Mexican National Arrested for Impersonating Immigration Officer

A Mexican national who lived locally, and who allegedly impersonated a federal immigration officer, remains in custody following his arrest Monday, February 11, 2013, by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Jose Mario Carrera-Marrufo, 30, is charged with wire fraud, impersonating a federal officer or employee of the United States, and money laundering. A federal grand jury indicted him Feb. 6.
HSI special agents assigned to the El Paso Financial Operations and Currency Unified Strike Force, or FOCUS, arrested him in a central El Paso public housing apartment Feb. 11. ICE's Office of Personal Responsibility, or OPR, in El Paso also assisted with this investigation.

"El Paso's FOCUS team is a force multiplier for HSI," said Dennis A. Ulrich, special agent in charge of HSI El Paso. "This case identified an illegal scheme to extort victims. It also identified a vulnerability that seriously threatened homeland security and the legal process of obtaining an immigration benefit."

According to court records, between Nov. 1, 2010 and Dec. 31, 2011, Carrera-Marrufo knowingly devised and intended to devise a scheme to defraud and to obtain money and property by making fraudulent pretenses, representations and promises.

Carrera-Marrufo is named in an eight-count indictment returned Feb. 6 alleging that he posed as an employee, officer, or agent of an agency that deals with immigration matters, or as an immigration attorney to his victims.

He requested money over the telephone, by text message and email. In some cases, he met people in person. The people he allegedly defrauded heard of him through word of mouth.

According to the indictment: "As part of the scheme … to defraud, (Carrera-Marrufo) targeted individuals who had exhausted, or were in the process of exhausting all legitimate means to secure immigration documentation for their relatives and themselves."

The victims were told to email various identification documents to Carrera-Marrufo's email address to begin or facilitate the process of obtaining immigration documents. Once Carrera-Marrufo received the documents, he instructed his victims to deposit money in bank accounts that have been linked to him, even though they were not in his name.

At times Carrera-Marrufo told his victims he was working on a "package deal," and encouraged the victim to refer others to him to reduce the total cost to the victim, or facilitate the progress of the victim's paperwork.

However, none of the victims received immigration documents after submitting payments to him.

Carrera-Marrufo collected between $1,000 to $10,800 each from his victims, according to the indictment.

Carrera-Marrufo had his initial hearing Tuesday, and remains in federal custody. His detention hearing is set for 8:30 a.m. Friday in U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert Castañeda's courtroom.
The FBI and U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Office of the Inspector General also supported the investigation.

The El Paso FOCUS is a multi-agency financial strike force that detects and targets a wide variety of financial crimes. It is comprised of the following agencies: HSI, the Internal Revenue Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Secret Service, and the Texas Alcohol and Beverage Commission. Each participating agency utilizes its own unique authorities to enhance the task force's capabilities. Strike force members target financial crimes such as money laundering, mortgage and bank fraud, structuring, trade-based money laundering, money transmitting businesses/couriers, bulk cash smuggling and other financial crimes.

The El Paso FOCUS also aggressively targets assets illegally derived by criminal organizations.

US Citizen Sentenced for Connection to Terror Plots in India and Denmark

A U.S. citizen, partly of Pakistani descent, was sentenced Thursday, January 24, 2013, to 35 years in prison for a dozen federal terrorism crimes relating to his role in planning the November 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India, and a subsequent proposed attack on a newspaper in Denmark.

David Coleman Headley, 52, pleaded guilty in March 2010 to all 12 counts that were brought against him following his arrest in October 2009 as he was about to leave the country. 

Immediately after his arrest, Headley began cooperating with authorities.

This prison sentence resulted from an investigation conducted by the Chicago Joint Terrorism Task Force, led by the Chicago Office of the FBI, with assistance from FBI offices in Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) also provided assistance.

Headley was ordered to serve 35 years, followed by five years of supervised release, by U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber. There is no federal parole, and defendants must serve at least 85 percent of their sentence.

"Mr. Headley is a terrorist," Judge Leinenweber said in imposing the sentence. "There is little question that life imprisonment would be an appropriate punishment for Headley's incredibly serious crimes but for the significant value provided by his immediate and extensive cooperation," the government argued in seeking a sentence of 30 to 35 years.

In pleading guilty and later testifying for the government at the trial of a co-defendant, Headley admitted that he attended training camps in Pakistan operated by Lashkar e Tayyiba, a terrorist organization operating in that country, on five separate occasions between 2002 and 2005. In late 2005, Headley received instructions from three members of Lashkar to travel to India to conduct surveillance, which he did five times leading up to the Mumbai attacks in 2008 that killed more than 160 people, including six Americans, and wounded hundreds more.

Headley's plea agreement in March 2010 stated that he "has provided substantial assistance to the criminal investigation, and also has provided information of significant intelligence value." 

In consideration of Headley's past cooperation and anticipated future cooperation, including debriefings for gathering intelligence and national security information, the Attorney General of the United States authorized the U.S. Attorney's Office not to seek the death penalty. Headley's cooperation also includes testifying in any foreign judicial proceedings by way of deposition, via video-conferencing or letters.

"Today's sentence is an important milestone in our continuing efforts to hold accountable those responsible for the Mumbai terrorist attacks and to achieve justice for the victims. Our investigations into Mumbai attacks and the Denmark terror plot are ongoing and active. I thank the many agents, analysts and prosecutors responsible for this investigation and prosecution," said Lisa Monaco, Assistant Attorney General for National Security.

Headley was convicted of the following crimes:

·                             conspiracy to bomb public places in India;

·                             conspiracy to murder and maim persons in India;

·                             six counts of aiding and abetting the murder of U.S. citizens in India;

·                             conspiracy to provide material support to terrorism in India;

·                             conspiracy to murder and maim persons in Denmark;

·                             conspiracy to provide material support to terrorism in Denmark; and

·                             conspiracy to provide material support to Lashkar.

