendship of Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft—a close relationship that strengthens both men before it ruptures in 1912, when they engage in a brutal fight for the presidential nomination that divides their wives, their children, and their closest friends, while crippling the progressive wing of the Republican Party, causing Democrat Woodrow Wilson to be elected, and changing the country’s history.
The Bully Pulpit is also the story of the muckraking press, which arouses the spirit of reform that helps Roosevelt push the government to shed its laissez-faire attitude toward robber barons, corrupt politicians, and corporate exploiters of our natural resources. The muckrakers are portrayed through the greatest group of journalists ever assembled at one magazine—Ida Tarbell, Ray Stannard Baker, Lincoln Steffens, and William Allen White—teamed under the mercurial genius of publisher S. S. McClure.
Goodwin’s narrative is founded upon a wealth of primary materials. The correspondence of more than four hundred letters between Roosevelt and Taft begins in their early thirties and ends only months before Roosevelt’s death. Edith Roosevelt and Nellie Taft kept diaries. The muckrakers wrote hundreds of letters to one another, kept journals, and wrote their memoirs. The letters of Captain Archie Butt, who served as a personal aide to both Roosevelt and Taft, provide an intimate view of both men.
The Bully Pulpit, like Goodwin’s brilliant chronicles of the Civil War and World War II, exquisitely demonstrates her distinctive ability to combine scholarly rigor with accessibility. It is a major work of history—an examination of leadership in a rare moment of activism and reform that brought the country closer to its founding ideals.
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
BTS Releases September North American Freight Numbers
Three of the five transportation modes carried more U.S.-NAFTA trade in September 2013 than in September 2012 as the value of overall U.S. trade with its North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) partners, Canada and Mexico, rose 5.0 percent from year to year, according to the September NAFTA freight data released today by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) of the U.S. Department of Transportation.
BTS, a part of the Department’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration, reported that pipelines showed the most year-to-year growth at 14.2 percent. The increase in the value of freight carried by pipelines reflects the rise in prices for oil and other petroleum products, the primary commodity transported by pipelines.
Truck, which carries three-fifths of U.S.-NAFTA trade and is the most heavily utilized mode for moving goods to and from both U.S.-NAFTA partners, rose 5.4 percent while rail rose 8.1 percent. Vessel declined 4.3 percent and air 0.1 percent.
Trucks carried 59.4 percent of the $94.4 billion of U.S.-NAFTA trade in September 2013 accounting for $29.1 billion of exports and $27.0 billion of imports. Trucks were followed by rail at 16.1 percent, vessels at 8.6 percent, pipeline at 7.2 percent and air at 3.9 percent. The surface transportation modes of truck, rail and pipeline carried 82.7 percent of the total NAFTA freight flows.
U.S.-Canada trade by vessel, of which 65.4 percent was imported, had the largest percentage increase of any mode from September 2012 to September 2013, growing 33.0 percent. Next highest was pipeline trade, which grew 15.2 percent during the same period. U.S.-Canada pipeline trade comprises 96 percent of total U.S.-NAFTA pipeline trade. Freight moved by rail between the U.S. and Canada grew the least of any mode, 3.0 percent.
U.S.-Mexico trade by rail had the largest percentage increase of any mode from September 2012 to September 2013, growing 16.4 percent, mainly due to a 20 percent increase in vehicles and vehicle parts moving by rail. Freight moved by vessel between the U.S. and Mexico decreased by 18.2 percent due to a 25 percent drop in the value of mineral fuels (primarily oil and natural gas) moving between the U.S. and Mexico by vessel.
BTS, a part of the Department’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration, reported that pipelines showed the most year-to-year growth at 14.2 percent. The increase in the value of freight carried by pipelines reflects the rise in prices for oil and other petroleum products, the primary commodity transported by pipelines.
Truck, which carries three-fifths of U.S.-NAFTA trade and is the most heavily utilized mode for moving goods to and from both U.S.-NAFTA partners, rose 5.4 percent while rail rose 8.1 percent. Vessel declined 4.3 percent and air 0.1 percent.
Trucks carried 59.4 percent of the $94.4 billion of U.S.-NAFTA trade in September 2013 accounting for $29.1 billion of exports and $27.0 billion of imports. Trucks were followed by rail at 16.1 percent, vessels at 8.6 percent, pipeline at 7.2 percent and air at 3.9 percent. The surface transportation modes of truck, rail and pipeline carried 82.7 percent of the total NAFTA freight flows.
U.S.-Canada trade by vessel, of which 65.4 percent was imported, had the largest percentage increase of any mode from September 2012 to September 2013, growing 33.0 percent. Next highest was pipeline trade, which grew 15.2 percent during the same period. U.S.-Canada pipeline trade comprises 96 percent of total U.S.-NAFTA pipeline trade. Freight moved by rail between the U.S. and Canada grew the least of any mode, 3.0 percent.
U.S.-Mexico trade by rail had the largest percentage increase of any mode from September 2012 to September 2013, growing 16.4 percent, mainly due to a 20 percent increase in vehicles and vehicle parts moving by rail. Freight moved by vessel between the U.S. and Mexico decreased by 18.2 percent due to a 25 percent drop in the value of mineral fuels (primarily oil and natural gas) moving between the U.S. and Mexico by vessel.
Monday, December 09, 2013
Heriberto "Boxer" Martinez, #MS13 Gang Leader, Sentenced to Life in Prison on Racketeering and Firearms Offenses Relating to Murder
Earlier today at the federal courthouse in Central Islip, New York, Heriberto Martinez, also known as “Boxer,” the former leader of the Coronados clique of La Mara Salvatrucha, also known as the MS-13 street gang, was sentenced to life in prison. Martinez and co-defendant Carlos Ortega, also known as “Silencio,” were convicted on March 21, 2013, following a six-week trial, on all 21 counts of the trial indictment, including racketeering, racketeering conspiracy, murder, assault with dangerous weapons, and related firearms and conspiracy offenses. Ortega was sentenced to life in prison on November 21, 2013.
The sentence was announced by Loretta E. Lynch, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; George Venizelos, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office; and Thomas V. Dale, Commissioner of the Nassau County Police Department.
“Heriberto Martinez placed less value on human lives than he did on enforcing the barbaric rules of the MS-13 and, as a leader of the MS-13, making sure other gang members were doing the same. In keeping with those twisted rules, during a six-week period in early 2010, Martinez authorized the execution of a young mother, whom he believed had disrespected the gang, ordered the execution of a security guard for doing his job, and both advocated for and carried out the execution of a fellow MS-13 member who refused to commit senseless, violent crimes,” stated U.S. Attorney Lynch. “The jury’s verdict earlier this year and today’s sentence demonstrate that the brutal and senseless violence committed by Martinez and his fellow MS-13 members will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted tenaciously.” Ms. Lynch extended her grateful appreciation to the members of the FBI’s Long Island Gang Task Force and the New York City Police Department for their assistance in this case.
FBI Assistant Director in Charge Venizelos stated, “Martinez terrorized, victimized, and murdered members of our community in the name of MS-13. His violence and criminal activity knew no limits. Consistent with the recent sentences of other MS-13 gang members, today’s sentence of Martinez should send a clear message to all members of these violent enterprises: your actions will not be tolerated, no matter what group you hide behind. The FBI, along with our law enforcement partners, will continue efforts to rid the streets of these violent criminals and bring them to justice.”
At trial, the government proved that Martinez, along with his fellow MS-13 gang members, killed multiple victims between February and March of 2010:
Martinez’s conviction is the latest in a series of federal prosecutions by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York targeting members of the MS-13, a violent international street gang comprised primarily of immigrants from El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala. With numerous branches, or “cliques,” the MS-13 is the largest street gang on Long Island. Since 2002, more than 200 MS-13 members, including more than two dozen clique leaders, have been convicted on federal felony charges in the Eastern District of New York. More than 100 of those MS-13 members have been convicted on federal racketeering charges. Since 2010 alone, this office has convicted more than 30 members of the MS-13 on charges relating to their participation in one or more murders. These prosecutions are the product of investigations led by the FBI’s Long Island Gang Task Force, composed of agents and officers of the FBI, Nassau County Police Department, Nassau County Sheriff’s Department, Suffolk County Probation, Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department, Rockville Centre Police Department, and Suffolk County Police Department.
The life sentence was imposed by United States District Judge Joseph F. Bianco.
The government’s case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys John J. Durham, Raymond A. Tierney, and Carrie N. Capwell.
The sentence was announced by Loretta E. Lynch, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; George Venizelos, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office; and Thomas V. Dale, Commissioner of the Nassau County Police Department.
“Heriberto Martinez placed less value on human lives than he did on enforcing the barbaric rules of the MS-13 and, as a leader of the MS-13, making sure other gang members were doing the same. In keeping with those twisted rules, during a six-week period in early 2010, Martinez authorized the execution of a young mother, whom he believed had disrespected the gang, ordered the execution of a security guard for doing his job, and both advocated for and carried out the execution of a fellow MS-13 member who refused to commit senseless, violent crimes,” stated U.S. Attorney Lynch. “The jury’s verdict earlier this year and today’s sentence demonstrate that the brutal and senseless violence committed by Martinez and his fellow MS-13 members will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted tenaciously.” Ms. Lynch extended her grateful appreciation to the members of the FBI’s Long Island Gang Task Force and the New York City Police Department for their assistance in this case.
FBI Assistant Director in Charge Venizelos stated, “Martinez terrorized, victimized, and murdered members of our community in the name of MS-13. His violence and criminal activity knew no limits. Consistent with the recent sentences of other MS-13 gang members, today’s sentence of Martinez should send a clear message to all members of these violent enterprises: your actions will not be tolerated, no matter what group you hide behind. The FBI, along with our law enforcement partners, will continue efforts to rid the streets of these violent criminals and bring them to justice.”
At trial, the government proved that Martinez, along with his fellow MS-13 gang members, killed multiple victims between February and March of 2010:
- Martinez was convicted in connection with the execution-style murder of Vanessa Argueta, a 19-year-old woman, in Central Islip, New York, on February 5, 2010. Martinez also was convicted of being an accessory after-the-fact in the murder of Argueta and her 2-year-old son, Diego Torres, who was shot and killed during the same criminal incident. Martinez helped three of his co-conspirators evade arrest in New York and flee to El Salvador after the commission of the murders. The bodies of Argueta and Torres were found in a secluded wooded area in Central Islip. Argueta had been shot in the head and chest, and Torres had been shot twice in the head.
- Martinez also was convicted in connection with the execution-style murder of 23-year-old Nestor Moreno, a security guard at El Rancho Bar and Grill in Hempstead, New York, on March 6, 2010. In late February 2010, Heriberto Martinez and several other members of the MS-13 were involved in a dispute with El Rancho employees over an unpaid bar tab. The dispute escalated into a physical altercation during which Martinez was sprayed with pepper spray. Prior to leaving El Rancho, Martinez identified himself as an MS-13 member to the victim and told him, “It’s not going to end like this.” On March 6, 2010, Martinez, along with four co-conspirators, returned to El Rancho and carried out that threat, shooting Moreno in the head at point-blank range. The gun used to kill Moreno was the same semi-automatic handgun used to kill Argueta and her son one month earlier.
- Both Martinez and Ortega were convicted for the March 17, 2010, murder of Mario Alberto Canton Quijada in Far Rockaway, New York. Quijada, who was a fellow member of the MS-13, was killed because of his reluctance to “put in work,” or attack rival gang members on behalf of the MS-13. On March 17, 2010, Quijada was lured to the beach in Far Rockaway under the guise of attacking rival gang members. Once alone on the beach, the MS-13 gang members tried to shoot Quijada in the head with the same semi-automatic handgun used in the murders of Moreno, Argueta, and Argueta’s son. However, the gun jammed. Undeterred, Martinez, Ortega, and the other MS-13 members set upon Quijada with knifes and machetes and hacked him to death.
Martinez’s conviction is the latest in a series of federal prosecutions by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York targeting members of the MS-13, a violent international street gang comprised primarily of immigrants from El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala. With numerous branches, or “cliques,” the MS-13 is the largest street gang on Long Island. Since 2002, more than 200 MS-13 members, including more than two dozen clique leaders, have been convicted on federal felony charges in the Eastern District of New York. More than 100 of those MS-13 members have been convicted on federal racketeering charges. Since 2010 alone, this office has convicted more than 30 members of the MS-13 on charges relating to their participation in one or more murders. These prosecutions are the product of investigations led by the FBI’s Long Island Gang Task Force, composed of agents and officers of the FBI, Nassau County Police Department, Nassau County Sheriff’s Department, Suffolk County Probation, Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department, Rockville Centre Police Department, and Suffolk County Police Department.
The life sentence was imposed by United States District Judge Joseph F. Bianco.
The government’s case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys John J. Durham, Raymond A. Tierney, and Carrie N. Capwell.
24 Imprisoned, 12 More Waiting Deportation as #OperationGas Takes Firearms & Heroin off the Streets and Dismantles MS-13 Street Gang
A sweeping, more than two-year investigation into the trafficking of heroin by armed drug dealers in Providence and surrounding areas has resulted in the imprisonment of 24 individuals, the arrest and detention of 12 others who face deportation on alleged immigration violations, and the dismantling of the MS-13 Providence street gang.
The investigation, dubbed Operation Gas, was conducted by a task force composed of federal agents from the FBI; DEA; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; and Homeland Security Investigations; detectives and officers from the Rhode Island State Police Providence Police, Cranston Police, Newport Police, Pawtucket Police, and Woonsocket Police Departments; and prosecutors from the United States Attorney’s Office and the Rhode Island Department of Attorney General.
The investigation targeted the trafficking of heroin from the Dominican Republic and Guatemala to Rhode Island and the distribution of that heroin by armed drug dealers in Providence and surrounding areas. The investigation led to the seizure of more than 23 kilograms of heroin, including the largest single seizure in Rhode Island, as well as the seizure of over 100 grams of cocaine, 15 firearms, more than $400,000 in cash, and 12 vehicles. The drug trafficking investigation led to a subsequent investigation that targeted leaders, members and associates of the MS-13 Providence street gang who were involved in gang-on-gang violence, firearms sales, and drug distribution.
The subsequent prosecution of those involved resulted in the conviction and imprisonment of 24 individuals, including the leaders and known members of the MS-13 Providence street gang, on drugs, firearms, assault, and arson charges, and of a convicted heroin trafficker who attempted to hire a person to murder his girlfriend.
In addition, 12 individuals identified as members and associates of the MS-13 Providence street gang and the SUR-13 street gang were detained by Homeland Security Investigations on alleged immigration violations. Many of the individuals have already been deported.
“Armed gang activity and associated drug dealing continue to plague Providence and other urban neighborhoods across our state,” said United States Attorney Peter F. Neronha. “History has taught us only too well: gangs and drug dealing inevitably lead to gun violence. To effectively combat this violence, we must continue to do more than simply wait for the shooting to stop and assess the carnage. Only a proactive approach, targeting the worst of the worst and bringing them to justice before the shooting starts, can lead to a safer Rhode Island.”
“This is an example where another team challenged ours and lost,” said Vincent Lisi, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Division, which is responsible for Rhode Island. “Gang members who want to fill the vacuum left by these arrests should know the Safe Streets Task force will always win over those who chose a life of crime by holding responsible those who put illegal guns on our streets, deal heroin in our neighborhoods, and commit other crimes in our cities.”
