LEGAL NEWSLINE

A former Massachusetts home builder, Kent Pecoy, pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud the United States and creating false documents to aid a client in obtaining a mortgage. Pecoy was the owner and operator of Kent Pecoy & Sons, Construction Inc., a commercial and luxury home construction company based in West Springfield.

An indictment was unsealed in the Central District of California, charging two Chinese nationals with leading roles in a scheme to launder proceeds from cryptocurrency investment scams. The individuals involved are Daren Li, 41, a dual citizen of China and St. Kitts and Nevis, and Yicheng Zhang, 38, a Chinese national residing in Temple City, California.

David DePape, a 44-year-old resident of Richmond, California, was sentenced to 360 months in prison and five years of supervised release today. This sentence follows his conviction on charges of assault and attempted kidnapping related to an incident that occurred on October 28, 2022. On this date, DePape trespassed into the home of Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi and her husband, Paul Pelosi.

A San Francisco man, Filimone Tavake, appeared in the District of Hawaii today to face charges related to his alleged involvement in a murder connected with drug trafficking. According to court documents, Tavake is accused of killing a Hawaii resident at the victim's home on March 27, 2021, as part of a drug distribution conspiracy. He was arrested five days prior in California.

Cape Cod Hospital, located in Hyannis, Massachusetts, has agreed to a $24.3 million settlement to resolve allegations under the False Claims Act. The hospital was accused of knowingly submitting claims to Medicare for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedures that did not comply with Medicare's specific rules for patient evaluation.

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson has announced the arrest of David Eugene Wilder, 48, of Locust, N.C., on ten charges related to the attempted sexual exploitation of minors. The Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigators from the Mount Pleasant Police Department and Charleston Police Department carried out the arrests on two sets of charges. The U.S. Marshals Service and Homeland Security Investigations, both also members of the state's ICAC Task Force, provided assistance with the investigations.

The Justice Department has unsealed charges, seizures, and other court-authorized actions aimed at disrupting the illicit revenue generation efforts of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK or North Korea). The charges include prosecutions of an Arizona woman, a Ukrainian man, and three unidentified foreign nationals who allegedly participated in schemes to place overseas information technology (IT) workers—posing as U.S. citizens and residents—in remote positions at U.S. companies.

The Justice Department has announced a series of coordinated and court-authorized actions to disrupt the illicit revenue generation efforts of Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) information technology (IT) workers. This is part of a wider initiative, the DPRK RevGen: Domestic Enabler Initiative, which aims to prioritize high-impact, strategic, and unified enforcement and disruption operations across the U.S. Government targeting U.S.-based enablers of unlawful DPRK IT workers overseas.

The U.S. Justice Department has announced that the Attorney General has submitted a notice of proposed rulemaking to the Federal Register, initiating a formal process to consider reclassifying marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule III drug under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).

Seven members and associates of the Sinaloa Cartel have been sentenced to prison for their role in a drug trafficking conspiracy involving fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine. The defendants had previously pleaded guilty to these charges.

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced the arrest of Andrew Lee Davenport, 32, of Abbeville, S.C., on charges related to the sexual exploitation of a minor. Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigators with the Anderson County Sheriff's Office made the arrest.

A Dominican Republic national was sentenced yesterday to a prison term of 15 years and four months for his involvement in an international conspiracy aimed at distributing 385 kilograms of cocaine for illegal importation into the United States.

The Justice Department has announced that the Shelby County, Tennessee, District Attorney General (DA) has reached an agreement to halt the prosecution of individuals living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) under Tennessee’s aggravated prostitution law. The DA will also implement reforms to rectify discrimination against people living with HIV who have been subjected to discriminatory and harsher penalties under this law.

A federal jury in Charlotte, North Carolina has convicted Greg E. Lindberg, founder and chairman of multinational investment company Eli Global LLC, and his consultant John D. Gray, for their involvement in a bribery scheme. The conviction came after a retrial that focused on the duo's orchestration of improper campaign contributions and manipulation of independent expenditure accounts.

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas and Attorney General Merrick B. Garland have announced a new Recent Arrivals (RA) Docket process to expedite the resolution of immigration cases for certain noncitizen single adults who attempt irregular crossings between ports of entry at the Southwest border. The Departments of Homeland Security (DHS) and Justice aim to swiftly impose consequences, including removal, on those without a legal basis to remain in the United States and grant immigration relief or protections more promptly to noncitizens with valid claims.

An indictment was unsealed recently, charging Anton Peraire-Bueno, 24, of Boston, and James Pepaire-Bueno, 28, of New York with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The charges stem from an alleged scheme by the defendants to exploit the Ethereum blockchain's integrity to fraudulently obtain approximately $25 million worth of cryptocurrency within approximately 12 seconds. The brothers were arrested in Boston and New York respectively and will be presented before U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul G. Levenson for the District of...

The Justice Department has announced a statewide investigation into conditions at eight youth detention centers and one youth development center run by the Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice. The probe will assess whether Kentucky safeguards children in these facilities from harm caused by excessive force by staff, prolonged and punitive isolation, and inadequate protection from violence and sexual abuse. Additionally, the investigation will scrutinize whether Kentucky provides sufficient mental health services and necessary special education to children with disabilities.

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson has urged consumers to prioritize their auditory health during Better Hearing and Speech Month this May. As a veteran and long-standing member of the National Guard, Wilson is well aware of the importance of protecting one's hearing.