U.S. Attorney’s Office

Eastern District of Missouri

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, March 31, 2021

Judge sentences former Missouri State Representative for using campaign funds for his own personal use and expenses

ST. LOUIS – United States District Judge Stephen R. Clark sentenced Courtney Curtis, today, to 21 months in prison and ordered him to pay restitution in the amount of $47,867.69 to the victims. The 39-year-old Ferguson, Missouri resident pleaded guilty to three counts of wire fraud relative to his theft of funds from his “Curtis for MO” campaign account. Curtis served as Representative of Missouri District 73 from 2013 until 2019. Most recently, Curtis served as an assistant to St. Louis County Councilwoman Rita Heard Days.

Beginning on or about January 1, 2016 and continuing through or about December 31, 2017, Curtis misled donors by falsely representing that money contributions to the “Curtis for MO” campaign committee would be used for campaign and reelection purposes, when, in fact, he used a substantial portion of the money contributed by donors to the “Curtis for MO” campaign committee for his own personal use and expenses.

After fraudulently convincing constituents to donate money to the “Curtis for MO” campaign committee, Curtis knowingly used monies in the “Curtis for MO” campaign committee bank account for his own personal benefit, unrelated to any legitimate campaign or re-election purpose in various ways, including but not limited to: using money in the account to pay for his apartment rental and utility bills; paying for hotel, airfare and travel expenses for himself and companions; paying for restaurant and bar bills; withdrawing funds from the account through substantial cash withdrawals, including at area casinos; and, using money in the account to purchase retail items for his personal use.

Additionally, from time to time, Curtis deposited campaign donation checks into his personal bank account and used those funds to pay for personal living expenses unrelated to any legitimate campaign or re-election purpose. Curtis acted to conceal his scheme by failing to file required reports with the Missouri Ethics Commission, or by filing false reports with the Missouri Ethics Commission, which failed to identify his cash withdrawals from the “Curtis for MO” campaign committee bank account, failed to identify payments made directly from the “Curtis for MO” campaign committee bank account which were made for his own personal use, unrelated to any campaign or re-election purpose, and failed to identify campaign donation checks received and deposited to his personal bank account. Curtis wire transferred funds from the “Curtis for MO” campaign account to pay for personal expenses and to make cash withdrawals.

Total funds obtained by Curtis through his scheme to defraud his donors was approximately $47,867.69.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Hal Goldsmith is handling the case.

U.S. Attorney’s Office

District of Puerto Rico

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, March 31, 2021

56 Members Of A Violent Gang Charged With Drug Trafficking And Firearms Violations In San Juan, Carolina, And Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – On March 23, 2021, a federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned an indictment charging 56 violent gang members from the municipalities of San Juan, Carolina and Trujillo Alto, with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, and firearms violations, announced W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Puerto Rico Police Bureau (PRPB), San Juan and Carolina Strike Forces, and the United States Marshals Service investigated the case.

“This operation shows our resolve, along with our federal and state law enforcement partners, to continue working to protect the communities we serve from these deadly drugs and violence,” said W. Stephen Muldrow, U.S. Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. “Operation 65 successfully removed members of an extremely violent drug organization from our streets and reflects the excellent collaboration between our federal and Puerto Rico law enforcement partners – coordinated through our HIDTA and OCDETF task force programs.”

“The members of “65 Inc.,” as this criminal organization was known, flooded San Juan, Carolina and Trujillo Alto neighborhoods with gun violence and drugs. Many lives in those communities have been irreparably damaged as a result of their violent criminal activity,” said Robert Cekada, Special Agent in Charge of ATF Miami Field Division. “During the course of the investigation, ATF, the USMS, PRPB, Carolina PD, and San Juan PD worked relentlessly to investigate 65 Inc. leaders and other key members of the organization. Also, Guaynabo PD, Bayamón PD, and San Juan PD assisted during the arrests.”

“The United States Marshals Service will continue working with the United States Attorney’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms and all other agencies in conducting these enforcement operations to fight crime,” said Wilmer Ocasio Ibarra, US Marshal. “Today, I commend our Deputies and Task Force Officers for the excellent job they have done and continue to do every day in order to make our streets and communities safer.”

