New York Paralegal Blog

A major victory for international justice! Hugo Armando Carvajal Barrios, the former director of Venezuela's military intelligence, has pleaded guilty to serious charges, including narco-terrorism and drug trafficking. This marks a significant step in holding accountable those who exploit their power for criminal gain and intentionally harm other nations. Carvajal Barrios, 65, was a high-ranking official in Venezuela, serving as the director of the Direccion de Inteligencia Militar (DIM), Venezuela's military intelligence agency, between 2004-2011 and again in 2013. However, instead of protecting his country, he allegedly used his position to lead and manage the "Cartel de Los Soles" (Cartel of the Suns). What is the "Cartel de Los Soles"? The "Cartel of the Suns" is a Venezuelan organization allegedly comprised of high-ranking members of the Venezuelan armed forces who are involved in international drug trafficking. The name comes from...

Washington, D.C., Sept. 24, 2012 — The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged Tyco International Ltd. with violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) when subsidiaries arranged illicit payments to foreign officials in more than a dozen countries.

WASHINGTON – Markus Walder, former head of North America Offshore Banking at an international bank headquartered in Zurich; Susanne D. Rüegg Meier, a former manager with the international bank; Andreas Bachmann, a former banker at a subsidiary of the international bank; and Josef Dörig, the founder of a Swiss trust company, have been charged with conspiring with other Swiss bankers to defraud the United States, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today. The four are charged in a superseding indictment together with four other defendants (Marco Parenti Adami, Emanuel Agustino, Michele Bergantino and Roger Schaerer) who were charged in an indictment returned on Feb. 23, 2011.

PREET BHARARA, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that MOHAMMED AFZAL NABIBUX ("AFZAL"), a citizen of the United Kingdom, pled guilty today in Manhattan federal court to conspiring to import heroin into the United States. AFZAL, 57, pled guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge RONALD L. ELLIS. Manhattan U.S. Attorney PREET BHARARA said: "International drug traffickers present a tremendous threat to our country and our communities. As this case makes clear, we are committed to stopping the flow of narcotics from overseas into the United States, and to working with all of our law enforcement partners here, in Europe, and around the world, in bringing the people who export this poison to justice." According to the Indictment to which AFZAL pled guilty, documents previously filed in Manhattan federal court, statements made during the guilty plea proceeding, and other information in the public record: From July through October 2009,...

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., today announced the indictment of CARY BUNIN, 69, for a securities fraud scheme that resulted in the theft of more than $3.5 million from at least 16 victims. BUNIN is the Chief Executive Officer of INTERNATIONAL BARCODE CORPORATION, which also operates under the name of BTI. BUNIN and his corporation are charged in the indictment with Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree, and violations of the Martin Act, New York State's securities fraud statute. BUNIN, along with his wholly-owned financial consulting company, ANDOVER CONSULTING SERVICES, LTD, were also indicted on charges of Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the First Degree and violating the New York State Tax code.[1] “CARY BUNIN and his corporation are charged with stealing millions of dollars from trusting investors, fueling the type of widespread mistrust that adversely affects our financial markets,” said District Attorney Vance...

A Dutch aviation services company, its director and sales manager pleaded guilty today in the District of Columbia to federal charges related to a conspiracy to illegally export aircraft components and other items from the United States to entities in Iran via the Netherlands, the United Arab Emirates and Cyprus. The announcement was made by David Kris, Assistant Attorney General for National Security; Channing D. Phillips, Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia; and Kevin Delli-Colli, Acting Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Enforcement, and Sharon E. Woods, Director of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service. The investigation was conducted by agents from the Department of Commerce’s Office of Export Enforcement, with assistance from the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

On August 19th, 2009, PAWEL GUZAL dob 05/09/1970 a.k.a. JAROMIR HAVRANEK dob 04/26/1973, was captured in the Baltic Sea resort town of Wladyslawowo, Poland. In or around 2000, GUZAL arrived in the U.S. on a stolen Czech passport. As a result of FBI New York’s investigation, GUZAL was indicted in February 2006 on federal RICO charges, and on March 1, 2006, a federal arrest warrant was issued by the Eastern District of New York. While GUZAL eluded authorities, he continued to defraud victims located in the United States. GUZAL’s recent capture was a result of co-operative efforts between the New York FBI/NYPD Eurasian Organized Crime Task Force, the FBI’s Legal Attaché Office in Warsaw, the Polish National Police, the International Police Cooperation Bureau, and several Regional Police entities in Poland. GUZAL is facing charges in the United States, Poland, France, and Germany. Persons believing they may have been a victim of fraudulent activity involving GUZAL are requested to ...