"DEA is committed to the dismantling of criminal organizations that bring drugs and violence into our neighborhoods," said John J. Arvanitis, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New England Field Division. "Our commitment is unwavering, and together with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, we will continue to target violent drug trafficking organizations operating throughout our communities."
“Cooperation among local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies and prosecutors led to the successful disruption of the MS-13 gang in Providence. Targeting criminal activity by gangs and gang members before violence erupts is critical in bringing greater security to our urban communities,” said Attorney General Peter Kilmartin.
“As I have stated in the past, investigations like this are a message as to how we leverage our partnerships and combine our efforts to dismantle organized gang and drug activity. Operations like this are what makes the community safer and also sends a strong message to those involved in the gun, gang, and drug trade,” said Colonel Hugh Clements.
Among the defendants arrested, convicted, and imprisoned as a result of Operation Gas:
Defendants charged in the U.S. District Court were prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adi Goldstein, Paul F. Daly, Jr., Sandra R. Hebert, Milind M. Shah, and First Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth P. Madden. Defendants charged in Rhode Island state court were prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General James Baum.
Operation Gas Defendants:
Wayne Barnes, 53, Providence
Drug and firearms charges
Three years in federal prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release
Francisco A. Bonilla a/k/a Cisco, 35, Providence
MS-13 gang leader
Assault & firearms charges
20 years, 10 years to serve at ACI; 10 years suspended with probation
Miguel Colon a/k/a Ariel Hassel, 33, Cranston
Heroin and cocaine trafficking charges
90 months in federal prison, to be followed by five years’ supervised release
Faces deportation proceedings
Juan Cotto, 45, Providence
Conspiracy
24 months in federal prison, to be followed by five years’ supervised release
Jose Dume, Jr., 39, Providence
Leader of heroin trafficking conspiracy
Heroin trafficking and firearm charges
15 years in federal prison, to be followed by five years’ supervised release
Faces deportation proceedings
Angel Feliz, 48, Dorchester, Massachusetts
Heroin trafficking charges
70 months in federal prison, to be followed by three years’ supervised release
Christian Ferrer, 28, Providence
Drug source for MS-13 gang
Conspiracy and cocaine trafficking charges
71 months in federal prison, to be followed by five years’ supervised release
Cristian Jimenez, 34, Providence
Convicted at trial in June 2013 on charges of trafficking heroin
Detained
Angel Maria Marte, 49, Providence
Heroin trafficking charges
80 months in federal prison, to be followed by five years’ supervised release
Faces deportation proceedings
Estevan Benzan, 29, Providence
Heroin trafficking
70 months in federal prison, to be followed by five years’ supervised release
Faces deportation proceedings
Janet Cobian, 24, Taunton, Massachusetts
Heroin possession and distribution charges
Five years’ probation
Louis Cortez a/k/a Cholo, 37, Providence
SUR-13 gang member
Firearm possession
Six months' confinement, to be followed by five years’ supervised release
Alejandro Delacruz, a/k/a Alex, 28, Providence
C-Block gang member
Conspiracy and firearm charges
51 months in federal prison, to be followed by three years’ supervised release
Jorge Daniel Estrada, 19, Guatemala
Conspiracy and heroin trafficking charges 15 years in federal prison followed by lifetime supervised release. Immigration detainer lodged
Jose “Victor” Fernandez, 47, Providence
Heroin trafficking and murder for hire charges
97 months in federal prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release
Richard Ibanez a/k/a Chinoz, 23, Providence
MS-13 gang member
Conspiracy and arson charges
20 years, eight years to serve at ACI 12 years suspended withprobation
Michael Linaris, 36, Providence
Firearm charge
24 months in federal prison, to be followed by three years’ supervised release
Yelkis Martinez ,36, Providence
Maintaining a drug involved premises and fraud charges
30 months in federal prison, followed by three years’ supervised release
Faces deportation proceedings
Geovannie Nieves, 28, West Warwick
Heroin trafficking charges
90 months in federal prison, followed by five years’ supervised release
Faces deportation proceedings
Adalberto Pagan a/k/a Bebo, 28, Providence
Firearm source for MS-13
Firearm charges
37 months in federal prison, followed by three years’ supervised release
Vlady Tejada, 33, Boston, Massachusetts
Heroin and cocaine trafficking charges
71 months in federal prison, to be followed by four years’ supervised release
Faces deportation proceedings
Leopoldo Nunez, 26, Providence
Firearms charges
60 months in federal prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release
Alexander Ramos, 42, Providence
Cocaine conspiracy and distribution
70 months in federal prison, followed by five years’ supervised release
Dewrys Marte Valerio, 28, Providence
Heroin and cocaine trafficking charges
80 months in federal prison, followed by five years’ supervised release
The following defendants were detained by Homeland Security Investigations on alleged immigration violations. Several of the defendants have been deported.
Carlos Esau Arreaga Lopez, a/k/a Duende, 27, Guatemala
MS-13 gang member
Orlando Ramon Gonzalez Lopez, a/k/a Pikachu 33, Mexico MS-13 gang member
Fari Armando Nava Tlapale, a/k/a Fatty, 21, Mexico MS-13 gang member
Alberto Ozuna Ramirez, a/k/a Pepo, 23, Mexico
MS-13 gang member
Jose Leonida Villalobos Rodriguez, a/k/a Jumbo, 27, El Salvador
MS-13 gang member
Victor Hugo Amaro, 30, Mexico
MS-13 gang associate
Arturo Cruz, a/k/a Edison Arturo Cruz Esperanza, 24, Honduras
MS-13 gang member
Fredy Saravia, 37, Guatemala MS-13 gang associate
Edgar Coronado, a/k/a Chino, 33, Guatemala
MS-13 gang member
Luis Salgado, a/k/a Pee-Wee, 22, Mexico
SUR-13 gang member
Wagner Miranda, a/k/a Alex, 23, Guatemala
MS-13 gang member
Jose Borjas, a/k/a Catracho, 36, Honduras
MS-13 gang associate
The investigation, dubbed Operation Gas, was conducted by a task force composed of federal agents from the FBI; DEA; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; and Homeland Security Investigations; detectives and officers from the Rhode Island State Police Providence Police, Cranston Police, Newport Police, Pawtucket Police, and Woonsocket Police Departments; and prosecutors from the United States Attorney’s Office and the Rhode Island Department of Attorney General.
The investigation targeted the trafficking of heroin from the Dominican Republic and Guatemala to Rhode Island and the distribution of that heroin by armed drug dealers in Providence and surrounding areas. The investigation led to the seizure of more than 23 kilograms of heroin, including the largest single seizure in Rhode Island, as well as the seizure of over 100 grams of cocaine, 15 firearms, more than $400,000 in cash, and 12 vehicles. The drug trafficking investigation led to a subsequent investigation that targeted leaders, members and associates of the MS-13 Providence street gang who were involved in gang-on-gang violence, firearms sales, and drug distribution.
The subsequent prosecution of those involved resulted in the conviction and imprisonment of 24 individuals, including the leaders and known members of the MS-13 Providence street gang, on drugs, firearms, assault, and arson charges, and of a convicted heroin trafficker who attempted to hire a person to murder his girlfriend.
In addition, 12 individuals identified as members and associates of the MS-13 Providence street gang and the SUR-13 street gang were detained by Homeland Security Investigations on alleged immigration violations. Many of the individuals have already been deported.
“Armed gang activity and associated drug dealing continue to plague Providence and other urban neighborhoods across our state,” said United States Attorney Peter F. Neronha. “History has taught us only too well: gangs and drug dealing inevitably lead to gun violence. To effectively combat this violence, we must continue to do more than simply wait for the shooting to stop and assess the carnage. Only a proactive approach, targeting the worst of the worst and bringing them to justice before the shooting starts, can lead to a safer Rhode Island.”
“This is an example where another team challenged ours and lost,” said Vincent Lisi, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Division, which is responsible for Rhode Island. “Gang members who want to fill the vacuum left by these arrests should know the Safe Streets Task force will always win over those who chose a life of crime by holding responsible those who put illegal guns on our streets, deal heroin in our neighborhoods, and commit other crimes in our cities.”
"DEA is committed to the dismantling of criminal organizations that bring drugs and violence into our neighborhoods," said John J. Arvanitis, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New England Field Division. "Our commitment is unwavering, and together with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, we will continue to target violent drug trafficking organizations operating throughout our communities."
“Cooperation among local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies and prosecutors led to the successful disruption of the MS-13 gang in Providence. Targeting criminal activity by gangs and gang members before violence erupts is critical in bringing greater security to our urban communities,” said Attorney General Peter Kilmartin.
“As I have stated in the past, investigations like this are a message as to how we leverage our partnerships and combine our efforts to dismantle organized gang and drug activity. Operations like this are what makes the community safer and also sends a strong message to those involved in the gun, gang, and drug trade,” said Colonel Hugh Clements.
Among the defendants arrested, convicted, and imprisoned as a result of Operation Gas:
- Jose Victor Fernandez, 47, Providence: Jose Fernandez was arrested in April 20, 2011, following a lengthy investigation into his suspected heroin trafficking activities. In addition to numerous undercover purchases of heroin, law enforcement seized two kilograms of heroin discovered concealed inside car parts shipped from Guatemala to an auto dealership where Fernandez worked. During the investigation into Fernandez’s drug trafficking activities, law enforcement learned that Fernandez was attempting to hire a person to murder his girlfriend. Fernandez was convicted in federal court of attempted murder for hire, as well as multiple heroin distribution charges. Fernandez is serving a sentence of 97 months in federal prison.
- Jose Dume, Jr., 29, Providence; and Ariel Hassel, aka Miguel Angel Colon, 33, Cranston: In the fall of 2011, the FBI and DEA began investigating a Dominican drug trafficking organization that distributed heroin, and on occasion cocaine, to customers in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. According to information presented to the court, Jose Dume, Jr. was identified by law enforcement as the leader of this conspiracy. The investigation revealed that Dume purchased kilogram quantities of heroin from Ariel Hassel. It is estimated that over the course of the conspiracy, Dume purchased approximately three kilos of heroin, often in 500 to 600 gram increments, which he then sold to arious customers throughout Rhode Island.
- During the course of the investigation into Dume and Hassel’s drug trafficking and firearm trafficking activities—which included undercover drug and firearms purchases, the use of electronic monitoring and surveillance equipment, and the execution of court authorized search warrants and wiretaps—law enforcement seized four firearms, about 2.5 kilograms of heroin, over $400,000 in cash, jewelry valued at more than $60,000, and 12 vehicles from residences in Providence, Cranston, and West Warwick. The wiretap investigation led to the arrest and conviction of 14 individuals including Dume, Hassel, their partners, and drug runners, as well as customers. Among those arrested was Vlady Tejada, a fugitive on federal drug charges out of the District of Massachusetts.
- Dume and Hassel were arrested by federal agents on May 11, 2012. Dume pleaded guilty in October 2013 to federal conspiracy, heroin trafficking, and firearm charges. He was sentenced on October 21, 2013, to 15 years in federal prison. Hassel pleaded guilty in July 2013 to heroin and cocaine trafficking charges. He was sentenced in July 2013 to 90 months in federal prison.
- Jorge Daniel Estrada, 19, Providence; and Angel Feliz, 48, Dorchester, Massachusetts: In October 2012, the DEA arrested Jorge Daniel Estrada and Angel Feliz on charges of conspiracy to distribute 17 kilograms of heroin. In addition to seizing 17 kilos of heroin, police seized three vehicles. The arrests of Jose Fernandez, Jorge Estrada and Angel Feliz, prompted by information developed by Providence Police detectives, resulted in the seizure of a total of 19 kilograms of heroin valued at $4.5 million dollars, the largest single seizure of heroin in Rhode Island. Estrada and Feliz have been sentenced to 180 and 70 months in federal prison, respectively.
- Francisco Bonilla, a/k/a “Cisco,” 35, Providence: In October 2012, Francisco Bonilla, the alleged leader of the MS-13 Providence street gang, was indicted by a Rhode Island state court grand jury on assault and weapons charges. He pleaded guilty in January 2013 and is currently serving a 10-year prison sentence at the ACI. Bonilla, a citizen of El Salvador, will face deportation proceedings upon completion of his prison term.
- Richard Ibenez, a/k/a "Chinoz", 23, Providence: In October 2012, Richard Ibenez, a member of the MS-13 Providence street gang, was indicted by a Rhode Island state court grand jury on conspiracy and arson charges. He pleaded guilty in January 2013 and is currently serving an eight-year prison sentence at the ACI.
Defendants charged in the U.S. District Court were prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adi Goldstein, Paul F. Daly, Jr., Sandra R. Hebert, Milind M. Shah, and First Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth P. Madden. Defendants charged in Rhode Island state court were prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General James Baum.
Operation Gas Defendants:
Wayne Barnes, 53, Providence
Drug and firearms charges
Three years in federal prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release
Francisco A. Bonilla a/k/a Cisco, 35, Providence
MS-13 gang leader
Assault & firearms charges
20 years, 10 years to serve at ACI; 10 years suspended with probation
Miguel Colon a/k/a Ariel Hassel, 33, Cranston
Heroin and cocaine trafficking charges
90 months in federal prison, to be followed by five years’ supervised release
Faces deportation proceedings
Juan Cotto, 45, Providence
Conspiracy
24 months in federal prison, to be followed by five years’ supervised release
Jose Dume, Jr., 39, Providence
Leader of heroin trafficking conspiracy
Heroin trafficking and firearm charges
15 years in federal prison, to be followed by five years’ supervised release
Faces deportation proceedings
Angel Feliz, 48, Dorchester, Massachusetts
Heroin trafficking charges
70 months in federal prison, to be followed by three years’ supervised release
Christian Ferrer, 28, Providence
Drug source for MS-13 gang
Conspiracy and cocaine trafficking charges
71 months in federal prison, to be followed by five years’ supervised release
Cristian Jimenez, 34, Providence
Convicted at trial in June 2013 on charges of trafficking heroin
Detained
Angel Maria Marte, 49, Providence
Heroin trafficking charges
80 months in federal prison, to be followed by five years’ supervised release
Faces deportation proceedings
Estevan Benzan, 29, Providence
Heroin trafficking
70 months in federal prison, to be followed by five years’ supervised release
Faces deportation proceedings
Janet Cobian, 24, Taunton, Massachusetts
Heroin possession and distribution charges
Five years’ probation
Louis Cortez a/k/a Cholo, 37, Providence
SUR-13 gang member
Firearm possession
Six months' confinement, to be followed by five years’ supervised release
Alejandro Delacruz, a/k/a Alex, 28, Providence
C-Block gang member
Conspiracy and firearm charges
51 months in federal prison, to be followed by three years’ supervised release
Jorge Daniel Estrada, 19, Guatemala
Conspiracy and heroin trafficking charges 15 years in federal prison followed by lifetime supervised release. Immigration detainer lodged
Jose “Victor” Fernandez, 47, Providence
Heroin trafficking and murder for hire charges
97 months in federal prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release
Richard Ibanez a/k/a Chinoz, 23, Providence
MS-13 gang member
Conspiracy and arson charges
20 years, eight years to serve at ACI 12 years suspended withprobation
Michael Linaris, 36, Providence
Firearm charge
24 months in federal prison, to be followed by three years’ supervised release
Yelkis Martinez ,36, Providence
Maintaining a drug involved premises and fraud charges
30 months in federal prison, followed by three years’ supervised release
Faces deportation proceedings
Geovannie Nieves, 28, West Warwick
Heroin trafficking charges
90 months in federal prison, followed by five years’ supervised release
Faces deportation proceedings
Adalberto Pagan a/k/a Bebo, 28, Providence
Firearm source for MS-13
Firearm charges
37 months in federal prison, followed by three years’ supervised release
Vlady Tejada, 33, Boston, Massachusetts
Heroin and cocaine trafficking charges
71 months in federal prison, to be followed by four years’ supervised release
Faces deportation proceedings
Leopoldo Nunez, 26, Providence
Firearms charges
60 months in federal prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release
Alexander Ramos, 42, Providence
Cocaine conspiracy and distribution
70 months in federal prison, followed by five years’ supervised release
Dewrys Marte Valerio, 28, Providence
Heroin and cocaine trafficking charges
80 months in federal prison, followed by five years’ supervised release
The following defendants were detained by Homeland Security Investigations on alleged immigration violations. Several of the defendants have been deported.
