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US Attorney's Office

Federal Inmate In Pennsylvania Pleads Guilty To Assaulting Officer: USDOJ Federal Inmate In Pennsylvania Pleads Guilty To Assaulting Officer: USDOJ
Federal Inmate In Pennsylvania Pleads Guilty To Assaulting Officer: Usdoj A federal inmate in Schuylkill County pleaded guilty to attacking a correctional officer on Monday, April 29, according to prosecutors.  The US Attorney's Office said Carlos Rodriguez-Cruz, 33, punched a guard at FCI Schuylkill in Minersville last Oct. 6.  According to authorities, the guard found a homemade knife or "shank" during a search of Rodriguez-Cruz's cell.  Rodriguez-Cruz, formerly of Puerto Rico, faces up to eight years of imprisonment, supervised release, and a fine.  The guilty plea comes just a week after another FCI Schuylkill inmate pleaded guilty …
PA Man Heads To Fed Pen For Double Armed Robbery: USDOJ PA Man Heads To Fed Pen For Double Armed Robbery: USDOJ
PA Man Heads To Fed Pen For Double Armed Robbery: Usdoj A 26-year-old man will spend the next 15 years behind bars for a pair of Northeast Philadelphia robberies, federal prosecutors say.  Michael Malcolm was sentenced to 185 months plus five years of supervised release and $300 restitution, the US Attorney's Office said in a release.  Investigators said the robberies happened within minutes on the night of Oct. 5, 2021. Malcolm walked into Illadelph by All in One Smoke Shop at 14230 Bustleton Avenue and asked for cigarillo wraps before handing over some money, authorities said.  When the clerk opened the register, Malc…
PA Drug Dealer Federally Indicted For Methamphetamine Sales: USDOJ PA Drug Dealer Federally Indicted For Methamphetamine Sales: USDOJ
PA Drug Dealer Federally Indicted For Methamphetamine Sales: Usdoj A federal grand jury indicted a Luzerne County man on drug trafficking charges this week, according to the US Attorney's Office.  Benjamin Woytas, 34, of Wilkes-Barre Township, is accused of distributing methamphetamine in Luzerne County in August 2023, said USA Gerard Karam in a release.  The maximum penalty for the charges is a 40-year prison term followed by supervised release and a fine, prosecutors said.  In addition to the FBI, the county Drug Task Force investigated the case.  Woytas was charged with drug possession in Hudson County, New Jersey, in 2020.&nb…
$42K Hidden In Sealed Toothpaste Boxes Lands PHL Employee Federal Sentence $42K Hidden In Sealed Toothpaste Boxes Lands PHL Employee Federal Sentence
$42K Hidden In Sealed Toothpaste Boxes Lands PHL Employee Federal Sentence A Philadelphia International Airport employee will spend six months in jail for trying to smuggle thousands of dollars past security, according to federal prosecutors.  Hugh James, 52, was also sentenced to two years of supervised release and a combined $1,200 in fines and fees, said the US Attorney's Office.  Authorities said James tried to board a flight from PHL to Montego Bay, Jamaica in October 2020 with $62,000 in undeclared cash in his luggage.  As "an employee with access to the secure area of the airport," investigators said James "arranged to have the cash smuggled…
PA Man Gets Prison Time For Concealing Dad's Death To Collect Social Security PA Man Gets Prison Time For Concealing Dad's Death To Collect Social Security
PA Man Gets Prison Time For Concealing Dad's Death To Collect Social Security A Monroe County man was sentenced to five years in federal prison this week for covering up his father's death and continuing to cash his checks, according to the US Attorney's Office.  Timothy Gritman, 56, of Brodheadsville, pleaded guilty to Social Security and wire fraud in a federal court exactly one year ago, Feb. 14, 2023, Daily Voice reported. This year on Valentine's Day, Gritman was sentenced to five years plus three more of supervised release, prosecutors said in a release.  Authorities have said Gritman's father Ralph was 79 and "in poor health" when he was l…
YouTube Drone Pilot Summoned To Federal Court For Reckless Flying In PA YouTube Drone Pilot Summoned To Federal Court For Reckless Flying In PA
YouTube Drone Pilot Summoned To Federal Court For Reckless Flying In PA A Philadelphia man is accused of breaking Federal Aviation Administration rules while flying his drone around the city, according to a release from the US Attorney's Office.  From December 2019 to the present, federal prosecutors claim Michael DiCiurcio flew his drones "unlawfully and unsafely" — including at night and dangerously close to buildings and landmarks like the William Penn statue.  DiCiurcio operates a YouTube channel called PhillyDroneLife, where he films and uploads "drone footage from sunrises to sunsets with the beautiful city skyline as the backdrop," accordi…
