BALTIMORE, MD—Federal agents have charged 17 people in Maryland and other states for their alleged roles in a complex money laundering scheme and illegal marijuana distribution network that led to the seizure of more than $6 million and 2,000 pounds of marijuana. The Department of Justice announced this week that a Drug Enforcement Administration and Department of Homeland Security investigation […]
BALTIMORE, MD—A Baltimore County businessman has admitted to using more than $1.3 million in Paycheck Protection Program loans to purchase a Mercedes-Benz and make extensive home renovations, federal authorities announced. David Epstein, 46, of Owings Mills, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud after submitting fraudulent CARES Act loan applications, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Maryland. The […]
PERRY HALL, MD—A federal grand jury has charged two Maryland staffing agency owners with failing to pay at least $10 million in employment taxes, officials say. Jeannette Gomez, 54, and Edgar Gomez, 51, both of Perry Hall, were indicted on October 2 for failure to report and pay employment taxes accrued pursuant to their interest in SND Services, LLC and […]
BALTIMORE, MD—Federal and local law enforcement agents arrested 14 people and seized narcotics, guns and drug paraphernalia in an operation that spanned Annapolis, Anne Arundel County, and the Baltimore area, authorities announced this week. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland said in a news release that the “large-scale drug and gun bust” involved more than 500 officers, […]
BALTIMORE, MD—A federal grand jury charged a Maryland man with conspiracy, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft for his role in a scheme to fraudulently obtain over $1 million in unemployment benefits, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Maryland. Mervyn Fombe Abiko, 35, also known as “Magic,” was indicted on May 22, 2024. The indictment was unsealed upon […]
BALTIMORE, MD—Enforcement and Removal Operations Baltimore apprehended an unlawfully present 26-year-old Honduran national convicted of assaulting a Maryland resident. Officers with ERO Baltimore arrested Evin Obdulio Ponce-Guillen on September 19 in Waldorf. “Evin Obdulio Ponce-Guillen unlawfully entered the United States, made his way to Maryland, and then victimized one of the members of our community,” said ERO Baltimore acting Field […]
BALTIMORE, MD—A Baltimore County woman received 18 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to a conspiracy to damage or destroy electrical facilities in Maryland. On September 25, 2024, Senior United States District Judge James K. Bredar sentenced Sarah Beth Clendaniel, of Catonsville, to 18 years in federal prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, for conspiring to damage […]
BALTIMORE, MD—A Maryland man has been sentenced to prison for selling more than $1.6 million worth of fake nursing diplomas, transcripts and licenses, that allowed people to become nurses without completing the necessary coursework. Ejike Sìe Asiaghunam, 55. of Upper Marlboro, was sentenced in federal court in Maryland on Monday to 21 months in prison and two years of supervised […]