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Document mill for illegal aliens halted
Johnson City Resident Lindsey Rebecca Shepard Sentenced for Document Fraud GREENEVILLE, TN—Lindsey Rebecca Shepard, 28, of Johnson City, Tennessee, was sentenced to 30 months in prison in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee today. The sentence was the result of a guilty plea to one count of production of false identification documents in violation of federal law. In addition to the prison sentence, Shepard was sentenced to serve two years' supervised release, pay a $100 special assessment, and forfeit the instrumentalities of the offense. From April 2008 to April 2009, Shepard manufactured more than 400 false identification documents which were used by undocumented aliens to obtain employment in the United States. Shepard ran the illegal document mill from her apartment in subsidized housing located on Washington Avenue in Johnson City. The conviction was the result of an investigation by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Three Broward County Florida Men Plead Guilty to Sex Trafficking Conspiracy: via Internet Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida; John V. Gillies, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office; and Al Lamberti, Sheriff, Broward Sheriff’s Office, announced that defendants Johnny Saintil, 28, Michael Defrand, 25, and Stanley Wilson, 26, of Broward, pled guilty on August 23, 2010 to conspiring to sex traffic minors and sex trafficking by force, threats of force, and coercion, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1594(c). Defrand also pled guilty to a substantive count of sex trafficking of a minor, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1591(a). Sentencing for all three men has been scheduled for November 19, 2010 before U.S. District Judge William J. Zloch. Each of the defendants faces a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. According to court documents and statements made in court, Saintil, Defrand, and Wilson were members of an organization that called itself “Please Talk Paper.” From September 2009 through March 16, 2010, the organization was used to prostitute adult and minor females out of national and international hotel chains in Broward County. The organization would advertise its prostitution services on the Internet. The defendants used the organization to do Internet advertising, facilitate transportation, and avoid law enforcement detection. In this way, the defendants shared resources, including hotel rooms, computers, condoms, and the prostitutes working for the organization. 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 United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (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 www.projectsafechildhood.gov. Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the Broward Sheriff’s Office and the FBI’s Minor Vice Task Force. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Strider Dickson. Cuban national and Cape Coral, Fla. Man Sentenced, Counterfeit Slot Machines and Computer Programs WASHINGTON—Rodolfo Rodriguez Cabrera, 43, a Cuban national, and Henry Mantilla, 35, of Cape Coral, Fla., were sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Philip M. Pro in Las Vegas to two years in prison each for conspiring to produce and sell counterfeit International Game Technology (IGT) video gaming machines, commonly known as slot machines, and counterfeit IGT computer programs, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney for the District of Nevada Daniel G. Bogden and FBI Special Agent in Charge of the Las Vegas Field Office Kevin Favreau. Judge Pro also ordered Cabrera and Mantilla each to pay $151,800 in restitution and to serve three years of supervised release following their prison terms. The defendants also agreed to forfeit any and all counterfeit items in their possession and any illegal proceeds from their criminal activity. Cabrera and Mantilla pleaded guilty on May 6, 2010, for their roles in the conspiracy. They were indicted originally by a federal grand jury in Las Vegas on April 22, 2009, with one count of conspiracy, two counts of trafficking in counterfeit goods, two counts of trafficking in counterfeit labels, and two counts of criminal copyright infringement. According to court documents, Cabrera and Mantilla conspired between August 2007 and April 15, 2009, to make and sell unauthorized copies of computer programs designed for IGT video slot machines and counterfeit IGT video slot machines bearing IGT’s registered trademarks, all without the permission of IGT. Cabrera was arrested June 8, 2009, in Riga, Latvia, and extradited from Latvia to the United States on Oct. 23, 2009. Cabrera is the first individual to be extradited from Latvia to the United States under a new extradition treaty between the U.S. and Latvia, which entered into force on April 15, 2009. Cabrera’s extradition and prosecution is the result of cooperation between U.S. and Latvian law enforcement and the Latvian government. Today’s sentencings are part of a larger department-wide effort led by the Department of Justice Task Force on Intellectual Property (IP Task Force). Attorney