Carlos Esau Arreaga Lopez, a/k/a Duende, 27, Guatemala
MS-13 gang member
Orlando Ramon Gonzalez Lopez, a/k/a Pikachu 33, Mexico MS-13 gang member
Fari Armando Nava Tlapale, a/k/a Fatty, 21, Mexico MS-13 gang member
Alberto Ozuna Ramirez, a/k/a Pepo, 23, Mexico
MS-13 gang member
Jose Leonida Villalobos Rodriguez, a/k/a Jumbo, 27, El Salvador
MS-13 gang member
Victor Hugo Amaro, 30, Mexico
MS-13 gang associate
Arturo Cruz, a/k/a Edison Arturo Cruz Esperanza, 24, Honduras
MS-13 gang member
Fredy Saravia, 37, Guatemala MS-13 gang associate
Edgar Coronado, a/k/a Chino, 33, Guatemala
MS-13 gang member
Luis Salgado, a/k/a Pee-Wee, 22, Mexico
SUR-13 gang member
Wagner Miranda, a/k/a Alex, 23, Guatemala
MS-13 gang member
Jose Borjas, a/k/a Catracho, 36, Honduras
MS-13 gang associate
Friday, December 06, 2013
Homicide Suspect Arrested in Detroit by U.S. Marshals
Pittsburgh homicide suspect, Wesley Richards, was arrested in Detroit, Michigan by members of the U.S. Marshals Detroit Fugitive Apprehension Team (DFAT). Richards, age 35, was charged with homicide in the shooting death of Donald Lowry, which occurred on October 18, 2013 at JR’s Bar. Richards is alleged to have shot Lowry multiple times before fleeing the East Ohio Street bar. In conjunction with the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, the U.S. Marshals Western Pennsylvania Fugitive Task Force (WPAFTF) prioritized this case and developed leads that indicated Richards fled the Pittsburgh area heading to Detroit. Through further investigation, an associate in the Detroit area was identified and this lead was forwarded to members of the DFAT for investigation. Through this effort, members of the DFAT were able to locate and arrest Richards without incident at a residence in the 17000 block of Greenlawn Street, Detroit, Michigan. Richards was lodged in the Wayne County Jail on the Pittsburgh homicide warrant to await extradition.
The Western Pennsylvania Fugitive Task Force is made up of the following member agencies: U.S. Marshals, Pennsylvania State Police, Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole, Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, Westmoreland County Sheriff’s Office and U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The Western Pennsylvania Fugitive Task Force is made up of the following member agencies: U.S. Marshals, Pennsylvania State Police, Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole, Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, Westmoreland County Sheriff’s Office and U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Thursday, December 05, 2013
Russian Diplomats Charged with Medicaid Health Care Fraud
Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and George Venizelos, the Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), today announced charges against 49 defendants for participating in a widespread fraud scheme from 2004 to August 2013 to illegally obtain nearly half-a-million dollars in Medicaid benefits. Each of the defendants charged in the complaint unsealed today is a current or former Russian diplomat or the spouse of a diplomat employed at either the Russian Mission to the United Nations (the Mission), the Russian Federation Consulate General in New York (the Consulate), or the Trade Representation of the Russian Federation in the USA, New York Office (the Trade Representatio”). The complaint alleges that each of the defendants and their unnamed co-conspirators participated in a widespread scheme to illegally obtain Medicaid benefits for prenatal care and related costs by, among other things, falsely underreporting their income or falsely claiming that their child was a citizen of the United States.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said, “Diplomacy should be about extending hands, not picking pockets in the host country. Here, as alleged, a multitude of Russian diplomats and their spouses ran a scam on a health care system designed to help Americans in need. As the complaint alleges, the scam exploited a weakness in the Medicaid system, and the charges expose shameful and systemic corruption among Russian diplomats in New York.”
FBI Assistant Director in Charge George Venizelos said, “The United States government values its long-standing relationship with foreign diplomats and diplomatic establishments for cooperation on many issues. Unfortunately, as detailed in the complaint, some Russian officials in New York allowed these defendants to take advantage of that relationship.
"Motivated by greed and the purchase of high-end luxury items, these defendants allegedly perpetrated a fraud to illegally obtain Medicaid benefits to which they were not entitled. The unsealing of the complaint today highlights the criminal activities of these defendants and reminds the public that health care fraud remains an ongoing problem in our country. The FBI and our law enforcement partners, including the New York City Human Resources Administration and the New York State Department of Health, are committed to preventing and prosecuting health care fraud at all levels.”
According to the allegations in the complaint unsealed today in Manhattan federal court:
Medicaid is a largely federally funded program in the United States designed to assist low-income families afford health care. In New York State, the Department of Health administers the Medicaid program, and the New York City Human Resources Administration oversees the program and processes applications in New York City. In New York State, pregnant women can receive immediate prenatal care following a preliminary assessment of the pregnant woman’s and, if applicable, her spouse’s, income. If the pregnant woman provides an income level that is higher than the Medicaid eligibility threshold, the provider will generally not process the Medicaid application. Proof of United States citizenship is not required for a pregnant woman to receive Medicaid benefits because the unborn child is presumed to acquire United States citizenship by virtue of being born in the United States. Once completed, the pregnant woman is entitled to Medicaid benefits pursuant to the original application until the 60th post-partum day, and the newborn child is entitled to benefits on the mother’s initial application until the child’s first birthday. Diplomats, their spouses, and their children are generally not entitled to Medicaid benefits except in cases of emergency.
While in the United States, the individuals employed by the Mission, Consulate, and Trade Representation are paid a salary by the Russian government, which is not subject to United States federal, state, or local taxes. Employees of the Mission and Consulate generally live in housing, the vast majority of which is paid for by the Russian government. The Mission and Consulate historically have also paid for the medical expenses of their employees, including hospital and doctor bills, as well as dental expenses. Each of the defendants named in the Complaint is a Russian diplomat who works or worked at the Mission, Consulate, or Trade Representation, or was married to such an individual. As a result of an international convention among multiple nations and a bilateral agreement between the United States and Russia, children born in the United States to Russian diplomats generally do not acquire United States citizenship.
The investigation revealed the widespread submission of falsified applications for Medicaid benefits associated with medical costs for prenatal care, birth, and young children by the defendants, which enabled the defendants to obtain Medicaid benefits that they were not otherwise entitled to receive. Approximately $1,500,000 in fraudulently received benefits were obtained by the defendants and dozens of other co-conspirators not named in the complaint. In general, the defendants underreported their income to an amount below or at the applicable Medicaid eligibility level in order to qualify for Medicaid benefits. In support of the underreported income, the defendants generally submitted letters signed by employees of the Mission, Consulate, or Trade Representation, purporting to corroborate that the falsely underreported income was the true income amount. The defendants’ true income was often hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars more per month than what was falsely reported to Medicaid. Moreover, before, during, and after the time that the defendants received Medicaid benefits, several of the defendants opened credit card accounts in which they reflected salaries thousands of dollars higher than they reported to Medicaid.
In addition, one set of defendants failed to disclose their marriage on their initial Medicaid application—falsely claiming that they were brother and sister instead of husband and wife. As a result, those defendants failed to disclose any income the husband earned from the Mission. Because of their lies, they received almost $21,000 in Medicaid income to which they were not entitled. Three other defendants falsely claimed that their children—Russian nationals residing in the United States pursuant to visas issued by the Department of State reflecting their Russian citizenship—were citizens of the United States in order to obtain Medicaid benefits for their children. To support these lies, a United States Social Security card was provided for one application, and both a United States Social Security Card and a birth certificate issued by the New York City Department of Mental Health and Hygiene was provided in support of another application.
Moreover, before, during, and after the time that the defendants applied for and received hundreds of thousands of dollars in Medicaid benefits, they spent tens of thousands of dollars on luxury items, including cruise vacations and purchases such as watches, shoes, and jewelry, at stores such as Tiffany & Co., Jimmy Choo, Prada, Bloomingdale’s, and Burberry.
For example, Timor Salomatin, a former diplomat at the Mission, and his wife, Nailya Babaeva, applied for Medicaid pregnancy benefits in November 2010 and represented Salomatin’s salary to be $3,000 a month and submitted a renewal application in June 2011 in which they claimed that Salomatin made $4,400 a month. In support of both applications, they submitted a letter signed by Mikhail Korneev, formerly a counselor at the Mission, in which Korneev falsely confirmed the underreported income amount. However, beginning in June 2011, Salomatin began to receive direct payroll deposits from the Russian government into his bank account. Between June 2011 and December 2011, Salomatin received an average of $5,160 a month—over $2,000 more than he reported to Medicaid on the initial application. In February 2011, shortly after Salomatin and Babeva applied for Medicaid benefits, and shortly before they applied for renewal benefits, Salomatin applied for a credit card and represented his salary to be $8,333 a month. In December 2011, while Babeva’s and Salomatin’s children continued to receive Medicaid benefits, Salomatin represented his salary to be $60,000 a year, or $5,000 a month. During the period between February 2012 and December 2012, while their children continued to receive Medicaid benefits, Salomatin and Babeva made and paid for over $50,000 in purchases, including over $8,400 from Apple and over $10,000 from retailers, including, among others, Prada and Bloomingdale’s. Babaeva and her children obtained almost $31,000 in Medicaid benefits to which they were not entitled.
Andrey Artasov and Nataliya Artasova falsely represented to Medicaid that Artasov made only $2,900 a month (or approximately $34,800 a year) in salary in November 2008. In March 2007—over a year-and-a-half prior to Artasova applying for Medicaid, Artasov reported to a credit card company that he made $60,000 a year in salary. In 2008, the year that Artasova received Medicaid benefits, Artasov and Artasova made and paid for over $48,000 in purchases on this credit card, spending thousands of dollars at Swarovski and Apple, among other things.
Each of the defendants was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and one count of conspiracy to steal government funds and make false statements relating to health care matters, which carry maximum sentences of ten years and five years in prison, respectively.
Of the 49 defendants, 11 are currently in the United States. Five of those individuals are diplomats working at the Mission. Five of those individuals are the spouses of the diplomats. One is currently employed at the Russian Federation’s embassy in Washington, D.C., but at the time of the charged offenses was employed at the Consulate. The remaining 38 no longer reside in the United States.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Bharara praised the investigative work of the FBI and thanked the New York City Human Resources Administration and the New York State Department of Health for their assistance in this investigation.
The Office’s Public Corruption and Terrorism and International Narcotics Units are handling the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rebecca Ricigliano, Shane Stansbury, and Ian McGinley are in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the complaint are merely an accusation, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said, “Diplomacy should be about extending hands, not picking pockets in the host country. Here, as alleged, a multitude of Russian diplomats and their spouses ran a scam on a health care system designed to help Americans in need. As the complaint alleges, the scam exploited a weakness in the Medicaid system, and the charges expose shameful and systemic corruption among Russian diplomats in New York.”
FBI Assistant Director in Charge George Venizelos said, “The United States government values its long-standing relationship with foreign diplomats and diplomatic establishments for cooperation on many issues. Unfortunately, as detailed in the complaint, some Russian officials in New York allowed these defendants to take advantage of that relationship.
"Motivated by greed and the purchase of high-end luxury items, these defendants allegedly perpetrated a fraud to illegally obtain Medicaid benefits to which they were not entitled. The unsealing of the complaint today highlights the criminal activities of these defendants and reminds the public that health care fraud remains an ongoing problem in our country. The FBI and our law enforcement partners, including the New York City Human Resources Administration and the New York State Department of Health, are committed to preventing and prosecuting health care fraud at all levels.”
According to the allegations in the complaint unsealed today in Manhattan federal court:
Medicaid is a largely federally funded program in the United States designed to assist low-income families afford health care. In New York State, the Department of Health administers the Medicaid program, and the New York City Human Resources Administration oversees the program and processes applications in New York City. In New York State, pregnant women can receive immediate prenatal care following a preliminary assessment of the pregnant woman’s and, if applicable, her spouse’s, income. If the pregnant woman provides an income level that is higher than the Medicaid eligibility threshold, the provider will generally not process the Medicaid application. Proof of United States citizenship is not required for a pregnant woman to receive Medicaid benefits because the unborn child is presumed to acquire United States citizenship by virtue of being born in the United States. Once completed, the pregnant woman is entitled to Medicaid benefits pursuant to the original application until the 60th post-partum day, and the newborn child is entitled to benefits on the mother’s initial application until the child’s first birthday. Diplomats, their spouses, and their children are generally not entitled to Medicaid benefits except in cases of emergency.
While in the United States, the individuals employed by the Mission, Consulate, and Trade Representation are paid a salary by the Russian government, which is not subject to United States federal, state, or local taxes. Employees of the Mission and Consulate generally live in housing, the vast majority of which is paid for by the Russian government. The Mission and Consulate historically have also paid for the medical expenses of their employees, including hospital and doctor bills, as well as dental expenses. Each of the defendants named in the Complaint is a Russian diplomat who works or worked at the Mission, Consulate, or Trade Representation, or was married to such an individual. As a result of an international convention among multiple nations and a bilateral agreement between the United States and Russia, children born in the United States to Russian diplomats generally do not acquire United States citizenship.
The investigation revealed the widespread submission of falsified applications for Medicaid benefits associated with medical costs for prenatal care, birth, and young children by the defendants, which enabled the defendants to obtain Medicaid benefits that they were not otherwise entitled to receive. Approximately $1,500,000 in fraudulently received benefits were obtained by the defendants and dozens of other co-conspirators not named in the complaint. In general, the defendants underreported their income to an amount below or at the applicable Medicaid eligibility level in order to qualify for Medicaid benefits. In support of the underreported income, the defendants generally submitted letters signed by employees of the Mission, Consulate, or Trade Representation, purporting to corroborate that the falsely underreported income was the true income amount. The defendants’ true income was often hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars more per month than what was falsely reported to Medicaid. Moreover, before, during, and after the time that the defendants received Medicaid benefits, several of the defendants opened credit card accounts in which they reflected salaries thousands of dollars higher than they reported to Medicaid.