According to Headley's guilty plea and testimony, he attended the following training camps operated by Lashkar:

·                             a three-week course starting in February 2002 that provided indoctrination on the merits of waging jihad;

·                             a three-week course starting in August 2002 that provided training in the use of weapons and grenades;

·                             a three-month course starting in April 2003 that taught close combat tactics, the use of weapons and grenades, and survival skills;

·                             a three-week course starting in August 2003 that taught counter-surveillance skills; and

·                             a three-month course starting in December 2003 that provided combat and tactical training.

Mumbai Terror Attacks

After receiving instructions in late 2005 to conduct surveillance in India, Headley changed his given name from Daood Gilani in February 2006 in Philadelphia to facilitate his activities on behalf of Lashkar by portraying himself in India as an American who was neither Muslim nor Pakistani. In the early summer of 2006, Headley and two Lashkar members discussed opening an immigration office in Mumbai as a cover for his surveillance activities.

Headley eventually made five extended trips to Mumbai - in September 2006, February and September 2007, and April and July 2008 - each time making videotapes of various potential targets, including those attacked in November 2008. Before each trip, Lashkar members and associates instructed Headley regarding specific locations where he was to conduct surveillance. After each trip, Headley traveled to Pakistan to meet with Lashkar members and associates, report on the results of his surveillance, and provide the surveillance videos. Before the April 2008 surveillance trip, Headley and co-conspirators in Pakistan discussed potential landing sites in Mumbai for a team of attackers who would arrive by sea. Headley returned to Mumbai with a global positioning system device and took boat trips around the Mumbai harbor, and entered various locations into the device.

Between Nov. 26 and 28, 2008, 10 attackers trained by Lashkar carried out multiple assaults with firearms, grenades and improvised explosive devices against multiple targets in Mumbai, including the Taj Mahal and Oberoi hotels, the Leopold Café, the Chabad House and the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus train station. Headley had scouted each site in advance, which the resulting terrorist attacks killed 164 victims and wounded hundreds more.

The six Americans killed during the siege were Ben Zion Chroman, Gavriel Holtzberg, Sandeep Jeswani, Alan Scherr, his daughter Naomi Scherr, and Aryeh Leibish Teitelbaum. In March 2009, Headley made a sixth trip to India to conduct additional surveillance, including of the National Defense College in Delhi, and of Chabad Houses in several cities.

Denmark Terror Plot

Regarding the Denmark terror plot, Headley admitted and testified that in early November 2008, he was instructed by a Lashkar member in Pakistan, to conduct surveillance of the Copenhagen and Aarhus offices of the Danish newspaper Morgenavisen Jyllands-Posten in preparation for an attack in retaliation for the newspaper's publication of cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed. After this meeting, Headley informed co-defendant Abdur Rehman Hashim Syed (Abdur Rehman), also known as "Pasha," of his assignment. Abdur Rehman told Headley words to the effect that if Lashkar did not go through with the attack, Abdur Rehman knew someone who would. Although not identified by name at the time, Headley later learned this individual was co-defendant Ilyas Kashmiri. Abdur Rehman previously told Headley that he was working with Kashmiri and that Kashmiri was in direct contact with a senior leader of Al Qaeda.

While in Chicago in late December 2008 and early January 2009, Headley exchanged emails with Abdur Rehman to continue planning for the attack and to coordinate his travel to Denmark to conduct surveillance. In January 2009, at Lashkar's direction, Headley traveled from Chicago to Copenhagen to conduct surveillance of the Jyllands-Posten newspaper offices in Copenhagen and Aarhus and scouted and videotaped the surrounding areas.

In late January 2009, Headley met separately with Abdur Rehman and a Lashkar member in Pakistan, discussed the planned attack on the newspaper, and provided them with videos of his surveillance. About the same time, Abdur Rehman provided Headley a video produced by the media wing of Al Qaeda in about August 2008, which claimed credit for the June 2008 attack on the Danish embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan, and called for further attacks against Danish interests to avenge the publication of the offending cartoons.

In February 2009, Headley and Abdur Rehman met with Kashmiri in the Waziristan region of Pakistan, where they discussed the video surveillance and ways to carry out the attack. Kashmiri told Headley that he could provide manpower for the operation and that Lashkar's participation was not necessary. In March 2009, a Lashkar member advised Headley that Lashkar put the newspaper attack on hold because of pressure resulting from the Mumbai attacks. In May 2009, Headley and Abdur Rehman again met with Kashmiri in Waziristan. 

Kashmiri told Headley to meet with a European contact who could provide Headley with money, weapons and manpower for the Denmark attack, and relate Kashmiri's instructions that this should be a suicide attack and the attackers should prepare martyrdom videos beforehand. Kashmiri also stated that the attackers should behead captives and throw their heads on to the street in Copenhagen to heighten the response from Danish authorities, and added that the "elders," whom Headley understood to be Al Qaeda leadership, wanted the attack to happen as soon as possible.

In late July and early August 2009, Headley traveled from Chicago to various places in Europe, and met with and attempted to obtain assistance from Kashmiri's contacts and, while in Copenhagen, he made about 13 additional surveillance videos. When he returned to the United States Aug. 5, 2009, Headley falsely told a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) inspector in Atlanta that he had visited Europe for business reasons. On Oct. 3, 2009, Headley was arrested at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, intending ultimately to travel to Pakistan to deliver about 13 surveillance videos to Abdur Rehman and Kashmiri.

One of Headley's co-defendants, Tahawwur Rana, 52, of Chicago, was sentenced last week to 14 years in prison for conspiracy to provide material support to the Denmark terror plot and providing material support to Lashkar. Headley testified for the government at Rana's trial in June 2011.

The government is being represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel Collins and Sarah E. Streicker, Northern District of Illinois, with assistance from the Counterterrorism Section of the Justice Department's National Security Division. Federal prosecutors in Los Angeles have worked on a broader investigation of the Mumbai attacks. 

