Tag Archives: Jose L. Linares

Hudson County, New Jersey, Man Sentenced To 63 Months In Prison For Masterminding Fake ID Website And Participating In ‘SIRF’ Scheme

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Thursday, July 27, 2017

NEWARK, N.J. – A Jersey City, New Jersey, man was sentenced today to 63 months in prison for his role in two separate conspiracies: one to create and operate a website that sold high-quality, custom-made fake identification documents, some of which were later used to commit financial crimes, and a second to fraudulently obtain tax refund checks, Acting U.S. Attorney William E. Fitzpatrick announced.

Ricardo Rosario, 34, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Jose L. Linares in Newark federal court to an information charging him with conspiracy to commit fraud in connection with authentication features and conspiracy to submit false claims to the U.S. Government. Judge Linares imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

From October 2012 through August 2014, Rosario, with the assistance of Abraham Corcino, 34, of Jersey City, and Alexis Scott Carthens, 38, of Newark, sold fake driver’s licenses over the Internet, running a website that was available at “fakeidstore.com” and “fakedlstore.com.” A number of the fake driver’s licenses sold by Rosario and other conspirators were used in connection with “cash out” schemes, where stolen credit card information, usually obtained through hacking or ATM skimming operations, was encoded on to counterfeit credit cards and used to steal cash from victims’ accounts.

Rosario created and ran the website. Corcino and Carthens assisted him by creating and mailing the fake driver’s licenses purchased through the website. Corcino also maintained an Instagram account to promote the website. The website sold fake New Jersey, Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin driver’s licenses, and the website boasted that the licenses had “scannable barcodes” and “real” holographic overlays. The price for each fake driver’s license was approximately $150, but the website offered bulk pricing for orders of 10 or more.

The website allowed its users to pay by bitcoin, a cryptographic-based digital currency, or MoneyPak, a type of prepaid payment card that could be purchased at retail stores. The “FAQ” section of the website indicated that orders would be received approximately one to two days after payment was received and described the website’s policy with respect to returns: “No Refunds. No snitching.”

In the Stolen Identity Refund Fraud (SIRF) conspiracy, Rosario assisted Carthens, who obtained stolen personally identifiable information (PII) primarily in the form of lab testing request forms that he purchased from another individual. Rosario provided Carthens with email accounts and drop addresses used in furtherance of the scheme. The email accounts were used to register accounts for online tax filing services and prepaid card accounts used to apply for and receive the tax refunds. The drop addresses were used to physically receive the refunds in the form of prepaid debit cards.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Linares sentenced Rosario to three years of supervised release and ordered forfeiture of $232,660 and restitution of $121,922.

Corcino was sentenced on April 17, 2017, to three years of probation. Carthens pleaded guilty to his role in the scheme on April 25, 2016, and is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 28, 2017.

Acting U.S. Attorney Fitzpatrick credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Timothy Gallagher in Newark, inspectors of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Inspector in Charge James V. Buthorn, and special agents of IRS – Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jonathan D. Larsen, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Zach Intrater of the Economic Crimes Unit and Barbara Ward, Acting Chief of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Unit in Newark.

Defense counsel: Brian Neary Esq., Hackensack, New Jersey

Newark Police Officer Admits Conspiracy To Commit Fraud Against Housing Assistance Program

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Monday, July 24, 2017

NEWARK, N.J. – A Newark police officer today admitted conspiring to fraudulently obtain payments under the federal public housing assistance program known as “Section 8,” Acting U.S. Attorney William E. Fitzpatrick announced.

Luis Cancel, 50, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Jose L. Linares in Newark federal court to an information charging him with one count of agreeing with another individual to obtain Section 8 public housing benefits to which they were not entitled.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

The Section 8 Program is a federal public housing assistance program administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). It provides rent subsidies to qualified low-income individuals. HUD provided federal grant money to the Newark Housing Authority (NHA) for the Section 8 Program. Under the NHA’s Section 8 Program, a tenant’s rental assistance was based upon the tenant’s anticipated family gross income. Tenants receiving Section 8 assistance from the NHA had to inform the NHA of all members of the household and the annual household income.

From January 2010 to May 2015, Cancel, then a Newark police officer, lived with another person (Individual 1) who was receiving Section 8 benefits. Cancel and the other individual agreed not to disclose to the NHA that they were living together or that Cancel was a Newark police officer, and, also, a security guard with the Robert Treat Hotel. Individual 1 submitted fraudulent documents to the NHA that failed to disclose these facts. Cancel also submitted letters to the NHA falsely indicating that he lived at a separate residence. Based upon their misrepresentations, Cancel and Individual 1 received approximately $74,000 in Section 8 subsidies to which they were not entitled.

The count to which Cancel pleaded guilty carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 6, 2017.

Acting U.S. Attorney Fitzpatrick credited special agents of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Christina Scaringi, with the investigation leading to today’s plea.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rahul Agarwal of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Special Prosecutions Division in Newark.

Defense counsel: Joseph D. Rotella Esq., Newark

Former U.S. Army Corps Of Engineers Employee Sentenced To 13 Years In Prison For Multimillion-Dollar Bribery, Kickback Scheme

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At Least $50 Million in Iraq Construction Contracts Involved

NEWARK, N.J. – A former U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Project Engineer deployed to Tikrit, Iraq, during Operation Iraqi Freedom was sentenced today to 156 months in prison for taking at least $3.7 million in bribes and kickbacks in connection with more than $50 million in USACE contracts awarded to foreign companies in Gulf Region North, Iraq, New Jersey U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

Egyptian-born U.S. citizen John Alfy Salama Markus, 40, of Nazareth, Pa., previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Jose L. Linares to three counts of a 54-count Indictment returned in July 2011 charging him with wire fraud, conspiracy to commit bribery and to defraud the U.S. government, money laundering and tax offenses. Two other USACE employees and two foreign contractors also were charged in the July 2011 Indictment. Judge Linares imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court.