The indictment alleges that from 2015 to the date of the return of the indictment, the drug trafficking organization distributed cocaine base (commonly known as “crack”), heroin, cocaine, marihuana, Oxycodone (Percocet), and Alprazolam (Xanax) within 1,000 feet of the Jardines del Paraíso, Jardines de Monte Hatillo, Las Dalias, Monte Park, Jardines de Campo Rico, San Martín, Jardines de Country Club, Ernesto Ramos Antonini, La Esmeralda, and Nuestra Señora de Covadonga Public Housing Projects, Los Claveles Condominium, and Buen Consejo Ward. The object of the conspiracy was the large-scale distribution of controlled substances and to possess and distribute kilogram quantities of controlled substances, mainly cocaine, in Puerto Rico, for further distribution in the continental United States.

In or around August 2015, new leadership among the street gangs emerged and gained control of most of the housing projects and wards within specific areas of San Juan, Carolina and Trujillo Alto. Members of this new gang identified themselves as 65 INC. or 65. Their goal was to take over and maintain control of all the drug trafficking activities within specific areas in the mentioned municipalities through the use of force, threats, intimidation and violence. Some members of 65 INC. transported and distributed kilogram quantities of cocaine from Puerto Rico to the continental United States.

During the course of the investigation, over 100 weapons were seized either directly from members of the drug trafficking organization or recovered by the Puerto Rico Police Bureau and ATF in areas controlled by the organization. Twenty-seven of the weapons recovered had been converted into machineguns.

Members of the organization had illegal connections to obtain weapons of different makes, models and calibers, including high powered rifles like AK-47 and AR-15 type pistols. They also had individuals who had the knowledge to modify firearms to convert them into fully automatic machineguns. They were also able to obtain high capacity magazines capable of accepting up to 30 rounds of ammunition at a time, and drum magazines capable of accepting up to 50 rounds of ammunition at a time, all of which were used by members of the organization. These types of magazines were also recovered by the PRPB and ATF during the investigation.

U.S. Attorney’s Office

District of Rhode Island

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, March 31, 2021

Central Falls Man Sentenced to Thirty-Five Years in Prison for Creating and Distributing Child Pornography

PROVIDENCE – A Central Falls man who admitted to repeatedly abusing a toddler that he photographed and filmed in various stages of undress, displaying her genitalia, and of him engaged in sexually explicit conduct with her, was sentenced today to 35 years in federal prison.

According to court documents, Jose A. Cortes, 41, had regular access to a female toddler and used that relationship with her to sexually abuse her multiple times. He memorialized the abuse by filming and taking photographs of his actions.

In addition to creating a library of photographs and video of his abuse of the toddler beginning when she was approximately two-and-a-half years old, Cortes admitted to amassing a sizeable collection of thousands of images of child pornography, including a video of a prepubescent child in bondage being raped.

According to court documents, Cortes criminal conduct first came to the attention of the Central Falls Police Department when an acquaintance of Cortes told police that Cortes showed him images on a tablet of teenaged girls and images of babies being molested. While showing off the images, Cortes came upon images of the known victim and said, “That’s me with [redacted] daughter.”

According to court documents, Cortes told the induvial he would place the toddler’s sibling in another room with video games and treats so he could “do what he does to her.” He added, “If you’re gonna do this, you gotta get the children that don’t talk, they’re babies.”

Jose Cortes, detained since his arrest on April 19, 2018, pleaded guilty on June 15, 2020, to two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of possession of child pornography.

Cortes was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge William E. Smith to 35 years in federal prison to be followed by lifetime federal supervised release, announced Acting United States Attorney Richard B. Myrus and Central Falls Police Chief Colonel Anthony Roberson.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Denise M. Barton.

Acting United States Attorney Richard B. Myrus acknowledges and thanks the Rhode Island State Police and Homeland Security Investigations for their assistance in the investigation, and the Rhode Island Department of the Attorney General for their assistance preparing the case for prosecution in U.S. District Court.

U.S. Attorney’s Office

Southern District of New York

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, March 31, 2021

Former CEO Of Melrose Credit Union Convicted Of Bribery Schemes In Manhattan Federal Court

Audrey Strauss, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced the conviction in Manhattan federal court of ALAN KAUFMAN for participating in a scheme in which KAUFMAN, who was then the Chief Executive Officer of Melrose Credit Union “Melrose CU”), accepted rent-free housing and financing for the purchase of his personal residence from Tony Georgiton as a reward for the approval of millions of dollars in loans to Georgiton’s companies at favorable terms. KAUFMAN was also convicted for accepting lavish vacations, including to Paris and Hawaii, from a media company and other vendors, as a reward for Melrose CU purchasing increased advertising from those companies. The jury convicted KAUFMAN today following a two-week trial before U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan. Georgiton pleaded guilty before Judge Kaplan on September 9, 2020.

