While some landowners have contacted the forestry department about the individual, “it’s quite possible that other landowners are being scammed—an action that can cost them thousands of dollars,” Talbert said. “We want citizens to know that this individual does not work for the Virginia Department of Forestry, and that the VDOF does not purchase timber. … We urge landowners who may be contacted by someone claiming that ‘Forestry’ sent him to purchase their timber to contact their local sheriff’s office and report the incident immediately.”

Chuck Wright, VDOF area forester for Goochland and Fluvanna, said most forest landowners harvest timber only once or twice during their lifetimes. “It’s extremely important to have a good plan for overall management of their timber resources, as well as a specific timetable when that timber is going to be harvested.”

Landowners also should keep in mind that timber markets tend to fluctuate, he said, and it is often best to solicit the services of a private consulting forester to handle a potential harvest. Upon request, the forestry department can provide landowners with a list of private forestry consultants who work in their areas.

Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, made the announcement, along with Michael F.A. Morehart, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Richmond Division; Jeannine A. Hammett, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Office of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation; Nick DiGiulio, Special Agent in Charge, United States Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General, Office of Investigations; and Michael McGill, Special Agent in Charge, Social Security Administration-Office of Inspector General.

A federal grand jury in Richmond indicted Cunningham on October 4, 2011 for 30 counts of health care fraud, eight counts of making false statements in health care matters, a single count of failing to file a tax return for the year 2006, a single count of filing a false tax return for the year 2005, and a single count using a fraudulently obtained Social Security number in interviews with federal agents regarding this matter. Cunningham faces a maximum penalty of 10 years on each of the health care fraud counts, a maximum penalty of five years on each of the health care false statement counts, a maximum penalty of 12 months on the failure to file tax return count, a maximum penalty of three years on the false tax return count, and a maximum of five years on the Social Security number count.

The indictment alleges that Cunningham regularly and systematically billed insurance companies and the Medicare and Medicaid programs for IVIG not actually administered. She also allegedly failed to a file tax return for the year 2006, falsely reported the gross income of CNS in her 2005 tax return, and used a fraudulently obtained Social Security number in an interview with agents during the investigation.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation Division, and Social Security Administration-Office of Inspector General. Assistant United States Attorney Michael C. Moore is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

Indictments are only charges and not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty.

WASHINGTON—Two Virginia contractors pleaded guilty today to participating in a scheme to steer contracts for repair and maintenance work at health care and nursing home facilities owned by Medical Facilities of America Inc. (MFA) to their now defunct plumbing business, the Department of Justice announced.

Donald R. Holland, a resident of Hardy, Va., and Larry R. Sumpter, a resident of Roanoke, Va., pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Roanoke to conspiring with another individual to steer contracts for repair and maintenance at MFA healthcare and nursing home facilities. According to a one-count felony charge filed today, from about June 1998 until at least December 2006, Holland and Sumpter, former co-owners of Virginia-based Hardy Plumbing & Heating Corp., conspired with an MFA employee who oversaw the bidding process for repair and maintenance contracts at MFA facilities in North Carolina and Virginia. The department said that the MFA employee steered contracts to Hardy Plumbing in return for kickbacks.

According to the court documents, Holland, Sumpter, and the MFA employee created fictitious competitor bids that were higher than the quotes submitted by Hardy Plumbing to create the appearance of competition. The MFA employee also specified the amount Hardy Plumbing should quote to MFA as well as the amount of the kickback on each of the contracts. As a result of the kickback scheme, Holland and Sumpter paid more than $250,000 to the MFA employee and received gross revenues totaling more than $3 million in connection with MFA contracts that were subject to the scheme to defraud. The department said that as a result of the kickback scheme, MFA was deprived of competitive pricing to its financial detriment. According to the plea agreements, Holland and Sumpter have agreed to cooperate with the department’s ongoing investigation.

Holland and Sumpter are charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud for the kickback scheme, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 criminal fine. The maximum fines may be increased to twice the gain derived from the crime or twice the loss suffered by the victims of the crime, if either of those amounts is greater than the statutory maximum.

