SACRAMENTO, Calif. - On July 6, 2017, a federal grand jury returned a five-count indictment against Raeef Ohan Ohan, 58, of Stockton, charging him with possession of goods stolen from interstate shipments and engaging in monetary transactions in criminally derived property, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
Ohan was arraigned today and entered a plea of not guilty. He is scheduled to appear before U.S. District Judge Morrison C. England Jr. on Oct. 26, 2017.
According to court documents, Ohan was found in possession of thousands of dollars’ worth of stolen goods, which had been embezzled or stolen from truck trailers, vehicles or warehouses while the goods were being shipped and transported interstate. The stolen goods included pet food, nutrition drinks, and concrete, and were stolen over the course of several years beginning in at least 2012.
This case is the product of an investigation by the TRaCE (Tax Recovery and Criminal Enforcement) Task Force. The TRaCE Task Force joins existing state and federal resources to collaboratively combat illegal business activities that rob California of public funds and its citizens of public services. The TRaCE Task Force is composed of investigators and special agents from multiple agencies working together to investigate, prosecute and recover revenue lost to the underground economy. These agencies include the Federal Bureau of Investigation; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation; California Department of Justice - Bureau of Investigation, Office of the Attorney General; California Department of Tax and Fee Administration; California Franchise Tax Board; California Employment Development Department; and California Department of Motor Vehicles. Assistant United States Attorneys Jared C. Dolan and Amy Schuller Hitchcock are prosecuting the case.
If convicted, Ohan faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