In addition, one set of defendants failed to disclose their marriage on their initial Medicaid application—falsely claiming that they were brother and sister instead of husband and wife. As a result, those defendants failed to disclose any income the husband earned from the Mission. Because of their lies, they received almost $21,000 in Medicaid income to which they were not entitled. Three other defendants falsely claimed that their children—Russian nationals residing in the United States pursuant to visas issued by the Department of State reflecting their Russian citizenship—were citizens of the United States in order to obtain Medicaid benefits for their children. To support these lies, a United States Social Security card was provided for one application, and both a United States Social Security Card and a birth certificate issued by the New York City Department of Mental Health and Hygiene was provided in support of another application.
Moreover, before, during, and after the time that the defendants applied for and received hundreds of thousands of dollars in Medicaid benefits, they spent tens of thousands of dollars on luxury items, including cruise vacations and purchases such as watches, shoes, and jewelry, at stores such as Tiffany & Co., Jimmy Choo, Prada, Bloomingdale’s, and Burberry.
For example, Timor Salomatin, a former diplomat at the Mission, and his wife, Nailya Babaeva, applied for Medicaid pregnancy benefits in November 2010 and represented Salomatin’s salary to be $3,000 a month and submitted a renewal application in June 2011 in which they claimed that Salomatin made $4,400 a month. In support of both applications, they submitted a letter signed by Mikhail Korneev, formerly a counselor at the Mission, in which Korneev falsely confirmed the underreported income amount. However, beginning in June 2011, Salomatin began to receive direct payroll deposits from the Russian government into his bank account. Between June 2011 and December 2011, Salomatin received an average of $5,160 a month—over $2,000 more than he reported to Medicaid on the initial application. In February 2011, shortly after Salomatin and Babeva applied for Medicaid benefits, and shortly before they applied for renewal benefits, Salomatin applied for a credit card and represented his salary to be $8,333 a month. In December 2011, while Babeva’s and Salomatin’s children continued to receive Medicaid benefits, Salomatin represented his salary to be $60,000 a year, or $5,000 a month. During the period between February 2012 and December 2012, while their children continued to receive Medicaid benefits, Salomatin and Babeva made and paid for over $50,000 in purchases, including over $8,400 from Apple and over $10,000 from retailers, including, among others, Prada and Bloomingdale’s. Babaeva and her children obtained almost $31,000 in Medicaid benefits to which they were not entitled.
Andrey Artasov and Nataliya Artasova falsely represented to Medicaid that Artasov made only $2,900 a month (or approximately $34,800 a year) in salary in November 2008. In March 2007—over a year-and-a-half prior to Artasova applying for Medicaid, Artasov reported to a credit card company that he made $60,000 a year in salary. In 2008, the year that Artasova received Medicaid benefits, Artasov and Artasova made and paid for over $48,000 in purchases on this credit card, spending thousands of dollars at Swarovski and Apple, among other things.
Each of the defendants was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and one count of conspiracy to steal government funds and make false statements relating to health care matters, which carry maximum sentences of ten years and five years in prison, respectively.
Of the 49 defendants, 11 are currently in the United States. Five of those individuals are diplomats working at the Mission. Five of those individuals are the spouses of the diplomats. One is currently employed at the Russian Federation’s embassy in Washington, D.C., but at the time of the charged offenses was employed at the Consulate. The remaining 38 no longer reside in the United States.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Bharara praised the investigative work of the FBI and thanked the New York City Human Resources Administration and the New York State Department of Health for their assistance in this investigation.
The Office’s Public Corruption and Terrorism and International Narcotics Units are handling the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rebecca Ricigliano, Shane Stansbury, and Ian McGinley are in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the complaint are merely an accusation, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Wednesday, December 04, 2013
Steven G. Zamiar, Ranking Midlothian Police Officer, Charged with #FederalCivilRightsViolations Involving Alleged Use of #ExcessiveForce
A south suburban Midlothian Police officer was indicted on federal civil rights charges alleging that he used excessive force against two different victims in separate beating incidents in 2010 and 2011. The defendant, Steven G. Zamiar, was indicted on two counts of violating the victims’ civil right to be free from the use of unreasonable force by a law enforcement officer. The two-count indictment was returned by a federal grand jury yesterday and was announced today by Zachary T. Fardon, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Robert J. Holley, Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Zamiar, 46, of Midlothian, joined the Midlothian Police Department in 2000. He was a detective sergeant at the time of the alleged beating in 2010 and was deputy chief when the alleged beating occurred in 2011. He was later demoted to lieutenant and was placed on paid administrative leave this past September. He will be arraigned on a date yet to be scheduled in U.S. District Court.
According to the indictment, on September 6, 2010, when he was a detective sergeant, Zamiar used excessive force, resulting in bodily injury, against Victim A. On November 24, 2011, when he was deputy chief of the Midlothian Police Department, Zamiar allegedly used excessive force, resulting in bodily injury, against Victim B. During the November 2011 incident, Zamiar allegedly used, attempted to use, and threatened to use a dangerous weapon.
Each count carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. If convicted, the court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines.
The government is being represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Otlewski.
An indictment contains merely charges and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Zamiar, 46, of Midlothian, joined the Midlothian Police Department in 2000. He was a detective sergeant at the time of the alleged beating in 2010 and was deputy chief when the alleged beating occurred in 2011. He was later demoted to lieutenant and was placed on paid administrative leave this past September. He will be arraigned on a date yet to be scheduled in U.S. District Court.
According to the indictment, on September 6, 2010, when he was a detective sergeant, Zamiar used excessive force, resulting in bodily injury, against Victim A. On November 24, 2011, when he was deputy chief of the Midlothian Police Department, Zamiar allegedly used excessive force, resulting in bodily injury, against Victim B. During the November 2011 incident, Zamiar allegedly used, attempted to use, and threatened to use a dangerous weapon.
Each count carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. If convicted, the court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines.
The government is being represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Otlewski.
An indictment contains merely charges and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Celebrate "December to Remember" in the Las Vegas Cultural Corridor with Fun Affordable Family Friendly Holiday Events
Make it a “December to Remember” during the month-long celebration in the Cultural Corridor, Downtown Las Vegas. The museums and cultural organizations showcase holiday traditions from around the world with free or affordable family friendly events and performances. For more information, visit www.CulturalCorridorVegas.org or www.facebook.com/culturalcorridor.
Las Vegas Library
833 Las Vegas Blvd. North
Admission: Free
Holiday Blues Concert
Dec. 14, 2 – 4 p.m.
John Earl and the Boogieman Band rock those winter blues away.
Holiday Favorites Concert
Dec. 21, 1 - 3 p.m.
Celebrate the winter season with Duo Mystique flute and harp, presenting traditional holiday favorites, with a few classical pieces, Celtic tunes, and other musical fare.
Las Vegas Natural History Museum
900 Las Vegas Blvd. North
Admission: Programs are free to Museum members and with General Admission: $10 adult, $8 seniors/military/students 12-17 years, $5 child 3-11 years.
Cultural Fashion Show
Dec. 7, 11 a.m.
Celebrate holiday wear across the globe.
Winter Solstice & the Wheel of the Year
Dec. 7, 1 p.m.
Celebrate this event with a Priestess from the Temple of Goddess Spirituality.
Polynesian Traditions
Dec. 8, 1 p.m.
Celebrate the diversity of the Polynesian culture
Scotland in a Suitcase
Dec. 14, 11 a.m.
Unpack the wonderful world of Scotland and its holiday traditions, presented by the St. Andrew’s Society.
Las Vegas Hula
Dec. 14, 1 p.m.
See Las Vegas Hula members perform traditional and modern Polynesian dance styles.
Scottish Traditions
Dec. 15, 1 p.m.
Experience the culture of Scotland.
Winter Solstice and Wheel of the Year
Dec. 21, 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
The Winter Solstice is today! Celebrate this shortest day of the year, and learn about the Wheel of the Year.
The Art of Mummification
Dec. 22, 12 p.m.
Watch as an ancient Egyptian embalmer teaches his apprentice how to mummify a participant.
Kwanzaa
Dec. 22, 1 p.m.
Learn about Kwanzaa’s true meaning with special guest Ellis Rice.
Kwanzaa
Dec. 28, 11 a.m. & 1 p.m.
Dec. 29, 1 p.m.
Celebrate Kwanzaa and learn about its true meaning.
Winter Break Activities
Dec. 23 - 27, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.; and Dec. 30 – Jan. 3, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
School may be out, but the museum is open! Spend your winter break making a variety of cultural holiday crafts.
The Mob Museum
300 Stewart Avenue
Repeal Day Party
Dec. 5, 5:30 – 11 p.m.
Admission: $35; $65 for VIP party
Exclusively for ages 21 and over, this event marks the date of the repeal of Prohibition. Enjoy live music, vintage costumes, “Boss of the Bars” competition, prohibition-era cocktails and more; dress in Roaring ‘20s attire to enter the costume contest. Admission includes full access to the museum, commemorative photo, beverages, and more.
Author’s Talk with David Schwartz
Dec. 14, 1 p.m.
Admission: Free for members; for non-members, included in museum admission ($10 - $19.95)
Nationally renowned author David Schwartz talks about his newest book “Grandissimo: The First Emperor of Las Vegas,” a biography of Jay Sarno, who built Caesars Palace and helped inspire modern Las Vegas.
Neon Museum
770 Las Vegas Blvd. North
Holiday Ornament Making and Caroling
Dec. 14, 3 – 6 p.m.
Event admission: Free
Make holiday Ornaments (3 - 5 p.m.), then enjoy hot chocolate and caroling by Las Vegas Academy singers (5 - 6 p.m.) while you enjoy the dazzling lights of the seasonally illuminated Neon Boneyard.
Holiday Light Display
Now – Dec. 31
Admission: $25 for general admission; $22 for seniors, students, active military and veterans and Nevada residents (must show current ID upon arrival).
Light up your holidays with the museum’s first seasonal holiday-inspired palette of lights; book online for night tours at 5 p.m., 5:30 p.m., 6 p.m., 6:30 p.m., and 7 p.m.
Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort State Historic Park
500 E. Washington Avenue
Admission: Free for children 12 and under; $1 for ages 13 and older.
Ornament and Gingerbread House Making
Dec. 7, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Design and make Christmas Ornaments and cards, and decorate a gingerbread house. Hot cocoa and cookies will be available.
Ornament and Card Making
Dec. 14 and 21, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Design and build Christmas Ornaments and make your own Christmas cards.
Hot cocoa and cookies will be available.
5:30 p.m. – 11 p.m.
The Mob Museum
Repeal Day Party
For ages 21 and over.
Dec. 7
10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort
Ornament and Gingerbread House Making
11 a.m.
Las Vegas Natural History Museum
Cultural Fashion Show
1 p.m.
Las Vegas Natural History Museum
Winter Solstice & Wheel of the Year
Dec. 8
1 p.m.
Las Vegas Natural History Museum
Polynesian Traditions
Dec. 14
10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort
Ornament and Card Making
11 a.m.
Las Vegas Natural History Museum
Scotland in a Suitcase
1 p.m.
Las Vegas Natural History Museum
Las Vegas Hula
1 p.m.
The Mob Museum
Author’s Talk with David Schwartz
2 – 4 p.m.
Las Vegas Library
Free admission
Holiday Blues Concert
3 – 6 p.m.
Neon Museum
Free admission
Holiday Ornament Making and Caroling
Dec. 15
1 p.m.
Las Vegas Natural History Museum
Scottish Traditions
Dec. 21
10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort
Ornament and Card Making
11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Las Vegas Natural History Museum
Winter Solstice and Wheel of the Year
1 – 3 p.m.
Las Vegas Library
Holiday Favorites Concert
Dec. 22
12 p.m.
Las Vegas Natural History Museum
The Art of Mummification
1 p.m.
Las Vegas Natural History Museum
Kwanzaa; with special guest Ellis Rice
Dec. 28
11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Las Vegas Natural History Museum
Kwanzaa
Dec. 29
1 p.m.
Las Vegas Natural History Museum
Kwanzaa
The Cultural Corridor in Downtown Las Vegas is on Las Vegas Boulevard between Bonanza Road and Washington Avenue. This nonprofit alliance features seven institutions, each offering unique historical or educational exhibits and programs: Cashman Center, Las Vegas Natural History Museum, Las Vegas Library, Las Vegas Shakespeare Company, The Mob Museum, Neon Museum and Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort State Historic Park. For more information, visit www.CulturalCorridorVegas.org.
EVENT SCHEDULE BY ORGANIZATION
Las Vegas Library
833 Las Vegas Blvd. North
Admission: Free
Holiday Blues Concert
Dec. 14, 2 – 4 p.m.
John Earl and the Boogieman Band rock those winter blues away.
Holiday Favorites Concert
Dec. 21, 1 - 3 p.m.
Celebrate the winter season with Duo Mystique flute and harp, presenting traditional holiday favorites, with a few classical pieces, Celtic tunes, and other musical fare.
Las Vegas Natural History Museum
900 Las Vegas Blvd. North
Admission: Programs are free to Museum members and with General Admission: $10 adult, $8 seniors/military/students 12-17 years, $5 child 3-11 years.
Cultural Fashion Show
Dec. 7, 11 a.m.
Celebrate holiday wear across the globe.
Winter Solstice & the Wheel of the Year
Dec. 7, 1 p.m.
Celebrate this event with a Priestess from the Temple of Goddess Spirituality.
Polynesian Traditions
Dec. 8, 1 p.m.
Celebrate the diversity of the Polynesian culture
Scotland in a Suitcase
Dec. 14, 11 a.m.
Unpack the wonderful world of Scotland and its holiday traditions, presented by the St. Andrew’s Society.
Las Vegas Hula
Dec. 14, 1 p.m.
See Las Vegas Hula members perform traditional and modern Polynesian dance styles.
Scottish Traditions
Dec. 15, 1 p.m.
Experience the culture of Scotland.
Winter Solstice and Wheel of the Year
Dec. 21, 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
The Winter Solstice is today! Celebrate this shortest day of the year, and learn about the Wheel of the Year.
The Art of Mummification
Dec. 22, 12 p.m.
Watch as an ancient Egyptian embalmer teaches his apprentice how to mummify a participant.
Kwanzaa
Dec. 22, 1 p.m.
Learn about Kwanzaa’s true meaning with special guest Ellis Rice.
Kwanzaa
Dec. 28, 11 a.m. & 1 p.m.
Dec. 29, 1 p.m.
Celebrate Kwanzaa and learn about its true meaning.
Winter Break Activities
Dec. 23 - 27, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.; and Dec. 30 – Jan. 3, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
School may be out, but the museum is open! Spend your winter break making a variety of cultural holiday crafts.
The Mob Museum
300 Stewart Avenue
Repeal Day Party
Dec. 5, 5:30 – 11 p.m.
Admission: $35; $65 for VIP party
Exclusively for ages 21 and over, this event marks the date of the repeal of Prohibition. Enjoy live music, vintage costumes, “Boss of the Bars” competition, prohibition-era cocktails and more; dress in Roaring ‘20s attire to enter the costume contest. Admission includes full access to the museum, commemorative photo, beverages, and more.
Author’s Talk with David Schwartz
Dec. 14, 1 p.m.
