Press Release
For Immediate Release
February 26, 2010
Washington D.C.
FBI National Press Office
(202) 324-3691


FBI’s Top Ten News Stories for the Week Ending February 26, 2010

New York: Najibullah Zazi Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Use Explosives Against Persons or Property in U.S.

Najibullah Zazi pleaded guilty Monday to a three-count superseding information charging him with conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction (explosive bombs) against persons or property in the United States, conspiracy to commit murder in a foreign country, and providing material support to al Qaeda. Among other things, Zazi admitted that he brought triacetone triperoxide explosives to New York on Sept. 10, 2009, as part of plan to attack the New York subway system. Full Story

New York: Two Charged with Terror Violations in Connection with New York Subway Plot

The Justice Department announced that a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of New York has returned a superseding indictment charging Zarein Ahmedzay and Adis Medunjanin with terrorism violations stemming from, among other activities, their alleged roles in the plot involving Najibullah Zazi to attack the New York subway system in mid-September 2009. Full Story

New Orleans: Former New Orleans Police Officer Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Cover Up the Danziger Bridge Shootings

Michael Lohman, a former lieutenant of the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD), has pleaded guilty to conspiring with fellow NOPD officers to obstruct justice by covering up a police-involved shooting that occurred in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the Justice Department announced. The Sept. 4, 2005, shooting on the Danziger Bridge left two civilians dead and four others seriously injured. Full Story

New York: Daniel Bonventre, Former Director of Operations for Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities, LLC, with Conspiracy, Securities Fraud, and Tax Crimes

Daniel Bonventre, the former director of operations for Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC, was arrested on a criminal complaint charging him with conspiracy; securities fraud; falsifying books and records of a broker-dealer; false filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission; and filing false federal tax returns. Bonventre was responsible for, among other things: maintaining and supervising the production of the principal internal accounting documents for Madoff’s firm, including its general ledger and financial statements, and maintaining the company’s stock record. Full Story

Miami: Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force Hosts Mortgage Fraud Summit

Representatives of the Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force met in Miami today for the first of a series of Mortgage Fraud Summits. The task force, established by President Barack Obama in November 2009 to wage an aggressive, coordinated, and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes, is composed of representatives from a broad range of federal agencies, regulatory authorities, inspectors general, and state and local law enforcement. The first summit was held in Miami because of the high rate of mortgage fraud in the region. Full Story

Houston: Osiel Cardenas-Guillen, Former Head of the Gulf Cartel, Sentenced to 25 Years’ Imprisonment

The former head of the notorious Gulf Cartel, Osiel Cardenas-Guillen, 42, of Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico, has been sentenced to serve 25 years in federal prison without parole and will forfeit to the United States $50 million in proceeds from his illegal enterprise. Originally indicted in 2000 in the Southern District of Texas, Cardenas-Guillen was extradited in January 2007—one of a total of 15 major drug defendants and others extradited to the United States from Mexico—for prosecution. Full Story

New York: Former Hedge Fund Manager Arthur G. Nadel Pleads Guilty in Manhattan Federal Court to a Massive Ponzi Scheme

Arthur G. Nadel pleaded guilty to 15 counts of securities, wire and mail fraud Wednesday. 1999 through January 2009, Nadel perpetrated a Ponzi scheme to defraud investors in six different investment funds. During the scheme, Nadel persuaded people to invest their retirement money and savings by lying to them about his success in trading and inflating the value of the funds. Full Story

Newark: Brookhaven Memorial Hospital Medical Center in New York to Pay U.S. $2.92 Million to Resolve Fraud Allegations

Brookhaven Memorial Hospital Medical Center, a Long Island, N.Y.-based hospital, has agreed to pay $2.92 million, plus interest, to settle allegations that the hospital defrauded Medicare. The government alleged that the hospital fraudulently inflated its charges to Medicare patients to obtain enhanced reimbursement from the federal health care program. Full Story

Washington Field: New York Man Pleads Guilty to Criminal Copyright Infringement for Selling Pirated Computer Software Using the Internet

Robert Cimino pleaded guilty to criminal copyright infringement for selling more than $250,000 worth of pirated copies of popular business, engineering and graphic design software programs. Cimino advertised the sale of discounted popular software programs on a variety of Internet-based advertising forums, operating under the business name “SoftwareSuite.â€