General Eric Holder created the IP Task Force to combat the growing number of domestic and international intellectual property crimes, protect the health and safety of American consumers, and safeguard the nation’s economic security against those who seek to profit illegally from American creativity, innovation and hard work. The IP Task Force seeks to strengthen intellectual property rights protection through heightened criminal and civil enforcement, greater coordination among federal, state and local law enforcement partners, and increased focus on international enforcement efforts, including reinforcing relationships with key foreign partners and U.S. industry leaders. To learn more about the IP Task Force, go to The case was prosecuted by Trial Attorney Thomas S. Dougherty of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Chu of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada. Significant assistance has been provided by the Central Criminal Police Department of the Latvian Ministry of Interior; Latvia’s Office of the Prosecutor General, International Cooperation Division; and Senior Trial Attorney Deborah Gaynus of the Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs. U.S. Marshals Capture Illinois Sex Assault Fugitive SCRANTON, Pa. – U.S. Marshal Michael R. Regan announced today that the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) arrested Trinity Payne near Hazleton, Pennsylvania. Payne had been sought by Illinois authorities since June 2010. It is alleged Payne engaged in the violent sexual assault of his ex-girlfriend. The Macon County Sheriffs Office conducted the investigation. As a result, an arrest warrant was issued in Macon County, Illinois, charging Payne with multiple counts of Aggravated Criminal Sexual Assault and other related offenses. Payne is a prior convicted felon in Illinois, having completed a state prison sentence in the Illinois Department of Corrections. At the time of the alleged sexual assault, Payne was on state parole. As a result, Illinois authorities issued a state parole violation warrant. On June 29, Illinois authorities requested the assistance of U.S. Marshals to identify, locate and apprehend Payne. The case was adopted by the U.S. Marshals Service Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force. Within the last 24 hours, U.S. Marshals and members of the USMS Middle District of Pennsylvania (M/PA) Fugitive Task Force began working leads on Payne’s whereabouts in the Hazleton area. During the early afternoon hours of August 11, U.S. Marshals and members of its M/PA Fugitive Task Force located Payne at the Red Rooster Motel on Rt. 924 in Harwood, Luzerne County. When arrested by U.S. Marshals and task force officers inside a motel room, Payne admitted his true identity. Various forms of identification in the fugitive’s name were found in the motel room. Payne, 35 years of age, was turned over to the Pennsylvania State Police for processing. He will be charged as a fugitive-from-justice, and await court proceedings concerning his extradition to Illinois. U.S. Marshals were assisted by several agencies that comprise its M/PA Fugitive Task Force. This included officers from the Lackawanna County Sheriffs Office, Pennsylvania Board of Probation & Parole, and Pennsylvania State Police. Additional support was provided by the Hazleton Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation. Maryland Trucker Girl was Found Hours After an AMBER Alert was Issued in Tennessee; Trucker Intended to Take Her to Texas and El Salvador GREENBELT, MD—Elmer Zelaya-Robles, age 41, of Grand Prairie, Texas, who worked for a Maryland trucking company and at times resided with a relative in Virginia, pleaded guilty today to transporting an 11-year-old girl from Maryland to engage in sex. The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Richard A. McFeely of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and Chief Roberto L. Hylton of the Prince George’s County Police Department. “Nationwide law enforcement coordination, modern technology, and a shared commitment to pursue criminals who prey on children contributed to the quick arrest of Mr. Zelaya and the recovery of the child,” said U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein. “Local, state, and federal law enforcement quickly coordinated their efforts and within hours after issuing an AMBER alert, the missing girl was found in Tennessee. This case demonstrates both the terrible danger that sexual predators pose to children and the heroic ability of law enforcement to make a difference.” According to Zelaya-Robles’ plea agreement, the parents of an 11-year-old girl living in Prince George’s County, Maryland reported their daughter missing on February 13, 2010. At approximately 2:00 a.m. that morning, Zelaya-Robles had picked up the girl at her parents’ home. Zelaya-Robles, an El Salvadorean citizen, had been a friend of the child’s family. That day, Zelaya-Robles drove the child by car from Prince George’s County to Arlington County, Virginia. Zelaya-Robles and the child entered a tractor trailer truck. Zelaya-Robles had sexual intercourse with the child in the sleeper area of the truck. Zelaya-Robles and the child left Virginia for