NEWS | Feb. 25, 2021

NSA Issues Guidance on Zero Trust Security Model

FORT MEADE, Md., –

The National Security Agency published a cybersecurity product, “Embracing a Zero Trust Security Model,” on Thursday. This product shows how deploying Zero Trust security principles can better position cybersecurity professionals to secure enterprise networks and sensitive data. To provide NSA’s customers with a foundational understanding of Zero Trust, this product discusses its benefits along with potential challenges, and makes recommendations for implementing Zero Trust within their networks.

The Zero Trust model eliminates trust in any one element, node, or service by assuming that a breach is inevitable or has already occurred. The data-centric security model constantly limits access while also looking for anomalous or malicious activity.

Adopting the Zero Trust mindset and leveraging Zero Trust principles will enable systems administrators to control how users, processes, and devices engage with data. These principles can prevent the abuse of compromised user credentials, remote exploitation, or insider threats, and even mitigate effects of supply chain malicious activity.

NSA strongly recommends that a Zero Trust security model be considered for all critical networks within National Security Systems, the Department of Defense’s critical networks, and Defense Industrial Base critical networks and systems. NSA notes that Zero Trust principles should be implemented in most aspects of a network and its operations ecosystems to become fully effective. To address potential challenges of implementing Zero Trust solutions, NSA is developing and will release additional guidance in the coming months.

NSA seeks to regularly release unique, actionable, and timely cybersecurity guidance to strengthen the cybersecurity of the nation and its allies at scale. For more information or other cybersecurity products, visit NSA.gov/cybersecurity-guidance.

U.S. Attorney’s Office

Northern District of Oklahoma

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, April 28, 2021

Former Police Officer Pleads Guilty to Sexually Abusing a Young Child

A Sapulpa man scheduled to begin trial Tuesday in federal court opted instead to plead guilty to sexually abusing a young child, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.

Bradley Don Goodin, 46, pleaded guilty to abusive sexual contact with a child under 12 in Indian Country. As part of the plea agreement, the defendant agreed to a sentence of 15 years in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Gregory K. Frizzell will make the final sentencing determination at a hearing set for Aug. 11, 2021.

“Bradley Goodin was a danger to children, but now thanks to the Sapulpa Police Department, Creek County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI, and my office, he is a convicted child predator who will spend significant time in federal prison,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.

In a child forensic interview, the girl described two incidents when Goodin sexually abused her on Oct. 5, 2019. During the second incident, the victim’s mother walked in. The girl was afraid to tell her mother what was happening at the time because she feared he would harm them. She later disclosed the abuse. With the aid of a neighbor, the mother fled the home with her children and contacted the Sapulpa Police Department. At the time of the incident, Goodin was an officer with Bristow Police Department. He has not been employed with the department since November 2019.

In a February 2021 superseding indictment, Goodin was charged with sexually abusing a total of three minors. He was also charged with being a felon in possession of 21 firearms. Goodin chose to plead guilty rather than go to trial.

The Sapulpa Police Department, Creek County Sheriff’s Office and FBI conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey A. Gallant and Matilda Villalobos are prosecuting the case. Ms. Villalobos is a prosecutor from the District of New Mexico. She volunteered to assist prosecution efforts here in the Northern District of Oklahoma due to increased jurisdictional responsibilities regarding crimes involving Native American victims or defendants and that occur within the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and Cherokee Nation Reservations.

https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndok/pr/former-police-officer-pleads-guilty-sexually-abusing-young-child

Department of Justice

U.S. Attorney’s Office

Southern District of Indiana

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, April 28, 2021

Pendleton Man Sentenced to 30 Years for Sexual Crimes with a Child

INDIANAPOLIS - A Pendleton man was sentenced to 30 years for several counts of sexual exploitation of a child, coercion and enticement of a child, and possession of child pornography.

