TRANSNATIONAL ORGANIZED CRIME IN USA: Former owner of T-Mobile retail store in Eagle Rock guilty of $25 million scheme to illegally unlock cellphone

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TRANSNATIONAL RUSSIAN ORGANIZED CRIME

Former owner of T-Mobile retail store in Eagle Rock found guilty of committing $25 million scheme to illegally unlock cellphones​


Date: August 1, 2022
Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov
LOS ANGELES — A former owner of a T-Mobile retail store in Eagle Rock has been found guilty by a jury of 14 federal criminal charges for his $25-million scheme to enrich himself by stealing T-Mobile employee credentials and illegally accessing the company's internal computer systems to illicitly "unlock" and "unblock" cellphones, the Justice Department announced today.
Argishti Khudaverdyan, of Burbank, was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, three counts of wire fraud, two counts of accessing a computer to defraud and obtain value, one count of intentionally accessing a computer without authorization to obtain information, one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, five counts of money laundering, and one count of aggravated identity theft.

The jury returned the guilty verdict Friday evening in United States District Court.

According to evidence presented at his four-day trial, Khudaverdyan ran a multi-year scheme that illegally unlocked and unblocked cellphones, which generated approximately $25 million in criminal proceeds. During this time, most cellphone companies – including T-Mobile – "locked" their customers' phones so they could be used only on the company's network until the customers' phone and service contracts had been fulfilled. If customers wanted to switch to a different carrier, their phones had to be "unlocked." Carriers also "blocked" cellphones to protect consumers in the case of lost or stolen cellphones.

From August 2014 to June 2019, Khudaverdyan fraudulently unlocked and unblocked cellphones on T-Mobile's network, as well as the networks of Sprint, AT&T and other carriers. Removing the unlock allowed the phones to be sold on the black market and enabled T-Mobile customers to stop using T-Mobile's services and thereby deprive T-Mobile of revenue generated from customers' service contracts and equipment installment plans.

Khudaverdyan advertised his fraudulent unlocking services through brokers, email solicitations, and websites such as unlocks247.com. He falsely claimed the fraudulent unlocks that he provided were "official" T-Mobile unlocks.

From January 2017 through June 2017, Khudaverdyan and a former business partner were also co-owners of Top Tier Solutions Inc., a T-Mobile store in Eagle Rock Plaza. However, after T-Mobile terminated Khudaverdyan's contract in June 2017 based on his suspicious computer behavior and association with unauthorized unlocking of cellphones, Khudaverdyan continued his fraud.

To gain unauthorized access to T-Mobile's protected internal computers, Khudaverdyan obtained T-Mobile employees' credentials through various dishonest means, including sending phishing emails that appeared to be legitimate T-Mobile correspondence, and socially engineering the T-Mobile IT Help Desk. Khudaverdyan used the fraudulent emails to trick T-Mobile employees to log in with their employee credentials so he could harvest the employees' information and fraudulently unlock the phones.
Working with others in overseas call centers, Khudaverdyan also received T‑Mobile employee credentials which he then used to access

T-Mobile systems to target higher-level employees by harvesting those employees' personal identifying information and calling the T-Mobile IT Help Desk to reset the employees' company passwords, giving him unauthorized access to the T-Mobile systems which allowed him to unlock and unblock cellphones.

All told, Khudaverdyan and others compromised and stole more than 50 different T-Mobile employees' credentials from employees across the United States, and they unlocked and unblocked hundreds of thousands of cellphones during the years of the scheme.
Khudaverdyan obtained more than $25 million in for these criminal activities. He used these illegal proceeds to pay for, among other things, real estate in Burbank and Northridge.

United States District Judge Stephen V. Wilson scheduled an October 17 sentencing hearing, at which time Khudaverdyan will face statutory maximum sentences of 20 years in federal prison for each wire fraud count, 20 years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit money laundering, 10 years in federal prison for each money laundering count, five years in federal prison for each count of intentionally accessing a computer without authorization to obtain information, five years in federal prison for the count of accessing a computer to defraud and obtain value, and a mandatory two years in federal prison for aggravated identity theft.

Alen Gharehbagloo, of La Cañada Flintridge, a co-defendant and a former co-owner of Top Tier Solutions Inc., pleaded guilty on July 5 to three felonies: conspiracy to commit wire fraud, accessing a protected computer with intent to defraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for December 5.

The IRS Criminal Investigation's Western Area Cyber Crime Unit and United States Secret Service Cyber Fraud Task Force (CFTF) in Los Angeles investigated this matter. The CFTF includes representatives of the United States Secret Service, the FBI, the Los Angeles Police Department, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, and the California Highway Patrol.

