FBI's Top Ten News Stories for the Week Ending October 12, 2007
For the Week Ending October 12, 2007

1. New York: Afghan Heroin Kingpin Sentenced to Over 15 Years

Baz Mohammad, the first defendant to be extradited from Afghanistan to the U.S., was sentenced to 188 months imprisonment for managing an international narcotics-trafficking organization. His massive drug profits funded the Taliban and, in exchange for its financial support, the Taliban provided protection for its opium crops, heroin laboratories, and drug-transportation routes.

2. Boston: Man Sentenced in Glass-Eating Fraud Scheme

Ronald Evano was sentenced for defrauding restaurants, grocery stores, insurers, hospitals and doctors for his long-running scheme in which he and his wife falsely claimed there was glass in the food they bought. In connection with their scheme, the Evanos submitted their claims under a variety of identities. Evano’s wife, Mary Evano, who has also been charged, remains a fugitive.

3. Boston: Former House Majority Leader Charged in Pharmacy Scheme

Former House Majority Leader Gerard M. Martineau was charged with honest services mail fraud for engineering personal business dealings with a pharmacy company and a health insurer and, in return, steering the outcome of legislation in which those companies were interested.

4. New York: Woman Charged With Selling Fake Works of Art

Angela Hamblin was arrested on art fraud charges. Hamblin was engaged in a fraudulent scheme to sell works of art on the internet auction site, eBay, and in private transactions when she knew they were not authentic.

5. Baltimore: Funeral Home Owner Pleads Guilty to Defrauding Customers in Prepaid Funeral Expenses

Paul Stella pleaded guilty to bank fraud arising from two fraudulent schemes to obtain over $900,000 in prepaid funeral expenses.

6. New York: Genovese Family Associates Arrested on Extortion and Robbery Charges

Seven individuals were arrested for extortions and robberies targeted at business owners in New York and New Jersey. Three of the defendants—John Melicharek, Michael Iuni, and Angelo Nicosia—were associates of the Genovese Organized Crime Family.

7. Newark: Lead Paint Inspector Sentenced for Taking Bribes

Yolanda Lane, a lead-paint inspector for the City of Paterson Environmental Health Department, was sentenced for accepting bribes in exchange for exercising official action.

8. Philadelphia: Probation Officer Admits Running an Illegal Poker Operation

A New Jersey Probation Officer, Gordon Ernst, pleaded guilty to running an illegal gambling operation. Ernst admitted that he owned, supervised, and conducted the illegal poker operation.

9. Milwaukee: Indonesian Man Charged With Attempting to Export Arms

An Indonesian citizen, Doli Syarief Pulungan, was charged with conspiracy to export riflescopes to Indonesia. Pulungan was also charged with making a false statement to the FBI.

10. San Diego: Stock Options Administrator Sentenced to $6 Million Fraud

Vencent A. Donlan, former stock options administrator at Wireless Facilities, Inc. (WFI), was sentenced for stealing more than $6 million worth of WFI stock and ordered to pay restitution to WFI in the amount of $6.2 million. Donlan was also ordered to pay the IRS $2.2 million for failing to declare the gain on the sales of the stock on his 2002 and 2003 income tax returns.