The pleas are the second and third to arise out of the department’s ongoing fraud investigation into the award of repair and maintenance contracts at facilities owned by MFA. On April 4, 2011, Edward T. Fodrey, a contractor and resident of Norfolk, Va., pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Norfolk to conspiring with others to steer contracts for repair, maintenance and renovation at MFA health care and nursing home facilities.

At approximately 10:47 p.m. on Saturday, (Oct. 8, 2011), a state police arson investigator was called to investigate a fire that took place at the Hildebrand Mennonite Church located in the 500 block of Hildebrand Church Road in northern Augusta County. A preliminary investigation showed the fire appeared to have started on the southwest side near the entrance to the church’s sanctuary. The church received superficial damage as a result. There were no injuries. The investigation remains on-going. At this time, there is no evidence linking this arson investigation to other fires in the area.

The joint efforts and cooperation between the Augusta County Fire Department, the Augusta County Sheriff’s Office, citizens in the community and the state police arson investigator resulted in the identification and arrest of a suspect.

“This investigation is an example of good teamwork and working collaboratively to establish probable cause for an arrest in this investigation,” says Lt. Joseph A. Rader, Special Agent-In-Charge of the Virginia State Police Appomattox Field Office. “Our investigator received valuable information from citizens in the community and stayed aggressive which produced positive results.”

Steven Sharreff, bankruptcy attorney and Chapter 13 Bankruptcy specialist who founded Louisa Bankruptcy over 25 years ago, says “People who once felt truly comfortable with their finances now find themselves unemployed and behind on their mortgages. We offer a free consultation, where you can learn about the process in detail, understand what your options are and discuss your situation with an experienced attorney whose only goal is help you get back on your feet.”

According to the Wall Street Journal, the number of Americans filing for personal bankruptcy rose by nearly a third in 2009 due to the recession, which has barely slowed in the following two years. One in every 570 housing units received a foreclosure filing in August, 2011. To address these statistics, Steven Shareff and Louisa Bankruptcy also offer Bankruptcy consulting and foreclosure consulting.

Virginia State Police are continuing its investigation into the cause of the crash of a commercial tour bus on Interstate 95 in Caroline County Tuesday morning (May 31, 2011). Four people were killed and dozens of others were injured in the crash.

At 4:55 a.m., Virginia State Police were called to the scene of a single-vehicle crash off the northbound lanes I-95 at the 103 mile marker, approximately ¼ of a mile south of Exit 104 for Carmel Church. A Sky Express Bus ran off the right side of the northbound lanes of I-95 and overturned. The bus came to rest upside down on its roof. The impact of the crash did cause a minor fuel leak, which has been contained. There were 58 passengers and one driver onboard.

The Virginia State Police Richmond Division’s Accident Reconstruction Team is on scene assisting with the investigation of the crash. The cause of the crash is being attributed to driver fatigue. The driver of the bus suffered minor injuries and was treated at the scene. Charges are pending at this time.

The Virginia State Police Motor Carrier Safety Team is also on scene inspecting the bus for any mechanical errors or problems.

Four individuals are confirmed deceased at this time. State police are still in the process of confirming their identification and notifying next of kin.

Those injured in the crash have been transported to hospitals in Fredericksburg, Richmond, and Hopewell for treatment. Injuries range from minor to serious to life threatening.

The bus left Greensboro, N.C., Monday at 10:30 p.m. and was en-route to Chinatown in New York City. Sky Express Bus is located in Charlotte, N.C.

Northbound Interstate 95 remains closed at this time as investigators finish up their work and concentrate on getting the bus up-righted and removed. Northbound traffic is being detoured off I-95 at Exit 98/Doswell in Hanover County, directed to Route 1, and returned to I-95 at Exit 110.