Texas in the truck. While driving to Texas, Zelaya-Robles stopped at a truck stop and purchased coffee and two boxes of condoms. Zelaya-Robles had sexual intercourse with the child at least one more time. That same day, the child contacted her mother by telephone, and stated that she was with Zelaya-Robles. Zelaya-Robles contacted the child’s father by telephone, and stated that he was in love with the child. Zelaya-Robles apparently had been talking to the child on the phone for about a year, and planned with the child to reside in Dallas, Texas. The child’s family told Zelaya-Robles to return their daughter and that they had contacted the police. Thereafter, Zelaya-Robles made several calls to arrange to cross the border into Mexico and reside in El Salvador. After an AMBER Alert was broadcast, a Tennessee highway trooper spotted the truck and followed it to a truck stop in Jackson, Tennessee. The trooper stopped the vehicle. When asked if he had anyone riding with him, Zelaya-Robles stated that his daughter was with him. The trooper found the child in the sleeper area of the tractor trailer and arrested Zelaya-Robles. Zelaya faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison. Zelaya is detained pending trial. U.S. District Judge Alexander Williams, Jr. scheduled sentencing for December 6, 2010 at 9:30 a.m. 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 United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (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 www.projectsafechildhood.gov. Details about Maryland’s program are available at www.justice.gov/usao/md/Safe-Childhood/index.html. United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein thanked Prince George’s County Assistant State’s Attorney Renee Battle-Brooks and the Tennessee Highway Patrol for their assistance in the investigation and prosecution, and commended Assistant U.S. Attorney Stacy Dawson Belf, who is prosecuting the case. Federal Jury in Louisville Convicts Karen Cunagin Sypher in Connection with $10 Million Extortion Attempt of Richard Pitino LOUISVILLE—A federal jury today convicted 50-year-old Karen Cunagin Sypher of attempting to extort $10 million from University of Louisville men’s head basketball coach Rick Pitino, announced U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky David J. Hale and Elizabeth A. Fries, Special Agent in Charge, Kentucky Office of the FBI. Following eight days of trial, the jury convicted Sypher on all counts contained in a superseding indictment returned in November 2009 including three counts of extortion, two counts of making false statements to FBI agents, and one count of witness retaliation. Evidence presented during trial revealed that in February 2009, Sypher caused another individual to place three phone calls to Pitino’s cell phone threatening to harm Pitino’s reputation, accuse him of raping Sypher on two occasions, and causing her to have an abortion in 2003. One phone call gave Pitino a two-week deadline to make things right or the caller would divulge the information to the media. In April 2009, when interviewed by agents with the FBI looking into the extortion matter, Sypher denied knowing the identity of the caller. The jury also found that on March 22, 2009, Sypher caused a Louisville attorney to send Pitino a letter threatening to harm Rick Pitino’s reputation and demanding compensation based on Sypher’s accusations that Pitino raped her twice, forced her to have an abortion, and orchestrated her marriage to one of his assistants in order to silence her. Sypher also made a false statement to FBI agents when she told them that her relationship with her attorney was strictly business. Jurors heard evidence that she, in fact, was involved in a sexual relationship with her attorney. Finally, jurors heard evidence that on July 14, 2009, in retaliation for Rick Pitino reporting Sypher’s extortion attempt, Sypher went to the Louisville Metro Police Department and filed a criminal complaint alleging that Rick Pitino raped her. Sypher’s allegations were later determined by the Jefferson County Commonwealth’s Attorney to be without merit. Sypher faces up to two years in prison per extortion count, up to five years in prison per false statement count, and up to 10 years in prison for witness retaliation. U.S. District Judge Charles R. Simpson III will sentence Sypher on Oct. 27, 2010, following the completion of a pre-sentence report. This case was the result of a 15-month-long investigation by special agents of the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John E. Kuhn Jr., and Marisa J. Ford prosecuted this case on behalf of the government. 