Another Nigerian Sentenced for Cyber Scam, also Committed Marriage Fraud to Stay in US

10/28/2019 ~ Ann Corcoran ~ 1 Comment

I promise this isn’t a blog just for Nigerian scammers we ‘welcomed’ to America even if it seems that way sometimes!

Maybe we have a special visa I didn’t know about to attract the best and brightest scammers in the world to ply their trade while living among us!

First thing I did after seeing the news from the US Justice Department about Nigerian national Olufolajimi Abegunde getting a six year sentence in the slammer (the taxpayers must now pay for!) was to see if there was a picture this time.

Well, what do you know there is!

Abegunde received an MBA from Texas A&M which gives us a clue that he came to the US on a student visa.

You will see below that he committed marriage fraud to stay—a common pathway for ‘new American’ wannabees.

The photo at right has been used widely around the world (not much US media coverage of his case), but Nigerian writers are promoting the propaganda that Abegunde was being racially profiled by the feds in Tennessee.

In January of this year, according to an African blogger, Abegunde is innocent and he was scapegoated by racist feds operating in racist Memphis, Tennessee:

Other updates to the saga also shows that a local judge in Memphis TN area, the city where he is being held, confirmed that Federal authorities around TN area act and prosecute based on racial bias.

Judge Fowlkes of Memphis TN confirmed this while trying a gun charge case.The case involved a white man who records say sold an undercover officer 100 ecstasy pills for $800, while his black partner stayed in the car with a gun.

Fowlkes asked why the white defendant wasn’t slapped with the same gun charge as the black defendant since they worked together. The gun charge carres an automatic 5 year sentence just for the black person.

The above case shows that Olufolajimi’s claims of racial mistreatment is valid and should be taken into account. His family wishes to draw the attention of current Presidential aspirants and other concerned Nigerians to look into this matter as Nigeria cannot continue to fold it’s arms while it’s citizens are mistreated on the basis of skin color.

Now have a look at the US Justice Department case against the pure-as-the-driven-snow Abegunde:

Nigerian Citizen Sentenced for Role in International Cyber-Fraud Scheme

Memphis, TN – A citizen of Nigeria residing in Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced to 78 months in prison yesterday for his role in an international cyber fraud scheme….

[….]

Abegunde and Ramos-Alonso participated in a criminal organization in which members “spoofed” emails and created fake profiles on dating websites in order to fool victims into sending money to bogus bank accounts under the control of members of the conspiracy. The proceeds would be laundered and subsequently wired out of the United States to destinations including West Africa.

The organization as a whole is believed to have caused more than $10,000,000 in damage to United States citizens and businesses.

U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said: “Frauds perpetrated through the Internet cause significant financial harm to businesses and individuals in our District and throughout the United States. Because those committing Internet fraud involve foreign nationals and others who hide behind technology, the cases are difficult – but not impossible – to investigate. We will continue to deploy our resources to take on these difficult cases, and we are pleased to achieve justice for the victims in this case.”

Read the details about how the crooks set up their cyber crimes, but below we see how Abegunde used marriage fraud to stay in the US once he finished ‘studying’ at Texas A & M. You can’t make this up!

The Justice Department continues…

In addition to his financial activities, Abegunde also engaged in a conspiracy to commit marriage fraud. Abegunde was married during his studies at Texas A&M, but divorced his wife in 2016 to marry a U.S. service member through whom he could obtain immigration and health care benefits and also open new bank accounts.

He continued to live with his first wife in Atlanta while his U.S. service member wife was deployed to South Korea.

While incarcerated and awaiting trial in the Western District of Tennessee, Abegunde continued his conspiratorial activities, trying to convince his fake spouse, who has since filed for divorce, to refuse to testify against him.

Abegunde is contesting the divorce from his fake spouse.

Abegunde also engaged in witness tampering by sending a self-written Motion to Dismiss bearing his former attorney’s name and professional attestation. The evidence at trial established that Abegunde drafted and sent the motion, which his attorney expressly did not authorize, to his faux spouse in an effort to deceive her into not testifying against him.

Read it all here.