ICE's Operation Dark Night Busts Sex Trafficking Ring, Rescues 11 Victims

On Thursday, January 17, 2013, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced the results of a lengthy investigation, called Operation Dark Night, into a sex trafficking ring operating in Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas. The investigation, which was led by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), led to a takedown Wednesday, January 16, 2013, in which authorities made 13 criminal arrests and 44 administrative arrests tied to the investigation, as well as the rescue of as many as 11 victims.

"ICE investigates a wide array of crimes, but the trafficking of women and girls for prostitution is among the most sinister," said ICE Director John Morton. "Few crimes so damage their victims and undermine basic human decency. Our fight against this evil must be relentless, both here and abroad."

U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia Edward Tarver said, "In what essentially amounts to slavery in the year 2013, the conduct described in the indictment against these defendants is reprehensible. This case is a prime example of the United States Attorney's Office and HSI recognizing that human trafficking is a cancer facing our society and taking a stand to stop the victimization of women involved in sex trafficking."

According to the indictment, Joaquin Mendez-Hernandez, aka El Flaco, conspired with each of the other defendants to transport people across interstate boundaries to engage in prostitution. In addition, Mendez-Hernandez allegedly conspired with at least three others to entice women from Mexico, Nicaragua and elsewhere to travel to the United States with false promises of the American dream. Once inside the United States, these women were allegedly threatened and forced to commit acts of prostitution at numerous locations in Savannah and throughout the Southeast. In one such instance identified in the indictment, Mendez-Hernandez is alleged to have told a Mexican woman that she would be sent back to her home country unless she serviced 25 clients a day.

HSI provides relief to victims of human trafficking by allowing for their continued presence in the United States during criminal proceedings. Victims may also qualify for a T visa, which is issued to victims of human trafficking who have complied with reasonable requests for assistance in investigations and prosecutions. Anyone who suspects instances of human trafficking is encouraged to call the HSI tip line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or the Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888. Anonymous calls are welcome.

Operation Dark Night was led by HSI, with assistance from the FBI; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP); CBP Air and Marine Operations; the Internal Revenue Service's Criminal Investigations; the Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department; the Chatham County Sheriff's Office; the Garden City Police Department; and, the Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tania D. Groover and E. Greg Gilluly Jr. are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

Pakistani Native Sentenced for Supporting Terrorists

A Pakistani native, who operated a Chicago-based immigration business, was sentenced Thursday, January 17, 2013, to 14 years in prison for conspiring to provide material support to a terrorist plot in Denmark and providing material support to Lashkar e Tayyiba, a terrorist organization operating in Pakistan, that was responsible for the November 2008 attacks in Mumbai, India.

The defendant, Tahawwur Rana, was convicted of the charges June 9, 2011 following a three-week trial in U.S. District Court in Chicago.

This prison sentence resulted from an investigation conducted by the Chicago Joint Terrorism Task Force, led by the Chicago Office of the FBI, with assistance from FBI offices in Los Angeles, New York and Washington, D.C. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) also provided assistance.

Rana, 52, a Canadian citizen, was ordered to serve 14 years, followed by five years of supervised release, by U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber, Northern District of Illinois. "This certainly was a dastardly plot," Judge Leinenweber said in imposing the sentence.

Rana was convicted of conspiring to provide material support to a plot from October 2008 to October 2009 to commit murder in Denmark, including a horrific plan to behead employees of Morgenavisen Jyllands-Posten, a Danish newspaper, and throw their heads onto a Copenhagen street. Rana was also convicted of providing material support, from late 2005 to October 2009, to Lashkar, a militant jihadist organization operating in Pakistan. Lashkar planned and carried out the November 2008 attacks in Mumbai that killed more than 160 people, including six Americans, before initially planning the terrorist attack in Denmark in retaliation for the newspaper's publication of cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed. Rana was acquitted of conspiring to provide material support to the Mumbai attacks.

"This serious prison sentence should go a long way towards convincing would-be terrorists that they can't hide behind the scenes, lend support to the violent aims of terrorist organizations, and escape detection and punishment," said Gary S. Shapiro, acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois.

"Today's sentence demonstrates that, just as vigorously as we pursue terrorists and their organizations, we will also pursue those who facilitate their violent plots from a safe distance. As established at trial, Tahawwur Rana provided critical support to David Headley and other terrorists from his base in the United States, knowing they were plotting attacks overseas. I thank the many agents, analysts and prosecutors who helped bring about today's result," said Lisa Monaco, Assistant Attorney General for National Security.

"It is my hope that the judge's decision today sends a message to those who plot attacks and those who provide the support to make the plots possible, both here and abroad, that you will be held accountable for your actions. Our mission, detecting and preventing terrorist acts and eliminating the enabling support provided by terrorist sympathizers, remains our top priority," said Cory B. Nelson, special agent in charge of the Chicago FBI office.

Rana is one of two defendants to be convicted among a total of eight defendants who have been indicted in this case since late 2009. Co-defendant David Coleman Headley, 52, pleaded guilty in March 2010 to 12 terrorism charges, including aiding and abetting the murders of the six Americans in Mumbai. Headley, who is scheduled to be sentenced next Thursday, January 24, 2013, has cooperated with the government since his arrest in October 2009, and testified as a government witness at Rana's trial. He is facing a maximum of life in prison.

The evidence at Rana's trial showed that he knew he was assisting a terrorist organization and murderers, knew their violent goals, and readily agreed to play an essential role in achieving their aims. The government contended that Rana knew the objective of his co-conspirators was to retaliate against and influence the Danish government for its perceived role in the publication of the Prophet Mohammed cartoons. In addition, Rana knew that the goal of Lashkar was to retaliate against and influence the Indian and Danish governments; he intended that the support he provided - enabling Headley's activities - would be used toward that purpose.

In a post-arrest statement in October 2009, Rana admitted knowing that Lashkar was a terrorist organization and that Headley had attended training camps that Lashkar operated in Pakistan. Headley testified that he attended the training camps on five separate occasions between 2002 and 2005. In late 2005, Headley received instructions from members of Lashkar to travel to India to conduct surveillance, which he did five times leading up to the Mumbai attacks three years later that killed more than 160 people and wounded hundreds more.

