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Home Court filings USA v. Sary - Ahmed M Sary USA v. Sary — U.S. District Court, District of Maryland Exhibit 2 — USA v. Sary - Ahmed M Sary (Dkt. 118.2)

Court filing

Exhibit 2 — USA v. Sary - Ahmed M Sary (Dkt. 118.2)

Filed September 19, 2025 in USA v. Sary - Ahmed M Sary; one of 75 filings from this case.

Record facts

CourtU.S. District Court for the District of Maryland
Filed2025-09-19

U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland · No. 1:23-cr-00344-RDB · Doc. 118-2 · 2025-09-19 · Docket on CourtListener

Full text

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF MARYLAND 
NORTHERN DIVISION
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,         )
                                  )            
          Plaintiff,              ) 
     vs.                          )  
                                  ) CRIMINAL NO.:
AHMED M. SARY,                    ) 1:23-cr-00344-RDB
                                  ) 
          Defendant.              )   
__________________________________)
     
 Baltimore, Maryland 
 June 25, 2024 
 11:00 a.m.
TRANSCRIPT OF PROCEEDINGS
SENTENCING HEARING
BEFORE THE HONORABLE RICHARD D. BENNETT  
Courtroom 5D
For the Government:
PAUL A. RILEY, Esquire
  Office of the United States Attorney
  36 South Charles Street, 4th Floor
  Baltimore, MD 21201
For the Defendant:
JULIE M. REAMY, Esquire
  Julie M. Reamy, Attorney At Law, LLC
  1 Olympic Place, Suite 900
  Towson, MD 21204 
Also Present:  Nicole Wonneman, Nikki Martin, U.S. Probation
Special Agent Dan Parker, FBI
(Computer-aided transcription of stenotype notes)
Patricia G. Mitchell, RMR, CRR  Federal Official Court Reporter
101 W. Lombard Street, Fourth Floor
Baltimore, MD 21201
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P R O C E E D I N G S
(11:10 a.m.)
THE COURT:  Good morning, everyone.  Those in the far 
back may be seated.  This is calling the case of United States 
versus Ahmed Sary, Criminal Number RDB-23-0344.  The defendant 
pled guilty to a one-count criminal information before me on 
October 18th of last year, and we are here to proceed with 
sentencing here today.  
I would note that the standing orders of this court have 
previously required that masks be born in all public areas of 
the courthouse.  That is no longer the case.  It is within the 
discretion of the presiding judge in particular courtrooms as 
to whether or not masks will be worn.  My policy is still in 
the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic that masks will be worn 
in my courtroom if people have not been fully vaccinated, so I 
do inquire of the vaccination status of the parties before me.  
And Mr. Carrick, the deputy courtroom clerk, can hand out masks 
to those individuals here who have not been vaccinated.  
So with that, if counsel would identify themselves for the 
record, please.  
MR. RILEY:  Good morning, Your Honor.  Assistant U.S. 
Attorney Paul Riley on behalf of the Government.  With me at 
counsel table is Special Agent Dan Parker of the FBI.  We are 
both vaccinated and boosted, Your Honor.  
THE COURT:  Yes, Mr. Riley.  Nice to see you.  And, 
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Agent Parker, nice to see you again.  
MR. RILEY:  Yes, Your Honor.
THE COURT:  You're welcome as always.  You-all both 
may be seated.  On behalf of the defendant?  
MS. REAMY:  Good morning, Your Honor.  For the 
record, my name is Julie Reamy.  I represent Ahmed Sary.  I am 
fully vaccinated, and my understanding is Mr. Sary is as 
well.  
THE COURT:  Yes, Ms. Reamy.  Nice to see you as 
always.  Welcome back.  You're privately retained, I believe; 
is that correct?  
MS. REAMY:  Yes.  
THE COURT:  Always nice to have you here.  Good 
morning to you, Mr. Sary.  Sir, you have been fully vaccinated?  
THE DEFENDANT:  Yes, sir.  
THE COURT:  All right.  With that, thank you very 
much.  
We have with us Nicole Wonneman, the U.S. probation 
officer.  She is replacing Jessica Jackson who is unable to be 
here today.  Ms. Wonneman, nice to see you, and thank you for 
filling in.  You have been vaccinated; is that correct?  
PROBATION OFFICER:  That's correct, Your Honor.  
THE COURT:  It's nice to have you and thank you.  You 
may be seated as well, Ms. Wonneman.  
I want to welcome all of those in attendance here today.  
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Any of the members in the gallery who have not been vaccinated?  
I'm pleased to note that everyone appears to have been 
vaccinated; no one has indicated otherwise.  
Ms. Reamy, I have read some of the letters that were 
submitted on behalf of Mr. Sary during these proceedings.  I 
know I received letters from his wife and from both of his sons 
and from Linda Derezinski, a good friend, and another, Waiel 
Fetouha.  Also another one of the letters I received was from 
Attorney Leonard Redmond of Baltimore.  The record will reflect 
he and I were classmates at the University of Maryland Law 
School, and I hold Mr. Redmond in high regard and I have read 
his letter.  
Mr. Riley, you have received copies of those letters as 
well?  
MR. RILEY:  Correct, Your Honor.  
THE COURT:  Thank you.  With that, I gather the 
defendant's wife and sons are here?  Is that correct?  
MS. REAMY:  That's correct -- 
THE COURT:  Thank you, I've read your letters.  While 
no one has been indicated as being a witness here, Mr. Riley, 
you have no objection if anybody wants to speak, do you?  
MR. RILEY:  No, Your Honor.  
THE COURT:  Ms. Reamy, if anybody else wants to come 
forward and speak --
MS. REAMY:  We do intend to have brief presentations, 
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and I do apologize for not letting the Court know.  
THE COURT:  That's quite all right, quite all right.  
Anyone here is welcome to come forward and speak if they so 
desire.  The Government appropriately doesn't have any 
objection.  
I also want to clarify, Mr. Riley, that there has been a 
notice to the victims of this conspiracy to commit wire fraud 
with respect to false loan applications during the pandemic in 
the payment protection plan and the fraud on the government 
program -- 
MR. RILEY:  Yes, Your Honor.  
THE COURT:  There has been notice to victims?  
MR. RILEY:  Yes, Your Honor.  
THE COURT:  Although the defendant was charged in a 
criminal complaint which will be dismissed later in these 
proceedings, there was no underlying indictment.  It was a 
criminal information.  
MR. RILEY:  That's absolutely right, Your Honor.  
THE COURT:  Essentially the two co-defendants in this 
case, Lawrence Walker and Reginald Hopkins, also pled guilty 
before me and have already been sentenced I believe, correct?  
You handled those cases as well.  
MR. RILEY:  That's right, Your Honor.  As the 
Government noted in our sentencing submission, there is another 
pending case; that's the Joseph Gillespie matter.  That case is 
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pending trial before Your Honor.  He has not pled guilty.  
THE COURT:  Yes, what date is that?  I'm sorry.  
There were a total of four of them.  Two have pled guilty but 
Mr. Sary is the third, and he is the third to be sentenced.  
And Mr. Gillespie is due to go to trial when?  I'm sorry, I 
overlooked --
MR. RILEY:  I apologize, Your Honor.  I believe it's 
this summer, fall.  
THE COURT:  That's all right.  There is a fourth 
person.  
MR. RILEY:  I'll say, Your Honor, that the parties 
are not anticipating a trial in that matter, but it is set for 
trial.  
THE COURT:  That's fine, whatever.  Just keep 
Ms. Foster notified.  
MR. RILEY:  Yes, Your Honor.  
THE COURT:  Thank you, Mr. Riley, thank you very 
much.  With that, we are ready to proceed.  
I note that there is one agreement here with respect to 
the presentence investigation report here, and that is that the 
Government agrees with the defense counsel that I think 
paragraph 62, Ms. Wonneman, will need to be amended.  In light 
of the recent amendments to § 4C1.1 of the advisory guidelines, 
the defendant was entitled to a minus two adjustment, correct, 
Mr. Riley?  
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MR. RILEY:  Correct, Your Honor.  
THE COURT:  Correct, Ms. Reamy?  
MS. REAMY:  Yes.  
THE COURT:  We'll be going over that in a minute.  
There will be an adjustment on the total offense level which 
will be an adjustment on the advisory guideline range.  
Mr. Sary, I would note, sir, that when you pled guilty 
before me last October, you did so pursuant to a specific rule 
of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure; specifically Rule 
11(c)(1)(C) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure provides 
that a criminal defendant may agree upon a specific sentence or 
a range of sentence.  In paragraph 10 of your plea agreement 
letter, which was introduced as Government's Exhibit 1 back on 
October 18th, that plea agreement specifically provided that 
you and the Government agreed the appropriate range of sentence 
here is 60 months to 114 months or essentially five years to 
nine and a half years.  Do you understand that?  
THE DEFENDANT:  Yes, Your Honor.  
THE COURT:  And members of your family understand 
that, meaning that if I were inclined to sentence you to one 
day more than 114 months or one day more than nine and a half 
years in prison, you could withdraw your guilty plea.  Do you 
understand that?  
THE DEFENDANT:  Yes, Your Honor.  
THE COURT:  By the same token, that rule provides 
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that if I were inclined to sentence you to one day less than 60 
months, one day less than five years in prison, the Government 
could withdraw from the plea agreement.  
Is that correct, Ms. Reamy, from your point of view?  
MS. REAMY:  Correct, Your Honor.  
THE COURT:  You understand that, Mr. Sary?  
THE DEFENDANT:  Yes, Your Honor.  
THE COURT:  Correct, Mr. Riley?  
MR. RILEY:  Yes, Your Honor.  
THE COURT:  So everyone understands here, we're 
dealing with a range of sentence here in a matter in which 
there will clearly be a federal prison sentence.  The question 
will be how long will that be, how long a sentence will that 
be.  
I want to verify that you have had an opportunity to 
review the presentence report prepared by Ms. Jessica Jackson 
with your attorney, Ms. Reamy; is that correct?  
THE DEFENDANT:  Yes, Your Honor.  
THE COURT:  Approximately how many times have you 
reviewed it with her?  
THE DEFENDANT:  Like two times.  
THE COURT:  I'm sorry?  Pull that microphone over a 
little over farther.  
THE DEFENDANT:  Two times, Your Honor.  
THE COURT:  Are you satisfied you've had a sufficient 
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amount of time to go over it with her?  
THE DEFENDANT:  Yes.  
THE COURT:  The only correction or objection by the 
Government, Mr. Riley, is with respect to that paragraph as to 
a two-level downward adjustment under 4C1.1 of the advisory 
guidelines, correct?  
MR. RILEY:  Correct, Your Honor.  
THE COURT:  Correct from your point of view, 
Ms. Reamy?  
MS. REAMY:  Yes, there is some additional information 
that should have come to the Court in the last couple of days 
from Ms. Jackson.  I don't know if the Court received 
anything.  
THE COURT:  Yes, I received a note from Ms. Jackson 
with respect to the fact that Mr. Sary has been on release by 
earlier orders, I think, of Judge Hurson and Judge Boardman of 
this court but that perhaps a mental health provision will be 
added for a special condition of his continued release.  
Voluntary surrender is anticipated.  I have that communication 
with Ms. Jackson.  Is there anything else, Ms. Reamy?  
MS. REAMY:  There is.  I think I can address it -- 
THE COURT:  -- okay, later on.  There are no errors 
or corrections other than the one correction we're going to 
make here?  
MS. REAMY:  Correct.  
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THE COURT:  With that, let me just go over the 
process here today.  I know I went over this with you back in 
October, Mr. Sary, but to make sure your family members 
understand as well.  There are -- by the way, I would also note 
that with respect to the plea agreement and the range of 
sentence, there is a waiver of appeal by both you and the 
Government as to any sentence within that range.  Do you 
understand that?  
THE DEFENDANT:  Yes, Your Honor.  
THE COURT:  I also would note that that plea 
agreement provided for specific forfeiture in addition to the 
restitution.  An order of forfeiture was filed last week, June 
20th, last Thursday.  A preliminary order of forfeiture, a 
forfeiture money judgment in the amount of $3,627,489.22.  That 
is paper no. 82.  That judgment has been entered and is 
consistent with the plea agreement.  Do you understand that?  
THE DEFENDANT:  Understand, Your Honor.  
THE COURT:  Correct from the point of view of the 
Government, Mr. Riley?  
MR. RILEY:  Yes, Your Honor.  
THE COURT:  Ms. Reamy?  
MS. REAMY:  Yes, Your Honor.  
THE COURT:  So that has already been done here.  
So with that, let me just go over the process here in 
federal court with respect to sentencing.  This is true of all 
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federal courts in the United States, not state courts.  There 
are two key opinions of the United States Supreme Court that 
outline the process for sentencing in federal court.  
First of all, in January of 2005 and now over 19 years 
ago, the Supreme Court issued its opinion in United States v. 
Booker in which the Supreme Court of the United States upheld 
the constitutionality of the Federal Sentencing Guidelines 
which were referenced, I believe, in paragraph 5 of your plea 
agreement letter and are referenced in the presentence 
investigation report prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.  
But the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of those 
guidelines with the deletion of two particular sections of the 
guidelines which had previously rendered the guidelines 
mandatory.  
The Supreme Court specifically noted that with the 
deletion of those mandatory provisions, the balance of the 
Federal Sentencing Guidelines was constitutional, but as a 
result, henceforth the Federal Sentencing Guidelines were 
rendered effectively advisory and were no longer mandatory and 
were to be applied in an advisory context, meaning that federal 
judges, while not bound to apply those guidelines, must still 
consult them and take them into account when imposing the 
sentence, subject to review by courts of appeals for 
unreasonableness.  Here there is a waiver of any appeal to the 
Court of Appeals of the Fourth Circuit above this court.  But 
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that is the process here.  
And other factors are to be considered as well under 18 
United States Code, § 3553(a).  They include your personal 
history and characteristics, the nature and circumstances of 
this offense, the sentences imposed upon similarly-situated 
individuals which means we're going to be addressing the 
sentences which were imposed upon Mr. Walker and Mr. Hopkins 
previously in this matter.  All those factors are taken into 
consideration by me as well.  
I said there were two key opinions of the Supreme Court in 
this matter.  The second of those two opinions is the case of 
Gall v. the United States decided about three years after the 
Booker case in which the Supreme Court specifically noted that 
federal judges should not presume that the guideline range is 
reasonable, but it is a starting point in a multistep process 
pursuant to which first there's a calculation of the guideline 
range which will be adjusting here this morning in a few 
minutes.  And then there's a consideration of other factors 
apart from the guidelines, the goal being to impose a sentence 
which is sufficient, but not greater than necessary, to achieve 
the goals of sentencing.  If this sentence is outside of the 
guideline range, I indicate my reasons for it being so.  
Here the matter of the guideline range is correlated with 
the agreed range of your sentence which will definitely be 60 
to 114 months, somewhere in that range, but that overlaps a 
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guideline range which would ordinarily call for a range of 108 
to 135 months which essentially translates out to some nine 
years to almost 12 years.  That would be the guideline range.  
But we'll be going over that in a moment.  
A little bit of housekeeping I still must continue to do 
is, first of all, in looking at the presentence investigation 
report, paragraph 80 lists medications that you're taking here.  
Without going into too much detail, the medications which 
you're taking listed in paragraph 80 relate to acid reflux, 
heart muscle cramps and gastroesophageal reflux, so you do take 
certain medications each day.  Did you take those medications 
today?  
THE DEFENDANT:  Yes, Your Honor.  
THE COURT:  And you take them every day?  
THE DEFENDANT:  Yes, Your Honor.  
THE COURT:  Is that having any negative effect upon 
you here today, the medication?  
THE DEFENDANT:  No, Your Honor.  
THE COURT:  Ms. Reamy, are you satisfied that your 
client is competent to proceed with sentencing here today?   
MS. REAMY:  Yes, Your Honor.  
THE COURT:  The other thing I want to go over with 
you are the procedures required by the PROTECT Act of 2003 
which is a law that was passed by the U.S. Congress over 20 
years ago obviously.  And among the many provisions of the 
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PROTECT Act, there are also provisions that apply to federal 
courts when imposing sentences in federal criminal cases.  
Specifically the PROTECT Act requires that the chief judge of 
each federal court in the United States -- again, this applies 
to federal courts, not state courts.  The chief judge of each 
federal court in the United States must ensure that within 30 
days of the imposition of sentence, that certain information 
goes over to the U.S. Sentencing Commission in Washington.  
Those documents that are to be sent over include the 
Judgment and Commitment Order which I'll be preparing 
immediately after these proceedings with the assistance of 
Mr. Carrick, the deputy clerk of court; the Statement of 
Reasons for the sentence imposed which shall include the reason 
for any departures from the otherwise applicable guideline 
range; a copy of the plea agreement in the case; ordinarily an 
indictment -- in your case, a criminal information; the 
presentence report and any other information the Sentencing 
Commission finds appropriate.  
The chief judge of this court issued an administrative 
order back over 20 years ago directing Ms. Wonneman's office, 
the U.S. Probation Office, to forward these items to the U.S. 
Sentencing Commission in Washington after each sentencing here 
in this court.  That means that some of these documents are 
subject to review, Mr. Sary, by other public officials in 
Washington or perhaps even by members of the public.  
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For a long period of time, it has been the policy of this 
court that there was an administrative order dating back to 
2004 relating to the section of the presentence report marked 
"defendant characteristics," and that is part C of your 
presentence report which begins in paragraph 74 on page 13.  
That section, going from paragraph 74 on page 13 to paragraph 
90 on page 17 of this report, is subject to administrative 
seal.  I have reviewed that information, that confidential 
family information.  Another judge of this court could review 
it if he or she so chose -- none have -- and members of the 
U.S. Sentencing Commission in Washington can review it.  No one 
else is permitted to see it absent further order of this court.  
Do you understand that?  
THE DEFENDANT:  Yes, Your Honor.  
THE COURT:  The president of the United States 
couldn't ask for it and disclose it publicly without there 
being an order of this court.  Do you understand that?  
THE DEFENDANT:  Yes, Your Honor.  
THE COURT:  To all other extent, the requirements of 
the PROTECT Act are still mandated and to be complied with.  
I said that the first step here is a calculation of the 
advisory guideline range, and there is an agreed adjustment 
here with respect to that calculation.  In light of recent 
amendments to the advisory guidelines and policies set forth by 
the U.S. Sentencing Commission, there is a category under 4C1.1 
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essentially noting that you get some credit for your lack of 
any kind of criminal history essentially.  
That's a fair summary, is it not, Mr. Riley?  
MR. RILEY:  Correct, Your Honor.  
THE COURT:  Ms. Reamy?  
MS. REAMY:  Yes, Your Honor.  
THE COURT:  In a nutshell, that's what it amounts to.  
You had not been given credit for that, but now there have been 
amendments so that you're to be given credit for it.  That 
means that essentially looking at paragraph 62 of the 
presentence report -- Ms. Wonneman, if you'll make these 
calculations, there is a downward adjustment of minus two under 
§ 4C1.1.  That results in an adjusted offense level of 34.  
There is a two-level downward adjustment further because 
of your acceptance of responsibility, and the Government is now 
moving for a third level, correct?  
MR. RILEY:  Yes, Your Honor.  
THE COURT:  -- under § 3E1.1 of the advisory 
guidelines so the total offense level of paragraph 65, 
Ms. Wonneman, will be 31, not 33.  
Furthermore, that means that there is an adjustment to 
paragraph 92 of the presentence report so that the guideline 
range will be based upon a total offense level of 31 and a 
Criminal History Category of I as the defendant has no criminal 
history.  The guideline range for imprisonment would be 108 
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months to 135 months, if you'll make that change as well.  
Then paragraph 101 for this offense level in terms of a 
fine range, no fine is going to be assessed here because of the 
massive amounts of restitution that are going to be ordered.  
But in terms of a housekeeping matter, the fine range here with 
a total offense level of 31 would change from 35,000 to 
250,000, Ms. Wonneman, to 30,000 -- I think it was a typo 
there.  Ordinarily the range would have been 35,000 to 350,000.  
Paragraph 101 should be changed so it reads the fine range is 
30,000 to 300,000.  If you'll make that change as well.  Again, 
there isn't going to be a fine assessed here.  
Mr. Carrick, if you'll note that on the Judgment and 
Commitment Order in chapter 4, there were some changes we've 
made in this so that there is no -- you have absolutely no 
criminal history of any kind, so you're in the lowest level; I 
being the lowest, VI being the highest.  There's a total 
offense level of 31.  
There are no other adjustments to be raised from the point 
of view of the Government, are there, Mr. Riley?  
MR. RILEY:  No other adjustments, Your Honor.  
THE COURT:  Again, I'll hear from you in a minute, 
Ms. Reamy, on other considerations but in terms of the 
presentence report itself, there are no other adjustments, are 
there?  
MS. REAMY:  Correct, Your Honor.  
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THE COURT:  So with that, we made that first step, as 
I mentioned, on the advisory guideline analysis.  There is a 
range of 108 to 135 months, but the reality is that the range 
here is 60 to 114 months for reasons authorized by the 
guidelines, Mr. Carrick, with respect to a binding plea 
agreement.  
So there are no other disputed matters to be addressed 
here.  With that, you may be seated for a minute, Mr. Sary.  
I'll first hear from the Government and from Mr. Riley.  He'll 
speak on behalf of the Government, speak on allocution.  Then 
I'll hear from Ms. Reamy and recognize her for remarks.  Then 
I'll give you an opportunity to speak on your own behalf, 
Mr. Sary, as well as any other persons who want to come forward 
during allocution.  
So, Mr. Riley, I'll be glad to hear from you.  I think the 
first step here is the Government is now moving to dismiss the 
original criminal complaint that was filed, correct?  
MR. RILEY:  Yes, Your Honor.  
THE COURT:  That will be dismissed.  The defendant 
pled guilty to the one-count criminal information.  There was 
no indictment in this case.  
So with that, I'll be glad to hear from you.  I've read 
your sentencing memorandum, paper no. 76, that was filed last 
week on June 18th, all of which relates to the April 2020 to 
January 2022 time period during the fraud on the government and 
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financial institutions with respect to the Paycheck Protection 
Program that was implemented in response to the COVID-19 
pandemic.  Mr. Riley.  
MR. RILEY:  Yes, Your Honor.  Thank you, Your Honor.  
Your Honor, the Government would ask this Court to impose 
a 114-month sentence.  That's the top end of the parties' 
agreed-upon sentencing C-plea range.  It's a sentence at 
essentially the low end of the advisory sentencing guideline 
range in this case.  
I want to talk briefly about a couple of 3553(a) factors 
that are particularly germane here, Your Honor.  I want to 
start off with the nature and circumstances of the offense, 
Your Honor.  There's no question, Your Honor, that this 
defendant's offense is serious.  In the wake of the COVID-19 
pandemic when the world was shut down, when businesses were 
suffering, where employees were suffering, when real businesses 
were trying to make ends meet, this defendant engaged in a 
massive scheme to defraud the Small Business Administration of 
the United States, as well as numerous financial institutions, 
as Your Honor noted.  This defendant was responsible for the 
disbursement of at least 85 fraudulent Paycheck Protection 
Program loans and nearly $15 million in actual losses 
associated with those loans.  And he was responsible for at 
least 57 fraudulent Economic Injury Disaster Loans or EIDLs.  
What we have, Your Honor, at the outset is more than $17.9 
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million in actual losses to the government as well as financial 
institutions.  Actual losses.  We're not even getting into 
intended losses.  
Your Honor, this defendant -- essentially two types, there 
was two types of conduct by this defendant in connection with 
this scheme.  He obtained roughly a million dollars, over 
$900,000 in fraudulent PPP and EIDL funds for his own purported 
businesses, and then he engaged in a separate scheme.  This was 
the PPP/EIDL kickback scheme.  So this defendant essentially 
was the person who prepared, who packaged numerous other 
fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program and EIDL loans for other 
co-conspirators, borrowers and so on.  
THE COURT:  Including Mr. Walker and Mr. Hopkins, 
right?  
MR. RILEY:  Including Mr. Hopkins, Mr. Walker, I 
mentioned the allegations against Mr. Gillespie.  There is 
another defendant too; I neglected to mention him earlier, Your 
Honor.  Mr. Qureshi, that case was before Your Honor, 
transferred to Judge Bredar.  
THE COURT:  Yes.
MR. RILEY:  He has since pled guilty again and he is 
pending sentencing.  
So there are numerous, numerous individuals whom this 
defendant facilitated fraudulent loans for.  It was a 
conspiracy that touched various parts of the United States that 
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involved numerous fraudulent purported businesses that may have 
existed only on paper, if at all.  In exchange for preparing, 
submitting these fraudulent PPP, these fraudulent EIDL 
applications, this defendant received a cut.  He received a 
slice of the fraudulent loan amount.  Sometimes up to 30 
percent of the loan amount, typically 20 to 30 percent.  As a 
result of this kickback scheme, this commission, to put it 
nicely, Your Honor, this defendant received millions and 
millions of dollars in fees of fraud funds.  
So, Your Honor, I think it's important to consider that 
this defendant is essentially the mastermind of this scheme.  
He was the one submitting these applications.  He was the one 
who was coordinating with another co-conspirator to obtain 
fraudulent IRS forms that were submitted with these fraudulent 
PPP applications.  He was the one who was creating fraudulent 
bank statements that were submitted with another of these 
applications.  And he was the one, Your Honor, that was filling 
out these applications that were completely full of lies about 
these purported businesses, not tethered to reality, to obtain 
these fraudulent funds.  
THE COURT:  Mr. Riley -- 
MR. RILEY:  Yes, Your Honor.  
THE COURT: -- I note in the presentence report, going 
through this in preparation for this sentencing -- what 
happened to all the money?  I'm looking at his residence is 
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valued at $325,000 and there's listed a mortgage of $120,000 on 
it.  I'm looking at some bank accounts, there's total assets of 
$430,000.  Then taking out the matter of the judgments and 
restitution to be ordered here, he has some personal loans.  
I'm wondering what happened to all the money?  Where did all 
the money go?  
MR. RILEY:  That's a great question, Your Honor.  I 
will say this.  The defendant admitted to using Paycheck 
Protection Program fraud funds, EIDL fraud funds to open a 
beachfront restaurant in Alexandria, Egypt, his home city.  He 
admitted to buying real property in Egypt.  
THE COURT:  That's not listed in his financial --
MR. RILEY:  No, it is not, Your Honor.  I was going 
to make that point.  The restaurant, which the Government still 
understands to be in operation, was not disclosed to Probation.  
The real property in Egypt, that was not disclosed to the U.S. 
Probation, so the Government has questions about that.  
I will say, Your Honor, with respect to Egypt, this 
defendant during the pandemic --
THE COURT:  We'll get to it in a moment, the 
defendant is a naturalized American citizen.  He became an 
American citizen in 2007.  
MR. RILEY:  Roughly two decades --
THE COURT:  He was a native of Egypt.  Does he have 
dual citizenship in both Egypt and the United States?  
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MR. RILEY:  I'm not a hundred percent sure.  I 
believe the answer is yes but I'm not a hundred percent sure.  
THE COURT:  I was wondering as you were talking about 
that, the massive amounts of money.  It begs the question where 
did all the money go.  
MR. RILEY:  Yes, Your Honor.  I will say with respect 
to Egypt, this defendant was traveling to Egypt during the 
pandemic numerous times.  He traveled -- and he admitted to 
traveling to Egypt, traveling to Dubai, staying at luxury 
resorts such as the Four Seasons during his travels.  And he 
would stay in Egypt for weeks at a time, up to a month at a 
time, Your Honor.  So the Government understands that a 
significant amount of money was spent in Egypt.  
I'll say, Your Honor, the Government obviously has limited 
visibility into obtaining bank records in Egypt.  We looked 
into obtaining an MLAT for the Egyptian bank account the 
Government was aware this defendant had.  It's essentially, we 
understood from our friends, the Office of International 
Affairs at main Justice essentially not -- impossible to get --
THE COURT:  You said it's not impossible or it is 
impossible?  
MR. RILEY:  It is impossible.  They're not going to 
comply with an MLAT to give you bank records for a bank account 
in Egypt.  So the Government has no visibility essentially into 
the state of this defendant's finances in Egypt.  What we --
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THE COURT:  As a follow-up to that, I noticed you 
mentioned on page 9 of your sentencing memorandum in terms of 
other sentences imposed in massive frauds with respect to 
pandemic fraud --
MR. RILEY:  Yes, Your Honor.  
THE COURT: -- this certainly appears -- I'll hear 
from Ms. Reamy in a moment obviously on this -- but this 
certainly appears to be one of the largest pandemic fraud 
cases, at least of record, that we've had here.  Maybe Agent 
Parker can tell me, but I'm looking at the amount of money 
involved here.  It's mind-boggling.  We're about to enter a 
forfeiture order, restitution order of $17.9 million.  
MR. RILEY:  Yes, Your Honor.  The Government would 
characterize the losses here as -- the actual losses as 
massive.  
THE COURT:  Certainly one of the largest in the 
country, it would appear.  I don't know.  
MR. RILEY:  I would say certainly, Your Honor, it's 
the largest in the District of Maryland.  
THE COURT:  Without question.  
MR. RILEY:  Without question.  I can't speak to the 
size across the country, but this is -- I would say this is a 
fairly substantial amount of --
THE COURT:  Just ask Agent Parker from the FBI, 
obviously you've been working some of these cases.  Do you have 
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some familiarity with what's going on around the country and 
the level of fraud here, Agent Parker, from your point of view?  
If you'll stand for a minute.  I'm just asking, just to get a 
feel for this.  
AGENT PARKER:  Yes, Your Honor.  
THE COURT:  This is one of the bigger ones in the 
country, it would appear to me.  
AGENT PARKER:  It's my opinion, sir -- and I'm aware 
that around the country this is a significant problem.  These 
types of cases are prevalent in all districts all throughout 
the United States.  
THE COURT:  Yes.  
AGENT PARKER:  I can say of the ones that I'm aware 
of, this is one of the larger fraud schemes.  Again, if you -- 
total circumstances of all the frauds and all the loans.  
THE COURT:  Thank you very much.  I'm not being 
critical of the fact you-all can't give me where the money went 
out of the United States.  You have limited ability to get that 
information.  Thank you very much, Agent Parker.  
AGENT PARKER:  Yes, Your Honor.  
MR. RILEY:  I certainly understand Your Honor's point 
where did the money go.  From the Government's perspective, a 
large amount went to Egypt.  If this beachfront restaurant is 
still operating, you know, and this defendant still has real 
property in Egypt, it should have been disclosed to Probation.  
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And, frankly, from the Government's perspective, it should be 
repatriated to repay for restitution if he still, in fact, has 
an ownership interest in any of these assets.  
So, Your Honor, I was talking about the nature and 
circumstances of the offense, the scale of the losses in these 
cases.  The bottom line is that fraud losses of about $18 
million, 87 -- at least 87 fraudulent PPP loans, 57 fraudulent 
EIDLs, doesn't happen; those fraud losses do not happen without 
this defendant.  He is the one pulling the levers to make the 
pandemic relief funds flow in return for a 20 percent, a 30 
percent kickback.  
Not only that, Your Honor, so the losses are high; the 
scheme itself is protracted.  This defendant is engaged in this 
conduct for about two years.  The scheme itself is 
sophisticated.  In thinking about the kickbacks to this 
defendant, he essentially -- didn't essentially, he concealed 
the scheme or attempted to conceal the scheme by having the 
people who received the fraud funds make out checks to him -- 
excuse me, not to him -- sign blank checks where payee is 
blank, the memo line is blank, and he's the one who fills out 
those series of blank checks to entities and people whom he 
controls, sometimes as many as seven checks.  
That's to conceal the kickback payment.  So it's not a 
single check for $78,000 to Ahmed Sary.  It's checks broken 
down to individuals and businesses that this defendant 
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controlled.  You would occasionally see, Your Honor, memo lines 
that were meant to deceive.  For instance, there was -- one of 
the entities used to launder the proceeds was a purported 
clothing business.  The memo line in the kickback check would 
say "uniforms."  And this is all designed by this defendant to 
conceal the scheme.  
I think it's notable too, Your Honor, that this defendant 
for a number of these fraud borrowers engaged with the 
borrowers, encouraged them to set up purported payroll services 
after they received the funds to essentially create a bogus 
paper trail that could be used to obtain forgiveness for the 
PPP loans.  
Your Honor may recall this from the facts submitted by 
Mr. Walker in connection with his guilty plea.  He admitted to 
going to the payroll processor at this defendant's direction, 
setting up the payroll processing services.  And the purpose of 
him doing that was to make it appear like he had employees when 
he, in fact, had none, and the money flowed to his employees 
via payroll and it flowed right back to him.  
So this defendant's scheme was sophisticated and it was 
multifaceted.  Obviously, Your Honor, these were COVID-19 
relief funds, Paycheck Protection Program funds, Economic 
Injury Disaster Loan funds.  These are funds meant for real 
struggling businesses, struggling employees, and the defendant 
abused these programs to line his own pockets, to travel to 
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Egypt, stay at luxury resorts, buy a restaurant, to buy real 
property there.  And the taxpayer, the banks are essentially 
the ones left holding the bag in all of this.  
Really, Your Honor, these Paycheck Protection Program 
funds, these Economic Injury Disaster Loan funds, these funds 
were meant to boost the American economy, not for outrageous 
spending by the defendant in his home country of Egypt to boost 
the Egyptian economy.  
Now the defense appears to suggest in their sentencing 
submission that some amount of the money was spent on this 
defendant's medical care.  The defense notes that this 
defendant's mother passed in June 2021 as a result of 
complications from diabetes and some ailments thereafter, and 
the defense suggests that his mother's circumstances somehow 
influenced his decision to engage in this crime and this 
scheme.  
From the Government's perspective, Your Honor, the Court 
should be skeptical.  If we look at sort of when this scheme 
began in April 2020, that was more than a year before his 
mother's passing in June 2021.  And after his mother's passing, 
it continued.  It continued until at least January 2022.  So, 
again, we have a protracted scheme.  
Moreover, Your Honor, we don't have any details.  I don't 
doubt that this defendant's mother passed, and I'm sorry for 
that, but we don't have details about how much he spent, where 
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he spent the money, how much of the fraud money he spent to 
help his mother.  Nothing like that.  All we have is this 
defendant's say-so in the defense sentencing submission.  
So all of this is to say, Your Honor, that the offense is 
serious in light of the fraud losses, the actual losses at 
issue in this case.  It's serious in light of the length of 
time when this scheme -- that this scheme occurred, almost two 
years.  And it's serious in light of the fact that this 
defendant did not stop.  He did not stop after obtaining almost 
a million dollars for his own purported businesses.  He kept 
the scheme rolling and got that kickback scheme going; 20 to 30 
percent of every single fraudulent loan that he sent out, that 
he packaged to make those fraud funds flow.  
So any suggestion that this was an honest mistake, an 
impetuous decision brought on by stress about his mother's 
health situation, I don't think that can be squared, Your 
Honor, with the facts that this defendant admitted to in his 
Rule 11 Stipulation of Facts for the plea.  
Your Honor asked Agent Parker about the scale of this 
crime.  I've talked about it a little bit.  But from the 
Government's perspective, the need to promote respect for the 
law, the need to provide just punishment, those are very 
important factors in this case.  The Government cited the 
figure from a report put together by the SBA OIG with respect 
to the amount, the sheer scale of COVID-19 pandemic fraud that 
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occurred.  Billions and billions of dollars are estimated to be 
fraudulent, up to 17.  Approximately 17 percent of the money 
that was sent out by lenders, by the government, is estimated 
to be fraudulent.  
