HOUSTON – Two Houston residents are set to appear on allegations in an $8.7 million fraud scheme connected to a home health company they jointly owned and operated, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

Caroline Zamora, 63, and Rommel Zamora, 59, are set to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Andrew M. Edison at 2 p.m.

The indictment, returned March 1, alleges the Zamoras owned and operated 24/7 Stat Care Home Health Services Inc. aka Parkway Healthcare Services. From approximately February 7, 2014 through November 9, 2018, the couple allegedly conspired to pay illegal cash kickbacks to Medicare patients to sign up for home health services with Parkway. The Zamoras are also alleged to have conspired to pay kickbacks to doctors to certify and refer patients for home health who did not qualify.

The indictment further alleges the Zamoras fraudulently billed Medicare for home health services that were not provided or for patients who did not qualify for such services. Parkway billed Medicare $8.7M and was paid $6.7M, according to the indictment.  

If convicted, both face up to 10 years in prison on each count of health care fraud in addition to another five years for the conspiracy. All counts also carry as possible punishment a maximum $250,000 fine.

The Texas Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, Department of Health and Human Services - Office of Inspector General and the FBI conducted the investigation. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Abdul Farukhi is prosecuting the case.

An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.

            WASHINGTON – Harrison Lee, 43, of Northeast Washington D.C., was sentenced today to 210 months in prison for sex trafficking a 17-year-old girl for his own financial benefit, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge David Geist of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division.

            Lee pleaded guilty on February 8, 2024, to sex trafficking of a minor before U.S. District Judge Trevor N. McFadden. In addition to the 210-month prison sentence, Judge McFadden ordered Lee to serve 15 years of supervised release and pay $70,000 in restitution.

            According to court documents, in December 2015, Lee began advertising the minor for commercial sex on Backpage.com, a now-defunct website that had an escorts-for-hire section. Lee placed ads with headings such as “Young Exotic MIXED GIRL” on a near-daily basis from December 18, 2015, to January 24, 2016. The advertisements posted by Lee contained nude and sexually explicit images of the minor that constituted child sexual abuse material.

            Lee transported the minor to hotels in the Washington D.C. area as well as to other states up and down the eastern seaboard, including New Jersey and Georgia. He took all the money that the minor earned, rendering her completely dependent on him.

            After the victim turned 18, Lee continued to exploit her in commercial sex off and on for years, until the time of his arrest on July 20, 2023. Lee received at least $70,000 from her commercial sex work.

            This case was investigated by the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. It is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Jessica Arco from the Department of Justice’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit and Assistant U.S. Attorney Caroline Burrell from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

            This case was brought as part of the Department of Justice's Project Safe Childhood initiative. In February 2006, the Attorney General created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorney's Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

 

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TUCSON, Ariz. – Mariana Garcia-Tapia, 32, of Tucson, was sentenced last week by United States District Judge Scott H. Rash to 60 months in prison. Garcia-Tapia pleaded guilty on July 10, 2024, to Conspiracy to Transport Illegal Aliens for Profit Placing in Jeopardy the Life of Any Person. She was given an additional 12 months in prison to run consecutive to her sentence for violating the conditions of her supervised release in a separate case (CR-22-00816-002-PHX-DJH).On February 2, 2024, near Naco, Arizona, a United States Border Patrol camera operator observed four suspected undocumented noncitizens approach a 2011 Volkswagen Routan. Another Border Patrol agent responded and observed the group get into the Routan. When Border Patrol stopped the vehicle, they found that it was only occupied by the driver and co-defendant, Sharnesia Latrice Cooley, her two-year-old minor son and the defendant, Garcia-Tapia. A search of the area revealed four injured people strewn along the road just east of the San Pedro Bridge. Their injuries were consistent with having jumped from a moving vehicle. They were transported to the hospital with serious head trauma among other injuries, and it was determined that all four were illegally present within the United States. One of the undocumented noncitizens admitted that they had made arrangements to be smuggled into the United States for a sum of money.The co-defendant, Cooley, was found guilty by way of jury trial. She is currently set for sentencing on January 16, 2025, before Judge Rash.Customs and Border Protection’s United States Border Patrol conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alicia Renee Quezada and Caroline Allen, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.  CASE NUMBER:           CR 24-00910-2-TUC-SHR RELEASE NUMBER:    2024-161_Garcia-Tapia# # #For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/ Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on X @USAO_AZ for the latest news. 

