Last edited on Friday, January 14, 2022, at 08:55 AM.
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Friday, January 14, 2022
Troy Man Sentenced for Possession, Distribution of Cocaine
The first case we look at in our New York roundup is one in which a man from Troy has been sentenced for possession of cocaine with the intention to distribute it. On Jan. 11, the man, Marquese Pompey, 25, was sentenced to 37 months in prison. The announcement of the sentence was made by the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of New York, Carla B. Freedman, along with John B. DeVito, the Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s New York Field Division, and the Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA’s New York Division, Keith Kruskall.
As part of his guilty plea, Pompey admitted to possessing and intending to distribute approximately 13 grams of “crack” in March 2020. Pompey was arrested in September 2020, and when they performed a search on his Troy apartment, law enforcement discovered approximately 60 grams of cocaine and 8 grams of “crack,” much of which had partially been flushed down the toilet. U.S. District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino also sentenced Pompey to serve 3 years of post-release supervision.
Five NYC Men Charged in PA “Grandparent” Fraud
On Jan. 13, the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, John C. Gurganus, announced that five men from the Bronx, New York City had been indicted by a federal grand jury for their participation in a mail fraud scheme that targeted older victims and fraudulently induced them to send money through the mail under false pretenses.
According to the indictment, it is alleged that on various dates from July through October 2020, the defendants traveled from New York to various locations in Pennsylvania, including addresses in Luzerne and Lackawanna County, and picked up UPS and Fed Ex packages containing thousands of dollars in cash sent by elderly victims under the false pretense that their grandchildren had been arrested and were in immediate need of money.
The indictment also alleges that the victims sent the money after receiving fraudulent phone calls made by co-conspirators of the defendants, who posed either as the victims’ grandchildren or as a public defender representing the victims’ grandchildren.
Three Long Island Women Indicted for Assault on Airline Security Officer at JFK
On Jan. 13, an indictment was unsealed in a Brooklyn federal court in Brooklyn charging three women from Long Island with an assault on an airline security officer at JFK Airport on Sept. 22, 2021. The defendants were arrested the same day the indictment was announced, and all were arraigned that same day before U.S. Magistrate Judge Vera M. Scanlon.
The indictment and the arrests were announced by the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Breon Peace, as well as the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the FBI’s New York Field Office, Michael J. Driscoll, and Queens County District Attorney Melinda Katz.
According to the indictment, it is alleged that the three defendants viciously assaulted an airline security officer by beating him to the floor with his radio and then kicking and punching him in the face and body while he was down. U.S. Attorney Peace noted, “The extreme and aggressive behavior in connection with our air travel is out of control.
This Office has zero tolerance for violent conduct that threatens the safety of airline passengers and employees and will prosecute defendants who allegedly engage in such conduct to the fullest extent of the law.”
Bronx Drug Dealer, Others Charged with Drug, Firearms Offenses
On Jan. 12, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, along with the NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell, announced that three men, Rashiemm Council, Paris Fulton, and Terrence McKee, had been charged via complaint, based on their participation in a conspiracy to sell drugs. The same complaint charged a fourth defendant, Michael Garcia, with possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. Two of the defendants were arrested on Jan. 11 and were presented Jan. 12 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara Moses. The other two were arrested and presented on Jan. 13.
According to the Complaint, on or about Jan. 11, Council, Fulton, and McKee were dressed as and pretending to be law enforcement officers. They then forced their way into an apartment in the Bronx, where Garcia, his partner, and their two minor children lived. Council, Fulton, and McKee were armed, and they handcuffed Garcia and held him at gun point, even though Garcia’s partner and their two minor children were in the apartment.
Council, Fulton, and McKee demanded to know where Garcia kept his drugs and drug money in the apartment, and Garcia showed them. At that point, Council, Fulton, and McKee stole approximately $160,000 in narcotics proceeds and approximately three kilograms of cocaine from Garcia.
Queens Man Charged with Child Sexual Exploitation
The next case we look at in our New York roundup is one in which a guy from Queens has been charged with transporting a 13-year-old to have sex. On Jan. 13, a six-count indictment was unsealed in a Brooklyn federal court, charging Manuel Moretti with Mann Act crimes after he coerced a 13-year-old child to engage in sexual activity with him on at least four occasions. Moretti was arrested Jan. 13 and he was arraigned that same day before U.S. Magistrate Judge Vera M. Scanlon.
The announcement of the indictment and the charges was made by the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Breon Peace, along with Michael J. Driscoll, Assistant Director-in-Charge of the FBI’s New York Field Office (FBI).
According to the indictment, for several months last year, Moretti used different social media platforms to lure a 13-year-old child across state lines repeatedly for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity. Moretti met the 13-year-old child on a social networking site in January 2021, and then arranged for the child to travel across state lines to Moretti’s home in Queens on several occasions over a four-month period between January and April 2021 for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity.
Moretti also provided the child a fraudulent identification document to facilitate future sexual encounters with the child. In December 2021, after Moretti was interviewed by the FBI, he contacted the child, this time via Snapchat, a different social networking site, for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity. If he is convicted of all counts, Moretti faces at least 10 years in prison.