According to court documents, in January 2017, Jeffrey Kramer, 51, of Pendleton, used an online dating website to meet the minor victim. Kramer falsely represented to the victim that his name was "Michael", and that he was a wealthy foreigner. Kramer used the internet, including social media, and family heritage websites, to gain and verify information about the minor victim and her family. He knew that the victim was under the age of 18 and that her father had recently died. He promised to give her millions of dollars if she self-produced child pornography at Kramer’s direction.

For approximately a year, Kramer used the internet to groom and psychologically extort the victim to engage in sexually explicit conduct. Specifically, to produce and send violent child sexual abuse material (CSAM) over the internet, and to enter a bondage­-discipline, dominance, submission, and sadism-masochism (BDSM) relationship with him.

“Adults who sexually exploit children are some of the worst in our society,” said Childress. “No amount of time behind bars seems adequate punishment for the monstrous behavior and harm Kramer knowingly caused this victim. We will continue to diligently work together with our law enforcement partners to identify these predators and bring justice to their victims.”

“Those who prey on the most vulnerable of our citizens, our children, will be held accountable for their heinous actions,” said FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Paul Keenan. “This lengthy sentence demonstrates our commitment to identify and investigate those who exploit innocent children to ensure they can never victimize anyone else.”

The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany J. Preston, who prosecuted the case for the government said Kramer must pay $10,000 in restitution and serve the remainder of his life on supervised release after his imprisonment.

https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdin/pr/pendleton-man-sentenced-30-years-sexual-crimes-child

U.S. Attorney’s Office

District of New Jersey

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, April 28, 2021

Iowa Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Producing and Possessing Child Pornography

CAMDEN, N.J. – An Iowa man today was sentenced to 300 months in prison for producing and possessing images of child sexual abuse, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.

Donavon Oliphant, 38, of Independence, Iowa, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Noel L. Hillman to an information charging him with one count of sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of possession of child pornography. Judge Hillman imposed the sentence today in Camden federal court.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

In August 2019, Oliphant produced 11 images and four videos of child sexual abuse. The videos depicted sexual acts involving a pre-pubescent child and an adult male. Oliphant then used a peer-to-peer file-sharing program to share these images and videos with an individual located in Gloucester County, New Jersey. When law enforcement accessed Oliphant’s file-sharing account, they found more than 1,700 videos and 200 images of child sexual abuse.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Hillman sentenced Oliphant to a lifetime term of supervised release, ordered him to pay restitution of $3,000, and ordered him to register as a sex offender.

Acting U.S. Attorney Honig credited special agents of U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jason J. Molina in Newark, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel A. Friedman of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Criminal Division in Camden.

https://www.justice.gov/usao-nj/pr/iowa-man-sentenced-25-years-prison-producing-and-possessing-child-pornography

U.S. Attorney’s Office

District of Connecticut

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, April 28, 2021

Bristol Man Sentenced to 7 Years in Federal Prison for Soliciting Child Pornography

Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JEFFREY L. BACON, 61, of Bristol, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant in Hartford to 84 months of imprisonment, followed by a lifetime term of supervised release, for soliciting child pornography.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in October 2018, Bacon began communicating with a 15-year-old girl through the Kik messaging application after he had met the girl in a Kik chat group for teens. Knowing that he was communicating with a minor, Bacon sent the girl sexually explicit pictures of himself and described various sexual acts that he wanted to engage in with the girl. The girl told her mother who reported the communications to the police.

On October 30, 2018, a law enforcement officer assumed the girl’s Kik identity to continue to correspond with Bacon. Bacon asked the undercover officer, who was posing as the girl, to remind Bacon of her age. The officer responded with “15.” From October 30 to November 1, Bacon repeatedly sent sexually explicit pictures and videos of himself to the undercover officer. Bacon also requested sexually explicit pictures in return. During their conversations, Bacon asked the undercover officer if he could pick her up from school so he could see her. Bacon suggested they could go to the mall where the girl could try on clothes while Bacon watched and engaged in a sexual act. Bacon also discussed going to a motel with the girl to engage in sexual acts with her.

On November 19, 2018, Bacon was arrested on related state charges. During a subsequent forensic examination of Bacon’s laptop computer, investigators found images of child pornography, including images depicting prepubescent females engaged in sexual acts with adults.

