U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia

ATLANTA - Acting U.S. Attorney Kurt R. Erskine joins the entire Department of Justice to observe the 16th Annual World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. The Department echoes voices around the world condemning elder abuse, neglect and exploitation. One of the Department of Justice’s top priorities is investigating and prosecuting elder abuse, as well as helping to educate the public on these issues. said Acting U.S. Attorney Kurt R. Erskine. Financial exploitation is the most com...Continue reading

ATLANTA - Vikas Singla has been arraigned on charges arising out of a cyberattack conducted on Gwinnett Medical Center in 2018. Singla was indicted by a federal grand jury on June 8, 2021. Cyberattacks that target important infrastructure, like healthcare, pose a serious threat to public health and safety, said Acting U.S. Attorney Kurt R. Erskine. In this case, Singla allegedly compromised Gwinnett Medical Center’s operations in part for his own personal gain. Criminal ...disruptions of hospital computer networks can have tragic consequences, said Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicholas L. McQuaid of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. The department is committed to holding accountable those who endanger the lives of patients by damaging computers that are essential in the operation of our healthcare system. This cyberattack on a hospital not only could have had disastrous consequences, but patient’s personal information was also compromised, said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. The FBI and our law enforcement partners are determined to hold accountable, those who allegedly put peoples health and safety at risk while driven by greed. According to Acting U.S. Attorney Erskine, the indictment, and other information presented in court: Vikas Singla, the Chief Operating Officer of a metro-Atlanta network security company that served the healthcare industry, allegedly conducted a cyberattack on Gwinnett Medical Center that involved: Disrupting phone service, Obtaining information from a digitizing device, and Disrupting network printer service. The indictment further alleges that the cyberattack was conducted, in part, for financial gain. Vikas Singla, 45, of Marietta, Georgia, made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Linda T. Walker. Singla was charged with 17 counts of intentional damage to a protected computer and one count of obtaining information from a protected computer. Members of the public are reminded that the indictment only contains charges. The defendant is presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial. This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Samir Kaushal and Trial Attorney Brian Mund of the U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section are prosecuting the case. For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

ATLANTA - Anthony Dwayne King has been sentenced for laundering over $247,000, generated from business email compromise (BEC) schemes committed against Minnesota and Oregon homebuyers, a Delaware law firm, and a New Jersey company. King and his conspirators opened bank accounts, using fictitious identities and sham companies, for the purpose of laundering funds stolen from victims across the country through business email compromise schemes, said Acting U.S. Attorney Kurt ...Continue reading

ATLANTA - Paul Kwak and Michelle Kwak have been indicted on charges arising out of a scheme to defraud the U.S. Small Business Administration by filing fraudulent applications in the Economic Impact Disaster Loan (EIDL) Program. Congress created EIDL as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to help businesses weather the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Fraudulent applications divert the limited pool of funds Congress alloca...Continue reading

During #AAPIHeritageMonth, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia is working in partnership with The Department of Justice to re-affirm our commitment to aggressively enforce both federal hate crimes and anti-discrimination laws.

In 2020, 295 LEOs were killed in the line of duty. Today and always, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia honors their courage and sacrifice. #PoliceWeek2021 #NationalPoliceWeek #LODD

ATLANTA - David Shemtov has been arraigned after being charged with eight counts of wire fraud for his role in a scheme to fraudulently inflate the reimbursement value of more than 1,400 electronic devices that he submitted for trade-in. The ability to trade in electronic devices for cash value or gift cards allows users to recover some value for devices they no longer need, said Acting U.S. Attorney Kurt R. Erskine. Shemtov allegedly found a way to exploit this process t...Continue reading

ATLANTA In honor of National Police Week, Acting U.S. Attorney Kurt R. Erskine recognizes the service and sacrifice of federal, state, local, and Tribal law enforcement. This year, the week is observed Sunday, May 9 through Saturday, May 15, 2021. "This week is a time to honor our law enforcement officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our nation, said Attorney General Garland. I am constantly inspired by the extraordinary courage and dedication with ...Continue reading

ATLANTA Mamadou Sow, Demarcus Myree, Boubacar Tivalo, and Jacob James, have been sentenced for access device fraud and aggravated identity theft related to purchases of massive quantities of cigarettes from Sam's Club retail locations in metro Atlanta. Identity theft wreaks havoc on the lives of individuals and compromises the financial security of victims, said Acting U.S. Attorney Kurt R. Erskine. The sentences reflect the egregiousness of their conduct and the harm...Continue reading

U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia announces this year’s @NLEOMF virtual Candlelight Vigil will be held on May 13 to honor fallen officers for their service, courage, and sacrifice. #PoliceWeek2021 #UnitedByLight https://nleomf.org/p/national-police-week/candlelight-vigil

Thank you to the brave men and women in uniform who put everything on the line to protect us. During #PoliceWeek2021, we recognize the officers we have lost and extend our deepest condolences to their loved ones.

