News

On April 1, 2025, seven individuals in Georgia and Mexico were indicted by a federal grand jury seated in the Northern District of Georgia related to a drug trafficking and money laundering ring tied to a Mexico-based trafficker.  Five of these defendants, all of Norcross, Georgia – Sandra Beatriz Hernandez Chilel, age 49, Karina Beatriz Perez Hernandez, age 22, David Miranda Vinalay, age 39, Jerome Lewis, age 47, and Irving Joel Hernandez, age 34 – were arrested earlier today, on April 15, 2025, in a coordinated effort by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal

Timmy S. Stephens has been sentenced for stealing money intended as disability benefits from the Social Security Administration.  For approximately 20 years, Stephens claimed that he was disabled in order to receive benefits all while he worked at a local funeral home.

Jana Kanyadan, the former Global Chief Information Officer of Mohawk Industries, Inc. (“Mohawk”), has been sentenced to more than seven years in federal prison for defrauding Mohawk.

ATLANTA – Spencer Askew, the founder and former CEO of E-Freight Solutions Worldwide, LLC, a Georgia-based logistics and supply chain company, pleaded guilty to defrauding Vinings Bank in connection with obtaining a $1 million line of credit. Askew also pleaded guilty to making false statements to the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in June 2020, falsely claiming that he had a relationship with 3M and could supply the VA with KN95-like masks during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

ATLANTA - Brian H. Sperber and Edmond S. Norkus have received prison sentences for conspiring to commit wire fraud in a scheme in which the men tricked expectant purchasers of personal protective equipment out of more than $14 million. 

Gregory Rehberg pleaded guilty today to wire fraud for stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from the U.S. Postal Service based on false invoices.

Elchonon “Elie” Schwartz pleaded guilty today to wire fraud for executing a massive investment fraud scheme that caused more than 800 investors to send approximately $62.8 million to Schwartz, which he then diverted for his own use. Approximately $54 million dollars in investments were intended for the Atlanta Financial Center, a planned commercial real estate complex on Peachtree Road.

Thomas Addaquay has been sentenced following his conviction of 30 felonies related to two nationwide fraud schemes involving tax refund, business email compromise, and romance fraud scams.

Milan Patel has been sentenced to prison in connection with a years-long market manipulation scheme in which he and his co-conspirators conceived, drafted, and disseminated false rumors about publicly traded companies and then profitably traded on these rumors by purchasing and selling mainly short-term call options.

Craig Allen, executive officer of C.M. Allen Capital Management, Inc., has been sentenced to seven years in federal prison for operating an investment scheme involving a private fund called “the Cheetah Fund,” which defrauded dozens of investors of more than $9 million.

ATLANTA - Boeroepae Jordan has been sentenced to a new term in prison for defrauding the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (“EIDL”) program of more than $323,000, less than a year after being released from federal prison for firearms and drug crimes. 

Kimberly Johnson has pleaded guilty for her role in a mortgage fraud scheme spanning more than three years and resulting in the approval of approximately 450 mortgage loans based on fabricated documents and false information. Many of the loans are insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), resulting in claims being paid for mortgages that have defaulted.