Wakefield loan shark, 70, gets suspended prison sentence Source Name: BBC News Date: 10/05/2013 Names

Mentioned: A 70-year-old man from Wakefield has been given a 12-month suspended prison sentence for running an illegal money lending business. Brian Bridges, of Elmwood Avenue, was sentenced at Leeds Crown Court. Bridges pleaded guilty to 10 offences of illegal money lending and money laundering, including two counts of possessing criminal property. He also pleaded guilty to concealing or removing criminal property. West Yorkshire Trading Standards described him as an "unscrupulous loan shark". Bridges was arrested last November after trading standards seized nearly 8,000 cash at his home. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-22481038 Alleged drug distributor indicted in District Court Source Name: KUAM.com Date: 09/05/2013 Names Mentioned: A federal indictment has been unsealed in the District Court against Julian Gerald Borja Robles. It's alleged that Robles ran a drug trafficking ring on Guam nearly five years before it was uncovered by law enforcements. Robles is charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, multiple counts of distribution and money laundering, conspiracy, unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition and a forfeiture allegation. According to the indictment, Robles distributed more than 50 grams of crystal methamphetamine and was involved in numerous money wire transfers of cash from various people. Robles, who is a convicted felon, was also found in possession of two firearms and ammunition. The forfeiture allegation is for $711,000 in cash that the feds maintain were proceeds of Robles' drug trafficking operation. Last year, the feds executed a series of search warrants around the island and seized close to $2 million worth of crystal meth and learned that Robles, Christopher Waki and Jovin Santos had been working with others to buy and sell the drug Ice between California and Guam. At that time, Robles admitted to authorities that he had purchased between 50 to 100 pounds of Ice from sources in California. The indictment was handed down on Wednesday but was sealed until Robles had been picked up and taken into custody. His arraignment was continued until Monday to allow him time to go over the indictment with his defense attorney. http://www.kuam.com/story/22213196/2013/05/10/alleged-drug-distributor-indicted-in-districtcourt D.C. police officer faces Pittsburgh hearing in drug ring case Source Name: Pittsburgh Post Gazette Date: 09/05/2013 Names Mentioned:

A District of Columbia police officer charged with laundering money for a California-toPittsburgh cocaine ring under indictment since 2009 is free on bond pending a preliminary hearing next week before a federal magistrate here. Jared Weinberg made a brief initial appearance today in federal court in Pittsburgh following his arrest Monday at his precinct in Washington, D.C., where he has been a police officer for a little more than a year. He is charged with conspiracy to commit money-laundering for the ring, believed to have sold as much as four tons of cocaine between 2000 and 2009. Officer Weinberg is accused of laundering drug proceeds for Damon Lewis Collins, identified as a California drug supplier for a trafficking organization run by Robert Russell Spence of Coraopolis. Mr. Spence and Mr. Collins are among some two dozen alleged members of the ring under indictment here since 2009. A separate indictment handed up in 2012 has charged six others with money-laundering, including Officer Weinberg's father, Howard Weinberg. Several ring members have pleaded guilty, including Montel Staples, the former athletic director and basketball coach at now-closed Duquesne High School. Prosecutors said Mr. Staples was a go-between who passed cocaine money to his brother, Tywan Staples, of Oakland, Calif., from Mr. Spence. An affidavit prepared by the Criminal Investigation Division of the IRS says Officer Weinberg and his father rented apartments in and around Baltimore for Mr. Collins to use in the cocaine business. The IRS estimated Mr. Collins laundered more than $2 million by structuring cash deposits into his own bank accounts and the bank accounts of 13 other people, including Officer Weinberg. Structuring is a technique used by drug organizations to conceal the source of funds and evade currency transaction reports. The case began in 2008 when one of the accused ring members, Ruben Mitchell of Stockton, Calif., brought a bag onto a flight from Oakland to Pittsburgh that was too big to fit into the overhead compartment. The plane stopped over in Las Vegas, where the bag ended up on a carousel while the flight continued on to Pittsburgh with Mr. Mitchell. When no one claimed the bag in Las Vegas, officials opened it, found 19 kilos of cocaine and called the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in Pittsburgh to watch Mr. Mitchell when he arrived. At the airport, drug agents watched Mr. Mitchell as he frantically looked for his bag. DEA began building its case and arrested him in Idaho in 2009. Prosecutors said the ring had initially mailed coke from California to Pittsburgh, but as the operation grew larger, members started using couriers on flights. http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-city/dc-officer-faces-charges-hererelated-to-major-drug-ring-687091/

