Tag: April 2017
Paul A. Groves, Conspiracy to Illicitly Resell Military-Grade Firearms, Ohio 2015
Canfield Gun Dealer Accused of Arming Mexican Cartels COLUMBUS, OH – Paul A. Groves, 36, of Canfield, Ohio, stands accused of fueling the violence south of the border. A federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment yesterday, charging Groves with conspiracy to illegally buy and resell military-grade semi-automatic firearms destined for Mexican buyers. The case,…
Carlos Benjamin Martinez, Child Pornography Production, Texas 2016
McALLEN, TEXAS – Carlos Benjamin Martinez, 29, of Edinburg, is headed to federal prison for a horrific spree of child exploitation. The man was sentenced today to 292 months – more than 24 years – after pleading guilty December 2, 2016, to charges of production, receipt, and distribution of child pornography. The sentence, handed down…
Laurie Helfer, Tax Refund Fraud, Illinois 2008
Chicago’s Laurie Helfer, owner of ‘The Tax Lady Laurie,’ faces federal charges for orchestrating over $1 million in fraudulent tax refunds. Authorities allege Helfer, 55, falsely claimed credits like dependent exemptions and education expenses on behalf of clients between 2008-2010. In a separate case, Lonnie Blakney, owner of ‘Blakney Tax Associates,’ is accused of preparing…
Joshua Aaron Shores, Sports Memorabilia Counterfeiting, Pennsylvania 2024
HARRISBURG – The gritty streets of Pennsylvania witnessed a pivotal moment in the battle against white-collar crime as Joshua Aaron Shores, the 44-year-old mastermind behind a $2.5 million sports memorabilia fraud scheme, was sentenced to 60 months’ imprisonment by United States District Court Judge John E. Jones, III. Shores, who operated under several aliases and…
Kelvin Lyles, Synthetic Identity Wire Fraud, Georgia 2015
ATLANTA, GA – Kelvin Lyles is trading sidewalks for steel bars after being sentenced to three years and ten months in federal prison for a sophisticated wire fraud scheme involving “synthetic identities.” The case, prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia, highlights a rapidly growing trend in identity theft where…
Ismail Ali Khan, Counterfeit Medication Importation, Georgia 2014
ATLANTA – Ismail Ali Khan, a 29-year-old from Decatur, Georgia, has been stripped of his U.S. citizenship and faces deportation following a conviction for importing illegal male enhancement pills and falsely claiming he had no criminal history on his citizenship application. Khan was sentenced to five years, seven months in federal prison after being convicted…
Abe Martinez, Money Laundering, Texas 2023
McALLEN, Texas – A complex network of money launderers funneling millions of dollars to a Mexican drug cartel has been dismantled, with six individuals receiving federal prison sentences, Acting U.S. Attorney Abe Martinez announced. The operation, dubbed “Operation Emerald Chariots,” exposed a sophisticated scheme to clean illicit profits from the drug trade, stretching from the…
Jeremy Fluellen, Cocaine and Methamphetamine Distribution, Georgia 2018
NEWMAN, Ga. – A federal jury convicted Jeremy Fluellen, Chelsey Mayweather, Tramaine Tucker, and Christopher Williams on fifteen counts of cocaine and methamphetamine distribution, and seven counts of extortion under color of official right. The trial, which lasted a week, exposed the extensive corruption within Georgia Department of Corrections (GA DOC) institutions. U.S. Attorney John…
Louis Marandola, Bank Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft, Rhode Island 2017
PROVIDENCE, RI – The chickens have come home to roost for a pair of Rhode Island schemers who preyed on the housing market. Former Real Estate Attorney Louis Marandola, 42, of Providence, and Brian R. McCaffrey, 38, of Warwick, a former licensed loan originator, have been sentenced to federal prison for their roles in a…
Richard Petix, Bitcoin Smuggling, New York 2024
Acting U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr., revealed today that Richard Petix, a 32-year-old Rochester native, has pleaded guilty to making material false statements and operating an unlicensed money transmitting business in connection with Bitcoin transactions. The charges carry a sentence of up to five years in prison. Petix, who was already on supervised release…