You wouldn’t know it if you just watch cable news and read your local paper, but there are many, many fraud schemes (perpetrated by foreign nationals) busted every day by the Trump Administration. The President should be bragging about the crooks and criminals he is getting off the streets.

At each rally he should showcase some of the best cases his Justice Department has prosecuted.

Be sure to see my tag below for Nigeria!

Wisconsin ‘New Americans’ Charged in Large Drug Bust

10/16/2019 ~ Ann Corcoran ~ 2 Comments

“As United States Attorney, I want to make it clear to those who choose to distribute these dangerous drugs for profit – you are a priority for law enforcement, and my office will work with our local, state, and federal partners to prosecute you and send you to federal prison.”

( Scott C. Blader, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin)

Are these the immigrant entrepreneurs we hear about all the time from those promoting the new American economy?

When you see the names of those charged you will see that likely most of those charged are Hmong.

Learn about Meth here: https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/methamphetamine/what-methamphetamine

And, based on their ages and the fact that Wausau, Wisconsin has been ground zero for the resettlement of Hmong people for 40 years, many of those charged are the next generation—so much for benefiting America (or for them realizing the American dream)!

From the US Justice Department earlier this month.

Thanks to a reader for alerting me to it:

Federal & State Charges Announced in Methamphetamine Investigation

MADISON, WIS. – Federal, state, and local officials announced that 16 people have been charged with drug crimes following a long-term investigation of methamphetamine distribution in the Wausau, Wisconsin area.

[….]

Twelve people have been charged in indictments returned by a federal grand jury on September 19, 2019, as follows:

Lisa Xiong, 31, Wausau, is charged with conspiring to distribute methamphetamine, with three counts of distributing 5 grams or more of methamphetamine, and with possessing 50 grams or more of methamphetamine with intent to distribute;

Chong Chueneng Moua, 51, St. Paul, Minnesota, is charged with conspiring to distribute methamphetamine, and with possessing 50 grams or more of methamphetamine with intent to distribute;

Chou Xiong, 36, Wausau, is charged with conspiring to distribute methamphetamine, seven counts of distributing 5 grams or more; and one count of distributing 50 grams or more;

Soua Khang, 23, Wausau, is charged with conspiring to distribute methamphetamine, and three counts of distributing methamphetamine;

Ya Yang, 31, Wausau, is charged with conspiring to distribute methamphetamine;

John Gates, 49, Hewitt, Wisconsin, is charged with conspiring to distribute methamphetamine, and two counts of attempting to possess methamphetamine with intent to distribute;

Chai Thao, 34, Wausau, is charged with two counts of distributing methamphetamine, with one count alleged to involve 50 grams or more;

Sandy Vang, 49, Wausau, is charged with three counts of distributing methamphetamine, with two counts alleged to involve 5 grams or more;

Ger Moua, 31, Wausau, is charged with three counts of distributing methamphetamine, with one count alleged to involve 5 grams or more, and one count alleged to involve 50 grams or more; with possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; and with being a felon in possession of a firearm;

Vang C. Yang, 26, St. Paul, Minnesota, is charged with two counts of distributing methamphetamine;

Meng Xiong, 26, Wausau, is charged with two counts of distributing methamphetamine, with one count alleged to involve 5 grams or more; and

Dao Thao, 39, St. Paul, Minnesota, is charged with possessing 50 grams or more of methamphetamine with intent to distribute.

[….]

District Attorney Wetzsteon announced that four people will face state charges in Marathon County, as follows:

Kai Chang, 28, Wausau, is charged with conspiracy to possess methamphetamine as a habitual criminality repeater;

David Castillo-Lopez, 30, Wausau, is charged with conspiracy to possess methamphetamine as a habitual criminality repeater;

Mai Xiong, 32, Wausau, is charged with delivery of methamphetamine (10 to 50 grams), as a party to the crime, as a habitual criminality repeater; and;

Par Y. Her, 61, Wausau, has been charged in Marathon County Case 19CF1033 with delivery of methamphetamine (3 to 10 grams) and delivery of methamphetamine (10 to 50 grams), both as a habitual criminality repeater.

