Mansfield Man Indicted for Theft of $1 Million

A Mansfield man was indicted on charges that he embezzled more than $1 million from an customer annuity accounts at an insurance company where he worked, said Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.
Willard C. Lee, age 51, was indicted on one count each of insurance embezzlement and wire fraud.
Lee was employed by Allstate. The indictment alleges that Lee embezzled approximately $1,056,000 from Allstate customer annuity accounts between July 2007 and December 2011. Lee forged customer signatures on withdrawal requests to Allstate and Lincoln Benefit Life, a company wholly owned by Allstate that sells annuities, according to the indictment.
Once fraudulent paperwork was submitted, Lee had the proceeds wire-transferred into bank accounts he controlled in Mansfield, according to the indictment.
The case was presented for indictment by Assistant United States Attorney James V. Moroney following an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Mansfield Resident Agency, who in turn were following up an investigation by the Investigative Services unit of the Allstate Insurance Company.
If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any; the defendant’s role in the offense; and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Promoter of Cincinnati Grand Prix Sentenced to 27 Months in Prison

CINCINNATI—Curtis Boggs, 54, formerly of Harrison, Ohio, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 27 months in prison, ordered to pay $352,745.21 in restitution, and forfeit any assets that he received as proceeds of the crimes he committed as part of a fraudulent scheme he promoted to bring a grand prix race to Cincinnati in 2009.
Carter M. Stewart, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Robert E. Hughes, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); and Kathy Enstrom, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS), announced the sentence handed down today by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Susan J. Dlott.
Boggs pleaded guilty on January 3, 2013 to one count each of wire fraud and money laundering. According to court documents, Boggs was employed by an insurance company as an investment adviser from 2000 to 2009. Beginning in approximately October 2008 and continuing through approximately August 2009, Boggs solicited his customers and others to invest in silver and gold, or in a grand prix race, through a corporation called Cincinnati Grand Prix (CGP). Boggs admitted that during that period, he fraudulently obtained investments of at least $352,745 for CGP in exchange for shares in the “stock” of CGP.
“Although some of the money was spent to developing the race, significant sums of money were also spent on the defendant’s personal expenses,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Tim Mangan wrote in a memorandum filed with the court prior to sentencing.”
On or about October 21, 2008, Boggs laundered money derived from the fraud scheme by using $27,232.63 to buy a Lincoln MKX vehicle for his personal use.
A federal grand jury indicted Boggs in June. He was arrested on October 8, 2012 when he was stopped trying to enter the U.S. from Mexico.
Stewart commended the cooperative investigation by FBI and IRS agents, as well as Assistant U.S. Attorney Mangan, who represented the United States in this case.

Bryan Chiropractic Clinic Owner Convicted in $3 Million Automobile Insurance Fraud

HOUSTON—The owner of a now defunct chiropractic clinic in Bryan has pleaded guilty to engaging in a conspiracy to defraud various automobile insurance companies of more than $3 million, United States Attorney Kenneth Magidson announced today.
Marion Young, 42, co-owner of Private Chiropractic Care, admitted he participated in a two-year conspiracy to defraud numerous auto insurance companies by recruiting alleged auto accident victims to be represented by a Bryan area law firm. He further admitted he operated Private Chiropractic Care clinic as a front to allow fraudulent chiropractic bills to be created for treatments that were never performed and then used as support for fraudulent settlement demand letters sent to auto insurance companies. During the course of the conspiracy, Young received checks and cash from the firm totaling approximately $112,000.
Once represented by the firm, clients were sent to Private Chiropractic to be evaluated by chiropractor and co-defendant Chase Lindsey, 34. Lindsey pleaded guilty earlier this year, admitting he entered into an agreement with the office manager of that same law firm. Lindsey agreed to provide medical evaluations of and recommend treatment for those patients in exchange for $2,000 in cash per month, which totaled approximately $58,000 during the course of the conspiracy. Lindsey routinely prescribed medically unnecessary treatment which was provided, if at all, by unlicensed, untrained, and unqualified individuals and never supervised the treatments allegedly administered by these unqualified individuals. Lindsey always prescribed the same six treatments, but the patients usually received only two—ice/heat packs and electric stimulation. Lindsey prescribed the treatments be done three to four times per week for five to six weeks, but the patients usually went once a week for three to four weeks.
Young knew the patients were not receiving most of the treatments prescribed and that they were not going for treatments on many of the days reflected on the Private Chiropractic Care bills. Young knew the false Private Chiropractic Care billing was prepared at the law firm and that the fraudulent bills were used as support for settlement demand letters sent to auto insurance companies. The fraudulent demand letters caused the insurance companies to issue settlement checks, which were spilt between Young and others.
Young also participated in the scheme to defraud the insurance companies as an accident client of the law firm. Three separate checks, totaling nearly $5000, were sent and made payable to Young and the law firm to settle an accident claim which was based on fraudulent chiropractic bills produced at the firm. Young never received the treatments reflected on the bills sent to the insurance companies.
The scheme to defraud the automobile insurance companies resulted in the submission of more than $3 million in false billing claims. The insurance companies paid at least $1.2 million in false claims during 2007-2009.
U.S. District Judge Kenneth Hoyt, who accepted the guilty plea, has set sentencing for September 16, 2013, at which time Young faces up to 20 years in prison and a possible $250,000 fine. As part of his plea agreement, Young also agreed to forfeit the $112,000 he received and to pay restitution of $1.2 million to the insurance companies victimized by the scheme. Young was allowed to remain free on bond pending his sentencing.
Three remaining defendants charged in relation to this case are scheduled for trial on September 24, 2013. They are presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.
The criminal charges are the result of a joint investigation by agents of the FBI and the National Insurance Crime Bureau. Assistant United States Attorney Al Balboni is prosecuting the case.

