August 2, 09

NEWS / Illegal Aliens Arrested on Wire Fraud Charges

NEW ORLEANS, LA—JALLA PIERRE EMANUEL, age 38, and JACKSON NTONE NDEMBA, age 35, citizens of the Republic of Cameroon, were arrested yesterday by Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and charged by a criminal complaint with conspiracy and wire fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Jim Letten.

According to the affidavit in support of the criminal complaint, EMANUEL and NDEMBA fraudulently represented that they could produce two counterfeit bills utilizing one real bill. FBI investigation eventually resulted in a meeting with the defendants in which the defendants expected to receive $60,000 in U.S. currency from which they said they would produce $120,000 in counterfeit U.S. currency. The defendants were arrested at an agreed-upon meeting place at which time they were found to be in possession of approximately $68,000 counterfeit United States currency.

EMANUEL and NDEMBA will make their initial court appearance before United States Magistrate Judge Louis Moore, Jr. at 2:00 P.M. today, Thursday, July 30, 2009, and the government will request that defendants be detained.

If convicted, defendants face a maximum term of imprisonment of twenty (20) years, a fine of $250,000.00, and three (3) years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment.

U.S. Attorney Letten reiterated that a criminal complaint is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

This investigation was conducted by Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Secret Service. The prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Gregory M. Kennedy and W. Scott Laragy.