News Releases and Statements

Wilmer Chavez Romero aka “Charmin,” 27, is charged by indictment with one count each of racketeering, racketeering conspiracy, assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, and conspiracy to harbor aliens resulting in death; two counts of using a firearm for a violent crime; and two counts of murder in aid of racketeering.

William Joseph Boyle, age 47, of Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 78 months and ordered to pay $429,000 in restitution, three years supervised release, $1,000 special assessment, and forfeiture of $415,000. 

Criminal complaints filed in Southern District of New York named the following individuals:  Carlos Djemal, Isidoro Haiat, Braulio Lopez, Max Fraenkel, Daniel Blitzer and Robert Moreno.

A federal grand jury convicted the following two men of conspiracy to commit wire fraud: Clarence Counterman, 59, owner of an income tax return preparation business known as Taxrite, and Robert Loya, 52.

The defendants are charged with the transfer of funds through dozens of shell companies in the United States and Mexico as part of a scheme to fraudulently obtain tax refunds from the government in Mexico.

Mathieu Baaklini, 21, Safwan Bensalma, 21, and Brandon Lo, 24, all of Laval, Quebec, and Nicolau Manfredi, 21, of Montreal, were each charged with conspiracy to fraudulently use access devices resulting in the receipt of more than $1,000 in cash.

Overall, the nearly two million people who participated in TelexFree made 96% of their compensation, not from selling the company’s VOIP service, but from ad-posting and recruiting others to join.

Latonya Carson, 42, of Dallas, was convicted of the following charges: one count of conspiracy to commit theft of public funds, access device fraud and wire fraud; three counts of aggravated identity theft; one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering; four counts of money laundering; and four counts of wire fraud.

Chae Sun Kim, 62, of Oregon, pleaded guilty to the charges in March 2016. According to court documents, between April and May 2015, Kim and an associate created a Republic of Korea passport using a fictitious name to open numerous bank accounts in the Portland metropolitan area.

Omar Faraj Saeed Al Hardan, 24, a refugee born in Iraq, pleaded guilty Oct. 17 to one count of attempting to provide material support — specifically himself — to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Al Hardan entered the United States as a refugee on Nov. 2, 2009.

According to the California State Bar, Hall was disbarred in 2012 for “misconduct in three loan modification matters.”

The identity theft charges to which the seven defendants have pleaded guilty carry a statutory maximum sentence of 15 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.

This agreement brings the total HSI TTU international partners to 14.

Patty Cordoba, 44, of Crystal Lake, Illinois, was sentenced Sept. 28 by U.S. District Judge Frederick J. Kapala, Northern District of Illinois, to 55 months in federal prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) recently hosted a two day transnational financial investigations training in Kingston, Jamaica. HSI officials from the Illicit Finance and Proceeds of Crime Unit (IFPCU) provided the training and the U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission to Jamaica, Eric Khant was on hand to provide remarks.

Marco Antonio Delgado (aka Marco Delgado Licon), 50, was found guilty on three counts of wire fraud, seven counts of money laundering, and nine counts of engaging in monetary transactions of criminally derived property.

The complaint alleges violations of the False Claims Act by Yingshun Garments Inc., an importer of women’s apparel manufactured in China; Marie Rogers former Managing Director of Yingshun; Import Global Designs Inc. and Olgrem Llc, successor entities to Yingshun; and Notations, Inc., a wholesaler of women’s apparel and Yingshun’s biggest customer. 

On Sept. 19, a jury found the following four men guilty of conspiracy to commit money laundering after a weeklong trial before U.S. District Judge Amos Mazzant:  Miguel Rivas Estrada, 29, of Michoacán, Mexico; Felipa Torres, 49, of Dallas, Texas; Justa Centeno, 52, of Dallas; and Jose Angel Olvera, 40, of Dallas.

Rolando Minano, 48, pleaded guilty in May 2016 to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud.  Rolando Minano’s ex-wife, Martha Irene Collantes, 53, and his stepson, Carlos Arturo Pastor Collantes, 32, were sentenced in May 2016 to 12 months and just over 10 months, respectively.

Vincent Lee Ferguson, 65, of Knoxville; Matthew Lee Ferguson, 40, of Lenoir City; Kerry Joseph Ferguson, 35, of Houston, Texas; Matthew Harrison Martland, 32, of Knoxville; and Stephanie Lynn Kaemmerer, 44, of Knoxville; appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Clifton Corker and pleaded not guilty. All were released on bond pending trial, which has been set for Nov. 1, in U.S. District Court, in Greeneville.

Funso Hassan, 27, of Ibadan, Nigeria and Anthony Shane Jeffers, 44, of Maryville, Tennessee, were each sentenced to 10 years in prison. Ann Louise Franzen, 70, of Kiln, Mississippi; Gary Melvin Barnard, 64, of Palestine, Texas; Michele Gayle Fee, 55, of Stockton, California; Tanya Lynn Thomas, 52, of Turlock, California; and Shawn Ann White, 44, of Manteca, California, were each sentenced to five years in prison.

Cristopher Santiago Sanchez-Becerra, 32, appeared in federal court Tuesday morning to answer to the charges stemming from a probe by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the California Department of Insurance, Fraud Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick R. Delahunty and Henry Z. Carbajal III are prosecuting the case.