Defendant has two prior federal convictions for child pornography offenses.

A former Hyde Park man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to accessing child pornography while on federal supervised release for a similar offense.

David Ladeau, 66, pleaded guilty to access with intent to view child pornography. U.S. District Court Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor scheduled sentencing for June 9, 2022. Ladeau was charged in Oct. 13, 2021.

Ladeau was previously convicted of federal charges in Massachusetts in 2010 for possession of child pornography. Later, in 2015, Ladeau was convicted of conspiracy to possess child pornography in the Middle District of Tennessee. While on federal supervised release for those convictions, law enforcement identified images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct on Ladeau’s court-monitored computer. A subsequent investigation determined that in January and February 2021, Ladeau had been using the computer to access child pornography saved on a thumb drive.

Based on Ladeau’s prior convictions, the charge of access with intent to view child pornography provides for a sentence of at least 10 years and up to 20 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins and Matthew B. Millhollin, Special Agent in Charge of the Homeland Security Investigations in Boston made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Dell’Anno of Rollins’ Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

The case is brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.

A joint investigation by the Massachusetts State Police Gang Unit, Worcester Police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives culminated yesterday with the arrest of a suspect believed to a high-impact gun and firearms trafficker.

LUIS ORTIZ, a.k.a. “Panda,” 24, was taken into custody by members of the Massachusetts State Police Special Tactical Operations Team at a residence at 250 Pleasant St., Worcester. ORTIZ was charged with numerous gun and narcotics offenses, including the illegal sale of firearms, ammunition, and fentanyl. ORTIZ is from Worcester and Putnam, Conn.

The investigation into ORTIZ’s criminal activity began last month when Troopers from the MSP Gang Unit developed information that he was illegally in possession of multiple firearms. During the next few weeks, investigators arranged several undercover purchases of drugs and guns from ORTIZ. These included purchases of an AR-15 rifle, two “ghost gun” untraceable pistols, two revolvers, a 50-round high capacity drum magazine, and a significant amount of suspected fentanyl.

Yesterday, another undercover purchase was set up with ORTIZ, this one for more than 100 grams of fentanyl. After the undercover purchase was completed, MSP STOP Team Troopers converged on and arrested ORTZ without incident. He was booked at the Worcester Police Department and held pending his arraignment in Worcester District Court today.

The investigation and arrest is expected to have significant impact on public safety, as ORTIZ is suspected to be actively involved in selling firearms and narcotics.

The case is being prosecuted by the office of Worcester District Attorney Joseph Early Jr.

Massachusetts State police photo.

Massachusetts State police photo.

“On February 16, detectives assigned to the “Organized Crime Intelligence Bureau” executed a search warrant at 75 Worcester St. The target of the search warrant was ERIC SILVIA, 30.

During a search of the residence, over 130 grams of fentanyl were discovered along with 157 grams of marijuana. Digital scales were also located along with $713 in US currency. SILVIA was taken into custody and charged with trafficking fentanyl in excess of 130 grams subsequent to a previous conviction, and possession of marijuana with intent to distribute. If convicted, the fentanyl trafficking charge potentially carries a minimum sentence of 8 years’ incarceration.

The lead investigator was Det. Jordan Dasilva.

If you have any information on criminal activity in your neighborhood, the New Bedford Police Dept. wants to hear from you. You can leave an anonymous tip on our voicemail at (508) 991-6300 Ext. 1. You can also leave a tip at our website, www.newbedfordpd.com.” -New Bedford Police Department.

New Bedford Police Department photo.

“Calling all cAHs… Calling all cAHs

DPD is looking for some help identifying this male, who allegedly attempted to secretly record a young lady while she was changing in a retail dressing room recently.

If you have any information that can help us identify him, you are strongly encouraged to either send us a private message or call Detective Kyle Costa at 508-910-1755.

In addition, you can also send us an anonymous tip by following this link:

https://www.dartmouthpd.org/resources/tip411-submit-a-tip/

PLEASE SHARE THE H-E-DOUBLE HOCKEY STICKS OUT OF THIS ONE!!!