In the early summer of 2006, Headley and two Lashkar members discussed opening an immigration office in Mumbai as a cover for his surveillance activities. Headley testified that he traveled to Chicago and advised Rana, his long-time friend since the time they attended high school together in Pakistan, of his assignment to scout potential targets in India. Headley obtained approval from Rana, who owned First World Immigration Services in Chicago and elsewhere, to open a First World office in Mumbai as cover for his activities. Rana directed an individual associated with First World to prepare documents supporting Headley's cover story, and advised Headley how to obtain a visa for travel to India, according to Headley's testimony, as well as emails and other documents that corroborated his account.

Between Nov. 26 and 28, 2008, 10 attackers, trained by Lashkar, carried out multiple assaults with firearms, grenades and improvised explosive devices against multiple targets in Mumbai, some of which Headley had scouted in advance.

Regarding the Denmark terror plot, Headley testified that in the fall of 2008, he met with a Lashkar member in Karachi, Pakistan, and was instructed to conduct surveillance of the Jyllands-Posten newspaper offices in Copenhagen and Aarhus.

In late 2008 and early 2009, after reviewing with Rana how he had performed surveillance of the targets attacked in Mumbai, Headley testified that he advised Rana of the planned attack in Denmark and his intended travel there to conduct surveillance of the newspaper's facilities. Headley obtained Rana's approval and assistance to identify himself as a representative of First World and gain access to the newspaper's offices by falsely expressing interest in placing advertising for First World in the newspaper. Headley and Rana caused business cards to be made that identified Headley as a representative of the Immigration Law Center, the business name of First World, according to the evidence at trial.

The trial evidence also included transcripts of recorded conversations, including those in September 2009, when Headley and Rana spoke about reports that a co-defendant, Ilyas Kashmiri, an alleged Pakistani terrorist leader, had been killed and the implications of his possible death for the plan to attack the newspaper. In other conversations, Rana told Headley that the attackers involved in the Mumbai attacks should receive Pakistan's highest posthumous military honors. In the late summer of 2009, Rana and Headley agreed that funds that had been provided to Rana could be used to fund Headley's work in Denmark. The evidence showed that Rana pretended to be Headley in sending an email to the Danish newspaper.

The government is being represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel Collins and Sarah E. Streicker, Northern District of Illinois, with assistance from the Counterterrorism Section of the Justice Department's National Security Division. Federal prosecutors in Los Angeles have worked on a broader investigation of the Mumbai attacks.

MS-13 Gang Member Sentenced for Sex Trafficking

Yimmy Pineda-Penado, aka Critico, 22, of Alexandria, Va., was sentenced by United States District Judge Anthony J. Trenga Friday, December 14, 2012, to 210 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for his role in a gang-run juvenile prostitution ring.

The sentencing follows an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Washington, D.C., and the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) Washington Field Office with assistance from the Fairfax County Police Department and the Northern Virginia Human Trafficking Task Force.

"Homeland Security Investigations is committed to working with our law enforcement partners to investigate gang members and associates involved in sex trafficking, especially those instances involving juveniles forced into prostitution," said HSI Washington, D.C., Special Agent in Charge John P. Torres. "HSI will continue to aggressively investigate transnational gang members, like Yimmy Pineda-Penado, who engage in sex trafficking and other violent crimes."

According to court documents and testimony, Pineda-Penado, originally from El Salvador, became involved in juvenile sex trafficking through his membership in MS-13. He was personally responsible for prostituting at least one juvenile female. His involvement in MS-13's juvenile sex trafficking scheme lasted from the fall 2009 until the spring 2010.

MS-13 members prostituted the victim at various motels and apartments in Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, and Falls Church, Va., as well as in Maryland. The victim was not permitted to leave the prostitution scheme and MS-13 members plied her with drugs and alcohol to make her more compliant while her body was being exploited for profit.

Founded in 2004, the Northern Virginia Human Trafficking Task Force is a collaboration of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies – along with nongovernmental organizations – dedicated to combating human trafficking and related crimes. From FY 2011 to the present, 44 defendants have been prosecuted in 25 cases in the Eastern District of Virginia for human trafficking and trafficking-related conduct involving at least 32 victims.

Anyone who suspects instances of human trafficking is encouraged to call the HSI tip line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or to complete its online tip form:

http://www.ice.gov/exec/forms/hsi-tips/tips.asp.

Anonymous calls are welcome.

The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zachary Terwilliger and Patricia Giles.

CBP Officer Arrested for Bribery Charges

Federal authorities arrested a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) supervisory officer the morning of Thursday, October 25, 2012, on charges of accepting bribes to allow others, including his ex-wife, to smuggle goods into the United States so they could avoid paying duties and taxes.

Sam Herbert Allen, 51, of Diamond Bar, was arrested after being indicted Wednesday, October 24, 2012, by a federal grand jury on charges of conspiracy, bribery and making false statements to investigating agents with the Department of Homeland Security.

The probe was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Office of Professional Responsibility, ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Internal Affairs.

According to the five-count indictment, Allen served as a supervisory officer assigned to oversee the examination and release of cargo entering the United States. After he was transferred to other duties within CBP, Allen convinced his ex-wife to operate an import business that would avoid paying duties on shipments coming from the People's Republic of China.

The import business – technically a "foreign trade zone" – would falsely claim that the shipments from China were not imported, but were instead immediately sent to Mexico. The indictment alleges that Allen promised to make the shipments appear to CBP as if they had been exported to Mexico, this in exchange for bribe payments of $2,000 per shipment.

During the course the scheme, which operated from at least September 2009 until March 2010, Allen allegedly received more than $100,000 in bribe payments. The indictment alleges that the scheme caused the United States to suffer a loss of at least $781,000 in unpaid customs duties and taxes.

