Greenbelt, Maryland – Newton Ofioritse Jemide, a Nigerian national, was extradited from France to the United States on September 13, 2024 to face federal charges for wire fraud and money laundering conspiracies in a scheme to fraudulently obtain federal benefits.  Jemide had his initial appearance on September 16, 2024, and is currently detained pending trial. …

BOSTON – A Windsor, Mass. man was arrested today and charged in federal court in Springfield for making online threats and extortionate demands. Michael Andrew Rodgers, 31, was indicted by a federal grand jury on one count of threatening interstate communications and one count of extortionate interstate communications. Rodgers was released on conditions following an…

BOSTON – The former bookkeeper for an electrical and contracting business has been charged with, and has agreed to plead guilty to, concealing income from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and stealing disability benefits. David Tetreault, 54, of Attleboro, has agreed to plead guilty to one count of tax evasion, one count of theft of…

LAFAYETTE, La. – United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced that Sommers N. Robertson, 45, of Lafayette, Louisiana, has been sentenced by United States District Judge Robert R. Summerhays to 21 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for False Representation of a Social Security Number. According to information presented in court, on October…

NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that TAMIKA CHAPPELL (“CHAPPELL”), age 40, of New Orleans, was sentenced on August 29, 2024 to five (5) years of probation by U.S. District Court Judge Carl J. Barbier after previously pleading guilty to making false statements related to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act),…

Rye Brook, New York Best Lawyers in America® recognized Bernard A. Krooks, JD, CPA, LLM, CELA®, AEP® (Distinguished), Amy C. O’Hara, CELA®, Joel Krooks, Esq, and Brian L. Miller, CELA®, for excellence in Elder Law and Trusts & Estates for 2025. Bernard and Amy are partners at the law firm Littman Krooks LLP. A listing…

From the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Louisiana NEW ORLEANS – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that PENELOPE PASSERO (“PASSERO”), age 50, of Westwego, Louisiana, pled guilty on August 27, 2024 to Theft of Government Funds, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 641.  PASSERO faces up to ten (10) years imprisonment, and/or a fine…

From the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Vermont Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office announced that Ella Mae Woods, 76, a former Brattleboro resident who recently has been living in Iowa, was sentenced today in United States District Court in Rutland to twelve months and one day of imprisonment following her May 2024…

From the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Indiana NEW ALBANY—Willie D. Watts, 42, of Clarksville, has been sentenced to eighteen months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to theft of federal benefits from the Section 8 Housing Voucher, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance, and Social Security programs. According to court…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE $23 billion remains unrecovered Through several audits, Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General made dozens of recommendations for the Agency to prevent improper payments before they occur as well as to detect and correct existing improper payments. However, to date, many of those recommendations remain unimplemented, leading to continued improper…