Bacon was arrested on a federal criminal complaint on July 26, 2019. On November 24, 2020, he pleaded guilty to one count of soliciting child pornography.

At the conclusion of today’s sentencing, Bacon, who was released bond, was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service to being serving his sentence.

This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Connecticut Child Exploitation Task Force and the Enfield Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Neeraj N. Patel.

This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com.

https://www.justice.gov/usao-ct/pr/bristol-man-sentenced-7-years-federal-prison-soliciting-child-pornography

Department of Justice

Office of Public Affairs

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, April 28, 2021

North Carolina Man Pleads Guilty to Production of Child Pornography

A North Carolina man pleaded guilty Monday to production of child pornography.

According to statements made in connection with his plea, when allegations of child pornography came to light, Raul Ayala Jr., 72, of Harnett County, was interviewed by the Fuquay-Varina Police Department and admitted to molesting a prepubescent minor victim, as well as other victims as far back as the 1970s. A search warrant was thereafter executed at Ayala’s residence in Angier and multiple digital devices were seized. The devices contained numerous images and videos of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). In addition, the police found a briefcase in Ayala’s attic, suspended by a pulley system, that contained CSAM and Polaroid pictures of nude minor children, dating back to the late 1960s and early 1970s. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents were able to track down and identify one of the boys depicted in the Polaroids. He is now in his 60s and disclosed that Ayala had sexually abused him when he was a minor, starting when he was 8 years old.

“This case demonstrates that child sex offenders too often engage in their offenses over great periods of time without detection,” said acting Assistant Attorney General Nicholas L. McQuaid of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “This prosecution resulted from the successful collaboration of diligent federal and local law enforcement officers in their efforts to pursue justice for children, regardless of the passage of time. Ayala committed egregious offenses for decades and his successful prosecution ensures that he now faces a sentence of no less than 15 years. The Department of Justice is committed to tirelessly tracking down and pursuing the prosecution of defendants like Ayala who victimize the most vulnerable members of our society.”

“Child pornography – the horrible exploitation of the most vulnerable among us – is one of the worst and most intolerable crimes we prosecute, and this plea reflects the Department of Justice’s deep and abiding commitment to removing these predators and restoring our children,” said Acting U.S. Attorney G. Norman Acker III of the Eastern District of North Carolina. “This case allows us to take another step in the right direction as we work to eliminate this crime and its terrible consequences for our communities.”

“As disturbing as these child sex abuse cases are, HSI is determined to prevent and punish those who sexually abuse innocent children,” said Special Agent in Charge Ronnie Martinez of HSI’s Charlotte Field Office. “Working together with our partners in the Fuquay-Varina Police Department and the Hartnett County Sheriff’s Office, these cases can be investigated thoroughly and expeditiously so children can continue to be rescued. There is nothing more meaningful than locating, identifying, and rescuing child sex abuse victims.”

Ayala faces up to 30 years of imprisonment, with a mandatory minimum term of 15 years of imprisonment, to be followed by supervised release for at least five years, and restitution. After release from prison, Ayala will be required to register as a sex offender.

Trial Attorney Charles Schmitz of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Charity Wilson of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina prosecuted the case.

The HSI Raleigh Field Office investigated the case with assistance from the Fuquay-Varina Police Department and the Harnett County Sheriff’s Office. CEOS’s High Tech Investigative Unit provided substantial assistance.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc.

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/north-carolina-man-pleads-guilty-production-child-pornography

U.S. Attorney’s Office

District of Idaho

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, April 28, 2021

Lewiston Drug Trafficker Sentenced to Over 26 Years

COEUR D’ALENE – Christopher William Bounds, 38, of Lind, Washington, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 322 months in federal prison, Acting U.S. Attorney Rafael M. Gonzalez, Jr. announced today. Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye also ordered Bounds to serve ten years of supervised release following his prison sentence, pay a $2,400 fine, and ordered the forfeiture of sixteen firearms. In August 2020, a federal jury sitting in Coeur d’Alene convicted Bounds on six federal charges, including conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and heroin, unlawful possession of a firearm by a drug addict, unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, and for possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.

