Case

United States v. Jonathan Randall Curshen et al

PENDING CRIMINAL DIVISION CASES

United States v. Jonathan Randall Curshen et al.
Court Docket Number: 1:11-cr-20131 (S.D. Florida)

Court Assigned: This case is assigned to Judge Richard W. Goldberg, U.S District Court for the Southern District of Florida, Wilkie D. Ferguson, Jr. United States Courthouse, 400 North Miami Avenue, Miami, Florida.

Criminal Charges: On February 17, 2011, nine defendants were indicted for their roles in a scheme to illegally manipulate the stock price of a company called CO2 Tech. The defendants are:

1) Jonathan Randall Curshen
2) Michael Simon Krome
3) Ronny Salazar Morales
4) Robert Lloyd Weidenbaum
5) Eric Ariav Weinbaum
6) Izhack Zigdon
7) Timothy Brown Barham Jr.
8) Nathan Bradley Montgomery
9) Ryan Mark Reynolds

Jonathan Randall Curshen’s motion to vacate, set aside, or correct his sentence (28 U.S.C. § 2255) was denied by the district court on July 28, 2017, and the Eleventh Circuit denied a certificate of appealability on May 7, 2018. The case number for this civil case is 1:-15-cv-24718.

Ronny Salazar Morales, Eric Ariav Weinbaum, and Izhack Zigdon are currently fugitives. If there is any change to their statuses, this webpage will be updated. If you would like to view the information for the other six defendants, please click here.

The information on this website will be updated as new developments arise in the case. If you have any questions, please call the Victim Assistance Line toll-free at (888) 549-3945 or email us at victimassistance.fraud@usdoj.gov.

Presumption of Innocence: It is important to keep in mind that defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty and that presumption requires both the court and our office to take certain steps to ensure that justice is served.

Crime Victims’ Rights Act and Right to Retain Counsel: The Crime Victims’ Rights Act (18 U.S.C. § 3771) applies only to victims of the counts charged in federal court, and thus individuals may not be able to exercise all of these rights if the crime of which the individual is a victim was not charged. Section 377I(c)(2) of this Act requires that we advise you that you have the right to retain counsel. Although the statute specifically sets forth your right to seek advice of an attorney with regard to your rights under the statute, there is no requirement that you retain counsel. The Government may not recommend any specific counsel, nor can the Government (or the Court) pay for counsel to represent you. Government attorneys represent the United States.

If you elect to obtain counsel to represent your interests, please have your attorney notify this office in writing at: U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal Division, Fraud Section, 10th & Constitution Avenue, NW, Bond Building, 4th Floor, Washington, DC 20530, Attention: Victim Witness Unit; fax: (202) 514-3708; or email: victimassistance.fraud@usdoj.gov. If you elect not to retain counsel to represent your interests, you do not need to do anything.

Plea Agreements: Please be aware that many criminal cases are resolved by plea agreement between the Department of Justice and the defendant. You should also know that it is not unusual for a defendant to seek to negotiate a plea agreement shortly before trial is scheduled to begin. Plea agreements can be made at any time and as late as the morning of trial, leaving little or no opportunity to provide notice to you of the date and time of the plea hearing. If the court schedules a plea hearing in this case, we will use our best efforts to notify you of available information as soon as practicable. If you want to inform the prosecutor of your views regarding potential plea agreements, or any other aspect of the case, please call the Victim Assistance Line toll-free at (888) 549-3945 or email us at victimassistance.fraud@usdoj.gov, and we will put you in touch with the prosecutor.

Updated September 27, 2023