Assistant United States Attorneys Lisa E. Feldman and Andrew M. Roach of the Cyber and Intellectual Property Crimes Section are prosecuting this case. Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan S. Galatzan, Chief of the Asset Forfeiture Section, is handling the asset forfeiture portion of this case.
 
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Bold RED text is the recent change of original highly controversial wording.

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Key Requirements​

  • Be a U.S. citizen
  • Be 21 years of age by the time that you complete the training academy and no older than 37 years of age at time of appointment.
  • Qualify based on education, specialized experience, or a combination of the two.
  • Possess a valid driver’s license.
  • Pass a background and criminal history record check.
  • Pass a pre-employment medical exam.
  • Pass a pre-employment drug test.
  • Pass a pre-employment tax examination.
  • Be legally allowed to carry a firearm.

Major Duties​

  • Adhere to the highest standards of conduct, especially in maintaining honesty and integrity.
  • Work a minimum of 50 hours per week, which may include irregular hours, and be on-call 24/7, including holidays and weekends.
  • Maintain a level of fitness necessary to effectively respond to life-threatening situations on the job.
  • Be willing and able to participate in arrests, execution of search warrants, and other dangerous assignments.
 
The IRS is going after Transnational Organized Criminals.

TRANSNATIONAL ASIAN ORGANIZED CRIME



Eight indicted in money laundering ring​


Date: July 29, 2022
Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov
BOSTON — Eight individuals have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston for their alleged roles in elaborate money laundering and money transmitting conspiracies that laundered tens of millions of dollars' worth of drug trafficking proceeds, as well as a trade-based scheme that used stolen and/or fraudulent gift cards to purchase and ship thousands of Apple products internationally.
The following defendants were indicted on conspiracy to commit money laundering and unlicensed money transmitting:
  • Shi Rong Zhang, of Windham, N.H.;
  • Qiu Mei Zeng, of Quincy;
  • Vincent Feng, of Quincy;
  • Da Zeng, of Massachusetts;
  • Wei Qing Zeng, of Quincy;
  • Xian Rong Zeng, of Hanover; and
  • Qiu Fang Zeng, of Windham, N.H.
  • Chengzou Liu, of Braintree, was also indicted on conspiracy to commit money laundering as well as possession with intent to distribute marijuana.
"These defendants are alleged to have moved tens of millions of dollars in illicit proceeds as part of sophisticated money laundering and transmitting schemes operating out of seemingly lawful businesses that serve Massachusetts residents," said United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins. "Without money, there is no drug trade. Laundering drug profits is fundamental to drug trafficking activity. By eliminating the means by which drug suppliers clean their illicit proceeds, we cut off the life blood of their operations: money. In doing so, we help significantly limit the flow of drugs trafficked in our communities. We need to do everything possible to make the Commonwealth safer and combat the drug crisis. This indictment should serve as a serious warning to both drug traffickers and business operators who engage in illicit money laundering: your conduct is criminal, and you will be prosecuted under federal law."

"Drug trafficking and money laundering go hand in hand, and this crew is accused of using their family-owned restaurant in Chinatown as a front for an elaborate, international money laundering scheme and money transmitting business in which they conducted tens of millions of dollars in off the books transactions to circumvent our country's laws, and hide the source of their income," said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division. "Operation Good Fortune is just one example of how the FBI and our law enforcement partners work together to dismantle large-scale criminal enterprises."

According to the charging documents, Qiu Mei Zeng and her former husband, Zhang, co-own China Gourmet, a restaurant in Boston's Chinatown neighborhood. Zhang is also a registered owner of Wonderful Electronics, an electronics and restaurant supply business based in Hanover. It is alleged that the defendants used these businesses to run a large-scale money laundering and money transmitting operation that involved the laundering of drug proceeds and proceeds from stolen and/or fraudulent gift cards.

During a months-long wiretap investigation, Liu was identified as a marijuana trafficker who laundered his drug proceeds through Qiu Mei Zeng and Zhang's businesses. It is alleged that Liu regularly delivered large amounts of bulk drug proceeds, typically in amounts greater than $30,000, to China Gourmet, and to Qiu Mei Zeng, who then laundered the money via electronic transfers. Additionally, in March 2022, investigators allegedly seized over $250,000 of suspected marijuana proceeds being transported by Wei Qing Zeng from New York to China Gourmet in Boston. The cash was found inside Wei Qing Zeng's vehicle, hidden under packaged frozen meat products as it was en route to be delivered to China Gourmet.

