Cranston Man Caught in Cigarettte Smuggling Scheme

They drove to Virginia, bought tens of thousands of dollars worth of cigarattes each with a 35 cent per pack tax in that state, brought them back to Rhode Island with its $3.50 per pack tax and made huge profits.

That's the crux of a indictiment that alleges seven men, including a 36-year-old Cranston man, carried out a scheme to sell cigarettes they bought in Virginia here in Rhode Island, costing the state millions in lost tax revenue.

Federal officials swept through multiple locations across the state on Wednesday and recovered about $100,000 cash, business records, four vehicles and other items associated with the trafficking operation.

"As alleged, today’s indictment has taken down a wide-ranging, complex interstate criminal enterprise,” U.S. Attorney Peter Neronha said in a prepared statement. “Members of this enterprise, often under the cloak of purportedly legitimate businesses, used any means possible to steal more than a million dollars from Rhode Island taxpayers. The means varied - cigarette smuggling and corresponding evasion of Rhode Island cigarette taxes, social security fraud, and food stamp fraud – but the result was the same.”

The indictment charges Wissam Khalil, 40, of Central Falls, a Providence convenience store owner; his brothers Bassam Khalil, 48, and Najd Khalil, 25, of Pawtucket; Abdullah Alnahas, 36, of Cranston, a Providence convenience store owner; Bassam Kiriaki, 45, a Pawtucket accountant; and Richard Larrain, 23, of Providence, an enlisted soldier in the U.S. Army Reserves, with allegedly participating in a conspiracy to possess, transport, and distribute contraband cigarettes in Rhode Island.

A seventh defendant, Valeria Mendez (Khalil), 30, of Central Falls, wife of Wissam Khalil, is charged with conspiring to make and making false statements to a government official.

According to the indictment and/or information presented to the court, it is alleged that the conspiracy, which allegedly began as early as July 2011, included the creation of several “shell” corporations in Virginia and the rental of vacant retail storefronts in Virginia for the stated purpose of purchasing and reselling cigarettes in Virginia. The cigarette packages purchased included Virginia tax stamps, reflecting a Virginia tax of 35 cents per package.

According to information presented to the court, between July 2011 and continuing until this week, more than 30,000 cartons (six million) of cigarettes valued at more than $1.2 million were purchased in Virginia and shipped to Rhode Island in a truck bearing Rhode Island War Veteran Plates. It is alleged that on numerous occasions, the truck was driven by Richard Larrain while he was wearing his United States Army uniform. It is alleged that he wore his Army uniform in an effort to gain favor and avoid law enforcement detection.

It is alleged that the cigarettes were distributed and sold in Rhode Island at or near full-retail price, including a tax payment of $3.50 per package. It is alleged that the lack of payment of the cigarette tax to the state of Rhode Island resulted in a loss of approximately $1.05 million  of tax revenue.

The indictment alleges that as part of the investigation, on March 30, 2013, Najd Khalil was stopped by Virginia State Police as he allegedly drove from Rhode Island to Virginia in a rental vehicle in which he allegedly concealed $30,000 in cash. It is alleged that the cash, seized by Virginia State Police, was to have been used to purchase cigarettes in Virginia for resale in Rhode Island. The indictment alleges that Bassam Kiriaki, Wissam Khalil, and Richard Larrain conspired to create a false IRS Form 8300, “Report of Cash Payment over $10,000 Received in Trade of Business,” which they allegedly backdated to March 25, 2013, and provided to Virginia State Police in an effort to persuade Virginia State Police to return the $30,000.

The indictment also alleges that between February 7 and February 26, 2013, Bassam and Wissam Khalil allegedly conspired to make false statements to a customer service representative of the U.S. Social Security Administration about the travel of their father. It is alleged that they conspired to make false statements that their father had not traveled outside the United States for a calendar month or 30 consecutive days since February 1, 2011. Information presented to the court alleges that the father, who collects Social Security disability benefits, had actually resided outside the United States.

It is also alleged in the indictment that Wissam Khalil and Valeria Mendez (Khalil), 31, of Central Falls, wife of Wissam Khalil, conspired to make false statements to a program specialist of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service, stating that Valeria Mendez was not related to Wissam Khalil. On March 7, 2012, Valeria Mendez allegedly completed a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Application for a Providence convenience store identifying herself as the owner. She left blank questions about her relationship, if any, to the previous two owners, Wissam Khalil and his father. When questioned by a USDA program specialist, Valeria Mendez allegedly denied knowing Wissam Khalil and allegedly stated that she resided with her parents in Providence.

An indictment is merely an allegation and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney William J. Ferland

The matters charged in the indictment were investigated by the Rhode Island State Police, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations, United States Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General-Office of Investigations, Homeland Security Investigations, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General.

United States Attorney Peter F. Neronha also acknowledged and thanked the Virginia State Police, the Virginia Department of Attorney General, the Virginia Division of Taxation, the Rhode Island Department of Attorney General, the Rhode Island Division of Taxation-Excise Tax Compliance Unit, and the Cranston and Providence Police Departments for their assistance in this investigation.