2011 Press Conferences

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November 9. 2011

Seven Charged for Engineering Sophisticated Internet Fraud Scheme
New York, NY – U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Janice K. Fedarcyk, NASA Inspector General Paul Martin announce charges against seven individuals for engaging in a massive and sophisticated Internet fraud scheme that infected with malware more than four million computers located in over 100 countries. The malware secretly altered the settings on infected computers, enabling the defendants to digitally hijack Internet searches and re-route computers to certain websites and advertisements. The defendants subsequently received fees each time these websites or ads were clicked on or viewed by users.

Press Release
Remarks by U.S. Attorney Bharara
Press Conference Visuals (PDF)
U.S. v. Tsastsin, et al. Indictment (PDF)

November 1, 2011

Civil Mortgage Fraud Lawsuit Filed Against Allied Home Mortgage, CEO and Executive Vice President
New York, NY – U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, U.S. DOJ Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division Tony West, HUD General Counsel Helen Kanovsky, and Acting Deputy Inspector General of HUD John P. McCarty announce the filing of a civil mortgage fraud lawsuit against Allied Home Mortgage Capital Corporation, its affiliate, Allied Home Mortgage Corporation, as well as Allied President and CEO Jim C. Hodge, and Executive Vice President Jeanne L. Stell, seeking damages and civil penalties for nearly a decade of concealed misconduct in connection with the residential mortgage lending practices of Allied, which bills itself as one of the nation's largest privately held mortgage lenders.

Press Release
Remarks by U.S. Attorney Bharara
Allied Home Mortgage Complaint (PDF)

October 27, 2011

11 Charged in LIRR Pension Disability Fraud Scheme
New York, NY – U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, Railroad Retirement Board Inspector General Martin J. Dickman, FBI Assistant Director-in Charge Janice K. Fedarcyk, and MTA Inspector General Barry L. Kluger announce charges against 11 defendants for participating in a massive fraud scheme from 1998 to the present in which Long Island Railroad (LIRR) workers claimed to be disabled upon early retirement so that they could receive extra pension benefits to which they were not entitled.

Press Release
Remarks by U.S. Attorney Bharara
Press Conference Visuals (PDF)
U.S. v. Ajemian, et al. Complaint (PDF)

October 25, 2011

NYPD Officers & Others Charged with Conspiring to Illegally Transporting Stolen Goods
New York, NY - U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Janice K. Fedarcyk, and NYPD Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly announce charges against 12 defendants, including eight active-duty and retired NYPD Officers, for participating in a variety of schemes involving the illegal interstate transportation of stolen good, including firearms. The goods that the defendants allegedly illegally transported carried a street value of over $1 million.

Press Release
Remarks by U.S. Attorney Bharara
U.S. v. Masso, et al. Complaint (PDF)

October 11, 2011

Two Charged in Plot to Kill Saudi Ambassador to the United States
Washington, D.C. – Attorney General Eric Holder; FBI Director Robert S. Mueller; Assistant Attorney General for National Security Lisa Monaco; and U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara announces charges against Manssor Arbabsiar, a naturalized U.S. citizen holding both Iranian and U.S. passports, and Gholam Shakuri, an Iran-based member of Iran’s Qods Force, for their alleged participation in a plot directed by elements of the Iranian government to murder the Saudi Ambassador to the United States with explosives while the Ambassador was in the United States.

Press Release
Remarks by U.S. Attorney Bharara
U.S. v. Manssor Arbabsiar & Gholam Shakuri Complaint (PDF)

September 13, 2011

Operation Blood Drive, Part II
Newburgh, NY – U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Janice K. Fedarcyk, Troop "F" Commander for the New York State Police Maj. Edward Raso, Newburgh Police Department Chief Michael Ferrara, Orange County District Attorney Frank Phillips, and Orange County Sheriff Carl E. DuBois announce murder, assault, narcotics and firearms charges against 20 members and associates of the Bloods gang in Newburgh, New York. The charges mark the second phase of Operation Blood Drive, an investigation into a Newburgh-based crack cocaine trafficking conspiracy involving 60 Bloods gang members and associates, and is the third coordinated multi-agency law enforcement strike against Newburgh gangs in 16 months.

Press Release
Remarks by U.S. Attorney Bharara
Press Conference Visuals (PDF)

August 9, 2011

Yonkers Gang Takedown
White Plains, NY – U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Janice K. Fedarcyk, and Yonkers Police Commissioner Edmund Hartnett announce narcotics and firearms charges against 65 defendants based in Yonkers, New York. Three defendants were also charged with the murder of a rival drug dealer. Fifty-nine of the defendants charged were members or associates of either the Elm Street Wolves or the Cliff Street Gangsters – two street gangs based in Yonkers, New York.

