NEWS
By Kevin Rector, The Baltimore Sun | May 2, 2012
A civilian employee of the U.S. Navy who for years sold government scrap metal from Naval installations for a personal profit was sentenced in federal court Wednesday to 30 months in prison for the scheme, according to U.S. Attorney Rod Rosenstein. Christopher M. Hill, 47, of Lusby, who handled recycling and scraps for the Patuxent River Naval Air Station and other military installations, was also ordered by Chief U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow to pay more than $630,000 in restitution to the Navy and almost $135,000 in restitution to the IRS. According to a plea agreement in the case, a private contractor collected scrap metal owned by the government — but Hill had the firm submit payments for those scraps directly to him. Between 2004 and 2010, Hill deposited 124 checks from the company into his personal bank accounts, and did not report the earnings to the IRS. In a statement, Robert Craig, special agent in charge for the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, one of the agencies involved in the investigation, said Hill's arrest shows those agencies and Rosenstein's office "will doggedly investigate and prosecute those that decide to break the rules — or make-up their own rules — to steal and cheat from the Department of Defense.
NEWS
By Tricia Bishop, The Baltimore Sun | April 19, 2012
Osvaldo Valentine, a 40-year-old Baltimore police officer, was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison Thursday for taking kickbacks from an auto repair company, the Maryland U.S. Attorney's Office announced. Sixteen Baltimore officers were convicted in the scheme, which involved referring car crash customers to Majestic Auto Repair in Rosedale in exchange for cash payments, falsifying police reports and increasing damage to vehicles to boost the insurance payouts. Valentine is the ninth officer sentenced to federal prison thus far. His term is on the high end of the range, which spans eight to 30 months.
NEWS
By Justin Fenton, The Baltimore Sun | April 13, 2012
A sixth Baltimore Police officer was sentenced Friday for his role in a massive kickback scheme involving an auto body shop, receiving two years in prison and being ordered to pay $24,000 in restitution. Officer Rafael Concepcion Feliciano Jr., 31, admitted last year that he referred accident vehicles to the Majestic Auto Body shop in Rosedale after being introduced to the store's owners by a fellow officer, Rodney Cintron, prosecutors said. Prosecutors estimate that Feliciano alone caused a loss of between $120,000 and $200,000.
NEWS
By Tricia Bishop, The Baltimore Sun | March 22, 2012
The last of 17 Baltimore police officers charged in a kickback scheme pleaded guilty Thursday to conspiracy and extortion in federal court, bringing the prosecution phase of the case to a close. Over a five-month period, Jaime Luis Lugo Rivera, 36, steered car crash victims to Majestic Auto Repair in Rosedale in exchange for cash payments worth at least $6,000, falsified police reports, persuaded at least one vehicle owner to submit a false insurance claim and supported efforts by the body shop owners to increase damage for bigger insurance payouts, according to his plea agreement.
NEWS
By Tricia Bishop, The Baltimore Sun | March 19, 2012
A second Baltimore police officer was sentenced to federal prison Monday for participating in an extortion scheme that led to the criminal conviction of 16 city officials and the suspension of 14 others. Jerry Diggs Jr., 25, was sentenced to 30 months and ordered to pay restitution of $13,105 for illegally referring car owners to Majestic Auto Repair for towing services and repairs after crashes in exchange for cash. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy and extortion in October in Baltimore's U.S. District Court.
NEWS
By Steve Kilar, The Baltimore Sun | March 16, 2012
A Bulgarian man living in Howard County was sentenced to more than six years in prison Friday for his part in an debit card skimming scheme that stole more than $400,000 from at least 526 people, prosecutors said. Ivo Svetozarov Damyanov, 32, was given 75 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for conspiracy to obtain ATM card account and personal identification numbers, Maryland's U.S. Attorney's Office said in a statement. For at least two years, from Feb. 2009 though Feb. 2011, Damyanov and his conspirators placed "skimmers" into the card-reading slots of ATMs throughout Maryland, the statement said.