attorney stephen kaufman

Beaver County Farmer and Employee Charged with Using Toxic Pesticide to Kill Migratory Birds

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Two residents of western Pennsylvania have been charged with offenses related to the unlawful killing of migratory birds, Acting United States Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman announced today. The three-count Information filed today in federal court names Robert Yost, 50, of New Galilee, PA, and Jacob Reese, 25, of Enon Valley, PA, as defendants. According to the Information, Yost operated Yost Farms in Beaver County, PA. In June 2020, Yost and one of his employees, Reese, allegedly conspired to kill migratory birds present on leased farmland operated by Yost Farms, using carbofuran, a registered restricted-use pesticide. As alleged,…


New Castle Man Admits Role in Multi-State Cocaine Conspiracy

PITTSBURGH – A resident of New Castle pleaded guilty in federal court to violating federal narcotics laws, Acting United States Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman announced today. Darnell Latham, 52, of New Castle, Pennsylvania pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a quantity of cocaine from March of 2019 through September of 2020, before United States District Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan. Latham is one of thirteen defendants charged in the Indictment returned in this case. In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that in 2019, the Drug Enforcement Administration began…


Former New Castle Anesthesiologist Sentenced for Illegal Prescriptions and Distributing

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of New Castle, Pennsylvania, was sentenced in federal court for unlawfully prescribing and distributing controlled substances, Acting United States Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman announced today. United States District Judge David S. Cercone, sentenced Thomas Ranieri, 68, to two years of supervised release, with the first year served as home detention. During his plea hearing on August 21, 2019, the defendant admitted that he previously was a physician who practiced as an anesthesiologist and pain-management specialist in clinics located in New Castle, Pennsylvania, and multiple locations in Ohio. From January 2, 2013, to June 26, 2013,…