EFTA00223089.pdf

After graduating from Cornell University and the University of California at Berkeley School of Law, began her legal career by clerking for United States District Court Judge David F. Levi, in Sacramento, California from 1993 to 1994. Ms. then worked in private practice for seven years, including as a litigation associate at Morrison & Foerster in San Francisco and a trial associate with Dorsey & Whitney, LLP, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and London, England. Ms. remained in civil practice, specializing in intellectual property litigation until July 2001, when she was hired by the USAO in Miami. . While she enjoyed civil practice, Ms. always wanted to be an Assistant United States Attorney. Two early career mentors — Judge Levi and Portia Moore from Morrison & Foerster — had worked at U.S. Attorney's Offices' and they, like many former AUSAs, described the job as the best of their careers. Ms. also wanted to serve her community. She was in the first generation of her family to graduate from college. She is the only member of her family to get an advanced degree. Personal experiences left her deeply committed to wanting to create safer communities for victims of crime. After several years of waiting for an opening at the USAO in Minneapolis, when Ms. brother moved to the West Palm Beach area, she applied for a position at the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida. On September 10, 2001, Ms. began serving as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of Florida. She did a rotation through the Appellate Section and then joined the Major Crimes Section from late September 2001 until January 2004. While in that unit, she handled reactive cases and short-term investigations and cases, including narcotics, firearms, child exploitation offenses, immigration matters, credit card fraud, bank robbery, violent Judge Levi was the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of California. Ms. Moore was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of Washington. 1 EFTA00223089 offenses, and supervised release violations. While serving in that Unit, she was also selected as one of Southern District of Florida's first Project Safe Neighborhood prosecutors. In January 2004, Ms. transferred to the West Palm Beach Office. In 2006, the U.S. Department of Justice initiated Project Safe Childhood, and, in recognition of her expertise in child exploitation matters, Ms. became the Southern District of Florida's first Project Safe Childhood coordinator. From 2004 through early 2009, Ms. handled the bulk of the child exploitation cases in West Palm Beach, as well as other cases involving violent crime, gangs, narcotics, firearms, immigration, and white collar matters. In March 2009, Ms. was selected as the first Chief of the Special Prosecutions North Section, which was a new section in the Fort Lauderdale Office that would work on Project Safe Childhood and Project Safe Neighborhood prosecutions. In late 2010, when a new U.S. Attorney was sworn in, Ms. asked that she be transferred back to the West Palm Beach Office, because the daily commute to Fort Lauderdale was both taxing and time consuming and it was exacerbating Since 2010, Ms. has been assigned to the West Palm Beach Office and is now the liaison to the Greater Palm Beach County Health Care Fraud Task Force. Since returning to West Palm Beach, Ms. caseload has shifted more towards economic crimes, but she has worked on a wide array of cases including insurance fraud, varying types of health care fraud, child exploitation, drug diversion, and bank fraud. According to CourtLink, Ms. was counsel of record in 445 criminal matters in the Southern District of Florida (hereinafter "S.D. of Fla."). This number does not include all of the 2255s or appeals, but does include search warrants and pen registers which were sought. Of these approximately 445 cases, a number of matters are noteworthy. For example: 2 EFTA00223090 As the S.D. of Fla.'s first Project Safe Childhood