Admission: Free for members; for non-members, included in museum admission ($10 - $19.95)
Nationally renowned author David Schwartz talks about his newest book “Grandissimo: The First Emperor of Las Vegas,” a biography of Jay Sarno, who built Caesars Palace and helped inspire modern Las Vegas.
Neon Museum
770 Las Vegas Blvd. North
Holiday Ornament Making and Caroling
Dec. 14, 3 – 6 p.m.
Event admission: Free
Make holiday Ornaments (3 - 5 p.m.), then enjoy hot chocolate and caroling by Las Vegas Academy singers (5 - 6 p.m.) while you enjoy the dazzling lights of the seasonally illuminated Neon Boneyard.
Holiday Light Display
Now – Dec. 31
Admission: $25 for general admission; $22 for seniors, students, active military and veterans and Nevada residents (must show current ID upon arrival).
Light up your holidays with the museum’s first seasonal holiday-inspired palette of lights; book online for night tours at 5 p.m., 5:30 p.m., 6 p.m., 6:30 p.m., and 7 p.m.
Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort State Historic Park
500 E. Washington Avenue
Admission: Free for children 12 and under; $1 for ages 13 and older.
Ornament and Gingerbread House Making
Dec. 7, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Design and make Christmas Ornaments and cards, and decorate a gingerbread house. Hot cocoa and cookies will be available.
Ornament and Card Making
Dec. 14 and 21, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Design and build Christmas Ornaments and make your own Christmas cards.
Hot cocoa and cookies will be available.
EVENT SCHEDULE BY DATE
Dec. 55:30 p.m. – 11 p.m.
The Mob Museum
Repeal Day Party
For ages 21 and over.
Dec. 7
10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort
Ornament and Gingerbread House Making
11 a.m.
Las Vegas Natural History Museum
Cultural Fashion Show
1 p.m.
Las Vegas Natural History Museum
Winter Solstice & Wheel of the Year
Dec. 8
1 p.m.
Las Vegas Natural History Museum
Polynesian Traditions
Dec. 14
10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort
Ornament and Card Making
11 a.m.
Las Vegas Natural History Museum
Scotland in a Suitcase
1 p.m.
Las Vegas Natural History Museum
Las Vegas Hula
1 p.m.
The Mob Museum
Author’s Talk with David Schwartz
2 – 4 p.m.
Las Vegas Library
Free admission
Holiday Blues Concert
3 – 6 p.m.
Neon Museum
Free admission
Holiday Ornament Making and Caroling
Dec. 15
1 p.m.
Las Vegas Natural History Museum
Scottish Traditions
Dec. 21
10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort
Ornament and Card Making
11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Las Vegas Natural History Museum
Winter Solstice and Wheel of the Year
1 – 3 p.m.
Las Vegas Library
Holiday Favorites Concert
Dec. 22
12 p.m.
Las Vegas Natural History Museum
The Art of Mummification
1 p.m.
Las Vegas Natural History Museum
Kwanzaa; with special guest Ellis Rice
Dec. 28
11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Las Vegas Natural History Museum
Kwanzaa
Dec. 29
1 p.m.
Las Vegas Natural History Museum
Kwanzaa
The Cultural Corridor in Downtown Las Vegas is on Las Vegas Boulevard between Bonanza Road and Washington Avenue. This nonprofit alliance features seven institutions, each offering unique historical or educational exhibits and programs: Cashman Center, Las Vegas Natural History Museum, Las Vegas Library, Las Vegas Shakespeare Company, The Mob Museum, Neon Museum and Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort State Historic Park. For more information, visit www.CulturalCorridorVegas.org.
Tuesday, December 03, 2013
New York City Police Officer, Besnik Llakatura, and Criminal Associates Charged with Extorting Restauranteur
A three-count indictment was unsealed today in federal court in Brooklyn, New York, charging Redinel Dervishaj, Besnik Llakatura, and Denis Nikolla with Hobbs Act extortion conspiracy, attempted Hobbs Act extortion, and brandishing a firearm in relation to the extortion. The charges arose from the defendants’ extortion of money from a Queens County restaurant owner. Llakatura was at the time of the alleged offenses a police officer with the New York City Police Department (NYPD), assigned to the 120th Precinct in Staten Island, New York. He was suspended without pay upon his arrest. The defendants are scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon at the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York before United States Magistrate Judge Joan Azrack.
The charges were announced by Loretta E. Lynch, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; George Venizelos, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI); and Raymond W. Kelly, Commissioner, NYPD.
“The defendants told their victims they offered 'protection,' but in reality, they peddled fear and intimidation through the Albanian community—their community—of Queens,” stated United States Attorney Lynch. “When one victim turned to law enforcement for help, he was betrayed again by a corrupt officer on the take, who turned his back on his badge, his oath, and his friend in exchange for extortion money in his pocket.” Ms. Lynch expressed her thanks to members of the Joint Organized Crime Task Force, which includes agents of the FBI and detectives of the NYPD, which led the investigation, as well as the NYPD’s Internal Affairs Division for its cooperation and assistance in the investigation.
“By creating a climate of fear, the defendants allegedly coerced an innocent restaurant owner into paying for so-called protective services. The victim was further betrayed when seeking the assistance of Besnik Llakatura, an NYPD officer whose sinister intentions were shrouded by his badge of honor. But Llakatura didn’t serve his community with honor; he, instead, abused his powers to the detriment of the public trust. He remains an exception to those law enforcement officers who work selflessly to weed out crime and corruption in their communities,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Venizelos.
“Llakatura is alleged to have exploited his friendship and shared heritage in order to help the defendants extort a restaurateur. Once it was reported, the NYPD Internal Affairs Bureau and the Department’s Organized Crime Investigations Division thoroughly responded, resulting in the charges being announced today,” Commissioner Kelly said.
According to the indictment and court filings, Dervishaj, Llakatura, and Nikolla demanded monthly payments from a Queens restaurant owner in exchange for “protection,” repeatedly using threats and intimidation to ensure his compliance. The scheme began shortly after the victim opened a restaurant in Astoria when he was visited by Dervishaj and told that he had opened a business in “our neighborhood” and, as a result, “you have to pay us.” The restaurant owner, who understood that he was targeted because he, like the defendants, is of Albanian descent, sought help from his friend Llakatura. Unbeknownst to him, Llakatura, an NYPD officer on Staten Island since 2006, was conspiring with Dervishaj in the extortion. Llakatura discouraged the restaurant owner from going to the police and sought to leverage his position to persuade the victim that he had no choice but to make the demanded payments. When the victim resisted, he was threatened with physical violence and chased at gunpoint down the street in Queens by Nikolla.
Court-authorized wiretaps of the defendants’ telephones uncovered detailed evidence of their efforts to maintain control over businesses in the neighborhood through fear, intimidation, and violence. In one intercepted call, Llakatura joked about how he “taxes” local businesses. In another, Nikolla described to Dervishaj how he had grabbed another victim “by the neck” because he had told Nikolla that he only had $2,000 and could not pay more. (The referenced language from the intercepted calls is based on draft translations from Albanian.)
Over the course of five months, each of the three defendants took turns collecting monthly payments from the Astoria restaurant owner, ultimately collecting $24,000 in so-called protection money.
The charges announced today are merely allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The government’s case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Nadia Shihata and M. Kristin Mace.
The charges were announced by Loretta E. Lynch, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; George Venizelos, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI); and Raymond W. Kelly, Commissioner, NYPD.
“The defendants told their victims they offered 'protection,' but in reality, they peddled fear and intimidation through the Albanian community—their community—of Queens,” stated United States Attorney Lynch. “When one victim turned to law enforcement for help, he was betrayed again by a corrupt officer on the take, who turned his back on his badge, his oath, and his friend in exchange for extortion money in his pocket.” Ms. Lynch expressed her thanks to members of the Joint Organized Crime Task Force, which includes agents of the FBI and detectives of the NYPD, which led the investigation, as well as the NYPD’s Internal Affairs Division for its cooperation and assistance in the investigation.
“By creating a climate of fear, the defendants allegedly coerced an innocent restaurant owner into paying for so-called protective services. The victim was further betrayed when seeking the assistance of Besnik Llakatura, an NYPD officer whose sinister intentions were shrouded by his badge of honor. But Llakatura didn’t serve his community with honor; he, instead, abused his powers to the detriment of the public trust. He remains an exception to those law enforcement officers who work selflessly to weed out crime and corruption in their communities,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Venizelos.
“Llakatura is alleged to have exploited his friendship and shared heritage in order to help the defendants extort a restaurateur. Once it was reported, the NYPD Internal Affairs Bureau and the Department’s Organized Crime Investigations Division thoroughly responded, resulting in the charges being announced today,” Commissioner Kelly said.
According to the indictment and court filings, Dervishaj, Llakatura, and Nikolla demanded monthly payments from a Queens restaurant owner in exchange for “protection,” repeatedly using threats and intimidation to ensure his compliance. The scheme began shortly after the victim opened a restaurant in Astoria when he was visited by Dervishaj and told that he had opened a business in “our neighborhood” and, as a result, “you have to pay us.” The restaurant owner, who understood that he was targeted because he, like the defendants, is of Albanian descent, sought help from his friend Llakatura. Unbeknownst to him, Llakatura, an NYPD officer on Staten Island since 2006, was conspiring with Dervishaj in the extortion. Llakatura discouraged the restaurant owner from going to the police and sought to leverage his position to persuade the victim that he had no choice but to make the demanded payments. When the victim resisted, he was threatened with physical violence and chased at gunpoint down the street in Queens by Nikolla.
Court-authorized wiretaps of the defendants’ telephones uncovered detailed evidence of their efforts to maintain control over businesses in the neighborhood through fear, intimidation, and violence. In one intercepted call, Llakatura joked about how he “taxes” local businesses. In another, Nikolla described to Dervishaj how he had grabbed another victim “by the neck” because he had told Nikolla that he only had $2,000 and could not pay more. (The referenced language from the intercepted calls is based on draft translations from Albanian.)
Over the course of five months, each of the three defendants took turns collecting monthly payments from the Astoria restaurant owner, ultimately collecting $24,000 in so-called protection money.
The charges announced today are merely allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The government’s case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Nadia Shihata and M. Kristin Mace.
Sonia Sotomayor's "My Beloved World"
The first Hispanic and third woman appointed to the United States Supreme Court, Sonia Sotomayor has become an instant American icon. Now, with a candor and intimacy never undertaken by a sitting Justice, she recounts her life from a Bronx housing project to the federal bench, a journey that offers an inspiring testament to her own extraordinary determination and the power of believing in oneself.
Here is the story of a precarious childhood, with an alcoholic father (who would die when she was nine) and a devoted but overburdened mother, and of the refuge a little girl took from the turmoil at home with her passionately spirited paternal grandmother. But it was when she was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes that the precocious Sonia recognized she must ultimately depend on herself. She would learn to give herself the insulin shots she needed to survive and soon imagined a path to a different life. With only television characters for her professional role models, and little understanding of what was involved, she determined to become a lawyer, a dream that would sustain her on an unlikely course, from valedictorian of her high school class to the highest honors at Princeton, Yale Law School, the New York County District Attorney’s office, private practice, and appointment to the Federal District Court before the age of forty. Along the way we see how she was shaped by her invaluable mentors, a failed marriage, and the modern version of extended family she has created from cherished friends and their children. Through her still-astonished eyes, America’s infinite possibilities are envisioned anew in this warm and honest book, destined to become a classic of self-invention and self-discovery.
Here is the story of a precarious childhood, with an alcoholic father (who would die when she was nine) and a devoted but overburdened mother, and of the refuge a little girl took from the turmoil at home with her passionately spirited paternal grandmother. But it was when she was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes that the precocious Sonia recognized she must ultimately depend on herself. She would learn to give herself the insulin shots she needed to survive and soon imagined a path to a different life. With only television characters for her professional role models, and little understanding of what was involved, she determined to become a lawyer, a dream that would sustain her on an unlikely course, from valedictorian of her high school class to the highest honors at Princeton, Yale Law School, the New York County District Attorney’s office, private practice, and appointment to the Federal District Court before the age of forty. Along the way we see how she was shaped by her invaluable mentors, a failed marriage, and the modern version of extended family she has created from cherished friends and their children. Through her still-astonished eyes, America’s infinite possibilities are envisioned anew in this warm and honest book, destined to become a classic of self-invention and self-discovery.
Monday, December 02, 2013
Founder & Leader of #LatinKings Sentenced to Life + 85 Years in Prison for #Murder #Racketeering #DrugDistribution + Other Crimes
Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that WILSON PAGAN, 27, the founder and top leader of the Latin Kings gang in Newburgh, New York (the Newburgh Latin Kings), was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Cathy Seibel in White Plains federal court to life plus 85 years in prison. PAGAN was convicted of murder; racketeering; conspiracy to distribute crack, cocaine, and heroin; assault; and using and carrying firearms in connection with violent crimes. PAGAN is one of 35 members and associates of the gang who were charged in the case, all of whom have been convicted, 28 of whom have thus far been sentenced.
U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara stated: “Mr. Pagan was a gang leader, and what he led his followers to was a gang member’s life filled with death, blood, guns, drugs, and jail—and for him the gangster life in the street has become the inmate’s life in prison, forever. Gang leaders, members, associates, and wannabes in Newburgh and throughout the Hudson Valley need to understand—we will not tolerate gang violence. You will go to prison for it, potentially for the rest of your life.”
According to the indictment and evidence presented at trial:
PAGAN founded the Newburgh Latin Kings, and grew the gang from roughly a dozen members in 2008 to more than 50 members and associates by early 2010. On May 6, 2008, PAGAN ordered aspiring gang members to go on a so-called mission, during which they committed a drive-by shooting and killed, mistakenly, Jeffrey Zachary, a 15-year old boy who was an innocent bystander. PAGAN sold crack and heroin and helped other members and associates of his gang sell drugs, including at spots the Latin Kings controlled, such as the corner of Benkard Avenue and William Street in Newburgh. PAGAN also assaulted rivals of his gang and carried guns and instructed others to carry guns to protect PAGAN and the Newburgh Latin Kings’ drug turf. In leading the gang, PAGAN recruited and inducted new members, instructed the members how to behave in order to protect and conceal the gang’s criminal activities, and issued orders to gang members to shoot and assault others. PAGAN organized and led gang meetings for this purpose. During one such meeting, according to papers filed with the court, PAGAN told more than 20 assembled gang members: “[W]e don’t even live by rules of society... .”
Mr. Bharara thanked the Hudson Valley Safe Streets Task Force for their work on the Latin Kings investigation. The Task Force is led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and combines the resources of dozens of law enforcement officers from federal, state, and local agencies and departments, including agents and officers of the FBI; the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the City of Newburgh Police Department; Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations; the Middletown Police Department; the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, and the New York State Police.
The prosecution is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Benjamin Allee, Abigail Kurland, and Nicholas McQuaid are in charge of the prosecution.
U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara stated: “Mr. Pagan was a gang leader, and what he led his followers to was a gang member’s life filled with death, blood, guns, drugs, and jail—and for him the gangster life in the street has become the inmate’s life in prison, forever. Gang leaders, members, associates, and wannabes in Newburgh and throughout the Hudson Valley need to understand—we will not tolerate gang violence. You will go to prison for it, potentially for the rest of your life.”
