News Releases and Statements

Reminco Zhangazha was sentenced by U.S. District Judge David C. Godbey to 93 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $2,648,334 in restitution.

Heesham Broussard, 38, from Lake Charles, Louisiana, also known as Sudan, was found guilty by a jury for conspiracy to commit mail fraud, two counts of mail fraud, and two counts of aggravated identity theft following a four day trial before U.S. District Judge Michael H. Schneider.

Kim Meas, 60, a native of Cambodia, pleaded guilty November 24, 2014, to two counts of conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States, two counts of transporting illegal aliens and two counts of failure to collect and pay federal income and employment taxes.

Luis Ramon Casellas, 42, of Canovanas, Puerto Rico, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Camille L. Velez-Rive of the District of Puerto Rico to three counts of bulk cash smuggling and one count of theft of government property. Sentencing before U.S. District Judge Carmen Consuelo Cerezo of the District of Puerto Rico will be scheduled at a later date.

Michael J. Todd, 65, of Panama, Kenneth Laudgaard, 46, of Minnesota and James Robert Shipman Jr., 64, of Florida, used private jets and off-shore bank accounts in Panama to launder cash for an undercover FBI agent who posed as a corrupt stock promoter.

Marius Vintila, aka Dan Girneata, 32, had previously pleaded guilty Jan. 29, 2015, to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity theft.

According to the indictment, the following defendants were part of the scam from January 2012 to March 2015: Maurice Simmonds, a/k/a "Damion Dash," 34; Devon A. Grant, a/k/a "The Bachelor," 55; Majid Morris, 34; Ashley Hicks-Williams, 29; Melissa Duncan, 29; and Warren Chevannes, a/k/a "Dave," 37.

Carlos O’Brien Ricketts, 32, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Michael F. Urbanski of the Western District of Virginia to serve 10 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered him to pay $74,450 in restitution to his victims.

Officials from more than 25 countries gathered June 18-19 to discuss the use of virtual currencies by criminal organizations to complete illicit transactions and launder ill-gotten gains. The event was co-hosted by U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Europol’s Cybercrime Center.

William Anthony Huff, 53, was a businessman who orchestrated a $53 million fraud on the IRS and other schemes, spanning four states, involving tax violations, bank bribery, fraud on bank regulators, and the fraudulent purchase of an insurance company.

The investigation of Major General Carlos Flores Garcia, former comptroller of the Philippine Armed Forces, began in 2004. General Garcia was suspected of using his official position to illegally accept commissions, bribes, kickbacks, gifts and other benefits in connection with government contracts and projects he oversaw as comptroller.

Rodolfo Quiambao, 71, of Queens, New York allegedly bribed Con Ed supervisors in exchange for receiving lucrative contracts from the public utility services provider. Quiambao’s arrest is the latest part of the government’s continuing investigation of bribery and kickback schemes involving employees of Con Ed.

Magdy Fouad Anise, aka Michael Anise, 51, of Aberdeen Township, New Jersey, was charged with structuring cash transactions to avoid reporting requirements and structuring more than $100,000.

Latonya Lanette Carson, 41, Ricardo Garth Solomon, 49, and Smith Olsola Akin, 32, made their initial appearances in federal court and each remains in custody. A detention hearing is set for June 1 for Carson. Another defendant, Segun Edomwonyi, aka “Benny O. Prince,” 49, is still at large.

The charges stem from schemes used by Alejandro Mayendia-Blanco, Orlando Mayendia-Diaz and Nell Blanco-Casasnovas to obtain money from mortgage lending institutions.

Kenneth Kapikian, 57, of Wayne, Pennsylvania, and Dennis Gagliardi, 60, of Chester Springs, Pennsylvania, were each charged with seven counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Anthony R. Pecoraro, 52, of Colts Neck, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty to one count of tax evasion.

Stephanie Pyle, 40, was charged Feb. 10 in a 12-count indictment alleging that between January 2010 and May 2014, she used credit cards and account numbers without authorization in the name of a construction company to defraud the company.

These arrests resulted from an investigation by ICE HSI and the Passaic County (New Jersey) Narcotics, Gangs and Violent Crimes Task Force. Authorities arrested the following on one count each of promoting gambling, and possession of gambling records: Diana A. Nunez, Maximo Beltre, and Carlos B. Nouel.

Bartice Alan King, aka “Luke,” 44, of Spring, Texas, was found guilty of conducting an illegal gambling business and engaging in a conspiracy to commit money laundering. A sentencing hearing has not yet been set.

Genadi Yagodayev, 37, is the fourth conviction in connection with the investigation into Rockford Group.

The indictment was returned under seal April 29 and unsealed upon the arrest of Avery Lamarr Ayers, 48. He is expected to make his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephen Wm. Smith April 30.

The conference, which was the fourth of its kind, was hosted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Attaché Office in Mexico and the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development and Training (OPDAT).

Sally Iriri, 32, a Nigerian national who was living in Chicago, is charged in a three-count indictment with wire fraud. The indictment alleges that from October 2013 to March 2015 she and others not named in the indictment devised a fraud scheme in which they targeted victims by creating fake profiles on Internet dating services.