44-Year-Old Florida Woman Pleads Guilty to Traveling to Oklahoma to Have Sex with 14-Year-Old Boy OKLAHOMA CITY—Yesterday, ANNAMAY ALEXANDER (aka “Annamay Cherry”), 44, of Deltona, Florida, pled guilty to traveling to Oklahoma City on January 9, 2010, to have sex with a 14-year-old Oklahoma boy, announced Sanford C. Coats, United States Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma. At her plea hearing, Alexander admitted she drove from Florida to the Oklahoma City area for the purpose of engaging in sex with a 14-year-old boy. At sentencing, Alexander faces up to 30 years in prison. A sentencing hearing will be set by the court in approximately 90 days. These charges are the result of an investigation conducted by the Oklahoma City Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Hale. Virginia Man Sentenced to 60 Months in Prison for Distribution of Child Pornography Over the Internet WASHINGTON—James E. McCreary, 56, was sentenced today to 60 months of incarceration for distribution of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. The sentencing was before the Honorable Paul L. Friedman in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. McCreary had pled guilty to this offense on June 3, 2010. At the time of his plea, he admitted that on November 17, 2009, he visited a public chat room on the Internet for teenagers that is frequented by individuals who have a sexual interest in prepubescent children. While in the chat room, McCreary responded to a message posted by an undercover police officer that was looking for other individuals with the same sexual interest. The undercover officer told McCreary via the chat room that the undercover officer was sexually active with his girlfriend’s 11-year-old daughter, in actuality a fictitious child. McCreary responded that he wanted physical contact with the fictitious child, and volunteered to take photographs of any sexual activity with her. McCreary and the undercover officer then moved their online communication to an instant messaging Internet service. During their chats on the instant messaging Internet service, McCreary sent to the undercover officer 14 photographs of prepubescent children in erotic or nude poses. Four were child pornography. During this chat and subsequent chats online and over the telephone between November 17 and November 24, 2009, McCreary discussed with the undercover officer various sexual acts McCreary wanted to perform on the fictitious child. McCreary also discussed photographs that McCreary wanted to take of the fictitious child performing sexual acts with the undercover officer. McCreary also attempted to arrange with the undercover officer further sexual activity with the fictitious child and another individual McCreary knew. McCreary and the undercover officer arranged a time for McCreary to come to the District of Columbia to meet the undercover officer and fictitious child in person. McCreary told the undercover officer that during this trip, McCreary wanted to take photographs of the undercover officer engaged in sexual activity with the fictitious child. On November 24, 2009 at approximately 8:30 a.m., McCreary traveled to the District of Columbia via his vehicle and the Metro train from his home in Fredericksburg, Virginia and met with the undercover officer in Washington, D.C. McCreary came with a digital camera hanging from around his neck so that he could take photographs of the fictitious child while she engaged in sexual activity with the undercover officer. McCreary was then arrested. McCreary was sentenced to 60 months of incarceration to be followed by 10 years of supervised release, which includes the requirement that he register as a sex offender and comply with numerous conditions routinely imposed upon sex offenders. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood and the FBI/MPD Child Exploitation Task Force. In February 2006, the Attorney General created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices, 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 identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit: In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen praised the investigative and arrest work of the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the Metropolitan Police Department. He also commended Legal Assistant Latoya Davenport of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for her work in the case. Finally, he commended Assistant U.S. Attorney Shana Fulton for the investigation and prosecution of the case. VA Doctor Sentenced to Four Years for Possession of Child Pornography GAINESVILLE, FL—Christopher S. Carter, 41, of Gainesville, was sentenced yesterday to 48 months in prison and a lifetime of supervised release following his prison term for possession of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Pamela C. Marsh, Northern District of Florida. Carter, the former chief of Surgical Inpatient Care at the North Florida Veteran’s Hospital, pleaded guilty on May 14, 2010, before Senior U.S. District Court Judge Maurice M. Paul, to a criminal information charging him with one count of possession of child pornography. During the course of his plea, Smith admitted that he used a computer to possess and view images of child pornography that he had downloaded from the Internet using specialized software. Ms. Marsh praised the work of the FBI and the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office, whose joint investigation led to the conviction and sentence in this case. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Frank Williams. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (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 www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
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