According to the indictment and evidence presented at trial:
PAGAN founded the Newburgh Latin Kings, and grew the gang from roughly a dozen members in 2008 to more than 50 members and associates by early 2010. On May 6, 2008, PAGAN ordered aspiring gang members to go on a so-called mission, during which they committed a drive-by shooting and killed, mistakenly, Jeffrey Zachary, a 15-year old boy who was an innocent bystander. PAGAN sold crack and heroin and helped other members and associates of his gang sell drugs, including at spots the Latin Kings controlled, such as the corner of Benkard Avenue and William Street in Newburgh. PAGAN also assaulted rivals of his gang and carried guns and instructed others to carry guns to protect PAGAN and the Newburgh Latin Kings’ drug turf. In leading the gang, PAGAN recruited and inducted new members, instructed the members how to behave in order to protect and conceal the gang’s criminal activities, and issued orders to gang members to shoot and assault others. PAGAN organized and led gang meetings for this purpose. During one such meeting, according to papers filed with the court, PAGAN told more than 20 assembled gang members: “[W]e don’t even live by rules of society... .”
Mr. Bharara thanked the Hudson Valley Safe Streets Task Force for their work on the Latin Kings investigation. The Task Force is led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and combines the resources of dozens of law enforcement officers from federal, state, and local agencies and departments, including agents and officers of the FBI; the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the City of Newburgh Police Department; Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations; the Middletown Police Department; the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, and the New York State Police.
The prosecution is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Benjamin Allee, Abigail Kurland, and Nicholas McQuaid are in charge of the prosecution.
Civilian Warriors - The Inside Story of Blackwater and the Unsung Heroes of the War on Terror
Forget everything you think you know about Blackwater. And get ready for a thrilling, true story that will make you rethink who the good guys and bad guys have been since 9/11.
No company in our time has been as mysterious or as controversial as Blackwater. Founded by former Navy SEAL Erik Prince in 1997, it recruited special forces veterans and others with the skills and courage to take on the riskiest security jobs in the world. As its reputation grew, government demand for its services escalated, and Blackwater’s men eventually completed nearly one hundred thousand missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. Both the Bush and Obama administrations found the company indispensible.
It sounds like a classic startup success story, except for one problem: Blackwater has been demonized around the world. From uninformed news coverage to grossly distorted fictional portrayals, Blackwater employees have been smeared as mercenaries, profiteers, jackbooted thugs, and worse.
Because of the secrecy requirements of Blackwater’s contracts with the Pentagon, the State Department, and the CIA, Prince was unable to speak out when his company’s opponents spread false information. But now he’s able to tell the full and often shocking story of Blackwater’s rise and fall.
In Civilian Warriors, Prince pulls no punches and spares no details. He explains his original goal of building an elite center for military and law enforcement training. He recounts how the company shifted gears after 9/11. He honors our troops while challenging the Pentagon’s top leadership. And he reveals why highly efficient private military contractors have been essential to running our armed forces, since long before Blackwater came along.
Above all, Prince debunks myths about Blackwater that spread while he was forced to remain silent—myths that tarnished the memory of men who gave their lives for their country but never got the recognition they deserved. He reveals new information about some of the biggest controversies of the War on Terror, including:
Prince doesn’t pretend to be perfect, and he doesn’t hide the sometimes painful details of his private life. But he has done a great public service by setting the record straight. His book reads like a thriller but is too improbable to be fiction.
No company in our time has been as mysterious or as controversial as Blackwater. Founded by former Navy SEAL Erik Prince in 1997, it recruited special forces veterans and others with the skills and courage to take on the riskiest security jobs in the world. As its reputation grew, government demand for its services escalated, and Blackwater’s men eventually completed nearly one hundred thousand missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. Both the Bush and Obama administrations found the company indispensible.
It sounds like a classic startup success story, except for one problem: Blackwater has been demonized around the world. From uninformed news coverage to grossly distorted fictional portrayals, Blackwater employees have been smeared as mercenaries, profiteers, jackbooted thugs, and worse.
Because of the secrecy requirements of Blackwater’s contracts with the Pentagon, the State Department, and the CIA, Prince was unable to speak out when his company’s opponents spread false information. But now he’s able to tell the full and often shocking story of Blackwater’s rise and fall.
In Civilian Warriors, Prince pulls no punches and spares no details. He explains his original goal of building an elite center for military and law enforcement training. He recounts how the company shifted gears after 9/11. He honors our troops while challenging the Pentagon’s top leadership. And he reveals why highly efficient private military contractors have been essential to running our armed forces, since long before Blackwater came along.
Above all, Prince debunks myths about Blackwater that spread while he was forced to remain silent—myths that tarnished the memory of men who gave their lives for their country but never got the recognition they deserved. He reveals new information about some of the biggest controversies of the War on Terror, including:
• The true story of the Nisour Square massacre in Baghdad.
• The actual details of Blackwater’s so-called impunity in Iraq.
• The events leading up to the televised deaths of Blackwater contractors in Fallujah.
Prince doesn’t pretend to be perfect, and he doesn’t hide the sometimes painful details of his private life. But he has done a great public service by setting the record straight. His book reads like a thriller but is too improbable to be fiction.
Sunday, December 01, 2013
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
MS-13 Gang Leader, Carlos "Silencio" Ortega Sentenced to Life in Prison
Carlos Ortega, also known as “Silencio,” a former leader of the Sitios Locos Salvatruchas clique of La Mara Salvatrucha, also known as the MS-13 street gang, was sentenced to life in prison at the federal courthouse in Central Islip, New York. Ortega was convicted, on March 21, 2013, following a six-week trial on all counts of the trial indictment, including racketeering, racketeering conspiracy, murder, assault with dangerous weapons, and related firearms and conspiracy offenses.
The sentence was announced by Loretta E. Lynch, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; George Venizelos, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office; and Thomas V. Dale, Commissioner of the Nassau County Police Department.
“Ortega’s journey to federal prison began in El Salvador when he joined MS-13 and continued when he illegally entered the U.S. and chose to maintain his allegiance to the gang. Ortega committed heinous acts of violence in the name of MS-13, cutting a swath of murder from Brentwood to Far Rockaway, all within the span of a few weeks,” stated U.S. Attorney Lynch. “From a suspected rival gang member, to an MS-13 gang member who was not violent enough, there was no room for mercy in the gang’s code of enforcing respect through murder. Today’s life sentence is a fitting end to Ortega’s reign of terror. He will now have the rest of his life to contemplate the just results of his allegiance to the killing machine known as MS-13.” Ms. Lynch extended her grateful appreciation to each of the law enforcement agencies for their assistance in this case.
FBI Assistant Director in Charge Venizelos stated, “The victims were robbed of their futures by the defendant’s senseless killing spree. His cowardly acts have earned him a life sentence. The defendant’s imprisonment should be a reminder to all those who participate in gang activity that violence and victimization of the public will not be tolerated and will be met with the full force of the FBI. The FBI’s Long Island Gang Task Force is committed to ridding the streets of these violent criminals. Our resolve is strong, and we will not stop until every last gang member is brought to justice.”
At trial, the government proved that Ortega, along with his fellow MS-13 gang members, committed two murders and one attempted murder in February and March 2010. First, Ortega was convicted in connection with the murder of 21-year-old David Sandler and the attempted murder of 20-year-old Aaron Galan in Brentwood, New York, on February 17, 2010. Ortega and his fellow MS-13 gang members lured Sandler, whom the MS-13 believed was a member of the rival Latin Kings street gang, to Timberline Drive in Brentwood under the pretext of buying marijuana from him. Once Sandler arrived, Ortega shot him in the face at close range, killing him. Ortega also shot Sandler’s close friend, Galan, who was with Sandler at the time, in the face. Miraculously, Galan survived.
At trial, Ortega was also convicted of the March 17, 2010 murder of Mario Alberto Canton Quijada in Far Rockaway, New York. Quijada, who was a fellow member of the MS-13, was killed because of his reluctance to “put in work,” or attack rival gang members on behalf of the MS-13. On March 17, 2010, Quijada was lured to the beach in Far Rockaway under the guise of attacking rival gang members. Once alone on the beach, the MS-13 gang members tried to shoot Quijada in the head with a semi-automatic handgun, which had been used in several other murders committed by the MS-13, including the murders of a young woman and her 2-year-old son. However, the gun jammed. Undeterred, Ortega and the other MS-13 members set upon Quijada with knifes and machetes and hacked him to death.
Ortega’s conviction is the latest in a series of federal prosecutions by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York targeting members of the MS-13, a violent international street gang composed primarily of immigrants from El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala. With numerous branches, or “cliques,” the MS-13 is the largest street gang on Long Island. Since 2002, more than 200 MS-13 members, including more than two dozen clique leaders, have been convicted on federal felony charges in the Eastern District of New York. More than 100 of those MS-13 members have been convicted on federal racketeering charges. Since 2010 alone, this office has convicted more than 30 members of the MS-13 on charges relating to their participation in one or more murders. These prosecutions are the product of investigations led by the FBI’s Long Island Gang Task Force, composed of agents and officers of the FBI, Nassau County Police Department, Nassau County Sheriff’s Department, Suffolk County Probation, Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department, Rockville Centre Police Department, and Suffolk County Police Department.
The life sentence was imposed by United States District Judge Joseph F. Bianco.
The government’s case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys John J. Durham, Raymond A. Tierney, and Carrie N. Capwell.
The sentence was announced by Loretta E. Lynch, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; George Venizelos, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office; and Thomas V. Dale, Commissioner of the Nassau County Police Department.
“Ortega’s journey to federal prison began in El Salvador when he joined MS-13 and continued when he illegally entered the U.S. and chose to maintain his allegiance to the gang. Ortega committed heinous acts of violence in the name of MS-13, cutting a swath of murder from Brentwood to Far Rockaway, all within the span of a few weeks,” stated U.S. Attorney Lynch. “From a suspected rival gang member, to an MS-13 gang member who was not violent enough, there was no room for mercy in the gang’s code of enforcing respect through murder. Today’s life sentence is a fitting end to Ortega’s reign of terror. He will now have the rest of his life to contemplate the just results of his allegiance to the killing machine known as MS-13.” Ms. Lynch extended her grateful appreciation to each of the law enforcement agencies for their assistance in this case.
FBI Assistant Director in Charge Venizelos stated, “The victims were robbed of their futures by the defendant’s senseless killing spree. His cowardly acts have earned him a life sentence. The defendant’s imprisonment should be a reminder to all those who participate in gang activity that violence and victimization of the public will not be tolerated and will be met with the full force of the FBI. The FBI’s Long Island Gang Task Force is committed to ridding the streets of these violent criminals. Our resolve is strong, and we will not stop until every last gang member is brought to justice.”
At trial, the government proved that Ortega, along with his fellow MS-13 gang members, committed two murders and one attempted murder in February and March 2010. First, Ortega was convicted in connection with the murder of 21-year-old David Sandler and the attempted murder of 20-year-old Aaron Galan in Brentwood, New York, on February 17, 2010. Ortega and his fellow MS-13 gang members lured Sandler, whom the MS-13 believed was a member of the rival Latin Kings street gang, to Timberline Drive in Brentwood under the pretext of buying marijuana from him. Once Sandler arrived, Ortega shot him in the face at close range, killing him. Ortega also shot Sandler’s close friend, Galan, who was with Sandler at the time, in the face. Miraculously, Galan survived.
At trial, Ortega was also convicted of the March 17, 2010 murder of Mario Alberto Canton Quijada in Far Rockaway, New York. Quijada, who was a fellow member of the MS-13, was killed because of his reluctance to “put in work,” or attack rival gang members on behalf of the MS-13. On March 17, 2010, Quijada was lured to the beach in Far Rockaway under the guise of attacking rival gang members. Once alone on the beach, the MS-13 gang members tried to shoot Quijada in the head with a semi-automatic handgun, which had been used in several other murders committed by the MS-13, including the murders of a young woman and her 2-year-old son. However, the gun jammed. Undeterred, Ortega and the other MS-13 members set upon Quijada with knifes and machetes and hacked him to death.
Ortega’s conviction is the latest in a series of federal prosecutions by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York targeting members of the MS-13, a violent international street gang composed primarily of immigrants from El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala. With numerous branches, or “cliques,” the MS-13 is the largest street gang on Long Island. Since 2002, more than 200 MS-13 members, including more than two dozen clique leaders, have been convicted on federal felony charges in the Eastern District of New York. More than 100 of those MS-13 members have been convicted on federal racketeering charges. Since 2010 alone, this office has convicted more than 30 members of the MS-13 on charges relating to their participation in one or more murders. These prosecutions are the product of investigations led by the FBI’s Long Island Gang Task Force, composed of agents and officers of the FBI, Nassau County Police Department, Nassau County Sheriff’s Department, Suffolk County Probation, Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department, Rockville Centre Police Department, and Suffolk County Police Department.
The life sentence was imposed by United States District Judge Joseph F. Bianco.
The government’s case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys John J. Durham, Raymond A. Tierney, and Carrie N. Capwell.
Monday, November 25, 2013
2012 #HateCrime Statistics Released
The FBI has just released its hate crime statistics report for 2012, and the numbers show that we as a nation still have a way to go toward alleviating these crimes that have such a devastating impact on communities.
For the 2012 time frame, law enforcement agencies reported 5,796 hate crime incidents involving 6,718 offenses, down from 2011 figures of 6,222 incidents involving 7,254 offenses. Also during 2012, there were 7,164 hate crime victims reported (which include individuals, businesses, institutions, and society as a whole), down from 7,713 in 2011.
The data contained in Hate Crime Statistics, 2012 is a subset of the information that law enforcement submits to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program. The full hate crime report can be viewed on the FBI's website, but here are a few highlights:
For the 2012 time frame, law enforcement agencies reported 5,796 hate crime incidents involving 6,718 offenses, down from 2011 figures of 6,222 incidents involving 7,254 offenses. Also during 2012, there were 7,164 hate crime victims reported (which include individuals, businesses, institutions, and society as a whole), down from 7,713 in 2011.
The data contained in Hate Crime Statistics, 2012 is a subset of the information that law enforcement submits to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program. The full hate crime report can be viewed on the FBI's website, but here are a few highlights:
- 48.3 percent of the 5,790 single-bias incidents were racially motivated, while 19.6 percent resulted from sexual orientation bias and 19 percent from religious bias.
- Of the 7,164 hate crime victims, 55.4 percent were victims of crimes against persons and 41.8 percent were victims of crimes against property. The remaining 2.8 percent were victims of crimes against society (like drug offenses, gambling, and prostitution).
- 39.6 percent of the victims of crimes against persons suffered simple assaults, while 37.5 percent were intimidated and 21.5 percent were victims of aggravated assault. (Law enforcement also reported 10 murders and 15 rapes as hate crimes.)
- An overwhelming majority—75.6 percent—of the victims of crimes against property were victimized by acts of destruction, damage, and/or vandalism.
- Of the 5,331 known offenders, 54.6 percent were white and 23.3 percent were black.