FBI Seeks Suspect in Connection with Robbery of Community Bank of Texas Branch in Crosby

The FBI’s Bank Robbery Task Force needs help to identify a bank robber who remains on the run after being involved in the bank robbery and shootout at the Community Bank of Texas branch located at 14100 FM 2100, Crosby, Texas, on Tuesday, May 1, 2013.
At approximately 1:30 p.m., two armed bank robbers walked into the bank and brandished handguns. After receiving an undisclosed amount of cash, they left the bank and gunfire was exchanged with a Harris County Sheriff’s deputy who was on duty. No one was physically hurt.
Harris County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Henry Solis Giron, Jr. shortly after the robbery. Giron is charged with one count of aggravated robbery/deadly weapon via the Harris County District Attorney’s Office.
The manhunt continues for the remaining bank robber. He is described as a black male, in his mid 20s, 5’10” tall, with a medium build and facial hair. He wore a red T-shirt, black jacket, dark pants, and a tan checkered cap. Bank surveillance photographs are at the conclusion of this press release.
Crime Stoppers of Houston is offering up to $5,000 for information leading to the charging and arrest of this robber, or any felony suspect. If you have information about this crime, please call the Crime Stoppers tip line at 713-222-TIPS (8477) or the Houston office of the FBI at 713-693-5000.

Men Ordered Detained on Charges of Conspiracy and Hostage Taking

MCALLEN, TX—Miguel Angel Navarro, 35, of Hidalgo, and Onan Herrera-Sanchez, 24, of Honduras, have been ordered detained pending trial on charges of conspiracy and hostage taking, United States Attorney Kenneth Magidson announced today.
Navarro and Herrera-Sanchez appeared in court for an arraignment and detention hearing just a short time ago before U.S. Magistrate Judge Dorina Ramos, at which time she ordered them held without bond pending further criminal proceedings. A third defendant, Milton Leonel Trevino, 20, of Pharr, is also charged with the same offenses and was previously ordered detained.
All three men were charged in a two-count indictment in April 2013 with hostage taking and conspiracy to commit hostage taking. The indictment alleges they knowingly and intentionally conspired and agreed with each other to seize or detain and threaten to kill, injure, or continue to detain another person in order to compel a third person to pay a sum of money as an explicit or implicit condition for the release of the person detained.
According to a federal complaint filed in March 2013, a female victim was kidnapped from a UT-Pan American University parking lot at approximately 7:15 p.m. on September 25, 2012. She was allegedly forced into a vehicle by Herrera-Sanchez. Navarro was driving and Trevino was a passenger, according to the complaint. The victim was allegedly taken and held at Trevino’s home.
That evening, the victim’s father received a phone call demanding a ransom in exchange for his daughter’s release. He was allegedly told he had until September 27, 2012, to deliver $100,000 to a location in Penitas. During a subsequent call, the victim’s father was told his daughter would be killed if they did not “get rid of” the police. The complaint alleges that on September 26, 2012, at approximately 7:30 p.m., Trevino called the victim’s father and told him that he could pick her up at a residence in Pharr. She was released approximately an hour later.
Each man faces up to life in prison and a possible $250,000 fine on each count, upon conviction.
The charges resulting in an indictment were the result of a joint investigation by the FBI and the University of Texas-Pan American Police Department with assistance from other law enforcement agencies.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Linda Requénez.
An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.