Michael Douglas Comer, 47, of Charlottesville, previously waived his right to be indicted and pled guilty to one count of mail fraud and one count of tax evasion in relation to a scheme he devised to steal money from Glenmore Associates, PBK Real Estate, and Kessler Enterprises. This morning, he was sentenced to 36 months of incarceration.

“Mr. Comer violated the trust placed in him by the residents of Glenmore, and his family, when he embezzled their money to enrich himself,” United States Attorney Timothy J. Heaphy said today. “He compounded that violation by failing to pay federal income taxes for years. Today’s sentencing ensures that Mr. Comer will be justly punished for his fraud. It also requires him to repay the back taxes he evaded.”

“The role of IRS-Criminal Investigation becomes even more important in embezzlement cases due to the complex financial transactions that can take time to unravel,” said Rebecca Sparkman, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge, Washington, D.C. Field Office. “As we often see, the victims are not only the taxpayers, but also the entities who suffer financial harm.”

Comer previously admitted that between 2004 and 2009, he devised a scheme to defraud Glenmore Associates, PBK Real Estate, and Kessler Enterprises by embezzling funds from these entities and using these funds to pay himself unauthorized compensation and to pay unauthorized personal expenses. Those personal expenses included car payments and mortgage payments.

In addition, Comer admitted to affirmatively evading his individual income taxes for the years 2003 through 2009 by annually submitting false income tax returns. The defendant admitted he received unreported taxable income of at least $2,548,212 and upon that taxable income there was owing to the United States an additional income tax of at least $933,028. Comer agreed to make full restitution to the United States for all taxes due and owed.

The investigation of the case was conducted by the Internal Revenue Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Ronald Huber and Larry Wszalek, an attorney with the United States Department of Justice, Tax Division, Southern Enforcement Section, are prosecuting the case for the United States.

Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Alex J. Turner, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Division; and James D. Fox, Chief of Newport News Police, made the announcement. Bunch and Truslow face a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

According to the indictment, Bunch is accused of distributing heroin to Jennifer Truslow, which she smuggled into the Newport News City Farm to Jessie Truslow, who died from the use of the drugs. This allegation was responsible for launching an investigation into heroin distribution in several areas of Newport News and the Virginia Peninsula.  To date, 33 federal defendants have been indicted, convicted and sentenced, and more than 100 related state defendants have been convicted and sentenced.

This case was investigated by the FBI, the Newport News Police Department and other law enforcement agencies participating in an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF).  Assistant United States Attorney Laura P. Tayman is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

Criminal indictments are only charges and not evidence of guilt.  A defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty.

Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, made the announcement after the plea was accepted by United States District Judge Claude M. Hilton.

“Drunk and distracted driving is a toxic combination with fatal consequences,” said U.S. Attorney MacBride. “No prosecution can take back the events of that night, but we hope today’s sentencing will help provide some closure for the victims and their families.”

On Nov. 16, 2010, Espinoza pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter and maiming resulting from driving while intoxicated.

According to a statement of facts filed with her plea agreement, Espinoza admitted that at approximately 2:00 a.m. on Oct. 13, 2009, she was driving along the George Washington Memorial Parkway – a federal roadway – when she was involved in a single car crash, resulting in the death of her front seat passenger, Ashley Roberta, 22, and life threatening and permanent injuries to Charles (Charlie) Davies Jr., 24, her back seat passenger. Espinoza’s blood contained a blood alcohol concentration of 0.13 percent.

The statement of facts reveals that Espinoza and Roberta had arranged to meet with Davies at a Georgetown restaurant the evening of Oct. 12, 2009. The three later left the restaurant and arrived at a private event hosted by Roberta’s employer at a nearby Washington, D.C., nightclub. The three separated to socialize, and as the event was winding down, Espinoza agreed to give Davies a ride back to his hotel in Crystal City, Va.