FBI Whistleblower and Author of "To Kill a President", M. Wesley Swearingen, Skewers Former Warren Commission Member on #JFK Assassination
FBI Whistleblower and Author of TO KILL A PRESIDENT, M. Wesley Swearingen, finds considerable fault with the Warren Commission's investigation into the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
Richard M. Mosk, a former member of the staff of the Warren Commission, is now a justice on the California Court of Appeal. Chief Justice Earl Warren hired Richard Mosk, the son of the late Stanley Mosk, who was then Attorney General of California, to work for the commission when Richard was about 25 years of age.
In a Los Angeles Times article dated October 27, 2013, entitled "NOV. 22, 1963: 50 years later, and still no conspiracy," Richard Mosk writes that, "with a top-secret clearance I had full access to the work of the staff, and I never saw anything untoward." Richard writes of the Warren Commission investigation, "it may still stand as the most extensive and thorough criminal investigation in history."
It is retired FBI agent Swearingen's opinion that the only thing thorough about the Warren Commission investigation was the cover-up. Swearingen, well trained in firearms and at the top of his New Agent's Training Class with the Springfield rifle, claims the single-bullet theory is preposterous.
Swearingen has personal knowledge of Kennedy's assassination that no other insider had during his years in Chicago when he was in charge of Cuban Counterintelligence during Fidel Castro's overthrow of Cuba in 1959.
One of Swearingen's Cuban sources, whom he cannot identify by law, told him in 1962 that the CIA was plotting to kill President Kennedy with the assistance of certain Chicago Mob figures and that an unidentified patsy would be blamed for killing Kennedy.
When President Kennedy was killed, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover prohibited any agent from speaking out about a conspiracy. Assistant Director In Charge (ADIC) of the Training and Inspection Division W. Mark Felt, aka "Deep Throat," personally told Swearingen, the day Kennedy was killed, not to mention a CIA conspiracy. Swearingen was in Washington, D.C. at the time JFK was murdered and had volunteered to go to Dallas, but Felt instructed Swearingen to return to his office of assignment.
Swearingen also disagrees with Bill O'Reilly's version in O'Reilly's book Killing Kennedy as stated on his website at www.fbisecrets.com. Bill O'Reilly claims "the spin stops here," but in Swearingen's opinion O'Reilly has done nothing but shift the spin into high gear when he tells the world in a book and in a movie that Lee Harvey Oswald was the lone assassin killing Kennedy with a single bullet as proclaimed by the Warren Commission.
Kirkus Reviews writes of Swearingen's first book that, "All in all, he turns in a ringing and entirely convincing indictment," against FBI wrongdoing.
Kirkus Reviews writes of Swearingen's second book TO KILL A PRESIDENT, "The author unleashes his experience-fueled intuition to detail the motive of other players in the conspiracy, including the Chicago Mob.
Names are named, associations are made, reasonable conjectures are served and Swearingen comes across as the real deal."
Following publication of Swearingen's book on JFK, another FBI agent, who worked in Dallas, has come forward claiming Oswald did not kill JFK. See website www.oswalddidnotkilljfk.com.
Richard M. Mosk, a former member of the staff of the Warren Commission, is now a justice on the California Court of Appeal. Chief Justice Earl Warren hired Richard Mosk, the son of the late Stanley Mosk, who was then Attorney General of California, to work for the commission when Richard was about 25 years of age.
In a Los Angeles Times article dated October 27, 2013, entitled "NOV. 22, 1963: 50 years later, and still no conspiracy," Richard Mosk writes that, "with a top-secret clearance I had full access to the work of the staff, and I never saw anything untoward." Richard writes of the Warren Commission investigation, "it may still stand as the most extensive and thorough criminal investigation in history."
It is retired FBI agent Swearingen's opinion that the only thing thorough about the Warren Commission investigation was the cover-up. Swearingen, well trained in firearms and at the top of his New Agent's Training Class with the Springfield rifle, claims the single-bullet theory is preposterous.
Swearingen has personal knowledge of Kennedy's assassination that no other insider had during his years in Chicago when he was in charge of Cuban Counterintelligence during Fidel Castro's overthrow of Cuba in 1959.
One of Swearingen's Cuban sources, whom he cannot identify by law, told him in 1962 that the CIA was plotting to kill President Kennedy with the assistance of certain Chicago Mob figures and that an unidentified patsy would be blamed for killing Kennedy.
When President Kennedy was killed, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover prohibited any agent from speaking out about a conspiracy. Assistant Director In Charge (ADIC) of the Training and Inspection Division W. Mark Felt, aka "Deep Throat," personally told Swearingen, the day Kennedy was killed, not to mention a CIA conspiracy. Swearingen was in Washington, D.C. at the time JFK was murdered and had volunteered to go to Dallas, but Felt instructed Swearingen to return to his office of assignment.
Swearingen also disagrees with Bill O'Reilly's version in O'Reilly's book Killing Kennedy as stated on his website at www.fbisecrets.com. Bill O'Reilly claims "the spin stops here," but in Swearingen's opinion O'Reilly has done nothing but shift the spin into high gear when he tells the world in a book and in a movie that Lee Harvey Oswald was the lone assassin killing Kennedy with a single bullet as proclaimed by the Warren Commission.
Kirkus Reviews writes of Swearingen's first book that, "All in all, he turns in a ringing and entirely convincing indictment," against FBI wrongdoing.
Kirkus Reviews writes of Swearingen's second book TO KILL A PRESIDENT, "The author unleashes his experience-fueled intuition to detail the motive of other players in the conspiracy, including the Chicago Mob.
Names are named, associations are made, reasonable conjectures are served and Swearingen comes across as the real deal."
Following publication of Swearingen's book on JFK, another FBI agent, who worked in Dallas, has come forward claiming Oswald did not kill JFK. See website www.oswalddidnotkilljfk.com.
Sunday, November 24, 2013
Not in Your Lifetime: The Defining Book on the #JFK Assassination
Updated with the latest evidence, the essential, acclaimed account of President Kennedy’s assassination by Pulitzer Prize finalist Anthony Summers.
Fifty years on, most Americans still feel they have not been told the truth about President Kennedy’s death. Chief Justice Warren, who chaired the first inquiry, said “some things” that “involve security” might not be released in our lifetime. Millions of pages of assassination records were finally made public in the late 1990s. Yet the CIA is withholding more than a thousand documents under “national security”—until 2017.
Why? Why hold these records back if—as we were told half a century ago—Lee Harvey Oswald was a lone assassin? Anthony Summers set out to write a reliable account of the murder mystery that haunts America. Not in Your Lifetime, in this fresh edition, is one of the finest books written on the assassination.
“He was holding out his hand . . . He looked puzzled . . . Then he slumped in my lap . . . I kept bending over him saying, ‘Jack, Jack, can you hear me? I love you, Jack . . .’ The seat was full of blood and red roses . . . .” —Jacqueline Kennedy, recalling the fatal moment in Dallas.
Fifty years on, most Americans still feel they have not been told the truth about President Kennedy’s death. Chief Justice Warren, who chaired the first inquiry, said “some things” that “involve security” might not be released in our lifetime. Millions of pages of assassination records were finally made public in the late 1990s. Yet the CIA is withholding more than a thousand documents under “national security”—until 2017.
Why? Why hold these records back if—as we were told half a century ago—Lee Harvey Oswald was a lone assassin? Anthony Summers set out to write a reliable account of the murder mystery that haunts America. Not in Your Lifetime, in this fresh edition, is one of the finest books written on the assassination.
U.S. Marshals Task Force Arrests Suspect in Connection with a Bomb Threat
U.S. Marshal Robert Mathieson announced the capture of William Wyatt Raum. Raum was wanted by the Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) in connection with a bomb threat communicated earlier this month.
On Oct. 29, the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center received a bomb threat from an unknown suspect. On Nov. 4, the FCSO requested their deputy sheriff assigned to the U.S. Marshals Service’s fugitive task force to investigate the threat. The investigation determined Raum as the alleged offender.
The case was adopted by the U.S. Marshals task force located within the federal Eastern District of Virginia. At approximately 6:00 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 18, task force officers and Deputy U.S. Marshals located and apprehended Raum in an apartment complex located on Marlboro Pike in Capitol Heights, MD. Raum was transported to the Prince George’s County Police Department and is awaiting extradition to Fairfax County.
On Oct. 29, the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center received a bomb threat from an unknown suspect. On Nov. 4, the FCSO requested their deputy sheriff assigned to the U.S. Marshals Service’s fugitive task force to investigate the threat. The investigation determined Raum as the alleged offender.
The case was adopted by the U.S. Marshals task force located within the federal Eastern District of Virginia. At approximately 6:00 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 18, task force officers and Deputy U.S. Marshals located and apprehended Raum in an apartment complex located on Marlboro Pike in Capitol Heights, MD. Raum was transported to the Prince George’s County Police Department and is awaiting extradition to Fairfax County.
Saturday, November 23, 2013
The United States and Morocco Sign Customs Mutual Assistance Agreement
Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Rand Beers joined Moroccan Minister of Economy and Finance Mohamed Boussaid to sign a bilateral Customs Mutual Assistance Agreement (CMAA) that will provide a partnership and legal framework for information sharing and cooperation between Customs administrations of the United States and the Kingdom of Morocco.
“Today’s agreement provides a framework for information sharing and cooperation between our customs administrations as they combat transnational crime and endeavor to protect our respective national frontiers,” said Acting Secretary Beers. “We look forward to implementing this Customs Mutual Assistance Agreement, and growing our cooperative relationship with the Kingdom of Morocco.”
The signing of the CMAA between the Government of the United States of America and the Kingdom of Morocco will permit the United States and the Kingdom of Morocco to exchange information and engage in a range of other forms of mutual assistance to collect revenue and protect our respective countries from threats, including our shared priority of combating terrorism.
“The agreement we have signed today will certainly facilitate the bilateral cooperation between the two Customs administrations and help both sides achieve a common goal to fight fraud and to cope with the challenges facing customs and trade,” said Minister Boussaid.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the U.S. Customs Service before them, have used bilateral Customs Mutual Assistance Agreements as a valuable part of its law enforcement efforts for many years. Today’s agreement marks the 68th country or territory with which the United States has Customs Mutual Assistance Agreements.
Via these law enforcement tools, both Customs administrations will better able to detect, investigate, and prosecute Customs violations and crimes that touch the movement of goods over international borders, including trafficking, money laundering, and terrorism-related activities.
“Today’s agreement provides a framework for information sharing and cooperation between our customs administrations as they combat transnational crime and endeavor to protect our respective national frontiers,” said Acting Secretary Beers. “We look forward to implementing this Customs Mutual Assistance Agreement, and growing our cooperative relationship with the Kingdom of Morocco.”
The signing of the CMAA between the Government of the United States of America and the Kingdom of Morocco will permit the United States and the Kingdom of Morocco to exchange information and engage in a range of other forms of mutual assistance to collect revenue and protect our respective countries from threats, including our shared priority of combating terrorism.
“The agreement we have signed today will certainly facilitate the bilateral cooperation between the two Customs administrations and help both sides achieve a common goal to fight fraud and to cope with the challenges facing customs and trade,” said Minister Boussaid.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the U.S. Customs Service before them, have used bilateral Customs Mutual Assistance Agreements as a valuable part of its law enforcement efforts for many years. Today’s agreement marks the 68th country or territory with which the United States has Customs Mutual Assistance Agreements.
Via these law enforcement tools, both Customs administrations will better able to detect, investigate, and prosecute Customs violations and crimes that touch the movement of goods over international borders, including trafficking, money laundering, and terrorism-related activities.
Friday, November 22, 2013
Dallas 1963 - Climate of Hatred Leading to Assassination of #JFK
In the months and weeks before the fateful November 22nd, 1963, Dallas was brewing with political passions, a city crammed with larger-than-life characters dead-set against the Kennedy presidency. These included rabid warriors like defrocked military general Edwin A. Walker; the world's richest oil baron, H. L. Hunt; the leader of the largest Baptist congregation in the world, W.A. Criswell; and the media mogul Ted Dealey, who raucously confronted JFK and whose family name adorns the plaza where the president was murdered. On the same stage was a compelling cast of marauding gangsters, swashbuckling politicos, unsung civil rights heroes, and a stylish millionaire anxious to save his doomed city.
Bill Minutaglio and Steven L. Davis ingeniously explore the swirling forces that led many people to warn President Kennedy to avoid Dallas on his fateful trip to Texas. Breathtakingly paced, DALLAS 1963 presents a clear, cinematic, and revelatory look at the shocking tragedy that transformed America. Countless authors have attempted to explain the assassination, but no one has ever bothered to explain Dallas-until now.
With spellbinding storytelling, Minutaglio and Davis lead us through intimate glimpses of the Kennedy family and the machinations of the Kennedy White House, to the obsessed men in Dallas who concocted the climate of hatred that led many to blame the city for the president's death. Here at long last is an accurate understanding of what happened in the weeks and months leading to John F. Kennedy's assassination. DALLAS 1963 is not only a fresh look at a momentous national tragedy but a sobering reminder of how radical, polarizing ideologies can poison a city-and a nation.
Bill Minutaglio and Steven L. Davis ingeniously explore the swirling forces that led many people to warn President Kennedy to avoid Dallas on his fateful trip to Texas. Breathtakingly paced, DALLAS 1963 presents a clear, cinematic, and revelatory look at the shocking tragedy that transformed America. Countless authors have attempted to explain the assassination, but no one has ever bothered to explain Dallas-until now.
With spellbinding storytelling, Minutaglio and Davis lead us through intimate glimpses of the Kennedy family and the machinations of the Kennedy White House, to the obsessed men in Dallas who concocted the climate of hatred that led many to blame the city for the president's death. Here at long last is an accurate understanding of what happened in the weeks and months leading to John F. Kennedy's assassination. DALLAS 1963 is not only a fresh look at a momentous national tragedy but a sobering reminder of how radical, polarizing ideologies can poison a city-and a nation.
The Chicago Public Library @chipublib Observed the 50th Anniversary of Kennedy's Assassination Today
Mayor Rahm Emanuel joined Chicago Public Library Commissioner Brian Bannon, schoolchildren, and special guests today at the Harold Washington Library Center to observe the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The event celebrated the life and legacy of President Kennedy, as well as his and the Kennedy family’s long standing connection to Chicago.
“President Kennedy challenged all Americans to answer the call of public service, inspiring generations of Americans to serve others and work for the greater good of their fellow humans," said Mayor Rahm Emanuel. "Today, as we observe the fiftieth anniversary of his tragic death, we remember his life and legacy and the profound impact he had on our nation and our city."
As part of the program, author Ilene Cooper spoke about the Kennedys’ decades-long ties to Chicago, beginning in 1945 when the Kennedy patriarch and President’s father Joseph Sr. purchased the Merchandise Mart, which soon became a trade show mecca known across the country. From that time on, the Kennedy family has played a prominent role in Chicago. Several Kennedy family members have made the Chicago area their home and still play a major role in the operation of the Merchandise Mart.
Jazz musician Irvin Mayfield and the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band paid homage to President Kennedy’s love for cultural arts and jazz music. In 1962, the President and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy hosted the first White House jazz concert, starting a tradition that still exists today. The concert featured music selected from that first jazz concert in 1962, along with selections from subsequent White House concerts.
