This Day in FBI History: Charges Stick Against the ‘Teflon Don’

It was 20 years ago today—on April 2, 1992—that legendary New York mobster John Gotti was convicted of racketeering and other charges and sent to jail for what turned out to be the rest of his life. During his long and violent criminal career, he became known as both “The Dapper Don” (for his expensive suits and lavish parties) and “Teflon Don” (for several high-profile acquittals). A joint NYPD/FBI investigation beginning in the 1980s changed all that, providing an air-tight case—supported by the judge’s decision to keep all jurors anonymous—that led to Gotti’s conviction on all 13 counts. He died in jail in 2002.

Watch our video of previously released FBI surveillance footage from the late 1980s and early 1990s to see Gotti in action, walking the streets of New York with his mobster colleagues.

Skagit County Felon Sentenced to Long Prison Term for Child Pornography and Gun Possession

Defendant Had 2006 State Conviction for Possession of Child Pornography

A Skagit County felon was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 13 years in prison for possession of child pornography and being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Jenny A. Durkan. Leif O’Neil Christensen, 32, of Anacortes, Washington, had been convicted in 2006 in Snohomish County of possession of child pornography. Due to that conviction, Christensen faced a 10-year mandatory minimum sentence and was prohibited from possessing a firearm. U.S. District Judge James L. Robart imposed 20 years of supervised release following the prison term.

Christensen came to the attention of law enforcement in February 2010 when an FBI agent working online in an undercover capacity identified an Internet protocol (IP) address that was using peer-to-peer file sharing software to distribute child pornography. The IP address was linked to Christensen. As officers were preparing search warrants, Christensen was arrested for failing to register as a sex offender. In December 2010, a second investigation led to a different IP address associated with Christensen in Anacortes, Washington. In March 2011, law enforcement searched that home and found both child pornography and a Ruger firearm in Christensen’s living space. Christensen was arrested. He was indicted in October 2011 and pleaded guilty in January 2012.

In asking for a 15-year sentence, prosecutors wrote to the court that Christensen’s criminal history “reveals a combustible mix of sexual deviancy, violence, poor impulse control, and drug abuse and addiction. He has admitted to molesting three boys when he was in his late teens and early 20s. The abuse he suffered as a child undoubtedly affected him and most likely contributed to his current criminal history and the instant offense. Understanding his background may help explain his situation somewhat, but it does not mitigate the danger that he poses now, to the community at large, and to young children that he might meet. The overriding concern is that the defendant be prevented from molesting another boy.”

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

The case was investigated by the FBI, the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office, and the Anacortes Police Department.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jerrod Patterson and Jeffrey Backhus.

Metairie Man Arrested for Illegal Sawed Off Rifle, Sale of Counterfeit Money and Methamphetamine

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA — DAVID OUTLAW, age 32, a resident of Metairie, Louisiana, made his first court appearance on an indictment unsealed today charging him with selling an illegal sawed off 9 mm rifle, counterfeit federal reserve notes and a quantity of methamphetamine, announced U. S. Attorney Jim Letten. OUTLAW was arrested yesterday on a capais issued in connection with the indictment.

The indictment charges OUTLAW with illegally possessing and selling a sawed off rifle, counterfeit federal reserve notes and methamphetamine in November 2011.

U. S. Attorney Letten reiterated that an indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case was investigated jointly by Special Agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the United States Secret Service along with detectives from the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office and the Kenner Police Department. This case is being prosecuted by Tony Sanders of the Violent Crimes Unit.

Three New Jersey Men Plead Guilty to Stealing $1.4 Million from New York-Based Defense Contractor

Employees’ Pensions and Life Insurance Policies Looted

TRENTON—A former insurance agent for a New York-based defense contractor and his two friends today admitted stealing $1.4 million from the company, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

Daniel Tumminia, 49, of Millstone, New Jersey; Michael Feuer, 47, of Freehold, New Jersey; and Dennis Mannarino, 45, of Manalapan, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Joel A. Pisano in Trenton federal court to informations charging them with conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

Fastener Dimensions (“Fastener”) was a New York-based manufacturer and distributor of aircraft, aerospace, and military components and hardware. Tumminia was an insurance agent for Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co. (“MassMutual”) who represented Fastener and its president as an agent for MassMutual, handling all pension and profit sharing accounts and life insurance policies for Fastener’s employees.

From July 2004 through August 2010, Tumminia and his two friends—Feuer, a practicing attorney from 1990 through 2001 and the owner of Cypress Lawn Care, a landscaping company in New Jersey; and Mannarino, the owner of J&D Italian Specialty Meats, delicatessens located in New Jersey and New York—enriched themselves by diverting life insurance premium payments and pension and profit sharing checks belonging to Fastener’s employees into bank accounts that they controlled. In April 2008, Feuer incorporated and listed himself as the registered agent and officer of MassMutual Contracting Corp., a limited liability company that never performed any services for Fastener or any other clients, but was created by Feuer and Tumminia solely to falsely represent to Fastener that it was the real MassMutual. Feuer and Tumminia deposited $574,279 from Fastener into the MassMutual Contracting Corp. bank account.