Coordinator, she personally handled dozens of child exploitation cases. It appears from a review of Westlaw and Courtlink research, that Ms. was the first prosecutor in the S.D. of Fla. to convince the court to recognize the rights of a victim's family to appear and speak to the Court about the proper sentence: • U.S. v. William Charles O'Neil, 04-Cr-80040 The victim's mother remains in touch with Ms. until today. From Westlaw and Courtlink research, it appears that Ms. was the first prosecutor in the S.D. of Fla. to advocate for the appointment of a guardian ad litem for minor victims in connection with a criminal prosecution. • U.S. v. Jimmy Oliver, 06-Cr-80023 • U.S. v. Marion Yarbrough, 07-Cr-80099 From Westlaw and Courtlink research, it appears that Ms. was the first prosecutor in the S.D. of Fla. to charge enticement of a minor based upon use of a cellular phone. • U.S. v. McDaniel, 06-Cr-80058 From Westlaw and Courtlink research, it appears that Ms. was the first prosecutor in the S.D. of Fla. to charge a violation of the child pornography advertising statute. • U.S. v. Frank Grasso, 05-Cr-80111 From Westlaw and Courtlink research, it appears that Ms. was the first prosecutor in the S.D. of Fla. to charge failure to register as a sex offender and she trained other prosecutors and agents on how to investigate and prosecute those cases. • U.S. v. Alfonso Diaz Cardenas, 07-Cr-80108 Ms. assisted in the drafting of Eleventh Circuit Pattern [Criminal] Jury Instructions related to child exploitation offenses, including clarifying that, in cases of actual contact with a child, there is no requirement of proving the defendant's knowledge of age. According to inquiries with DOJ's Health Care Fraud Section, Ms. was the first prosecutor in the nation to charge sex trafficking in connection with a health care fraud case. ■ U.S. v. Kenneth Chatman, 17-Cr-80013 (subject of an American Greed episode, CNBC, Season 12, Episode 10 "Florida Rehab Gone Wild" July 2, 2018) Chatman was the first of several cases to target fraud in connection with substance abuse treatment. To date, Ms. has convicted 30 individuals, including 6 licensed medical or mental health professionals, for related offenses: ■ U.S. v. Kenneth Chatman, et al., 17-Cr-80013 ■ U.S. v. Barry Gregory, 17-Cr-80033 ■ U.S. v. Richard Botero, et al., 17-Cr-80070 ■ U.S. v. Tovah Lynn Jasperson, et al., 17-Cr-80194 ■ U.S. v. Jeffrey Williams, 17-Cr-80195 3 EFTA00223091 ■ U.S. v. Albert Jones Saye, 17-Cr-80229 ■ U.S. v. John Skeffington, et al., 18-Cr-80018 ■ U.S. v. Anthony Jackson, 18-Cr-80040 ■ U.S. v. Lanny Fried, 18-Cr-80100 ■ U.S. v. Bosco Vega, 18-Cr-80101 ■ U.S. v. Mark Hollander, 18-Cr-80102 ■ U.S. v. Larry Weisberg, 18-Cr-80108 ■ U.S. v. Kenneth Rivera-Kolb, 18-Cr-80121 ■ U.S. v. Annan Abovyan, et al., 18-Cr-80122 ■ U.S. v. Hamilton Wayne, et al., 18-Cr-80165 ■ U.S. v. Ethan Wayne, 18-Cr-80168 The Chatman case resulted in Ms. being awarded the 2018 Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency Award and the 2017 National Healthcare Anti- Fraud Association Investigation of the Year Award. This series of investigations has been nominated for this year's FBI Director's Award and the Florida Insurance Fraud Education Committee's Award. At the request of DOJ's Office of Legislative Affairs, Ms. has provided advice on Congress' recent legislation on fraud involving sober homes and treatment facilities. Ms. prosecution of a member of Guatemala's Kaibil military branch led to war crimes investigations and prosecutions of numerous high-ranking military and political figures in Guatemalan and international courts, and resulted in her receipt of the Justice Department's 2011 National Crime Victims' Rights Service Award. The case was the subject of an award-wining documentary entitled "Finding Oscar" and numerous television shows and podcasts. • U.S. v. Gilberto Jordan, 10-Cr-80069 Ms. prosecuted the leader and numerous members of the 'Crazy Locos street gang in Palm Beach County (an MS-13 affiliate) for two murders in