ATLANTA AlixaRx, LLC, a national provider of pharmacy services to long-term care facilities, has agreed to pay the United States $2.75 million to resolve allegations that it violated federal law by, among other things, allowing opioids and other controlled substances to be dispensed without valid prescriptions between January 1, 2014 and December 13, 2017. The requirements of the Controlled Substances Act exist to ensure that dangerous drugs are not abused or diverted outs...Continue reading

ATLANTA - Gerald D. Harris, a former supervisor in DeKalb County’s Tax Commissioner’s Office, has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for accepting bribe payments from customers to unlawfully register vehicles and for attempting to blackmail a bribe payer by threatening to inform on her to the FBI. By accepting bribe payments, Harris sold his integrity for money and, in doing so, betrayed the trust of the citizens of DeKalb County, said U.S. Attorney Byung J. B...Continue reading

ROME, Ga. Former correctional officer Michael L. Jones pleaded guilty to accepting bribes to provide prison inmates with methamphetamine, marijuana, and tobacco, all of which were destined to be smuggled into Floyd County Correctional Institution (FCCI) in Rome, Georgia. Correctional officers across the state serve our citizens by faithfully executing their duties with integrity, said U.S. Attorney Byung J. BJay Pak. Jones, however, violated both the oath of his of...Continue reading

ATLANTA Local business owner Dauda Saibu has pleaded guilty to attempting to pay over $15,000 in bribe money to an IRS Revenue Agent to reduce his federal taxes. Rather than pay his taxes like every other law-abiding American, Saibu attempted to bribe an IRS Revenue Agent, said U.S. Attorney Byung J. BJay Pak. Thanks to the prompt reporting of the agent, Saibu was exposed and his scheme ended with him now facing time in prison. The act of bribery is an attempt to ...corrupt the administration of the Internal Revenue laws, said J. Russell George, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. Any such attempt will be aggressively investigated and prosecuted to preserve the integrity of the American tax system. According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court: As a result of an audit of Saibu's 2014 tax return, the IRS calculated that Saibu owed approximately $187,000 in back taxes. On October 11, 2019, Saibu met with a Revenue Agent to discuss his 2014 tax return. At the end of the meeting, Saibu attempted to give the Revenue Agent a cash bribe. The Revenue Agent properly reported Saibu’s bribe offer and subsequently agreed work with federal law enforcement authorities. On October 22, 2019, Saibu had two meetings with the Revenue Agent to discuss the results of the IRS’s audit. During these audio and video recorded meetings, Saibu proposed that if the Revenue Agent reduced his tax liability to 20% of the actual amount owed, Saibu would pay the Revenue Agent a $10,000 cash bribe. To memorialize the deal, Saibu wrote: (a) $10,000 on a piece of paper and gave it the Revenue Agent; and (b) 20% of total amount I owed $187,000 on another piece of paper. After a brief negotiation, Saibu offered to pay the Revenue Agent an additional $5,000, for a total of $15,000. On October 23, 2019, Saibu again met with the Revenue Agent. During the audio and video recorded meeting, Saibu paid the Revenue Agent $10,000 in cash in exchange for the Revenue Agent reducing the amount Saibu owed in back taxes from approximately $187,000 to $47,485.33. Saibu also confirmed that he would pay the Revenue Agent an additional $5,000 at a later date. On February 28, 2020, Dauda Saibu, 63 of Atlanta, Georgia, was charged via criminal information with bribing a federal official and pleaded guilty to that charge today. Sentencing has not yet been scheduled. This case is being investigated by the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA). Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey W. Davis, Public Integrity and Special Matters section chief, and David A. O'Neal are prosecuting the case. For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga. U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia

ATLANTA A pair of Union City, Georgia, brothers have been sentenced after pleading guilty to numerous federal firearms offenses. Antonio Turrentine, a convicted felon, was sentenced for dealing firearms without a license and possessing firearms after having been convicted of a felony offense. His older brother, Dominique Turrentine, was sentenced for unlicensed firearms dealing. The Turrentine brothers sought to trade in firearms and illegal drugs; conduct that often fuels...Continue reading