Espinoza was unfamiliar with the George Washington Memorial Parkway and the location of Davies’ hotel or how to get there.  Davies also was unfamiliar with directions to the hotel.  As a result, Espinoza used a blackberry to retrieve the street address and entered it into a portable GPS device located on the center console of her sport utility vehicle. While navigating her way to the Virginia hotel, Espinoza missed an exit and the GPS began to recalculate her position and the correct route to take. During this time Espinoza looked away from the road to look at her GPS device.  Espinoza admitted in court today that she was driving above the posted speed limit of 40 miles per hour, she was distracted with the GPS, and she was intoxicated.  All of these factors resulted in her crash into the Boundary Channel bridge abutment.

Once emergency personnel arrived on the scene, Davies was extricated and transported by helicopter to Medstar in critical condition.  He incurred life-threatening and permanent injuries as a result of the accident that have resulted in numerous surgeries and significant rehabilitative therapy.  Roberta was pronounced dead on the scene.  Espinoza was transported to Medstar by ambulance for observation and treatment of minor injuries.

This case was investigated by the United States Park Police. Assistant United States Attorneys Rosanne C. Haney and Patricia Haynes prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, made the announcement after Linker was arrested by Drug Enforcement Administration agents this morning. Linker is scheduled to make an initial appearance at 2:00 p.m. before United States Magistrate Judge Douglas E. Miller.

According to the 17-count indictment, Linker is President and Chief Officer of a Virginia corporation known as Handyman Plus, Inc., that was also licensed in the City of Virginia Beach.  The indictment alleges that Linker used business vehicles and his business location to distribute methamphetamine.  The indictment further alleges that Linker had his source of supply mail the methamphetamine to him from California to Virginia.
This case was investigated by the DEA and the Norfolk Police Department with assistance from the Virginia Beach Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin M. Comstock is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
Indictments are only charges and not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty.

The investigation resulted in search warrants being simultaneously executed Feb. 24, 2011, at C&C Internet Sweepstakes located in the county’s Timberlake community and at S&D Net in Rustburg. State police special agents seized approximately 40 gaming and office computers, other office accessories and thousands of dollars in cash between the two unlawful operations.

The investigation remains ongoing at this time. Charges and arrests are pending.

“Our expanded Lynchburg facility will enhance J.Crew’s commitment to customer service while supporting the current and future growth of the company,” said Tony Brown, Senior Vice President, Global Supply Chain. “Having been in the area for 25 years, we continue our dedication to our employees and the overall Lynchburg community.”

Speaking about today’s announcement, Governor McDonnell said, “J.Crew, a well-known brand, has been distributing its apparel from this location in Lynchburg since 1986. With this significant project, the company will expand its facility by 100,000 square feet and create 177 new jobs. J.Crew has been a great corporate partner to the Commonwealth and I look forward to the continued success of the Lynchburg operation.”

J.Crew Group, Inc. is a multi-channel retailer of women’s, men’s and children’s apparel, shoes and accessories. J.Crew debuted in 1983 with the mailing of its first catalog. Six years later, the company opened a flagship store at New York’s South Street Seaport. Today, the business includes retail and outlet stores nationwide and an ever-growing online and catalog business. As of January 18, 2011, the Company operates 249 retail stores (including 220 J.Crew retail stores, 9 Crewcuts and 20 Madewell stores), the J. Crew catalog business, jcrew.com, madewell.com and 85 factory outlet stores.

The guilty plea was announced today by Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Neil H. MacBride for the Eastern District of Virginia; Special Inspector General Neil Barofsky for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (SIGTARP); Assistant Director in Charge James W. McJunkin of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; Michael P. Stephens, Inspector General of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD OIG); Jon T. Rymer, Inspector General of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC OIG); Steve A. Linick, Inspector General of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA OIG); and Victor F. O. Song, Chief of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Criminal Investigation.

Brown, 45, of Hernando, Fla., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema in the Eastern District of Virginia.  Brown faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison when she is sentenced on June 10, 2011.  In a related action, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) today filed an enforcement action against Brown in the Eastern District of Virginia.