Bucks County Man Sentenced For Trafficking Meth In York County: USDOJ Bucks County Man Sentenced For Trafficking Meth In York County: USDOJ
Bucks County Man Sentenced For Trafficking Meth In York County: Usdoj A Warminster man was sentenced to more than 12 years in federal prison for selling methamphetamine in York County, according to the US Attorney's Office.  Matthew Moss, 37, previously pleaded guilty to possessing more than 270 grams of meth for distribution, said prosecutors in a release.  Investigators said they went undercover and purchased 140 grams from Moss in York County in November 2021. He fled when they tried to arrest him and led authorities on a vehicle and foot chase, officials said.  When captured, Moss had an additional 133 grams of 96-percent-pure meth in his …
Reading Man Who Shot FBI Agents Convicted: USDOJ Reading Man Who Shot FBI Agents Convicted: USDOJ
Reading Man Who Shot FBI Agents Convicted: Usdoj Rafael Vega-Rodriguez "sealed his own fate" when he opened fire on three FBI agents in Reading four years ago, says the US Attorney's Office.  The 41-year-old was convicted Friday, Feb. 2 for three counts of attempted murder of a federal law enforcement officer and related offenses, federal prosecutors wrote in a release.  Authorities said Vega-Rodriguez was wanted for a state parole violation when the trio of FBI agents spotted him on West Greenwich Street on March 1, 2020.  When the agents tried to stop him, authorities said Vega-Rodriguez drew a handgun from his…
Pottsville Snapchat Hacker Who Sold Woman's Nudes Gets Short Prison Stay Pottsville Snapchat Hacker Who Sold Woman's Nudes Gets Short Prison Stay
Pottsville Snapchat Hacker Who Sold Woman's Nudes Gets Short Prison Stay A Pottsville man will spend 18 months behind bars for hacking into social media accounts to steal and sell explicit photos of the victims, according to the US Attorney's Office.  Brandon Boyer, 34, will also spend two years on supervised release, prosecutors said.  Investigators said Boyer contacted the victims using an account that appeared to be Snapchat affiliated, then coaxed them to reset their passwords and send him the verification codes that were generated, a technique known as "phishing." Authorities said he stole photos from the private sections of the victims' accounts…
NY Man Who Assaulted Female Passenger On Flight To Newark Gets 2 Years, No Parole NY Man Who Assaulted Female Passenger On Flight To Newark Gets 2 Years, No Parole
NY Man Who Assaulted Female Passenger On Flight To Newark Gets 2 Years, No Parole UPDATE: An upstate New York man who admitted assaulting a fellow passenger on a flight from Denver to Newark must spend two plea-bargained years in federal prison. Ryan Manuella, 30, of Erie County, “moved to a vacant center seat next to a female passenger, who was sitting in a window seat” on the April 16, 2021 flight, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. Manuella, who didn't know the woman, then "touched the passenger without her consent," Sellinger said. "The victim then yelled at him and left the row of seats," the U.S. attorney said. Defense attorney Andrew Olesnyck…
Carjacking, Kidnapping, Rape: Multi-State Crime Spree Stretched Into PA, Feds Say Carjacking, Kidnapping, Rape: Multi-State Crime Spree Stretched Into PA, Feds Say
Carjacking, Kidnapping, Rape: Multi-State Crime Spree Stretched Into PA, Feds Say Four Delaware men are accused in a crime spree that stretched into Pennsylvania and allegedly included car theft, kidnapping, gunpoint robbery, and rape.  Twenty-four-year-old Tonnaire McNair-Matthews, 23-year-old David Hinson, 21-year-old Michael Caldwell, and 20-year-old Mahkiya Powell were each named in a July 13 indictment unsealed in a US District Court in Delaware this week, said the US Attorney's Office.  The spree, federal authorities say, took place on April 14 and began in Delaware. Investigators claim the four suspects were riding around in a stolen …
Nine Pennsylvanians Stole Over $4 Million In Fine Art And Sports Memorabilia, Feds Say Nine Pennsylvanians Stole Over $4 Million In Fine Art And Sports Memorabilia, Feds Say
Nine Pennsylvanians Stole Over $4 Million In Fine Art And Sports Memorabilia, Feds Say It's enough to field a baseball team.  Nine Pennsylvania residents are charged with taking part in a 20-year conspiracy to steal sports memorabilia and works of art from museums across the country, said the office of US Attorney Gerard Karam.  The suspects, all of whom hail from Lackawanna County, conspired to steal paintings, antiques, and collectible items in a string of heists dating back to 1999 and targeting galleries and exhibitions in at least five states, prosecutors said.  Stolen items listed in the indictment include:  Paintings by Andy Warhol and Jackson Po…