A retailer of rayon towels will be barred from making false claims that mislead consumers into thinking that its products are "biodegradable," under a proposed settlement with the Federal Trade Commission. The settlement with Dyna-E International and its owner George Wheeler resolves the third administrative complaint the Commission issued earlier this year against companies that made false biodegradability claims. The Dyna-E International complaint charged the company with making false claims that its Lightload brand compressed dry towels are biodegradable. In June, the FTC settled similar cases against Kmart Corp. and Tender Corp., as part of a broad effort to ensure that environmental marketing is truthful and based on solid evidence. Since 1992, the FTC’s “Green Guides” have advised marketers that to make unqualified biodegradable claims, they must have scientific evidence that their product will completely decompose within a reasonably short period of time under cust...

Five individuals pleaded guilty today in federal court in Detroit for their roles in a wide-ranging international stock fraud scheme involving the illegal use of bulk commercial e-mails, or "spamming." Alan M. Ralsky, 64, of West Bloomfield, Mich., and Scott K. Bradley, 38, also of West Bloomfield, both pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, mail fraud and to violate the CAN-SPAM Act. Ralsky and Bradley also pleaded guilty to wire fraud, money laundering and violating the CAN-SPAM Act. Under the terms of his plea agreement, Ralsky acknowledges he is facing up to 87 months in prison and a $1 million fine under the federal sentencing guidelines while Bradley acknowledges that he is facing up to 78 months in prison and a $1 million fine under the federal sentencing guidelines. The CAN-SPAM Act was passed by Congress in 2003 to address spam e-mails. The criminal provisions of the Act prohibit falsification of certain information used in the transmission of e-mail. Jo...

WASHINGTON – Two men pleaded guilty today to traveling, and conspiring to travel, in foreign commerce with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with children, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Criminal Division Matthew Friedrich and U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama Deborah J. Rhodes announced. During the plea hearing before U.S. District Judge Kristi K. DuBose, Burgess Lee Burgess, 44, of Mobile, Ala., and Mitchell Kent Jackson, 31, of Pensacola, Fla., both admitted that they traveled to Thailand between 2000 and 2002. According to their pleas, Burgess and Jackson traveled with the intent to sexually abuse children, paid for access to children and in fact sexually abused children. More...

New York-( 10/16/08)-Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo met today with Edward M. Liddy, the new Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of American International Group, Inc. (“AIG”) In a candid discussion, the Attorney General laid out his serious concerns regarding executive compensation issues and exorbitant expenses at AIG. The meeting in the Attorney General’s New York City Offices occurred one day after Attorney General Cuomo informed AIG that it must recover improper bonuses and other payments and perks from its former executives or Cuomo would do so pursuant to New York law. During the meeting, Mr. Liddy agreed to take several significant actions with respect to expenditures at AIG. First, AIG has agreed to provide the New York Attorney General’s Office with an accounting of all compensation paid to its senior executives and has agreed to assist the Attorney General’s Office in recovering any illegal expenditures. This includes all forms of compensation paid to former CEO Martin Sull...

WASHINGTON –Today Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey announced that 175 individuals were arrested today and on Sept. 16, 2008, on charges related to an international drug trafficking cartel in a coordinated enforcement action by hundreds of international, federal, state and local law enforcement officials throughout the United States and Italy. Including the operations announced today, a long-term investigation of one of Mexico’s largest drug trafficking cartels and its U.S. and international distribution networks has resulted in the arrest of more than 500 individuals in the United States, Mexico and Italy to date. "Project Reckoning," a multi-agency law enforcement effort led by the DEA, targeted the Mexican drug trafficking cartel known as the Gulf Cartel. Among those indicted are the three alleged leaders of the Gulf Cartel: Ezequiel Cardenas-Guillen, Heriberto Lazcano-Lazcano and Jorge Eduardo Costilla-Sanchez. These individuals, each designated as Consolidated Priori...

WASHINGTON – A resident of Malaysia was sentenced today to two years in prison on a conspiracy charge that arose from an international fraud scheme to "hack" into online brokerage accounts in the United States and use those accounts to manipulate stock prices, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Criminal Division Matthew Friedrich and U.S. Attorney for the District of Nebraska Joe W. Stecher. Thirugnanam Ramanathan, 35, a native of Chennai, India, and legal resident of Malaysia, was also sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Laurie Smith Camp to pay restitution of $362,247 and serve three years of supervised release. Ramanathan previously pleaded guilty on June 2, 2008, to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, securities fraud, computer fraud and aggravated identity theft before Judge Smith Camp in Omaha, Neb. Following his arrest in Hong Kong, Ramanathan was extradited on May 25, 2007, to the United States. More...