Press Release
Remarks by U.S. Attorney Bhararaa
Press Conference Visuals (PDF)
U.S. v. Knowles, et al. Superseding Indictment (PDF)
U.S. v. Hardy, et al. Superseding Indictment (PDF)
U.S. v. Valentine, et al. Indictment (PDF)
U.S. v. Harvey-Acquino, et al. Indictment (PDF)
U.S. v. Michael Jones Indictment (PDF)

July 23, 2011

Four Arrested In DEA Narco-Terrorism Undercover Operations
New York, NY – Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara and DEA Special Operations Division Special Agent-in-Charge Derek Maltz announce the unsealing of two indictments resulting from two DEA narco-terrorism undercover operations. One DEA operation resulted in charges against three defendants for agreeing to acquire $9.5 million worth of surface-to-air missiles and other weapons for Hizballah. A separate DEA operation culminated in charges against a heroin and weapons trafficker from Kandahar, Afghanistan, for participating in a Taliban-related narco-terrorism conspiracy.

Press Release
Remarks by U.S. Attorney Bharara
U.S. v. Henareh, et al Superseding Indictment (PDF)
U.S. v. Taza Gul Alizai Superseding Indictment (PDF)

June 20, 2011

Four New Defendants Charged in CityTime Fraud Scheme
New York, NY – Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara and NYC Department of Investigation Commissioner Rose Gill Hearn announce the unsealing of a Superseding Indictment charging nine defendants, including two individuals and one corporation not previously charged, in connection with a massive and elaborate scheme to defraud the City of New York on the CityTime Project. An additional defendant was also charged and pled guilty in connection with his role in the fraud. CityTme is an initiative to modernize the payroll system for City employees. Also unsealed was the guilty plea of the Chief Engineer for the primary contractor on the project.

Press Release
Remarks by U.S. Attorney Bharara
Press Conference Visuals (PDF)
U.S. v. Mazer, et al. Superseding Indictment (PDF)
U.S. v. Carl Bell Information (PDF)

May 5, 2011

Civil Mortgage Fraud Lawsuit Filed Against Deutsche Bank and Subsidiary
New York, NY – Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, U.S. DOJ Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division Tony West, HUD General Counsel Helen Kanovsky and Acting Inspector General of HUD Michael P. Stephens announce a civil mortgage fraud lawsuit against Deutsche Bank and its subsidiary MortgageIT for years of reckless lending practices.

Press Release
Remarks by U.S. Attorney Bharara
Deutsche Bank & MortgageIT Civil Complaint (PDF)

April 13, 2011

Hedge Fund Portfolio Manager Joseph “Chip” Skowron Charged with Insider Trading
New York, NY – Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara and FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Janice K. Fedarcyk announce charges against Joseph “Chip” Skowron, a hedge fund portfolio manager, for using inside information about a clinical drug trial to avoid $30 million in losses for his hedge fund.

Press Release
Remarks by U.S. Attorney Bharara
Press Conference Visuals (PDF)
U.S. v. Joseph Skowron Complaint (PDF)
U.S. v. Yves Benhamou Information (PDF)

March 10, 2011

Two Members of New York State Legislature Charged With Federal Corruption Crimes
New York, NY – Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara and FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Janice K. Fedarcyk announce charges against New York State Senator Carl Kruger and New York State Assemblyman William Boyland, Jr. for accepting bribes in exchange for official acts. Six others, including two hospital CEO, an Albany lobbyist, a real estate developer and a healthcare consultant, were also charged in the bribery schemes.

Press Release
Remarks by U.S. Attorney Bharara
Press Conference Visuals (PDF)
U.S. v. Kruger, et al. Complaint (PDF)

February 10, 2011

Latin Kings Gang Members Charged with Murder and Racketeering
White Plains, NY –U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Janice K. Fedarcyk, New York ATF Special Agent-in-Charge Ronald B. Turk, Newburgh Police Department Chief Michael Ferrara, and Orange County District Attorney Frank Phillips announce the unsealing of a superseding Indictment charged 31 members and associates of the Latin Kings gang in Newburgh, New York with murder, attempted murder, racketeering and other federal crimes. The charges are the result of Operation Black Crown, a long-term investigation into the Latin Kings. The original Indictment was filed in May 2010.

Press Release
Remarks by U.S. Attorney Bharara
U.S. v. Pagan, et al. Superseding Indictment (PDF)

February 8, 2011

Three Hedge Fund Managers and One Analyst Charged with Insider Trading
New York, NY – Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara and FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Janice K. Fedarcyk announce insider trading charges against Hedge Fund Portfolio Managers Samir Barai and Donald Longueuil. Hedge Fund Manager Noah Freeman and Research Analyst Jason Pflaum were also charged with and pled guilty to charges of insider trading related to the scheme with Barai and Longueuil.

Press Release
Remarks by U.S. Attorney Bharara
Press Conference Visuals (PDF)
U.S. v. Barai, et al. Complaint (PDF)
U.S. v. Noah Freeman Information (PDF)
U.S. v. Jason Pflaum Information (PDF)