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Wanted Gang Leader Busted in Lowell After 3 Years On Run: Feds
A Massachusetts man accused of playing a leading role in a dangerous drug trafficking conspiracy was arrested inside a local residence after evading authorities for nearly four years, federal authorities said.
Darasy Chhim, 39, also known by the aliases "Mystickal" and "Rizzus," was taken into custody on charges of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin, cocaine base, fentanyl, MDMA, cocaine, and methamphetamine. According to federal prosecutors, Chhim has been wanted since June 2021, when he was indicted alongside 14 co-conspirators.
Authorities allege …
'Barbaric Attack': 2 Men Who Burned Victim During Springfield Home Invasion Sentenced
Two men found guilty of torturing and permanently disfiguring a Springfield man during a 2019 home invasion were sentenced to decades in prison on Thursday, June 27, authorities said.
Paul Gayle, 30, and Malik Erskine, 24, both of Springfield, were found guilty of multiple violent felonies in the "barbaric attack," Hampden District Attorney Anthony D. Gulluni. Markendall Johnson, now 21, who was charged as a youthful offender because of his age on the day of the robbery, was also convicted in the case.
Gayle was sentenced to 35 to 40 years in state prison, and a judge gave …
Victims Scammed Out Of $2.2M By NJ Couple In 'Publishers Clearing House Lottery' Scheme: Cops
A couple from Secaucus is facing a litany of charges after scamming residents in multiple states out of more nearly $2.2 million, police said.
Akeem Lee and Majda Hodzic-Lee called victims in Florida, Minnesota, Arizona, Kansas, Massachusetts, Kentucky, Colorado, Pennsylvania and Nebraska, saying they'd won the "Publishers Clearing House Lottery," Secaucus Police Chief Dennis Miller said.
In exchange for the vehicles and large sums of money the victims were told they won, they were required by Lee and Hodzic-Lee to send cash, money orders and/or gift cards for taxes, fees and IRS …
Woman Embezzled $1.3M From Eastern Mass Business: Police
A 36-year-old Norfolk County woman was arrested on Wednesday, Aug. 2, and charged with stealing $1.3 million from her former employer, authorities said.
Ashley Sumner, of Weymouth, is charged with larceny over $1,200, two counts of improper use of a credit card over $1,200, four counts of identity fraud, and one count of money laundering, Holbrook police said. She was being held on a $100,000 bond.
Detectives began investigating Sumner in March after her former employer, Allstate Glass, reported her for allegedly stealing $50,000 while handling the business's finances, police said.&nb…
Newly Minted Millionaires Made Bank Cutting Catalytic Converters In Mass, NH: Feds
Seven men who police say are responsible for stealing nearly 500 catalytic converters from cars in Massachusetts and New Hampshire since last year were arrested Wednesday, April 12. The stolen car parts were worth about $2 million.
According to the US Attorney for Massachusetts, the theft ring included —
Rafael Davila, a/k/a “Robin Hood,” 35, of Feeding Hills, Mass.;
Jose Torres, a/k/a “Goldy,” a/k/a “Goldy Tech,” 37, of Springfield, Mass.;
Nicolas Davila, 25, of Springfield, Mass.;
Jose Fonseca, a/k/a “Charlito,” 26, of Springfield, Mass.;
Zachary Marshall, 26, of Holyoke, Mass.;
Santo …
'Cheated': Recovery Centers Across Mass Close, Operators Charged With Millions In Fraud: Feds
Instead of fostering recovery, the operator of a chain of addiction treatment centers used his position to launder money, steal millions of dollars, and write prescriptions under doctors' names without permission, said the US attorney's office.
Michael Brier, of Newton, used his position as operator of Recovery Connections Centers of America to rake in millions of dollars from Medicare, Medicaid, and other such organizations by falsifying healthcare claims, back-dating documents, and writing prescriptions using the names of doctors without their permission, according to Unite…
Four Busted Selling MDMA, Laundering Cash In Mass, Virginia: Feds
Four men were arrested and charged with selling MDMA and laundering their earnings through Massachusetts and Virginia.
Federal agents charged the following people:
Sathtra Em, 35, of Lowell
Kenneth Owen, a/k/a “Apple,” a/k/a “Carlos,” 22, of Charlotte Court House, Va.
Michael Mao, a/k/a “Whitebodian,” a/k/a “Spook,” a/k/a “Leno,” 36, of the Buckingham Correctional Center in Dillwyn, Va.
They are each charged with money laundering conspiracy and conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute MDMA and Buprenorphine, the US Attorney for Massachusetts s…
Repeat Watertown Lottery Winners Not So Lucky In Federal Court: DOJ
There was no one quite as lucky as the Jaaffar family of Watertown. The father and his two sons cashed in more than 14,000 winning lottery tickets to the tune of $21 million in prize money to make them some of the state's biggest winners every year for nearly a decade. And what was their unbeatable system?
They cheated, a federal court ruled.
Ali Jaafar, 63, and Yousef Jaafar, 29, were found guilty on Friday, Dec. 9, of conspiracy to defraud the Internal Revenue Service, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and of filing a false tax return, the US Attorney for Massachuset…
Men Busted For Running Organized Crime Loan Sharking, Gambling Ring: Mass AG
State and federal agents wrapped up a multi-year investigation with the arrest of three men who they say used threats, intimidation, and extortion to run a multi-million dollar gambling ring with the help of an organized crime syndicate.
Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey announced the arrests last week and laid out the state's case against them. They are, and their charges include:
Eric Rogers, 54, of Revere: Extortion, conspiracy to commit extortion, witness intimidation, and gambling charges.
Michael McMahon, 44, of Boston: Extortion, conspiracy to commit extortion,…
NJ Detectives Nab Massachusetts Dealers With Coke, Loaded Guns, $25G: Prosecutor
Three Massachusetts men were carrying several ounces of cocaine, two loaded handguns and $25,515 in suspected drug money when they were stopped in New Jersey, authorities said.
Narcotic Task Force detectives had learned that Kelvin Perez, 36, Brayan Lebron, 23, and Joseph Espinal, 22, all of Lawrence, MA were “transporting bulk amounts of suspected narcotics, weapons, and money derived from criminal activity” through the area, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said.
Espinal works as a security guard, and the other two are unemployed, the prosecutor said.
The stop on Wednesday, Oct. 5, …
Western Mass Woman Gets Prison Sentence Much Shorter Than Her Husband: Feds
A judge sentenced a 32-year-old Springfield woman to more than seven years in jail after she pleaded guilty to taking part in a drug smuggling ring that moved crack, heroin, and cocaine from Massachusetts into Vermont, authorities said. Her husband got 19 years for taking part in the operation in 2019.
Nia Dinzey, aka Nia Moore-Bush, pleaded guilty over the summer to several drugs, money laundering, and firearms charges, the US Attorney for Massachusetts said.
Investigators said Nia Dinzey and her husband, Dinelson Dinzey, would drive the drugs from Springfield to Barre, Ve…
