Southern District of Alabama
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
Previously Convicted Sex Offender Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Receiving and Distributing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – Charles Joseph Thorne Floyd, age 31, was sentenced today to 20 years in prison after entering a guilty plea one count of receiving and distributing child pornography. Floyd entered his guilty plea on June 25, 2024.
According to court documents, in the months of July and August 2023 a detective with the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force was utilizing investigative software to identify subjects involved in the dissemination of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM). The detective identified an IP address that was making CSAM available for download. Over seven different dates, the detective was able to download approximately 90 videos containing CSAM from that IP address. The detective was able to identify a residence in Foley that was associated with the IP address. Floyd was a resident of that address. Floyd’s phone was seized examined and revealed search terms indicative of CSAM and 321 images of CSAM. The images included depictions of prepubescent children. On November 21, 2023, Floyd entered a guilty plea in Conecuh County to one count of Sodomy, 2nd Degree for offenses that occurred in 2016 involving a minor child.
At sentencing, United States District Judge William Steele imposed a 240-month sentence of incarceration and a 25-year term of supervised release upon his future release. During his term of imprisonment, Floyd will be subject to sex offender treatment, substance abuse testing and treatment, and mental health treatment. Floyd will be required to register as a sex offender and is to have no contact with minors. Floyd was ordered to pay $100 in special assessments.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children Unit investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kacey Chappelear prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc/publications-resources
Drug Dealer Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – An Elberta man was sentenced on October 28, 2024, to 15 years in federal prison for his possession with intent to distribute of methamphetamine and fentanyl in Baldwin County, Alabama. Marcus Allen Heaton, 38, was identified during several encounters with Baldwin County sheriff’s investigators from 2019 through 2021.
Court documents show that in May of 2021, Heaton was driving a vehicle displaying improper rear lights. Baldwin County sheriff’s deputies stopped the vehicle and initiated an investigation. A drug detecting dog was used to walk around the outside of the vehicle, and the dog gave a positive alert for the odor of drugs emanating from the vehicle. The deputies searched the vehicle and found 132.6 grams of methamphetamine divided among five plastic bags, packaged in that manner for resale. The deputies also found 6.58 grams of fentanyl divided among three other plastic bags, also packaged for resale. Heaton’s phone was seized during the stop and deputies obtained a search warrant to examine the contents. In the phone, deputies found numerous texts and electronic messages relating to Heaton’s distribution of methamphetamine and fentanyl. Heaton pled guilty to two counts of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, one for methamphetamine and one for fentanyl, in June of 2024.
United States District Court Judge Jeffery Beaverstock imposed a sentence of 15 years imprisonment for Heaton’s illegal possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The sentence was the minimum mandatory sentence under federal law based on the amount of methamphetamine involved in the offense and Heaton’s prior convictions for serious drug felonies. On the charge for Heaton’s illegal possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, the judge imposed a sentence of 130 months imprisonment, which will run concurrently with the sentence on the methamphetamine charge. When Heaton is released from custody, he will serve 5 years of supervised release. Heaton’s supervision includes a set of standard conditions as well as a special condition requiring drug testing and treatment and permitting the probation officer to search his person or property upon a showing of reasonable suspicion that he is in violation of any of the conditions of his supervision. No fine was imposed but Heaton was ordered to pay $200 in special mandatory assessments.
The case was investigated by the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gloria Bedwell prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
Court Sentences Fentanyl Trafficker to 37 Months ImprisonmentRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – On October 22, 2024, United States District Court Judge William H. Steele sentenced Victoria Wyman to 37 months imprisonment for Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl.
Documents filed with the court established that beginning in or around July 2023 and continuing to or about December 8, 2023, Victoria Wyman conspired with others to distribute fentanyl pills throughout the Mobile area.
Wyman was indicted for Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl and pled guilty to the charge. United States District Court Judge William H. Steele sentenced Wyman to 37 months in prison followed by a 5-year term of supervised release.U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica S. Terrill prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
Agriculture Product Producer Sentenced for Violating Federal Hazardous Waste LawRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON — AMVAC Chemical Corporation was sentenced today to three years of probation time and a $400,000 fine for violating the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), the federal hazardous waste law.
According to court documents, AMVAC is a California corporation formed in 1945, which manufactures and distributes fungicide, defoliant, insecticide, herbicide, molluscicide, fumigant and pesticide products. AMVAC owned and operated a facility in Axis, Alabama, where it made pesticides to distribute and sell in the United States and other countries. In 2006, AMVAC purchased the Thimet pesticide product line from another company. The active ingredient in Thimet was Phorate. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) identified waste Phorate to be an acute hazardous waste under the RCRA.