U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said: “A unanimous Manhattan jury has found that Alan Kaufman, the former CEO of Melrose Credit Union, accepted luxurious gifts from Georgiton as a reward for favorable loan rates for his companies. In doing so, Kaufman shirked his fiduciary obligation to act in the best interests of Melrose to instead exploit his control of union funds for his own personal gain. Melrose’s members certainly deserved better representation than Alan Kaufman, who placed his own selfish needs above theirs – and thanks to the work of the FBI, Kaufman and Georgiton both stand convicted of federal crimes.”

According to the Indictment, documents previously filed in the case, and evidence introduced at trial:

In 2010, Georgiton purchased a home in Jericho, New York (the “Jericho Residence”) and permitted KAUFMAN to live in that home rent-free for over two years. While KAUFMAN was living rent-free at the Jericho Residence, KAUFMAN personally approved the refinancing of over $100 million worth of loans at Melrose CU held by a company owned by Georgiton with favorable terms. The head of Melrose CU’s loan department did not sign off on the loans given to Georgiton because, among other things, he believed that the terms were too favorable and did not comply with Melrose CU’s loan policy.

In 2011, KAUFMAN sought approval from Melrose CU’s Board of Directors for Melrose CU to purchase the naming rights to a ballroom under construction in Astoria, Queens (the “Melrose Ballroom”). That ballroom was owned by a company owned by Georgiton. KAUFMAN did not disclose to the Melrose Board that he was living rent-free in a house owned by Georgiton at the time he sought Board approval for the naming rights acquisition. Over the next five years, Melrose CU paid $2 million to Georgiton’s company for the naming rights to the Melrose Ballroom. KAUFMAN also directed that payment for the naming rights be paid a year in advance of the Melrose Ballroom’s actual opening for operations.

In 2013, KAUFMAN purchased the Jericho Residence from Georgiton, with financing that largely came from Georgiton. To purchase the Jericho Residence, KAUFMAN took out a $200,000 loan from Melrose CU co-signed by Georgiton and secured by Georgiton’s shares in Melrose CU. Georgiton also gave KAUFMAN a $240,000 unsecured personal loan. Georgiton has never made a demand for payment on that personal loan and KAUFMAN has never made a payment on that personal loan. Rather than repay the loan, the following year, KAUFMAN purchased a used Maserati sports car for his wife, valued at over $100,000.

In addition, from in or about 2010 through in or about 2015, KAUFMAN solicited and accepted lavish vacations and other gifts worth tens of thousands of dollars from a media company (“Media Company-1”) and other media vendors, as a reward for KAUFMAN’s approval of advertising spending by Melrose CU. For example, in 2010, Media Company-1 paid for KAUFMAN and his wife, who also worked at Melrose CU, to fly to Paris, France, and stay at the Four Seasons George V Paris. In 2012, Media Company-1 paid for KAUFMAN and his wife to fly to Maui, Hawaii and stay at the Four Seasons in Wailea. In 2013, Media Company-1 paid for KAUFMAN and his wife to attend the Super Bowl in New Orleans.

KAUFMAN did not seek approval for these vendor-paid trips from the Melrose CU Board, nor did he disclose these vendor-paid trips to the Melrose CU Board, in violation of Melrose CU’s anti-bribery policy.

Gaetz story was just another fake injection and fuel for the orange man bad crowd

U.S. Attorney’s Office

District of New Hampshire

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, January 28, 2021

Israeli National Pleads Guilty to Bail Jumping

CONCORD - Boaz BenMoshe, 58, of Israel, pleaded guilty in federal court on Wednesday to bail jumping, United States Attorney Scott W. Murray announced today.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in November 2006, a federal grand jury charged BenMoshe with conspiracy to launder monetary instruments and conspiracy to engage in unlicensed wholesale distribution of prescription drugs. After an initial appearance hearing on January 29, 2007, BenMoshe was released on conditions including his promise to notify the pretrial services officer of any plans to change his residence and to travel outside of the Central District of California and the District of New Hampshire. On January 9, 2009, BenMoshe pled guilty to conspiracy to engage in unlicensed wholesale distribution of prescription drugs. The Court accepted his guilty plea and permitted him to continue on the same conditions of release pending sentencing. The sentencing hearing was scheduled for June 23, 2009. On or about April 29, 2009, in violation of his conditions of release, BenMoshe moved to Israel and failed to appear for his sentencing hearing on June 23, 2009.