"When public servants break the law, it leaves behind an indelible stain," said United States Attorney André Birotte Jr. "The indictment alleges that Officer Allen violated the public trust by using his position in a government agency to line his pockets and deprive the United States of legitimate taxes owed in the normal course of business. The criminal charges reflect our commitment to rooting out and punishing corrupt officials."

The indictment goes on to allege that Allen encouraged his ex-wife to lie – and that Allen himself lied – to federal law enforcement personnel investigating and prosecuting this scheme. Allen is also charged with lying to investigators when he denied discussing a separate scheme to smuggle cocaine into the United States from Mexico.

An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed crimes. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

Allen is expected to be arraigned on the indictment the afternoon of Thursday, October 25, 2012, in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles.

If he is convicted of the five counts in the indictment, Allen would face a statutory maximum penalty of 35 years in federal prison.

Allen's ex-wife, Wei Lai, was charged with crimes related to her role in the smuggling scheme in July 2011. She has pleaded not guilty to the charges and is scheduled to go to trial with another defendant Feb. 19, 2013.

Gang Target Operation Arrests 33, 28 Guns Seized

Federal, state and local authorities arrested 33 individuals and seized guns and drugs during a 90-day concentrated enforcement initiative in the South King County area dubbed "Operation Down in the Valley."

The initiative was led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Valley Gang Unit.

"Drug trafficking, and the violent crime it spawns, is not limited to our urban areas," said U.S. Attorney Jenny A. Durkan. "We must make our neighborhoods places for people to thrive. ‘Hot spot' initiatives such as this seek to identify and root out the bad actors who are making our communities unsafe. I congratulate ATF and Homeland Security Investigations for their leadership, and our local partners who worked to get dangerous and violent offenders off the street."

At a press conference Tuesday, October 23, 2012, officials highlighted four offenders nabbed during the operation, Jorge Fernandez-Muñoz, Cedric Jackson, Terrance Jackson and Alonso Enrique Pelayo.

Fernandez-Muñoz is charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and was arrested Oct.17 outside the Southcenter Target store in Tukwila. He had set up a two-pound methamphetamine deal in the store's parking lot with a person working with law enforcement.
Cedric and Terrance Jackson are charged with conspiracy and multiple counts of distributing cocaine and crack cocaine. When arrested at his home on Oct. 18, Cedric Jackson had four firearms including a Tek-9; a Glock with an extended magazine; a Taurus .357 revolver and a Russian-made revolver. He now faces additional charges for being a felon in possession of firearms.

Pelayo was arrested Oct. 22 after selling several firearms to a person working with law enforcement. One of the guns was a sawed-off shotgun and two of the handguns had been reported stolen in Snohomish County.

"Criminals don't pay attention to jurisdictional lines or borders, which is why law enforcement partnerships that bring together a variety of enforcement authorities are incredibly important," said Brad Bench, special agent in charge, HSI Seattle. "HSI is committed to disrupting criminal enterprises at every level of their operation, from their associates in the U.S. to their leadership abroad."

In all, authorities took 28 guns and nearly 14 pounds of methamphetamine off the street as well as cocaine, heroin and prescription narcotics.

The charges contained in the complaints are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

The Valley Gang Unit includes police officers from the cities of Kent, Renton and Tukwila, the King County Sheriff's Office, the Port of Seattle and the Washington State Department of Corrections. The Seattle Police Department, the FBI and the Washington State Liquor Control Board also participated in the initiative. The cases are being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Washington and the King County Prosecutors Office.

"America's Most Wanted" and ICE Catch Two Sex Traffickers

"America's Most Wanted," the television show famously known for helping law enforcement catch some of the country's most hardened criminals, featured Eric Bell on its June 11, 2011 edition.

It is a mother's worst nightmare. Her child ends up in the hands of a monster – sold for sex and treated like a commodity. That's what happened to four young girls, all between 15 and 17 years old, when they met Eric Bell in 2009 and 2010.

That nightmare came to an end Tuesday, September 18, 2012, when Bell and his co-conspirator, Neang Prom, were sentenced to 30 years and three years in federal prison, respectively, on sex trafficking charges. The sentencing resulted from a nearly two-year investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the FBI and the Clearwater Human Trafficking Task Force.

The girls who worked for them knew them as Santana (Bell) and Pocahontas (Prom). The pair preyed on the young and the weak, targeting runaways who had nowhere else to turn. Their victims trusted them, but that trust soon turned to fear. Bell raped and snapped digital images of his victims. He and Prom also marketed the young girls as 18-year-old escorts on websites. The victims were forced to perform sexual acts for fees, never receiving any of the proceeds from prostitution.

"I trusted them with my life, and they took it for granted," said one of the victims in court Monday. "Being forced into prostitution hurt me. I try to forget about it, but I can't. Even now, I think it is okay to sell my body. And it hurts every time I do it. It feels like I am selling my soul to the devil."

The case began after a victim shared statements with a Pinellas County Sheriff's Office detective that indicated she was a victim of sex trafficking. After interviewing her, a detective from the sheriff's office began an Internet search to see if he could track down Pocahontas, who was associated with several Craigslist advertisements and a MySpace account. Investigators linked the ads featuring Pocahontas to an Internet Protocol address used by Prom.

After that, special agents from HSI, the FBI and the Clearwater Human Trafficking Task Force conducted surveillance at Bell and Prom's residence. In July 2010, they executed a federal search warrant at the residence and seized numerous items including firearms, ammunition, body armor, digital cameras, cell phones, computers and more. Searches of the cameras and computers revealed numerous pornographic/sexually explicit photos of the minor victims.

"Bell tried to barricade himself in the attic of his residence to avoid being arrested when we executed the search warrant," said Sue McCormick, special agent in charge of HSI Tampa. "Our law enforcement partners had to resort to using tear gas so we could arrest him."

Bell, upon his arrest, was interviewed by an HSI and FBI special agent, but subsequently skipped town after making bail. 