That doesn't happen, those numbers are not that high 
without people like the defendant who are facilitating numerous 
loans, and we have about 150 here.  It doesn't happen without 
people like the defendant facilitating these loans.  And this 
defendant is responsible for, as discussed, at least almost $18 
million worth of fraud proceeds in this case.  
The billions and billions of dollars in fraud losses, 
obviously we can't hang all of those losses on that defendant, 
we can't.  But $18 million is a lot of money and that money did 
not flow without this defendant packaging those applications, 
submitting those applications, knowing what documents to 
include with those applications, and keeping that scheme going 
for almost two years.  
So the need to provide just punishment, to promote respect 
for the law, are very serious considerations from the Court, 
and the Government believes that the 114-month sentence is 
appropriate if Your Honor considers those factors here.  
I want to talk finally -- not finally, but next about the 
history and characteristics of this defendant.  
THE COURT:  Can I just ask you a question on the 
amount of money?  
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MR. RILEY:  Yes, Your Honor.  
THE COURT:  You have a restitution worksheet, a copy 
was provided to me.  
MR. RILEY:  Yes, Your Honor.  
THE COURT:  You have an original of that to introduce 
now, do you not, government exhibit to assist Mr. Carrick in 
the restitution?  
MR. RILEY:  I do.  I believe Mr. Carrick has a 
copy.  
THE COURT:  Mr. Carrick, you have it.  And Ms. Reamy 
has a copy as well?  
MS. REAMY:  Yes, Your Honor.  
THE COURT:  Ms. Reamy, there's no dispute about that 
number, is there?   
MS. REAMY:  No, Your Honor.  
THE COURT:  Okay.  So that will be entered.  I will 
note that comes to a total of $17,901,279.87, over $3 million 
of which is attributable to the loss of the United States Small 
Business Administration, and another $10.9 million is with 
respect to Cross River Bank in Fort Lee, New Jersey in and of 
itself.  
MR. RILEY:  Yes, Your Honor.  I will say with respect 
to the figure, it should be 37 cents as opposed to 87 cents, I 
apologize.  
THE COURT:  Okay.  That's fine.  
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MR. RILEY:  So the Government will introduce this 
restitution worksheet as Exhibit 1 at this proceeding.  
THE COURT:  That's fine.  
MR. RILEY:  As Your Honor noted, the losses are high, 
staggering.  Cross River Bank had $10.9 million in losses; the 
Small Business Administration, almost $3.1 million in losses; 
Celtic Bank, $1.9 million in losses.  The financial 
institutions are all listed on the worksheet.  
THE COURT:  Yes.  
MR. RILEY:  The losses are high.  Again, this is 
actual losses, Your Honor.  This conduct requires serious 
punishment.  
With respect to this defendant's history and 
characteristics, it's true, of course, that this defendant has 
no criminal history.  
THE COURT:  As like Mr. Hopkins and Mr. Walker were 
on a much smaller level of this fraud, they have no prior 
record either.  
MR. RILEY:  Mr. Hopkins had no record.  Mr. Walker 
did have a record -- 
THE COURT:  Oh, did he?  Okay.  
MR. RILEY:  Much of it was quite dated, Your Honor.  
THE COURT:  Right, okay.  
MR. RILEY:  This defendant's criminal history is 
taken into account.  It's taken into account in the guidelines.  
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This defendant received a 4C1.1 level reduction as well, again, 
so all of his lack of criminal history which is admirable, 
which the Government is happy about, is reflected in the 
guidelines calculated by Your Honor.  
I note as well, Your Honor, that this defendant has in his 
past attributes -- a history of certain things that many folks 
who appear before Your Honor to be sentenced don't have.  He 
has high school education.  The PSR indicates that he did 
attend secondary -- I should say university back in Egypt.  And 
he has a loving and supporting family who have written poignant 
letters on his behalf.  
I would say, Your Honor, that I understand that this 
defendant is loved by his family.  I understand that he may 
have been involved with volunteering to help folks in Baltimore 
City travel to Egypt many years ago.  That's admirable, but 
none of that justifies a massive -- the massive downward 
variance sought by the defense in this case.  
Your Honor mentioned Mr. Hopkins and Mr. Walker, and I'm 
going to talk finally about the need to avoid unwarranted 
sentencing disparities in this case.  So Mr. Walker -- this is 
in RDB-22-290 -- he received just $262,252 in PPP funds, and he 
paid a $78,000 kickback to this defendant.  So he essentially 
received under, for himself, under $200,000.  Your Honor 
sentenced Mr. Walker to 24 months' imprisonment, six months of 
home confinement.  As I said, Mr. Walker, he did have some 
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limited criminal history.  Most of it was timed out.  
Mr. Hopkins received $1,018,224 in connection with this 
scheme for his fraudulent PPP and EIDL loans, and he paid the 
defendant $177,000 in kickbacks.  And Your Honor sentenced 
Mr. Hopkins to 24 months' imprisonment.  
THE COURT:  And 12 months' home detention, I believe.  
24 months for Mr. Hopkins.  He also received 12 months of home 
detention thereafter.  
MR. RILEY:  Thank you, Your Honor.  So if you 
consider the pecking order, Your Honor, if Your Honor 
considers -- and I know Your Honor has -- those sentences 
imposed by Your Honor on Mr. Walker, on Mr. Hopkins, this 
defendant is obviously at the top of the pecking order.  If we 
look at the amount of money that Mr. Walker received, that 
Mr. Hopkins received and the kickbacks they paid to this 
defendant, the Government's recommended sentence as a matter of 
extrapolation from the numbers -- and that would be a crude way 
to do it, but if Your Honor compares the numbers, the 
Government's recommendation makes sense in this case.  
This defendant, again, is responsible for almost $18 
million in losses.  I will note, Your Honor, the Government 
cited a number of cases throughout the country.  Obviously, 
every defendant is different.  It's hard to glean obviously 
from a parenthetical all the facts and circumstances of a case.  
It's impossible actually.  But the Government did include that 
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string cite to these national cases to provide context to the 
Court, that significant sentences, very significant sentences 
have been imposed in cases like this, particularly in 
situations where we have someone who's the packager, the 
processor, the one who's submitting these -- a large number of 
fraudulent applications and then taking a slice for himself, 
just like the defendant did in this case.  
So, Your Honor, the Government would ask this Court to 
impose a 114-month -- nine and a half years -- sentence.  The 
Government recognizes that it's a lot of time for anyone, 
particularly someone who has no criminal history, who has not 
been in prison apart from 11 days at CDF like this defendant.  
But the Government's recommended sentence is justified, 
particularly when Your Honor considers the nature and 
circumstances of the offense, the seriousness of the offense, 
the need to avoid unwarranted sentencing disparities, as well 
as the need to provide just punishment to promote respect for 
the law.  The Government would ask this Court to impose that 
sentence followed by three years of supervised release, to 
order restitution, and Your Honor has already ordered 
forfeiture.  
THE COURT:  And the restitution figure agreed upon is 
$17,901,279.37.  
MR. RILEY:  Thank you, Your Honor.  Yes, Your 
Honor.  
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THE COURT:  That will be, that restitution order will 
be part and will be entered as well, Mr. Carrick.  Thank you 
very much, Mr. Riley.  
MR. RILEY:  Thank you, Your Honor.  
THE COURT:  Just one last thing, you would 
acknowledge that some of these cases have backed out 12 months 
or six months for home detention at the end of it?  Under 
5C1.1(e)(3) of the advisory guidelines, one day of home 
detention can equal one day of incarceration, so that could be 
a factor molded in at the end.  
MR. RILEY:  Split sentence, yes, Your Honor.  Thank 
you, Your Honor.  
THE COURT:  Thank you very much, Mr. Riley.  
With that, I'll be glad to hear from you, Ms. Reamy.  I 
read your sentencing memorandum, paper no. 78, that was 
submitted last week on June 19th.  I have read the letters from 
the defendant's wife, Izabela Sary; his two sons, Mohamed Sary 
and Mahmoud Sary; as well as from a friend Linda Derezinski; as 
well as a friend Waiel Fetouha.  And I've already noted 
Baltimore attorney Leonard Redmond has submitted a letter, and 
I have read all of those.  I'll be glad to hear from you.  
MS. REAMY:  Thank you, Your Honor.  Your Honor, at 
the outset, I do want to make the Court aware Ms. Derezinski is 
present.  
THE COURT:  Ms. Derezinski, I read your letter, thank 
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you very much.  
MS. REAMY:  As well as his two adult sons, Mohamed 
and Mahmoud.  And his wife -- 
THE COURT:  Yes.
MS. REAMY: -- Izabela is also present here in support 
of him.  
THE COURT:  As I understand it, his wife Izabela is 
also a naturalized American citizen and came to this country 
from Poland, I believe.  
MS. REAMY:  That's correct.  
THE COURT:  Welcome.  
MS. REAMY:  Yes.  Your Honor, at the outset, 
certainly acknowledging what the guidelines are in this case 
and that the guidelines are an important factor in the 
sentencing determination.  However, as the Court is aware and 
has discussed already, the overarching objective is to arrive 
at a sentence that is sufficient, but not greater than 
necessary, to achieve the goals of sentencing.  There's a 
concession among the parties that a sentence within a range of 
60 to 114 months would be appropriate in this case.  Obviously, 
the Government has stated its position that the high end is 
most appropriate, and we, of course, are asking the Court to 
consider a sentence at the low end of that range.  
No doubt it's a difficult decision for the Court 
considering all of the factors and all of the information in 
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this case.  There's certainly no dispute whatsoever that this 
is a significant case, a serious criminal offense, and it's one 
that Mr. Sary has taken responsibility for.  
Looking at the nature of the offense, I do have to push 
back on the Government's representations on some things.  First 
of all, there is certainly, as the Court is aware, there is an 
upward adjustment for Mr. Sary for having a -- being a manager 
or supervisor in the conspiracy.  And it's a conspiracy which 
means that more than one individual was involved in this 
offense.  One name that you don't hear -- and I think a reason 
that we are not dealing with the upper-level adjustment is 
because there's a very important figure involved in this case 
and his name is Harold Dotson.  That was Mr. Sary's 
accountant.  
THE COURT:  What is his last name?  
MS. REAMY:  Dotson, D-o-t-s-o-n.  Harold Dotson was 
Mr. Sary's accountant with special knowledge --
THE COURT:  Mr. Dotson is a practicing accountant 
here in Baltimore?  
MS. REAMY:  He's a CPA.  The Government is well aware 
of him.  We believe that the Government is relying heavily, in 
addition to other things, on certain information that is 
received from Mr. Dotson.  
THE COURT:  Are you representing that Mr. Dotson 
benefited to the tune of millions of dollars in this fraud?  
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MS. REAMY:  He certainly benefited to a large degree.  
I can't provide the specific figure, but I will tell the Court 
that Mr. Sary was brought into the conspiracy by his 
accountant, Mr. Dotson, who was in a position to have special 
knowledge, ability, and know-how in that very specialized 
position.  He understood the program at its onset; Mr. Sary did 
not.  He understood what was necessary for the applications; 
Mr. Sary did not.  
THE COURT:  In all candor, Ms. Reamy, I want to 
dialogue with you and tell you what I'm thinking up here on the 
bench.  How complicated is it?  It's not that complicated.  
During the pandemic, it wasn't that complicated at all.  There 
were people that showed that they had businesses and that the 
people were unemployed.  They would fill out a form and say 
these people are unemployed and we need money to cover, that's 
what was involved.  It doesn't take a CPA for a business person 
to understand the implications of that.  It's plain and simple.  
It's saying that you have 14 employees for a business when 
there's one, for example, and getting checks for 13 fictitious 
employees.  All that's woven within this case.  
So with all due respect to Mr. Dotson, who he is or who he 
is not, the notion that a business person would not understand 
the implications of that because of some accountant is a 
stretch.  If that's your argument, you're going to have to 
really convince me of that because I don't think that's 
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complicated at all.  
MS. REAMY:  Your Honor, in broad strokes, I agree 
with you.  The broad strokes are not necessarily complicated.  
But I don't consider myself a stupid individual; I had to 
consult with my accountant when it came to learning more about 
the application, what was required, and the rules that needed 
to be followed with regard to that program.  
So I don't think it's quite that simple.  But my point is 
that it was Mr. Dotson that prepared the initial applications 
for Mr. Sary's businesses.  By the way, these businesses were 
not created -- I've said it in the sentencing memorandum -- 
these were businesses that were in existence years before the 
pandemic, the onset of the pandemic.  What Mr. Dotson did is he 
then suggested to Mr. Sary to tap into his client base of his 
credit counseling and financial consulting business to 
encourage those business owners to apply for loans.  
And what Mr. Sary has also informed me of is Mr. Dotson 
received quite a bit of money of it.  From information that's 
been provided to me by the Government, it's very apparent that 
Mr. Dotson has a gambling problem and that he, according to 
Mr. Sary, liked to receive cash payments which would not be 
reflected in a lot of -- in the checks that the Government 
relies upon.  
So there is a significant role here, and so I'm just 
pushing back primarily on this notion and this characterization 
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that the Government is putting out there, the story line -- 
without backing away from the fact that Mr. Sary had a very 
significant role.  He's not disputing his involvement.  But 
this spotlight on Mr. Sary as almost the entire -- the singular 
individual that's responsible for all of this is simply not 
accurate.  That's the point that we're trying to make with the 
Government.  
THE COURT:  I understand that point.  It's a point 
that I think it's good for you to try to make, mainly because 
my question here lingers is where in the world did all the 
money go?  
MS. REAMY:  There are many, many businesses that were 
involved in this so a lot of these funds were sent to 
businesses, were received by the businesses that applied.  
THE COURT:  And a lot of money he received, 
Mr. Sary --
MS. REAMY:  Certainly, no dispute with that.  A lot 
of it went to people like Harold --
THE COURT:  It's perfectly clear to me that we don't 
have any idea where some of the money went that he got.  
MS. REAMY:  I understand that as well, Your Honor -- 
THE COURT:  Nor have you represented in your papers 
thus far the amount of money -- we're talking $17 million.  
Let's cut it in half, take a fourth of it, I don't know.  But 
there are millions of dollars that somehow went to this 
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defendant, and the Government has no idea where the money went 
nor can you represent to me as an officer of the court that you 
can tell me where it went.  
MS. REAMY:  I can't, I cannot.  
THE COURT:  That's right.  Maybe he can, or maybe he 
can't, but there's a lot of money missing.  And it goes without 
question, it doesn't take a stretch for this Court to find 
there's a lot of money missing that went out of the United 
States.  It may not have all gone to Dubai, some of it might 
have gone to Egypt.  Maybe the one person here who can tell us 
is Mr. Sary.  Maybe he'll have to deal with that either today 
or he deals with it while he's in the prison under the auspices 
of Rule 35(a) which means he has maybe a year after sentencing 
to decide how much information he wants to give to the 
government.  I'm mentioning that, Ms. Reamy, just to give you 
an opportunity to respond on that.  
MS. REAMY:  I understand, Your Honor.  I can't tell 
the Court -- I can't as an officer of the court stand here and 
tell the Court where all these dollars went.  
THE COURT:  I understand.  
MS. REAMY:  I can say the larger figure of $17 
million does not represent all the dollars that went to 
Mr. Sary.  
THE COURT:  I understand that.  I'm willing to accept 
that argument that he doesn't have $17 million in his pocket, 
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but clearly he has a lot of money that went in his pocket and 
we don't know where it went.  You as an officer of the Court -- 
I have an immense amount of respect for you -- you are candidly 
acknowledging you don't know.  You can't represent as an 
advocate where it went.  
MS. REAMY:  I can't.  I can tell the Court that my 
understanding from speaking with Mr. Sary, with his wife, with 
his adult sons -- they're all going to address the Court -- 
from -- it's recognized in Mr. Fetouha's letter, I'm going to 
touch on that more -- it's not just Mr. Sary's mother that he 
was dealing with.  This problem and what we've essentially said 
to the Court is:  What's the reason?  Why does a man who's been 
law-abiding for -- at this point, I think he was 42 years old 
at the onset of this program, 46 now.  Why does a man who has 
by all accounts been completely law-abiding, generous to his 
friends, his family, his community, a loving father, a devoted 
husband, why does he do something like this?  
What we've told the Court is it's not just his mother who 
passes away in 2021.  This problem, enormous emotional and 
financial struggles began in 2016.  That's when Mr. Fetouha -- 
I would say Dr. Fetouha but he's not licensed as a doctor here 
in the United States.  
THE COURT:  Mr. Fetouha is one of the individuals who 
wrote me a letter.  
MS. REAMY:  Correct.  He met Mr. Sary on a flight in 
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2016 so well before the onset of the pandemic.  Met him on a 
flight from Egypt to JFK.  It just so happened that the two of 
them were going through very similar circumstances at the time.  
Mr. Sary was dealing with the decline of his father who died in 
2018, again, before the onset of the pandemic, and Mr. Fetouha 
was dealing with problems relating to his mother.  What we've 
said in the sentencing memorandum and how this becomes a 
financial problem -- his father died.  As you can see in the 
sentencing memorandum as well as the presentence report, they 
were very, very, very, very close, him and his father -- and 
him and his mother and his siblings.  
Even though Mr. Sary lawfully immigrated to the United 
States in 2002 -- 2000 and subsequently became a United States 
citizen, he didn't just forget about his family in Egypt.  He 
was very, very close to them, always has.  
So he was profoundly affected, devastated when his father 
died in 2016.  At the same time -- that certainly had an effect 
on his father's wife, Mr. Sary's mother, who then went into 
additional decline.  She died in 2021 in the midst of the 
pandemic from complications from diabetes.  This is all 
going -- Izabela Sary will stand here and will support that 
information because she lived it with Ahmed Sary.  
What was happening is and what you have to understand 
about the structure in Egypt is they have two types of medical 
treatment facilities there.  They have public hospitals, which 
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Mr. Sary has said they are incapable -- there's waiting lists, 
first of all, months long to get treatment, and absolutely 
they're incapable of treating more significant health 
conditions like the ones who took the lives of his parents.  
So the only option in his view, a son who will do anything 
for his parents, who feels guilty that he's not with them, is 
to make sure that they have adequate medical care.  And he did 
that by paying for private hospitals.  Before the onset of the 
pandemic.  He indicated to me that at some point, it was a 
thousand dollars a day to pay for their care or more.  
There's no denial there were other expenditures certainly.  
He does indicate to me that he's not an owner of Sary's 
Kitchen.  His brother is a half owner of Sary's Kitchen and 
that the property it sits on is rented, not owned.  
So there are certain things about the presentation made by 
the Government that, by design I think, are overinflating to 
some degree Mr. Sary's role in this.  It's not to say that it 
wasn't significant, not to say that there weren't great losses, 
but there is a mischaracterization from our point of view by 
the Government in that regard.  
Now looking at who Mr. Sary is.  Again, he's 46 years old 
and he does receive a two-level downward adjustment because he 
meets the criteria under the zero-point offender.  But one 
thing I want to point out is that adjustment would apply to 
anyone of any age who meets that criteria.  So it would apply 
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to a 21- or 22-year-old.  Someone who's managed to make it from 
being a juvenile to barely an adult would get that same 
reduction.  There's quite a difference between that person -- 
and those adjustments do apply to individuals of that age -- 
and someone who's gone much, much further in their life without 
committing a crime.  
So there was an influence.  There were influences at the 
time that the decision was made to become involved in the 
conspiracy that were in play here.  There was the financial and 
emotional pressure stemming from the decline of his parents and 
there was an influence from Harold Dotson.  
Mr. Sary, by all accounts, is just a generally -- has a 
history, demonstrated history of being a kind, gentle, loving, 
supportive and trusted human being.  He is embarrassed.  He 
could have packed this courtroom.  We spent long periods of 
time talking about it.  He could have packed this courtroom 
with people who support him but was that embarrassed.  
THE COURT:  Presumably those same people will support 
his family.  
MS. REAMY:  That's the hope.  Izabela is going to 
struggle, so are the minor children.  Certainly Mr. Sary hopes 
that his two adult sons will help, but he doesn't know.  They 
are young adults, as I've indicated more specifically in the 
sentencing memorandum.  But it's going to be a struggle.  In 
fact, Mr. Sary said to me that he just doesn't know if Izabela 
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even understands how difficult it's going to be for her.  She 
doesn't have any family here to support her.  They've got three 
children under the age of 11, and unfortunately the 
six-year-old, as I've indicated, suffers from Type 1 diabetes 
which is not a mild case.  It's a very severe case.  To the 
extent that they actually have to take shifts during the night 
to make sure that her glucose monitor doesn't go off.  
Izabela will address this, but she's going to be in a 
position where she has to take all of the responsibility to 
care for these minor children, somehow work or find a way to 
support themselves and try to keep the house.  The Government 
has certainly indicated it's going to put a lien on their 
house.  It's a modest home, as the Court has read in the 
sentencing memorandum.  
THE COURT:  According to the presentence report, the 
house is in Brooklyn Park.  
MS. REAMY:  Yes.  
THE COURT:  And is essentially valued at some -- 
where is it here?  Valued at $325,000 and listed as being 
subject to a mortgage of 120,000.  So essentially there's maybe 
$200,000 equity in the home.  
MS. REAMY:  Roughly.  There was a fire unfortunately, 
as I've indicated to the Court.  It was in January of this 
year, a catastrophic fire that displaced them.  They still 
haven't been able to move back in the home.  They've been 
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forced to reside in a rental nearby in the general 
neighborhood.  The hope is that they'll be able to return to 
the home at the end of this month, but Mr. Sary has advised 
that keeps getting pushed back.  He's not confident they will 
be able to return to the home at the end of June.  
So there are certainly some attributes to Mr.  -- I think 
some pretty important attributes to Mr. Sary that should be 
weighed heavily in a 3553(a) analysis.  As the Government 
pointed out, certainly he's going to receive a prison sentence 
here today, not less than 60 months.  This is a man --
THE COURT:  Not less than 60 months, yes.  
MS. REAMY:  Not less.  This is an individual who has 
never served any time in prison but for the 11 days pending his 
release.  
THE COURT:  I think according to my calculations, in 
fairness to the defendant, he was in federal custody I thought 
from April 29th to May 13th of 2022 which I think calculates 
out to some 15 days.  
MS. REAMY:  Okay, then I stand corrected.  
THE COURT:  I think it's a little over two weeks.  
MS. REAMY:  Yes.  So that short period of time.  
THE COURT:  The search warrant authorized by -- this 
was a federal search warrant, correct -- 
MR. RILEY:  Judge Coulson, Your Honor.  
THE COURT:  Yeah.  The search warrant was executed on 
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April 29 of 2022, and he was placed in arrest immediately after 
the execution of the search warrant and was released two weeks 
thereafter.  
MS. REAMY:  Right.  Your Honor, in addition to 
whatever term of imprisonment the Court selects, whatever the 
Court decides within the range is sufficient, but not greater 
than necessary, in terms of imprisonment, there is also the 
massive financial penalty that will loom over Mr. Sary and his 
family because they are a unit, and they depend upon him for a 
very long time going forward.  
Mr. Sary is distraught, his wife is distraught.  His 
youngest children have no understanding of what's going on.  
His adult children are here obviously in support of him and 
have some understanding.  
One of the last things I want to mention before we start 
bringing them up to speak briefly to the Court is that the 
probation office -- I appreciate the Government's selection of 
cases and sentences, but there's a metric that's been provided 
by the probation office that I think is important to the 
analysis here.  And that is that according to their office -- 
this is based on an offense level two levels higher, but 99 
percent of similarly-situated defendants so defendants who have 
a Criminal History Category I and an offense level actually at 
a 33, two levels higher than what Mr. Sary's offense level 
turns out to be, received an average sentence of 90 months' 
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imprisonment.  
I think that that is actually a more accurate metric as 
to --
THE COURT:  Where's the metric to which you're 
referring?  
MS. REAMY:  If you look, Your Honor, at the very end 
of the -- before the conditions of supervised release.  
MR. RILEY:  Page 25, Your Honor, it's adjacent 
information.  
THE COURT:  Page 25, I see it.  
MS. REAMY:  It's under the judiciary sentencing 
information.  
THE COURT:  Right.  
The primary guideline under 2B1.1 is a fraud guideline, 
correct?  
MR. RILEY:  Correct, Your Honor.  
MS. REAMY:  Yes.  
THE COURT:  I'm not really sure what your point is on 
that, Ms. Reamy.  If you'll clarify.  The metrics that is being 
referenced there is with respect to 2B1.1.  
MS. REAMY:  I think what they're saying here is that 
individuals with the same offense level and criminal history 
category who did not receive 5K1 adjustments had an average 
sentence of 90 months roughly.  
THE COURT:  Just so the record is clear, this is 
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essentially the guideline referencing under 2B1.1 of the 
advisory guidelines with respect to larceny, embezzlement and 
other forms of theft, offenses involving stolen property, 
property damage or destruction, fraud and deceit, forgery and 
offenses in terms of counterfeit bearer obligations.  I'm not 
really sure, with all due respect to the probation office, that 
that really fits in terms of what's involved here with fraud -- 
pandemic fraud which is a once-in-a-century event.  
Thank you very much, Ms. Reamy.  Unless you have anything 
further you want to add to your very thorough sentencing 
memorandum, I'd be glad to hear from anyone who wants to come 
forward before I give Mr. Sary an opportunity to speak on his 
own behalf.  
I see Ms. Derezinski standing.  I'll be glad to hear from 
her.  
MS. REAMY:  Yes, I told her we would be asking her to 
approach initially.  
THE COURT:  Sure.  
MS. REAMY:  The one thing I want to say lastly is 
that our recommendation is that the Court impose a 60-month 
sentence with a period of home detention as well.  
THE COURT:  I understand.  
MR. RILEY:  Your Honor, I apologize.  If Your Honor 
would like to hear from me with respect to Mr. Dotson.  A lot 
of statements have been made.  
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THE COURT:  I'm going to wait -- in a minute for you.  
I'm going to ask you about that.  
MR. RILEY:  Thank you, Your Honor.  
THE COURT:  Ms. Derezinski, I'll be glad to hear from 
you.  
MS. DEREZINSKI:  Thank you, Your Honor.  
THE COURT:  I read your letter to me.  I'll be glad 
to hear from you.  
MS. DEREZINSKI:  Thank you, sir.  Thank you for the 
opportunity to address the Court today.  I stand before you to 
respectfully request leniency in Ahmed Sary's sentencing.  I've 
had the pleasure of knowing Ahmed for the past 17 years, and I 
hope to highlight several factors that warrant a more 
compassionate consideration of his circumstances and actions.  
Firstly, Ahmed has demonstrated genuine remorse for his 
actions from the outset.  He has cooperated fully with 
authorities and taken responsibility for his mistakes and 
expressed deep regret for the harm caused.  This remorse is not 
just a legal strategy but a sincere reflection of his 
understanding of the consequences of his actions.  
Secondly, it is essential to consider Ahmed's background 
and character.  Ahmed has made significant contributions to our 
community, being highly active on social media assisting other 
families with Type 1 diabetes.  As you heard already, Your 
Honor, his mother and his youngest daughter are both afflicted 
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with this disease.  
THE COURT:  Your letter, Ms. Derezinski, to me which 
is document 78-7 in the file which has been under seal, but it 
notes that he has contributed to the Baltimore-Alexandria 
Sister City Committee and has facilitated cross-city exchanges 
from Egypt to the United States.  
MS. DEREZINSKI:  Yes, sir.  
THE COURT:  To what extent has he facilitated that, 
he's paid for?  
MS. DEREZINSKI:  He was responsible for recruiting 
people to come from Luxor and Alexandria and come here to 
America.  
THE COURT:  To visit or become citizens or what?  
MS. DEREZINSKI:  It was an exchange program with -- 
the Mayor's Office, Ahmed?  
THE DEFENDANT:  The Mayor's Office.  
MS. DEREZINSKI:  Yeah, with Baltimore City Mayor's 
Office.  What they were trying to do is get -- here we were 
trying to recruit doctors, and so with this program, he was 
getting talented people from Egypt to come to Baltimore with 
the hopes --
THE COURT:  And then ultimately return to Egypt.  
MS. DEREZINSKI:  Exactly.  But hopefully --
THE COURT:  Also having people from Baltimore go to 
Egypt to assist their society?  
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MS. DEREZINSKI:  Yes, sir.  
THE COURT:  Who was paying for that?  
MS. DEREZINSKI:  He was volunteering.  
THE COURT:  In other words, he wrote checks for that?  
THE DEFENDANT:  No.  
MS. DEREZINSKI:  No, sir.  
THE COURT:  I'm asking a very simple question:  Who 
was paying?  I've been involved with these exchange programs 
with the State Department, Ms. Derezinski; I go to Russia and 
Ukraine.  Somebody wrote checks for the plane tickets and 
hotels.  Who paid for these exchanges back and forth, the City 
of Baltimore?  
MS. DEREZINSKI:  I do know that there were times when 
they could not find housing for people, and they actually 
stayed at his house until it could be arranged.  But he --
THE COURT:  Ms. Reamy, can you shed light on this?  
MS. REAMY:  Yes, Judge, it's referenced in the 
sentencing memorandum.  This occurred in 2008 under Sheila 
Dixon.  We provided a long write-up on everything that happened 
there and the timing of it.  This was way before the 
pandemic.  
THE COURT:  I'm just trying to clarify if the 
representation is that Mr. Sary made financial contributions 
for this program to allow these exchanges.  
MS. REAMY:  No, it was his time and effort.  
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THE COURT:  Okay, that's fine.  Thank you.
MS. DEREZINSKI:  Time and being able to translate -- 
THE COURT:  Thank you.  I didn't mean to interrupt 
you.  I was just trying to clarify what you were saying.
MS. DEREZINSKI:  No problem.  This incident is 
starkly out of character and substantially deviates from his 
typical behavior.  Ahmed's commitment to his faith and his 
profound understanding of different cultures are testaments to 
his integrity and dedication.  His actions consistently reflect 
a person whose values help others and foster a supportive 
environment to those in need.  
Moreover, I would like to draw the Court's attention to 
the potential impact of a harsh sentence on Ahmed's family and 
dependents.  Ahmed is a devoted and loving husband, father of 
five children.  His youngest child who is only six, as we 
stated before, has Type 1 diabetes.  A lenient sentence 
would allow Ahmed to continue to provide the crucial support 
and stability his family desperately needs.  This consideration 
is vital to prevent further unintended consequences of his 
punishment, ensuring his family does not suffer unduly from his 
absence.  
Finally, Your Honor, I urge you to consider the broader 
context of this case.  While justice must be served, it is 
essential to balance punishment with compassion and potential 
for rehabilitation.  A lenient sentence will serve as a second 
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chance for Ahmed and a testament to the belief that people are 
capable of change and redemption.  
In conclusion, Ahmed is a person who profoundly values 
moral integrity and is committed to making a positive change.  
I respectfully request the Court show leniency in sentencing 
Ahmed, considering his remorse, his character, his efforts 
towards rehabilitation and the impact on his family.  Thank you 
for considering this appeal for a more compassionate form of 
justice.  
THE COURT:  Thank you, Ms. Derezinski.  I will say I 
appreciate your letter, and the issues you raised are 
considered by me in every case.  
MS. DEREZINSKI:  Thank you, sir.  
THE COURT:  There's never a case I have when I don't 
consider those factors.  I also have to consider a message for 
the public.  
MS. DEREZINSKI:  Yes, sir -- 
THE COURT:  -- goes in there as well.  But thank you 
very much.  
Yes, Ms. Reamy.  
MS. REAMY:  Your Honor, next will be Mr. Sary's son, 
Mohamed Sary.  
THE COURT:  I'll be glad to hear from him.  I've read 
his letter to the Court which is paper no. 78-6 which is under 
seal.  Mr. Sary, I'll be glad to hear from you, sir.  
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I understand that you're currently a student at Liberty 
University; is that correct?  
MR. MOHAMED SARY:  Yes, Your Honor.  
THE COURT:  What year are you, rising senior or 
junior?  
MR. MOHAMED SARY:  I'm a junior.  
THE COURT:  Be a junior starting in September.  
MR. MOHAMED SARY:  Yes, Your Honor.  
THE COURT:  It's nice to hear from you and I've read 
your letter.  
MR. MOHAMED SARY:  Thank you.  Your Honor, today I 
stand before you with great pride and gratitude as I speak 
about a man who has shared my life in a way I can only begin to 
express.  My father is not just a parent.  He is a hero, a 
monitor and a beacon of strength.  From a very young age, my 
father knew the meaning of hard work and sacrifice.  He began 
working at a tender age of nine, shouldering responsibilities 
that most children never had to face.  
Despite his own challenges, he always put his family 
first.  He supported his parents tirelessly even through the 
toughest of times.  I witnessed firsthand his unwavering 
commitment when my grandmother fell seriously ill, requiring 
urgent care, attention.  Without hesitation, my father assured 
she received the care she needed even though it meant 
significant financial strain.  His dedication extended beyond 
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borders.  Despite the distance, my father made countless 
journeys to Egypt to check on his parents, ensuring they were 
well cared for.  His love knew no bounds and his actions spoke 
louder than any words could.  
I was born and raised, Your Honor, in Egypt, me and my 
brother.  We were raised by our grandmother while my father 
worked tirelessly abroad, striving to give us a better future.  
At the age of 16, me and my brother moved here to live with my 
dad for the first time consistently.  The joy and that 
fulfillment finally being close to him cannot be described.  
It's an emotion that I never want to lose again.  
Over the past two years, Your Honor, our family has faced 
unprecedented challenges.  My father Ahmed has owned personal 
troubles, both mentally and financially.  He remained pillar of 
strength for all of us despite grappling with his own hardship.  
He steadfastly put aside his own feelings to ensure that we 
received his unwavering attention and support.  His 
selflessness knows no bounds.  As a father, he exemplified 
everything I inspire to be.  He taught us invaluable lesson and 
installed in us the importance of dreams and goals that we need 
to be in.  
My own dreams of becoming a soccer player was not 
supported but also was cheered by him.  He provided me all of 
the equipment I need through this journey.  His support did not 
stop there.  He was always there for me during my education, 
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encouraging me and guiding me.  He pushed me to do well and not 
just to be successful and to be also responsible person who can 
make positive differences.  
Becoming a commercial pilot in aviation has been my dream 
since I was a kid.  Without my dad's support, I would not be 
able to start it, and now without him it will be extremely hard 
for me to finish it because I will lose the biggest support.  
His sacrifice, his kindness, his unwavering support has 
shaped my character and fueled my passions.  He has shown me 
what it means to be selfless and compassionate.  Today as I 
reflect on his journey, his impact on my life, I'm filled with 
profound admiration and love.  My father is not just a great, 
he is a role model and inspiration and my hero.  
Thank you so much, Your Honor.  
THE COURT:  Thank you very much, Mr. Sary.  Good luck 
in your studies.  Thank you very much.  
MS. REAMY:  Your Honor --
THE COURT:  As I often note, Mr. Sary, to adult 
children of people in these situations, you should not just 
judge your father by these circumstances.  Everyone makes 
mistakes and you try to move on from them, but you should not 
judge your father as a result of this.  Yes, Ms. Reamy.  
MS. REAMY:  Next will be his other son, Mahmoud 
Sary.  
THE COURT:  Yes, I'd be glad to hear from him.  
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I have read your letter as well.  
MR. MAHMOUD SARY:  Good morning, Your Honor.  
THE COURT:  Nice to have you, sir.  Good morning.  