U.S. Attorney Blader said, “As United States Attorney, I want to make it clear to those who choose to distribute these dangerous drugs for profit – you are a priority for law enforcement, and my office will work with our local, state, and federal partners to prosecute you and send you to federal prison. Those who are pouring these substances into Wisconsin from out of state should be on notice that we will use all resources available to us, including the Central Wisconsin Narcotics Task Force, to identify you and prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law.”

Many of those charged as drug dealers benefited from a welcoming America and likely received taxpayer-funded social services and an education, and now, oh joy, we get to pay for their incarcerations.

Feds Bust 18 International Gang Members Stealing Millions Via ATM Skimmers

10/12/2019 ~ Ann Corcoran ~ 2 Comments

The Department of Justice announced charges have been filed against 18 crooks who have defrauded Americans out of millions of dollars by building and using skimming devices to steal money from bank accounts in at least 18 states.

The cool thing about the Justice Department press release is that we don’t need a secret decoder ring to figure out where this latest bunch of foreign crooks are from—they have provided a handy chart to inform us! Most are Romanians!

Here are a few snips from that press release:

18 Members Of International Fraud And Money Laundering Conspiracy Charged In Manhattan Federal Court

Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, William F. Sweeney Jr., the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), Troy Miller, Director, Field Operations, New York, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”), and James P. O’Neill, the Police Commissioner for the City of New York (“NYPD”), today announced the unsealing of an indictment and two superseding indictments charging 18 defendants with participating in an international conspiracy to commit a variety of offenses, including access device fraud, wire fraud, bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft.

[….]

FBI Assistant Director William F. Sweeney Jr. said: “An extremely frustrating thing to experience, you grab cash from an ATM but then find out your bank information was stolen and your account drained.

The scheme detailed here cost victims money, time, and effort to get their finances returned and their identities restored, which can be an infuriating long process. The FBI New York Cyber Crimes Task Force and our law enforcement partners have worked exhaustively to find the members of this criminal organization, and the arrests and charges are a testament to their hard work stopping these thieves from creating more havoc for anyone trying to access their hard-earned money.”

[….]

[The crooks] participated in a transnational organization that engaged in what is colloquially referred to as “ATM skimming” (the “Skimming Organization”). The Skimming Organization unlawfully obtained victim account holders’ debit card account information by using advanced technological devices to surreptitiously record the debit card numbers and personal identification numbers at automatic teller machines (“ATMs”), and then manufacturing counterfeit and fraudulent debit cards that bore the victim account holders’ account information. The Skimming Organization’s members then used those cards to fraudulently withdraw cash from victims’ bank accounts.

[….]

The defendants carried out hundreds of ATM skimming operations across the U.S., including in New York and at least 17 other states. The scheme defrauded financial institutions and individual victims of more than $20 million.

Below is a screenshot of the first part of the DOJs chart. Is this what Open Borders Inc. might be referring to when they tout ‘new American’ entrepreneurs?

Go to the press release, here, for the whole list!

Jacksonville, FL: Citizen of Nepal Arrested for Soliciting Underage Girl for Sex

10/01/2019 ~ Ann Corcoran ~ 2 Comments

I suppose there is nothing unusual about this case. It likely goes on across America on a daily basis, but I thought it might be instructive for a couple of reasons.

First, although the FBI makes it clear that the arrested man is not a US citizen, we are never told (as usual!) how he came to be living in America.

Did he come illegally or did he come as a refugee, a diversity visa lottery winner, or on some other visa for work or school? If law enforcement never tells us that information how can we make a judgement about which legal programs are failing us?

The news is very brief (below), but more interesting and worth a few minutes of your time is the criminal complaint which shows how the feds got this alleged sexual predator, Sanjay Lama (aka Awesome_Jack) talking via phone and internet discussions that were being taped.

From the US Justice Department (at least the feds are telling us the man is not a US citizen right in the headline for a change).

LOL! the headline doesn’t begin with “Jacksonville man.”

