A person with three convictions for violent felonies or
serious drug offenses who commits a federal firearms crime is an
armed career criminal and must be sentenced to at least 15 years
in prison — so says the Armed Career Criminal Act ("ACCA," for
short). See 18 U.S.C. § 924(e). Under the governing rule, the
government must prove the existence of the prior convictions b... More...   $0 (05-25-2017 - MA)

Boston, MA - Massachusetts Insurance Broker Convicted of Filing False Tax Returns

A Dover, Massachusetts, insurance broker was convicted by a federal jury of filing false tax returns.

According to the evidence presented at trial, Anthony J. May, 62, owned and operated Clients First Financial Insurance Agency, LLC, through which May sold life insurance products as a broker, and Ad... More...   $0 (05-24-2017 - MA)

When reviewing the denial of a motion to suppress, we
take the facts as the trial court found them, consistent with
record support, see United States v. Romain, 393 F.3d 63, 66 (1st
Cir. 2004), adding uncontradicted facts where appropriate. In the
summer of 2013, DEA agents, working with state and local police
officers, were investigating a drug-trafficking ring based in ... More...   $0 (05-14-2017 - MA)

Springfield, MA - Dominican National Pleads Guilty to Trafficking Identities of Puerto Rican U.S. Citizens

A document broker pleaded guilty in federal court in Springfield in connection with his role in trafficking the identities of Puerto Rican citizens and corresponding identity documents.

Sandro Tavera Mora, aka Jose Laureano Ayala, 46, a Dominican national residing in Springf... More...   $0 (05-05-2017 - MA)

Worester, MA - Colombian National Pleads Guilty to Illegal Reentry After Deportation

Hernan Lopez Castaneda, aka Carlos Velasquez, aka Gustavo Velandia, 60, a Colombian national who was residing in Queens, N.Y., pleaded guilty to one count of illegal re-entry of a deported alien.

Lopez has illegally entered the United States on multiple occasions. He was first deported in 2006.... More...   $0 (05-08-2017 - MA)

This case centers on Ponzo's affiliation with LCN, a
crime network with a "boss," "soldiers," and "associates" -- an
affiliation that began in the late 1980s and ended in the mid
1990s, give or take. LCN operated its organized crime network through trafficking drugs, loansharking, extortion, and illegal gambling. Ponzo's LCN membership formed the basis for the
Racketeer Influ... More...   $0 (04-09-2017 - MA)

Boston, MA - Chelsea Produce Distributor Sentenced for Perjury and Obstruction of Justice

A Chelsea produce distributor was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Boston after pleading guilty to filing fraudulent documents in federal court and then committing perjury in an attempt to conceal his crime.

John S. Alphas, 57, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin to ... More...   $5000 (03-22-2017 - MA)

Boston, MA - Dominican National Sentenced for Being an Alien in Possession of a Firearm

A Dominican national was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Boston yesterday in connection with being an alien in possession of a firearm and ammunition.



Felix Renaldo Nunez-Guerrero, 43, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton to 37 months in prison and thre... More...   $0 (03-23-2017 - MA)

A Massachusetts jury failed to
reach a unanimous verdict on a multiple count indictment charging
Martinho Rodrigues with conspiring with 29 others to distribute
assorted drugs in several Boston area neighborhoods. Rather than
face a repeat trial, Rodrigues opted to plead guilty to Count One,
conspiracy to distribute marijuana in violation of 21 U.S.C. §
846, but he preserve... More...   $0 (03-01-2017 - MA)

We summarize the basic contours of the healthcare fraud
scheme and proceedings below, reserving a fuller exposition of the
relevant facts for our analysis of the particular issues presented
by this appeal. See United States v. López-Díaz, 794 F.3d 106,
109 (1st Cir. 2015) (citing United States v. Flores–Rivera, 787
F.3d 1, 9 (1st Cir. 2015)), cert. denied, 136 S. Ct. 1229... More...   $0 (02-25-2017 - MA)

We start with Phillipos's challenges to the admission
into evidence of a signed confession, in which Phillipos admitted
to making the false statements that are at issue during two
informal interviews with federal agents in the two weeks following
the bombing. Phillipos signed that confession at the conclusion
of an interview with an agent of the Federal Bureau of
Inv... More...   $0 (02-25-2017 - MA)

Home health services are eligible for coverage under
Medicare if the individual who is the beneficiary of the services
is (1) "confined to the home" (the "homebound" requirement);
(2) "under the care of a physician who establishes the plan of
care"; (3) in need of at least one of a number of enumerated
"skilled services as certified by a physician"; (4) "under a plan
... More...   $0 (02-25-2017 - MA)

Senny Arias appeals his
convictions and sentence for possession of heroin with intent to
distribute, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1), and conspiracy
to distribute heroin, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 846. We affirm.
I.
The charges brought against Arias stem from an
investigation that began in 2012 of Jason Melchionda. Melchionda
was the suspected head of a drug-tra... More...   $0 (02-21-2017 - MA)

