{"metadata":{"responseInfo":{"status":200},"resultset":{"count":"2","pagesize":"10","page":0},"executionTime":1.8790178298950195},"results":[{"attachment":"","body":"\u003Cp\u003EEUGENE, Ore. \u2013Joseph Floyde DeArmond, 51, previously of Medford, Oregon, was sentenced today by U.S. District Chief Judge Ann Aiken to 36 \u0026nbsp;months in federal prison for an offense he committed in 1997 \u2013 possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.\u0026nbsp; Upon his release from prison, DeArmond will be on supervised release for three years.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EOn June 9, 1997, law enforcement seized a distributable amount of methamphetamine from defendant\u2019s Medford, Oregon home.\u0026nbsp; After being federally charged, DeArmond pled guilty and was scheduled to be sentenced on June 30, 1998.\u0026nbsp; Rather than appear for sentencing, DeArmond fled the United States to Costa Rica.\u0026nbsp; The FBI\u2019s fugitive hunt lasted from 1998 until 2013, when DeArmond was located in Costa Rica living under an assumed name.\u0026nbsp; After positively identifying him as Joseph DeArmond, the FBI worked with the Costa Rican government to arrange for his return to the United States.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EAssistant U.S. Attorney Nathan J. Lichvarcik prosecuted this case.\u003C\/p\u003E","changed":"\u003Ctime datetime=\u00222015-02-05T09:34:26-05:00\u0022\u003E1423146866\u003C\/time\u003E\n","component":[{"uuid":"3c38d032-2199-40bd-9062-4e5453cae5a5","name":"USAO - Oregon"}],"created":"\u003Ctime datetime=\u00222015-01-29T17:48:42-05:00\u0022\u003E1422571722\u003C\/time\u003E\n","date":"1412164800","image":"","number":"","teaser":"","title":"International Fugitive for 15 Years Caught by FBI and Sentenced for 1997 Methamphetamine Offense","topic":"","url":"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/usao-or\/pr\/international-fugitive-15-years-caught-fbi-and-sentenced-1997-methamphetamine-offense","uuid":"5e9a60cb-8bb3-41c4-bb42-227868633225"},{"attachment":"","body":"\u003Cp\u003EPEORIA, Ill. \u2013 Jalal Nimer Asad, 62, of Lindenhurst, Illinois, was sentenced to five years in the Bureau of Prisons and ordered to pay more than $1 million in restitution and a forfeiture judgement of more than $4 million for his role in two different but related criminal conspiracies at multiple businesses within the Central District of Illinois involving tax evasion; mail fraud; and the structuring financial transactions to avoid reporting requirements.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn 2009, a federal grand jury returned indictments against Asad and multiple co-defendants in two separate cases. The other defendants were convicted or pleaded guilty years ago, but Asad remained at large overseas for 15 years until his return to the United States in 2023 to stand trial.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn September 2025, Asad was convicted on all charged counts following a jury trial. Over seven days of testimony, the government presented evidence establishing that Asad led a group of individuals that owned and operated several convenience and liquor stores in Decatur, Illinois, and Peoria, Illinois. During trial, the government established that Asad and his cohorts kept two sets of books, a true set and a false set, in order to underreport their earnings and pay less in federal, state, and local taxes. The government also presented evidence that Asad structured financial transactions to withdraw more than $4 million in cash without triggering the bank\u2019s reporting requirements. The trial evidence showed that Asad caused much of that cash to be transported overseas.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAt the sentencing hearing on July 9, 2026, the government presented evidence that Asad had been living in the West Bank as a fugitive from these charges for 15 years. The government also presented evidence that, while Asad had claimed to have significant financial resources prior to his conviction, he claimed at sentencing to have no resources, bank accounts, or assets. At the hearing, U.S. District Judge Jonathan E. Hawley found that there was no doubt that Asad was the manager or supervisor of these illegal schemes. Judge Hawley further noted that the more than $1 million that Asad failed to pay in federal taxes was money that ultimately belonged to every American and was designed to support everything from the military to school lunches for children.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAsad will remain on bond until his reporting date this fall. The statutory maximum penalties for the offenses of conspiracy to defraud the United States and violate its tax laws, tax evasion, conspiracy to structure financial transactions to evade reporting requirements, and structuring financial transactions to evade reporting requirements are no more than five years in prison, three years supervised release, a fine of up to twice the pecuniary gain, and restitution. The statutory maximum penalties for mail fraud are no more than twenty years in prison, three years of supervised release, a fine of up to twice the pecuniary gain, and restitution.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cAsad\u2019s successful prosecution after 15 years in self-imposed exile demonstrates that a defendant should not expect to avoid responsibility for his crimes by fleeing prosecution,\u201d said United States Attorney Gregory M. Gilmore. \u201cThe dedicated law enforcement officers who work these cases are committed to ensuring that justice delayed is not justice denied.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cJalal Asad didn\u2019t just flee the country. He fled accountability,\u201d said Adam Jobes, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Chicago Field Office. \u201cWhile honest, hardworking individuals earn a living and play by the rules, criminals like Asad steal from the very system those taxpayers support. Running may delay justice, but it doesn\u2019t erase it, and IRS Criminal Investigation and its fellow law enforcement partners will continue to pursue those who think a border is enough to escape the consequences of their crimes.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe FBI will not allow individuals to escape the consequences of their actions by fleeing the country,\u201d said FBI Springfield Field Office Special Agent in Charge Ryan Presley. \u201cFor years, Mr. Asad deliberately evaded his duty to report income and pay required taxes, and he attempted to sidestep federal reporting laws by structuring millions of dollars in cash withdrawals. His return to the United States and subsequent conviction demonstrate that avoiding lawful obligations is not a path to evading accountability. The FBI remains steadfast in working with our partners to ensure that those who choose to ignore their financial responsibilities do not escape the consequences of that choice.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe case investigation was conducted by the Internal Revenue Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Springfield Field Office, and was carried out with the support of local law enforcement partners, including the Decatur Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Eugene L. Miller and Douglas F. McMeyer represented the government at trial and sentencing.\u003C\/p\u003E","changed":"\u003Ctime datetime=\u00222026-07-17T17:45:42-04:00\u0022\u003E1784324742\u003C\/time\u003E\n","component":[{"uuid":"dca09ceb-4978-4466-9c30-ce9f5ada2f0a","name":"Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)"},{"uuid":"9ec8bc96-afdf-4903-98ae-9bd20e63cac3","name":"USAO - Illinois, Central"}],"created":"\u003Ctime datetime=\u00222026-07-17T17:44:09-04:00\u0022\u003E1784324649\u003C\/time\u003E\n","date":"1784289600","image":"","number":"","teaser":"\u003Cp\u003EJalal Nimer Asad, 62, of Lindenhurst, Illinois, was sentenced to five years in the Bureau of Prisons and ordered to pay more than $1 million in restitution and a forfeiture judgement of more than $4 million for his role in two different but related criminal conspiracies at multiple businesses within the Central District of Illinois involving tax evasion; mail fraud; and the structuring financial transactions to avoid reporting requirements.\u003C\/p\u003E","title":"Fugitive for 15 Years Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Twenty Counts Related to Tax Evasion and Structuring Financial Transactions","topic":[{"uuid":"77a2d846-a826-49db-a31a-c5db747e9ad3","name":"Financial Fraud"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/usao-cdil\/pr\/fugitive-15-years-sentenced-five-years-prison-twenty-counts-related-tax-evasion-and","uuid":"08d4e125-9e70-446a-b836-646e1466ff4f"}]}