Former Tri City Bomber Gets 20 Years in Federal Prison

HOUSTON—Jeffrey Juarez, the one-time leader of the notorious Tri City Bomber (TCB) street gang, has been sent to federal prison for his conviction of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and ecstasy, United States Attorney Kenneth Magidson announced today along with and Armando Fernandez, special agent in charge of the FBI’s San Antonio Division. Juarez entered a plea of guilty on September 6, 2012.
Today, U.S. District Judge Gray Miller, who accepted the guilty plea, handed Juarez a 240-month term of federal imprisonment, which will be followed by five years of supervised release.
“The punishment imposed today reflects our efforts to disrupt and dismantle an entire criminal enterprise up to and including its leadership,” said Magidson. “We will not waiver in our determination to diminish gang crime and hold those accountable for their illegal actions.
Juarez, aka “Dragon” and “Tira,” 35, of Sugar Land, along with 12 fellow gang members were indicted February 2011 following a four-year long investigation. Following today’s hearing, all have now been convicted and sentenced.
Juarez led the TCB gang, which made money by trafficking in cocaine and other drugs and by providing protection services for drug loads.
“Today’s sentencing is a clear message to all organized crime leaders that the safety of our communities will always be more important than your criminal enterprise,” said Fernandez, “and that our team work will always prevail.”
In October 2008, Juarez agreed the gang would provide protection for loads of cocaine traveling through South Texas for money. Unknown to Juarez, however, the loads were controlled by the FBI. Thereafter, Juarez, aided by other members or associates of the TCB gang provided protection for eight loads of cocaine loaded into a vehicle by the FBI. Juarez was paid for his services after each load and each transport was monitored by video and audio recording.
During this same time frame, Juarez sold approximately 388 Ecstasy pills to an FBI confidential source on numerous occasions.
The TCB gang was formed in the early 1980s in the Pharr, San Juan, and Alamo areas of South Texas. An organized group with mandatory specific rules and regulations knows as Las Reglas to endure loyalty and participation of gang members in criminal activity, the TCB also has a decision making hierarchy including a person in charge in each city and persons holding positions within the organization including president, generals, captains, lieutenants, sergeants, soldiers, and prospects. “Prospects” are those in the process of becoming TCB members. Non-members who do business with or perform work for the TCB are referred to as “associates.”
TCB membership is for life, and many of the members have tattoos such as “TCB,” a necklace tattoo made of small bombs, a 1939 Chevy Bomb car, three high-rise buildings, or “39,” which present their membership and allegiance to the TCB. Members pay monthly fees to support incarcerated members and to further the illegal activity of the gang.
Juarez has been in custody since his arrest, where he will remain pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
This investigation was led by agents and officers from the FBI, assisted by the United States Border Patrol, Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Department, Texas Department of Public Safety, McAllen Police Department, and Mission Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Tim S. Braley and Mark Donnelly prosecuted the case.

Dallas County Man Charged in Federal Complaint with Unlawfully Entering Restricted Area of Dallas Love Field Airport

DALLAS—Ruben Jimenez Martinez, 36, of Garland, Texas, appeared in federal court this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Irma C. Ramirez on a federal criminal complaint stemming from his unauthorized entrance into a restricted area of Dallas Love Field Airport on Sunday evening, April 28, 2013. He was ordered detained. Today’s announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Sarah R. Saldaña of the Northern District of Texas.
Specifically, the felony complaint charges Jimenez with entering aircraft or an airport area in violation of security requirements. The offense as charged, upon conviction, carries a maximum statutory penalty of up to 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.
According to the complaint filed, Jimenez, driving a 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe, pulled onto the Dallas Love Field Airport property where private aircrafts are housed. Jimenez approached the gate of a general aviation aircraft business and began pressing buttons on the gate’s access pad. While an employee opened the gate to engage Jimenez through the vehicle’s window, another employee parked his company SUV on the air operations side of the gate to prevent unauthorized vehicles from entering the restricted area. As that employee began to open the door of his vehicle, Jimenez evaded the vehicle and maneuvered around it at a high rate of speed.
Jimenez proceeded onto and down Taxiway Alpha at speeds estimated to be in excess of 100 miles per hour. The business’ employees were unable to catch up with Jimenez and requested assistance. Jimenez’s Tahoe was ultimately located at Associated Air Hanger 3. Jimenez walked through the hanger and, when officers with the Dallas Police Department arrived and cuffed him, he attempted to break free and additional officers arrived to assist in restraining him. Jimenez was arrested and agreed to speak to law enforcement. He advised that he believed God had directed him to Dallas Love Field and, that while he was in the hanger, he yelled “in the name of Jesus” three times.
A federal criminal complaint is a written statement of the essential facts of the offense charged and must be made under oath before a magistrate judge. The U.S. Attorney’s office has 30 days to present the matter to a grand jury for indictment. A defendant is entitled to the presumption of innocence until proven guilty.
The matter is being investigated by the FBI, the Transportation Security Administration, the Federal Air Marshal Service, and the Dallas Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Errin Martin is in charge of the prosecution.