“The Court’s lengthy sentence recognizes the significant harm Salama Markus caused when he corrupted tens of millions in Iraq construction contracts by treating projects to secure safe access to fuel, electricity, education and medical treatment as opportunities for illegally amassing personal wealth,” U.S. Attorney Fishman said. “Bribes should not be the cost of doing business with the United States. They violate our laws and unfairly tarnish those who serve our country with honor.”

“By accepting bribes and corrupting the acquisition process while deployed to a combat theater, Mr. Salama Markus failed in his duty to his country and betrayed his position of trust for personal greed, depriving the U.S. taxpayers of his honest service,” Acting Special Agent in Charge Craig W. Rupert, DCIS Northeast Field Office, said. “The Defense Criminal Investigative Service continues to aggressively root out corruption and fraud impacting our warfighters and to safeguard the proper use of U.S. taxpayer dollars.”

“Today’s sentencing of Salama Markus is a direct result of the excellent relationship IRS has with our law enforcement partners in combating violations of federal law,” Shantelle P. Kitchen, Acting Special Agent in Charge, IRS-Criminal Investigation, Newark Field Office, said. “This sentence should send a clear message: illegally lining your own pocket for personal financial gain will not be tolerated, and individuals like Mr. Markus will be punished for their crimes.”

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

From July 2007 to June 2008, Salama Markus accepted at least $3.7 million in bribe and kickback payments in connection with USACE contracts awarded to multiple companies associated with two foreign contractors named in the Indictment – Ahmed Nouri, a/k/a “Ahmed Bahjat,” 42, a citizen of Great Britain residing in Greece and Iraq and the former vice president of Operations for Iraqi Consultants & Construction Bureau (“ICCB”); and Mithaq Al-Fahal, a/k/a “Mithaq Mahmood Al-Fahal,” 38, an Iraqi citizen who was a senior project manager at Sakar Al-Fahal and controlled Dar Al Jubori Co. From September 2005 to July 2008, Salama Markus was assigned to Tikrit as a project engineer, where he and his co-worker, Onisem Gomez, were involved in the review and award process for contractors seeking lucrative USACE contracts in Gulf Region North, Iraq, as well as the administration, oversight and modification of such contracts, post-award.

Salama Markus admitted that he devised a scheme to provide favorable official action and assistance to co-conspirators Nouri and Al-Fahal for the benefit of their associated companies, including obtaining and disseminating confidential bid and internal USACE pricing information to individuals seeking the award of USACE contracts to their companies, and approving lucrative payments to these companies. All of these actions were taken in exchange for bribes and kickbacks that Salama Markus accepted from foreign contractors. Salama Markus also admitted paying more than $100,000 in bribe money received by Gomez.

Salama Markus opened or established control over multiple foreign bank accounts in Jordan and Egypt to receive illegal bribe and kickback payments that he took from foreign contractors in connection with USACE contracts awarded. With respect to some of these USACE contracts, Salama Markus created, maintained and sent via email to foreign contractors spreadsheets and other records detailing: (a) the value of USACE contracts awarded; (b) the percentage of those contracts that Salama Markus solicited and demanded; (c) the payments – whether by installment or lump sum – made to Salama Markus by foreign contractors in connection with the award of USACE contracts; and (d) in some cases, the date on which these illegal payments were accepted in cash or deposited into Salama Markus’ foreign bank accounts. A single page of one spreadsheet created by Salama Markus in July 2008 reflected his demand and acceptance of bribe payments totaling $1,958,500, or 10 percent of the contract value, from co-conspirator Al-Fahal in connection with the award to companies associated with Al-Fahal of $19,580,000 in contracts for the construction of segments of the Baghdad to Bayji Pipeline.

Salama Markus used the foreign bank accounts under his control to receive and transfer bribe and kickback payments from foreign contractors to at least 11 bank accounts opened, established and controlled by Salama Markus in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Salama Markus also transferred bribe and kickback money to co-conspirator Gomez.

Salama Markus admitted that with the proceeds of his wire fraud scheme and bribery offenses he paid for the construction of a custom-built home in Nazareth, which was worth $1.1 million. He admitted that on Oct. 16, 2008, the date of settlement, he obtained a cashier’s check drawn on a Bank of America account for $850,807.54 made out to a title company in connection with the construction of the Nazareth home.

Salama Markus also admitted that, for calendar year 2009, he failed to file with the U.S. Department of Treasury a Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR), disclosing that he had a financial interest in, and signature and other authority over, certain financial accounts in foreign countries, including Jordan.

Salama Markus agreed to the entry of a forfeiture money judgment in the amount of at least $3.7 million, a portion of which will be satisfied by his forfeiture of the Nazareth residence, as well as his forfeiture of five vehicles and two motorcycles.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Linares sentenced Salama Markus to three years of supervised release, fined him $75,000 and ordered him to cooperate with the IRS concerning the payment of taxes and penalties.

U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of DCIS, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Craig W. Rupert, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the Northeast Field Office of the U.S. Department of Defense, Office of the Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service; IRS-Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Shantelle P. Kitchen with the investigation leading to today’s sentence. He also thanked special agents of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Andrew McLees; and the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command, Mid-Atlantic Fraud Field Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge William J. Stakes Jr., for their work in the ongoing investigation.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sandra L. Moser and Vikas Khanna of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Special Prosecutions Division in Newark.