connection with racketeering activity and numerous firearms, drug, and sex trafficking offenses. • U.S. v. Jonathan Gonzalez, et al., 09-Cr-80091 • U.S. v. Ivan Santiago, 09-Cr-80135 • U.S. v. Itzel Candela-Campos, 10-Cr-80042 Ms. prosecuted 57 individuals, including 21 medical professionals, for charges related to staged accidents and chiropractic clinic fraud. According to information received from victim insurance companies, the prosecutions resulted in a 50% decrease in fraudulent auto insurance claims in Palm Beach County and changes to state legislation. Ms. received the Attorney General's Award for Fraud Prevention and the [EOUSA] Director's Award for this series of cases. • U.S. v. Vladimir Lopez, et al., 11-Cr-80106 • U.S. v. Ketty Gonzalez, et al., 11-Cr-80211 • U.S. v. Obelio Rodriguez, et al., 12-Cr-80107 • U.S. v. Yuliet Tapanes, et al., 12-Cr-80108 • U.S. v. Jennifer Adams, 12-Cr-80112 4 EFTA00223092 • U.S. v. Iris Roca, 13-Cr-80109 • U.S. 91 Olinda Rodriguez, 13-Cr-80110 Ms. successfully handled the appeal in the matter of U.S. v. Damian Baston (14- 14444 (11th Circuit)), arguing for full restitution for victims of sex trafficking and for the right of the United States to prosecute sex trafficking that occurred outside the United States but originated in the United States. From Westlaw and Courtlink research, it appears that Ms. was the first prosecutor in the S.D. of Fla. to charge violations of the federal money transmitting statute. • U.S. v. Nolaco-Argueta, 02-Cr-20465 Significant Sentences: • 130 years' imprisonment for Jimmy Oliver, who had molested numerous female family members over several decades. (06-Cr-80023) • Life plus 135 years for Jonathan Gonzalez, head of the Krazy Locos gang, for ordering two murders and an attempted murder in aid of racketeering and other offenses (09-Cr- 80091) • Life imprisonment plus 35 years for Manuel Medina for murder in aid of racketeering and other offenses (09-Cr-80091) • 40 years' imprisonment for Marion Yarbrough, who had enticed a Florida girl to board a bus to Kentucky where he repeatedly abused her sexually (07-Cr-80099) • 40 years' imprisonment for Mark Joseph Harvey, who was found in possession of over 1 million images of child pornography, organized in files by age and subject matter, and who had previously sexually abused family members (09-Cr-80023) • 30 years' imprisonment for Ivan Isidro Santiago, co-head of the Krazy Locos gang, for his role in two murders and an attempted murder in aid of racketeering and other offenses (09-Cr-80091 and 09-Cr-80135) • 27.5 years for Kenneth Chatman, who had forced female patients of his substance abuse treatment program into prostitution (17-Cr-80013) • 25 years for Frank Grasso, who used social media to advertise for child pornography (05- Cr-80111) • 20 years for Jonathan Earl Clark on charges of enticement of a minor and child pornography (08-Cr-80067) • 20 years for Eric Runyan on charges of distribution of obscenity to a minor and enticement (12-Cr-80115) • 19 years for Alejandro Tomas for aiding and abetting murder in aid of racketeering (09- Cr-80091) • 15 years for Christopher Gonzalez-Chamberlain on a charge of aggravated assault in connection with the Krazy Locos case (09-Cr-80091) 5 EFTA00223093 • 14 years for Lucas Phelps on charges of enticement of a minor and transmission of obscene material to a child. Phelps had previously been adjudicated delinquent on three counts of sexual battery. (05-Cr-80020) • 12 years for John Walsh on charges of distribution of child pornography (05-Cr-80185) • 11 years for Silverio Macedonio-Gregorio for aiding and abetting murder in aid of racketeering and other offenses (09-Cr-80091) • 10 years for Thomas Bohannan on charges of enticement of a minor (05-Cr-80023) • 10 years for Gilberto Jordan on charges of false statements on immigration application for failing to disclose his involvement in war crimes in Guatemala (10-Cr-80069) • 8 years for Christopher Prindle for possession of child pornography (04-Cr-80156) 6 EFTA00223094