MR. MAHMOUD SARY:  Talking about my dad is the 
hardest thing you can ever imagine.  To me, he is my best 
friend.  He did a lot for me.  What he ever done, it's 
unbelievable.  With his family support, he's been giving us 
since day one.  As my brother mentioned, we came in here at the 
age of 16 years old.  The love I have been seeing from him, 
what have been needed.  For years he showed me and my siblings 
a lot, a lot of stuff, a lot of things.  He been there for me 
when I needed it the most.  He's there for me for my education.  
I'm also student.  The support he's been giving me for my 
school is a lot.  Pushing me forward to be successful man and 
making me the man I am today, fear nothing as long as he's next 
to me.  I don't need anything to read from to talk about my dad 
and how valuable he is, how lovely he is, how beloved a person 
he is.  I'm learning a lot from him.  I'll always be learning 
from him.  
I just want to tell him I love you so much.  You will 
always be my best friend.  I cannot imagine my life without 
him.  Just imagining that he won't be with me for certain 
amount of time is killing me.  
I'm a very impatient person.  I love my future and the 
only way I can see that I have my future is because he is at my 
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back, at my side supporting me, pushing me forward.  I don't 
see that right now.  I don't.  Last two hours I'm sitting here, 
I just see nothing.  I don't know what's going to happen.  
I love you so much...  It's very, very hard for me to just 
imagine that he won't be with us.  
He did, he did many unbelievable stuff.  Our family is 
not -- doesn't have the same beliefs, doesn't have the same 
religions, doesn't have the same language, not even from the 
same culture, but he connected us, make us a family.  My mom 
from Poland, my dad from Egypt; we live in the United States, 
and we're the most lovely family I've ever seen.  I'll always 
learn from that.  
He's an unbelievable person.  You can never hate that 
person.  Nobody can ever talk about him and just like not love 
him.  His ability for making people loving him is crazy.  It's 
unbelievable.  There's no way you can hate that person.  
There's no way anything in this world can make him look bad in 
my eyes.  He's an amazing person.  
I love you, man.   
THE DEFENDANT:  I love you -- 
MR. MAHMOUD SARY:  I love you.  
Thank you so much, Your Honor.  
THE COURT:  Thank you, Mr. Sary.  Again, as I 
mentioned to your brother, don't just judge your father by one 
incident in his life.  There will be plenty of better days 
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ahead.  Thank you very much.  
MS. REAMY:  Lastly, Your Honor, Izabela Sary, 
Mr. Sary's wife.  
Your Honor, may I step forward to the Kleenex box here?  
THE COURT:  Sure, sure.  
MRS. SARY:  Good afternoon, Your Honor.  
THE COURT:  Good afternoon, Mrs. Sary.  
MRS. SARY:  Your Honor, thank you for the opportunity 
to humbly ask that you show Ahmed leniency in your choice of 
sentence for this case.  I'm appealing and pleading for your 
clemency as the wife of Ahmed Sary.  We have been together for 
almost 21 years and from beginning, he has been proving how 
honorable, honest, respectful and caring person he is.  
First of all, Ahmed has shown true remorse by 
acknowledging and accepting accountability for his action, 
decision and mistakes.  He follow all the conditions, and he 
was always cooperate with authorities.  
He significant -- it is significant to have full 
understanding of his character.  My parents, my family deeply 
love Ahmed regardless of different cultures, religions and 
traditions.  They love Ahmed for his sincere, kind and generous 
heart.  My husband always work very hard for us to visit -- his 
family, took time and close connections.  The family and loved 
ones were always his priority.  
Ahmed never refuse helping others.  He was raised like -- 
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by amazing parents who deeply love him.  Even going through 
hard time by himself, Ahmed was always -- Ahmed has always 
tried to find a way to help less fortunate.  He has never 
turned from anyone even without having enough financial support 
for himself.  And we have many days like that in our life.  His 
compassion, gratitude, and the way he shared in this 
Baltimore-Luxor-Alexandria Sister community.  Later on the 
World Peace Organization, he volunteer in many programs, 
events, dedicating himself extremely.  
When my parents-in-law got serious health issues, Ahmed 
visited often to provide financial and emotional support.  Even 
devastated by the fact, he was trying to get the best care for 
them in Egypt and in the United States.  He was searching for 
the greatest doctors and medication to help them regardless of 
the cost of it.  He was always the huge support for all his 
family.  
As a little boy he was working after school just because 
he felt obligated to help his parents to raise children.  He 
was just seven years old, going after school to his uncle's to 
sell the muffins.  He never has in his mind to look for easy 
way in his life.  
Ahmed is adored husband and father of our five kids.  He 
teaches them honesty, generosity, kindness and compassion.  
He got devastated after we found that our youngest 
daughter has chronic illness.  Excuse me.  She has Type 1 
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diabetes since December '21.  She was just four years old.  It 
crushed him completely, especially that he was still grieving 
his beloved mom.  He was doing all kinds of research, even 
outside of the country to help our daughter.  From the 
beginning, he was up at night to make sure her sugar was right 
for her not to fall in coma.  And he's monitoring -- he was 
monitoring her constantly until now.  Now it's just checking if 
she's breathing, if she's... if she's doing okay.  
It's terrifying situation with a lot of pressure on him, 
as hard as it was for him to watch his daughter being in pain.  
The more he tries to find help for her is the difficulties of 
it.  All injections and now insertions of the hurtful sensor 
for S. are very painful, and he was -- he's for her every day.  
She could not do it without him.  He is her rock.  Ahmed gives 
her comfort, and it will be more traumatic for her not to have 
his support and encouragement.  All our children depend on him, 
like I do.  Ahmed was born to be amazing father and is a great 
citizen.  Our life without him, being away will be worthless.  
Finally, even during difficult and overwhelming situation, 
he finds strength to be supportive and reliable, as a fellow on 
nonprofit organization called Juvenile Diabetes Cure Alliance, 
participating in organizing the fundraiser for them and adding 
voice to support parents, kids having Type 1 diabetes.  
During the last two years, he has signed for classes in 
City Community -- the community college of Baltimore City to 
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improve his skills and knowledge.  He's committed to making 
positive change and improvement.  
I respectfully request leniency.  My husband is a good and 
wonderful person with essential morals that build his 
character.  We love him so much.  Thank you for your kind 
attention.  
THE COURT:  Thank you very much, Mrs. Sary.  Thank 
you very much.  
Anyone else you want to call, Ms. Reamy, before I give the 
defendant an opportunity to speak on his own behalf?  
MS. REAMY:  No, Your Honor.  
(Conference on the sealed record.)
(It is the policy of this court that every guilty plea and 
sentencing proceeding include a bench conference concerning 
whether the defendant is or is not cooperating.)
THE COURT:  If you'll please stand, Mr. Sary.  I now 
personally address you, sir, and determine if you wish to make 
a statement and give you the opportunity to speak on your own 
behalf.  Would you like to make a statement?  
THE DEFENDANT:  Yes, Your Honor.  I just want to -- 
THE COURT:  Pull the microphone a bit closer to you 
so the court reporter can hear you.  
THE DEFENDANT:  Yes, Your Honor.  I just want to say 
sorry.  I have remorse over what happened, for me being 
involved that kind of scheme.  Whether I was brought into it 
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somehow, I want to say sorry to the government, I want to say 
sorry to you, Your Honor.  I want to say sorry to my family, 
sorry to my kids, to put them in this kind of situation and put 
myself in this situation --
THE COURT:  I don't mean to interrupt you, but it 
just occurred to me I think before I hear from you any further 
allocation personally and interact with you, I'd like to hear 
from the Government with respect to the representations -- if 
you'll sit for a moment -- defense counsel has made as to an 
individual named Harold Dotson, D-o-t-s-o-n, represented to me 
is a certified public accountant.  
MR. RILEY:  Yes, Your Honor.  
THE COURT:  Some very serious comments have been made 
about Mr. Dotson, and the Government has indicated it would 
like to respond.  I'll be glad to hear from you.  
MR. RILEY:  Yes, Your Honor.  I'll say at the outset, 
the Government -- to the extent that Mr. Dotson has been 
charged and it's not publicly known --
THE COURT:  Did you say he has been charged?  
MR. RILEY:  To the extent that he has been charged 
and that's not a public matter, I'm not going to refer to that.  
THE COURT:  I understand.
MR. RILEY:  What I will do is refer the Court to the 
Stipulation of Facts in the parties' plea agreement which talk 
about H.D., Harold Dotson.  The Stipulation of Facts make clear 
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that in connection with the PPP and EIDL loan kickback scheme, 
it was the defendant that was getting 20 to 30 percent of the 
fraud proceeds and then getting Mr. Dotson, H.D., two to five 
percent of that amount, as admitted by the defendant in the 
Stipulation of Facts.  I think that fact alone makes clear in 
terms of relative culpability who was driving this process.  
The Stipulation of Facts makes plain that Mr. Dotson -- 
the Government doesn't shy away from this at all -- Mr. Dotson 
provided bogus, fake tax forms that were submitted in 
connection with these applications --
THE COURT:  Presumably the Government is following up 
on that matter as to Mr. Dotson, correct?  
MR. RILEY:  Is and has, Your Honor.  
THE COURT:  That's all I need to know.  
MR. RILEY:  I would just state, Your Honor, those 
percentages, this defendant getting 20 to 30 percent of the 
fraud proceeds and Mr. Dotson getting his small slice 
comparatively, I think, speaks for itself in terms of relative 
culpability.  
THE COURT:  Thank you very much, Mr. Riley.  I 
understand.  
With that, now if you'll continue, Mr. Sary.  It's 
important for you to continue.  I'll be glad to hear from you 
continuing on.  Go right ahead, sir.  
THE DEFENDANT:  Yes, Your Honor.  I just want to tell 
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you that I have remorse and I want -- I'm not -- I'm sorry to 
put myself in this position and put my family into this.  This 
was very hurtful to hear my sons just saying something like 
that and crying, even my wife tearing.  That to me is just 
worth the money of the whole world.  I don't care about 
anything, I should think better than that at that time.  I 
don't know, but this is out of my character, Your Honor.  I 
have huge remorse.  
THE COURT:  I'll tell you, Mr. Sary, I always find it 
difficult when there are naturalized American citizens before 
me in these kind of situations because I have found that 
naturalized American citizens many times know more about this 
country than other native-born Americans.  They've studied the 
history of the country, they understand the implications of 
American citizenship.  They are here because this country is 
still a beacon of hope for people around the world.  I really 
believe that.  We have an immigration problem in this country 
because people want to come here.  
I told one of my colleagues in Russia:  You don't have an 
immigration problem because people don't want to come to your 
country.  We have problems at our borders because people want 
to come here.  They want to come here and be part of our 
culture and want to come here and become part of our community.  
Naturalized American citizens are equal to any citizen.  You 
are equal to me as a citizen because you became an American 
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citizen, and I believe that.  There are very few countries -- 
no country in the world that has like a Statute of Liberty that 
we have in New York City Harbor.  All of that sounds trite but 
it's true.  
THE DEFENDANT:  That's true.  
THE COURT:  But the point is when naturalized 
American citizens become engaged in fraud, it is very 
distressing to me because I know the commitments that 
naturalized American citizens have made in seeking citizenship 
in coming here.  Your sons are a testament to that in terms of 
two very fine young men who stood forward before me and felt 
the pain of this embarrassment and still trying to move forward 
with their lives.  They'll move forward with this.  They'll 
move forward with this.  
Just in speaking to them, I'll tell you there's a very 
prominent family in this city, names of which would be familiar 
to many people in this courtroom.  What people don't know is 
that all those successful brothers had a father who went to 
prison one time for embezzlement in the Baltimore metropolitan 
area.  They allowed it to drive them.  They loved their father, 
they supported their father.  Their father admitted doing 
something wrong, and all of those brothers went ahead to being 
highly successful.  It drove them.  They're not going to be 
destroyed by this presumably, they're going to get better.  
Your time will come.  
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THE DEFENDANT:  I hope so.  
THE COURT:  You've done many good things.  But this 
is -- this situation here is more than distressing; it is just 
outrageous.  It's outrageous.  What has lingered through here, 
as of this moment, no one can tell me where all the money went.  
I don't necessarily believe you put $17 million in your pocket, 
but you clearly got a lot of money put into your pocket by the 
statement of facts to which Mr. Riley has alluded that you 
acknowledged under oath when you pled guilty before me last 
October.  
THE DEFENDANT:  Yes, Your Honor.  
THE COURT:  I understand commitments and paying 
medical bills for family members; that still does not begin to 
address and explain where all this money went.  For whatever 
reason, there's been no explanation of that and there can be an 
accounting of that, and the government can be advised of that.  
To the extent that there's money in bank accounts anywhere or 
there are assets owned in Egypt, any of those things, that 
money can be recouped.  If people are willing to atone for 
their sins and also assist the government in recovering that 
money, it's as simple as that.  It's not complicated.  It's not 
complicated.  
To the extent that people take money under fraud and move 
it out of the United States and subject their family to all 
these difficult issues and all these interpersonal 
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relationships and family issues, there's still money that left 
the United States and the Payment Protection Program, out of 
the strength of the American economy to support businesses, and 
there's money that was fraudulently taken from that program and 
sent out of this country and is sitting somewhere in Egypt.  
There's no other way to get around that.  That is a raw fact.  
So what does that mean?  It means that you have to atone 
for that in some way and you have not done enough yet to do 
that.  It's clear to me that the Government does not know how 
to find this money.  You know how to tell them how to find it 
if you choose to do so.  If you choose to do so.  And there's a 
very specific rule under the Federal Rules of Criminal 
Procedure, Rule 35(a) of the Federal Rules of Criminal 
Procedure provide for a mechanism whereby people within one 
year of being sentenced can assist and provide information to 
the government that may entitle them to a reduction in sentence 
and coming back before this Court.  
Is that not correct, Mr. Riley?  
MR. RILEY:  Correct, Your Honor.  
THE COURT:  Correct, Ms. Reamy?  
MS. REAMY:  Yes, Your Honor.  
THE COURT:  Both the lawyers -- your lawyer, the 
prosecutor will tell you what the law is.  The sentence you 
receive here today can potentially be reduced if within the 
next year of today's date, between now and June 25, 2025, you 
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step forward and assist the government in some way trying to 
find where the money went and make representations to it.  I'm 
factoring that in with this sentence.  
I hear what your pain is and I understand it, but this is 
just -- the notion -- I look at this restitution sheet, and I 
don't for a minute think all this money necessarily went into 
your pocket.  You were part of a conspiracy and this is a 
restitution figure, but when you look at $10.9 million from a 
small bank in New Jersey is their loss; over $3 million lost to 
the Small Business Administration.  The Small Business 
Administration was created to assist small business people like 
you.  
In the face of a once-in-a-century pandemic, many people 
stepped up to try to deal with this for the good of our 
culture.  And the thought that some of that money is taken by 
you, anyone, and then goes overseas and people shrug their 
shoulders and say, we're not sure where it went.  We're going 
to try to find out where it went; it's as simple as that.  
THE DEFENDANT:  Yes, Your Honor.  
THE COURT:  I have factored in all of these factors.  
I have considered the four Congressionally-mandated purposes of 
sentencing are to punish you, and there's no question you've 
been punished and you will be punished; to deter you and others 
from criminal conduct.  I can only hope that word goes out in 
these kinds of cases.  I hope that others can step forward in 
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terms of the level of fraud that was perpetrated upon the 
American public and taxpayers and citizens by this kind of 
fraud.  
I don't think the public needs any further protection from 
you, and I think you're on the road to rehabilitation.  But 
you're not all the way there.  Very simple, Mr. Sary, you're 
not all the way there.  All the good things that you've done -- 
Ms. Derezinski's comments what a good person you've been -- you 
can be a really good person and a really good citizen if you 
step up and try to explain where all the money went.  It's not 
complicated.  
So to achieve these four purposes, I start with a 
calculation of the advisory guideline range.  I don't presume 
that that range is reasonable, and indeed it is at the upper 
end of what the agreed range was here in your case here.  When 
I look at all of these factors and consider the sentences 
imposed upon minor figures in this fraud compared to you and 
the sentences that they've received -- 2 years plus 12 months 
of home detention in the case of one.  You have a far bigger 
role in it, and it is reflected clearly in the presentence 
report.  
Considering all those factors, the level of money that was 
missing that no one can seem to find where it went and the 
level of the fraud here, it is ordered that you be remanded to 
the custody of the Bureau of Prisons for a period of 84 months, 
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7 years, on Count 1 of the criminal information, with credit 
for time served in federal custody from April 29, 2022, to May 
13, 2022.  I'm going to recommend that you go to the minimum 
male camp, FCI Cumberland, Maryland, or in the alternative, 
minimum male camp in Fairton, New Jersey.  
So your family understands, the minimum male camp, you 
have visiting hours just about every Saturday.  It's a very 
civilized process.  You're allowed to entertain visitors, and 
your family can visit you every weekend and see you every 
weekend.  
Does the Government have any reason to believe this 
defendant represents a risk of flight or threat to the 
community?  
MR. RILEY:  No, Your Honor.  The Government would ask 
this Court to continue this defendant under the current 
conditions of release.  
THE COURT:  Yes, that's what I was going to do.  You 
don't have any objection to voluntary surrender?  
MR. RILEY:  No, Your Honor.  
THE COURT:  The presentence report reflected that, 
meaning there's no handcuffs.  You will get a reporting date.  
We'll have the reporting date, Mr. Carrick, be within 60 days.  
He'll report on or before August 25, 2024.  You voluntarily 
surrender at the gates of either the minimum male camp in 
Cumberland, Maryland, which is straight out Route 70 off of the 
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Beltway all the way out to western Maryland or, in the 
alternative, the minimum male camp in Fairton, New Jersey.  
That will be the recommendation.  I can't guarantee which place 
to which you will be assigned, but I'll make that 
recommendation.  
I'm going to recommend that you get mental health and 
psychological counseling.  I know there have been some problems 
addressed to me in terms of a certain amount of depression, and 
that's understandable under these circumstances.  This is meant 
to help you.  I'm going to recommend you get some type of 
vocational training while you're incarcerated to have some more 
substantive means of supporting your family in light of the 
business setbacks that you've reached.  
I'm going to place you on supervised release for a period 
of three years.  The first 12 months of that will be home 
detention.  Under Section 5C1.1(e)(3) of the advisory 
guidelines, one day of home detention can equal one day of 
incarceration.  So just as the other defendants who have been 
sentenced here have home detention, you're essentially getting 
84 months, or 7 years, plus another year, 12 months of home 
detention.  So the whole punishment structure is essentially 96 
months which is about a year and a half less than what was 
requested by the Government.  I'm not going to sentence you to 
the entire 114-month window.  
I have structured this for 7 years, for 84 months, and 12 
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months of home detention.  I'll be going over that in more 
detail in a minute.  
I'm going to enter a restitution order here in the amount 
of 17 comma 901 comma 279 point 37, meaning $17,901,279.37.  
Mr. Carrick, you have the distribution sheet as to how it will 
be paid.  You'll be paying that at the rate of essentially as 
has been ordered as to other defendants in smaller amounts.  
That will be paid approximately $250 a month each month during 
your period of supervised release, but I'll go over that again 
with you in a minute.  
This is a very serious matter.  It represents an enormous 
fraud on the American public in taking advantage of a 
once-in-a-century crisis.  It cannot be countenanced.  Nothing 
is being accomplished just by putting people in prison when the 
government is having trouble finding the money.  My goal here, 
in case it's not obvious, is to provide any vehicle to see to 
it there's some effort to make substantive assistance to the 
U.S. government in finding where this money is abroad and 
assisting the government in that process.  
To put it bluntly, Mr. Sary, to the extent that you have 
access to any money in a financial institution in Egypt or you 
own any property in Egypt, you and you alone can liquidate 
those assets, and you and you alone can see that that money is 
forwarded to the government toward this restitution figure.  
That may or may not trigger a motion by the Government for 
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reduction of sentence within the next year.  That's totally 
within the discretion of the Government.  But I've advised you 
of that rule and your lawyer has acknowledged it, and Mr. Riley 
has acknowledged the existence of that federal rule.  I'm 
stating it so the public understands.  
You'll be placed on supervised release for three years 
with the mandatory conditions that you not commit any federal, 
state or local crime; that you must not unlawfully possess a 
controlled substance, that you must refrain from any unlawful 
use of a controlled substance and must submit to one drug test 
within 15 days of your release from imprisonment.  
You shall make restitution in accordance with 18 United 
States Code § 3663 and any other statute authorizing 
restitution.  We've set a restitution figure here.  It will be 
paid at the rate of $250 a month during your supervised 
release.  It will not be collected -- Mr. Carrick -- during 
your incarceration, because I recognize the financial 
implications that you're facing.  
You must also cooperate in the collection of DNA as a 
mandatory condition of supervised release.  
Sex offender registration, Mr. Carrick, is not an option 
here and not a factor, nor is any problem for domestic 
violence.  
They are the mandatory conditions.  There are certain 
standard conditions of supervised release.  They are that you 
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must report to the probation office in the federal judicial 
district where you're authorized to reside within 72 hours of 
your release from prison.  Presumably that will be in Maryland 
that you'll reside.  After initially reporting, you'll receive 
instructions as to when and where to report.  
You are not to knowingly leave this federal judicial 
district where you're authorized to reside without first 
getting permission of the Court.  
You must answer truthfully all questions asked of you by 
your probation officer and you must live at a place approved by 
the probation officer.  You must allow the probation officer to 
visit you at any time and also advise you of any change -- 
advise him or her of any change in your residence.  
You must make every effort to work full-time at a lawful 
type of employment during your period of supervised release, 
and you must not communicate or interact with anyone that you 
know or have reason to believe is engaged in criminal activity.  
If you know someone who's been convicted of a felony with whom 
you're having contact, you must not knowingly communicate or 
interact with that person without first getting the permission 
of your probation officer.  
If you are arrested or questioned by law enforcement, you 
must notify the probation officer within 72 hours.  You must 
not own, possess or have access to a firearm, ammunition, 
destructive device or any dangerous weapon.  
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You must not act or make any agreement with a law 
enforcement agency without first getting the permission of the 
Court.  Which means that to the extent that there's any 
possibility of your providing information to the government to 
assist in finding these missing funds, that can be monitored 
through your lawyer.  Ms. Reamy is your privately retained 
attorney.  You can communicate with her and she can deal with 
the government in terms of any steps in that regard.  
If you're deemed to pose a risk to any other person, you 
shall abstain from contact with that person if it's deemed 
necessary by the probation officer.  
In short, what you must do is follow the instructions of 
the probation officer at all times in these matters.  
There are additional conditions of supervised release to 
which I've obviously already made reference.  The first and 
most important of which is that you are restricted to your 
residence at all times for employment, education, religious 
services -- you are restricted for a period of 12 months to 
your residence except for employment, education, religious 
services, medical, substance abuse, or mental health treatment, 
or attorney visits or court appearances or court-ordered 
obligations.  Meaning you can go to work, you can go to visit a 
doctor, can go to religious services, you can meet your lawyer, 
but otherwise you are essentially on house arrest.  You go home 
for the first 12 months of this three-year period of supervised 
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release.  
You will be monitored by the form of a location monitoring 
technology chosen at the discretion of the probation officer.  
As I've said, this will be for a period of 12 months, and you 
must follow the rules and regulations of that monitoring 
program and pay the cost of the program as directed.  
You must also, in addition to that, provide the probation 
officer with access to any requested financial information and 
authorize the release of that financial information and share 
it with the government.  You must not accrue any new credit 
charges or open additional lines of credit without the approval 
of the probation officer.  
There is a special assessment of $100 which is mandatory 
and shall be paid within the next 60 days.  Let me check that 
out here.  Yes, special assessment of $100.  It will be paid 
within the next 60 days.  It's a mandatory assessment under 18 
United States Code § 3013.  You are to pay outstanding monetary 
restitution as ordered, $250 a month, as I've already 
indicated, towards restitution.  
I'm not going to impose a fine in this case because you're 
not able to pay a fine and facing very severe financial 
circumstances and all money should be going towards 
restitution.  
Pretrial Services, as I've said, has recommended your 
continued release but there's one additional condition to be 
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added.  In addition to the conditions presently set as to which 
you've been abiding that were originally set by, I think, Judge 
Hurson and then -- by Judge Coulson and modified by Judge 
Hurson, in addition to those conditions which still remain in 
effect, Mr. Carrick, we're going to add a mental health 
condition that you shall receive any mental health treatment or 
psychological counseling as deemed necessary in this matter 
until you report to the prison in two months.  That's all being 
paid for by the government, by the way.  You don't pay for 
that.  That is a serious matter and I address it.  
I want to advise you of your appeal rights.  In paragraph 
11 of the plea agreement, both you and the Government waived 
appeal of any lawful sentence and this is a lawful sentence.  
It's clearly a more severe sentence than Ms. Reamy had argued 
for, but there is a way to reduce it.  It's slightly less than 
what the Government requested.  If you still felt that you 
wanted to note an appeal even though you waived any right of an 
appeal in this matter, you should do so within 14 days of the 
entry of the Judgment and Commitment Order in this case 
pursuant to Rule 4(b) of the Federal Rules of Appellate 
Procedure.  
If you cannot afford an attorney or handle an appeal, an 
attorney can be appointed for you.  Ms. Reamy, you do not need 
to notify the Court, but presumably he does not desire to file 
an appeal and just put a note in your file to that effect.  
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MS. REAMY:  Yes, Your Honor.  
THE COURT:  Is there anything further from the point 
of view of the Government on this matter, Mr. Riley?  
MR. RILEY:  Yes, with respect to restitution, Your 
Honor, the final page of the Government's sentencing 
submission, ECF 76, page 10, the Government did note that 
certain portions of the restitution order entered by Your Honor 
should be joint and several with certain other 
co-conspirators.  
THE COURT:  Yes, I'm sorry I overlooked that.  That's 
correct.  
MR. RILEY:  As long as that's reflected in the 
Judgment and Commitment Order, there shouldn't be any issues.  
THE COURT:  Yeah.  By the way, the money judgment 
that's been entered by me in the amount of $3,627,489.22, 
that's credited against the restitution, is it not?  
MR. RILEY:  It's two separate obligations -- 
THE COURT:  I understand that.  
MR. RILEY:  Not directly, Your Honor.  The Government 
has to apply for permission to the attorney general to have --
THE COURT:  But presumably it can be applied.  
MR. RILEY:  Yes, Your Honor.  
THE COURT:  Nobody seriously believes they're getting 
$17 million back, that's my point.  
MR. RILEY:  Yes, Your Honor.  Absolutely, Your 
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Honor.  
THE COURT:  Okay.  So to the extent that this is -- 
this will be joint and several, this obligation will be joint 
and several.  I'm just trying to see, as to Mr. Hopkins -- the 
figures vary, Mr. Riley, in terms of the joint and several 
liability with these defendants, so I'm trying to have you walk 
me through in terms of what you're asking.  
MR. RILEY:  Yes, Your Honor.  
THE COURT:  Cross River Bank is in the Walker case.  
MR. RILEY:  Correct, Your Honor.  
THE COURT:  What is it you're asking to be joint and 
several?  
MR. RILEY:  I'm asking for of the defendant's 
obligation in the restitution order in this case of 
$10,929,288.22, $262,252 of that should be joint and several 
with Mr. Walker's in criminal case number RDB-22-290.  
THE COURT:  That's in terms of the restitution 
figures.  
MR. RILEY:  That's restitution, Your Honor.  
THE COURT:  What I suggest you do is that you show 
this to Mr. Carrick and, Mr. Carrick, we'll take a break for 
lunch and we'll come back after lunch.  You'll need to set this 
up so that the way this will work, Mr. Carrick, is you can look 
at the restitution figures in that exhibit that have been 
provided.  As to Cross River Bank, for example, the $10,929,288 
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of that figure, there is joint and several liability as to 
Mr. Hopkins in a certain amount, and there is a joint and 
several liability as to Mr. Walker and Mr. Qureshi and 
Mr. Gillespie, correct?  
MR. RILEY:  That's correct.  Absolutely right, Your 
Honor.  
THE COURT:  So that doesn't require much work.  It's 
just that one figure for Cross River Bank.  Then basically 
Celtic Bank and the Small Business Administration are also 
joint and several obligations with Mr. Hopkins.  
My suggestion, Mr. Riley, make sure you show this and go 
over this after we conclude today with Mr. Carrick before he 
breaks for lunch, so when he comes back after lunch, we can 
have this correctly set forth in the Judgment and Commitment 
Order.  
MR. RILEY:  Will do, Your Honor.  
THE COURT:  Is there anything else?  
MR. RILEY:  No, Your Honor.
THE COURT:  Thank you, Mr. Riley, for your work on 
this.  And, Agent Parker, thank you for your work.  
Ms. Reamy, anything further from your point of view?  
MS. REAMY:  One briefly.  That was a recommendation 
for alcohol treatment.  Mr. Sary, since the sentencing -- 
Ms. Izabela reported this to me last week; it's not 
problematic, he's not violent or derelict in any way -- 
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THE COURT:  I understand.
MS. REAMY:  But it's extremely uncharacteristic for 
him to consume alcohol --
THE COURT:  I understand.  In terms of treatment in 
prison, you're suggesting?  
MS. REAMY:  Even up till then.  She's concerned.  
It's very uncharacteristic for him and seems to be a method of 
him self-treating.  
THE COURT:  I understand.  What are you asking the 
Court to do?  
MS. REAMY:  Both alcohol, any alcohol treatment --
THE COURT:  Will recommend in the next 60 days before 
he reports that he get alcohol treatment as well.  
MS. REAMY:  I guess, if the Court thinks that's 
reasonable --
THE COURT:  What I'm reluctant to do, Ms. Reamy, I'm 
reluctant to summarily say he can't drink any alcohol, and 
we're going to have him report to prison right away.  
MS. REAMY:  Well, I certainly understand that.
THE COURT:  I don't know how severe the problem is.  
MS. REAMY:  I don't think that it's something -- the 
biggest issue Izabela presented to me is that he was a 
nondrinker completely.  Since the guilty plea in this case, she 
believes he's been self-medicating anxiety and depression.  
THE COURT:  I can certainly understand that.  
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MS. REAMY:  So she's asked for him --
THE COURT:  I'll recommend him to get mental health 
treatment as well as substance abuse counseling in that regard, 
and I'll recommend also -- I meant to add in terms of the 
programs, we'll also have along with vocational training and 
mental health and psychological counseling, we'll have 
substance abuse, Mr. Carrick, added as well.  To the extent 
that he needs any kind of treatment, substance abuse treatment 
at prison or alcohol treatment, we'll recommend that as well.  
MS. REAMY:  Yes.  He has just asked me because there 
is so much uncertainty -- Mr. Sary has just asked me because 
there is so much uncertainty surrounding the ability of the 
family to move back into the home that was damaged by fire, 
he's asking if he can have 90 days before his surrender.  
THE COURT:  Yes, certainly, that's fine.  We'll make 
the reporting date 90 days.  You have 90 days to pay the 
special assessment.  Mr. Carrick, we'll have reporting date of 
90 days.  That's fine.  So it will be by September 25, 2024.  
Anything further, Ms. Reamy?  
MS. REAMY:  No, Your Honor.  Thank you.  
THE COURT:  I think you need to stay engaged in this 
matter in terms of the implications here.  
Mr. Sary, I wish you the best of luck.  
THE DEFENDANT:  Thank you.  
THE COURT:  The matter of depression issues, nothing 
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to be embarrassed about.  Believe me, I don't know of a person 
that stands there where I've sentenced you and somebody doesn't 
have depression about it.  
I also want to address your children, your two sons.  I 
meant that, what I said to both of you.  You both can get 
stronger as a result of this.  This is a very painful moment.  
People make mistakes.  Your father has made an egregious 
mistake and it's harmed many people.  He's going to have to 
deal with this.  Perhaps he can even deal with it a little 
better over the next year.  But you'll move forward, life will 
move forward.  
Mr. Sary, you have a very good lawyer there.  You've got a 
very strong family, you have good friends, you have a strong 
wife.  Don't put yourself out on a shelf somewhere.  Don't be 
the least bit hesitant to talk to Ms. Reamy if you're having an 
issue.  Do you understand that?  
THE DEFENDANT:  Sure, Your Honor.  
THE COURT:  Very specifically, I'll note to the 
probation office -- and Ms. Wonneman can follow up on this -- 
if you need to get alcohol counseling immediately, immediately, 
Ms. Wonneman, we can try to make that available very quickly, 
can we not?  
PROBATION OFFICER:  Your Honor, it's Ms. Martin.  I 
stepped in for Ms. Wonneman.  But, yes, we'll make sure that 
takes place -- 
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THE COURT:  If you think you're having a difficult 
moment or your wife thinks, call Ms. Reamy, she'll call 
probation.  Within 24 hours, 48 hours, we'll have you talking 
to some professional about it in some way.  
THE DEFENDANT:  Thank you, Your Honor.  
THE COURT:  It's meant to help you, it's meant to 
help you.  Supervised release is meant to help you turn the 
corner.  
THE DEFENDANT:  Thank you, Your Honor.  
THE COURT:  Don't overlook what I've clearly 
indicated on the record here.  There's a lot of money missing.  
I don't know of anybody better that can tell us where some of 
the money is that's missing than you.  That's up to you.  
With that, this Court stands adjourned for the day.  Thank 
you very much.  
THE CLERK:  All rise.  Court stands in adjournment.  
(Proceedings concluded at 1:16 p.m.)
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  CERTIFICATE OF OFFICIAL REPORTER
I, Patricia G. Mitchell, Registered Merit Reporter, 
Certified Realtime Reporter, in and for the United States 
District Court for the District of Maryland, do hereby certify, 
pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 753, that the foregoing is a true and 
correct transcript of the stenographically-reported proceedings 
held in the above-entitled matter and the transcript page 
format is in conformance with the regulations of the Judicial 
Conference of the United States.
          Dated this 26th day of August 2025.
                    