According to court documents, Brown admitted that from late 2003 through August 2009, she and her co-conspirators, including former TBW chairman Lee Farkas engaged in a scheme to defraud various entities and individuals, including Colonial Bank, a federally-insured bank; Colonial BancGroup Inc.; shareholders of Colonial BancGroup; investors in Ocala Funding LLC, including Deutsche Bank and BNP Paribas; the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP); and the investing public.  One of the goals of the scheme to defraud was to obtain funding for TBW to assist it in covering expenses related to operations and servicing payments owed to third-party purchasers of loans and/or mortgage-backed securities.

According to court documents, Brown and her co-conspirators referred to one aspect of the fraud scheme as “Plan B.”   “Plan B” generated money for TBW through the fictitious “sales” of mortgage loans to Colonial Bank.  The conspirators accomplished this by sending mortgage data to Colonial Bank for loans that did not exist or that TBW had already committed or sold to other third-party investors.  As a result, the Plan B loan data was recorded in Colonial Bank’s books and records, and gave the false appearance that Colonial Bank had purchased legitimate interests in mortgage loans from TBW.  Brown admitted that she and her co-conspirators caused Colonial Bank to pay TBW for assets that were worthless to Colonial Bank.

Brown admitted that, as part of the fraud scheme, she and her co-conspirators also caused TBW to sell fictitious trades, which had no pools of loans collateralizing them, to Colonial Bank.  Brown and her co-conspirators caused false information about the trades to be entered on Colonial Bank’s books and records, giving the appearance that the bank owned interests in legitimate trades, when in fact the trades had no value and could not be sold.

Court documents indicate that the conspirators caused Colonial Bank to pay TBW more than $400 million for assets that in fact had no value, and caused Colonial Bank and Colonial BancGroup to hold these assets on their books as if they had actual value.  Additionally, the conspirators caused TBW to misappropriate more than $1 billion in collateral from Ocala Funding LLC, a mortgage lending facility owned by TBW.

According to court documents, the fraud scheme also included an effort by the conspirators in the fall of 2008 to obtain $570 million in taxpayer funding through the Capital Purchase Program (CPP), a sub-program of the U.S. Treasury Department’s TARP program.  In connection with the application, Colonial BancGroup submitted financial data and filings that included materially false information related to mortgage loan and securities assets held by Colonial Bank as a result of the fraudulent scheme admitted to by Brown.  Colonial BancGroup never received the TARP funding.

In August 2009, the Alabama State Banking Department, Colonial Bank’s regulator, seized the bank and appointed the FDIC as receiver.  Colonial BancGroup also filed for bankruptcy in August 2009.

In June 2010, Farkas was arrested and charged in a 16-count indictment for his role in the fraud scheme.  His trial is scheduled to begin in April 2011.  An indictment is merely a charge and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

The case is being prosecuted by Deputy Chief Patrick Stokes and Trial Attorney Robert Zink of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Charles Connolly and Paul Nathanson of the Eastern District of Virginia. This case was investigated by SIGTARP, FBI’s Washington Field Office, FDIC OIG, HUD OIG, FHFA OIG and the IRS Criminal Investigation. The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) of the Department of the Treasury also provided support in the investigation.

This prosecution 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.

Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and John Morton, Director for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), made the announcement after a superseding indictment was made public.

“The indictment portrays a deadly criminal organization that uses brutal violence to eliminate rivals, protect its turf and enforce discipline against its own members,” said U.S. Attorney MacBride. “Thanks to the tremendous effort of ICE agents here in our District and throughout the country, we were able to bring these charges, expose the brutality behind this document cartel, and dismantle the organization.”

“Document fraud doesn’t just involve paperwork. The business of document fraud, which can be ugly and involve violence and the use of deadly weapons warrants the attention of Homeland Security Investigations,” said ICE Director John Morton. “Fraudulent documents give people the appearance of lawful status and provide them a ticket to access and opportunities to which they are not entitled.”

