“The defendant’s scheme of submitting fraudulent applications for commercial loans and lines of credit to Bank of America was full of lies and deception so with today’s sentence the defendant learns a powerful truth, that cheating financial institutions for personal gain will be punished and the cost is significant,” stated United States Attorney Peace.

Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, a superseding indictment was partially unsealed variously charging seven members of the Brooklyn-based Hyena Crips gang with racketeering and using a firearm in the course of a murder in connection with three murders, murder conspiracies, robberies and identity-fraud schemes dating back to 2012. 

“As alleged, in just three short months the defendants attempted to bring over 40 guns into our community to sell them on our streets, including selling near an elementary school,” stated U.S. Attorney Peace. “Thanks to our Office and our law enforcement partners, this gun trafficking ring has been dismantled and we hope this sends a message to all who seek to profit from the illegal gun trade that we will not stop in our efforts to keep our community safe.”

Earlier today, in federal court in Central Islip, Hui Qin, also known as “Qin Hui,” “Hui Quin,” “Muk Lam Li” and “Karl,” a citizen of the People’s Republic of China, who was listed on Forbes Magazine’s List of Billionaires and who operated SMI Culture, a Hong Kong-based entertainment entity, was sentenced by United States District Judge Joan M. Azrack to seven months’ imprisonment for making political contributions in the names of others, immigration fraud and producing a false identification document. 

“Smothers, who fancied himself the gang’s “Godfather” and East New York his ‘Gun Town,’ deserves the decades behind bars imposed today for leading a criminal enterprise that endangered the community with their mindless killing, shootings and assaults of rivals,” stated United States Attorney Peace.  “This Office and our law enforcement partners have dismantled the Elite Assassin Millas and will continue the important work of ridding our district of violent groups that have no respect for the law or human life.”

“These defendants shamelessly lined their own pockets by diverting millions of dollars in airline part contracts to entities they controlled,” stated United States Attorney Peace.  “Today’s sentence sends a clear message that those who betray the trust of their employers by disrupting marketplaces for their own personal gain will be held to account.”

Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, Emmanuel Quamey, a Ghanaian national, was sentenced by United States District Judge Carol Bagley Amon to 48 months in prison for his role in receiving and laundering stolen money which was obtained through romance scams that defrauded over a dozen vulnerable and/or elderly victims in the United States. 

Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Central Islip, a criminal complaint was unsealed charging Jonathan Cannon and Julie Dotton with wire fraud in connection with a scheme to defraud a company seeking to purchase personal protective equipment (“PPE”) at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

BROOKLYN, NY - Today, in federal court in Brooklyn, Nikolay Grigorev pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud the United States for his role in an illicit export control scheme to ship electronic components from the United States to companies affiliated with the Russian military. 

Today, in federal court in Central Islip, Surage Roshan Perera, the founder and Executive Director of Janues Capital, Inc. in Bellerose, Queens, was sentenced by United States District Judge Gary R. Brown to 78 months’ imprisonment for securities fraud in connection with running a Ponzi scheme in which the defendant used investor money to pay redemptions to prior investors and his personal expenses, and fund his highly speculative day trading.

Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, Jebara Igbara, also known as “Jay Mazini,” was sentenced by United States District Judge Frederic Block to 84 months in prison for wire fraud, wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering arising out of multiple schemes that resulted in millions of dollars in loss to trusting investors.  

Today, a federal jury in Brooklyn returned a guilty verdict against Antony Abreu on both counts of an indictment charging him with murder-for-hire and murder-for-hire conspiracy in connection with the February 12, 2019 killing of 31-year-old Xin “Chris” Gu, outside of a karaoke bar in Queens.  

Earlier today, an indictment was unsealed in federal court in Brooklyn charging Omari Scott, also known as “Prince” and “Sir Prince,” and Michael Simmons, also known as “Victory,” with murder in the course of sex trafficking, sex trafficking by force and related crimes.  The charges stem from the defendants’ trafficking of women and promoting prostitution with customers in cars, hotels and along a stretch of Brooklyn known as the “Penn Track” which has operated for years as an open-air commercial sex market. 

“As alleged, Jandres-Parada, a high-ranking leader in MS-13, engaged in drug trafficking, public and private displays of violence, and terrorism — all in pursuit of power for the organization,” said United States Attorney Peace.   “This arrest is a monumental achievement for our Office and international partners, highlighting our dedication to dismantling MS-13 and their reign of terror wherever they hide.”

Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, Nicholas Welker, also known as “King ov Wrath,” was sentenced by United States District Judge Pamela K. Chen to 44 months’ imprisonment for conspiring to make death threats.  Welker, the leader of Feuerkrieg Division, an international racially or ethnically motivated violent extremist group, which translates to “War Fire,” posted death threats against a Brooklyn-based journalist (the “Journalist”) so that the Journalist would stop reporting on the Neo-Nazi group.

BROOKLYN, NY - Earlier today, an indictment was unsealed in federal court in Brooklyn charging Joel David Forney, also known as “Sirbar,” with three counts of sex trafficking, Mann Act transportation for purposes of commercial sex and coercion and enticement of a minor.  The charges in the indictment arise from the defendant’s trafficking of women to work as prostitutes in New York, including along an open-air sex trafficking market on a stretch of Pennsylvania Avenue in Brooklyn, New York known as the Penn Track.

“While communities across the country reeled from an opioid epidemic, this defendant operated an elaborate scheme that illegally diverted huge quantities of prescription medications into the hands of drug users, including people struggling with addiction,” stated United States Attorney Peace.  “This Office will continue doing its part to find and hold responsible individuals at all levels of the illegal supply chain who contribute to the scourge of opioids in this District.” 

Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Central Islip, Donald Finley, a Locust Valley businessman and owner of the now-defunct Jekyll & Hyde theme restaurant in Manhattan and the Bayville Adventure Park on Long Island, was sentenced by United States District Judge Joan M. Azrack to 24 months in prison.   Finley pleaded guilty in May 2023 to disaster relief fraud and wire fraud in connection with his receipt of $3.2 million dollars in small business loans under the Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program.