_________________________________
Patricia G. Mitchell, RMR, CRR
Federal Official Reporter 
Patricia G. Mitchell, RMR, CRR  Federal Official Court Reporter
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Case 1:23-cr-00344-RDB     Document 118-2     Filed 09/19/25     Page 89 of 105

< Dates >
26th day of August 2025. 
89:10.  
279.37.   76:4.  
489.22.   10:14.  
April 2020  18:24.  
April 2020,  28:19.  
April 29 of 2022,  49:1.  
April 29, 2022,  74:2.  
April 29th  48:17.  
August 25, 2024.   74:23.  
December '21.   64:1.  
January 2022  18:25.  
January 2022.   28:21.  
January of  47:23.  
January of 2005  11:4.  
June  36:16, 48:5.  
June 18th,  18:24.  
June 2021  28:12.  
June 2021.   28:20.  
June 20th,  10:12.  
June 25, 2024  1:17.  
June 25, 2025,  71:25.  
May 13, 2022.   74:2.  
May 13th of 2022  48:17.  
October  70:10.  
October 18th of  2:7.  
October 18th,  7:14.  
October,  7:8, 10:3.  
September  57:7.  
September 25, 2024.   86:18.  
$1 34:2.  
$1.9 32:7.  
$10 83:15, 83:25.  
$10.9 31:19, 32:5, 72:8.  
$100 80:13, 80:15.  
$120 22:1.  
$15 19:22.  
$17 31:17, 35:23, 41:23, 42:21, 
42:25, 70:6, 76:4, 82:24.  
$17.9 19:25, 24:12.  
$177 34:4.  
$18 26:6, 30:9, 30:13, 34:20.  
$200 33:23, 47:21.  
$250 76:8, 77:15, 80:18.  
$262 33:21, 83:15.  
$3 10:14, 31:17, 72:9, 82:15.  
$3.1 32:6.  
$325 22:1, 47:19.  
$430 22:3.  
$78 26:24, 33:22.  
$900 20:7.  
.  
.  
< 0 >.  
00 1:18.  
000 17:6, 17:7, 17:8, 17:10, 20:7, 
22:1, 22:3, 26:24, 33:22, 33:23, 
34:4, 47:19, 47:20, 47:21.  
018 34:2.  
.  
.  
< 1 >.  
1 1:40, 7:13, 16:13, 32:2, 47:4, 
52:24, 55:16, 63:25, 64:23, 
74:1, 88:17.  
10 2:2, 7:12, 82:6.  
101 17:2, 17:9.  
108 13:1, 16:25, 18:3.  
11 1:18, 2:2, 29:18, 35:12, 47:3, 
48:13, 81:12.  
11(c)(1)(c 7:10.  
114 7:16, 7:21, 12:25, 18:4, 
37:20.  
114-month 19:6, 30:20, 35:9, 
75:24.  
12 13:3, 34:6, 34:7, 36:6, 73:18, 
75:15, 75:20, 75:25, 79:18, 
79:25, 80:4.  
120 47:20.  
13 15:5, 15:6, 39:19.  
135 13:2, 17:1, 18:3.  
14 39:18, 81:18.  
15 48:18, 77:11.  
150 30:7.  
16 58:8, 60:9, 88:17.  
17 15:7, 30:2, 52:12, 76:4.  
18 12:2, 77:12, 80:16.  
19 11:4.  
19th 36:16.  
1: 1:10.  
.  
.  
< 2 >.  
2 73:18.  
20 13:24, 14:20, 21:6, 26:10, 29:11, 
67:2, 67:16.  
2000 44:13.  
2002 44:13.  
2003 13:23.  
2004 15:3.  
2007 22:22.  
2008 54:18.  
2016 43:20, 44:1, 44:17.  
2018 44:5.  
2021 43:19, 44:19.  
21 62:12.  
21- 46:1.  
21201 1:32.  
21204 1:41.  
22-year-old 46:1.  
224 34:2.  
24 33:24, 34:5, 34:7, 88:3.  
25 50:8, 50:10.  
250 17:7.  
252 33:21, 83:15.  
279 76:4.  
279.37 35:23.  
279.87 31:17.  
28 89:5.  
288 83:25.  
288.22 83:15.  
2B1.1 50:14, 50:20, 51:1.  
.  
.  
< 3 >.  
3-cr-00344-rdb 1:10.  
30 14:6, 17:7, 17:10, 21:5, 21:6, 
26:10, 29:11, 67:2, 67:16.  
300 17:10.  
3013 80:17.  
31 16:20, 16:23, 17:6, 17:17.  
33 16:20, 49:24.  
34 16:13.  
35 17:6, 17:8.  
35(a 42:13, 71:13.  
350 17:8.  
3553(a 12:3, 19:10, 48:8.  
36 1:31.  
3663 77:13.  
37 31:23, 76:4.  
3E1.1 16:18.  
.  
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< 4 >.  
4 17:13.  
4(b 81:20.  
42 43:13.  
46 43:14, 45:21.  
48 88:3.  
489.22 82:15.  
4C1 16:13.  
4C1.1 6:23, 9:5, 15:25, 33:1.  
4th 1:31.  
.  
.  
< 5 >.  
5 11:8.  
57 19:24, 26:7.  
5c1.1(e)(3 36:8, 75:16.  
5D 1:23.  
5K1 50:23.  
.  
.  
< 6 >.  
60 7:16, 8:1, 12:24, 18:4, 37:20, 
48:10, 48:11, 74:22, 80:14, 
80:16, 85:12.  
60-month 51:20.  
62 6:22, 16:10.  
627 10:14, 82:15.  
65 16:19.  
.  
.  
< 7 >.  
7 74:1, 75:20, 75:25.  
70 74:25.  
72 78:2, 78:23.  
74 15:5, 15:6.  
753 89:5.  
76 18:23, 82:6.  
78 36:15.  
78-6 56:24.  
78-7 53:3.  
.  
.  
< 8 >.  
80 13:7, 13:9.  
82 10:15.  
84 73:25, 75:20, 75:25.  
85 19:21.  
87 26:7, 31:23.  
.  
.  
< 9 >.  
9 24:2.  
90 15:7, 49:25, 50:24, 86:14, 86:16, 
86:18.  
900 1:40.  
901 31:17, 35:23, 76:4.  
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92 16:22.  
929 83:15, 83:25.  
96 75:21.  
99 49:21.  
.  
.  
< A >.  
A. 1:29.  
a.m. 1:18, 2:2.  
abiding 81:2.  
ability 25:18, 39:5, 61:15, 
86:12.  
able 47:25, 48:2, 48:5, 55:2, 59:6, 
80:21.  
above 11:25.  
above-entitled 89:7.  
abroad 58:7, 76:18.  
absence 55:21.  
absent 15:12.  
Absolutely 5:18, 17:14, 45:2, 
82:25, 84:5.  
abstain 79:10.  
abuse 79:20, 86:3, 86:7, 86:8.  
abused 27:25.  
accept 42:24.  
acceptance 16:15.  
accepting 62:15.  
access 76:21, 78:24, 80:8.  
accomplished 76:14.  
accordance 77:12.  
According 40:20, 47:15, 48:15, 
49:20.  
account 11:22, 23:16, 23:23, 
32:25.  
accountability 62:15.  
accountant 38:14, 38:17, 38:18, 
39:4, 39:23, 40:5, 66:11.  
accounting 70:16.  
accounts 22:2, 43:15, 46:12, 
70:17.  
accrue 80:10.  
accurate 41:6, 50:2.  
achieve 12:20, 37:18, 73:12.  
acid 13:9.  
acknowledge 36:6.  
acknowledged 70:9, 77:3, 
77:4.  
acknowledging 37:13, 43:4, 
62:15.  
across 24:22.  
Act 13:23, 14:1, 14:3, 15:20, 
79:1.  
action 62:15.  
actions 52:14, 52:16, 52:20, 55:9, 
58:3.  
active 52:23.  
activity 78:17.  
Actual 19:22, 20:1, 20:2, 24:14, 
29:5, 32:11.  
actually 34:25, 47:6, 49:23, 50:2, 
54:14.  
add 51:10, 81:5, 86:4.  
added 9:18, 81:1, 86:7.  
adding 64:22.  
addition 10:11, 38:22, 49:4, 80:7, 
81:1, 81:4.  
additional 9:10, 44:19, 79:14, 
80:11, 80:25.  
address 9:21, 43:8, 47:8, 52:10, 
65:17, 70:14, 81:10, 87:4.  
addressed 18:7, 75:8.  
addressing 12:6.  
adequate 45:7.  
adjacent 50:8.  
adjourned 88:14.  
adjournment 88:16.  
adjusted 16:13.  
adjusting 12:17.  
adjustment 6:24, 7:5, 7:6, 9:5, 
15:22, 16:12, 16:14, 16:21, 
38:7, 38:11, 45:22, 45:24.  
adjustments 17:18, 17:20, 17:23, 
46:4, 50:23.  
Administration 19:18, 31:19, 32:6, 
72:10, 72:11, 84:9.  
administrative 14:19, 15:2, 
15:7.  
admirable 33:2, 33:15.  
admiration 59:12.  
admitted 22:8, 22:11, 23:8, 27:14, 
29:17, 67:4, 69:21.  
adored 63:22.  
adult 37:2, 43:8, 46:2, 46:22, 49:13, 
59:18.  
adults 46:23.  
advantage 76:12.  
advise 78:12, 78:13, 81:11.  
advised 48:3, 70:16, 77:2.  
advisory 6:23, 7:6, 9:5, 11:19, 
11:20, 15:22, 15:24, 16:18, 
18:2, 19:8, 36:8, 51:2, 73:13, 
75:16.  
advocate 43:5.  
Affairs 23:19.  
affected 44:16.  
afflicted 52:25.  
afford 81:22.  
aftermath 2:14.  
afternoon 62:6, 62:7.  
age 45:25, 46:4, 47:3, 57:15, 57:17, 
58:8, 60:9.  
agency 79:2.  
Agent 1:46, 2:23, 3:1, 24:9, 24:24, 
25:2, 25:5, 25:8, 25:13, 25:19, 
25:20, 29:19, 84:20.  
ago 11:5, 13:25, 14:20, 33:15.  
agree 7:11, 40:2.  
agreed 7:15, 12:24, 15:22, 35:22, 
73:15.  
agreed-upon 19:7.  
agreement 6:19, 7:12, 7:14, 8:3, 
10:5, 10:11, 10:16, 11:9, 14:15, 
18:6, 66:24, 79:1, 81:12.  
agrees 6:21.  
ahead 62:1, 67:24, 69:22.  
Ahmed 1:10, 2:5, 3:6, 26:24, 44:22, 
52:11, 52:12, 52:15, 52:21, 
52:22, 53:15, 55:7, 55:13, 
55:14, 55:17, 56:1, 56:3, 56:6, 
58:13, 62:9, 62:11, 62:14, 
62:20, 62:21, 62:25, 63:2, 
63:10, 63:22, 64:14, 
64:17.  
ailments 28:13.  
alcohol 84:23, 85:3, 85:11, 85:13, 
85:17, 86:9, 87:20.  
Alexandria 22:10, 53:11.  
allegations 20:16.  
Alliance 64:21.  
allocation 66:7.  
allocution 18:10, 18:14.  
allow 54:24, 55:17, 78:11.  
allowed 69:20, 74:8.  
alluded 70:8.  
almost 13:3, 29:7, 29:9, 30:9, 
30:17, 32:6, 34:20, 41:4, 
62:12.  
alone 67:5, 76:22, 76:23.  
already 5:21, 10:23, 35:20, 36:19, 
37:16, 52:24, 79:15, 
80:18.  
alternative 74:4, 75:2.  
Although 5:14.  
amazing 61:18, 63:1, 64:17.  
amended 6:22.  
amendments 6:23, 15:24, 
16:9.  
America 1:5, 53:12.  
American 22:21, 22:22, 28:6, 37:8, 
68:10, 68:12, 68:15, 68:24, 
68:25, 69:7, 69:9, 71:3, 73:2, 
76:12.  
Americans 68:13.  
ammunition 78:24.  
among 13:25, 37:19.  
amount 9:1, 10:14, 21:5, 21:6, 
23:13, 24:10, 24:23, 25:23, 
28:10, 29:25, 30:25, 34:14, 
41:23, 43:3, 60:23, 67:4, 75:8, 
76:3, 82:15, 84:2.  
amounts 16:7, 17:4, 23:4, 
76:7.  
analysis 18:2, 48:8, 49:20.  
answer 23:2, 78:9.  
anticipated 9:19.  
anticipating 6:12.  
anxiety 85:24.  
anybody 4:21, 4:23, 88:12.  
apart 12:19, 35:12.  
apologize 5:1, 6:7, 31:24, 
51:23.  
apparent 40:19.  
appeal 10:6, 11:24, 56:8, 81:11, 
81:13, 81:17, 81:18, 81:22, 
81:25.  
appealing 62:10.  
Appeals 11:23, 11:25.  
appear 24:17, 25:7, 27:17, 
33:7.  
appearances 79:21.  
appears 4:2, 24:6, 24:8, 28:9.  
Appellate 81:20.  
applicable 14:14.  
application 40:6.  
applications 5:8, 21:4, 21:12, 
21:15, 21:17, 21:18, 30:14, 
30:15, 30:16, 35:6, 39:7, 40:9, 
67:10.  
applied 11:20, 41:14, 82:21.  
applies 14:4.  
Patricia G. Mitchell, RMR, CRR  Federal Official Court Reporter
6/25/2024 Sentencing
91
Case 1:23-cr-00344-RDB     Document 118-2     Filed 09/19/25     Page 91 of 105