According to the 12-count indictment, Israel Cruz Millan, a/k/a “El Muerto,” 28, of Raleigh, N.C., managed the organization’s operations in the United States, overseeing cells in nearly a dozen states that produced high-quality false identification cards to illegal aliens.  He allegedly placed a manager in each city, each of whom supervised a number of “runners” who distributed business cards advertising the organization’s services and helped facilitate transactions with customers. The cost of fraudulent documents varied depending on the location, with counterfeit Resident Alien and Social Security cards typically selling from $150 to $200. Each cell maintained detailed sales records and divided the proceeds between the runner, the cell manager, and the upper level managers in Mexico. The indictment states that from January 2008 through November 2010, members of the organization wired more than $1 million to Mexico.

The indictment alleges that Cruz Millan’s organization sought to drive competitors from their territory by posing as customers and attacking them when they arrived to make a sale. These attacks allegedly included binding the victims’ hands, feet and mouth; repeatedly beating them; and threatening them with death if they continued to sell false identification documents in the area. The victims were allegedly left bound at the scene of the attack, and the indictment states that at least one victim died from the beatings.

Cruz Millan is accused of tightly controlling the organization’s activities, keeping in regular contact with cell managers about inventory, bi-weekly sales reports and competition. The indictment alleges that members who violated internal rules within the operation were subject to discipline, including shaving eyebrows, wearing weights, beatings, and other violent acts.

Twenty-eight members of the organization were arrested on Nov. 18, 2010, on conspiracy to produce and transfer false identification documents and conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carry a maximum penalty of 15 and 20 years in prison, respectively. To date, five individuals arrested on Nov. 18 have pled guilty to conspiracy to produce and transfer false identification documents.

On Feb. 23, 2011, twenty-two of the 28 were also charged with racketeering conspiracy, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years to life, depending on the racketeering activity. The following additional charges were added in yesterday’s superseding indictment:

• Christian Martinez-Arellano, a/k/a “Chachito,” 27, of Richmond, Va., and Erik Martinez-Ortiz, a/k/a “Perruchi,” 21, of Virginia Beach, Va., were charged with assaulting two rival document vendors in and around Richmond on June 16, 2009, including allegedly placing the barrel of a semi-automatic handgun in a victim’s mouth and warning him about selling false identification documents in Richmond. The assault in aid of racketeering charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, and the possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence carries a mandatory minimum of five years and a maximum of life in prison.

• Edy Oliverez-Jiminez, a/k/a “Daniel,” Erasmo,” “Ulysses,” and “Jesus,” 24, of Virginia Beach, Va., was charged the with murder, kidnapping, and assault of a rival document vendor on July 6, 2010, in Little Rock, Ark. Oliverez-Jimenez and others allegedly bound the victim’s hands, feet, mouth, and eyes with duct tape and repeated beat him, which ultimately caused his death. The victim and an associate, who was also bound, were left bound on the floor and the victim was pronounced dead when they were found. Soon afterward, Oliverez-Jiminez allegedly relocated to Virginia to avoid the law enforcement investigation surrounding the murder, and he established a new cell in Norfolk and Virginia Beach, Va. He faces a maximum penalty of life in prison for murder in aid of racketeering, 10 years each for two counts of kidnapping in aid of racketeering, 20 years each for two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering. He also faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison, with a maximum of life in prison, for two counts of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

The investigation was centered in the Norfolk office of ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) which falls under the Washington, D.C., office.  ICE HSI received assistance from the Virginia State Police and Chesterfield County Police Department.  Assistant United States Attorneys Michael Gill and Angela Miller and Trial Attorney Addison Thompson, of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section, are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

“I am excited to see this order from Norfolk Southern,” said Governor Bob McDonnell. “This announcement is a prime example of in-state companies putting Virginians back to work and is another indicator that our economy is beginning to recover.”

“This purchase is good news for Norfolk Southern on several levels,” said Wick Moorman, Norfolk Southern Chief Executive Officer. “It’s an important step in our long-term plan to rejuvenate our coal fleet, it’s a recognition of a rebound in the economy, it supports a very important supplier to the railroad industry, and it brings jobs back to Roanoke, a city that’s very important to us.”