HBOS business loans: Ninth person charged Source Name: BBC News Date: 09/05/2013 Names Mentioned: A former solicitor has become the ninth person to be charged in connection with a probe into business loans of up to 35m made through a high street bank. Roger Hawes is accused of facilitating the acquisition, retention, use or control of criminal property. Mr Hawes, 52, of Front Street, Churchill, Winscombe, North Somerset, is also charged with conspiracy to transfer criminal property. He was released on bail to appear at Reading Magistrates' Court on 4 June. The loans allegedly came from a Halifax Bank of Scotland (HBOS) branch in Reading. The others charged include former senior managers at HBOS, Lynden Scourfield, 50, and Mark Dobson, 52. David Mills, 56, and Michael Bancroft, 69, of Quayside Corporate Services, a turnaround consultancy have also been charged, along with a fifth man, John Cartwright, 68. The other defendants are three of the men's wives, Jacqueline Scourfield, 50, Alison Mills, 47, and Beverley Bancroft, 64. The alleged offences committed by the other eight defendants originated from HBOS's Impaired Assets team based at the Reading branch. Mr Scourfield and Mr Dobson were senior managers based at Reading and Bishopsgate, the Crown Prosecution Service has said. Lynden Scourfield, of Whitton Avenue West, Greenford, West London, is charged with one count of conspiracy to corrupt, three counts of fraudulent trading and one count of money laundering. Mark Dobson, of Brayfield Terrace, London, is charged with one count of conspiracy to corrupt. David Mills, of Todenham, Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire, is charged with one count of conspiracy to corrupt, three counts of fraudulent trading and one count of money laundering. Michael Bancroft, of Ilmington, Shipston-on-Stour, Warwickshire, is charged with one count of conspiracy to corrupt, three counts of fraudulent trading and one count of money laundering. John Cartwright, of Knott Lane, Hyde, Cheshire, is charged with one count of fraudulent trading. Mrs Scourfield, Mrs Mills and Mrs Bancroft are each charged with one count of money laundering. The eight other defendants are due to appear at Southwark Crown Court on 19 July. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-berkshire-22472109

Laredo Bail Bonds manager to serve time for money laundering Source Name: Laredo Morning Times Date: 10/05/2013 Names Mentioned: Elizabeth Nevarez, 44, of Laredo, has been ordered to prison for nearly five years following her conviction of one count of money laundering, United States Attorney Kenneth Magidson announced Friday. Nevarez entered into a written plea agreement on Monday, Nov, 5, 2012. U.S. District Judge Diana Saldaa accepted the guilty plea Friday and handed Nevarez a sentence of 57 months in prison for her role in laundering drug proceeds. At the lengthy sentencing hearing, arguments from the defense and prosecution were presented. Saldaa noted that Nevarez benefited to a great extent from these drug proceeds. She ordered the forfeiture of Nevarezs interest in a residence located on the 6300 block of Springtime Drive in San Antonio and ordered a money judgment in the amount of $98,630.45. Nevarez was also ordered to pay a $3,000 fine and be required to serve a term of three years of supervised release following completion of the prison term. http://www.lmtonline.com/articles/2013/05/10/front/news/doc518d29492ec74163809418.txt Grand jury indicts nine in internet casino investigation Source Name: WKYC-TV Date: 10/05/2013 Names Mentioned: Nine individuals and four businesses were named in a 60-count indictment by a Cuyahoga County Grand Jury. Thursday's indictments were followed by a third round of search warrants at two internet casino locations in Cuyahoga County -- Internet Island, 901 Harvard Avenue in Cuyahoga Heights and Cyber Space Internet Caf, 5130 Warrensville Center Road, in Maple Heights. Indictments include: Gary Tritsarolis, 50, Debra Tritsarolis, 46, and Dennis Tritsarolis, 54, all of Cuyahoga Heights; Gaby Hasrouni, 42 of Stow; George Hasrouni, 44, of Willoughby Hills. Phillip Cornick, 50, Jackson, N.J.; All have been indicted on multiple charges of felonious money laundering and possession of criminal tools, as well as misdemeanor gambling. Christos Karasarides, Jr., 46 of Canton was indicted on felonious gambling and criminal tools, while Richard Upchurch, 59 of Ramseur, N.C. was indicted on felonious gambling. In addition, Michael Koty, 50, Bloomsbury, N.J. was indicted on felony money laundering charges.

VS2 World Wide Communication, Tritsrolis Investment; Jim Katt, LLC., and Harouni Investment, Inc. were also indicted. Arrest warrants were also served for Gary Tritsarolis, Debra Tritsarolis and Dennis Tritsarolis. Last month and in January 2012, search warrants were conducted at various locations. Those search warrants have resulted in previous indictments on 17 individuals and eight businesses. Six individuals and two businesses have been convicted. To report illegal internet casinos, contact the Ohio Investigative Unit on your cell phone at #677. The indictments and the search warrants are a result of a long-term investigation between the Ohio Department of Public Safety's Ohio Investigative Unit, Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Timothy J. McGinty, the United States Postal Inspectors, U.S. Secret Service and Parma Heights Police Department. The search warrants were conducted at . The above agencies, as well as the Maple Heights Police Department, the Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Office and the U.S. Marshall's took part in the search warrants. http://www.wkyc.com/news/state/article/299052/23/Grand-jury-indicts-nine-in-internetcasino-investigation