A 55-year-old Raynham woman who stole more than $60,000 from a local public employees union was sentenced this week in Fall River Superior Court to three years of probation and was ordered to pay full restitution, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced.

Pamela J. Almeida, who was a clerk for the Easton Planning Board and the Treasurer for the Southeastern Public Employees Association (SPEA), which is a union representing various public employees employed in the towns of Easton, Mansfield, West Bridgewater, and Milton, pleaded guilty Tuesday to a single indictment charging her with larceny over $250.

In October of 2016, union representatives became suspicious that Almeida was stealing funds from the union’s Easton bank account, and contacted police. A review of more than five years of bank records revealed that Almeida regularly drafted checks payable to herself from union funds for no legitimate reason. Almeida wrote 80 checks to herself for a total theft that exceeded $60,000.00.

The union dues from the account Almeida stole from were used to pay for labor counsel during contract negotiations and to fund higher education scholarships for deserving youth in the community. Members of her union first suspected Almeida of malfeasance when a student notified the union that they had not received their scholarship check when expected.

Union members immediately contacted Easton Police and an investigation began. The joint investigation by Easton Police Detective Darren Mangott and Massachusetts State Police Detective Melvin Rodriguez, who is assigned to the district attorney’s office, was led by Assistant District Attorney Michael Scott, who heads up DA Quinn’s Financial Crimes Unit.

During a plea hearing before Judge Raffi Yessayan on Tuesday, Assistant District Attorney Scott argued that some period of incarceration was warranted given the extreme breach of trust and the fact that Almeida stole from more than 200 union members. ADA Scott recommended a sentence of two years in the House of Corrections, with one year to serve, two years of probation and full restitution to the victims.

The defendant, however, requested a two-year probationary term and agreed to pay full restitution.

Judge Yessayan eventually sentenced the defendant to a three-year probationary term and ordered her to pay $63,729 in restitution to the union. $50,000 of the restitution is to be paid this week and the remaining $13,729 over the term of her probation.

“This was a significant breach of trust by the defendant who stole money that union members had set aside for a scholarship fund and to get legal representation during contract negotiations,” District Attorney Quinn said. “Based on this significant theft of funds, we felt that the defendant should have been sentenced to jail. I hope the defendant has the same enthusiasm for paying back the money that she did for stealing it.”

A Boston man was indicted this week in federal court in Boston for distributing crack cocaine.

Austin Wilkerson, 41, was indicted today on three counts of distributing cocaine base, also known as crack cocaine, on the Veterans Affairs Medical Center campus in Bedford.

According to court documents, in January 2017, a cooperating witness reported to law enforcement that Wilkerson was selling crack cocaine to Michael Sexton, a resident at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center. On July 27, Aug. 10, and Sept. 5, 2017, Wilkerson provided crack cocaine to Sexton, who then sold it to the cooperating witness at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Bedford.

Wilkerson faces a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Sean J. Smith, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General, Northeast Field Office; Michael Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Division; and Shawn Kelly, Chief of Police of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Police Service, Bedford VA Medical Center, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Soivilien of Lelling’s Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

An arrest has been made in connection with an arson fire which destroyed a home at 36 Restful Lane, Wareham, on the morning of March 29, 2018.

As a result of an investigation, Mondel Johnson, age 40 of 18 Barker Road East Wareham,
was arrested in Fall River on Thursday evening, April 5. The arrest was made by Wareham Police detectives, troopers from the Massachusetts State Police assigned to the Fire Marshal’s office and the Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section, as well as officers from the Fall River and New Bedford Police. Mr. Johnson was transported to Wareham Police Headquarters, where he was held without bail, pending arraignment at Wareham District Court on Friday morning.

During the course of the investigation into the cause of the fire, detectives determined that
Mr. Johnson had attacked a female inside the home, doused her with a fluid, and set the home on fire.
The victim was able to escape and run to a nearby residence for assistance. The victim was treated and released from Tobey Hospital.

Mr. Johnson is being charged by Wareham Police as follows:

1. Attempted Murder
2. Arson of a Dwelling House
3. Assault and Battery with a Dangerous Weapon

The Wareham Police Department appreciates the cooperation between the multiple police agencies as well as the Wareham Fire Department.

New Bedford Police narcotics unit took more than 70 grams of cocaine valued at about $7,000 off the street Tuesday, April 3 and arrested a New Bedford man following an investigation into a cocaine distribution service being operated out of 490 Union St. Apt. 1 and 9 McMurray Ct. Apt. 1.

Benjamin Duarte, 48, of 490 Union St. Apt. 1, New Bedford, was arrested and charged with trafficking in cocaine and malicious damage to a motor vehicle.

Duarte, who was the subject of the investigation, was stopped by police in his vehicle as he left the McMurray Court address and headed south on County Street. When police attempted to stop him at Elm Street and County Street, Duarte tried to flee, striking police vehicles in the process.

When police executed the search warrant at 490 Union St. Apt. 1, they discovered 25 bags of cocaine weighed at 71 grams, digital scales, packaging material and $17,230 in cash.

A search of the 9 McMurray Ct. Apt. 1 location uncovered a small amount of cocaine, digital scales, packaging materials and $341 on Duarte.

A search of his vehicle yielded a small amount of cocaine, digital scales and packaging materials.

Duarte is no stranger to police. He has a criminal history dating back more than 30 years with 48 adult arraignments.

He has previous convictions for possession of a firearm and assault to kill.

He has two open cases in Superior Court for trafficking cocaine.

Duarte was arraigned Wednesday in District Court and is being held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing and bail revocation hearing on April 11.

A Cape Cod man who attempted to carry $100,000, gift-wrapped to look like books, in his carry-on luggage at Boston Logan International Airport, was ordered to forfeit the money by a federal court judge, who held that the money was substantially connected to drug trafficking.