AMVAC sold and shipped Thimet in reusable containers that it would ship back to its production facility in Axis. The reusable containers would contain small quantities of Thimet. In 2015, AMVAC arranged for the return from Australia of 1,080 reusable containers that had been used for Thimet and contained Thimet residue with Phorate, which the EPA had not authorized to be reformulated into a pesticide. AMVAC directed its transporter to complete an import declaration form called “Notice of Arrival Pesticides and Devices,” for these containers. AMVAC stated the Thimet from Australia was “not registered” with EPA and described disposal as the purpose for the importation into the United States from Australia.
The containers with waste Thimet arrived at the Port of Savannah in Georgia and were picked up by a transporter hired by AMVAC to move them to a warehouse in Saraland, Alabama, used by AMVAC. AMVAC did not notify its transporter that the containers held hazardous waste nor did AMVAC cause a hazardous waste manifest to be created for the transportation of the waste Thimet, in violation of RCRA.Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division, U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello for the Southern District of Alabama and Acting Special Agent in Charge Leslie Carrol of EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division made the announcement.
EPA investigated the case.
Senior Counsel Kris Dighe of the Environment and Natural Resources Division’s Environmental Crime Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael D. Anderson for the Southern District of Alabama prosecuted the case.
Three Defendants Convicted in Murder-for-Hire Conspiracy TrialRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – Following a three-week trial, a federal jury convicted three defendants of a murder-for-hire conspiracy, murder for hire, a carjacking conspiracy, interstate transportation of a stolen vehicle, evidence tampering, and witness tampering.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, John Fitzgerald McCarroll, Jr., 30, Darrius Dwayne Rowser, 20, and Lyteria Isheeia Hollis, 30, each of Mobile, were part of a plot to murder an individual as retribution for a prior killing. Jurors reviewed evidence that McCarroll, aided by Hollis and others, directed payments to hired shooters, including Rowser and others, to carry out the intended murder. The evidence included text messages, social media evidence, financial records, surveillance videos, firearm and toolmark evidence, DNA evidence, and cell tower data, among other things.
As part of the murder plot, evidence showed that McCarroll’s hired shooters attempted but failed to kill the intended target during multiple nightclub shootings. In September 2022, Reginald Dennis Alan Fluker, who pleaded guilty to the conspiracy, opened fire in the Bank Nightlife club using a gun provided to him by McCarroll. Fluker shot the wrong person, who later died of his injuries. In November 2022, Rowser used a machinegun provided to him by McCarroll to shoot at the intended target inside the Paparazzi Lounge. Rowser likewise missed the target and instead hit four victims, one of whom was rendered paralyzed.
The evidence also showed that as part of the conspiracy, Rowser and others, at McCarroll’s direction, traveled to Mississippi to steal cars for use in surveilling the target of the plot. In September 2022, during an attempted carjacking in D’Iberville, Mississippi, Rowser shot and killed a victim. As part of that murder, Rowser and a coconspirator traveled back to Mobile and burned the stolen car they were using during the attempted carjacking.
The evidence further showed that in December 2022, at McCarroll’s direction, Rowser and other coconspirators traveled to the Walmart on I-65 Service Road South in Mobile to purchase a GPS tracker for the target’s vehicle. During that trip, Rowser and a coconspirator opened fire into the self-checkout area of the store, striking two victims.
Finally, evidence showed that following the arrests of McCarroll, Fluker, and other members of the conspiracy, the defendants attempted to tamper with evidence and a witness. Specifically, McCarroll directed Hollis to hide a weapon that he had previously purchased for Fluker because of Fluker’s participation in the murder plot. Federal agents seized that gun from Hollis’s house. Additionally, the jury convicted McCarroll of attempting to tamper with Fluker’s testimony by having him sign a sham affidavit, which was filed in state court to earn McCarroll a bond from jail.
U.S. District Judge Terry F. Moorer scheduled sentencing for March 6, 2025. Under federal law, each defendant faces a mandatory life sentence.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Mobile Police Department, and the D’Iberville, Mississippi Police Department are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin Roller, Gaillard Ladd, and Kasee Heisterhagen are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
United States Attorney Announces Election Day ProgramRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – United States Attorney Sean P. Costello announced today that Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) John P. Hutchins, III will lead the efforts of his Office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 5, 2024, general election. AUSA Hutchins has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) for the Southern District of Alabama, and in that capacity is responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of election day complaints of voting rights concerns, threats of violence to election officials or staff, and election fraud, in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.
