Tag: November 2016
Slidell’s John Sposato Gets 7 Years for $811K Ponzi Scheme
John Sposato, 64, of Slidell, Louisiana, is headed to federal prison for running a brazen national Ponzi scheme that bilked 48 investors out of more than $811,000. Sposato pleaded guilty to wire fraud and was sentenced today to 84 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay…
Hartford Dealer Roman Pantojas Cops to Guns, Heroin
Seven hundred baggies of heroin, two loaded handguns, and nearly $2,400 in cash—this was the grim haul when federal agents stormed the Hartford home of Roman Pantojas on May 23, 2014. The 28-year-old, a convicted felon, wasn’t just dealing drugs—he was trading them for guns, fueling a deadly underground economy that fed addiction and violence…
Joanna Boyer Convicted of $29K Social Security Fraud
Joanna Boyer, 44, of Rehoboth, Massachusetts, was found guilty today of stealing more than $29,000 in federal Supplemental Security Income benefits through a years-long scheme built on lies and concealed assets. A federal jury in Boston convicted her after a three-day trial on one count of Social Security fraud, two counts of making false statements,…
MS-13’s ‘Muerto’ Pleads Guilty to Cocaine Ring and Stabbing
Jose Hernandez-Miguel, aka “Muerto,” 31, of Chelsea, admitted in federal court Monday, Nov. 28, 2016, to trying to murder a rival gang member with a knife near Highland Park in 2015 — a brutal assault tied directly to his role in the violent MS-13 street gang. The stabbing was not a random act, but part…
Harrisburg Man Gerard Grant Gets 2 Years for Drug Sales
Harrisburg resident Gerard Grant, 60, is headed to federal prison for two years after pleading guilty to illegally selling prescription drugs in the heart of Pennsylvania’s capital city. The conviction stems from a multi-agency sting that exposed Grant’s repeated sales of hydrocodone-laced Vicodin tablets to individuals working with federal investigators. According to court documents filed…
Malcolm Washington, 24, Charged in Double Eastside Robberies
Malcolm Washington, 24, of Evansville, is facing federal charges for a violent crime spree that terrorized two eastside businesses on October 17, 2016. Indicted on three counts including robbery and using a firearm during a crime of violence, Washington allegedly stormed into the Walmart Neighborhood Market at 3430 Taylor Avenue, brandished a handgun, and demanded…
MS-13 Kingpins Get Life: Reyes-Villatoro Sentenced in NJ Gang Murders
Newark, N.J. – A chilling chapter in the violent saga of MS-13 came to a close this week as five members of the notorious gang were sentenced to life plus 10 years for their roles in a string of murders and racketeering activities, according to U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman and Assistant Attorney General Leslie…
Ronda L. Easton Gets 21 Years for Meth Empire
Ronda L. Easton, 53, of Springfield, Mo., is behind bars for 21 years without parole after being sentenced in federal court for her central role in a sprawling methamphetamine distribution conspiracy that stretched from Arizona to southwest Missouri. The takedown marks the end of a violent, high-volume drug pipeline that flooded Springfield with pounds of…
Ryan Root Pleads Guilty in Binghamton Steroid Ring
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — Ryan Root, 37, of West New York, New Jersey, and former resident of Binghamton, pleaded guilty today to running a sprawling international anabolic steroid trafficking ring that flooded the U.S. with unregulated performance-enhancing drugs. Root admitted to conspiring to distribute steroids and laundering money across borders, marking the latest fall of a…
Dr. Ljudmil Kljusev Pleads Guilty to Drug Trafficking, Fraud
Milford psychiatrist Dr. Ljudmil Kljusev, 52, of Fairfield, pleaded guilty today to distributing narcotics outside the scope of professional practice and committing health care fraud, capping a federal investigation into his prescription drug operation disguised as a medical practice. Kljusev admitted in U.S. District Court in Hartford before Judge Alvin W. Thompson that he operated…