Daniel R. Ormond, 32, having booked a one-way flight from Boston to California on May 26, 2016, attempted to pass through a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoint with a bag that contained two gift-wrapped packages, which appeared to be books. Further inspection revealed, however, that the gift-wrapped “books” were actually two separate bundles of currency sandwiched between cardboard and then wrapped in carbon-paper.

Ormond initially denied having any knowledge of the currency in his bag and claimed that his mother packed the two gifts, which he said were intended for a relative graduating high school in northern California. When contacted, Ormond’s mother denied providing her son with gifts or currency, and denied the existence of a relative graduating high school in California. While Ormond was talking to law enforcement, he received a call from a friend, who asked whether Ormond was able to get through security without any issues. In addition, a police K-9 alerted officers to the currency.

In October 2016, the United States filed a complaint for forfeiture of the $100,000, which alleged that the money was proceeds of drug trafficking, or money intended to be used for drug trafficking. Recently, U.S. District Court Judge Douglas P. Woodlock entered judgment in favor of the United States and ordered the forfeiture of the money. The Court found that the substantial amount of money seized from Ormond, the packaging of the money, Ormond’s last minute travel to a known narcotics source area, Ormond’s inconsistent statements to investigators, the K-9 alert, Ormond’s past criminal history, and testimony from other witnesses established that the currency was substantially connected to drug trafficking. The Court also found that Ormond failed to provide any explanation for the source of the funds in his challenge to the forfeiture proceeding.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Michael J. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; Colonel Kerry A. Gilpin, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police Force; and John Gibbons, U.S. Marshal for the District of Massachusetts, made the announcement. The case was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Doreen M. Rachal of Lelling’s Civil Division.

A Plymouth man was arrested this week and charged in federal court in Boston with anonymously stalking a woman by text message and social media for more than two years, including throughout the 14-months that they dated.

Joseph Kukstis, 29, was charged with one count of stalking by electronic means. He will appear before U.S. District Court Chief Magistrate Judge David H. Hennessy later today.

According to the charging documents, between September 2015 and about October 2017, Kukstis targeted the victim with an anonymous harassment campaign that was intended to cause – and did cause – the victim substantial emotional distress.

Kukstis’ course of conduct included: (1) sending the victim hundreds of degrading text messages, many of which urged her to kill herself; (2) instilling fear in the victim that her harasser was coming to her home; (3) sending private, intimate pictures of the victim to her friends and acquaintances through a “spoofed” Instagram account he created in the victim’s name; (4) harassing men who Kukstis believed were romantically involved with the victim; and (5) attempting to obtain or obtaining unauthorized access to the victim’s social media accounts.

Kukstis also sent himself harassing messages that he then shared with the victim, purportedly as proof to her that he, too, was a victim of the stalking.

On Jan. 22, 2018, Kukstis sent an e-mail from an account in his own name to the victim, saying: “it was me the entire time, I hate myself for it.”

The charge of stalking provides for a sentence of no greater than five years in prison, three years of supervised release, a fine of $250,000, and restitution. Sentences are imposed by a U.S. district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth B. Kosto of Lelling’s Cybercrime Unit is prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Lt. Kevin Kobza reports that the Fairhaven Police Department and SEMLEC responded to a home in Fairhaven, where an individual had barricaded himself inside, and that the situation has ended without incident.

At 8:38 a.m., Fairhaven Police officers attempting to make contact with a resident at 18 Winsegansett Ave. were turned away by a resident who then barricaded himself inside the home. SEMLEC units subsequently responded to the scene and, working under the local control of Fairhaven Police, helped to bring the situation to a peaceful conclusion.

The man, who was alone inside the home and not in possession of any firearms, was taken into custody at approximately 12:30 p.m. Prior to bringing him into custody, Fairhaven Police had reason to believe the subject may have been armed with a knife.

His name is not being released at this time, and there is no threat to the community.

On Thursday, Dartmouth police report that a man snatched an elderly woman’s purse while she was shopping at Shaw’s. The New Bedford Police Department identified the man as Cody Toolis currently homeless and has two active warrants out for his arrest.

Have information? Contact your local police department or detective Sean McGuire at 508-910-1733.

On the evening of March 29, Rochester Police Officer Alex Malo stopped a motor vehicle for a civil motor vehicle infraction. Upon speaking with the operator it was discovered he had an active arrest warrant. During the arrest, a large number of drugs were discovered.

Joseph Sessine, 25 of Plymouth was arrested and held without bail. In the vehicle, officers found approximately $7,000 in cash, 21 pounds of marijuana and hundreds of various THC edibles and vapor cartridges. In total, the seizures worth approximately $100,000 in street value.

Sessine has been charged with possession of a class D substance with intent to distribute and possession of a class C substance as well as speeding and the outstanding warrant.

On Thursday, the State Police High-Risk Victim Unit and the Lowell Police Department conducted a human trafficking sting operation at an area hotel. The focus of the operation was to recover underage girls, under the age of 18 and women who were being commercially sexually exploited. The investigation included an undercover operation which resulted in the arrest of two suspects who were exploiting the girls.

Troopers and officers arrested DOUGLAS ARRON, 28, of Boston and JAHI MALARY, 30, of Randolph. Both men were charged with Trafficking a Person for Sexual Servitude. Additionally, MALARY was charged with violating a Lowell city ordinance; Possession of a Dangerous Weapon, a Knife. Both parties were transported to the Lowell Police Department where they were booked and held for arraignment today in Lowell District Court. As a result of their arraignment, AARON was held on $8000.00 cash bail and MALARY was held on $25,000 cash bail