On December 16, 2009, a federal grand jury charged BenMoshe with bail jumping for his failure to appear at his sentencing hearing.

In August of 2020, BenMoshe was extradited from Israel to the United States to face the charges pending against him in New Hampshire.

BenMoshe is scheduled to be sentenced in both cases on April 1, 2021.

“This prosecution demonstrates that defendants cannot flee from the United States to escape responsibility for their crimes,” said U.S. Attorney Murray. “BenMoshe violated his promise to appear in court for sentencing and spent years avoiding the ultimate judicial reckoning for his crime. Through hard work and diligence, the U.S. Marshals located this fugitive and he was extradited back to New Hampshire to face the consequences of his 2009 guilty plea and his flight from justice. Other criminal defendants should take note that efforts to flee from justice will not succeed.”

“The arrest and subsequent extradition of BenMoshe is a testament to the collaborative work of the US Marshals Service and the US Attorney’s Office for the District of New Hampshire,” said Nick Willard, U.S. Marshal for the District of New Hampshire. “We are also grateful for the cooperation of the Israeli authorities who worked closely with the Deputy Marshals for a safe and professional transfer into our custody.”

This matter was investigated by the United States Marshals Service. The underlying criminal case was investigated by the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigations, the Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Internal Revenue Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cam Le and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Hawkins.

https://www.reuters.com/article/usa-mexico-cartels-idINKBN2BM2IK

https://www.breitbart.com/border/2021/03/31/exclusive-leaked-video-human-smugglers-drop-small-children-from-border-wall-in-new-mexico/

U.S. Attorney’s Office

Eastern District of Virginia

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, March 31, 2021

Former Intelligence Analyst Pleads Guilty to Disclosing Classified Information

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A former intelligence analyst and former military servicemember pleaded guilty today to illegally obtaining classified national defense information and disclosing it to a reporter.

“Those who are entrusted with classified information have a duty to safeguard that information in order to protect our Nation’s security,” said Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “As an analyst for the Intelligence Community, Daniel Hale knowingly took highly classified documents and disclosed them without authorization, thereby violating his solemn obligations to our country. We are firmly committed to seeking equal justice under the law and holding accountable those who betray their oath to safeguard national security information.”

According to court records, Daniel Everette Hale, 31, of Nashville, Tennessee, served as an enlisted airman in the U.S. Air Force from July 2009 to July 2013. After receiving language and intelligence training, Hale was assigned to work at the National Security Agency (NSA) and deployed to Afghanistan as an intelligence analyst. After leaving the Air Force in July 2013, Hale was employed by a defense contractor and assigned to the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), where he worked as a political geography analyst between December 2013 and August 2014. In connection with his active duty service and work for the NSA, and during his time at NGA, Hale held a Top Secret // Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS//SCI) security clearance and was entrusted with access to classified national defense information.

According to court records, beginning in April 2013, while enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and assigned to the NSA, Hale began communicating with a reporter. Hale met with the reporter in person on multiple occasions, and communicated with the reporter via phone, text message, email, and, at times, an encrypted messaging platform. Then, in February 2014, while working as a cleared defense contractor at NGA, Hale printed six classified documents unrelated to his work at NGA and soon after exchanged a series of messages with the reporter. Each of the six documents printed were later published by the reporter’s news outlet.

According to court records, while employed as a cleared defense contractor for NGA, Hale printed 36 documents from his Top Secret computer, including 23 documents unrelated to his work at NGA. Of the 23 documents unrelated to his work at NGA, Hale provided at least 17 to the reporter and/or the reporter’s online news outlet, which published the documents in whole or in part. Eleven of the published documents were marked as Top Secret or Secret.

According to court records, in August 2014, Hale’s cell phone contact list included contact information for the reporter. He also possessed a thumb drive that contained a page marked “SECRET” from a classified document that Hale had printed in February 2014 and had attempted to delete from the thumb drive. In addition, Hale possessed on his home computer another document that he had stolen from NGA.

Hale pleaded guilty to retention and transmission of national defense information, and he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison when sentenced on July 13, 2021. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; John C. Demers, Assistant Attorney General for National Security; and Jennifer C. Boone, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Baltimore Field Office, made the announcement after the plea was accepted by Senior U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gordon D. Kromberg and Alexander P. Berrang and Senior Trial Attorney Heather M. Schmidt of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:19-cr-59