United States Attorney Costello said, “Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted in a fair and free election. Similarly, election officials and staff must be able to serve without being subject to unlawful threats of violence. The Department of Justice will always work tirelessly to protect the integrity of the election process.”
The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring and combatting discrimination and intimidation at the polls, threats of violence directed at election officials and poll workers, and election fraud. The Department will address these violations wherever they occur. The Department’s longstanding Election Day Program furthers these goals and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the electoral process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible federal election law violations.
Federal law protects against such crimes as threatening violence against election officials or staff, intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from interference, including intimidation, and other acts designed to prevent or discourage people from voting or voting for the candidate of their choice. The Voting Rights Act protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or inability to read or write in English).
United States Attorney Costello stated that: “The franchise is the cornerstone of American democracy. We all must ensure that those who are entitled to the franchise can exercise it if they choose, and that those who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice. In order to respond to complaints of voting rights concerns and election fraud during the upcoming election, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, AUSA/DEO Hutchins will be on duty in this District while the polls are open. He can be reached by the public at the following telephone number: (251) 415-7139.”
In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day. The Mobile FBI field office can be reached by the public at (251) 438-3674.
Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/ or by phone at 800-253-3931.
United States Attorney Costello said, “Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the assistance of the American electorate. It is important that those who have specific information about voting rights concerns or election fraud make that information available to the Department of Justice.”
Please note, however, in the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency.
Nashville Woman Sentenced to 63 Months in Prison for Illegally Possessing FirearmsRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A Nashville woman was sentenced to 63 months in prison for possessing two firearms as a previously convicted felon.
According to court documents, Ashley Allen, 35, was arrested by Thomasville police on March 29, 2023, following a traffic stop where she was found to be in possession of two firearms. Allen has multiple prior felony convictions, including a conviction for aggravated assault. As a convicted felon, Allen is prohibited from possessing a firearm.
Allen was indicted for being a felon in possession of a firearm and pled guilty to the charge. United States District Court Judge Kristi K. DuBose sentenced Allen to 63 months in prison followed by a 3-year term of supervised release for illegally possessing the firearms.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Thomasville Police Department investigated the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica S. Terrill prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
AM/NS Calvert is sentenced for violating the Clean Air ActRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – AM/NS Calvert, LLC was sentenced to a three years’ probation and a $750,000 fine on October 10, 2024, for failure to report violations under the Clean Air Act.
According to court documents, AM/NS Calvert, LLC owns and operates a steel production facility, which includes an acid regeneration plant, in Calvert, Alabama. In February 2015, the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) issued a Clean Air Act Permit for the acid regeneration plant designed to run on water. In April 2015, the permit was amended to require a caustic solution, which was necessary to meet air emission standards.
In August 2017, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and ADEM conducted a joint inspection of the AM/NS Calvert acid regeneration plant. During the inspection, the facility was not using caustic solution in violation of the permit. Further investigation revealed the AM/NS Calvert acid regeneration plant did not use caustic for approximately 700 days during a two-year period.
United States Attorney Sean P. Costello said, “Together with our partners, we will continue to coordinate and do all that we can to protect the environmental resources in the Southern District of Alabama that are so fundamental to our communities, our economy, and our lifestyles.”
The Environmental Protection Agency investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael D. Anderson and attorneys from the Environmental Crime Section of the Department of Justice prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
Sex Offender Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison on Child Pornography ChargeRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – William Bradley Noletto, age 44, was sentenced today to 10 years in prison after entering a guilty plea to Possession of Child Pornography. Noletto entered his guilty plea on May 15, 2024.
According to court documents, in October 2021 and May 2022 the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (“NCMEC”) received a tip from an internet service provider that files containing child pornography had been uploaded by a user with an email address associated with Noletto. In February 2023, members of the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office (“MCSO”) executed a search warrant at Noletto’s residence. A number of devices were seized and examined. There were approximately 2500 images and 300 videos of child pornography found. Noletto was initially charged with state crimes and was released on bond.
On August 4, 2023, an MCSO deputy was conducting an online investigation to identify people who were sharing child pornography online. The deputy was able to download two files of suspected child pornography from a local internet user and was then able to identify that user as Noletto. In September 2023 members of the MCSO executed a second search warrant at Noletto’s address. Multiple electronic devices were seized. An exam of the cell phone belonging to Noletto revealed approximately 50 images of child pornography.