apply 11:21, 14:1, 40:16, 45:24, 
45:25, 46:4, 82:20.  
appointed 81:23.  
appreciate 49:17, 56:11.  
approach 51:17.  
appropriate 7:15, 14:18, 30:21, 
37:20, 37:22.  
appropriately 5:4.  
approval 80:11.  
approved 78:10.  
Approximately 8:19, 30:2, 
76:8.  
area 69:20.  
areas 2:10.  
argued 81:14.  
argument 39:24, 42:25.  
around 25:1, 25:9, 68:16, 
71:6.  
arranged 54:15.  
arrest 49:1, 79:24.  
arrested 78:22.  
arrive 37:16.  
aside 58:16.  
assessed 17:3, 17:11.  
assessment 80:13, 80:15, 80:16, 
86:17.  
assets 22:2, 26:3, 70:18, 
76:23.  
assigned 75:4.  
assist 31:6, 53:25, 70:20, 71:15, 
72:1, 72:11, 79:5.  
assistance 14:11, 76:17.  
Assistant 2:21.  
assisting 52:23, 76:19.  
associated 19:23.  
assured 57:23.  
atone 70:19, 71:7.  
attempted 26:17.  
attend 33:9.  
attendance 3:25.  
attention 55:12, 57:23, 58:17, 
65:6.  
Attorney 1:30, 1:39, 2:22, 4:9, 
8:17, 36:20, 79:7, 79:21, 81:22, 
81:23, 82:20.  
attributable 31:18.  
attributes 33:6, 48:6, 48:7.  
auspices 42:12.  
authorities 52:17, 62:17.  
authorize 80:9.  
authorized 18:4, 48:22, 78:2, 
78:7.  
authorizing 77:13.  
available 87:21.  
average 49:25, 50:23.  
aviation 59:4.  
avoid 33:19, 35:16.  
aware 23:17, 25:8, 25:13, 36:23, 
37:15, 38:6, 38:20.  
away 41:2, 43:19, 64:18, 67:8, 
85:18.  
.  
.  
< B >.  
back 2:4, 3:10, 7:13, 10:2, 14:20, 
15:2, 27:19, 33:9, 38:5, 40:25, 
47:25, 48:4, 54:11, 61:1, 71:17, 
82:24, 83:22, 84:13, 
86:13.  
backed 36:6.  
background 52:21.  
backing 41:2.  
bad 61:17.  
bag 28:3.  
balance 11:16, 55:24.  
Baltimore 1:16, 1:32, 4:9, 33:14, 
36:20, 38:19, 53:17, 53:20, 
53:24, 54:12, 64:25, 
69:19.  
Baltimore-alexandria 53:4.  
Baltimore-luxor-alexandria 
63:7.  
Bank 21:16, 22:2, 23:15, 23:16, 
23:23, 31:20, 32:5, 32:7, 70:17, 
72:9, 83:9, 83:25, 84:8, 
84:9.  
banks 28:2.  
barely 46:2.  
base 40:14.  
based 16:23, 49:21.  
basically 84:8.  
beachfront 22:10, 25:23.  
beacon 57:15, 68:16.  
bearer 51:5.  
became 22:21, 44:13, 68:25.  
become 46:8, 53:13, 68:23, 
69:7.  
becomes 44:7.  
Becoming 58:22, 59:4.  
began 28:19, 43:20, 57:16.  
begin 57:13, 70:13.  
beginning 62:12, 64:5.  
begins 15:5.  
begs 23:4.  
behalf 2:22, 3:4, 4:5, 18:10, 18:12, 
33:11, 51:13, 65:10, 
65:19.  
behavior 55:7.  
belief 56:1.  
beliefs 61:7.  
Believe 3:10, 5:21, 6:7, 11:8, 23:2, 
31:8, 34:6, 37:9, 38:21, 68:17, 
69:1, 70:6, 74:11, 78:17, 
87:1.  
believes 30:20, 82:23, 85:24.  
beloved 60:17, 64:3.  
Beltway 75:1.  
bench 39:11, 65:14.  
benefited 38:25, 39:1.  
best 60:5, 60:21, 63:12, 
86:23.  
better 58:7, 61:25, 68:6, 69:24, 
87:10, 88:12.  
beyond 57:25.  
bigger 25:6, 73:19.  
biggest 59:7, 85:22.  
Billions 30:1, 30:11.  
bills 70:13.  
binding 18:5.  
bit 13:5, 29:20, 40:18, 65:21, 
87:15.  
blank 26:19, 26:20, 26:21.  
bluntly 76:20.  
Boardman 9:16.  
bogus 27:10, 67:9.  
Booker 11:6, 12:13.  
boost 28:6, 28:7.  
boosted 2:24.  
borders 58:1, 68:21.  
born 2:10, 58:5, 64:17.  
borrowers 20:12, 27:8, 27:9.  
bottom 26:6.  
bound 11:21.  
bounds 58:3, 58:18.  
box 62:4.  
boy 63:17.  
break 83:21.  
breaks 84:13.  
breathing 64:8.  
Bredar 20:19.  
brief 4:25.  
briefly 19:10, 49:16, 84:22.  
bringing 49:16.  
broad 40:2, 40:3.  
broader 55:22.  
broken 26:24.  
Brooklyn 47:16.  
brother 45:13, 58:6, 58:8, 60:8, 
61:24.  
brothers 69:18, 69:22.  
brought 29:15, 39:3, 65:25.  
build 65:4.  
Bureau 73:25.  
Business 19:18, 27:4, 31:19, 32:6, 
39:16, 39:18, 39:22, 40:15, 
40:16, 72:10, 72:11, 75:13, 
84:9.  
businesses 19:15, 19:16, 20:8, 
21:1, 21:19, 26:25, 27:24, 
29:10, 39:13, 40:10, 40:12, 
41:12, 41:14, 71:3.  
buy 28:1.  
buying 22:11.  
.  
.  
< C >.  
C-plea 19:7.  
C. 89:5.  
calculated 33:4.  
calculates 48:17.  
calculation 12:16, 15:21, 15:23, 
73:13.  
calculations 16:12, 48:15.  
call 13:1, 65:9, 88:2.  
called 64:21.  
calling 2:4.  
camp 74:4, 74:5, 74:6, 74:24, 
75:2.  
candidly 43:3.  
candor 39:9.  
capable 56:2.  
care 28:11, 45:7, 45:10, 47:10, 
57:23, 57:24, 63:12, 68:5.  
cared 58:3.  
caring 62:13.  
Carrick 2:17, 14:12, 17:12, 18:5, 
31:6, 31:8, 31:10, 36:2, 74:22, 
76:5, 77:16, 77:21, 81:5, 83:21, 
83:23, 84:12, 86:7, 86:17.  
cases 5:22, 14:2, 24:9, 24:25, 
Patricia G. Mitchell, RMR, CRR  Federal Official Court Reporter
6/25/2024 Sentencing
92
Case 1:23-cr-00344-RDB     Document 118-2     Filed 09/19/25     Page 92 of 105

25:10, 26:6, 34:22, 35:1, 35:3, 
36:6, 49:18, 72:25.  
cash 40:21.  
catastrophic 47:24.  
Category 15:25, 16:24, 49:23, 
50:23.  
caused 52:18.  
CDF 35:12.  
Celtic 32:7, 84:9.  
cents 31:23.  
certain 13:11, 14:7, 33:6, 38:22, 
45:15, 60:22, 75:8, 77:24, 82:7, 
82:8, 84:2.  
Certainly 24:6, 24:8, 24:16, 24:18, 
25:21, 37:13, 38:1, 38:6, 39:1, 
41:17, 44:17, 45:11, 46:21, 
47:12, 48:6, 48:9, 85:19, 85:25, 
86:15.  
CERTIFICATE 89:1.  
Certified 66:11, 89:3.  
certify 89:4.  
challenges 57:19, 58:13.  
chance 56:1.  
change 17:1, 17:6, 17:10, 56:2, 
56:4, 65:2, 78:12, 78:13.  
changed 17:9.  
changes 17:13.  
chapter 17:13.  
character 52:22, 55:6, 56:6, 59:9, 
62:19, 65:5, 68:7.  
characteristics 12:4, 15:4, 30:23, 
32:14.  
characterization 40:25.  
characterize 24:14.  
charged 5:14, 66:18, 66:19, 
66:20.  
charges 80:11.  
Charles 1:31.  
check 26:24, 27:4, 58:2, 
80:14.  
checking 64:7.  
checks 26:18, 26:19, 26:21, 26:22, 
26:24, 39:19, 40:22, 54:4, 
54:10.  
cheered 58:23.  
chief 14:3, 14:5, 14:19.  
child 55:15.  
children 46:21, 47:3, 47:10, 49:12, 
49:13, 55:15, 57:18, 59:19, 
63:18, 64:16, 87:4.  
choice 62:9.  
choose 71:11.  
chose 15:10.  
chosen 80:3.  
chronic 63:25.  
Circuit 11:25.  
circumstances 12:4, 19:12, 25:15, 
26:5, 28:14, 34:24, 35:15, 44:3, 
52:14, 59:20, 75:9, 80:22.  
cite 35:1.  
cited 29:23, 34:22.  
citizen 22:21, 22:22, 37:8, 44:14, 
64:18, 68:24, 68:25, 69:1, 
73:9.  
citizens 53:13, 68:10, 68:12, 68:24, 
69:7, 69:9, 73:2.  
citizenship 22:25, 68:15, 
69:9.  
City 22:10, 33:15, 53:5, 53:17, 
54:11, 64:25, 69:3, 69:16.  
civilized 74:8.  
clarify 5:6, 50:19, 54:22, 55:4.  
classes 64:24.  
classmates 4:10.  
clear 41:19, 50:25, 66:25, 67:5, 
71:9.  
clearly 8:12, 43:1, 70:7, 73:20, 
81:14, 88:10.  
clemency 62:11.  
CLERK 2:17, 14:12, 88:16.  
client 13:20, 40:14.  
close 44:10, 44:15, 58:10, 
62:23.  
closer 65:21.  
clothing 27:4.  
co-conspirator 21:13.  
co-conspirators 20:12, 82:9.  
co-defendants 5:19.  
Code 12:3, 77:13, 80:17.  
colleagues 68:19.  
collected 77:16.  
collection 77:19.  
college 64:25.  
coma 64:6.  
comes 31:17, 84:13.  
comfort 64:15.  
coming 69:10, 71:17.  
comma 76:4.  
comments 66:13, 73:8.  
commercial 59:4.  
Commission 14:8, 14:18, 14:22, 
15:11, 15:25, 21:7.  
commit 5:7, 77:7.  
Commitment 14:10, 17:13, 55:7, 
57:22, 81:19, 82:13, 
84:14.  
commitments 69:8, 70:12.  
committed 56:4, 65:1.  
Committee 53:5.  
committing 46:6.  
communicate 78:16, 78:19, 
79:7.  
communication 9:19.  
Community 43:16, 52:23, 63:7, 
64:25, 68:23, 74:13.  
comparatively 67:18.  
compared 73:17.  
compares 34:18.  
compassion 55:24, 63:6, 
63:23.  
compassionate 52:14, 56:8, 
59:10.  
competent 13:20.  
complaint 5:15, 18:17.  
completely 21:18, 43:15, 64:2, 
85:23.  
complicated 39:11, 39:12, 40:1, 
40:3, 70:21, 70:22, 73:11.  
complications 28:13, 44:20.  
complied 15:20.  
comply 23:23.  
Computer-aided 1:49.  
conceal 26:17, 26:23, 27:6.  
concealed 26:16.  
concerned 85:6.  
concerning 65:14.  
concession 37:19.  
conclude 84:12.  
concluded 88:17.  
conclusion 56:3.  
condition 9:18, 77:20, 80:25, 
81:6.  
conditions 45:4, 50:7, 62:16, 
74:16, 77:7, 77:24, 77:25, 
79:14, 81:1, 81:4.  
conduct 20:5, 26:14, 32:11, 
72:24.  
Conference 65:12, 65:14, 
89:9.  
confident 48:4.  
confidential 15:8.  
confinement 33:25.  
conformance 89:8.  
Congress 13:24.  
Congressionally-mandated 
72:21.  
connected 61:9.  
connection 20:5, 27:14, 34:2, 67:1, 
67:10.  
connections 62:23.  
consequences 52:20, 55:19.  
consider 21:10, 34:10, 37:23, 40:4, 
52:21, 55:22, 56:15, 
73:16.  
consideration 12:9, 12:18, 52:14, 
55:18.  
considerations 17:22, 30:19.  
considered 12:2, 56:12, 
72:21.  
Considering 37:25, 56:6, 56:8, 
73:22.  
considers 30:21, 34:11, 
35:14.  
consistent 10:16.  
consistently 55:9, 58:9.  
conspiracy 5:7, 20:25, 38:8, 39:3, 
46:9, 72:7.  
constantly 64:7.  
constitutional 11:17.  
constitutionality 11:7, 11:11.  
consult 11:22, 40:5.  
consulting 40:15.  
consume 85:3.  
contact 78:19, 79:10.  
context 11:20, 35:1, 55:23.  
continue 13:5, 55:17, 67:22, 67:23, 
74:15.  
continued 9:18, 28:21, 80:25.  
continuing 67:24.  
contributed 53:4.  
contributions 52:22, 54:23.  
controlled 27:1, 77:9, 77:10.  
controls 26:22.  
convicted 78:18.  
convince 39:25.  
cooperate 62:17, 77:19.  
cooperated 52:16.  
cooperating. 65:15.  
coordinating 21:13.  
copies 4:13.  
Patricia G. Mitchell, RMR, CRR  Federal Official Court Reporter
6/25/2024 Sentencing
93
Case 1:23-cr-00344-RDB     Document 118-2     Filed 09/19/25     Page 93 of 105

