Latest news with #MironBloom
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Guatemalan national indicted after federal agent seriously injured in Rhode Island, US Attorney says
A federal grand jury has indicted a Guatemalan national after a Homeland Security agent suffered a serious injury while trying to arrest him on a warrant in April, the U.S. Attorney said. Miguel Tamup-Tamup, a/k/a Miguel US Tamup, 28, who was previously deported and is in the U.S. illegally, is charged with two counts of assaulting, resisting, opposing, impeding, or interfering with federal officers engaged in official duties, Acting U.S. Attorney Sara Miron Bloom said in a statement on Thursday. Federal authorities arrested Tamup-Tamup on May 16 at a home in Providence. He has been detained since making an initial appearance in federal court on that day. On April 30, a Homeland Security Investigations agent suffered a serious leg injury during an encounter with Tamup-Tamup, who fled authorities that day after he was previously arrested after a DUI crash, Miron Bloom said. On April 19, police arrested Tamup-Tamup for driving under the influence after his car allegedly collided with another vehicle, prosecutors said. He was subsequently arraigned and released. His fingerprints matched ICE fingerprint records associated with a person flagged as being in the United States illegally. On April 30, an ICE deportation officer and Homeland Security Investigations agents stopped a car that Tamup-Tamup was driving, Miron Bloom said. They tried to apprehend him on an arrest warrant. After he refused to get out of his car, Tamup-Tamup was guided out of the vehicle, prosecutors said. While the agents tried to place Tamup-Tamup in handcuffs, he 'allegedly resisted, threw his upper body and shoulders against the agents, flailed his arms, and broke an agent's hold,' Miron Bloom said. One of the agents fell to the ground and suffered a serious leg injury, Miron Bloom said. Tamup-Tamup ran away from law enforcement as others were helping the injured agent. The agent's condition was not known on Thursday. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Yahoo
Rhode Island man gets lengthy federal prison sentence after one of state's largest fentanyl busts
A Rhode Island man has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison after what prosecutors are calling one of the state's largest fentanyl busts. Jorge Pimentel, a/k/a 'Big Head,' 36, of Cranston, was sentenced on Tuesday to 240 months of incarceration to be followed by five years of federal supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Sara Miron Bloom said in a statement on Wednesday. U.S. District Court Chief Judge John McConnell Jr. handed down his sentence. Pimentel pleaded guilty in December to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. No plea agreement was filed in this case. Pimentel previously admitted to a federal judge that he ran a highly productive drug lab and a stash house in Pawtucket, Miron Bloom said. There, 19,315 fentanyl-laced pills were manufactured to resemble pharmaceutical-grade Percocet pills. Nearly 9 kilograms of powder fentanyl were seized by law enforcement. In total, investigators seized more than 16 kilograms of fentanyl-laced pills and fentanyl powder, an industrial grade high-speed pill press, and 28,000 grams of cutting agents used in manufacturing the fake pill seized in September 2023. The case is 'among the largest seizures of fentanyl in Rhode Island,' Miron Bloom said. 'The fentanyl powder and already cut mixture seized in this case represented the potential production of more than 633,000 fentanyl-laced pills,' Miron Bloom said in her statement. Court documents detail that Pimentel was already a 'well-established, large scale fentanyl trafficker' when, multiple times between May 31, 2023, and Sept. 29, 2023, he brokered sales of a total of approximately 34,000 fentanyl-laced pills for which he was paid $37,000. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Yahoo
4 Florida men sentenced in scheme to defraud federal government
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Four Florida men have been convicted of orchestrating an elaborate scheme to defraud federally funded programs out of millions of dollars in unemployment and pandemic-related benefits, according to acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom. Miron Bloom said the men were involved in a complex conspiracy to steal people's identities, including Rhode Islanders, then use them to apply for unemployment benefits, tax refunds and stimulus payments, as well as disaster relief funds and loans. The men would have those funds deposited directly into one of hundreds of bank accounts opened solely for the purpose of receiving those payments, then withdraw the money using fraudulently opened debit cards, according to Miron Bloom. RELATED: Florida men charged in RI's ongoing unemployment fraud investigation Court documents revealed that the men opened nearly 1,000 debit cards in fraudulent names with at least 20 banks. In total, prosecutors estimated that the men defrauded the federal government out of more than $4.8 million. 'The volume, duration, and scope of the conspirators' scheme is staggering and indicative of the greed motivating the conspirators' criminal conduct,' the court documents said. Miron Bloom said the four men pleaded guilty to aggravated identity theft and conspiracy to commit wire fraud: Tony Mertile, 33, of Miramar, who's believe to be the ringleader, was sentenced to six years in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release. Junior Mertile, 35, of Pembroke Pines, received a four-and-a-half year sentence followed by three years of supervised release. Allen Bien-Aime, 33, of Lehigh Acres, and James Legerme, 33, of Sunrise, were both sentenced to four years followed by three years of supervised release. 'By looting the unemployment program, the conspirators repeatedly stole finite funds from those who needed it the most during the pandemic,' the court documents continued. 