Press Releases

If you are a member of the media with a question please send an email to Jack Gillund.

2008 | 2009

February 2010
February 9, 2010	LAS VEGAS MAN CHARGED WITH CREATING AND SELLING COOKIE-STUFFING PROGRAM
	Christopher Kennedy	Charged	One count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud
February 8, 2010	FELTON MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO INVESTMENT FRAUD SCHEME Gary Ray Bassett Stole More Than $850,000, Including Money Victim Intended to Use for Husband’s Cancer Treatment
	Gary Ray Bassett	Guilty Plea	Wire fraud
February 8, 2010	KINGDOM OF SWEDEN ACCEPTS REQUEST FOR TRANSFER OF PROSECUTION IN CASE INVOLVING SWEDISH NATIONAL CHARGED WITH HACKING AND TRADE SECRET THEFT Intrusions Involved Computers at NASA and Cisco, Theft of Trade Secret Source Code
	Kingdom of Sweden	Accepted transfer	Prosecution of Philip Gabriel Pettersson
February 5, 2010	BAY AREA WOMAN SENTENCED TO EIGHT YEARS IN PRISON FOR DISTRIBUTING HEROIN AND METHAMPHETAMINE
	Josefina Rodriguez	Sentenced	Eight years in prison and ordered to forfeit over $390,000
February 3, 2010	PRESIDENT OF SALINAS AGRIBUSINESS PLEADS GUILTY TO TAX FRAUD Defendant diverted business funds to pay for personal expenses from Victoria’s Secret, a Tae Bo Class and a trip to Legoland. Also diverted funds offshore to Nigeria
	Curtis Leigh Parry	Guilty Plea	Tax evasion and filing false corporate tax returns
February 3, 2010	MOUNTAIN VIEW WOMAN CONVICTED OF WIRE FRAUD AND WITNESS TAMPERING Self-Proclaimed “Honorable Lady of San Francisco” Defrauded Mortgage Lenders, Financial Institutions of $6.5 Million
	Judy “Miu Wan” Yeung	Convicted	One count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, eight counts of wire fraud, and three counts of witness tampering
January 2010
January 27, 2010	SAN FRANCISCO REAL ESTATE INVESTOR PLEADS GUILTY TO FILING FALSE TAX RETURNS Failed to Report More Than $45 Million in Capital Gains From the Sale of Real Property
	Luke D. Brugnara	Guilty Plea	Filing false tax returns
January 26, 2010	SAN FRANCISCO MAN PLED GUILTY TO ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT VIOLATIONS AND MAKING FALSE STATEMENTS TO INVESTIGATORS President of Brugnara Corporation Admits to Harming Steelhead First Federal Criminal ESA Case for Blocking Steelhead Migration
	Luke D. Brugnara	Guilty Plea	Four counts of “taking” steelhead trout, and two counts of making false statements
January 22, 2010	MANAGER OF EAST BAY FUEL TERMINAL SENTENCED TO ONE YEAR OF HOME CONFINEMENT FOR VIOLATING THE CLEAN AIR ACT Also sentenced to 200 hours community service related to health impacts of air pollution
	Chuck Sivil	Sentenced	Three year period of probation, which includes one year of home confinement and 200 hours of community service
January 22, 2010	MANAGERS OF COMMODITIES FUND CHARGED WITH WIRE FRAUD Defendants Conspired to Defraud Investors in Monterey County out of Approximately $1 Million
	Rodney Hatfield and Lloyd Myers	Indicted	Conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud relating to a fraudulent investment scheme
January 22, 2010	RECIDIVIST BANK ROBBER SENTENCED TO LIFE IMPRISONMENT
	Frederick Lim Johnson	Sentenced	Life in prison and ordered to pay $315,119
January 22, 2010	SAN FRANCISCO MAN SENTENCED TO ONE YEAR IN PRISON FOR SMUGGLING ENDANGERED SPECIES Smuggled and then sold endangered fish for thousands of dollars
	Bai Lin Huang	Sentenced	One year and a day in prison, and ordered to pay a $3,000 fine
January 20, 2010	SUPPLEMENT MANUFACTURER PLEADS GUILTY TO SELLING PRODUCTS CONTAINING ANABOLIC STEROIDS VMG Global, Inc. Admits Selling Spiked Supplements Containing “Tren,”or "4-estra," and "Madol," or "DMT."
	VMG Global, Inc.	Guilty Plea Information	Introduction and delivery for introduction of unapproved new drugs into interstate commerce with intent to defraud and mislead
January 15, 2010	JURY CONVICTS NIGERIAN DEFENDANT FOR IMMIGRATION FRAUD AND IDENTITY THEFT Emmanuel Ejike Anyanwu Used Identity of U.S. Citizen to Apply for Residency
	Emmanuel Ejike Anyanwu	Convicted	Immigration fraud, conspiracy and aggravated identity theft
January 15, 2010	FORMER SAN FRANCISCO INVESTMENT BANKER PLEADS GUILTY TO INSIDER TRADING
	Adnan S. Zaman	Guilty Plea	Committing securities fraud through his participation in insider trading
January 15, 2010	FORMER SAN FRANCISCO INVESTMENT FUND MANAGER SENTENCED
	Edward S. Ehee	Sentenced	Fifty-one months in prison, and ordered to pay restitution
January 14, 2010	DEFENDANT WHO WAS FUGITIVE FOR 12 ½ YEARS SENTENCED TO 240 MONTHS FOR 1992 DRUG TRAFFICKING OFFENSE
	Donnell Hatcher	Sentenced	240 months in prison
January 11, 2010	SAN MATEO MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO CLAIMING A $5 MILLION FRAUDULENT REFUND FROM IRS
	Seth Sundberg	Guilty Plea	Mail fraud, filing a false tax return and false claims against the United States
January 8, 2010	FUGITIVE ACCUSED OF DOUBLE HOMICIDE EXTRADITED TO MEXICO TO FACE CHARGES
	Sandra Cruz Villa	Extradited	Mexico
January 8, 2010	FORMER PLEASANTON MAN SENTENCED TO FOUR YEARS IN PRISON IN MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR INVESTMENT FRAUD SCHEME Ordered to pay restitution of $4,134,377; Forfeited a Lamborghini, Hummer and Mercedes
	Brice Carrington	Sentenced	Forty-eight months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release and ordered to pay restitution to 13 of his victims in the amount of $3,992,480. Carrington was also ordered to pay restitution for additional income taxes in the amount of $141,897 and forfeited a Lamborghini, Hummer and Mercedes
January 8, 2010	FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF 24 HOUR FITNESS AND ADVERTISING EXECUTIVE SENTENCED TO PRISON IN KICK-BACK SCHEME Ordered to pay restitution of $350,001
	Susan K. Powell and Michael J. Johnston	Sentenced	Powell was sentenced to 15 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release; Johnston was sentenced to five months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. The defendants were also ordered to pay joint restitution of $350,001
January 6, 2010	OWNERS OF VESTA STRATEGIES INDICTED FOR $25 MILLION PONZI SCHEME Indictment alleges John Terzakis and Robert Estupinian Used Vesta to Steal Clients’ Section 1031 Exchange Deposits
	John D. Terzakis and Robert E. Estupinian	Indicted	Twelve felony counts of wire fraud, money laundering, and conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering
January 5, 2010	PALO ALTO RESIDENT SENTENCED TO 97 MONTHS FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING Defendant Also Convicted of Possessing a Firearm and Attempting to Flee from Law Enforcement
	Carlos Sousa-Sandoval	Sentenced	Ninety-seven months in prison

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