In January 2011, a criminal complaint was filed in federal court against Bell and Prom for a variety of charges, ranging from production of child pornography to aiding and abetting the sex trafficking of a minor.

HSI and FBI special agents arrested Bell Aug. 31, 2011, in Parsippany, N.J. In February, he pleaded guilty to sex trafficking minors, and in May, Prom pleaded guilty to conspiracy to engage in the sex trafficking of minors.

"Human trafficking is one of the most heinous crimes our special agents investigate. This case was particularly unnerving because it involved the sex trafficking of minors," said McCormick. "Thanks to the efforts of HSI, the Clearwater Human Trafficking Task Force and the FBI, Eric Bell can no longer exploit young girls for his own gain."

Former CBP Officer Convicted for Fraud, Purchase of Illegal Firearms

A local federal jury convicted a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer Monday, August 20, 2012, on two counts of making a false statement on an official federal form, and one count of making a false statement to a federal agent. This conviction was announced by U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson, Southern District of Texas. This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI.

Manuel Eduardo Pena, 38, a CBP officer, was convicted Aug. 20 after the jury deliberated four hours.
According to court documents, an HSI special agent testified that he witnessed Pena buy a firearm Dec. 5 at the Academy Sporting Goods Store in Brownsville. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Form 4473, which is required to be completed by anyone purchasing firearms, indicated Pena stated he was purchasing the firearm for himself. However, special agents witnessed Pena take the firearm from the store and deliver it to another person in exchange for money. In addition, the person Pena sold the firearm to testified that the gun was intended for him, not Pena.

The evidence presented indicated that Pena made a second straw purchase Dec. 19 at the same store. HSI and FBI special agents were present and again witnessed Pena purchase the firearm, state on ATF Form 4473 that the firearm was for him, and then transfer the gun to the same individual. The FBI took possession of both firearms.

Pena was arrested May 24, at which time he lied to an FBI agent claiming he had bought the guns for his own personal hunting use. He stated he used the guns at his deer lease before leaving them with a friend. In fact, the FBI possessed the guns, and they clearly were straw-purchased for another person.
Pena tried to convince the jury the gun purchases were part of a "communal purchase" of firearms for a hunting lease.

Pena has been a CBP officer for 12 years and the charges are unrelated to his official duties.
U.S. District Court Judge Hilda G. Tagle, who presided over the trial, set sentencing for Nov. 19. Pena faces up to five years in prison and a maximum $250,000 fine on each count. Previously released on bond, Pena was allowed to remain on bond pending his sentencing.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Oscar Ponce and Karen Betancourt, Southern District of Texas, prosecuted this case.

Authorities Looking for Criminal Who Posed as ICE Officer

Federal authorities are asking individuals who may have been deceived, threatened or harmed by a man posing as a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officer to come forward and aid the investigation into his alleged crimes.

Jose "Panama" Antonio Haughton, 36, is believed to have illegally posed as an immigration officer over the past several years. He is known by most people simply as "Panama." While he operated mostly from the Seattle/Tacoma area, investigators have identified victims in other parts of the country.

According to investigators, Haughton targeted illegal immigrants and promised to expedite applications for immigration benefits for a fee. Haughton would perform elaborate charades to convince his victims of his credibility, including accompanying them to Department of Homeland Security offices. Law enforcement has also received information that Haughton threatened individuals with bodily harm while carrying out his scheme.

"We understand the fear that illegal immigrant crime victims have with coming forward to law enforcement," said Shawn Fallah, resident agent in charge of ICE's Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) Seattle. "ICE takes these allegations very seriously; impersonating a federal officer is a significant crime that undermines public safety and trust. Our primary concern in these cases is to arrest and criminally prosecute imposters. We will not allow criminals to capitalize on the fear of deportation to victimize immigrants."

Haughton came to the attention of law enforcement after an illegal immigrant crime victim reported him to police. According to court documents, Haughton posed as an ICE officer and exploited the victim's fear of deportation to extort money and sex from her. Haughton is currently being held at the King County Jail awaiting trial on rape and robbery charges.

Haughton's criminal record shows felony convictions in Colorado, Montana and New York. He has not yet been charged in connection with the federal investigation and is considered innocent until proven guilty.

Anyone with information about this case or individuals posing as immigration officers is encouraged to contact ICE at www.ICE.gov/tips or 1-866-DHS-2ICE; reports can be made 24 hours a day in both Spanish and English.

OPR and ICE Homeland Security Investigations are involved in the probe. OPR is the agency's internal affairs division tasked with investigating allegations of misconduct by ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers. OPR is involved in this case because Haughton allegedly posed as an ICE officer.

Former ICE Director Sentenced to 20 Months for Fraud

The former acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Office of Intelligence was sentenced July 13, 2012, to 20 months in prison for defrauding the U.S. government.

James M. Woosley, 48, defrauded the government of more than $180,000 in a scheme involving fraudulent travel vouchers, and time and attendance claims.

The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr., District of Columbia; Charles K. Edwards, acting inspector general of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS); James W. McJunkin, assistant director in charge of the FBI's Washington Field Office, and Timothy Moynihan, director of ICE's Office of Professional Responsibility.

Woosley, formerly of Tucson, Ariz., pleaded guilty in May 2012 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to a charge of conversion of government money. He was sentenced by the Honorable Amy Berman Jackson. Upon completion of his prison term, Woosley will be placed on three years of supervised release. In addition, as part of his plea agreement, he agreed to forfeiture and restitution of the money that he wrongfully obtained.

Four others have pled guilty in the case. Ahmed Adil Abdallat, 64, a former ICE supervisory intelligence research specialist, pleaded guilty in October 2011; William J. Korn, 53, a former ICE intelligence research specialist, pleaded guilty in December 2011; Stephen E.
Henderson, 62, a former contractor who did work for ICE, pleaded guilty in January 2012, and Lateisha M. Rollerson, 38, a former assistant to Woosley, pleaded guilty in March 2012.
Abdallat pleaded guilty in the Western District of Texas, and the others pleaded guilty in the District of Columbia.