The Chicago Public Library encourages lifelong learning by welcoming all people and offering equal access to information, entertainment and knowledge through materials, programs and cutting-edge technology. Through its 80 locations, the Library provides free access to a rich collection of materials, both physical and digital, and presents the highest quality author discussions, exhibits and programs for children, teens and adults. For more information, visit chicagopubliclibrary.org or call the Chicago Public Library at (312) 747-4050.
“President Kennedy challenged all Americans to answer the call of public service, inspiring generations of Americans to serve others and work for the greater good of their fellow humans," said Mayor Rahm Emanuel. "Today, as we observe the fiftieth anniversary of his tragic death, we remember his life and legacy and the profound impact he had on our nation and our city."
As part of the program, author Ilene Cooper spoke about the Kennedys’ decades-long ties to Chicago, beginning in 1945 when the Kennedy patriarch and President’s father Joseph Sr. purchased the Merchandise Mart, which soon became a trade show mecca known across the country. From that time on, the Kennedy family has played a prominent role in Chicago. Several Kennedy family members have made the Chicago area their home and still play a major role in the operation of the Merchandise Mart.
Jazz musician Irvin Mayfield and the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band paid homage to President Kennedy’s love for cultural arts and jazz music. In 1962, the President and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy hosted the first White House jazz concert, starting a tradition that still exists today. The concert featured music selected from that first jazz concert in 1962, along with selections from subsequent White House concerts.
The Chicago Public Library encourages lifelong learning by welcoming all people and offering equal access to information, entertainment and knowledge through materials, programs and cutting-edge technology. Through its 80 locations, the Library provides free access to a rich collection of materials, both physical and digital, and presents the highest quality author discussions, exhibits and programs for children, teens and adults. For more information, visit chicagopubliclibrary.org or call the Chicago Public Library at (312) 747-4050.
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Official Sneak Preview of #MobCity on TNT
The epic battle between a determined police chief and a dangerous mobster inflames 1940s Los Angeles in TNT's eagerly anticipated television event Mob City (formerly known as Lost Angels). This powerful drama comes to TNT from Frank Darabont (The Walking Dead), who wrote and directed the pilot and serves as executive producer on the series.
Based on the critically acclaimed book L.A. Noir: The Struggle for the Soul of America's Most Seductive City, by John Buntin, Mob City opens in post-war Los Angeles, home to glamorous movie stars, powerful studio heads and returning war heroes. But it's also a city caught between a powerful and corrupt police force and an even more dangerous criminal network determined to make L.A. its West Coast base.
Los Angeles Police Chief William Parker (Neal McDonough -- Captain America, Desperate Housewives)) has made it his mission to free the city of criminals like Ben "Bugsy" Siegel (Ed Burns -- Entourage) and Mickey Cohen (Jeremy Luke -- Don Jon), the ruthless king of the Los Angeles underworld. Parker also won't hesitate to go after anyone from his own police force who sells out honor and duty for the sake of a big payout. To carry out his sweep of organized crime, Parker sets up a new mob task force within the LAPD. Headed by Det. Hal Morrison (Jeffrey DeMunn -- The Walking Dead, The Shawshank Redemption), the task force includes Det. Joe Teague (Jon Bernthal -- The Walking Dead), an ex-Marine who holds his cards close to his chest.
Mob City's exceptional ensemble cast also includes Gregory Itzin (24), Robert Knepper (Prison Break), Milo Ventimiglia (Heroes) and Alexa Davalos (Clash of the Titans, The Mist).
Mob City is produced by TNT Originals, with Darabont, Michael De Luca (The Social Network) and Elliot Webb (Alpha House) serving as executive producers.
Premieres Wednesday, December 4 at 10/9c on TNT.
14 Charged with Kilogram-Quantity #HeroinTrafficking #Conspiracy
Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York; George Venizelos, the Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); Ramon Bethencourt, Jr., the Chief of the City of Middletown Police Department; and Joseph A. D’Amico, the Superintendent of the New York State Police, announced the arrest of 14 defendants and the unsealing of an indictment charging a conspiracy to distribute kilogram quantities of heroin in and around Middletown, New York.
U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara stated, “This case is yet another example of this office’s unrelenting efforts at purging the Hudson Valley of alleged violent drug trafficking gangs through the coordinated efforts of the FBI and our state and local law enforcement partners.”
FBI Assistant Director in Charge George Venizelos stated, “The arrests today target individuals who allegedly were involved in moving heroin into Middletown. These types of crimes are all too common in this area and the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force will continue to work with our partners to eradicate violent gangs and drugs in our communities.”
Middletown Police Department Chief Ramon Bethencourt, Jr. stated, “Along with Mayor DeStefano, I want to praise the work of all of the law enforcement agencies involved. Once again our commitment to working together will have a positive influence on the quality of life for our residents. By ridding our streets of these drugs we are reducing the violent crimes that go along with them, making the city of Middletown a safer community.”
New York State Police Superintendent Joseph A. D’Amico stated, “A significant amount of heroin will not make it onto the streets of Middletown as a result of the dedication and due diligence of local, state, and federal investigators and prosecutors working collaboratively to put a stop to these types of drug operations. It is through this cooperative effort among our partners in law enforcement that we will continue to target and remove from our streets those who choose to engage in this type of illegal and dangerous activity. I thank all of the members of this team for their hard work and dedication to the citizens of New York.”
According to allegations in the indictment unsealed in White Plains federal court:
Fourteen people
are charged with conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute kilogram quantities of heroin. The defendants have operated a large-scale heroin trafficking organization that distributed heroin throughout Middletown, New York, since at least 2007. During the investigation, the defendants unwittingly sold heroin to confidential informants and an agent in an undercover capacity. One defendant and a co-conspirator also discussed the possible murder of two individuals in or around Middletown.
All the defendants charged in the indictment were arrested last night or today or have previously been taken into custody. Twelve of the defendants are to be presented in White Plains federal court this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Lisa Margaret Smith. One defendant is to be presented in the United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire, and one defendant is to be presented in the United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico.
Mr. Bharara praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI, the City of Middletown Police Department, the New York State Police, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, the Town of Wallkill Police Department, and the Town of Ramapo Police Department. Mr. Bharara also thanked the Orange County District Attorney’s Office for its invaluable coordination and continuing support.
The prosecution is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Gerber is in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara stated, “This case is yet another example of this office’s unrelenting efforts at purging the Hudson Valley of alleged violent drug trafficking gangs through the coordinated efforts of the FBI and our state and local law enforcement partners.”
FBI Assistant Director in Charge George Venizelos stated, “The arrests today target individuals who allegedly were involved in moving heroin into Middletown. These types of crimes are all too common in this area and the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force will continue to work with our partners to eradicate violent gangs and drugs in our communities.”
Middletown Police Department Chief Ramon Bethencourt, Jr. stated, “Along with Mayor DeStefano, I want to praise the work of all of the law enforcement agencies involved. Once again our commitment to working together will have a positive influence on the quality of life for our residents. By ridding our streets of these drugs we are reducing the violent crimes that go along with them, making the city of Middletown a safer community.”
New York State Police Superintendent Joseph A. D’Amico stated, “A significant amount of heroin will not make it onto the streets of Middletown as a result of the dedication and due diligence of local, state, and federal investigators and prosecutors working collaboratively to put a stop to these types of drug operations. It is through this cooperative effort among our partners in law enforcement that we will continue to target and remove from our streets those who choose to engage in this type of illegal and dangerous activity. I thank all of the members of this team for their hard work and dedication to the citizens of New York.”
According to allegations in the indictment unsealed in White Plains federal court:
Fourteen people
- Miguel Margolla, 29 MARGOLLA, 29,
- Jesus Irizarry Nergon, a/k/a/ “Pablo,” 22
- Mario Margolla, 32
- Roberto Margolla, 22
- Carlos Martinez, a/k/a “B-Way,” 33
- Sharlim Omar Morales, a/k/a “Moreno,” 32
- Ricardo Ramos-Mendez, a/k/a “Keeke,” a/k/a “Brian,” 23
- Teddy Rivera, a/k/a “Teddy Guns,” a/k/a “TG,” 20
- Christina Rodriguez, 23
- Johnathan Rodriguez, a/k/a “J-Whispers,” a/k/a “Bigz,” 26
- Manuel Santiago, 28
- Jessica Slocum, 24
- Alex Torres, a/k/a “Broccoli,” a/k/a “Broc,” 28
- Christian Vera Maldonado, 22
are charged with conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute kilogram quantities of heroin. The defendants have operated a large-scale heroin trafficking organization that distributed heroin throughout Middletown, New York, since at least 2007. During the investigation, the defendants unwittingly sold heroin to confidential informants and an agent in an undercover capacity. One defendant and a co-conspirator also discussed the possible murder of two individuals in or around Middletown.
All the defendants charged in the indictment were arrested last night or today or have previously been taken into custody. Twelve of the defendants are to be presented in White Plains federal court this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Lisa Margaret Smith. One defendant is to be presented in the United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire, and one defendant is to be presented in the United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico.
Mr. Bharara praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI, the City of Middletown Police Department, the New York State Police, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, the Town of Wallkill Police Department, and the Town of Ramapo Police Department. Mr. Bharara also thanked the Orange County District Attorney’s Office for its invaluable coordination and continuing support.
The prosecution is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Gerber is in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
A Senior Bank Official at Venezuelan State Development Bank Pleads Guilty to Participating in Bribery Scheme
A senior official in Venezuela’s state economic development bank has pleaded guilty in New York federal court to accepting bribes from agents and employees of a New York-based broker-dealer (broker-dealer) in exchange for directing her bank’s security-trading business to the broker-dealer.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara of the Southern District of New York, and Assistant Director in Charge George Venizelos of the New York Office of the FBI made the announcement.
Maria De Los Angeles Gonzalez De Hernandez, 55, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer in the Southern District of New York to conspiring to violate the Travel Act and to commit money laundering, as well as substantive counts of these offenses. Sentencing for Gonzalez is scheduled for August 15, 2014, before Judge Engelmayer.
At all times relevant to the charges, Banco de Desarrollo Económico y Social de Venezuela (BANDES) was a state-run economic development bank in Venezuela. The Venezuelan government had a majority ownership interest in BANDES and provided it with substantial funding.
According to court records, Gonzalez was an official at BANDES and oversaw the development bank’s overseas trading activity. At her direction, BANDES conducted substantial trading through the broker-dealer. Most of the trades executed by the broker-dealer on behalf of BANDES involved fixed income investments for which the broker-dealer charged the bank a mark-up on purchases and a mark-down on sales.
From early 2009 through 2012, Gonzalez participated in a bribery scheme in which she directed trading business she controlled at BANDES to the broker-dealer, and, in return, agents and employees of the broker-dealer shared the revenue the broker-dealer generated from this trading business with Gonzalez. During this time period, the broker-dealer generated over $60 million in mark-ups and mark-downs from trades with BANDES. Agents and employees of the broker-dealer devised a split with Gonzalez of the commissions paid by BANDES to the broker-dealer. E-mails, account records, and other documents collected from the broker-dealer and other sources reveal that Gonzalez received a substantial share of the revenue generated by the broker-dealer for BANDES-related trades. Specifically, Gonzalez received millions in bribe payments from broker-dealer agents and employees.
Additionally, Gonzalez paid a portion of the bribe payments she received to another BANDES employee who was also involved in the scheme.
To further conceal the scheme, the kickbacks to Gonzalez were often paid using intermediary corporations and offshore accounts that Gonzalez and others held in Switzerland, among other places.
Previously, three former employees of the broker-dealer—Ernesto Lujan, Jose Alejandro Hurtado, and Tomas Alberto Clarke Bethancourt—each pleaded guilty in New York federal court to conspiring to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and conspiring to violate the Travel Act and to commit money laundering, as well as substantive counts of these offenses, relating, among other things, to the scheme involving bribe payments to Gonzalez. Sentencing for Lujan and Clarke is scheduled for February 11, 2014, before U.S. District Judge Paul G. Gardephe. Hurtado is scheduled for sentencing before U.S. District Judge Harold Baer, Jr. on March 6, 2014.
This ongoing investigation is being conducted by the FBI, with assistance from the SEC and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs. Assistant Chief James Koukios and Trial Attorneys Maria Gonzalez Calvet and Aisling O’Shea of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant United States Attorneys Harry A. Chernoff and Jason H. Cowley of the Southern District of New York’s Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force are in charge of the prosecution. Assistant United States Attorney Carolina Fornos is also responsible for the forfeiture aspects of the case.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara of the Southern District of New York, and Assistant Director in Charge George Venizelos of the New York Office of the FBI made the announcement.
Maria De Los Angeles Gonzalez De Hernandez, 55, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer in the Southern District of New York to conspiring to violate the Travel Act and to commit money laundering, as well as substantive counts of these offenses. Sentencing for Gonzalez is scheduled for August 15, 2014, before Judge Engelmayer.
At all times relevant to the charges, Banco de Desarrollo Económico y Social de Venezuela (BANDES) was a state-run economic development bank in Venezuela. The Venezuelan government had a majority ownership interest in BANDES and provided it with substantial funding.
According to court records, Gonzalez was an official at BANDES and oversaw the development bank’s overseas trading activity. At her direction, BANDES conducted substantial trading through the broker-dealer. Most of the trades executed by the broker-dealer on behalf of BANDES involved fixed income investments for which the broker-dealer charged the bank a mark-up on purchases and a mark-down on sales.
From early 2009 through 2012, Gonzalez participated in a bribery scheme in which she directed trading business she controlled at BANDES to the broker-dealer, and, in return, agents and employees of the broker-dealer shared the revenue the broker-dealer generated from this trading business with Gonzalez. During this time period, the broker-dealer generated over $60 million in mark-ups and mark-downs from trades with BANDES. Agents and employees of the broker-dealer devised a split with Gonzalez of the commissions paid by BANDES to the broker-dealer. E-mails, account records, and other documents collected from the broker-dealer and other sources reveal that Gonzalez received a substantial share of the revenue generated by the broker-dealer for BANDES-related trades. Specifically, Gonzalez received millions in bribe payments from broker-dealer agents and employees.
Additionally, Gonzalez paid a portion of the bribe payments she received to another BANDES employee who was also involved in the scheme.
To further conceal the scheme, the kickbacks to Gonzalez were often paid using intermediary corporations and offshore accounts that Gonzalez and others held in Switzerland, among other places.
Previously, three former employees of the broker-dealer—Ernesto Lujan, Jose Alejandro Hurtado, and Tomas Alberto Clarke Bethancourt—each pleaded guilty in New York federal court to conspiring to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and conspiring to violate the Travel Act and to commit money laundering, as well as substantive counts of these offenses, relating, among other things, to the scheme involving bribe payments to Gonzalez. Sentencing for Lujan and Clarke is scheduled for February 11, 2014, before U.S. District Judge Paul G. Gardephe. Hurtado is scheduled for sentencing before U.S. District Judge Harold Baer, Jr. on March 6, 2014.
This ongoing investigation is being conducted by the FBI, with assistance from the SEC and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs. Assistant Chief James Koukios and Trial Attorneys Maria Gonzalez Calvet and Aisling O’Shea of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant United States Attorneys Harry A. Chernoff and Jason H. Cowley of the Southern District of New York’s Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force are in charge of the prosecution. Assistant United States Attorney Carolina Fornos is also responsible for the forfeiture aspects of the case.
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