Lights & Sirens » Federal cases

Gig Harbor man sentenced for sending obscene photos of himself to undercover officer posing as 14-year-old

Alexis Krell — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 23:23:50 +0000

A Gig Harbor man was sentenced in federal court to 24 months in prison Wednesday, after he pleaded guilty to trying to send obscene materials to a minor when the 14-year-old girl he thought he was messaging online turned out to be an undercover officer.

Michael Honan, 59, pleaded not guilty Nov. 27, and was sentenced Wednesday by Judge Richard T. Haik in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana.

Honan will also need to complete three years of supervised release and pay a $4,000 fine.

He unknowingly communicated with the officer from August to September 2011, during …

UPDATE: University Place lender Emiel Kandi arrested, indicted in mortgage fraud scheme

Stacia Glenn — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 19:51:57 +0000

UPDATE as of 4:20 p.m. Kandi pleaded not guilty and was released pending trial on the conditions that he surrenders his passport and remains in Western Washington, U.S. Attorney’s Office spokeswoman Emily Langlie said.

The public defender who represented Kandi in the initial proceedings was not immediately available for comment.

INITIAL POST: A grand jury today indicted a University Place man who offered loans to desperate borrowers and then took their homes if they missed a payment.

The FBI arrested Emiel Kandi, a 36-year-old hard money lender, this morning. He will appear in court this afternoon to face charges of conspiracy, …

Lakewood man whose roommate was shot to death convicted Thursday of federal drug charges

Adam Lynn — Thu, 16 May 2013 22:54:13 +0000

A Lakewood man who came to the attention of authorities after his roommate was shot and killed faces a minimum 15 years in prison after being convicted Thursday of federal drug crimes.

A jury deliberated for about five hours following a three-day trial before finding Juan Hidalgo-Mendoza guilty of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Hidalgo-Mendoza, 33, was arrested in November 2012 after detectives investigating the shooting death of Jaime Diaz-Solis found heroin and an AK-47 …

Tacoma man sentenced to federal prison for sex trafficking

Adam Lynn — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 16:59:59 +0000

A Tacoma man convicted of being a violent pimp has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison.

Reginald Irvin, 35, previously pleaded guilty to interstate transportation of an individual for prostitution and conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking.

Authorities said Irvin coerced women to work as prostitutes and ruled over them with an iron hand, taking all the proceeds they made and raping, beating or humiliating them if they stepped out of line.

“Unquestionably Irvin is a predator who has a long history of assaulting and exploiting young women … (H)e treated the victims herein like chattel, beating and …

South Hill man who killed two burglars indicted for drugs, weapons charges

Stacia Glenn — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 20:41:17 +0000

UPDATE: Capodanno pleaded not guilty. His trial is scheduled for June 21.

INITIAL POST: It wasn’t fatally shooting two men that landed Jeremy Capodanno in federal court today – it was possessing the marijuana the dead men broke in to steal and the guns Capodanno used to defend the grow operation in his South Hill garage.

A federal Grand Jury indicted Capodanno, 36, of manufacturing marijuana, carrying a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime and possessing a firearm during a drug trafficking crime. He is scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon.

If convicted as charged, Capodanno faces 15 years in …

Tacoma man sentenced in scheme using inmate information for fraudulent tax returns

Stacia Glenn — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 22:27:30 +0000

A Tacoma man was sentenced to 33 months in prison today for his role in a scheme that tried to claim more than $145,000 in tax refunds using the names and social security numbers of prison inmates.

Richard Wright, 43, was also sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $71,885 in restitution to the U.S. Department of Treasury.

Wright and his associated filed fake W-2 forms and federals income tax returns using names and social security numbers of inmates at the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Prosecutors said Kenneth …

Auburn ‘career criminal’ off to federal prison

Adam Lynn — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 22:47:51 +0000

A 35-year-old Auburn man who a federal judge said has a “flagrant disregard for the law” was sentenced today to 15 years in prison for drug and weapons crimes.

Judge James L. Robart handed down the sentenced to Michael Paul Gradney at the U.S. District Courthouse in Seattle.

A federal jury in December convicted Michael Paul Gradney of being an armed career criminal in possession of a firearm, possession of ammunition, and possession of and distribution of cocaine, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Seattle reported.

Court records show Gradney sold cocaine to federal informants on two different

…

Two more arrested in takeover-style robberies of Washington banks

Adam Lynn — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 00:07:06 +0000

Two men considered suspects in recent takeover-style robberies in Lakewood and Seattle have been arrested in Los Angeles, the FBI reported today.

Members of the L.A. Fugitive Task Force arrested the men Thursday evening.

They are among seven men believe responsible for a Sept. 6 robbery of the U.S. Bank branch in Lakewood and three other robberies in Seattle, the FBI reported.

In each case, groups of men entered the banks and demanded cash.

Five other people already have been arrested in the investigation, including Anthony V. Mosley, 46, of Tacoma. All are charged with various crimes and might be …

Colorado man gets 12 years in prison for passing counterfeit bills in Federal Way

Adam Lynn — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 23:45:06 +0000

A man who last year jumped from a second-story building in a failed attempt to escape Federal Way police was sentenced today to 12 years in federal prison.

Jeffrey A. Dorsey,37, was wanted for passing counterfeit money when he ran from police in January 2012, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Seattle reported.

He eventually was arrested and charged with possession of a stolen gun, counterfeiting, using counterfeit money and interstate transportation of a stolen vehicle.

Investigators said he stole a car, a gun, ammunition and a GPS unit in his native Colorado before coming to Washington and using counterfeit money …

Owner of Federal Way bar is sentenced to six years in prison for promoting prostitution

Adam Lynn — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 21:38:42 +0000

The man who owned a Federal Way bar that authorities say was a front for prostitution was sentenced today to six years in federal prison.

Milton resident Chang Young Kim, 59, also was ordered to pay $112,050 in restitution and over $1.6 million in back taxes and penalties to the Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Seattle reported.

Kim, who owned the Blue Moon bar, pleaded guilty in November to conspiracy to transport individuals for prostitution, conspiracy to engage in money laundering, bribery of a public official and tax evasion. Federal prosecutors said Korean National women working illegally as “bar …