Investigative Press Releases
Thursday, October 27, 2022
PORTLAND, Ore.—A Georgia man was sentenced to federal prison today for using stolen identities to fraudulently obtain Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits and attempt to purchase a luxury vehicle worth nearly $80,000.
Mackenzie Braswell Sherman, 38, was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison and one year of supervised release.
Thursday, October 27, 2022
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Samir Ahmad, 29, of Philadelphia, PA, was charged by Criminal Complaint with firearms trafficking and selling firearms to a person unlawfully in the United States, arising from his sale of two semi-automatic pistols to a confidential informant while he was employed as a Deputy Sheriff with the Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office.
Thursday, October 27, 2022
LAS VEGAS – A Mexican citizen—who entered the U.S. illegally—made his initial appearance yesterday for fraudulently soliciting thousands of dollars from victims in exchange for filing false tax returns. The defendant falsely claimed that he was an IRS officer who could obtain large amounts of money from the IRS, if the victims paid him to apply to a fictitious IRS program.
South Georgia physician sentenced to prison after admitting conspiracy to illegally distribute drugs
Thursday, October 27, 2022
SAVANNAH, GA: A Coffee County, Ga., physician has been sentenced to five years in federal prison after he admitted to participating in a drug trafficking conspiracy that distributed massive amounts of addictive controlled substances from pain management and addiction clinics.
Thursday, October 27, 2022
MACON, Ga. – Kenneth Barngrover, M.D., and his practice, Southeast Regional Pain Center (SRPC), in Columbus, Georgia, has agreed to a $1,000,000 civil penalty to resolve allegations that the pain medicine practice violated both the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) and the False Claims Act (FCA). In addition to a monetary payment, Dr. Barngrover and SRPC entered into a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) that will be in effect for the next three years.
Thursday, October 27, 2022
MIAMI – U.S. Federal District Court Judge Rodney Smith has sentenced Jimika Williams to 40 months in prison for embezzling federal funds.
A jury convicted Williams (also known as Jimika Mason) in March of two counts of theft concerning programs receiving federal funds and 18 counts of wire fraud.
Thursday, October 27, 2022
Tampa, FL – Three defendants were sentenced today for their roles in a federal racketeering conspiracy that victimized over a dozen Mexican H-2A workers who had worked in the United States harvesting fruits, vegetables and other agricultural products between 2015 and 2017.
Thursday, October 27, 2022
Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Paul G. Byron has sentenced Thomas Zayas (46, Orlando) to 35 years in federal prison for enticing a minor child to produce sexually explicit videos and for possessing that material. Zayas was also ordered to serve a 15-year term of supervised release, register as a sex offender, and forfeit his smartphones. Zayas had pleaded guilty on July 26, 2022.
Thursday, October 27, 2022
FRESNO, Calif. — An eight-count indictment, returned on Oct. 20, 2022, has been unsealed, charging Fresno residents Jeffrey Michalk, 43; Steve Gomez, 40; and Michael Dugan, 48, with conspiracy, theft of public money and aggravated identity theft, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
Thursday, October 27, 2022
FORT SMITH – A Lavaca, Arkansas, man plead guilty today to one count of Conspiracy to Commit Healthcare Fraud and one count of Money Laundering. The Honorable Judge Mark E. Ford presided over the hearing in the United States District Court in Fort Smith.