Fairfield, CT
News
Area Man Admits To Elaborate Years-Long Bankruptcy Fraud Area Man Admits To Elaborate Years-Long Bankruptcy Fraud
Area Man Admits To Elaborate Years-Long Bankruptcy Fraud A Connecticut man has admitted to his role in an elaborate scheme to defraud a woman out of more than $200,000 as part of a bankruptcy fraud scam. Wallingford resident Joel Riley, 47, pleaded guilty in Hartford federal court to one count of bankruptcy fraud for his role in the scheme that lasted for several years. Between April 2015 and July the following year, Riley fraudulently applied for and obtained loans and lines of credit in the name of his victim, without her permission or knowledge. U.S. Attorney John Durham said that by December 2016, the outstanding debt on the illegally secured…

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by Zak Failla
Danbury, CT
News
Man Sentenced For Trafficking Fentanyl On I-95 Man Sentenced For Trafficking Fentanyl On I-95
Man Sentenced For Trafficking Fentanyl On I-95 A man busted trafficking a kilogram of fentanyl by Connecticut State Police on I-95 will spend more than two years behind bars. Alcides Alba-Gomez, of Providence, was sentenced in Bridgeport district court to 30 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl earlier this year. U.S. Attorney John Durham said that on Sept. 13, 2017, Alba-Gomez and his cohort Gabri Javier Delapaz traveled from Rhode Island to New York to pick up drugs from their supplier. While on their way …

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by Zak Failla
Fairfield, CT
News
Bridgeport Man, 70, Sentenced For Trafficking Homemade Machine Guns Bridgeport Man, 70, Sentenced For Trafficking Homemade Machine Guns
Bridgeport Man, 70, Sentenced For Trafficking Homemade Machine Guns A Fairfield County man is going to spend more than a year behind bars for his role in trafficking illegal, homemade machine guns. Bridgeport resident George Jaiman, 70, has been sentenced to 14 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for trafficking machine guns. He was also ordered to pay a $1,000 fine and perform 100 hours of community service after pleading guilty to one count of unlawful possession of a machine gun in Hartford federal court. Between June 2017 and April last year, Torrington resident Sean Dey manufactured machine guns, including AK-47-style and A…

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by Zak Failla
Fairfield, CT
News
CT Teen Built, Sold Rifle-Style Guns, Feds Say CT Teen Built, Sold Rifle-Style Guns, Feds Say
CT Teen Built, Sold Rifle-Style Guns, Feds Say A Connecticut teenager has admitted to illegally selling several rifles that he built himself to undercover agents during a sting operation. Willimantic resident Mohammadreza “Reza” Kamali, 18, has pleaded guilty in New Haven district court to one count of dealing in firearms without a license, U.S. Attorney John Durham announced this week. The investigation into Kamali was launched last year when investigators learned that he had been selling illegal weapons to people in Connecticut. In October and November last year, Kamali sold four AR-15 style firearms, which he had built himself by ord…

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by Zak Failla
Fairfield, CT
News
CT Man Sentenced For Enticing Minor To Engage In Sexual Activities CT Man Sentenced For Enticing Minor To Engage In Sexual Activities
CT Man Sentenced For Enticing Minor To Engage In Sexual Activities A registered sex offender from Connecticut will spend nearly 20 years behind bars after enticing a teenager to engage in sexual activities. Windsor resident Andrew Cunningham, 39 has been sentenced to 216 months in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to charges late last year. In March 2017, Cunningham began communicating with a 13-year-old girl on Omegle, a website and mobile app designed to pair strangers for text and video chants. Cunningham first posed as a 17-year-old, before stating that he was 25 years old. Cunningham and his victim spoke throug…

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by Zak Failla
Fairfield, CT
News
Mexican Living In CT Sentenced For Illegally Reentering US Mexican Living In CT Sentenced For Illegally Reentering US
Mexican Living In CT Sentenced For Illegally Reentering US A citizen of Mexico living in Connecticut has been sentenced for reentering the country for the third time after being busted on drug charges. Simon Rodrigo Toral-Contreras, a Mexican citizen last known to live in Waterbury, has been sentenced in New Haven district court to five months in prison, time already served, for illegally reentering the United States after being deported. In May last year, Toral-Contreras was arrested by officers from the Waterbury Police Department for misdemeanor offenses, U.S. Attorney John Durham said. He was deported back to Mexico the following month. In…