Thank you” -Dartmouth Police Department.

Early this morning, Troopers from the Massachusetts State Police Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section, members of the United States Marshals Service, Fitchburg Police Officers, and Troopers from the State Police-Leominster Barracks located and arrested the suspect who struck a Boylston Police officer with a motor vehicle two days ago.

Troopers, Marshals, and Officers converged on an apartment at 20 Wilson Ave., Fitchburg, and took Bryan Walker, 39, into custody without incident. Walker is charged with the following offenses:

– Attempted murder;
– Assault and battery on a Police Officer causing serious bodily injury;
– Assault and battery with a dangerous weapon;
– Assault and battery on a police officer;
– Trafficking in cocaine over 36 grams;
– Leaving the scene of a crash that caused personal injury;
– Reckless operation of a motor vehicle; and
Speeding.

This morning’s arrest came after investigators developed information that WALKER was potentially hiding out at that address and set up surveillance on that location. WALKER was booked at State Police-Leominster and is expected to be arraigned in Fitchburg District Court today.

On Wednesday morning, the Massachusetts State Police Gang Unit attempted to execute a search warrant at 182 Mechanic St., Fitchburg, pursuant to an ongoing investigation. WALKER was the target of that investigation. The Gang Unit was assisted by members of a Worcester County drug task force, which includes members of local area police departments.

As Troopers and task force members approached the address, WALKER exited the residence and reached a vehicle before officers could stop him. While fleeing the scene in the vehicle he struck the Boylston police officer who was on foot. That officer, a male who was a member of the Task Force, suffered serious injuries was transported by EMS to UMass Medical Center. The suspect continued to flee in the vehicle after striking the officer. A subsequent search for him by State Police patrol units, Gang Unit Troopers, K9 teams and Air Wing did not locate the suspect, prompting the follow-up investigation by MSP VFAS, USMS, and Fitchburg Police that led to this morning’s arrest.

The Boylston Police Officer continues to undergo treatment and further tests.

Administration Endorses Updated Definition of Antisemitism, Urges Continued Vigilance.

The Baker-Polito Administration today released the 2020 Massachusetts Hate Crimes Report.

The report is compiled from data submitted by law enforcement agencies across Massachusetts and supports a better understanding of the evolving nature of hate crimes in the Commonwealth. The Administration also provided an update on its efforts to combat hate crimes in Massachusetts, building on Governor Charlie Baker’s re-establishment of the Governor’s Task Force on Hate Crimes in 2017. As part of that continued work, the Administration today endorsed an updated definition of antisemitism that was first adopted by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). By endorsing this definition, the Administration is re-affirming its commitment to combatting antisemitism and all forms of hate, wherever it is found.

Click here to read the Governor’s proclamation endorsing the IHRA’s updated definition of antisemitism.

“There is no place for hate or discrimination in Massachusetts, and our Administration is proud to work with community and faith leaders, law enforcement and others to combat hate crimes and ensure the Commonwealth remains a welcoming community to everyone,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “Building on our ongoing work through the Task Force on Hate Crimes, we are proud today to endorse this updated definition of antisemitism to make clear that as the forms of hate and intolerance evolve, so will our efforts to respond.”

“Combatting hate crimes requires constant vigilance, and we have worked with the Task Force on Hate Crimes to better equip our law enforcement officers, schools and houses of worship to confront these threats,” said Lt. Governor Karyn Polito. “We will continue to work with all these partners to keep our communities safe and welcoming for everyone.”

The Governor’s Task Force on Hate Crimes is made up of a wide range of members with expertise in community advocacy, law enforcement, health care, law, government, and education, and represent diversity in gender, race, industry, region, age and education. The Task Force has guided the Administration’s work to combat hate crimes in a number of ways:

• Helping Law Enforcement Combat Hate Crimes: In 2018, the Task Force made recommendations to Massachusetts law enforcement agencies. As a result of those recommendations, the Administration urged local law enforcement to appoint a Civil Rights Officer and at this time every municipal police department in Massachusetts has a designated CRO, with State Police providing that service for some smaller, rural departments.