To conduct the scheme, Qiu Mei Zeng and Zhang allegedly worked with their co-conspirators – including family members Wei Qing Zeng, Xian Rong Zeng and Qiu Fang Zeng – to launder hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of drug proceeds in exchange for Chinese Renminbi. Specifically, it is alleged that the defendants would accept drug proceeds in Boston and New York for a fee, transfer the equivalent value of Chinese Renminbi to drug traffickers' bank accounts and "sell" the drug proceeds to individuals in the United States at a discounted exchange rate. Through these off-the-books transactions, the defendants conspired to avoid United States reporting requirements, as well as China's capital flight limits, and to hide the nature and source of the illicit funds being transferred.

It is further alleged that Zhang, Qiu Mei Zeng, Da Zeng, Feng and other defendants worked together on a sophisticated trade-based money laundering scheme in which they used stolen and/or fraudulent gift cards to purchase thousands of Apple products, which they then shipped internationally to locations, including Dubai, in exchange for tens of millions of dollars in wire transfers.

The charge of conspiracy to commit money laundering provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the value of the property involved, whichever is greater. The charge of unlicensed money transmitting provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of possession with intent to distribute marijuana provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of $1 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

U.S. Attorney Rollins; Joleen D. Simpson, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service's Criminal Investigation in Boston; FBI SAC Bonavolonta; Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; Colonel Christopher Mason, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; Boston Police Acting Commissioner Gregory Long; Braintree Police Chief Mark W. Dubois; and Quincy Police Chief Paul Keenan made the announcement today. Valuable assistance in the investigation was provided by the United States Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren A. Graber of Rollins' Criminal Division is prosecuting the case.

This investigation, dubbed Operation Good Fortune, is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
 
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RELATED, "Demetrius" the black name of man had 50 Kilos of marijuana, another article stated:


Jessamine County man sentenced to 93 months for distribution of marijuana and money laundering​



Date: July 25, 2022
Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov
A Nicholasville, Kentucky, man, Demetrius Burt Catching, was sentenced to 93 months in federal prison on Monday, by Chief U.S. District Judge Danny C. Reeves, after pleading guilty to the distribution of marijuana and money laundering.

According to Catching's plea agreement, he admitted to distributing marijuana in the Lexington area, and then taking the proceeds from the marijuana sales and placing large sports bets and wagers at various Indiana casinos. According to the plea, Catching was banned from one of the casinos, on January 9, 2021, so he recruited others to go in his place to make his wagers and bets. Cash from the wagers was deposited in bank accounts in Catching's name. Catching was also ordered to forfeit approximately $215,000 in proceeds from his drug trafficking and money laundering offenses, and ordered to serve an additional, consecutive term of 55 months, for supervised release violations on previous convictions.
Catching pleaded guilty to the new charges in March 2021.

Under federal law, Catching must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for five years.

Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Bryant Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, IRS – Criminal Investigations; J. Todd Scott, Special Agent in Charge, DEA, Louisville Field Division; and Chief Todd Justice, Nicholasville Police Department, jointly announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by the IRS – Criminal Investigations, DEA, U.S. Probation Office, the Indiana Gaming Commission, and the Nicholasville Police Department. The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Roger West and Andrea Mattingly Williams.

 

TRANSNATIONAL RUSSIAN ORGANIZED CRIME,
hiring illegals in Florida.



Manager of Key West labor staffing companies sentenced for tax crimes and immigration fraud​


Date: August 8, 2022
Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov
The manager of Key West, Florida, labor staffing companies was sentenced today to 48 months in prison for tax and immigration crimes related to the operation of those businesses.

According to court documents and statements made in court, from approximately January 2016 through October 2020, Volodymyr Ogorodnychuk, of Key West, helped operate Paradise Choice LLC, Paradise Choice Cleaning LLC, Tropical City Services LLC and Tropical City Group LLC, all of which were labor staffing companies in southern Florida. The staffing companies facilitated the employment of individuals in hotels, bars and restaurants in Key West and other locations, even though the employees were not authorized to work in the United States.

As part of his plea, Ogorodnychuk admitted that he and his co-conspirators paid the workers without withholding Social Security, Medicare and income taxes from their wages, and then did not report those wages to the IRS as required by law. Ogorodnychuk also admitted he and his co-conspirators defrauded the IRS out of more than $3.5 million in employment taxes.

In addition to the term of imprisonment, U.S. District Court Judge Jose E. Martinez for the Southern District of Florida ordered Ogorodnychuk to serve three years of supervised release. Restitution will be determined within 90 days.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department's Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Juan Antonio Gonzalez for the Southern District of Florida made the announcement.

The IRS-Criminal Investigation, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case.

Senior Litigation Counsel Sean Beaty, Trial Attorneys Jessica A. Kraft and Nicholas J. Schilling Jr. of the Justice Department's Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Clark of the Southern District of Florida prosecuted the case.
 
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