Man From Region Nabbed On Child Porn Charges Man From Region Nabbed On Child Porn Charges
Man From Region Nabbed On Child Porn Charges A Massachusetts man has been arrested and charged with possession of child pornography. Worcester County resident Joseph Michael Smith, age 59, of Spencer, was arrested for one count of child pornography on Wednesday, Nov. 10, said the U.S. Attorney's Office. According to the charging documents, a search of Smith’s residence revealed 35 videos depicting child pornography on Smith’s laptop. Smith also admitted ownership of three email addresses associated with usernames that uploaded child pornography to Kik Messenger groups between October 2020 and May 2021, the documents said. The charge…
CT Woman Who Worked As Property Manager Sentenced For Stealing From Housing Complexes CT Woman Who Worked As Property Manager Sentenced For Stealing From Housing Complexes
CT Woman Who Worked As Property Manager Sentenced For Stealing From Housing Complexes A former Connecticut property manager has been sentenced for embezzling money from federally-subsidized housing complexes.  New London County resident Alicia Gardner, age 51, of Griswold, was sentenced on Wednesday, Nov. 3, to eight months in prison followed by three years of supervised release, according to Leonard Boyle, acting United States attorney for the District of Connecticut. She was also ordered to pay $501,656.17 in restitution, the US Attorney's Office said.  While employed by Garden Homes Management Corporation, Gardner was responsible for managing "Sa…
Man Sentenced For Trafficking Heroin In Fairfield County Man Sentenced For Trafficking Heroin In Fairfield County
Man Sentenced For Trafficking Heroin In Fairfield County A 43-year-old man has been sentenced for trafficking heroin and fentanyl in Fairfield County. Constantino Acosta-Banda, a citizen of Mexico who last resided in California, was sentenced on Tuesday, Nov. 2, to 70 months in prison, according to Leonard Boyle, acting United States attorney for the District of Connecticut. The Drug Enforcement Administration’s Bridgeport High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force began investigating an organization distributing fentanyl, crack cocaine and heroin in the Bridgeport area in 2019, Boyle said. Investigators learned that the organizat…
Man Sentenced In Region For Generating $550,000 By Filing False Tax Returns Man Sentenced In Region For Generating $550,000 By Filing False Tax Returns
Man Sentenced In Region For Generating $550,000 By Filing False Tax Returns A 39-year-old man was sentenced to 15 months in prison in federal court in the region for tax offenses including filing false tax returns that netted him more than $550,000. Cory Kizer, of the state of Florida, was sentenced in Springfield in Hampden County on Tuesday, Oct. 26 after pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and eight counts of theft of public money. According to Acting US Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell, Kizer obtained personal identifying information for the purpose of filing false federal tax returns and obtaining unwarranted tax refunds.  The ta…
Duo From Region Convicted In Large-Scale Heroin, Cocaine Trafficking Conspiracy Duo From Region Convicted In Large-Scale Heroin, Cocaine Trafficking Conspiracy
Duo From Region Convicted In Large-Scale Heroin, Cocaine Trafficking Conspiracy Two Western Massachusetts men have been convicted by a federal jury for their roles in a large-scale drug trafficking organization supplied by sources in Mexico and spanning at least four states. According to the US Attorney's Office, Isaac Cardona, age 34, and Rafael Cardona Sr., age 61, both of Springfield, were convicted on Monday, Oct. 18, following a nine-day trial of conspiracy to distribute to possess with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine and one kilogram of heroin.  Isaac Cardona was also convicted of conspiracy to commit money laundering.  The Cardona'…
Fairfield County Man Sentenced For Tax Evasion Fairfield County Man Sentenced For Tax Evasion
Fairfield County Man Sentenced For Tax Evasion A Fairfield County man has been sentenced for evading paying more than $141,000 in taxes. Michael Monroe, age 48, of Norwalk, was sentenced on Friday, Oct. 15, to six months in prison and six months of home confinement, according to Leonard Boyle, acting United States attorney for the District of Connecticut. Monroe was also sentenced to three years of supervised release and 90 hours of community service. Boyle said he was ordered to pay back the taxes of $141,041, plus interest and penalties. He pleaded guilty to one count of tax evasion on March 15. Boyle said Monroe oper…