Tumminia, Feuer, and Mannarino conducted 133 transactions, including interstate wire transfers, totaling $1,437,542 in deposits into bank accounts that they controlled. They then used the diverted funds for personal expenditures, including ATM cash withdrawals in New Jersey, rent, cable, utility, and grocery bills.

As part of their guilty pleas, Tumminia, Feuer, and Mannarino have agreed to make full restitution for all losses resulting from their crimes to the employees of Fastener Dimensions. Tumminia has agreed to forfeit $1,198,278 to the United States. Feuer has agreed to forfeit $115,963 and Mannarino has agreed to forfeit $10,000.

The conspiracy to commit wire fraud charges carry a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine or twice the pecuniary gain or loss resulting from the conspiracy. The sentencings are scheduled for July 9, 2012.

U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI working out of the Red Bank resident agency, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael B. Ward, for the investigation leading to today’s guilty pleas.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Mendelsohn of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Economic Crimes Unit in Newark.

This case was brought in coordination with President Barack Obama’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force. President Obama established the interagency Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force to wage an aggressive, coordinated, and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes. The task force includes representatives from a broad range of federal agencies, regulatory authorities, inspectors general, and state and local law enforcement who, working together, bring to bear a powerful array of criminal and civil enforcement resources. The task force is working to improve efforts across the federal executive branch, and with state and local partners, to investigate and prosecute significant financial crimes, ensure just and effective punishment for those who perpetrate financial crimes, combat discrimination in the lending and financial markets, and recover proceeds for victims of financial crimes.

Operation Artemis: Multi-Agency Statewide Operation Targets Child Pornography Offenders

ALBUQUERQUE—U.S. Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales and New Mexico State Attorney General Gary K. King announced today that, during the past three weeks, federal, state, and local law enforcement affiliates of the New Mexico Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force executed 13 search warrants as part of “Operation Artemis.” Operation Artemis was aimed at identifying individuals throughout New Mexico involved in the distribution, receipt, and possession of child pornography through peer-to-peer file sharing programs.

Federal, state, and local law enforcement officers executed the unrelated federal and state search warrants at residences in Alamogordo, Albuquerque, Bosque Farms, Corrales, Hobbs, Los Lunas, and Santa Fe and seized computers and computer-related evidence related to child pornography offenses. To date, three individuals have been arrested for violating federal and state child pornography laws based on the search warrants executed as part of Operation Artemis.

Anthony A. Montoya, 50, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, was arrested on March 5, 2012 and charged with possession of child pornography in the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court. Montoya has been released on a $35,000 bond.

Leverle J. Deans, 42, of Los Lunas, New Mexico, was arrested on March 7, 2012 and charged with possession of child pornography in the Valencia County Magistrate Court.

Ernest Brian Tucker, 57, of Corrales, New Mexico, was arrested on March 7, 2012 based on a federal criminal complaint charging receipt and possession of child pornography. According to court filings, a child under the age of 18 reported that she had been sexually molested by Tucker. On March 28, 2012, a grand jury returned an indictment charging Tucker with three counts of receipt of child pornography and two counts of possession of child pornography. If convicted, Tucker faces a minimum five years and a maximum of 20 years of imprisonment on each receipt charge and a maximum of 10 years of imprisonment on each possession charge. Tucker is detained pending trial based on a judicial finding that he poses a danger to the community.

All other matters are pending investigation. A criminal complaint is only an accusation. All criminal defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

U.S. Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales said, “At the heart of child pornography cases is our duty to protect our children from sexual exploitation. As long as we have people out there who victimize our children, we will continue to investigate and prosecute these cases. I want to thank the law enforcement officers who participate in the ICAC Task Force for their dedication to aggressively investigating those who sexually exploit our children and ensuring that these offenders are held accountable for their serious crimes.”

Attorney General Gary King said, “My office is committed to helping stop child predators any way we can...my message to them is that there is a bigger predator out there in cyberspace working to find them and put them in jail...it is the Attorney General’s Office and the rest of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Congratulations to my agents and all the others who made Operation Artemis a big success in New Mexico.”

The law enforcement agencies that participated in Operation Artemis include: Homeland Security Investigations, the New Mexico State Police, the New Mexico Attorney’ General’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Albuquerque Police Department, the Los Lunas Police Department, the Santa Fe Police Department, the Rio Rancho Police Department, and the New Mexico Regional Computer Forensic Lab. The criminal cases generated by Operation Artemis will be prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office, the New Mexico Attorney General’s Office, and local District Attorneys’ Offices.

Operation Artemis was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and DOJ’s Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

The operation also was brought as a part of the New Mexico ICAC Task Force’s mission, which is to locate, track, and capture Internet child sexual predators and Internet child pornographers in New Mexico. There are 61 federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies associated with the ICAC Task Force, which is funded by a grant administered by the New Mexico Attorney General’s Office. Anyone with information relating to suspected child predators and suspected child abuse is encouraged to contact federal or local law enforcement.