• Supporting Schools’ Response to Hate Crimes: In 2021, the Task Force released a School Resource Guide outlining best practices to assist elementary and secondary schools in developing a comprehensive hate crime policy to prevent, report, and raise awareness of bias-driven crimes.

• Protecting Houses of Worship: The Administration recognizes the evolving nature of hate crime threats to houses of worship. To support physical security infrastructure enhancements at these institutions, the Administration in 2018 established the Commonwealth Nonprofit Security Grant. Since then, the program has awarded $3.9 million in grants.

In 2021, Governor Baker signed legislation that will ultimately transition the Governor’s Task Force on Hate Crimes into a new statutory Hate Crimes Task Force under Section 221 of Chapter 6 of the General Laws.

About the 2020 Hate Crimes Report:

To compile the report, the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security (EOPSS) received a total of 385 reports of incidents of hate crime, up from 376 in 2019, from a total of 95 agencies. In addition, 271 agencies submitted “zero reports,” indicating that they had experienced no bias-motivated incidents. Together, these agencies covered approximately 95% of the population of Massachusetts. The remaining number of “non-reporting” agencies decreased to 38, which is a 45.7% decrease in the last 5 years.

After receipt and state data quality checks, EOPSS submitted all Massachusetts hate crime data to the FBI for further analysis, verification, and inclusion in its annual Hate Crime Statistics publication. As in past years, 2020 hate crime data was collected utilizing two methods – the more detailed National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS) and the older Uniform Crime Report (UCR) system. It is important to note that several of the categories displayed in this report may only be available from the NIBRS–reporting agencies, as NIBRS captures many data elements that UCR does not capture. In 2020, 383 incidents were submitted via NIBRS from 93 agencies, while 2 were submitted via UCR.

A Brockton man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to sex trafficking charges.

Matthew Engram, 35, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit sex; trafficking two counts of transportation of an individual for purposes of prostitution; and one count of conspiracy to commit interstate travel in aid of a racketeering enterprise. U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs scheduled sentencing for May 19, 2022.

From January 2009 until August 2015, Engram and a co-conspirator recruited and trafficked three identified victims, as well as others, from a residence in Brockton and elsewhere to engage in commercial sex acts and took all or part of the proceeds. Engram advertised on websites, exchanged text messages with his co-conspirator to share advertisements, organized prostitution dates and reserved hotel rooms. When the victims did not comply with Engram’s demands to prostitute themselves for his profit, he physically assaulted them or directed his co-conspirator to physically assault them. Engram also transported, or caused to transport, the victims to other states, including Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New York, Virginia, Florida and Maine, to perform commercial sex acts.

The charges of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking provides for a sentence of up to life in prison, a mandatory minimum of five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charges of transportation of an individual for purposes of prostitution provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of conspiracy provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins; Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division; Matthew B. Millhollin, Special Agent in Charge of the Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; Boston Police Acting Commissioner Gregory Long; and Brockton Police Chief Emanuel Gomes made the announcement today. Assistance was provided by Homeland Security Investigations in Philadelphia. Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanne Sullivan Jacobus, of Rollins’ Major Crimes Unit and Trial Attorneys Shan Patel and Vasantha Rao of the Civil Rights Division are prosecuting the case.

In July 2017, we reported that Charles Macomber, age 54, a Freetown highway surveyor was charged with stealing town property and embezzlement.

Police allege that he sold two town-owned military Humvee vehicles to a local man in return for cash, offered to sell two additional town-owned vehicles to the same buyer, and that Macomber instructed the buyer to remove the Humvees after the close of the Freetown Highway Department’s business hours.

On Wednesday, prosecutors announced that Charles Macomber had been acquitted on all charges.