Evidence presented during the four-day trial established that Quad Cities Drug Task Force detectives worked with the Nez Perce County Sheriff’s Office to stop Bounds’ vehicle when Bounds was leaving Lewiston, Idaho. Officers searched Bounds’ vehicle and seized two pounds of pure methamphetamine, one pound of heroin, cash, and sixteen loaded firearms. Testimony at trial showed that the drugs were valued at over $32,000. Bounds’ cell phone was also seized and a search revealed that Bounds was a wholesale distributor of methamphetamine and heroin in Idaho and Eastern Washington. The jury also heard evidence that Bounds used an assault rifle for protection when meeting with cartel-level drug traffickers a couple days before the traffic stop. Bounds has multiple felony convictions which prohibit him from possessing firearms.

Multiple law enforcement agencies contributed to the prosecution of this case including the Nez Perce County Prosecutor’s Office, Lewiston Police Department, Nez Perce County Sheriff’s Office, Clarkston Police Department, and Whitman County Sheriff’s Office, who are all part of the Quad Cities Drug Task Force, as well as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, who are not part of the task force but participate with it on a regular basis. The Quad Cities Drug Task Force is a multi-jurisdictional group of law enforcement officers working together to target drug trafficking in Lewiston and Moscow, Idaho, and Clarkston and Pullman, Washington.

This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

https://www.justice.gov/usao-id/pr/lewiston-drug-trafficker-sentenced-over-26-years

U.S. Attorney’s Office

Southern District of New York

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, April 28, 2021

Additional Leaders Of Latin Kings Set Charged In Manhattan Federal Court With Racketeering, Narcotics, And Firearms Offenses

Audrey Strauss, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, William F. Sweeney Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) and Dermot Shea, the Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), announced the unsealing of a fifteen-count Superseding Indictment charging 18 defendants with committing various racketeering, narcotics, and firearms offenses, as well as violent crimes in aid of racketeering. Eleven of the defendants were previously indicted in December 2019 by a grand jury in the Southern District of New York with racketeering conspiracy, narcotics conspiracy, and possessing firearms in furtherance of a narcotics conspiracy. Five of the seven newly-indicted defendants were arrested today and will be presented before U.S. Magistrate Judge Gabriel W. Gorenstein in Manhattan federal court. Defendant MARK WOODS, a/k/a “Smokey,” is currently in state custody and will be presented at a later date. Defendant WILLIAM GONZALEZ, a/k/a “Bori,” remains at large. The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Valerie E. Caproni.

The defendants arrested today include the most senior members—known as the “Dons”—of a Latin Kings set currently operating in New York.

U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said: “As alleged in the Superseding Indictment, the defendants in this case include the leaders of a violent set of the Latin Kings gang. They are alleged to have engaged in acts of violence, robberies, narcotics trafficking, and the use of firearms. Thanks to the efforts of our partners at the FBI and NYPD, the defendants now face federal charges for these very serious crimes.”

As alleged in the Superseding Indictment unsealed today in Manhattan federal court and statements made in court filings[1]:

CARMELO VELEZ, a/k/a “Jugg,” CHRISTOPHER RODRIGUEZ, a/k/a “Taz,” LUIS SEPULVEDA, a/k/a “Red,” EMMANUEL BONAFE, a/k/a “Eazy,” ALBERTO BORGES, a/k/a “AB,” JUAN HERNANDEZ, a/k/a “Guerra,” JESUS HERNANDEZ, a/k/a “Goldo,” EZEQUIEL OSPINA, a/k/a “Izzy,” RAIMUNDO NIEVES, a/k/a “Double-R,” DEESHUNTEE STEVENS, a/k/a “Kay,” HECTOR BONAPARTE, a/k/a “June,” DIEGO MATEO, a/k/a “Casa,” JUPANKY PIMENTEL, a/k/a “Panky,” WILLIAM GONZALEZ, a/k/a “Bori,” MARK WOODS, a/k/a “Smokey,” RICARDO RICUARTE, a/k/a “Nino,” RAUL CUELLO, a/k/a “2B,” and PAUL CUELLO, a/k/a “Flip,” are members and associates of a racketeering enterprise known as the Latin Kings, and specifically, the set, or “tribe” of the Latin Kings known as the Black Mob, which operates in the Bronx, Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, and Long Island. In order to enrich the enterprise, protect and expand its criminal operations, enforce discipline among its members, and retaliate against members of rival gangs, members and associates of the Black Mob committed, conspired, attempted, and threatened to commit acts of violence; distributed and possessed with intent to distribute narcotics, including heroin, fentanyl, and crack; committed robberies; and obtained, possessed, and used firearms. Some of the defendants are also charged with committing assaults in aid of racketeering, including assaults in connection with gunpoint robberies of drug dealers and gambling parlors.

The Black Mob has a recognized leadership hierarchy and a code of conduct that members must follow. The leadership structure resembles the traditional leadership structure of other Latin King tribes. Leaders in the Black Mob are referred to as “Crowns,” with the respective Crowns ranked as “First Crown,” “Second Crown,” etc. The gang’s leadership structure also includes “Coppos,” which are the Black Mob members in charge of members in a certain geographic borough. Even higher than the Crowns and Coppos are the “Dons.” The Dons are either founding members of the Black Mob or longtime members who have earned a higher level of respect. As alleged, three of the Dons—MATEO, PIMENTEL, and GONZALEZ—and four Crowns or Coppos—RICUARTE, WOODS, and the CUELLO brothers—have been charged in the Superseding Indictment.

Ms. Strauss praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI and NYPD.

This case is being handled by the Office’s Narcotics Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Adam Hobson, Elinor Tarlow, and David Robles are in charge of the prosecution.

https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/additional-leaders-latin-kings-set-charged-manhattan-federal-court-racketeering

>>13533287

>Additional Leaders Of Latin Kings Set Charged In Manhattan Federal Court With Racketeering, Narcotics, And Firearms Offenses

pdf

U.S. Attorney’s Office

Central District of California

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, April 28, 2021

Federal Indictments Target Street Gang for Alleged Crack Cocaine Distribution and Firearm Offenses at Housing Projects in Watts

LOS ANGELES – Law enforcement this morning arrested 19 defendants, most of whom are members and associates of the Bounty Hunter Bloods (BHB) street gang named in a series of federal grand jury indictments charging them with manufacturing and distributing crack cocaine in and around their “territory” of the Nickerson Gardens public housing projects in the Watts neighborhood of the City of Los Angeles.

The 19 people arrested this morning are among 22 defendants charged in nine indictments unsealed today that allege violations of federal narcotics and firearms laws. The defendants arrested today are expected to be arraigned on the indictments this afternoon in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles.

In addition to those arrested during “Operation Loyalty Matters,” one defendant is already in custody on unrelated charges. Authorities are continuing to search for two defendants.

During the investigation, law enforcement seized 26 firearms – including five “ghost guns,” or firearms lacking serial numbers – 1 kilogram of crack cocaine and 12 pounds of methamphetamine.

The case’s main indictment centers on the alleged drug manufacturing and distributing activities of Damion Baker, 43, a.k.a. “Fatts,” and Tony Carr, 49, a.k.a. “T-Bone,” both of whom are documented Watts-based BHB gang members. The 15-count indictment also charges Baker’s alleged network of narcotics suppliers, manufacturers, and distributors.

From August 2019 to May 2020, Baker obtained powder cocaine from suppliers and, along with Carr, manufactured or “cooked” crack cocaine in Nickerson Gardens, then prepared and packaged crack cocaine for other distributors and customers in the housing complex, according to the indictment. The conspirators allegedly collected proceeds from the crack cocaine sales after distributing the drugs to customers via hand-to-hand transactions.

