$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
$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…
No Charges For Metropolitan Police Officers Involved In Fatal DC Shooting: Prosecutors No Charges For Metropolitan Police Officers Involved In Fatal DC Shooting: Prosecutors No Charges For Metropolitan Police Officers Involved In Fatal DC Shooting: Prosecutors
No Charges For Metropolitan Police Officers Involved In Fatal DC Shooting: Prosecutors There will be no charges for a pair of officers from the Metropolitan Police Department for their role in a fatal shooting last year involving a 33-year-old District resident, according to federal investigators. The US Attorney's Office announced that there is insufficient evidence to pursue criminal or civil rights charges for their roles in an officer-involved shooting in Southeast DC in October 2023 that left Arthur Porter dead. According to prosecutors, at around 5 p.m. on Oct. 19 last year, the officers were called to the 2800 block of Gainesville Street SE, where there were reports of…
Pot-Smoking NY Rioter Who Donned Fake Beard In Capitol Breach Gets 3 Years In Prison Pot-Smoking NY Rioter Who Donned Fake Beard In Capitol Breach Gets 3 Years In Prison Pot-Smoking NY Rioter Who Donned Fake Beard In Capitol Breach Gets 3 Years In Prison
Pot-Smoking NY Rioter Who Donned Fake Beard In Capitol Breach Gets 3 Years In Prison A New York man who was photographed smoking marijuana inside a Senate office during the US Capitol breach on Jan. 6, 2021 will spend years in prison. Brandon Fellows, age 29, of Schenectady, was sentenced to 3 ½ years in federal lockup on Thursday, Feb. 29 after a Washington, DC jury found him guilty of obstructing an official proceeding, a felony. “His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the US Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the presidential election,” the US Attorney’s Office said. Earlier Report: Capitol Rioter F…
Former Paterson Sergeant Used Chat Group To Upload Child Porn: Feds Former Paterson Sergeant Used Chat Group To Upload Child Porn: Feds Former Paterson Sergeant Used Chat Group To Upload Child Porn: Feds
Former Paterson Sergeant Used Chat Group To Upload Child Porn: Feds A retired Paterson police sergeant was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Tuesday, Feb. 27 for distributing child pornography, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.  Ryan Curving, 50 now living in Texas, pleaded guilty to the charges in August 2023 after admitting he sent child pornography videos to five other people via the Kik Messenger App, U.S. Attorney Alamdar Hamdani of the Southern District of Texas, said. Authorities originally searched his home in Dec. 2022 and Curving admitted to downloading child pornography on Kik and said he had been curious about child pornography for two year…
Man Gets Prison Time For Operating Cocaine Delivery Service: Caused Death Of Yonkers Man Man Gets Prison Time For Operating Cocaine Delivery Service: Caused Death Of Yonkers Man Man Gets Prison Time For Operating Cocaine Delivery Service: Caused Death Of Yonkers Man
Man Gets Prison Time For Operating Cocaine Delivery Service: Caused Death Of Yonkers Man A 41-year-old man will spend more than a decade in prison for operating a cocaine courier service that delivered fentanyl-tainted cocaine to a Westchester man, causing his death.  Florida resident Jose Luis Tejada Aybar of Miami was sentenced on Tuesday, Feb. 27 to 12 and a half years in prison for operating the Cab Louie Delivery Service, which brought cocaine to customers in the Bronx and Westchester, the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York announced.  According to federal officials, Tejada Aybar began the delivery service in March 2018. To order…
Drug Dealer Ran 'Large-Scale Trafficking Org' Near Philly School: Feds Drug Dealer Ran 'Large-Scale Trafficking Org' Near Philly School: Feds Drug Dealer Ran 'Large-Scale Trafficking Org' Near Philly School: Feds
