News Releases and Statements

If convicted, Gary Dale Thrasher, 56, faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison on the bank fraud counts, a maximum of 10 years of imprisonment for the passport fraud offenses, and a two-year minimum mandatory term of imprisonment for aggravated identity theft.  

Noel Chimezuru Agoha, 40, of Baltimore, received the sentence Feb. 28 for conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The judge also ordered Agoha to pay $1 million in restitution.

Vernelle E. Hines, 30, a resident of Houston, Texas, was charged with interfering with commerce by robbery and carrying and using a firearm during a crime of violence.

Dwayne Henry, 32, and Wayne Henry, 34, both of Landover Hills, allegedly engaged in a lottery scheme that tricked victims into believing they won a lottery or sweepstakes and were required to send advance payment for taxes and other fees before they were entitled to receive their winnings.

Amos Prince Okey Ezemma, 50, of Lagos, Nigeria, faces federal charges in Miami. His co-defendants, Ezennia Peter Neboh; Kennedy Ikponmwosa; Iheanyichukwu Jonathan Abraham; 44; Emmanuel Samuel, 39; and Jerry Chucks Ozor, 43; all of London, were all arrested in April 2022 by authorities in Madrid and London. Ezemma remained a fugitive until his surrender and arrest.

Dementrous Von Smith, 36, of Waldorf, Maryland, received a sentence of 53 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, Dec. 15, for a wire fraud conspiracy, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, in relation to the submission of fraudulent CARES Act unemployment insurance claims in Maryland, California, and Arizona totaling at least $1.5 million.

During the conspiracy, Ariel Pintado-Montalvo paid thousands of dollars in bribe payments to Antonio Silva-Rodriguez, Hector Vazquez-Barroso and Doris Bonilla-Valle, who each used their positions as Department of Treasury employees to approve fraudulent and non-fraudulent vehicle excise-tax declarations in exchange for bribe payments.

Ghacham Inc., based in Paramount and doing business under the brand name Platini, was given financial penalties and ordered to create and maintain an anti-money laundering compliance and ethics program with a third-party monitor review, who will report to the court annually.

William Dexter Lucas, 61, was convicted in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and was sentenced to 97 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release.

An HSI Norfolk investigation revealed that the Virginia-based tactical equipment company London Bridge Trading Company sold foreign-made goods marked as “Made in the USA.” Its customers included the U.S. government, which purchased the equipment for uniformed service members through the DLA.

Sammy Adam Joseph, 47, was charged in an eight-count indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Missouri, on Wednesday, Nov. 8. That indictment was unsealed and made public Nov. 14 upon his arrest and initial court appearance.

Carlos Manuel da Silva Santos, 29, of Portugal, was taken into custody in Newark, New Jersey, as he arrived in the United States from abroad.

The four-state Organized Retail Crime Alliance connects federal, state and local law enforcement and prosecutors, as well as financial and retail industry partners, from all four states. The ORCA initiative is part of a larger nationwide strategic partnership for HSI to identify, investigate and prosecute organized retail crime.

According to court documents, Ezennia Peter Neboh, 48, who was sentenced to 128 months of incarceration, was the lead defendant of a group of fraudsters who sent personalized letters to elderly victims in the United States, falsely claiming that the sender was a representative of a bank in Spain and that the recipient was entitled to receive a multimillion-dollar inheritance left for the recipient by a family member who had died years before in Portugal.

Carma de Monterrey SA de CV, a Mexican corporation headquartered in Monterrey, Mexico, and the defendants admitted they conspired to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business on behalf of foreign patrons of the casino industry.

In support of the 14-month investigation, HSI worked with AFP investigators and key partners to plan and execute the takedown of the Long River money laundering organization, through investigative actions, such as obtaining financial records through subpoenas, analyzing bank records, obtaining search warrants, and conducting undercover operations, which contributed significantly to the multinational investigation, arrests and charges.

Summer Marie Creech, 45, admitted that beginning in or around 2019 she learned how to acquire genuine Series I savings bonds numbers. She then used computer software and printers to forge counterfeit bonds.

Abel Alonso Valdez-Vazquez, 59, of Tijuana, Mexico, was also ordered to pay $81,185.35 in restitution to the Social Security Administration.

According to court documents, Iheanyichukwu Jonathan Abraham, 44, was part of a group of fraudsters who sent personalized letters to elderly victims in the United States, falsely claiming that the sender was a representative of a bank in Spain and that the recipient was entitled to receive a multimillion-dollar inheritance left by a family member who had died years before in Portugal.

According to court documents, Ezennia Peter Neboh, 48; Kennedy Ikponmwosa, 52; and Jerry Chucks Ozor, 43, were part of a group of fraudsters that sent personalized letters to elderly victims in the United States.

According to court documents, Jose Roman, 43, Marcos Valencia Jr, 32, Ezequil Castro, 37, and Juan Gonzalez, all of Kansas City, Kansas; Manuel Alvarez, 28, of Seneca, Manuel Faudoa, 23, of Dodge City and Gerardo Sierra-Martinez, 21, of Kansas City, Missouri, are charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

William Eric Fulton, 59, of Agoura Hills, pleaded guilty to one count of making false statements.

Akolade Ojo, 31, of Owings Mills, received the 46-month prison sentence followed by three years of supervised release at the U.S. District Court in Baltimore on July 5. Ojo must also pay $1,320,186.19 in restitution.

On June 14, a judge sentenced Veronica Dittman, 28, of Tempe, to five years in prison for her role in operating multiple darknet pages selling illicit drugs with two previously sentenced co-conspirators. The sentence follows a multiagency investigation involving HSI Arizona.

Shakeeb Ahmed, 34, of New York, New York, is charged with wire fraud and money laundering, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. The unsealed indictment charges Ahmed with wire fraud and money laundering in connection with his attack on a decentralized cryptocurrency exchange.