copy 14:15, 31:2, 31:9, 31:11.  
corner 88:8.  
corrected 48:19.  
correction 9:3, 9:23.  
corrections 9:23.  
correctly 84:14.  
correlated 12:23.  
cost 63:15, 80:6.  
Coulson 48:24, 81:3.  
counsel 2:19, 2:23, 6:21, 
66:9.  
counseling 40:15, 75:7, 81:7, 86:3, 
86:6, 87:20.  
Count 74:1.  
countenanced 76:13.  
counterfeit 51:5.  
countless 58:1.  
countries 69:1.  
country 24:17, 24:22, 25:1, 25:7, 
25:9, 28:7, 34:22, 37:8, 64:4, 
68:13, 68:14, 68:15, 68:17, 
68:21, 69:2, 71:5.  
couple 9:11, 19:10.  
course 32:14, 37:22.  
court-ordered 79:21.  
courthouse 2:11.  
Courtroom 1:23, 2:15, 2:17, 46:15, 
46:16, 69:17.  
courtrooms 2:12.  
courts 11:1, 11:23, 14:2, 14:5.  
cover 39:15.  
COVID-19 2:14, 19:2, 19:14, 27:21, 
29:25.  
CPA 38:20, 39:16.  
cramps 13:10.  
crazy 61:15.  
create 27:10.  
created 40:11, 72:11.  
creating 21:15.  
credit 16:1, 16:8, 16:9, 40:15, 74:1, 
80:10, 80:11.  
credited 82:16.  
crime 28:15, 29:20, 46:6, 
77:8.  
Criminal 1:9, 2:5, 2:6, 5:15, 5:17, 
7:9, 7:10, 7:11, 14:2, 14:16, 
16:2, 16:24, 17:15, 18:17, 
18:20, 32:15, 32:24, 33:2, 34:1, 
35:11, 38:2, 49:23, 50:22, 
71:12, 71:13, 72:24, 74:1, 
78:17, 83:16.  
crisis 76:13.  
criteria 45:23, 45:25.  
critical 25:17.  
Cross 31:20, 32:5, 83:9, 83:25, 
84:8.  
cross-city 53:5.  
CRR 89:16.  
crucial 55:17.  
crude 34:17.  
crushed 64:2.  
crying 68:4.  
culpability 67:6, 67:19.  
culture 61:9, 68:23, 72:15.  
cultures 55:8, 62:20.  
Cumberland 74:4, 74:25.  
Cure 64:21.  
current 74:15.  
currently 57:1.  
custody 48:16, 73:25, 74:2.  
cut 21:4, 41:24.  
.  
.  
< D >.  
D-o-t-s-o-n 38:16, 66:10.  
D. 66:25, 67:3.  
dad 58:9, 59:5, 60:4, 60:16, 
61:10.  
damage 51:4.  
damaged 86:13.  
Dan 1:46, 2:23.  
dangerous 78:25.  
date 6:2, 71:25, 74:21, 74:22, 
86:16, 86:17.  
Dated 32:22, 89:10.  
dating 15:2.  
daughter 52:25, 63:25, 64:4, 
64:10.  
day 7:21, 8:1, 8:2, 13:11, 13:14, 
36:8, 36:9, 45:10, 60:8, 64:13, 
75:17, 88:14.  
days 9:11, 14:7, 35:12, 48:13, 
48:18, 61:25, 63:5, 74:22, 
77:11, 80:14, 80:16, 81:18, 
85:12, 86:14, 86:16, 
86:18.  
deal 42:11, 72:14, 79:7, 87:9.  
dealing 8:11, 38:11, 43:11, 44:4, 
44:6.  
deals 42:12.  
decades 22:23.  
deceit 51:4.  
deceive 27:2.  
decide 42:14.  
decided 12:12.  
decides 49:6.  
decision 28:15, 29:15, 37:24, 46:8, 
62:16.  
decline 44:4, 44:19, 46:10.  
dedicating 63:9.  
dedication 55:9, 57:25.  
deemed 79:9, 79:10, 81:7.  
deep 52:18.  
deeply 62:19, 63:1.  
defendants 49:22, 75:18, 76:7, 
83:6.  
defense 6:21, 28:9, 28:11, 28:14, 
29:3, 33:17, 66:9.  
definitely 12:24.  
defraud 19:18.  
degree 39:1, 45:17.  
deletion 11:12, 11:16.  
demonstrated 46:13, 52:15.  
denial 45:11.  
Department 54:9.  
departures 14:14.  
depend 49:9, 64:16.  
dependents 55:14.  
depression 75:8, 85:24, 86:25, 
87:3.  
deputy 2:17, 14:12.  
derelict 84:25.  
Derezinski 4:7, 36:18, 36:23, 
36:25, 51:14, 52:4, 52:6, 52:9, 
53:2, 53:7, 53:10, 53:14, 53:17, 
53:23, 54:1, 54:3, 54:6, 54:9, 
54:13, 55:2, 55:5, 56:10, 56:13, 
56:17, 73:8.  
described 58:10.  
design 45:16.  
designed 27:5.  
desire 5:4, 81:24.  
desperately 55:18.  
Despite 57:19, 58:1, 58:15.  
destroyed 69:24.  
destruction 51:4.  
destructive 78:25.  
detail 13:8, 76:2.  
details 28:23, 28:25.  
detention 34:6, 34:8, 36:7, 36:9, 
51:21, 73:19, 75:16, 75:17, 
75:19, 75:21, 76:1.  
deter 72:23.  
determination 37:15.  
determine 65:17.  
devastated 44:16, 63:12, 
63:24.  
deviates 55:6.  
device 78:25.  
devoted 43:16, 55:14.  
Diabetes 28:13, 44:20, 47:4, 52:24, 
55:16, 64:1, 64:21, 64:23.  
dialogue 39:10.  
died 44:4, 44:8, 44:17, 44:19.  
difference 46:3.  
differences 59:3.  
different 34:23, 55:8, 62:20.  
difficult 37:24, 47:1, 64:19, 68:10, 
70:25, 88:1.  
difficulties 64:11.  
directed 80:6.  
directing 14:20.  
direction 27:15.  
directly 82:19.  
Disaster 19:24, 27:23, 28:5.  
disbursement 19:21.  
disclose 15:16.  
disclosed 22:15, 22:16, 
25:25.  
discretion 2:12, 77:2, 80:3.  
discussed 30:9, 37:16.  
disease 53:1.  
dismiss 18:16.  
dismissed 5:15, 18:19.  
disparities 33:20, 35:16.  
displaced 47:24.  
dispute 31:13, 38:1, 41:17.  
disputed 18:7.  
disputing 41:3.  
distance 58:1.  
distraught 49:11.  
distressing 69:8, 70:3.  
distribution 76:5.  
District 1:1, 1:2, 24:19, 78:2, 78:7, 
89:4.  
districts 25:10.  
DIVISION 1:3.  
Dixon 54:19.  
DNA 77:19.  
doctor 43:21, 79:23.  
Patricia G. Mitchell, RMR, CRR  Federal Official Court Reporter
6/25/2024 Sentencing
94
Case 1:23-cr-00344-RDB     Document 118-2     Filed 09/19/25     Page 94 of 105

doctors 53:19, 63:14.  
document 53:3.  
documents 14:9, 14:23, 
30:15.  
doing 27:17, 64:3, 64:8, 
69:21.  
dollars 20:6, 21:9, 29:10, 30:1, 
30:11, 38:25, 41:25, 42:19, 
42:22, 45:10.  
domestic 77:22.  
done 10:23, 60:6, 70:2, 71:8, 
73:7.  
Dotson 38:13, 38:16, 38:18, 38:23, 
38:24, 39:4, 39:21, 40:9, 40:13, 
40:17, 40:20, 46:11, 51:24, 
66:10, 66:14, 66:17, 66:25, 
67:3, 67:7, 67:8, 67:12, 
67:17.  
doubt 28:24, 37:24.  
down 19:15, 26:25.  
downward 9:5, 16:12, 16:14, 
33:16, 45:22.  
draw 55:12.  
dream 59:4.  
dreams 58:20, 58:22.  
drink 85:17.  
drive 69:20.  
driving 67:6.  
drove 69:23.  
drug 77:10.  
dual 22:25.  
Dubai 23:9, 42:9.  
due 6:5, 39:21, 51:6.  
During 4:5, 5:8, 18:14, 18:25, 
22:19, 23:7, 23:10, 39:12, 47:6, 
58:25, 64:19, 64:24, 76:8, 
77:15, 77:16, 78:15.  
.  
.  
< E >.  
earlier 9:16, 20:17.  
easy 63:20.  
ECF 82:6.  
Economic 19:24, 27:22, 28:5.  
economy 28:6, 28:8, 71:3.  
education 33:8, 58:25, 60:12, 
79:17, 79:19.  
effect 13:16, 44:17, 81:5, 
81:25.  
effectively 11:19.  
effort 54:25, 76:17, 78:14.  
efforts 56:6.  
egregious 87:7.  
Egyptian 23:16, 28:8.  
EIDL 20:7, 20:11, 21:3, 22:9, 34:3, 
67:1.  
Eidls 19:24, 26:8.  
either 32:18, 42:11, 74:24.  
embarrassed 46:14, 46:17, 
87:1.  
embarrassment 69:12.  
embezzlement 51:2, 69:19.  
emotion 58:11.  
emotional 43:19, 46:10, 
63:11.  
employees 19:16, 27:17, 27:18, 
27:24, 39:18, 39:20.  
employment 78:15, 79:17, 
79:19.  
encourage 40:16.  
encouraged 27:9.  
encouragement 64:16.  
encouraging 59:1.  
end 19:6, 19:8, 36:7, 36:10, 37:21, 
37:23, 48:3, 48:5, 50:6, 
73:15.  
ends 19:17.  
enforcement 78:22, 79:2.  
engage 28:15.  
engaged 19:17, 20:8, 26:13, 27:8, 
69:7, 78:17, 86:21.  
enormous 43:19, 76:11.  
enough 63:4, 71:8.  
ensure 14:6, 58:16.  
ensuring 55:20, 58:2.  
enter 24:11, 76:3.  
entered 10:15, 31:16, 36:2, 82:7, 
82:15.  
entertain 74:8.  
entire 41:4, 75:24.  
entities 26:21, 27:3.  
entitle 71:16.  
entitled 6:24.  
entry 81:19.  
environment 55:11.  
equal 36:9, 68:24, 68:25, 
75:17.  
equipment 58:24.  
equity 47:21.  
errors 9:22.  
especially 64:2.  
Esquire 1:29, 1:38.  
essential 52:21, 55:24, 65:4.  
Essentially 5:19, 7:16, 13:2, 16:1, 
16:2, 16:10, 19:8, 20:4, 20:9, 
21:11, 23:17, 23:19, 23:24, 
26:16, 27:10, 28:2, 33:22, 
43:11, 47:18, 47:20, 51:1, 
75:19, 75:21, 76:6, 79:24.  
estimated 30:1, 30:3.  
event 51:8.  
events 63:9.  
Everyone 2:3, 4:2, 8:10, 
59:20.  
everything 54:19, 58:19.  
Exactly 53:23.  
example 39:19, 83:25.  
except 79:19.  
exchange 21:2, 53:14, 54:8.  
exchanges 53:5, 54:11, 
54:24.  
Excuse 26:19, 63:25.  
executed 48:25.  
execution 49:2.  
exemplified 58:18.  
Exhibit 7:13, 31:6, 32:2, 
83:24.  
existed 21:2.  
existence 40:12, 77:4.  
expenditures 45:11.  
explain 70:14, 73:10.  
explanation 70:15.  
express 57:14.  
expressed 52:18.  
extended 57:25.  
extent 15:19, 47:6, 53:8, 66:17, 
66:20, 70:17, 70:23, 76:20, 
79:3, 83:2, 86:7.  
extrapolation 34:17.  
extremely 59:6, 63:9, 85:2.  
eyes 61:18.  
.  
.  
< F >.  
face 57:18, 72:13.  
faced 58:12.  
facilitated 20:24, 53:5, 53:8.  
facilitating 30:6, 30:8.  
facilities 44:25.  
facing 77:18, 80:21.  
fact 9:15, 25:17, 26:2, 27:18, 29:8, 
41:2, 46:25, 63:12, 67:5, 
71:6.  
factor 36:10, 37:14, 77:22.  
factored 72:20.  
factoring 72:3.  
factors 12:2, 12:8, 12:18, 19:10, 
29:23, 30:21, 37:25, 52:13, 
56:15, 72:20, 73:16, 
73:22.  
Facts 27:13, 29:17, 29:18, 34:24, 
66:24, 66:25, 67:5, 67:7, 
70:8.  
fair 16:3.  
fairly 24:23.  
fairness 48:16.  
Fairton 74:5, 75:2.  
faith 55:7.  
fake 67:9.  
fall 6:8, 64:6.  
false 5:8.  
familiar 69:16.  
familiarity 25:1.  
families 52:24.  
far 2:3, 41:23, 73:19.  
farther 8:23.  
father 43:16, 44:4, 44:8, 44:10, 
44:16, 44:18, 55:14, 57:14, 
57:16, 57:23, 58:1, 58:6, 58:13, 
58:18, 59:12, 59:20, 59:22, 
61:24, 63:22, 64:17, 69:18, 
69:20, 69:21, 87:7.  
FBI 1:46, 2:23, 24:24.  
FCI 74:4.  
fear 60:15.  
Federal 7:9, 7:10, 8:12, 10:25, 11:1, 
11:3, 11:7, 11:17, 11:18, 11:20, 
12:14, 14:1, 14:2, 14:4, 14:5, 
14:6, 48:16, 48:23, 71:12, 
71:13, 74:2, 77:4, 77:7, 78:1, 
78:6, 81:20, 89:17.  
feel 25:4.  
feelings 58:16.  
feels 45:6.  
fees 21:9.  
fell 57:22.  
fellow 64:20.  
felony 78:18.  
felt 63:18, 69:11, 81:16.  
Fetouha 4:8, 36:19, 43:9, 43:20, 
Patricia G. Mitchell, RMR, CRR  Federal Official Court Reporter
6/25/2024 Sentencing
95
Case 1:23-cr-00344-RDB     Document 118-2     Filed 09/19/25     Page 95 of 105

43:21, 43:23, 44:5.  
few 12:17, 69:1.  
fictitious 39:19.  
figure 29:24, 31:23, 35:22, 38:12, 
39:2, 42:21, 72:8, 76:24, 77:14, 
84:1, 84:8.  
figures 73:17, 83:5, 83:18, 
83:24.  
file 53:3, 81:24, 81:25.  
filed 10:12, 18:17, 18:23.  
fill 39:14.  
filled 59:11.  
filling 3:21, 21:17.  
fills 26:20.  
final 82:5.  
Finally 30:22, 33:19, 55:22, 58:10, 
64:19.  
finances 23:25.  
financial 19:1, 19:19, 20:1, 22:12, 
32:7, 40:15, 43:20, 44:8, 46:9, 
49:8, 54:23, 57:25, 63:4, 63:11, 
76:21, 77:17, 80:8, 80:9, 
80:21.  
financially 58:14.  
find 42:7, 47:10, 54:14, 63:3, 64:11, 
68:9, 71:10, 72:2, 72:18, 
73:23.  
finding 76:15, 76:18, 79:5.  
finds 14:18, 64:20.  
fine 6:14, 17:3, 17:5, 17:9, 17:11, 
31:25, 32:3, 55:1, 69:11, 80:20, 
80:21, 86:15, 86:18.  
finish 59:7.  
fire 47:22, 47:24, 86:13.  
firearm 78:24.  
First 11:4, 12:16, 13:6, 15:21, 18:1, 
18:9, 18:16, 38:5, 45:2, 57:20, 
58:9, 62:14, 75:15, 78:7, 78:20, 
79:2, 79:15, 79:25.  
firsthand 57:21.  
Firstly 52:15.  
fits 51:7.  
five 7:16, 8:2, 55:15, 63:22, 
67:3.  
flight 43:25, 44:2, 74:12.  
Floor 1:31.  
flow 26:10, 29:13, 30:14.  
flowed 27:18, 27:19.  
folks 33:6, 33:14.  
follow 62:16, 79:12, 80:5, 
87:19.  
follow-up 24:1.  
followed 35:19, 40:7.  
following 67:11.  
forced 48:1.  
foregoing 89:5.  
forfeiture 10:11, 10:12, 10:13, 
10:14, 24:12, 35:21.  
forgery 51:4.  
forget 44:14.  
forgiveness 27:11.  
form 39:14, 56:8, 80:2.  
format 89:8.  
forms 21:14, 51:3, 67:9.  
Fort 31:20.  
forth 15:24, 54:11, 84:14.  
fortunate 63:3.  
forward 4:24, 5:3, 14:21, 18:13, 
49:10, 51:12, 60:14, 61:1, 62:4, 
69:11, 69:12, 69:13, 69:14, 
72:1, 72:25, 87:10, 87:11.  
forwarded 76:24.  
Foster 6:15, 55:10.  
found 63:24, 68:11.  
Four 6:3, 23:10, 64:1, 72:21, 
73:12.  
Fourth 6:9, 11:25, 41:24.  
frankly 26:1.  
frauds 24:3, 25:15.  
fraudulent 19:21, 19:24, 20:7, 
20:11, 20:24, 21:1, 21:3, 21:5, 
21:14, 21:15, 21:20, 26:7, 
29:12, 30:2, 30:4, 34:3, 
35:6.  
fraudulently 71:4.  
friend 4:7, 36:18, 36:19, 60:6, 
60:21.  
friends 23:18, 43:16, 87:13.  
fueled 59:9.  
fulfillment 58:10.  
full 21:18, 62:18.  
full-time 78:14.  
fully 2:15, 3:7, 3:14, 52:16.  
fundraiser 64:22.  
funds 20:7, 21:9, 21:20, 22:9, 
26:10, 26:18, 27:10, 27:22, 
27:23, 28:5, 29:13, 33:21, 
41:13, 79:5.  
future 58:7, 60:24, 60:25.  
.  
.  
< G >.  
G. 89:2, 89:16.  
Gall 12:12.  
gallery 4:1.  
gambling 40:20.  
gastroesophageal 13:10.  
gates 74:24.  
gather 4:16.  
general 48:1, 82:20.  
generally 46:12.  
generosity 63:23.  
generous 43:15, 62:21.  
gentle 46:13.  
genuine 52:15.  
germane 19:11.  
getting 20:2, 39:19, 48:4, 53:20, 
67:2, 67:3, 67:16, 67:17, 75:19, 
78:8, 78:20, 79:2, 82:23.  
Gillespie 5:25, 6:5, 20:16, 
84:4.  
give 18:12, 23:23, 25:17, 42:14, 
42:15, 51:12, 58:7, 65:9, 
65:18.  
given 16:8, 16:9.  
gives 64:14.  
giving 60:7, 60:13.  
glad 18:15, 18:22, 36:14, 36:21, 
51:11, 51:14, 52:4, 52:7, 56:23, 
56:25, 59:25, 66:15, 
67:23.  
glean 34:23.  
glucose 47:7.  
goal 12:19, 76:15.  
goals 12:21, 37:18, 58:20.  
grandmother 57:22, 58:6.  
grappling 58:15.  
gratitude 57:12, 63:6.  
great 22:7, 45:18, 57:12, 59:12, 
64:17.  
greater 12:20, 37:17, 49:6.  
greatest 63:14.  
grieving 64:2.  
guarantee 75:3.  
guess 85:14.  
guideline 7:6, 12:14, 12:16, 12:22, 
12:23, 13:1, 13:3, 14:14, 15:22, 
16:22, 16:25, 18:2, 19:8, 50:14, 
51:1, 73:13.  
Guidelines 6:23, 9:6, 11:7, 11:12, 
11:13, 11:17, 11:18, 11:21, 
12:19, 15:24, 16:19, 18:5, 
32:25, 33:4, 36:8, 37:13, 37:14, 
51:2, 75:17.  
guiding 59:1.  
guilty 2:6, 5:20, 6:1, 6:3, 7:7, 7:22, 
18:20, 20:21, 27:14, 45:6, 
65:13, 70:9, 85:23.  
.  
.  
< H >.  
half 7:17, 7:21, 35:9, 41:24, 45:13, 
75:22.  
hand 2:17.  
handcuffs 74:21.  
handle 81:22.  
handled 5:22.  
hang 30:12.  
happen 26:8, 30:5, 30:7, 
61:3.  
happened 21:25, 22:5, 44:2, 54:19, 
65:24.  
happening 44:23.  
happy 33:3.  
Harbor 69:3.  
hard 34:23, 57:16, 59:6, 61:4, 
62:22, 63:2, 64:10.  
hardest 60:5.  
hardship 58:15.  
harm 52:18.  
harmed 87:8.  
Harold 38:13, 38:16, 41:18, 46:11, 
66:10, 66:25.  
harsh 55:13.  
hate 61:13, 61:16.  
He'll 18:9, 42:11, 74:23.  
health 9:17, 29:16, 45:3, 63:10, 
75:6, 79:20, 81:5, 81:6, 86:2, 
86:6.  
hear 17:21, 18:9, 18:11, 18:15, 
18:22, 24:6, 36:14, 36:21, 
38:10, 51:11, 51:14, 51:24, 
52:4, 52:8, 56:23, 56:25, 57:9, 
59:25, 65:22, 66:6, 66:7, 66:15, 
67:23, 68:3, 72:4.  
heard 52:24.  
HEARING 1:21.  
heart 13:10, 62:22.  
heavily 38:21, 48:8.  
held 89:7.  
Patricia G. Mitchell, RMR, CRR  Federal Official Court Reporter
6/25/2024 Sentencing
96
Case 1:23-cr-00344-RDB     Document 118-2     Filed 09/19/25     Page 96 of 105

help 29:2, 33:14, 46:22, 55:10, 
63:3, 63:14, 63:18, 64:4, 64:11, 
75:10, 88:6, 88:7.  
helping 62:25.  
henceforth 11:18.  
hereby 89:4.  
hero 57:14, 59:13.  
hesitant 87:15.  
hesitation 57:23.  
high 4:11, 26:12, 30:5, 32:4, 32:10, 
33:8, 37:21.  
higher 49:21, 49:24.  
highest 17:16.  
highlight 52:13.  
highly 52:23, 69:23.  
History 12:4, 16:2, 16:24, 16:25, 
17:15, 30:23, 32:13, 32:15, 
32:24, 33:2, 33:6, 34:1, 35:11, 
46:13, 49:23, 50:22, 
68:14.  
hold 4:11.  
holding 28:3.  
home 22:10, 28:7, 33:25, 34:6, 
34:7, 36:7, 36:8, 47:13, 47:21, 
47:25, 48:3, 48:5, 51:21, 73:19, 
75:15, 75:17, 75:19, 75:20, 
76:1, 79:24, 86:13.  
honest 29:14, 62:13.  
honesty 63:23.  
HONORABLE 1:22, 62:13.  
hope 46:20, 48:2, 52:13, 68:16, 
70:1, 72:24, 72:25.  
hopefully 53:23.  
hopes 46:21, 53:21.  
Hopkins 5:20, 12:7, 20:13, 20:15, 
32:16, 32:19, 33:18, 34:2, 34:5, 
34:7, 34:12, 34:15, 83:4, 84:2, 
84:10.  
hospitals 44:25, 45:8.  
hotels 54:11.  
hours 61:2, 74:7, 78:2, 78:23, 
88:3.  
house 47:11, 47:13, 47:16, 54:15, 
79:24.  
housekeeping 13:5, 17:5.  
housing 54:14.  
huge 63:15, 68:8.  
human 46:14.  
humbly 62:9.  
hundred 23:1, 23:2.  
Hurson 9:16, 81:3, 81:4.  
hurtful 64:12, 68:3.  
husband 43:17, 55:14, 62:22, 
63:22, 65:3.  
.  
.  
< I >.  
idea 41:20, 42:1.  
identify 2:19.  
ill 57:22.  
illness 63:25.  
imagine 60:5, 60:21, 61:5.  
imagining 60:22.  
immediately 14:11, 49:1, 
87:20.  
immense 43:3.  
immigrated 44:12.  
immigration 68:17, 68:20.  
impact 55:13, 56:7, 59:11.  
impatient 60:24.  
impetuous 29:15.  
implemented 19:2.  
implications 39:17, 39:23, 68:14, 
77:18, 86:22.  
importance 58:20.  
important 21:10, 29:23, 37:14, 
38:12, 48:7, 49:19, 67:23, 
79:16.  
impose 12:19, 19:5, 35:9, 35:18, 
51:20, 80:20.  
imposed 12:5, 12:7, 14:13, 24:3, 
34:12, 35:3, 73:17.  
imposing 11:22, 14:2.  
imposition 14:7.  
impossible 23:19, 23:20, 23:21, 
23:22, 34:25.  
imprisonment 16:25, 33:24, 34:5, 
49:5, 49:7, 50:1, 77:11.  
improve 65:1.  
improvement 65:2.  
in. 3:21.  
incapable 45:1, 45:3.  
incarcerated 75:11.  
incarceration 36:9, 75:18, 
77:17.  
incident 55:5, 61:25.  
inclined 7:20, 8:1.  
include 12:3, 14:9, 14:13, 30:16, 
34:25, 65:14.  
Including 20:13, 20:15.  
indicate 12:22, 45:12.  
indicated 4:3, 4:20, 45:9, 46:23, 
47:4, 47:12, 47:23, 66:14, 
80:19, 88:11.  
indicates 33:8.  
indictment 5:16, 14:16, 
18:21.  
individual 38:9, 40:4, 41:5, 48:12, 
66:10.  
individuals 2:18, 12:6, 20:23, 
26:25, 43:23, 46:4, 50:22.  
influence 46:7, 46:11.  
influenced 28:15.  
influences 46:7.  
information 2:6, 5:17, 9:10, 14:7, 
14:16, 14:17, 15:8, 15:9, 18:20, 
25:19, 37:25, 38:22, 40:18, 
42:14, 44:22, 50:9, 50:12, 
71:15, 74:1, 79:4, 80:8, 
80:9.  
informed 40:17.  
initial 40:9.  
initially 51:17, 78:4.  
injections 64:12.  
Injury 19:24, 27:23, 28:5.  
inquire 2:16.  
insertions 64:12.  
inspiration 59:13.  
inspire 58:19.  
installed 58:20.  
instance 27:2.  
institution 76:21.  
institutions 19:1, 19:19, 20:2, 
32:8.  
instructions 78:5, 79:12.  
integrity 55:9, 56:4.  
intend 4:25.  
intended 20:3.  
interact 66:7, 78:16, 78:20.  
interest 26:3.  
International 23:18.  
interpersonal 70:25.  
interrupt 55:3, 66:5.  
introduce 31:5, 32:1.  
introduced 7:13.  
invaluable 58:19.  
investigation 6:20, 11:10, 
13:6.  
involved 21:1, 24:11, 33:14, 38:9, 
38:12, 39:16, 41:13, 46:8, 51:7, 
54:8, 65:25.  
involvement 41:3.  
involving 51:3.  
IRS 21:14.  
issue 29:6, 85:22, 87:16.  
issued 11:5, 14:19.  
issues 56:11, 63:10, 70:25, 71:1, 
82:13, 86:25.  
items 14:21.  
itself 17:23, 26:13, 26:14, 31:21, 
67:18.  
Izabela 36:17, 37:5, 37:7, 44:21, 
46:20, 46:25, 47:8, 62:2, 84:24, 
85:22.  
.  
.  
< J >.  
Jackson 3:19, 8:16, 9:12, 9:14, 
9:20.  
Jersey 31:20, 72:9, 74:5, 
75:2.  
Jessica 3:19, 8:16.  
JFK 44:2.  
joint 82:8, 83:3, 83:5, 83:11, 83:15, 
84:1, 84:2, 84:10.  
Joseph 5:25.  
journey 58:24, 59:11.  
journeys 58:2.  
joy 58:9.  
Judge 2:12, 9:16, 14:3, 14:5, 14:19, 
15:9, 20:19, 48:24, 54:17, 
59:20, 59:22, 61:24, 81:2, 
81:3.  
judges 11:21, 12:14.  
Judgment 10:14, 10:15, 14:10, 
17:12, 81:19, 82:13, 82:14, 
84:14.  
judgments 22:3.  
Judicial 78:1, 78:6, 89:8.  
judiciary 50:11.  
Julie 1:38, 1:39, 3:6.  
junior 57:5, 57:6, 57:7.  
Justice 23:19, 55:23, 56:9.  
justified 35:13.  
justifies 33:16.  
Juvenile 46:2, 64:21.  
.  
.  
< K >.  
keep 6:14, 47:11.  
Patricia G. Mitchell, RMR, CRR  Federal Official Court Reporter
6/25/2024 Sentencing
97
Case 1:23-cr-00344-RDB     Document 118-2     Filed 09/19/25     Page 97 of 105