ATLANTA The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia and the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced plans for voting rights monitoring in Fulton and Gwinnett Counties for the Nov. 3, 2020 general election. The DOJ historically has monitored in jurisdictions in the field on election day, and is again doing so this year. The department will also take complaints from the public nationwide regarding possible violations of the federal voting rights laws throu...Continue reading

ATLANTA - Gennady Podolsky, a dual Ukrainian and American citizen, and managing partner of Vega International Travel Services, Inc., has pleaded guilty to trafficking in computer passwords. Companies or individuals who use travel agents trust them to work in their best interests, said U.S. Attorney Byung J. BJay Pak. Podolsky violated that trust when he trafficked in passwords associated with Delta Air Lines SkyBonus accounts without authorization, fraudulently accruing...Continue reading

ATLANTA The United States has seized Aletejahtv.com and kataibhezbollah.com, two websites that were unlawfully utilized by Kata’ib Hizballah, a Specially Designated National and a Foreign Terrorist Organization. We will be steadfast in protecting our electronic infrastructure and commerce system from use by terrorist groups, said U.S. Attorney Byung J. BJay Pak of the Northern District of Georgia. This seizure shows that we will continue to leverage our national r...Continue reading

ATLANTA U.S. Attorney Byung J. BJay Pak announced that Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) Brent Gray will lead the efforts of his Office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 3, 2020, general election. AUSA Gray has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) for the Northern District of Georgia and in that capacity is responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of complaints of electio...Continue reading

ATLANTA - Christopher Dobbins has been sentenced to federal prison for hacking his former employer and sabotaging their electronic shipping records, causing more than $200,000 in damage and delaying the shipment of personal protective equipment (PPE) during the COVID-19 pandemic. As businesses worked to get PPE into the hands of those most in need of it, Dobbins chose to hack his former employer and maliciously interrupt that process, said U.S. Attorney Byung J. BJay Pa...Continue reading

ATLANTA - The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia has reached a settlement agreement with Henderson & Sons Funeral Home (Henderson), a funeral service operator in Rome, Georgia, to resolve an investigation into allegations that it violated Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by failing to ensure effective communication with individuals who are deaf and hard of hearing. Funeral homes have an obligation under the ADA to ensure that pe...ople who are deaf and hard of hearing receive the same benefits of their service as those without disabilities, said U.S. Attorney Byung J. BJay Pak. Anyone who has lost a loved one understands the value of the services provided by funeral homes, and a failure to provide effective communication to family members who are deaf or hard of hearing robs them of that experience. The U.S. Attorney’s Office initiated an investigation after receiving a complaint alleging that Henderson failed to provide appropriate auxiliary aids and services when necessary to ensure effective communication. The complainant, who is deaf and relies on American Sign Language as her primary means of communication, alleged she requested a sign language interpreter for her family member's funeral, but no interpreter or other auxiliary aid or service was provided. As a result, the complainant attended her loved one’s funeral without the ability to understand what was being said during the service. And while several friends and family members spoke affectionately about their memories of the deceased, the complainant was forced to grieve without the benefit of sharing in those memories. Under the settlement agreement, Henderson agreed to ensure effective communication to its customers who are deaf or hard of hearing, including providing qualified interpreters at no cost. Among other things, Henderson has agreed to develop an effective communication policy, provide training to all of its personnel on effective communication and relay calls, and provide a report to the U.S. Attorney’s Office regarding its compliance with the settlement agreement. The ADA prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities by funeral homes. Under the ADA, funeral homes are required to provide effective communication to individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. Depending on the needs of the customer and the sensitivity of the information needed to be conveyed, a qualified sign language interpreter may be required to ensure effective communication with the person who is deaf or hard of hearing. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany Johnson represented the United States in this matter. For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga. U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia

ATLANTA Since 2019, when Attorney General William P. Barr created the Department of Justice’s first ever-Domestic Violence Working Groupgalvanizing national efforts to bring federal firearms laws to bear against armed domestic abusersfederal prosecutors in the Northern District of Georgia have taken a multi-faceted approach uniquely tailored to the issues in Georgia. Keeping firearms out of the hands of dangerous criminal offenders is one of the Department of Justice’...Continue reading

ATLANTA The Department of Justice announced it has charged more than 14,200 defendants with firearms-related crimes during Fiscal Year (FY) 2020, despite the challenges of COVID 19 and its impact on the criminal justice process. These cases have been a Department priority since November 2019 when Attorney General William P. Barr announced his commitment to investigating, prosecuting, and combatting gun crimes as a critical part of the Department’s anti-violent crime strateg...Continue reading