Drug Dealer Ran 'Large-Scale Trafficking Org' Near Philly School: Feds A city man was dealing drugs wholesale "in the immediate vicinity" of a Philadelphia middle school, a federal court found last week.  Phillip Gillard, 46, was convicted at trial on multiple drug trafficking and firearm offenses, said the US Attorney's Office.  A two-year investigation found the "Gillard drug trafficking organization" was supplying area dealers with wholesale quantities of methamphetamine, PCP, fentanyl, and other narcotics, according to the FBI.  Authorities believe Gillard and others maintained three properties in the city's Port Richmond section for d…
Man Accused Of Killing Wife Ana Walshe, Gets 3 Years For Art Fraud: Feds Man Accused Of Killing Wife Ana Walshe, Gets 3 Years For Art Fraud: Feds Man Accused Of Killing Wife Ana Walshe, Gets 3 Years For Art Fraud: Feds
Man Accused Of Killing Wife Ana Walshe, Gets 3 Years For Art Fraud: Feds A Lynn, Massachusetts, man who will soon stand trial for allegedly murdering his wife found himself in another courtroom Tuesday when he was sentenced to more than three years in prison for an elaborate art fraud scheme, authorities said.  Brian Walshe, 49, was given 37 months behind bars after he pleaded guilty to selling fake Andy Warhol paintings on eBay labeled as authentic, the US Attorney for Massachusetts said.  The fraud began in 2011 when a friend gave Walshe three Andy Warhol paintings to sell on his behalf. Walshe kept the paintings and the profits, prosecutors said.&nb…
Drug Trafficking Group With California Ties Operated In Southeast PA: Feds Drug Trafficking Group With California Ties Operated In Southeast PA: Feds Drug Trafficking Group With California Ties Operated In Southeast PA: Feds
Drug Trafficking Group With California Ties Operated In Southeast PA: Feds Five members of an alleged trafficking group active in greater Philadelphia face federal charges, the US Attorney's Office announced this week.  Investigators say the group sent cocaine and methamphetamine to Pennsylvania through the mail for distribution in Reading, Quakertown, Bensalem, Plymouth Township, Coopersburg, and elsewhere. Authorities said they seized 40 firearms, over 100,000 rounds of ammunition, 60 pounds of meth, one kilogram of fentanyl, one kilogram of cocaine, 65 pounds of marijuana, 300 fentanyl pills, six pounds of psilocybin mushrooms, and $15,000 cash from the su…
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
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
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," according to his accou…
Naughty Nurse Practitioner In Capital Region Helped Friend Get Controlled Drugs, Feds Say Naughty Nurse Practitioner In Capital Region Helped Friend Get Controlled Drugs, Feds Say Naughty Nurse Practitioner In Capital Region Helped Friend Get Controlled Drugs, Feds Say
Naughty Nurse Practitioner In Capital Region Helped Friend Get Controlled Drugs, Feds Say A nurse practitioner from the region is facing federal charges for allegedly helping a friend acquire controlled drugs. Albany County resident Christopher Viagrande, age 41, of Latham, is accused of distributing controlled substances outside the course of professional practice and with no legitimate medical purpose, according to a complaint filed in Albany federal court on Tuesday, Feb. 6. Prosecutors said Viagrande, a psychiatric nurse practitioner, prescribed amphetamine to someone who was never his patient on 40 occasions between May 2021 and December 2023. Amphetamines are stimulants t…
Philadelphia Knifepoint Kidnapper Could Face Life In Prison: Feds Philadelphia Knifepoint Kidnapper Could Face Life In Prison: Feds Philadelphia Knifepoint Kidnapper Could Face Life In Prison: Feds
Philadelphia Knifepoint Kidnapper Could Face Life In Prison: Feds A North Carolina man who pleaded guilty to one attempted abduction and one kidnapping in Philadelphia will learn his sentence this week, federal officials say.  Jacob Alex Montague has a court hearing scheduled for Friday, Feb. 16 at 1:30 p.m., according to the US Attorney's Office.  Investigators have said Montague tried kidnapping a 28-year-old woman at knifepoint near the intersection of 20th and Spruce Streets late on Nov. 1, 2020.  He tried again the next day, parking his car near the corner of 24th and Spruce Streets and abducting a 26-year-old woman after threate…