'Their relentless pursuit of these funds showed a callous disregard to unemployed workers, identity theft victims, state workforce agencies – who had the daunting task of administering an unprecedented relief effort – and American taxpayers, whose earnings underlie the funds in question.' The federal government has moved to forfeit more than $4.9 million in funds that the men collected through the scheme. Miron Bloom said the men have also forfeited hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of Rolex watches and assorted jewelry, as well as the more than $1.2 million in cash that was collected from the residences of Tony Mertile, Junior Mertile and Legerme at the time of their arrests. The men have also agreed to pay more than $4.5 million in restitution to the federal agencies and financial institutions that were defrauded, which included the R.I. Department of Labor and Training. Download the and apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch or with the new . Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Yahoo
Tiverton woman admits role in $25K bank fraud scheme
TIVERTON, R.I. (WPRI) — A Tiverton woman pleaded guilty in federal court to her role in a scheme to defraud a Rhode Island bank out of nearly $25,000, according to acting U.S. Attorney Sara Miron Bloom. Brenda Partin, 54, admitted to attempted bank fraud on Tuesday. In May 2022, a compromised email account from a Tennessee-based construction company was used to deceive a global snack food company into altering its vendor payment information to a Rhode Island bank. Miron Bloom said it was later revealed that the payment was misdirected to Partin's account. Between Aug.15 and Sept.19 of that year, the Tennessee company sent four $225,000 payments to Partin's account for a transaction involving the snack food company. Miron Bloom said Partin began withdrawing money almost immediately. She reportedly wired over $26,000 from the account to buy a car registered in her name. Partin also instructed an associate to open a second account at a local bank, transferring $30,000 into it, according to Miron Bloom. Miron Bloom said over the following months, several withdrawals and purchases were made from the accounts. In December 2022, the bank closed the second account with a remaining balance of approximately $108,000. For the next nine months, Miron Bloom said Partin attempted to convince bank employees to release the funds. Partin falsely claimed the money was a settlement from a car accident, that it came from her fiancé, that the co-holder of the account had earned it working in Turkey and had leukemia, and that the money was needed to address his affairs if he passed away. Miron Bloom said in August 2023, Partin told a bank employee that her associate had died and she needed the money to pay for funeral expenses. Partin's sentencing is scheduled for June 10. Download the and apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch or with the new . Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
01-03-2025
- Yahoo
‘Conmen Travelers': British national indicted in construction fraud scheme across New England
A British national from Northern Ireland has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Rhode Island for participating in a multi-state construction and money laundering fraud scheme, Acting U.S. Attorney Sara Miron Bloom said. Elijah Gavin a/k/a Timothy O'Reilly a/ka/ Elijah Thomas, 29, who is in the U.S. illegally, is reportedly with the so-called Traveling Conmen Fraud Group, or 'Conmen Travelers,' a group recognized by the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Terrorist Screen Center as a Transnational Organized Crime group. Gavin is charged with wire fraud conspiracy, wire fraud, and money laundering, Miron Bloom said in a statement Thursday. He has been in federal custody since his arrest in New Jersey on Jan. 29. Gavin and others allegedly defrauded property owners in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York of over $1 million dollars, Miron Bloom said. 'They did this by, among other things, misrepresenting to property owners who they are, the qualifications of their construction businesses, and construction needs or repairs required on properties,' the U.S. Attorney said in her statement. One of his victims is a 78-year-old Rhode Island woman who was fraudulently induced to pay over $850,000 for unnecessary foundation and basement repairs, including in checks written to Gavin and others, prosecutors said. Prosecutors allege that Gavin and others 'formed and used multiple construction businesses and falsely represented the business' status, experience, and quality of work; falsely represented their identities and skills to homeowners; and made false representations to property owners regarding the condition of their properties, work they would perform, and the machinery, materials, and equipment needed to perform work.' As part of the scheme, Gavin and others 'collected funds for work that was not needed, was incomplete, and in some instances when no work was performed,' prosecutors said. Gavin's associates billed property owners and collected funds for equipment that was not needed or used, prosecutors allege. The money was then deposited into bank accounts controlled by others, or transferred to other people who laundered the money. According to the FBI's Terrorist Screening Center, Conmen Travelers are groups of Irish or U.K. nationals who entered the United States on pleasure or tourist visas and overstayed their visits or, more commonly, entered the United States illegally. Once in the U.S., they go to different cities and states, soliciting construction work, prosecutors said. The members often quote a low price, and then demand much more money for the jobs, or convince the homeowner that their homes or business are in need of major repairs, prosecutors said. 'Conmen Travelers often hire day laborers; do not have work authorization documents or pull permits; and do low quality, unnecessary, or incomplete work, sometimes damaging homeowners' residences,' prosecutors said. Gavin is scheduled to be arraigned on the indictment in U.S. District Court in Providence on March 10. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