keeping 30:16.  
keeps 48:4.  
kept 29:10.  
key 11:2, 12:10.  
kickback 20:9, 21:7, 26:11, 26:23, 
27:4, 29:11, 33:22, 67:1.  
kickbacks 26:15, 34:4, 34:15.  
kid 59:5.  
kids 63:22, 64:23, 66:3.  
killing 60:23.  
kind 16:2, 17:15, 46:13, 62:21, 
65:5, 65:25, 66:3, 68:11, 73:2, 
86:8.  
kindness 59:8, 63:23.  
kinds 64:3, 72:25.  
Kitchen 45:13.  
Kleenex 62:4.  
know-how 39:5.  
knowing 30:15, 52:12.  
knowingly 78:6, 78:19.  
knowledge 38:17, 39:5, 65:1.  
known 66:18.  
knows 58:18.  
.  
.  
< L >.  
lack 16:1, 33:2.  
language 61:8.  
larceny 51:2.  
large 25:23, 35:5, 39:1.  
larger 25:14, 42:21.  
largest 24:8, 24:16, 24:19.  
Last 2:7, 7:8, 9:11, 10:12, 10:13, 
18:23, 36:5, 36:16, 38:15, 
49:15, 61:2, 64:24, 70:9, 
84:24.  
Lastly 51:19, 62:2.  
Later 5:15, 9:22, 63:7.  
launder 27:3.  
Law 1:39, 4:10, 13:24, 29:22, 
30:19, 35:18, 71:23, 78:22, 
79:1.  
law-abiding 43:13, 43:15.  
lawful 78:14, 81:13.  
lawfully 44:12.  
Lawrence 5:20.  
lawyer 71:22, 77:3, 79:6, 79:23, 
87:12.  
lawyers 71:22.  
learn 61:12.  
learning 40:5, 60:18.  
least 19:21, 19:24, 24:9, 26:7, 
28:21, 30:9, 87:15.  
leave 78:6.  
Lee 31:20.  
left 28:3, 71:1.  
legal 52:19.  
lenders 30:3.  
length 29:6.  
leniency 52:11, 56:5, 62:9, 
65:3.  
lenient 55:16, 55:25.  
Leonard 4:9, 36:20.  
less 8:1, 8:2, 48:10, 48:11, 48:12, 
63:3, 75:22, 81:15.  
lesson 58:19.  
letter 4:12, 7:13, 11:9, 36:20, 36:25, 
43:9, 43:24, 52:7, 53:2, 56:11, 
56:24, 57:10, 60:1.  
letters 4:4, 4:6, 4:8, 4:13, 4:19, 
33:11, 36:16.  
letting 5:1.  
level 7:5, 16:13, 16:16, 16:19, 
16:23, 17:2, 17:6, 17:15, 17:17, 
25:2, 32:17, 33:1, 49:21, 49:23, 
49:24, 50:22, 73:1, 73:22, 
73:24.  
levels 49:21, 49:24.  
levers 26:9.  
liability 83:6, 84:1, 84:3.  
Liberty 57:1, 69:2.  
licensed 43:21.  
lien 47:12.  
lies 21:18.  
life 46:5, 57:13, 59:11, 60:21, 
61:25, 63:5, 63:21, 64:18, 
87:10.  
light 6:22, 15:23, 29:5, 29:6, 29:8, 
54:16, 75:12.  
limited 23:14, 25:18, 34:1.  
Linda 4:7, 36:18.  
line 26:6, 26:20, 27:4, 27:25, 
41:1.  
lines 27:1, 80:11.  
lingered 70:4.  
lingers 41:10.  
liquidate 76:22.  
listed 13:9, 22:1, 22:12, 32:8, 
47:19.  
lists 13:7, 45:1.  
little 8:23, 13:5, 29:20, 48:20, 
63:17, 87:9.  
live 58:8, 61:10, 78:10.  
lived 44:22.  
lives 45:4, 69:13.  
LLC 1:39.  
Loan 5:8, 21:5, 21:6, 27:23, 28:5, 
29:12, 67:1.  
Loans 19:22, 19:23, 19:24, 20:11, 
20:24, 22:4, 25:15, 26:7, 27:12, 
30:7, 30:8, 34:3, 40:16.  
local 77:8.  
location 80:2.  
long 8:13, 15:1, 45:2, 46:15, 49:10, 
54:19, 60:15, 82:12.  
longer 2:11, 11:19.  
look 28:18, 34:14, 50:6, 61:17, 
63:20, 72:5, 72:8, 73:16, 
83:23.  
looked 23:15.  
Looking 13:6, 16:10, 21:25, 22:2, 
24:10, 38:4, 45:21.  
loom 49:8.  
lose 58:11, 59:7.  
loss 31:18, 72:9.  
losses 19:22, 20:1, 20:2, 20:3, 
24:14, 26:5, 26:6, 26:8, 26:12, 
29:5, 30:11, 30:12, 32:4, 32:5, 
32:6, 32:7, 32:10, 32:11, 34:21, 
45:18.  
lost 72:9.  
lot 30:13, 35:10, 40:22, 41:13, 
41:15, 41:17, 42:6, 42:8, 43:1, 
51:24, 60:6, 60:11, 60:14, 
60:18, 64:9, 70:7, 88:11.  
louder 58:4.  
love 58:3, 59:12, 60:9, 60:20, 
60:24, 61:4, 61:14, 61:19, 
61:20, 61:21, 62:20, 62:21, 
63:1, 65:5.  
loved 33:13, 62:23, 69:20.  
lovely 60:17, 61:11.  
loving 33:10, 43:16, 46:13, 55:14, 
61:15.  
low 19:8, 37:23.  
lowest 17:15, 17:16.  
luck 59:15, 86:23.  
lunch 83:22, 84:13.  
Luxor 53:11.  
luxury 23:9, 28:1.  
.  
.  
< M >.  
M. 1:10, 1:38, 1:39.  
MAHMOUD 36:18, 37:3, 59:23, 
60:2, 60:4, 61:21.  
main 23:19.  
mainly 41:9.  
male 74:4, 74:5, 74:6, 74:24, 
75:2.  
man 43:12, 43:14, 48:10, 57:13, 
60:14, 60:15, 61:19.  
managed 46:1.  
manager 38:7.  
mandated 15:20.  
mandatory 11:14, 11:16, 11:19, 
77:7, 77:20, 77:24, 80:13, 
80:16.  
marked 15:3.  
Martin 1:45, 87:23.  
Maryland 1:2, 1:16, 4:10, 24:19, 
74:4, 74:25, 75:1, 78:3, 
89:4.  
masks 2:10, 2:13, 2:14, 2:17.  
massive 17:4, 19:18, 23:4, 24:3, 
24:15, 33:16, 49:8.  
mastermind 21:11.  
matter 5:25, 6:12, 8:11, 12:8, 12:11, 
12:23, 17:5, 22:3, 34:16, 66:21, 
67:12, 76:11, 81:7, 81:10, 
81:18, 82:3, 86:22, 86:25, 
89:7.  
matters 18:7, 79:13.  
Mayor 53:15, 53:16, 53:17.  
MD 1:32, 1:41.  
mean 55:3, 66:5, 71:7.  
Meaning 7:20, 11:20, 57:16, 74:21, 
76:4, 79:22.  
means 12:6, 14:23, 16:10, 16:21, 
38:9, 42:13, 59:10, 71:7, 75:12, 
79:3.  
meant 27:2, 27:23, 28:6, 57:24, 
75:9, 86:4, 87:5, 88:6, 
88:7.  
mechanism 71:14.  
media 52:23.  
medical 28:11, 44:24, 45:7, 70:13, 
79:20.  
medication 13:17, 63:14.  
medications 13:7, 13:8, 
Patricia G. Mitchell, RMR, CRR  Federal Official Court Reporter
6/25/2024 Sentencing
98
Case 1:23-cr-00344-RDB     Document 118-2     Filed 09/19/25     Page 98 of 105

13:11.  
meet 19:17, 79:23.  
meets 45:23, 45:25.  
members 4:1, 7:19, 10:3, 14:25, 
15:10, 70:13.  
memo 26:20, 27:1, 27:4.  
memorandum 18:23, 24:2, 36:15, 
40:11, 44:7, 44:9, 46:24, 47:14, 
51:11, 54:18.  
men 69:11.  
mental 9:17, 75:6, 79:20, 81:5, 
81:6, 86:2, 86:6.  
mentally 58:14.  
mention 20:17, 49:15.  
mentioned 18:2, 20:16, 24:2, 
33:18, 60:8, 61:24.  
mentioning 42:15.  
Merit 89:2.  
message 56:15.  
Met 43:25, 44:1.  
method 85:7.  
metric 49:18, 50:2, 50:4.  
metrics 50:19.  
metropolitan 69:19.  
microphone 8:22, 65:21.  
midst 44:19.  
mild 47:5.  
million 19:22, 20:1, 20:6, 24:12, 
26:7, 29:10, 30:10, 30:13, 
31:17, 31:19, 32:5, 32:6, 32:7, 
34:21, 41:23, 42:22, 42:25, 
70:6, 72:8, 72:9, 82:24.  
millions 21:8, 21:9, 38:25, 
41:25.  
mind 63:20.  
mind-boggling 24:11.  
minimum 74:3, 74:5, 74:6, 74:24, 
75:2.  
minor 46:21, 47:10, 73:17.  
minus 6:24, 16:12.  
minute 7:4, 17:21, 18:8, 25:3, 52:1, 
72:6, 76:2, 76:10.  
minutes 12:18.  
mischaracterization 45:19.  
missing 42:6, 42:8, 73:23, 79:5, 
88:11, 88:13.  
mistake 29:14, 87:8.  
mistakes 52:17, 59:21, 62:16, 
87:7.  
Mitchell 89:2, 89:16.  
MLAT 23:16, 23:23.  
model 59:13.  
modest 47:13.  
modified 81:3.  
MOHAMED 36:17, 37:2, 56:22, 
57:3, 57:6, 57:8, 57:11.  
molded 36:10.  
mom 61:9, 64:3.  
moment 13:4, 22:20, 24:7, 66:9, 
70:5, 87:6, 88:2.  
monetary 80:17.  
monitor 47:7, 57:15.  
monitored 79:5, 80:2.  
monitoring 64:6, 64:7, 80:2, 
80:5.  
month 23:11, 48:3, 76:8, 77:15, 
80:18.  
moral 56:4.  
morals 65:4.  
morning 2:3, 2:21, 3:5, 3:14, 12:17, 
60:2, 60:3.  
mortgage 22:1, 47:20.  
mother 28:12, 28:14, 28:20, 28:24, 
29:2, 29:15, 43:10, 43:18, 44:6, 
44:11, 44:18, 52:25.  
motion 76:25.  
move 47:25, 59:21, 69:12, 69:13, 
69:14, 70:23, 86:13, 87:10, 
87:11.  
moved 58:8.  
moving 16:16, 18:16.  
muffins 63:20.  
multifaceted 27:21.  
multistep 12:15.  
muscle 13:10.  
myself 40:4, 66:4, 68:2.  
.  
.  
< N >.  
name 3:6, 38:10, 38:13, 
38:15.  
named 66:10.  
names 69:16.  
national 35:1.  
native 22:24.  
native-born 68:13.  
Naturalized 22:21, 37:8, 68:10, 
68:12, 68:24, 69:6, 69:9.  
nature 12:4, 19:12, 26:4, 35:14, 
38:4.  
nearby 48:1.  
nearly 19:22.  
necessarily 40:3, 70:6, 72:6.  
necessary 12:20, 37:18, 39:7, 49:7, 
79:11, 81:7.  
need 6:22, 29:21, 29:22, 30:18, 
33:19, 35:16, 35:17, 39:15, 
55:11, 58:20, 58:24, 60:16, 
67:14, 81:23, 83:22, 86:21, 
87:20.  
needed 40:6, 57:24, 60:10, 
60:12.  
needs 55:18, 73:4, 86:8.  
negative 13:16.  
neglected 20:17.  
neighborhood 48:2.  
New 31:20, 69:3, 72:9, 74:5, 75:2, 
80:10.  
Next 30:22, 56:21, 59:23, 60:15, 
71:25, 77:1, 80:14, 80:16, 
85:12, 87:10.  
Nice 2:25, 3:1, 3:9, 3:13, 3:20, 3:23, 
57:9, 60:3.  
nicely 21:8.  
Nicole 1:45, 3:18.  
night 47:6, 64:5.  
Nikki 1:45.  
nine 7:17, 7:21, 13:2, 35:9, 
57:17.  
NO. 1:9, 10:15, 18:23, 36:15, 
56:24.  
Nobody 61:14, 82:23.  
nondrinker 85:23.  
none 15:10, 27:18, 33:16.  
nonprofit 64:21.  
Nor 41:22, 42:2, 77:22.  
NORTHERN 1:3.  
notable 27:7.  
note 2:9, 4:2, 6:19, 7:7, 9:14, 10:4, 
10:10, 17:12, 21:23, 31:17, 
33:5, 34:21, 59:18, 81:17, 
81:25, 82:6, 87:18.  
noted 5:24, 11:15, 12:13, 19:20, 
32:4, 36:19.  
notes 1:49, 28:11, 53:4.  
Nothing 29:2, 60:15, 61:3, 76:13, 
86:25.  
notice 5:7, 5:12.  
noticed 24:1.  
notified 6:15.  
notify 78:23, 81:24.  
noting 16:1.  
notion 39:22, 40:25, 72:5.  
Number 2:5, 27:8, 31:14, 34:22, 
35:5, 83:16.  
numbers 30:5, 34:17, 34:18.  
numerous 19:19, 20:10, 20:23, 
21:1, 23:8, 30:6.  
nutshell 16:7.  
.  
.  
< O >.  
oath 70:9.  
objection 4:21, 5:5, 9:3, 
74:18.  
objective 37:16.  
obligated 63:18.  
obligation 83:3, 83:14.  
obligations 51:5, 79:22, 82:17, 
84:10.  
obtain 21:13, 21:19, 27:11.  
obtained 20:6.  
obtaining 23:15, 23:16, 29:9.  
obvious 76:16.  
Obviously 13:25, 23:14, 24:7, 
24:25, 27:21, 30:12, 34:13, 
34:22, 34:23, 37:20, 49:13, 
79:15.  
occasionally 27:1.  
occurred 29:7, 30:1, 54:18, 
66:6.  
offender 45:23, 77:21.  
offense 7:5, 12:5, 16:13, 16:19, 
16:23, 17:2, 17:6, 17:17, 19:12, 
19:14, 26:5, 29:4, 35:15, 38:2, 
38:4, 38:10, 49:21, 49:23, 
49:24, 50:22.  
offenses 51:3, 51:5.  
Office 1:30, 11:10, 14:20, 14:21, 
23:18, 49:17, 49:19, 49:20, 
51:6, 53:15, 53:16, 53:18, 78:1, 
87:19.  
OFFICER 3:19, 3:22, 42:2, 42:18, 
43:2, 78:10, 78:11, 78:21, 
78:23, 79:11, 79:13, 80:3, 80:8, 
80:12, 87:23.  
Official 89:1, 89:17.  
officials 14:24.  
often 59:18, 63:11.  
OIG 29:24.  
Patricia G. Mitchell, RMR, CRR  Federal Official Court Reporter
6/25/2024 Sentencing
99
Case 1:23-cr-00344-RDB     Document 118-2     Filed 09/19/25     Page 99 of 105

Okay 9:22, 31:16, 31:25, 32:21, 
32:23, 48:19, 55:1, 64:8, 
83:2.  
old 43:13, 45:21, 60:9, 63:19, 
64:1.  
Olympic 1:40.  
once-in-a-century 51:8, 72:13, 
76:13.  
one-count 2:6, 18:20.  
ones 25:6, 25:13, 28:3, 45:4, 
62:24.  
onset 39:6, 40:13, 43:14, 44:1, 
44:5, 45:8.  
open 22:9, 80:11.  
operating 25:24.  
operation 22:15.  
opinion 11:5, 25:8.  
opinions 11:2, 12:10, 12:11.  
opportunity 8:15, 18:12, 42:16, 
51:12, 52:10, 62:8, 65:10, 
65:18.  
opposed 31:23.  
option 45:5, 77:21.  
Order 10:12, 10:13, 14:10, 14:20, 
15:2, 15:12, 15:17, 17:13, 
24:12, 34:10, 34:13, 35:20, 
36:1, 76:3, 81:19, 82:7, 82:13, 
83:14, 84:15.  
ordered 17:4, 22:4, 35:20, 73:24, 
76:7, 80:18.  
orders 2:9, 9:16.  
Ordinarily 13:1, 14:15, 17:8.  
Organization 63:8, 64:21.  
organizing 64:22.  
original 18:17, 31:5.  
originally 81:2.  
others 55:10, 62:25, 72:23, 
72:25.  
otherwise 4:3, 14:14, 79:24.  
outline 11:3.  
outrageous 28:6, 70:4.  
outset 19:25, 36:23, 37:12, 52:16, 
66:16.  
outside 12:21, 64:4.  
outstanding 80:17.  
overarching 37:16.  
overinflating 45:16.  
overlaps 12:25.  
overlook 88:10.  
overlooked 6:6, 82:10.  
overseas 72:16.  
overwhelming 64:19.  
own 18:12, 20:7, 27:25, 29:10, 
51:13, 57:19, 58:15, 58:16, 
58:22, 65:10, 65:18, 76:22, 
78:24.  
owned 45:14, 58:13, 70:18.  
owner 45:12, 45:13.  
owners 40:16.  
ownership 26:3.  
.  
.  
< P >.  
p.m. 88:17.  
packaged 20:10, 29:13.  
packager 35:4.  
packaging 30:14.  
packed 46:15, 46:16.  
Page 15:5, 15:6, 15:7, 24:2, 50:8, 
50:10, 82:5, 82:6, 89:7.  
paid 33:22, 34:3, 34:15, 53:9, 
54:11, 76:6, 76:8, 77:15, 80:14, 
80:15, 81:9.  
pain 64:10, 69:12, 72:4.  
painful 64:13, 87:6.  
pandemic 2:14, 5:8, 19:3, 19:15, 
22:19, 23:8, 24:4, 24:8, 26:10, 
29:25, 39:12, 40:13, 44:1, 44:5, 
44:20, 45:9, 51:8, 54:21, 
72:13.  
paper 10:15, 18:23, 21:2, 27:11, 
36:15, 56:24.  
papers 41:22.  
Paragraph 6:22, 7:12, 9:4, 11:8, 
13:7, 13:9, 15:5, 15:6, 16:10, 
16:19, 16:22, 17:2, 17:9, 
81:11.  
parent 57:14.  
parenthetical 34:24.  
parents 45:4, 45:6, 46:10, 57:20, 
58:2, 62:19, 63:1, 63:18, 
64:23.  
parents-in-law 63:10.  
Park 47:16.  
Parker 1:46, 2:23, 3:1, 24:10, 
24:24, 25:2, 25:5, 25:8, 25:13, 
25:19, 25:20, 29:19, 
84:20.  
part 15:4, 36:2, 68:22, 68:23, 
72:7.  
participating 64:22.  
particular 2:12, 11:12.  
particularly 19:11, 35:3, 35:11, 
35:14.  
parties 2:16, 6:11, 19:6, 37:19, 
66:24.  
parts 20:25.  
passed 13:24, 28:12, 28:24.  
passes 43:19.  
passing 28:20.  
passions 59:9.  
past 33:6, 52:12, 58:12.  
Patricia 89:2, 89:16.  
Paul 1:29, 2:22.  
pay 45:10, 80:6, 80:17, 80:21, 81:9, 
86:16.  
Paycheck 19:1, 19:21, 20:11, 22:8, 
27:22, 28:4.  
payee 26:19.  
paying 45:8, 54:2, 54:8, 70:12, 
76:6.  
Payment 5:9, 26:23, 71:2.  
payments 40:21.  
payroll 27:9, 27:15, 27:16, 
27:19.  
Peace 63:8.  
pecking 34:10, 34:13.  
penalty 49:8.  
pending 5:25, 6:1, 20:22, 
48:13.  
percent 21:6, 23:1, 23:2, 26:10, 
26:11, 29:12, 30:2, 49:22, 67:2, 
67:4, 67:16.  
percentages 67:16.  
perfectly 41:19.  
Perhaps 9:17, 14:25, 87:9.  
period 15:1, 18:25, 48:21, 51:21, 
73:25, 75:14, 76:9, 78:15, 
79:18, 79:25, 80:4.  
periods 46:15.  
permission 78:8, 78:20, 79:2, 
82:20.  
permitted 15:12.  
perpetrated 73:1.  
person 6:10, 20:10, 39:16, 39:22, 
42:10, 46:3, 55:10, 56:3, 59:2, 
60:17, 60:24, 61:13, 61:14, 
61:16, 61:18, 62:13, 65:4, 73:8, 
73:9, 78:20, 79:9, 79:10, 
87:1.  
personal 12:3, 22:4, 58:13.  
personally 65:17, 66:7.  
persons 18:13.  
perspective 25:22, 26:1, 28:17, 
29:21.  
pillar 58:14.  
pilot 59:4.  
Place 1:40, 75:3, 75:14, 78:10, 
87:25.  
placed 49:1, 77:6.  
plain 39:17, 67:7.  
Plaintiff 1:7.  
plan 5:9.  
plane 54:10.  
play 46:9.  
player 58:22.  
plea 7:12, 7:14, 7:22, 8:3, 10:5, 
10:10, 10:16, 11:8, 14:15, 18:5, 
27:14, 29:18, 65:13, 66:24, 
81:12, 85:23.  
pleading 62:10.  
please 2:20, 65:16.  
pleased 4:2.  
pleasure 52:12.  
pled 2:6, 5:20, 6:1, 6:3, 7:7, 18:20, 
20:21, 70:9.  
plenty 61:25.  
plus 73:18, 75:20.  
pocket 42:25, 43:1, 70:6, 70:7, 
72:7.  
pockets 27:25.  
poignant 33:10.  
point 8:4, 9:8, 10:18, 12:15, 17:18, 
22:14, 25:2, 25:21, 40:8, 41:6, 
41:8, 43:13, 45:9, 45:19, 45:24, 
50:18, 69:6, 76:4, 82:2, 82:24, 
84:21.  
pointed 48:9.  
Poland 37:9, 61:10.  
policies 15:24.  
policy 2:13, 15:1, 65:13.  
portions 82:7.  
pose 79:9.  
position 37:21, 39:4, 39:6, 47:9, 
68:2.  
positive 56:4, 59:3, 65:2.  
possess 77:8, 78:24.  
possibility 79:4.  
potential 55:13, 55:24.  
potentially 71:24.  
Patricia G. Mitchell, RMR, CRR  Federal Official Court Reporter
6/25/2024 Sentencing
100
Case 1:23-cr-00344-RDB     Document 118-2     Filed 09/19/25     Page 100 of 105

PPP 20:7, 21:3, 21:15, 26:7, 27:12, 
33:21, 34:3, 67:1.  
PPP/EIDL 20:9.  
practicing 38:18.  
preliminary 10:13.  
preparation 21:24.  
prepared 8:16, 11:10, 20:10, 
40:9.  
preparing 14:10, 21:2.  
Present 1:45, 36:24, 37:5.  
presentation 45:15.  
presentations 4:25.  
presented 85:22.  
presentence 6:20, 8:16, 11:9, 13:6, 
14:17, 15:3, 15:5, 16:11, 16:22, 
17:23, 21:23, 44:9, 47:15, 
73:20, 74:20.  
presently 81:1.  
president 15:15.  
presiding 2:12.  
pressure 46:10, 64:9.  
Presumably 46:18, 67:11, 69:24, 
78:3, 81:24, 82:21.  
presume 12:14, 73:13.  
Pretrial 80:24.  
pretty 48:7.  
prevalent 25:10.  
prevent 55:19.  
previously 2:10, 11:13, 12:8.  
pride 57:12.  
primarily 40:25.  
primary 50:14.  
prior 32:17.  
priority 62:24.  
prison 7:22, 8:2, 8:12, 35:12, 
42:12, 48:9, 48:13, 69:19, 
76:14, 78:3, 81:8, 85:5, 85:18, 
86:9.  
Prisons 73:25.  
private 45:8.  
privately 3:10, 79:6.  
PROBATION 1:45, 3:18, 3:22, 
11:10, 14:21, 22:15, 22:17, 
25:25, 49:17, 49:19, 51:6, 78:1, 
78:10, 78:11, 78:21, 78:23, 
79:11, 79:13, 80:3, 80:7, 80:12, 
87:19, 87:23, 88:3.  
problem 25:9, 40:20, 43:11, 43:19, 
44:8, 55:5, 68:17, 68:20, 77:22, 
85:20.  
problematic 84:25.  
problems 44:6, 68:21, 75:7.  
Procedure 7:9, 7:10, 71:13, 71:14, 
81:21.  
procedures 13:23.  
proceed 2:7, 6:18, 13:20.  
proceeding 32:2, 65:14.  
Proceedings 1:20, 4:5, 5:16, 14:11, 
88:17, 89:6.  
proceeds 27:3, 30:10, 67:3, 
67:17.  
process 10:2, 10:24, 11:3, 12:1, 
12:15, 67:6, 74:8, 76:19.  
processing 27:16.  
processor 27:15, 35:5.  
professional 88:4.  
profound 55:8, 59:12.  
profoundly 44:16, 56:3.  
Program 5:10, 19:2, 19:22, 20:11, 
22:9, 27:22, 28:4, 39:6, 40:7, 
43:14, 53:14, 53:19, 54:24, 
71:2, 71:4, 80:6.  
programs 27:25, 54:8, 63:8, 
86:5.  
prominent 69:16.  
promote 29:21, 30:18, 35:17.  
property 22:11, 22:16, 25:25, 28:2, 
45:14, 51:3, 51:4, 76:22.  
prosecutor 71:23.  
PROTECT 13:23, 14:1, 14:3, 
15:20.  
Protection 5:9, 19:1, 19:21, 20:11, 
22:9, 27:22, 28:4, 71:2, 
73:4.  
protracted 26:13, 28:22.  
provide 29:22, 30:18, 35:1, 35:17, 
39:2, 55:17, 63:11, 71:14, 
71:15, 76:16, 80:7.  
provided 7:14, 10:11, 31:3, 40:19, 
49:18, 54:19, 58:23, 67:9, 
83:25.  
provides 7:10, 7:25.  
providing 79:4.  
proving 62:12.  
provision 9:17.  
provisions 11:16, 13:25, 
14:1.  
PSR 33:8.  
psychological 75:7, 81:7, 
86:6.  
public 2:10, 14:24, 14:25, 44:25, 
56:16, 66:11, 66:21, 73:2, 73:4, 
76:12, 77:5.  
publicly 15:16, 66:18.  
Pull 8:22, 65:21.  
pulling 26:9.  
punish 72:22.  
punished 72:23.  
punishment 29:22, 30:18, 32:12, 
35:17, 55:20, 55:24, 
75:21.  
purported 20:7, 21:1, 21:19, 27:3, 
27:9, 29:10.  
purpose 27:16.  
purposes 72:21, 73:12.  
pursuant 7:8, 12:16, 81:20, 
89:5.  
push 38:4.  
pushed 48:4, 59:1.  
Pushing 40:25, 60:14, 61:1.  
put 21:7, 29:24, 47:12, 57:19, 
58:16, 66:3, 68:2, 70:6, 70:7, 
76:20, 81:25, 87:14.  
putting 41:1, 76:14.  
.  
.  
< Q >.  
question 8:12, 19:13, 22:7, 23:4, 
24:20, 24:21, 30:24, 41:10, 
42:7, 54:7, 72:22.  
questioned 78:22.  
questions 22:17, 78:9.  
quickly 87:21.  
quite 5:2, 32:22, 40:8, 40:18, 
46:3.  
Qureshi 20:18, 84:3.  
.  
.  
< R >.  
raise 63:18.  
raised 17:18, 56:11, 58:5, 58:6, 
62:25.  
rate 76:6, 77:15.  
raw 71:6.  
RDB-22-290 33:21, 83:16.  
RDB-23-0344 2:5.  
reached 75:13.  
read 4:4, 4:11, 4:19, 18:22, 36:15, 
36:16, 36:21, 36:25, 47:13, 
52:7, 56:23, 57:9, 60:1, 
60:16.  
reads 17:9.  
ready 6:18.  
real 19:16, 22:11, 22:16, 25:24, 
27:23, 28:1.  
reality 18:3, 21:19.  
Really 28:4, 39:25, 50:18, 51:6, 
51:7, 68:16, 73:9.  
Realtime 89:3.  
reason 14:13, 38:10, 43:12, 70:15, 
74:11, 78:17.  
reasonable 12:15, 73:14, 
85:15.  
Reasons 12:22, 14:13, 18:4.  
recall 27:13.  
receive 40:21, 45:22, 48:9, 50:23, 
71:24, 78:4, 81:6.  
received 4:6, 4:8, 4:13, 9:12, 9:14, 
21:4, 21:8, 26:18, 27:10, 33:1, 
33:21, 33:23, 34:2, 34:7, 34:14, 
34:15, 38:23, 40:18, 41:14, 
41:15, 49:25, 57:24, 58:17, 
73:18.  
recent 6:23, 15:23.  
recognize 18:11, 77:17.  
recognized 43:9.  
recognizes 35:10.  
recommend 74:3, 75:6, 75:10, 
85:12, 86:2, 86:4, 86:9.  
recommendation 34:19, 51:20, 
75:3, 75:5, 84:22.  
recommended 34:16, 35:13, 
80:24.  
record 2:20, 3:6, 4:9, 24:9, 32:18, 
32:19, 32:20, 50:25, 
88:11.  
record. 65:12.  
records 23:15, 23:23.  
recouped 70:19.  
recovering 70:20.  
recruit 53:19.  
recruiting 53:10.  
redemption 56:2.  
Redmond 4:9, 4:11, 36:20.  
reduce 81:15.  
reduced 71:24.  
reduction 33:1, 46:3, 71:16, 
77:1.  
refer 66:21, 66:23.  
reference 79:15.  
Patricia G. Mitchell, RMR, CRR  Federal Official Court Reporter
6/25/2024 Sentencing
101
Case 1:23-cr-00344-RDB     Document 118-2     Filed 09/19/25     Page 101 of 105