Abdallat was sentenced to a year and a day in prison and ordered to pay $116,392 in restitution. Henderson has been sentenced to three months in prison and must forfeit $54,387, representing his share of the proceeds of the crime. Rollerson was sentenced to 10 months in prison and ordered to pay $295,866 in restitution. Korn is awaiting sentencing.

All told, the actions of the various defendants cost ICE more than $500,000.

"Today's sentence reflects the outstanding law enforcement cooperation in a case that unmasked the illicit acts of a senior ICE official," said Director Moynihan on July 13, 2012. "Bottom line: James Woosley violated the public trust in pursuit of his own greed. While his actions are atypical of the dedication and integrity demonstrated by the vast majority of ICE employees, this sentence should serve as a stark reminder about the serious consequences facing those who would exploit their positions for personal financial gain. The ICE Office of Professional Responsibility will continue to investigate those individuals aggressively and seek their prosecution to the fullest extent of the law."

"James Woosley took advantage of the trust he was given by the United States government to carry out a scheme that cost American taxpayers more than a half-million dollars," said U.S. Attorney Machen. "He personally obtained more than $188,000 while also bringing others into the fraud. Now he and four others have been convicted of their crimes, and he will be spending time in prison for this betrayal of his office."

"For years, Mr. Woosley participated in a scheme to defraud the government for his own personal gain," said Assistant Director in Charge McJunkin. "Today, he is being held accountable for his actions. This sentencing demonstrates that those who engage in government corruption, as well as those who allow it to happen, will be brought to justice."

According to the government's evidence, with which Woosley agreed, from in or about May 2008 until in or about January 2011, Woosley participated in the fraudulent activity involving travel vouchers, and time and attendance claims. In addition, from June 2008 until in or about February 2011, Woosley was aware of or willfully overlooked fraudulent activity of ICE or contract employees under his supervision.

The other employees included Rollerson, who he met in or about 2007, while he was deputy director of ICE's Office of Intelligence. Woosley and Rollerson developed a close, personal relationship. In or about May 2008, Rollerson was hired as an intelligence reports writer for a company that did contract work for ICE. Later that year, she was hired by ICE as an intelligence research specialist. This placed her first in the chain of command under Woosley, and she later became Woosley's personal assistant. Rollerson's official duty station was in Washington, and she lived in Virginia, often with Woosley. Rollerson helped Woosley and the other participants with the paperwork to support the fraudulent payments they later received. Woosley admitted obtaining money in various ways:

·                             Between in or about May 2008 and January 2011, Woosley submitted or caused to be submitted approximately 13 fraudulent travel vouchers to ICE, at a cost of $50,637. As Woosley's assistant, Rollerson created all but one of the travel vouchers, as well as fraudulent documents to support the claimed expenses. She often accompanied him on the trips.

·                             Between in or about November 2009 and January 2011, Woosley submitted or caused to be submitted time and attendance claims for his pay for work he was supposed to be doing while he was on travel. Because he was not actually on travel, or working, he was not entitled to the payments of approximately $27,230.

·                             Starting in 2008, Woosley took a share of the fraudulent proceeds obtained by others in a scheme involving travel vouchers. For example, Henderson, an ICE contractor who was detailed on temporary duty to Washington, kicked back $5,000 to Woosley that was used to purchase a boat. Henderson also lived with Woosley and used some fraudulent proceeds to pay rent. Abdallat wrote checks to Rollerson and others, for the benefit of Woosley and Rollerson, totaling about $58,550. Korn kicked back about $30,648 to the benefit of Woosley and Rollerson. Finally, an unnamed contract employee gave $15,940 in fraudulent travel voucher funds to Woosley, which Woosley used for a real estate investment.

This case was investigated by ICE's OPR, DHS' Office of Inspector General and FBI's Washington Field Office.

In announcing today's sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen, Acting Inspector General Edwards, Assistant Director McJunkin, and Assistant Director Moynihan praised the investigative agents from the respective agencies for their hard work in this matter. They also acknowledged the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel Butler and Allison Barlotta, who handled this prosecution, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Scruggs, who handled the asset forfeiture.

Sentencing for Corrupt Former ICE Agent

A former special agent with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) was sentenced Friday, June 29, 2012, to 30 months in federal prison following a multi-agency investigation that revealed she illegally accessed, stole and transferred sensitive U.S. government documents to unauthorized individuals and obstructed HSI investigations.

Jovana Samaniego Deas, 33, of Rio Rico, received the sentence from U.S. District Judge Cindy K. Jorgenson following a two-day hearing that included testimony from three special agents detailing the harm Deas caused the agency. Deas pleaded guilty in federal court in February to 21 counts of obstruction and other corruption violations.

"Jovana Deas committed an egregious breach of the deep trust placed in our HSI special agents by the American people she swore to protect and serve," said Joe Jeronimo, special agent in charge of ICE's Western Region Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR). "While her actions are atypical of the dedication and integrity demonstrated by the vast majority of ICE employees, this sentence should nonetheless send a message about the serious consequences facing those who would exploit their positions and violate that special trust. The ICE Office of Professional Responsibility will continue to investigate those individuals aggressively and seek their prosecution to the fullest extent of the law."

In her plea hearing, Deas admitted to abusing her position as a special agent to illegally obtain and disseminate government documents classified as "For Official Use Only." Some of the sensitive information Deas accessed was later discovered by Brazilian law enforcement on the laptop computer of her former brother-in-law, who has ties to drug trafficking organizations in Mexico and Brazil.

The indictment to which Deas pleaded guilty also charges her sister, Dana Maria Samaniego Montes, 40, of Agua Prieta, Mexico, with federal violations. Samaniego Montes is a fugitive believed to be residing in Mexico. She is a former Mexican law enforcement official with alleged ties to drug trafficking organizations.

