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May 15, 2024 ¡ª Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York; Lisa Monaco, the Deputy Attorney General of the United States; and Thomas Fattorusso, the Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS CI), announced today the unsealing of an indictment charging Anton Peraire-Bueno and James Peraire-Bueno with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Aug. 21, 2024 ¡ª Two additional defendants were sentenced this week in a national COVID-19 fraud, including, Toni A. Smith, who was sentenced to 15 months in prison; and Dontae Antonio Murphy, who was sentenced to 12 months in prison. Collectively, these Defendants were also ordered to pay several hundred thousand dollars in restitution to the Small Business Administration, which included interest and processing fees, for fraudulently obtaining Paycheck Protection Act (¡°PPP¡±) COVID-19 loans.

Feb. 15, 2024 ¡ª Timothy Blackman of Daniel Island, South Carolina, was sentenced today in federal court in Utica to 24 months in prison after previously pleading guilty to filing a false federal income tax return. United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department¡¯s Tax Division; and Thomas Fattorusso, Executive Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (CI), New York Field Office, made the announcement.

May 15, 2024 ¡ª United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that James Darrell Hickox of Jacksonville has pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to distribute narcotics, one count of conspiring to defraud the United States, and one count of tax evasion. Hickox faces a combined maximum penalty of 50 years in federal prison for these offenses, including a minimum mandatory sentence of 5 years¡¯ imprisonment for the drug distribution conspiracy. He has agreed to forfeit the money, firearms, and ammunition traceable to these offenses.

May 3, 2023 ¡ª Two indictments were unsealed today in the District of Minnesota charging 30 members and associates of two Minneapolis-based street gangs ¨C the Highs and the Bloods ¨C with racketeering (RICO) conspiracy involving alleged murder, attempted murder, robbery, obstruction of justice, and drug trafficking. Additional charges include the use of a firearm to commit murder and drug trafficking. In addition to these indictments, separate charging documents have been brought against an additional 15 Highs or Bloods members on drug and gun charges.

Nov. 21, 2024 ¡ª United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that James Toney (Jacksonville) has pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana, committing a drive-by shooting in furtherance of a major drug offense, and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Toney faces a minimum sentence of 15 years, up to life, in federal prison. Toney has also agreed to forfeit $1,000, which represents illicit proceeds derived from drug trafficking.

Oct. 15, 2024 ¡ª Issa Asad, of Southwest Ranches, Fla., and Q Link Wireless LLC, of Dania Beach, Fla., pleaded guilty today to conspiring to defraud and commit offenses against the United States in connection with a years-long scheme to steal over $100 million from a celebrated federal program providing discounted phone service to people in need. Asad, Q Link¡¯s CEO, also pleaded guilty to laundering money from a separate scheme to defraud a different federal program meant to aid individuals and businesses hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic.

March 8, 2023 ¡ª United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Bill Omar Carrasquillo of Swedesboro, NJ, was sentenced to 66 months¡¯ imprisonment, five years of supervised release, more than $30 million in forfeiture, and more than $15 million in restitution by United States District Court Judge Harvey Bartle III, for crimes arising from a wide-ranging copyright infringement scheme that involved piracy of cable TV, access device fraud, wire fraud, money laundering, and hundreds of thousands of dollars of copyright infringement.

Oct. 31, 2024 ¡ª A San Antonio woman was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison for tax evasion and aiding and abetting. According to court documents, Rachel Olivia Markum, and her husband, Robert Franklin Markum Jr., prepared and signed a false and fraudulent form 1040 joint tax return for calendar year 2016, which was then submitted to the Internal Revenue Service. The fraudulent tax return reported the couple¡¯s sole income as gross receipts or sales from the business Camping and Fishing Outlet as $3,530,473, while she was aware that the true amount of gross receipts exceeded $4 million.

Feb. 2, 2024 ¡ª U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales obÌåÓýard has sentenced Kevin Edward Hargrave a/k/a ¡°Kevin Edward Wade,¡± of Locust Grove, Georgia, to five years in federal prison for conspiring to commit wire fraud and to defraud the United States for the purpose of impeding the lawful functions of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). As part of his sentence, the court also entered an order of forfeiture in the amount of $1.5 million, the proceeds of the wire fraud conspiracy. Hargrave was also ordered to pay restitution to his victims, including $418,115 to the IRS. Hargrave entered a guilty plea on October 4, 2022.