Ed Whalen, FreightCar America’s President and Chief Executive Officer said, “This coal car order marks an upturn in production activity at our Roanoke facility. We are very pleased to be selected to meet Norfolk Southern’s demand for coal cars in these difficult economic times. We will be adding employees over the new few months as we prepare to produce these cars.”

Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE: NSC) is one of the nation’s premier transportation companies. Its Norfolk Southern Railway subsidiary operates approximately 20,000 route miles in 22 states and the District of Columbia. It serves every major container port in the eastern United States and provides efficient connections to other rail carriers. Norfolk Southern operates the most extensive intermodal network in the East and is a major transporter of coal and industrial products.

FreightCar America, Inc. manufactures railroad freight cars with particular expertise in coal-carrying railcars. It supplies railcar parts, leases freight cars through its JAIX Leasing Company subsidiary, and provides railcar maintenance, repairs and management through its FreightCar Rail Services, LLC subsidiary. In addition to coal cars, FreightCar America designs and builds bulk commodity cars, flat cars, mill gondola cars, intermodal cars, coil steel cars and motor vehicle carriers. It is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois and has facilities in Clinton, Indiana; Danville, Illinois; Grand Island, Nebraska; Hastings, Nebraska; Johnstown, Pennsylvania; Lakewood, Colorado; and Roanoke, Virginia. More information about FreightCar America is available on its website at www.freightcaramerica.com.

In the early hours of Feb. 7, 2011, the Virginia State Police Tactical Team made entry into the residence in an attempt to locate the male subject, who turned out not to be inside.

Authorities are looking for Brandon L. Pegram, 22, of Dinwiddie County, who may be traveling to the City of Richmond. Pegram is described as a black male, 6’02”, 180 pounds, with brown eyes and black hair.

Pegram may be traveling in a light green Ford Taurus. The Taurus is a Dinwiddie County vehicle with public use license plates and C23 on the left bumper.

Pegram has several warrants for his arrest to include felony strong armed robbery and threatening to burn a structure and misdemeanor domestic assault and assault. Pegram is considered dangerous.

Virginia State Police and the Dinwiddie County Sheriff’s Office are asking for information on the whereabouts of Pegram and the county vehicle. All information is confidential. Anyone with information should contact the Virginia State Police Division I Dispatch Center at (804) 553-3445, the Dinwiddie County Sheriff’s Office at (804) 469-3755 or Petersburg/Dinwiddie Crime Solvers at (804) 861-1212.

Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, made the announcement after sentencing by United States District Judge Raymond A. Jackson. May pled guilty on Oct. 18, 2010.

“Today’s tough sentence ensures that a dangerous predator like Justin May spends many years behind bars where he can’t prey on young victims,” said U.S. Attorney MacBride. “It is shocking that a college professor manipulated a young girl for his own sexual gratification. This case is a wake-up call to parents and kids alike that the face of evil is often the ordinary and the familiar, including people in positions of trust.”

According to court documents, in April 2010 a juvenile located in Ohio posted a picture of herself on a modeling internet website. Shortly after posting her picture she was contacted by “Justin Marx,” who claimed to have inside knowledge of the modeling industry. “Marx” sent the juvenile an email inviting her to contact him if she wished to talk more about modeling and asked her age.  The juvenile, 13, was then referred to one of his models, “Nikki.”  The next day the juvenile contacted “Nikki” who asked the juvenile if she would be comfortable modeling in a nude photo shoot and suggested she take some nude pictures of herself. “Nikki” then told the juvenile that a professional photographer could take pictures of her in exchange for various sex acts.  The juvenile took nude photos of herself and sent them to “Nikki.”

May was initially identified after an FBI administrative subpoena tracked the subscriber information for both “Marx” and “Nikki” back to IP Addresses owned by Cox Communications and the College of William and Mary. Additional subpoenas for the dates of email exchanges between the juvenile, “Marx,” and “Nikki” revealed the IP addresses belonged to Justin May at a location in Williamsburg, Va. Specifically, the College of William and Mary requires users of their network to register the MAC addresses of their computers.  According to the registration database at the College of William and Mary, the MAC Address was in use by Justin May during the time of the chats with the juvenile.  May was a faculty member in the Department of Economics with an office located in Williamsburg.  Records also show that May had a home at a location in Williamsburg.