referenced 11:8, 11:9, 50:20, 
54:17.  
referencing 51:1.  
referring 50:5.  
reflect 4:9, 55:9, 59:11.  
reflected 33:3, 40:22, 73:20, 74:20, 
82:12.  
reflection 52:19.  
reflux 13:9, 13:10.  
refrain 77:9.  
refuse 62:25.  
regard 4:11, 40:7, 45:20, 79:8, 
86:3.  
regardless 62:20, 63:14.  
Reginald 5:20.  
Registered 89:2.  
registration 77:21.  
regret 52:18.  
regulations 80:5, 89:8.  
rehabilitation 55:25, 56:7, 
73:5.  
relate 13:9.  
relates 18:24.  
relating 15:3, 44:6.  
relationships 71:1.  
relative 67:6, 67:18.  
release 9:15, 9:18, 35:19, 48:14, 
50:7, 74:16, 75:14, 76:9, 77:6, 
77:11, 77:16, 77:20, 77:25, 
78:3, 78:15, 79:14, 80:1, 80:9, 
80:25, 88:7.  
released 49:2.  
reliable 64:20.  
relief 26:10, 27:22.  
relies 40:23.  
religions 61:8, 62:20.  
religious 79:17, 79:19, 79:23.  
reluctant 85:16, 85:17.  
relying 38:21.  
remain 81:4.  
remained 58:14.  
remanded 73:24.  
remarks 18:11.  
remorse 52:15, 52:18, 56:6, 62:14, 
65:24, 68:1, 68:8.  
rendered 11:13, 11:19.  
rental 48:1.  
rented 45:14.  
repatriated 26:2.  
repay 26:2.  
replacing 3:19.  
report 6:20, 8:16, 11:10, 13:7, 
14:17, 15:3, 15:5, 15:7, 16:11, 
16:22, 17:23, 21:23, 29:24, 
44:9, 47:15, 73:21, 74:20, 
74:23, 78:1, 78:5, 81:8, 
85:18.  
reported 84:24.  
Reporter 65:22, 89:1, 89:2, 89:3, 
89:17.  
reporting 74:21, 74:22, 78:4, 
86:16, 86:17.  
reports 85:13.  
represent 3:6, 42:2, 42:22, 
43:4.  
representation 54:23.  
representations 38:5, 66:8, 
72:2.  
represented 41:22, 66:10.  
representing 38:24.  
represents 74:12, 76:11.  
request 52:11, 56:5, 65:3.  
requested 75:23, 80:8, 81:16.  
require 84:7.  
required 2:10, 13:23, 40:6.  
requirements 15:19.  
requires 14:3, 32:11.  
requiring 57:22.  
research 64:3.  
reside 48:1, 78:2, 78:4, 78:7.  
residence 21:25, 78:13, 79:17, 
79:19.  
resorts 23:10, 28:1.  
respect 5:8, 6:19, 9:4, 9:15, 10:5, 
10:25, 15:23, 18:5, 19:1, 22:18, 
23:6, 24:3, 29:21, 29:24, 30:18, 
31:20, 31:22, 32:13, 35:17, 
39:21, 43:3, 50:20, 51:2, 51:6, 
51:24, 66:8, 82:4.  
respectful 62:13.  
respectfully 52:11, 56:5, 
65:3.  
respond 42:16, 66:15.  
response 19:2.  
responsibilities 57:17.  
responsibility 16:15, 38:3, 47:9, 
52:17.  
responsible 19:20, 19:23, 30:9, 
34:20, 41:5, 53:10, 59:2.  
restaurant 22:10, 22:14, 25:23, 
28:1.  
restitution 10:12, 17:4, 22:4, 24:12, 
26:2, 31:2, 31:7, 32:2, 35:20, 
35:22, 36:1, 72:5, 72:8, 76:3, 
76:24, 77:12, 77:14, 80:18, 
80:19, 80:23, 82:4, 82:7, 82:16, 
83:14, 83:17, 83:19, 
83:24.  
restricted 79:16, 79:18.  
result 11:18, 21:7, 28:12, 59:22, 
87:6.  
results 16:13.  
retained 3:10, 79:6.  
return 26:10, 48:2, 48:5, 
53:22.  
review 8:16, 11:23, 14:24, 15:9, 
15:11.  
reviewed 8:20, 15:8.  
RICHARD D. BENNETT 1:22.  
rights 81:11.  
rise 88:16.  
rising 57:4.  
risk 74:12, 79:9.  
River 31:20, 32:5, 83:9, 83:25, 
84:8.  
RMR 89:16.  
road 73:5.  
rock 64:14.  
role 40:24, 41:3, 45:17, 59:13, 
73:20.  
rolling 29:11.  
Roughly 20:6, 22:23, 47:22, 
50:24.  
Route 74:25.  
Rule 7:8, 7:9, 7:25, 29:18, 42:13, 
71:12, 71:13, 77:3, 77:4, 
81:20.  
Rules 7:9, 7:10, 40:6, 71:12, 71:13, 
80:5, 81:20.  
Russia 54:9, 68:19.  
.  
.  
< S >.  
S. 64:13.  
sacrifice 57:16, 59:8.  
satisfied 8:25, 13:19.  
Saturday 74:7.  
say-so 29:3.  
saying 39:18, 50:21, 55:4, 
68:3.  
SBA 29:24.  
scale 26:5, 29:19, 29:25.  
scheme 19:18, 20:6, 20:8, 20:9, 
21:7, 21:11, 26:13, 26:14, 
26:17, 27:6, 27:20, 28:16, 
28:18, 28:22, 29:7, 29:11, 
30:16, 34:3, 65:25, 67:1.  
schemes 25:14.  
School 4:11, 33:8, 60:14, 63:17, 
63:19.  
seal 15:8, 53:3, 56:25.  
sealed 65:12.  
search 48:22, 48:23, 48:25, 
49:2.  
searching 63:13.  
Seasons 23:10.  
seated 2:4, 3:4, 3:24, 18:8.  
second 12:11, 55:25.  
secondary 33:9.  
Secondly 52:21.  
Section 15:3, 15:6, 75:16.  
sections 11:12.  
seeing 60:9.  
seeking 69:9.  
seem 73:23.  
seems 85:7.  
seen 61:11.  
selection 49:17.  
selects 49:5.  
self-medicating 85:24.  
self-treating 85:8.  
selfless 59:10.  
selflessness 58:18.  
sell 63:20.  
senior 57:4.  
sense 34:19.  
sensor 64:12.  
sent 14:9, 29:12, 30:3, 41:13, 
71:5.  
sentenced 5:21, 6:4, 33:7, 33:24, 
34:4, 71:15, 75:19, 87:2.  
sentences 12:5, 12:7, 14:2, 24:3, 
34:11, 35:2, 49:18, 73:16, 
73:18.  
separate 20:8, 82:17.  
series 26:21.  
serious 19:14, 29:5, 29:6, 29:8, 
30:19, 32:11, 38:2, 63:10, 
66:13, 76:11, 81:10.  
seriously 57:22, 82:23.  
Patricia G. Mitchell, RMR, CRR  Federal Official Court Reporter
6/25/2024 Sentencing
102
Case 1:23-cr-00344-RDB     Document 118-2     Filed 09/19/25     Page 102 of 105

seriousness 35:15.  
serve 55:25.  
served 48:13, 55:23, 74:2.  
Services 27:9, 27:16, 79:18, 79:20, 
79:23, 80:24.  
set 6:12, 15:24, 27:9, 77:14, 81:1, 
81:2, 83:22, 84:14.  
setbacks 75:13.  
setting 27:16.  
seven 26:22, 63:19.  
several 52:13, 82:8, 83:3, 83:4, 
83:5, 83:12, 83:15, 84:1, 84:3, 
84:10.  
severe 47:5, 80:21, 81:14, 
85:20.  
Sex 77:21.  
shall 14:13, 77:12, 79:10, 80:14, 
81:6.  
shaped 59:9.  
share 80:9.  
shared 57:13, 63:6.  
she'll 88:2.  
shed 54:16.  
sheer 29:25.  
sheet 72:5, 76:5.  
Sheila 54:18.  
shelf 87:14.  
shifts 47:6.  
short 48:21, 79:12.  
shouldering 57:17.  
shoulders 72:17.  
shouldn't 82:13.  
show 56:5, 62:9, 83:20, 
84:11.  
showed 39:13, 60:10.  
shown 59:9, 62:14.  
shrug 72:16.  
shut 19:15.  
shy 67:8.  
siblings 44:11, 60:10.  
side 61:1.  
sign 26:19.  
signed 64:24.  
significant 23:13, 25:9, 35:2, 38:2, 
40:24, 41:3, 45:3, 45:18, 52:22, 
57:25, 62:18.  
similar 44:3.  
similarly-situated 12:5, 
49:22.  
simple 39:17, 40:8, 54:7, 70:21, 
72:18, 73:6.  
simply 41:5.  
sincere 52:19, 62:21.  
single 26:24, 29:12.  
singular 41:4.  
sins 70:20.  
Sir 3:14, 3:15, 7:7, 25:8, 52:9, 53:7, 
54:1, 54:6, 56:13, 56:17, 56:25, 
60:3, 65:17, 67:24.  
Sister 53:5, 63:7.  
sit 66:9.  
sits 45:14.  
sitting 61:2, 71:5.  
situation 29:16, 64:9, 64:19, 66:3, 
66:4, 70:3.  
situations 35:4, 59:19, 68:11.  
six 33:24, 36:7, 55:15.  
six-year-old 47:4.  
size 24:22.  
skeptical 28:18.  
skills 65:1.  
slice 21:5, 35:6, 67:17.  
slightly 81:15.  
Small 19:18, 31:18, 32:6, 67:17, 
72:9, 72:10, 72:11, 84:9.  
smaller 32:17, 76:7.  
soccer 58:22.  
social 52:23.  
society 53:25.  
Somebody 54:10, 87:2.  
somehow 28:14, 41:25, 47:10, 
66:1.  
Someone 35:4, 35:11, 46:1, 46:5, 
78:18.  
Sometimes 21:5, 26:22.  
somewhere 12:25, 71:5, 
87:14.  
son 45:5, 56:21, 59:23.  
sons 4:6, 4:17, 36:17, 37:2, 43:8, 
46:22, 68:3, 69:10, 87:4.  
sophisticated 26:15, 27:20.  
sorry 6:2, 6:5, 8:22, 28:24, 65:24, 
66:1, 66:2, 66:3, 68:1, 
82:10.  
sort 28:18.  
sought 33:17.  
sounds 69:3.  
South 1:31.  
speaking 43:7, 69:15.  
speaks 67:18.  
Special 1:46, 2:23, 9:18, 38:17, 
39:4, 80:13, 80:15, 86:17.  
specialized 39:5.  
specific 7:8, 7:11, 10:11, 39:2, 
71:12.  
Specifically 7:9, 7:14, 11:15, 12:13, 
14:3, 46:23, 87:18.  
spending 28:7.  
spent 23:13, 28:10, 28:25, 29:1, 
46:15.  
Split 36:11.  
spoke 58:3.  
spotlight 41:4.  
squared 29:16.  
stability 55:18.  
staggering 32:5.  
stand 25:3, 42:18, 44:21, 48:19, 
52:10, 57:12, 65:16.  
standard 77:25.  
standing 2:9, 51:14.  
stands 87:2, 88:14, 88:16.  
starkly 55:6.  
start 19:12, 49:15, 59:6, 
73:12.  
starting 12:15, 57:7.  
State 11:1, 14:5, 23:25, 54:9, 67:15, 
77:8.  
stated 37:21, 55:16.  
Statement 14:12, 65:18, 65:19, 
70:8.  
statements 21:16, 51:25.  
stating 77:5.  
status 2:16.  
Statute 69:2, 77:13.  
stay 23:11, 28:1, 86:21.  
stayed 54:15.  
staying 23:9.  
steadfastly 58:16.  
stemming 46:10.  
stenographically-reported 
89:6.  
stenotype 1:49.  
step 15:21, 18:1, 18:16, 62:4, 72:1, 
72:25, 73:10.  
stepped 72:14, 87:24.  
steps 79:8.  
Stipulation 29:18, 66:24, 66:25, 
67:5, 67:7.  
stolen 51:3.  
stood 69:11.  
stop 29:9, 58:25.  
story 41:1.  
straight 74:25.  
strain 57:25.  
strategy 52:19.  
Street 1:31.  
strength 57:15, 58:15, 64:20, 
71:3.  
stress 29:15.  
stretch 39:24, 42:7.  
string 35:1.  
striving 58:7.  
strokes 40:2, 40:3.  
strong 87:13.  
stronger 87:6.  
structure 44:24, 75:21.  
structured 75:25.  
struggle 46:21, 46:24.  
struggles 43:20.  
struggling 27:24.  
student 57:1, 60:13.  
studied 68:13.  
studies 59:16.  
stuff 60:11, 61:6.  
stupid 40:4.  
subject 11:23, 14:24, 15:7, 47:20, 
70:24.  
submission 5:24, 28:10, 29:3, 
82:6.  
submit 77:10.  
submitted 4:5, 21:14, 21:16, 27:13, 
36:16, 36:20, 67:9.  
submitting 21:3, 21:12, 30:15, 
35:5.  
subsequently 44:13.  
substance 77:9, 77:10, 79:20, 
86:3, 86:7, 86:8.  
substantial 24:23.  
substantially 55:6.  
substantive 75:12, 76:17.  
successful 59:2, 60:14, 69:18, 
69:23.  
suffer 55:20.  
suffering 19:16.  
suffers 47:4.  
sufficient 8:25, 12:20, 37:17, 
49:6.  
sugar 64:5.  
suggest 28:9, 83:20.  
suggested 40:14.  
Patricia G. Mitchell, RMR, CRR  Federal Official Court Reporter
6/25/2024 Sentencing
103
Case 1:23-cr-00344-RDB     Document 118-2     Filed 09/19/25     Page 103 of 105

suggesting 85:5.  
suggestion 29:14, 84:11.  
suggests 28:14.  
Suite 1:40.  
summarily 85:17.  
summary 16:3.  
summer 6:8.  
Supervised 35:19, 50:7, 75:14, 
76:9, 77:6, 77:15, 77:20, 77:25, 
78:15, 79:14, 79:25, 88:7.  
supervisor 38:8.  
support 37:5, 44:21, 46:17, 46:18, 
47:2, 47:11, 49:13, 55:17, 
58:17, 58:24, 59:5, 59:7, 59:8, 
60:7, 60:13, 63:4, 63:11, 63:15, 
64:16, 64:23, 71:3.  
supported 57:20, 58:23, 
69:21.  
supporting 33:10, 61:1, 
75:12.  
supportive 46:14, 55:10, 
64:20.  
Supreme 11:2, 11:5, 11:6, 11:11, 
11:15, 12:10, 12:13.  
surrender 9:19, 74:18, 74:24, 
86:14.  
surrounding 86:12.  
.  
.  
< T >.  
table 2:23.  
talented 53:20.  
talked 29:20.  
tap 40:14.  
taught 58:19.  
tax 67:9.  
taxpayer 28:2.  
taxpayers 73:2.  
teaches 63:23.  
tearing 68:4.  
technology 80:3.  
tender 57:17.  
term 49:5.  
terms 17:2, 17:5, 17:22, 24:2, 49:7, 
51:5, 51:7, 67:6, 67:18, 69:10, 
73:1, 75:8, 79:8, 83:5, 83:7, 
83:17, 85:4, 86:4, 86:22.  
terrifying 64:9.  
test 77:10.  
testament 56:1, 69:10.  
testaments 55:8.  
tethered 21:19.  
theft 51:3.  
themselves 2:19, 47:11.  
thereafter 28:13, 34:8, 49:3.  
They'll 48:2, 69:13.  
They've 47:2, 47:25, 68:13, 
73:18.  
thinking 26:15, 39:10.  
thinks 85:14, 88:2.  
third 6:4, 16:16.  
thorough 51:10.  
though 44:12, 57:24, 81:17.  
thousand 45:10.  
threat 74:12.  
three 12:12, 35:19, 47:2, 75:15, 
77:6.  
three-year 79:25.  
throughout 25:10, 34:22.  
Thursday 10:13.  
tickets 54:10.  
till 85:6.  
timed 34:1.  
timing 54:20.  
tirelessly 57:20, 58:7.  
Today 2:8, 3:20, 3:25, 10:2, 13:12, 
13:17, 13:20, 42:11, 48:10, 
52:10, 57:11, 59:10, 60:15, 
71:24, 71:25, 84:12.  
together 29:24, 62:11.  
token 7:25.  
took 45:4, 62:23.  
top 19:6, 34:13.  
total 6:3, 7:5, 16:19, 16:23, 17:6, 
17:16, 22:2, 25:15, 31:17.  
totally 77:1.  
touch 43:10.  
touched 20:25.  
toughest 57:21.  
toward 76:24.  
towards 56:7, 80:19, 80:22.  
Towson 1:41.  
traditions 62:21.  
trail 27:11.  
training 75:11, 86:5.  
TRANSCRIPT 1:20, 89:6, 
89:7.  
transcription 1:49.  
transferred 20:19.  
translate 55:2.  
translates 13:2.  
traumatic 64:15.  
travel 27:25, 33:15.  
traveled 23:8.  
traveling 23:7, 23:9.  
travels 23:10.  
treating 45:3.  
treatment 44:25, 45:2, 79:20, 81:6, 
84:23, 85:4, 85:11, 85:13, 86:3, 
86:8, 86:9.  
trial 6:1, 6:5, 6:12, 6:13.  
tried 63:3.  
tries 64:11.  
trigger 76:25.  
trite 69:3.  
trouble 76:15.  
troubles 58:14.  
true 10:25, 32:14, 62:14, 69:4, 
69:5, 89:5.  
trusted 46:14.  
truthfully 78:9.  
try 41:9, 47:11, 59:21, 72:14, 72:18, 
73:10, 87:21.  
trying 19:17, 41:6, 53:18, 53:19, 
54:22, 55:4, 63:12, 69:12, 72:1, 
83:4, 83:6.  
tune 38:25.  
turn 88:7.  
turned 63:4.  
turns 49:25.  
two-level 9:5, 16:14, 45:22.  
Type 47:4, 52:24, 55:16, 63:25, 
64:23, 75:10, 78:15.  
types 20:4, 20:5, 25:10, 
44:24.  
typical 55:7.  
typically 21:6.  
typo 17:7.  
.  
.  
< U >.  
U.S. 1:45, 2:21, 3:18, 11:10, 13:24, 
14:8, 14:21, 15:11, 15:25, 
22:16, 76:18.  
Ukraine 54:10.  
ultimately 53:22.  
unable 3:19.  
unbelievable 60:7, 61:6, 61:13, 
61:16.  
uncertainty 86:11, 86:12.  
uncharacteristic 85:2, 85:7.  
uncle 63:19.  
underlying 5:16.  
understandable 75:9.  
understanding 3:7, 43:7, 49:12, 
49:14, 52:20, 55:8, 62:19.  
understands 8:10, 22:15, 23:12, 
47:1, 74:6, 77:5.  
understood 23:18, 39:6, 
39:7.  
unduly 55:20.  
unemployed 39:14, 39:15.  
unfortunately 47:3, 47:22.  
uniforms. 27:5.  
unintended 55:19.  
unit 49:9.  
University 4:10, 33:9, 57:2.  
unlawful 77:9.  
unlawfully 77:8.  
Unless 51:9.  
unprecedented 58:13.  
unreasonableness 11:24.  
until 28:21, 54:15, 64:7, 81:8.  
unwarranted 33:19, 35:16.  
unwavering 57:21, 58:17, 
59:8.  
upheld 11:6, 11:11.  
upper 73:14.  
upper-level 38:11.  
upward 38:7.  
urge 55:22.  
urgent 57:23.  
using 22:8.  
.  
.  
< V >.  
v. 11:5, 12:12.  
vaccinated 2:15, 2:18, 2:24, 3:7, 
3:14, 3:21, 4:1, 4:3.  
vaccination 2:16.  
valuable 60:17.  
Valued 22:1, 47:18, 47:19.  
values 55:10, 56:3.  
variance 33:17.  
various 20:25.  
vary 83:5.  
vehicle 76:16.  
verify 8:15.  
versus 2:5.  
VI 17:16.  
Patricia G. Mitchell, RMR, CRR  Federal Official Court Reporter
6/25/2024 Sentencing
104
Case 1:23-cr-00344-RDB     Document 118-2     Filed 09/19/25     Page 104 of 105

via 27:19.  
victims 5:7, 5:12.  
view 8:4, 9:8, 10:18, 17:19, 25:2, 
45:5, 45:19, 82:3, 84:21.  
violence 77:23.  
violent 84:25.  
visibility 23:15, 23:24.  
visit 53:13, 62:22, 74:9, 78:12, 
79:22.  
visited 63:11.  
visiting 74:7.  
visitors 74:8.  
visits 79:21.  
vital 55:19.  
vocational 75:11, 86:5.  
voice 64:23.  
voluntarily 74:23.  
Voluntary 9:19, 74:18.  
volunteer 63:8.  
volunteering 33:14, 54:3.  
vs 1:8.  
.  
.  
< W >.  
Waiel 4:7, 36:19.  
wait 52:1.  
waiting 45:1.  
waived 81:12, 81:17.  
waiver 10:6, 11:24.  
wake 19:14.  
walk 83:6.  
Walker 5:20, 12:7, 20:13, 20:15, 
27:14, 32:16, 32:19, 33:18, 
33:20, 33:24, 33:25, 34:12, 
34:14, 83:9, 83:16, 84:3.  
wanted 81:17.  
wants 4:21, 4:23, 42:14, 
51:11.  
warrant 48:22, 48:23, 48:25, 49:2, 
52:13.  
Washington 14:8, 14:22, 14:25, 
15:11.  
watch 64:10.  
weapon 78:25.  
week 10:12, 18:24, 36:16, 
84:24.  
weekend 74:9, 74:10.  
weeks 23:11, 48:20, 49:2.  
weighed 48:8.  
Welcome 3:3, 3:10, 3:25, 5:3, 
37:11.  
western 75:1.  
whatever 6:14, 49:5, 70:14.  
whatsoever 38:1.  
whereby 71:14.  
Whether 2:13, 65:15, 65:25.  
whole 68:5, 75:21.  
whom 20:23, 26:21, 78:18.  
wife 4:6, 4:17, 36:17, 37:3, 37:7, 
43:7, 44:18, 49:11, 62:3, 62:11, 
68:4, 87:14, 88:2.  
willing 42:24, 70:19.  
window 75:24.  
wire 5:7.  
wish 65:17, 86:23.  
withdraw 7:22, 8:3.  
Within 2:11, 10:7, 14:6, 37:19, 
39:20, 49:6, 71:14, 71:24, 
74:22, 77:1, 77:2, 77:11, 78:2, 
78:23, 80:14, 80:16, 81:18, 
88:3.  
Without 13:8, 15:16, 24:20, 24:21, 
26:8, 30:6, 30:7, 30:14, 41:2, 
42:6, 46:5, 57:23, 59:5, 59:6, 
60:21, 63:4, 64:14, 64:18, 78:7, 
78:20, 79:2, 80:11.  
witness 4:20.  
witnessed 57:21.  
wonderful 65:4.  
wondering 22:5, 23:3.  
Wonneman 1:45, 3:18, 3:20, 3:24, 
6:22, 14:20, 16:11, 16:20, 17:7, 
87:19, 87:21, 87:24.  
word 72:24.  
words 54:4, 58:4.  
work 47:10, 57:16, 62:22, 78:14, 
79:22, 83:23, 84:7, 84:19, 
84:20.  
worked 58:7.  
working 24:25, 57:17, 63:17.  
worksheet 31:2, 32:2, 32:8.  
World 19:15, 41:10, 61:17, 63:8, 
68:5, 68:16, 69:2.  
worn 2:13, 2:14.  
worth 30:10, 68:5.  
worthless 64:18.  
woven 39:20.  
write-up 54:19.  
written 33:10.  
wrote 43:24, 54:4, 54:10.  
.  
.  
< Y >.  
year 2:7, 28:19, 42:13, 47:24, 57:4, 
71:15, 71:25, 75:20, 75:22, 
77:1, 87:10.  
York 69:3.  
You-all 3:3, 25:17.  
young 46:23, 57:15, 69:11.  
youngest 49:12, 52:25, 55:15, 
63:24.  
yourself 87:14.  
.  
.  
< Z >.  
zero-point 45:23.  
Patricia G. Mitchell, RMR, CRR  Federal Official Court Reporter
6/25/2024 Sentencing
105
Case 1:23-cr-00344-RDB     Document 118-2     Filed 09/19/25     Page 105 of 105

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