The charges brought against Arias stem from an
investigation that began in 2012 of Jason Melchionda. Melchionda
was the suspected head of a drug-trafficking organization
operating on Massachusetts' North Shore.1 Pursuant to a warrant,
law enforcement officers serving on a task force for the United
States Drug Enforcement Agency ("DEA") tapped the phones of
Melchiond... More...   $0 (02-18-2017 - MA)

Taylor raises many challenges to his conviction and
sentence on appeal, but the sufficiency of the evidence is not one
of them. So, we give a balanced presentation of those facts
necessary to understand the parameters of this appeal and our
disposal of it. See United States v. Burgos-Montes, 786 F.3d 92,
99 (1st Cir. 2015), cert. denied, 136 S. Ct. 599 (2015).1 The
de... More...   $0 (02-13-2017 - MA)

Keyon Taylor ("Taylor") shot
and beat a postal worker, and then hijacked his truck in a botched
robbery scheme. The ordeal finally came to an end when the worker
popped the truck's rear gate and jumped out of the moving vehicle
to try and save his own skin. Taylor was convicted of multiple
federal crimes arising from this episode, then sentenced to just
shy of thirty years ... More...   $0 (02-12-2017 - MA)

We begin with Herman's challenge to her convictions,
which is predicated entirely upon purported deficiencies in the
district court's instructions on the reasonable doubt standard.
Because Herman failed to object to the instructions below, we
review only for plain error. See United States v. Van Anh, 523
F.3d 43, 57 (1st Cir. 2008). In order to satisfy this demanding More...   $0 (02-07-2017 - MA)

Boston, MA - Medstar Ambulance to Pay $12.7 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations Involving Medically Unnecessary Transport Services and Inflated Claims to Medicare

Medstar Ambulance Inc., including four subsidiary companies and its two owners, Nicholas and Gregory Melehov, have agreed to pay $12.7 million to resolve allegations that the Massachusetts-based ambulance company kno... More...   $12700000 (01-19-2017 - MA)

Defendant, a lawyer, was indicted by the Madison County Grand Jury in September of 2014 for tampering with evidence. The case against Defendant arose in conjunction with the investigation into the death of Brittany Christie, who was found dead in a motel room in Jackson, Tennessee, in early December of 2013 from an apparent
- 2 -
overdose of heroin and Klonopin. John Christie, Defendan... More...   $0 (01-01-2017 - MA)

Boston, MA - Worcester Woman Sentenced for Stealing Identities

A Worcester woman was sentenced in connection with filing false tax returns.

Lydia Torres, 45, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Timothy S. Hillman to one year and one day in prison, one year of supervised release and ordered to pay restitution of $393,093 to the Internal Revenue Service. In August 2016, To... More...   $393093 (12-29-2016 - MA)

Making their second appearance before this court are eight police officers, a police cadet, and
a provisionally hired 911 operator (collectively, the "Officers"),
who claim that they suffered adverse employment actions by the
Boston Police Department ("Department") as a result of a racially
discriminatory hair drug test. Eschewing any claim that the
De... More...   $0 (12-29-2016 - MA)

On February 4, 2014, the Peabody Police Department
responded to the report of a home invasion in Peabody,
Massachusetts. Agent Kotchian also responded to the scene. The
residents reported that the intruders had stolen a Ruger 9mm
caliber handgun and a diamond ring, and the Peabody Police
Department requested Agent Kotchian's assistance with the
investigation of the h... More...   $0 (12-04-2016 - MA)

The defendant, Quincy Butler, appeals from his convictions of murder in the second degree (G. L. c. 265, § 1),

2 and eight related offenses.1 The defendant was tried with a codefendant, William Wood, on a theory of joint venture for crimes committed in the course of a botched kidnapping and robbery attempt.2 Wood was convicted of murder in the first degree and various other ... More...   $0 (11-04-2016 - MA)

Following a jury-waived trial in the Orange Division of the District Court Department in March, 2014, the defendant, Randy A. LeBlanc, was found guilty of knowingly causing damage to another automobile in a private driveway and 2 leaving without identifying himself to the owner under G. L. c. 90, § 24 (2) (a).1 He appealed, and the Appeals Court affirmed the conviction in a memorandum a... More...   $0 (10-29-2016 - MA)

The question presented in this case is whether
it was reasonable for police to seize and inventory the contents
of a backpack found in the back seat of a vehicle operated by
the defendant, Jahliel M. Nicoleau, upon his arrest. The
vehicle was parked in front of his home where he lived with his
grandmother, who was present at the scene, and to whom the
police gave oth... More...   $0 (10-15-2016 - MA)

The issue in this case concerns the proper
application of the doctrine of collateral estoppel, as embodied
in the double jeopardy clause of the Fifth Amendment to the
United States Constitution and in Massachusetts statutes and
common law. See Ashe v. Swenson, 397 U.S. 436 (1970);
Commonwealth v. Benson, 389 Mass. 473 (1983). See also G. L.