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by Zak Failla
Fairfield, CT
News
Man Sentenced For Stealing Bitcoins In Dark Web Phishing Scheme Man Sentenced For Stealing Bitcoins In Dark Web Phishing Scheme
Man Sentenced For Stealing Bitcoins In Dark Web Phishing Scheme An area man will spend time behind bars for fraud and money laundering offenses in connection to a scheme to steal bitcoins in an online phishing scam. Michael Richo, of New Haven, and formerly of Wallingford, has been sentenced in Hartford federal court to a term of 12 months and one day in prison, followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to one count of access device fraud and one count of money laundering. Richo admitted to engaging in an online phishing scheme to steal bitcoins from people on the dark web, U.S. Attorney John Durham announced. Richo carried out…

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by Zak Failla
Fairfield, CT
News
Man Who Pointed Gun At Undercover Officers Sentenced Man Who Pointed Gun At Undercover Officers Sentenced
Man Who Pointed Gun At Undercover Officers Sentenced A Connecticut convict is heading back to prison after threatening undercover police officers investigating drug activities with an illegal weapon. Hartford resident Enrique Luciano, 32, has been sentenced to 30 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty in Bridgeport federal court to one count of possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon. Luciano has been detained since his arrest. He pleaded guilty on Dec. 3 last year. On June 4 last year, Luciano approached a car on Cabot Street in Hartford, pointing a gun at the two occupants …

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by Zak Failla
Fairfield, CT
News
Man Who Transported Fentanyl To Connecticut Sentenced Man Who Transported Fentanyl To Connecticut Sentenced
Man Who Transported Fentanyl To Connecticut Sentenced A citizen of Mexico living in America who was busted trafficking 25 kilograms of fentanyl from across the country into Connecticut will spend time behind bars and faces deportation after being sentenced in district court in Hartford. Erick Crespo-Escalante, 49, of Arizona, has been sentenced to 30 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release for transporting fentanyl to Connecticut, U.S. Attorney John Durham said. On Dec. 21, 2016, police in Derby stopped Crespo-Escalante on Route 34 for a violation. During a search of the cab of the tractor-trailer, officers found a box …

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by Zak Failla
Fairfield, CT
News
Monroe Man, Brother Sentenced For Endangering Workers’ Lives Monroe Man, Brother Sentenced For Endangering Workers’ Lives
Monroe Man, Brother Sentenced For Endangering Workers’ Lives Two property owners in the area have been sentenced for their roles in the illegal and dangerous removal of asbestos in a building they were renovating. Brothers Klinton Rakaj, 39, of Monroe and Rezart Rakaj, 35, of Ansonia were sentenced to one year of probation, fined $9,500 and will have to complete 50 hours of community service after pleading guilty to one count of illegal asbestos removal in violation of the Clean Air Act last year. In November 2015, the brothers and another family member purchased a commercial property on Wallace Street in New Haven, U.S. Attorney John Durha…

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by Zak Failla
Fairfield, CT
News
Naugatuck Man Admits Operating Phony Coupon Scheme Naugatuck Man Admits Operating Phony Coupon Scheme
Naugatuck Man Admits Operating Phony Coupon Scheme An area man will face up to 20 years behind bars for operating a phony coupon scheme to defraud his victims of nearly $200,000. Naugatuck resident Thomas Papcin, 48, pleaded guilty in New Haven federal court this week to one count of mail fraud stemming from his role in a fraudulent coupon scheme. U.S. Attorney John Durham said that "in order for a coupon producer to obtain holographic coupon paper, the producer is required to provide to the coupon paper vendor the name of the company for whom the producer is producing coupons, as well as a point of contact for the company for whom the prod…

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by Zak Failla
Fairfield, CT
News
Mexican National Admits To Drug Trafficking, Immigration Offenses In Fairfield County Mexican National Admits To Drug Trafficking, Immigration Offenses In Fairfield County
Mexican National Admits To Drug Trafficking, Immigration Offenses In Fairfield County A Mexican national who repeatedly illegally entered the country has admitted to his role in trafficking methamphetamine and other drugs from New York to Connecticut. Rafael Lopez-Macias, a citizen of Mexico last known to reside in Norwalk, has pleaded guilty in Bridgeport district court to narcotics trafficking and immigration offenses, U.S. Attorney John Durham announced. In June 1998, Lopez-Macias was convicted in California on charges that included cocaine trafficking, Durham said. In February 2001, he was deported to Mexico. Lopez-Macias proceeded to illegally reenter the country i…

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by Zak Failla