Nepalese Citizen Arrested And Charged With Attempting To Entice And Meet A 12-Year-Old Child To Engage In Sexual Activity

Jacksonville, Florida – Sanjay Lama (29, Jacksonville) has been arrested and charged with using the internet to attempt to entice a 12-year-old child to engage in sexual activity. Lama is a citizen of Nepal who is legally residing in Jacksonville. If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years, and up to life, in federal prison and a potential life term of supervised release. Lama has been detained pending a detention hearing scheduled for October 1, 2019.

According to court documents, on September 25, 2019, an undercover FBI agent, who was posing online as a 12-year-old child, was contacted by the user “Awesome_Jack,” who was later identified as Lama. On that day, during an online conversation between Lama and the undercover agent, Lama expressed his desire to meet the “child” to engage in sexual activity. Lama further provided the undercover agent with details about the sexual acts that he wished to perform on the “child.” Later that day, Lama rode his motorcycle to a prearranged location in Jacksonville to meet the “child” and was arrested by FBI agents.

[….]

It is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.

Cases like this should be widely distributed, but it won’t be because once again the PC media isn’t eager to report on immigrant criminal activity. It doesn’t fit the meme that they are all here working hard and seeking a better life.

A wide distribution of news like this might just save some young girls from exploitation as well!

California-based ‘Church’ Ministry Indicted by Feds in Forced Labor Case

09/15/201909/21/2019 ~ Ann Corcoran ~ 1 Comment

Here is the news about the disgusting abuse in the name of God.

Imperial valley minstry

From the AP story at the Hartford Current:

Leaders of California ministry charged with forced labor

(My first question when I saw the news was, what are the names of the leaders? Other than the leader of the scam, the others aren’t named in most of the US news stories. But, as is so often the case the UK Daily Mail has them with pictures!—ed)

A dozen leaders of a California-based ministry were arrested Tuesday on charges that they used homeless people as forced labor, holding them in locked group homes and forcing them to panhandle up to nine hours a day, six days a week, U.S. prosecutors said.

Alleged leader of the pack: Pastor Victor Gonzalez

The former pastor of Imperial Valley Ministries, Victor Gonzalez, and the others were arrested in San Diego, El Centro near the Southern California border with Mexico and Brownsville, Texas. They face charges of conspiracy, forced labor, document servitude and benefits fraud.

The El Centro-based ministry has about 30 affiliate church throughout the United States and Mexico and runs five group homes in Southern California, authorities said.

Dozens of victims, many of them homeless and some as young as 17, were lured to the group homes by the promise of food and shelter until they were able to return home.

Instead, the ministry that billed itself as rehabilitating drug addicts kept them inside deadbolted group homes, took their personal belongings and identification documents and refused to return them, stole their food stamp and welfare benefits and in some cases threatened to take away their children if they left, according to a grand jury indictment filed Aug. 23 and unsealed Tuesday.

“The indictment alleges an appalling abuse of power by church officials who preyed on vulnerable homeless people with promises of a warm bed and meals,” U.S. Attorney Robert Brewer said at a news conference. “These victims were held captive, stripped of their humble financial means, their identification, their freedom and their dignity.”

“Windows were nailed shut at some group home locations, leading a desperate 17-year-old victim to break a window, escape, and run to a neighboring property to call police,” said a statement from the U.S. attorney’s office.

More here. And, see the indictment here.

Who are they?

Now check out the UK Daily Mail story, here, where we learn the names of the ‘new Americans’ ripping off extremely vulnerable homeless people.

Former IVM Pastor Victor Gonzalez, 40, of Brownsville, Texas was among those arrested in the probe along with Jose Demara Flores, aka Joe Flores, 52, Mercedes ‘Mercy Diaz’, 37, and Susan Christine Leyva, 39.

El Centro, California church leaders Arnoldo Bugarin, 47, Jose Gaytan, 47, Sonia Murillo, 51, Sergio Partida, 32, Ana Karen Robles-Ortiz, aka Karen Partida, 29, and Azucena Torres, aka Susana Bugarin, 43, were also booked.

San Diego leaders Jose ‘Chito’ Morales, 47, was arrested in San Diego.

So much for the entrepreneurial spirit of ‘new Americans.’

The Indictment is here. If anyone finds some juicy bits that weren’t mentioned by the media, let me know. For example, did money leave the country?