Connecticut Man Charged With Multiple Child Exploitation Offenses Connecticut Man Charged With Multiple Child Exploitation Offenses
Connecticut Man Charged With Multiple Child Exploitation Offenses A Connecticut man has been charged by federal authorities with multiple child exploitation offenses. Hartford County resident Michael Ferro, age 35, of Avon, surrendered to law enforcement on Wednesday, Sept. 29, according to Leonard C Boyle, US Attorney for the District of Connecticut. As alleged in the complaint, on Wednesday, August 18, Ferro, using the Kik social media application, began chatting in a Kik group with an FBI covert agent who was posing as a father of a 12-year-old girl.  After Ferro determined that the fictitious father was engaged in sexual activity with his “…
Man Sentenced For Trafficking Heroin From Fairfield County Deli, Market Man Sentenced For Trafficking Heroin From Fairfield County Deli, Market
Man Sentenced For Trafficking Heroin From Fairfield County Deli, Market A man was sentenced for trafficking heroin from two businesses he operated in Fairfield County. New Haven County resident Eddy Antonio Torres Morel, age 51, of Meriden, was sentenced on Friday, Sept. 24, to 78 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release, according to Leonard Boyle, acting United States attorney for the District of Connecticut.  He was also ordered to pay a $50,000 fine.  Investigators found that Torres Morel was trafficking the narcotics from two stores he operated on East Main Street in Bridgeport, Big Daddy’s Deli and Jamal’s Market, Boy…
Dental Office Manager In Region Admits To Role In Medicare Fraud Scheme Dental Office Manager In Region Admits To Role In Medicare Fraud Scheme
Dental Office Manager In Region Admits To Role In Medicare Fraud Scheme A Massachusetts woman has pleaded guilty to her participation in a scheme to defraud the Massachusetts Medicaid program commonly known as MassHealth. Robin Cronin, age 58, of Worcester, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and one count of health care fraud, according to the US Attorney's Office. In January 2020, Cronin was indicted along with Dr. Anthony DiStefano and Dr. Scott Cale, dentists practicing in Worcester, for their roles in the Medicare fraud scheme. According to the indictment, from 2014 to 2018, the dental services that DiStefano personally d…
Three Employees Of Long Island Company Admit To Criminal Copyright Infringement Three Employees Of Long Island Company Admit To Criminal Copyright Infringement
Three Employees Of Long Island Company Admit To Criminal Copyright Infringement Three employees at a Long Island Information Technology company have admitted to their roles in an elaborate, high-tech scheme to defraud customers by stealing keys and licenses for some software programs. Michael Calabria, age 49, of Manorville, Joseph Keegan, age 46, of Merrick, and Casey Silver, age 36, of Stamford, Connecticut, pleaded guilty to criminal copyright infringement for their roles in a years-long scheme, the US Attorney's Office announced. Calabria and Keegan were principals at Constructure Technologies in Melville and Silver, a project manager at the company, admitted to in…
25-Year-Old Fairfield County Man Known As 'Spooda' Admits To Gang-Related Shootings 25-Year-Old Fairfield County Man Known As 'Spooda' Admits To Gang-Related Shootings
25-Year-Old Fairfield County Man Known As 'Spooda' Admits To Gang-Related Shootings A Fairfield County man has admitted to his role in multiple gang-related shootings. Undrea Kirkland, also known as “Spooda,” age 25, of Bridgeport, pleaded guilty to one count of racketeering on Friday, Sept. 17, in New Haven. Kirkland has been a member of the “Greene Homes Boyz," a gang based in the Charles F. Greene Homes Housing Complex in Bridgeport’s North End, the US Attorney's Office said. Members and associates distributed heroin, crack cocaine, marijuana, and Percocet pills, the US Attorney's Office added. In addition, they committed numerous acts of violence against rival gang m…
CT Woman Failed To Report $855K Withdrawal From Business, Feds Charge CT Woman Failed To Report $855K Withdrawal From Business, Feds Charge
CT Woman Failed To Report $855K Withdrawal From Business, Feds Charge A 58-year-old Connecticut woman has pleaded guilty to withdrawing about $855,000 from her home cleaning business and failing to report the proceeds on her tax forms. Kathryn Pocock, of New London County, pleaded guilty to one count of tax evasion on Wednesday, Sept. 15, according to Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut Leonard Boyle.  Investigators found that Pocock, a resident of Uncasville, withdrew the funds from Sunshine Cleaners, LLC, between 2015 and 2019, and failed to report them on tax forms for the business and on her federal income tax returns, …