“Because of the highly dangerous and lucrative nature of crack cocaine trafficking, individuals who worked together in the distribution of crack cocaine often had established relationships through their membership or association with the BHB,” the indictment alleges.

Baker, Carr and the indictment’s 10 other defendants are charged with one count of conspiracy to manufacture, distribute and possess with intent to distribute crack cocaine. Baker faces eight additional felony charges in the indictment, while Carr is charged with six additional felonies, including narcotics distribution and firearms-related offenses.

The remaining eight indictments charge an additional 10 defendants with violating federal narcotics and firearms laws.

An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Fourteen defendants, including all 12 defendants charged in the lead indictment, face potential sentences of life imprisonment if they are convicted of conspiracy to distribute more than 280 grams of crack cocaine, and they potentially face mandatory minimum sentences of 10 years in federal prison for that offense. Four additional defendants face mandatory minimum sentences of five years in federal prison if convicted of charges of conspiracy to distribute 28 grams or more of crack cocaine, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

Today’s arrests were made by the FBI’s Los Angeles Metropolitan Task Force on Violent Gangs, which consists of the FBI, the Los Angeles Police Department, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Assistant United States Attorney Amy E. Pomerantz of the Violent and Organized Crime Section is prosecuting this case.

>>13533309

>The 19 people arrested this morning

https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/federal-indictments-target-street-gang-alleged-crack-cocaine-distribution-and-firearm

Y she in a car tho

>>13533381

Inb4 Borat entrapment clickbait

U.S. Attorney’s Office

Southern District of New York

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, April 28, 2021

Leader Of Brooklyn Chapter Of The United Brotherhood Of Carpenters Convicted In Union Bribery Scheme

Audrey Strauss, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that SALVATORE TAGLIAFERRO, the president of Local 926 chapter of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America (the “Union”), was found guilty today in Manhattan federal court of honest services wire fraud, conversion of union assets, and conspiracy, in connection with his involvement in a scheme to solicit cash bribes from hundreds of prospective members in exchange for union membership. The jury convicted TAGLIAFERRO today following a one-week trial before U.S. District Judge Paul A. Crotty. TAGLIAFERRO is scheduled to appear for sentencing before Judge Crotty on July 27, 2021.

U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said: “As a unanimous jury has now found, Salvatore Tagliaferro is guilty of old-fashioned corruption – betraying his duty to the union and the trust of its hard-working members by taking cash bribes to line his own pockets.”

As reflected in the Indictment, public filings, and the evidence presented at trial:

From at least in or about 2017 up through and including in or about June 2019, TAGLIAFERRO, as the President of the Local 926 chapter of the Union in Brooklyn, abused his position as an officer and employee of the Union by soliciting and accepting cash bribes from prospective Union members in exchange for securing the bribe payors’ admission to the Local 926. Working with other co-conspirators, including John DeFalco, the former Vice President of the Local 157 chapter of the Union in Manhattan, TAGLIAFERRO identified prospective members and solicited cash payments in amounts ranging from $600 to $2,000. Once prospective members had paid bribes, TAGLIAFERRO then used his authority to ensure they were admitted into the Local 926 and received Union membership cards. Over the course of the scheme, the Local 926 ballooned by over 800 new members, but for two years more than half of the new members never worked a single Union job. TAGLIAFERRO and DeFalco split the cash bribes obtained from the bribe payors’ during clandestine early morning meetings outside a construction site in lower Manhattan, and each received at least $70,000 as a result of the scheme.

• • *

TAGLIAFERRO was found guilty of one count of conspiracy, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison; one count of conversion of union assets, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison; and one count of honest services wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

Ms. Strauss praised the investigative work of the Department of Labor, Office of the Inspector General, the Department of Labor, Office of Labor-Management Standards, and the New York City Department of Investigation.

This case is being handled by the Office’s Public Corruption Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas McKay and Jarrod Schaeffer and are in charge of the prosecution.

>>13533425

https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/leader-brooklyn-chapter-united-brotherhood-carpenters-convicted-union-bribery-scheme

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