A Houston lawyer was sentenced Friday, December 14, 2012, to 12 months and one day in federal prison, followed by 36 months of supervised release, for conspiracy to commit wire fraud. This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Tampa and the U.S. Secret Service's Tampa and Newark, N.J., field offices.
Nicolette Loisel, 56, is the second lawyer to be sentenced in the scheme. On Aug. 9, Roger Shoss, 67, also a Houston lawyer, was sentenced to 18 months in prison, followed by 36 months of home confinement.
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, from February 2005 through July 2006, Loisel and Shoss conspired to steal the identities of dormant, publicly-traded companies. They then used the corporate identities they had stolen to create fraudulent, empty-shell companies that had the appearance of being publicly traded.
They subsequently sold the fraudulent empty-shell companies for a profit. The four companies featured in the indictment were Mobilestream Inc., Regaltech Inc., Nanoforce Inc. and Rocky Mountain Gold Mining Inc., which emanated from 3E International Inc., Pacific Chemical Inc., Webgalaxy Inc. and Greensmart Corporation, respectively.
The administrative and money laundering functions of this scheme were headquartered in Pinellas County, Fla. Multiple wire transfers, totaling at least $800,000, were initiated from the Middle District of Florida to Shoss, in payment for the companies. Shoss, in turn, paid Loisel more than $450,000 for her role in the scheme.
"These individuals – both lawyers – conspired to make a profit through a sophisticated investment fraud and money laundering scheme," said Sue McCormick, special agent in charge of HSI Tampa. "HSI works closely with our law enforcement partners to identify and prosecute con-artists like Loisel and Shoss."
In addition to their prison sentences, Loisel and Shoss are required to pay a final forfeiture money judgment, in the amount of $800,000. This amount represents proceeds obtained by Loisel and Shoss as a result of their criminal activities.
"The U.S. Secret Service and HSI continually strive to enhance our law enforcement partnership by leveraging our respective capabilities, expertise and manpower in support of our distinct law enforcement missions," said John Joyce, U.S. Secret Service's Tampa special agent in charge. "The U.S. Secret Service and HSI will continue to effectively investigate, deter and diminish the threat posed by various types of criminals to our nation's financial infrastructure."
A
Missouri woman pleaded guilty in federal court Monday, May 7, to her role in a
more than $5 million conspiracy that utilized the Missouri Department of
Revenue license office in St. Joseph to provide more than 3,500 fraudulent
identity documents to illegal aliens across the United States.
The
guilty plea resulted from an investigation conducted by the following agencies:
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security
Investigations; the Buchanan County (Mo.) Sheriff's Department; the St. Joseph
(Mo.) Police Department; the Platte County (Mo.) Sheriff's Department; the
Missouri State Highway Patrol; the Missouri Department of Revenue Investigation
Bureau; the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General; the
U.S. Postal Inspection Service; and the U.S. Department of State Bureau of
Diplomatic Security.
Christina
Michelle Gonzalez, 23, of St. Joseph,
Mo., pleaded guilty May 7 before
U.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner to the charges contained in a Jan. 10
federal indictment.
By
pleading guilty, Gonzalez admitted to participating in a conspiracy from
November 2009 to January 2012 to transport illegal aliens, unlawfully produce
identification documents, unlawfully transfer another person's identification,
and commit Social Security fraud.
During
the conspiracy, thousands of illegal aliens traveled from across the United States to obtain either a Missouri driver's or non-driver's license at the St. Joseph license office
by using unlawfully obtained birth certificates and Social Security cards. It
is estimated that more than 3,500 licenses were issued to illegal aliens by the
Department of Revenue license office in St.
Joseph. The state licenses could then be used by the
illegal aliens to remain unlawfully in the United States, to unlawfully obtain
employment and for other unlawful purposes.
Gonzalez
admitted that she accompanied illegal aliens to the St. Joseph
license office, under the guise of being a translator, in order to assist them
with obtaining a Missouri
driver's or non-driver's license. Those licenses used the names of persons who
were listed on unlawfully obtained birth certificates and Social Security
cards.
Gonzalez
instructed and assisted the illegal aliens to practice memorizing the
information on the birth certificates and Social Security cards and to practice
signing the name on those documents so that the signatures would be similar.
She also assisted the illegal aliens to prepare for potential questions from
the license office employees.
Gonzalez
assisted the illegal aliens who did not live in Missouri
by providing them with a Missouri residential
address to use in order to obtain the Missouri
driver's or non-driver's license.
The
illegal aliens were usually charged between $1,500 and $1,600 for the document
sets and the Missouri
driver's and non-driver's licenses. Gonzalez collected money from the illegal
aliens, which she paid to her co-conspirators. It is estimated that more than
$5,250,000 in gross proceeds was paid by illegal aliens to members of this
conspiracy.
Under
federal statutes, Gonzalez is subject to a sentence of up to five years in
federal prison without parole, plus a fine up to $250,000. A sentencing hearing
will be scheduled after the completion of a pre-sentence investigation by the
United States Probation Office.
Assistant
U.S. Attorney Jess E. Michaelsen, Western District of Missouri, is prosecuting
the case.