TUCSON, Ariz. – Sharnesia Latrice Cooley, 31, of Tucson, was sentenced last week by United States District Judge Scott H. Rash to 60 months in prison for Conspiracy to Transport Illegal Aliens for Profit and Transporting Illegal Aliens for Profit. Cooley was found guilty at trial on November 1, 2024.On February 2, 2024, near Naco, a United States Border Patrol camera operator observed four suspected undocumented noncitizens approach a 2011 Volkswagen Routan. Another Border Patrol agent responded and observed the group get into the Routan. When Border Patrol was able to stop the vehicle, they found that it was only occupied by Cooley, who was the driver, her two-year-old minor son and a co-defendant, Mariana Garcia-Tapia. A search of the area revealed four seriously injured people strewn along the road just east of the San Pedro Bridge. Their injuries were consistent with having jumped from a moving vehicle. It was determined that all four were illegally present within the United States. One of the undocumented noncitizens admitted that they made arrangements to be smuggled into the United States for a sum of money. All four were transported to the hospital with injuries including serious head trauma.The co-defendant, Garcia-Tapia, pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Transport Illegal Aliens for Profit Placing in Jeopardy the Life of Any Person on July 10, 2024. She was sentenced on November 15, 2024, to 60 months in prison by Judge Rash with an additional 12 months in prison to run consecutive to her sentence for violating the conditions of her supervised release in a separate case (CR-22-00816-002-PHX-DJH).Customs and Border Protection’s United States Border Patrol conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alicia Renee Quezada and Caroline Allen, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.  CASE NUMBER:            CR 24-00910-TUC-SHR RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-009_Cooley# # #For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/ Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on X @USAO_AZ for the latest news. 

TUCSON, Ariz. – Jesus Rene Villa, 31, of Tucson, was sentenced on March 25, 2025, by United States District Judge Raner C. Collins to 36 months in prison. Villa pleaded guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon on January 8, 2025.On March 1, 2024, Tucson Police Department officers searched Villa’s vehicle after arresting him for previously fleeing from law enforcement. During the search, officers located a loaded firearm in a black duffel bag on the back seat. An investigation revealed that Villa was a four-time convicted felon. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) then assumed responsibility for the case in collaboration with the Tucson Police Department as part of the National Public Safety Partnership (PSP).The National PSP was established by the U.S. Department of Justice to provide an innovative framework to enhance federal support of state, local, and tribal law enforcement and prosecution authorities in enhancing public safety. PSP began as a pilot program, the Violence Reduction Network, in 2014 and is designed to promote interagency coordination by leveraging specialized law enforcement expertise with dedicated prosecutorial resources to promote public and community safety. PSP serves as a DOJ-wide program that enables participating sites to consult with and receive expedited, coordinated training and technical assistance, and an array of resources from DOJ to enhance local public safety strategies. This model enables DOJ to provide jurisdictions of different sizes and diverse needs with data-driven, evidence-based strategies tailored to the unique local needs of participating cities to build their capacities to address violent crime challenges. PSP has engaged with more than 60 sites since the program’s inception.The ATF and Tucson Police Department conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney, Caroline Allen, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.CASE NUMBER:          CR-24-01319-TUC-RCC RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-049_Villa# # #For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona,  visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.

TUCSON, Ariz. – Last week, a federal grand jury indicted Santiago Luis Valencia, Jr., 34, of Tucson, on one count of Second Degree Murder. Valencia is an enrolled member of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe.

It is alleged that on June 15, 2024, the victim and Valencia engaged in a verbal altercation that later turned physical. According to witnesses, Valencia was the initial aggressor and assaulted the victim by striking the back of the victim’s head against a windowsill on the exterior of the residence where the incident occurred. The victim died the following day as a result of the injuries sustained during the fight.

Second Degree Murder carries a maximum penalty of life in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and five years of supervised release.

An indictment is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant United States Attorneys Nathaniel J. Walters and Caroline Allen, District of Arizona, Tucson, are handling the prosecution.

 

CASE NUMBER:           CR-24-04265-TUC-JGZ

RELEASE NUMBER:    2024-096_Valencia

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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/

Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on X @USAO_AZ for the latest news.