A Florida man was sentenced yesterday for his role in a multi-million-dollar Medicare fraud scheme involving durable medical equipment.

Nathan LaParl, 34, of Boca Raton, Fla., was sentenced by U.S. District Court Senior Judge George A. O’Toole, Jr. to three years of probation, the first year to be served subject to a curfew and forfeiture in the amount of $220,671. On Jan. 21, 2021, LaParl pleaded guilty to one count of receiving kickbacks in connection with a federal health care program and one count of violating the HIPAA statute.

LaParl and co-defendant Talia Alexandre sold Medicare patients’ personal and medical data to Juan Camilo Perez Buitrago. LaParl and Alexandre worked with foreign call centers to contact Medicare patients to ask if they were interested in durable medical equipment (DME) such as arm, back, knee and shoulder braces “at little to no cost.” The call centers collected demographic and insurance information from Medicare patients, which LaParl and Alexandre sold to Perez Buitrago. Together, LaParl and Alexandre received more than $1.6 million from Perez Buitrago for the patient data. Perez Buitrago used that patient data to submit more than $109 million in false and fraudulent claims, submitting claims for DME that was not prescribed, not necessary, and, in many instances, never requested or received.

To perpetuate the scheme, LaParl checked Medicare patients’ insurance eligibility by improperly accessing a patient eligibility tool provided by co-defendant Stefanie Hirsch. Hirsch owned EI Medical, Inc., a Medicare-enrolled wheelchair and scooter repair company that qualified for access to a health care clearinghouse that contains Medicare patients’ personal, medical and insurance information. Hirsch improperly gave LaParl access to that clearinghouse and charged him about $0.25 per patient eligibility check. Using Hirsch’s credentials, LaParl accessed the personal and medical data of more than 350,000 patients.

Hirsch pleaded guilty to violating the HIPAA statute and was sentenced on Sept. 21, 2021, to three years of probation. Hirsch was also ordered to pay a fine of $2,500. Alexandre pleaded guilty to one count of receiving kickbacks in connection with a federal health care program and was sentenced on Dec. 8, 2021, to three years of probation with the first year spent in home detention. Alexandre was also ordered to pay a fine of $5,000 and restitution in the amount of $1.47 million

United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins; Johnnie Sharp Jr., Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Birmingham Field Division; Phillip M. Coyne, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General, Boston Division; and Ketty Larco Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elysa Q. Wan of Rollins’ Health Care Fraud Unit prosecuted the case.

A former Brockton man pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston to sex trafficking charges.

Matthew Engram, 35, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit sex; trafficking two counts of transportation of an individual for purposes of prostitution; and one count of conspiracy to commit interstate travel in aid of a racketeering enterprise. U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs scheduled sentencing for May 19, 2022.

From January 2009 until August 2015, Engram and a co-conspirator recruited and trafficked three identified victims, as well as others, from a residence in Brockton and elsewhere to engage in commercial sex acts and took all or part of the proceeds. Engram advertised on websites, exchanged text messages with his co-conspirator to share advertisements, organized prostitution dates and reserved hotel rooms. When the victims did not comply with Engram’s demands to prostitute themselves for his profit, he physically assaulted them or directed his co-conspirator to physically assault them. Engram also transported, or caused to transport, the victims to other states, including Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New York, Virginia, Florida and Maine, to perform commercial sex acts.

The charges of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking provides for a sentence of up to life in prison, a mandatory minimum of five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charges of transportation of an individual for purposes of prostitution provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of conspiracy provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins; Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division; Matthew B. Millhollin, Special Agent in Charge of the Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; Boston Police Acting Commissioner Gregory Long; and Brockton Police Chief Emanuel Gomes made the announcement today. Assistance was provided by Homeland Security Investigations in Philadelphia. Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanne Sullivan Jacobus, of Rollins’ Major Crimes Unit and Trial Attorneys Shan Patel and Vasantha Rao of the Civil Rights Division are prosecuting the case.