This case was investigated by the FBI Innocent Images Task Force and the Department of Homeland Security and Customs Enforcement.  Assistant United States Attorneys Elizabeth Yusi and Lisa R. McKeel prosecuted this case on behalf of the United States.

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.

Illinois became the latest VDOT customer this past August.

Sales have contributed $625,000 toward offsetting VDOT’s initial development costs.

“RUMS has remained cutting edge and viable for those managing the right-of-way process,” said Les Griggs, eminent domain and special projects program manager with VDOT’s Right of Way and Utilities Division. “Other states are still interested in what RUMS can offer and our licensing agreements have brought in revenue. It’s truly been a VDOT success story.”

Acquiring thousands of parcels of land each year and managing a multitude of right-of-way issues is a complicated process. RUMS enables users to track the acquisitions and utility transactions on a real-time, project-by-project basis.

The Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation’s Culpeper Field Office, with the assistance of the Virginia ABC Bureau of Law Enforcement and Town of Orange Police, is investigating the armed robbery that occurred Dec. 20, 2010, at the Virginia ABC Store on North Madison Street. James Lynn Crooks, 19, of Sperryville, Va., and Jeremy Harold Carter, 19, of Amissville, Va., entered the store at approximately 6:15 p.m. and escaped with an undisclosed amount of cash taken from the register.

State police are also investigating the possibility of two other individuals assisting Crooks and Carter as a lookout and driver of a getaway vehicle.

No one inside the store was injured during the robbery.

Arrest warrants for armed robbery and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony in connection to the robbery have been obtained for both Crooks and Carter.

Crooks is a white male with hazel eyes and brown hair. He is 6 feet tall and weighs 165 pounds.

Carter is a white male with blue eyes and brown hair. He is 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighs 175 pounds.

Anyone with information about the robbery or the whereabouts of the two wanted subjects is asked to call the Virginia State Police at 1-800-572-2260 or (540) 829-7771.

During the drawing, which can be viewed at valottery.com, the number 6 was drawn. The host correctly announced the number 6, and the viewing screen correctly displayed the number 6. However, the number 9 was incorrectly entered into the gaming system instead of a 6. All other numbers were reported correctly.

Due to this error, the Lottery gaming system has been paying winners on the wrong set of numbers since early this morning, January 6, when retailers began cashing tickets. At noon today, the Lottery halted all validations for all Win For Life drawings. Win For Life wagers are still being accepted.

The Lottery apologizes for this error and the inconvenience it is causing players and retailers. As a result, the Lottery will pay prizes on BOTH sets of numbers—those with a 6 and those with a 9.

“We will be paying prizes on both sets of numbers,” said Virginia Lottery Executive Director Paula Otto. “We are working hard to re-set our gaming system so players can cash their Win For Life tickets. We do ask that players hold on to their tickets and not attempt to cash them until tomorrow, January 7.”

According to the official rules for Win For Life, “all Winning Numbers and the Free Ball, even though announced, are subject to validation by the Lottery, including, if necessary, review by the Lottery Director, whose decision shall be final. The Lottery shall not be liable for media misprints or incorrectly announced Winning Numbers and the Free Ball.”

All players that have Win for Life tickets from January 5, 2011, should save their tickets and check them against BOTH sets of numbers:

DRAWN NUMBERS: 3,6,8,17,21,30; FREE BALL 31

REPORTED NUMBERS: 3,8,9,17,21,30; FREE BALL 31

Win For Life offers a top prize of $1,000 per week for the life of the winner. Drawings are held Wednesday and Saturday nights at 11:00.

Players can visit valottery.com or call Virginia Lottery Communications at (804) 692-7778 with further questions.