Deas entered federal service in June 2003 as a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer assigned to the Nogales port of entry. In 2008, she became an HSI special agent and was assigned to HSI's office in Nogales. She was arrested by federal authorities in June 2011.

The federal corruption investigation was conducted by FBI and ICE OPR officers assigned to the FBI's Southern Arizona Corruption Task Force. The investigators were assisted by officers from HSI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the State Department's Consular Integrity Division and the Brazilian Federal Police. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James T. Lacey of the U.S. Attorney's Office-District of Arizona.

Former ICE Intelligence Director Pleads Guilty to Fraud

The former acting director of intelligence for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) pleaded guilty to defrauding the government of more than $180,000 in a scheme involving fraudulent travel vouchers, and time and attendance claims.

James M. Woosley, 48, formerly of Tucson, Ariz., pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to a charge of conversion of government money. U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson scheduled sentencing for July 13, 2012. Under federal guidelines, Woosley faces a likely sentence of 18 to 27 months in prison as well as a potential fine. In addition, as part of his plea agreement, he agreed to forfeiture of the money he wrongfully obtained.

Four others earlier pleaded guilty to charges related to the scheme: Ahmed Adil Abdallat, 64, a former ICE supervisory intelligence research specialist, pleaded guilty in October 2011; William J. Korn, 53, a former ICE intelligence research specialist, pleaded guilty in December 2011; Stephen E. Henderson, 61, a former contractor doing work for ICE, pleaded guilty in January 2012; and Lateisha M. Rollerson, 38, a former assistant to Woosley, pleaded guilty in March 2012. Abdallat pleaded guilty in the Western District of Texas, and the others pleaded guilty in the District of Columbia.

All told, the actions of the various defendants cost ICE more than $600,000.

"Today James Woosley became the fifth – and highest-ranking – individual to plead guilty as part of a series of fraud schemes among rogue employees and contractors at ICE," said U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr., District of Columbia. "He abused his sensitive position of trust to fleece the government by submitting phony paperwork for and taking kickbacks from subordinates who were also on the take. This ongoing investigation demonstrates our dedication to protecting the taxpayer from corrupt government employees and contractors."

"Criminal acts within the Department of Homeland Security represent a threat to our nation and undermine the honest and hard-working employees who strive to maintain the integrity of the department," said U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Acting Inspector General Charles K. Edwards. "OIG takes all allegations of employee wrongdoing very seriously. Those who choose to break the law will be pursued aggressively."

"Today, Mr. Woosley admitted to a scheme in which he spent years defrauding the government," said James W. McJunkin, assistant director in charge of the FBI's Washington Field Office. "This plea should serve as a reminder to all who serve in positions of public trust – if you use those positions for personal gain, you will be held accountable."

"Today's plea reflects the outstanding law enforcement cooperation in a case that unmasked the illicit acts of a senior ICE official," said Paul E. Layman, deputy division director of ICE's Office of Professional Responsibility. "This case was an egregious breach of the public's trust and is atypical of the integrity displayed by ICE employees on a daily basis. ICE's Office of Professional Responsibility will continue to ensure that the employees of the agency are held to the highest standards of professional conduct. Guarding against illegal or unethical behavior is not an option; it is an obligation we have to the people we serve."

According to the government's evidence, with which Woosley agreed, from in or about May 2008 until in or about January 2011, Woosley participated in fraudulent activity involving travel vouchers, and time and attendance claims. In addition, from June 2008 until in or about February 2011, Woosley was aware of or willfully overlooked fraudulent activity of ICE employees under his supervision or contract employees.

The other employees included Rollerson, who he met in or about 2007, while he was deputy director for ICE's Office of Intelligence. Woosley and Rollerson developed a close, personal relationship. In or about May 2008, Rollerson was hired as an intelligence reports writer for a company that did contract work for ICE. Later that year, she was hired by ICE as an intelligence research specialist. This placed her first in the chain of command under Woosley, and she later became Woosley's personal assistant. Rollerson's official duty station was in Washington, D.C., and she lived in Virginia, often with Woosley. Rollerson helped Woosley and the other participants with the paperwork to support the fraudulent payments they later received.

Woosley admitted obtaining money in various ways:

·                             Between approximately May 2008 and January 2011, Woosley submitted or caused to be submitted approximately 13 fraudulent travel vouchers to ICE, at a cost of $50,637. As Woosley's assistant, Rollerson created all but one of the travel vouchers, as well as fraudulent documents to support the claimed expenses. She often accompanied him on the trips.

·                             Between approximately November 2009 and January 2011, Woosley submitted or caused to be submitted time and attendance claims for his pay for work he was supposed to be doing while he was on travel. Because he was not actually on travel or working, he was not entitled to the payments of approximately $27,230.

·                             Starting in 2008, Woosley took a share of the fraudulent proceeds obtained by others in a scheme involving travel vouchers. For example, Henderson, an ICE contractor who was detailed on temporary duty to Washington, D.C., kicked back $5,000 to Woosley that was used to purchase a boat. Henderson also lived with Woosley and used some fraudulent proceeds to pay rent. Abdallat wrote checks to Rollerson and others for the benefit of Woosley and Rollerson totaling about $58,550. Korn kicked back about $30,648 to the benefit of Woosley and Rollerson. Finally, an unnamed contract employee gave $15,940 in fraudulent travel voucher funds to Woosley, which Woosley used for a real estate investment.

This case was investigated by the DHS Office of Inspector General, the FBI's Washington Field Office and the ICE's Office of Professional Responsibility.

In announcing the guilty plea, U.S. Attorney Machen, Acting Inspector General Edwards, Assistant Director McJunkin and Deputy Division Director Layman praised the investigative agents from the respective agencies for their hard work in this matter. They also acknowledged the efforts of former Legal Assistant Jared Forney, as well as Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel Butler and Allison Barlotta, who are handling this prosecution, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Scott Sroka and Emily Scruggs, who are handling the asset forfeiture.