In 2011, nearly for... More...   $0 (10-15-2016 - MA)

In August, 2013, a Middlesex County grand jury
indicted the defendant, Imran Laltaprasad, on a charge of
possession with intent to distribute heroin, subsequent offense,
G. L. c. 94C, § 32 (a), (b); and two charges of possession with
intent to distribute cocaine, subsequent offense, G. L. c. 94C,
§ 32A (c), (d). In July, 2015, a jury found the defendant
guilty of po... More...   $0 (10-15-2016 - MA)

Except where indicated, the following facts are not in dispute. Brendan Higgins, Joshua Huggard, and
Jordan Tobins were members and managers of numerous limited liability companies operating a small chain of pizzerias known as The Upper Crust. On April 5, 2012, Higgins, Huggard, and The Upper Crust, all of whom were represented by Levy and his firm, L & W, filed a civil lawsuit against Tob... More...   $0 (10-06-2016 - MA)

Boston, MA - Former Letter carrier sentenced for workers comp fraud

A former U.S. Postal Service employee was sentenced for fraudulently obtaining worker’s compensation for medical travel.

Joseph Bouchard, 67, of Georgetown, Mass. was sentenced by U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Marianne B. Bowler to six months’ probation and ordered to pay a fine of $5,000 and restitution o... More...   $0 (09-15-2016 - MA)

The defendant applied and was approved for
subsidized housing through the Boston Housing Authority (BHA),
which entitled him to a rental unit at a rate below the market
value. He was placed on a waiting list and almost five years
later, the defendant was notified of the availability of a
subsidized apartment. By then, the defendant had already
secured alternative h... More...   $0 (09-03-2016 - MA)

A jury convicted the defendant, Linda Mayotte,
of rape of a child, G. L. c. 265, § 23 (three indictments);
indecent assault and battery on a child under the age of
fourteen, G. L. c. 265, § 13B (five indictments); indecent
assault and battery on a child over the age of fourteen, G. L.
c. 265, § 13H (five indictments); incest, G. L. c. 272, § 17;
reckless endangerment ... More...   $0 (08-21-2016 - MA)

In 1981, the petitioner, Frederick Clay, was convicted of murder in the first degree. The victim was a Boston taxicab driver. When the crime was committed in 1979, 1 Justice Duffly participated in the deliberation on this case prior to her retirement. Clay was a juvenile. He was sentenced to serve the statutorily mandated term of life in prison without the possibility of parole, see G. L. c.... More...   $0 (08-13-2016 - MA)

Boston, MA - Johnson & Johnson Subsidiary Acclarent Inc. Pays Government $18 Million to Settle False Claims Act Allegations

California-based medical device manufacturer Acclarent Inc., a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, has agreed to pay $18 million to resolve allegations that the company caused health care providers to submit false claims to Medicare and other federal health care program... More...   $18000000 (07-24-2016 - MA)

The principal issue in this appeal is whether a
Superior Court judge properly ordered the forfeiture of the
defendant's right to counsel in a probation revocation hearing.
The judge, faced with a defendant who admittedly engaged in a
pattern of quarrelsome, confrontational, hostile, and
threatening conduct toward a succession of nine different court
appointed attorney... More...   $0 (07-13-2016 - MA)

In a jury-waived trial in June, 2014, a
Superior Court judge found the defendant, Admilson Resende,
guilty of several firearms offenses, each of which had
associated with it an armed career criminal sentence enhancement
charge under G. L. c. 269, § 10G (§ 10G), the Massachusetts
armed career criminal act (Massachusetts ACCA). After a
separate jury-waived trial on ... More...   $0 (06-09-2016 - MA)

The defendant was convicted by a Superior
Court jury of two counts of credit card fraud over $250 in
violation of G. L. c. 266, § 37C(e); two counts of credit card
fraud under $250 in violation of G. L. c. 266, § 37B(g); two
counts of identity fraud in violation of G. L. c. 266, § 37E(b);
one count of receiving stolen property with a value in excess of
$250 in violat... More...   $0 (06-06-2016 - MA)

On the evening of October 20, 2009, the
defendant's six month old daughter, Jahanna, was rushed to the
emergency room, unconscious and unresponsive. She was diagnosed
with traumatic brain injury, and scans of her brain showed
retinal hemorrhages, subdural hematoma, and brain swelling, the
three symptoms known as "the triad" associated with shaken baby
syndrome. The ... More...   $0 (06-06-2016 - MA)

The defendants, Branden E. Mattier and his half
brother Domunique D. Grice, were convicted by a jury on
indictments charging one count each of conspiracy to commit
larceny, G. L. c. 274, § 7, and attempted larceny, G. L. c. 274,
§ 6. Mattier also was convicted on an indictment charging one
count of identity fraud, G. L. c. 266, § 37E. The charges
stemmed from an atte... More...   $0 (05-13-2016 - MA)