At his plea, Noletto admitted that he possessed over 600 images/videos of child pornography, including images of prepubescent children. Noletto received an enhanced sentence because he had previously been convicted in Mobile County Circuit Court of Attempted Sexual Abuse of a Child Less than 12.At sentencing, Judge DuBose imposed a 120-month sentence of incarceration, with credit for time served, and a twenty-year term of supervised release upon Noletto’s discharge from prison. During his term of supervised release, Noletto will be subject to sex offender treatment, substance abuse testing and treatment as well has mental health treatment. Noletto will be required to register as a sex offender and is to have no contact with minors. Noletto was ordered to pay $100 in special assessments.
Mobile County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kacey Chappelear and Beth Stepan prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc/publications-resources
Recidivist Fraudster and Identity Thief Sentenced to More Than Three Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A Birmingham woman was sentenced to 39 months in prison for bank fraud and aggravated identity theft.
According to court documents, Valnica Strong Garner, 41, stole checks from a 94-year-old woman’s mailbox in Baldwin County. On November 17, 2023, Garner forged the stolen checks, which bore the elderly victim’s personal and bank account information, and used the forged checks to buy more than $1,000 in merchandise at Walmart stores in Bay Minette and Daphne. On December 8, 2023, Garner again used the victim’s forged checks to buy more than $400 in merchandise at a Walmart in Chelsea.
On January 21, 2024, deputies in Alabaster arrested Garner in possession of stolen social security cards belonging to eight different people and stolen checks. At the time Garner committed the offenses in this case, she was on federal supervised release. Garner has five prior federal convictions, all in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama: (1) theft of mail (2003); (2) theft of mail and check forgery (2004); (3) theft of mail (2010); (4) aggravated identity theft (2016); and (5) bank fraud (2020).
In addition to the 39-month prison term, Senior United States District Judge Callie V.S. Granade ordered Garner to serve a five-year term of supervised release upon her release from prison, during which time she will be subject to drug testing and treatment, will receive mental health evaluation and treatment, and will be subject to credit restrictions. The court did not impose a fine, but Judge Granade ordered Garner to pay $1,034.65 in victim restitution and $200 in special assessments.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The United States Postal Inspection Service, the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office, and the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Roller prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
Mobile Man Sentenced to More Than 33 Years in Prison for Producing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – Gary Daniel-Kyle Hay, age 26, was sentenced today to 405 months in prison after entering guilty pleas to twenty counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor and one count of Access with Intent to View Child Pornography. Hay entered his guilty pleas on June 20, 2024.
Evidence received by the judge established that Hay sexually abused an eight-year-old child and filmed the abuse on multiple occasions.
At sentencing, Judge DuBose imposed the 405-month sentence of incarceration and a 15-year term of supervised release upon his future release. During his term of imprisonment, Hay will be subject to sex offender treatment, substance abuse testing and treatment, and mental health treatment. Hay will be required to register as a sex offender and is to have no contact with minors. Hay was ordered to pay $45,500 in restitution to the victim of his offenses and $2,100 in special assessments.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Mobile County Sheriff’s Office, and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kacey Chappelear and Beth Stepan prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc/publications-resources
Court Sentences Two Fentanyl Traffickers from India to 46 Months ImprisonmentRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – On October 11, 2024, 2024, United States District Court Judge Kristi K. DuBose sentenced Sundar Chebiam and Roshan Landge each to 46 months imprisonment for Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Fentanyl. Both men are from India and are illegally in the United States.
Documents filed with the court established that on February 1, 2023, US Customs and Border Protection Officers at JFK Airport in New York intercepted a suspicious package coming from India via England. The package was addressed to a gas station on Schillinger Road in Mobile. Further investigation revealed the package contained 10,000 Tapentadol pills, which are a DEA Schedule II pharmaceutical drug.
Homeland Security Investigators, along with Mobile County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) deputies, made a controlled delivery of the package to the gas station. At that time Chebiam stated the package was for him and he accepted the package. Chebiam was then arrested and he confessed that an individual in India mails packages of prescription pills to the gas station and once he receives the packages he is paid to re-package and mail smaller amounts of pills to various addresses in the United States.
Chebiam also advised agents he had more pills at his residence, which he shared with the co-defendant, Roshan Landge. MCSO deputies then went to the residence. When they arrived they realized Landge had been tipped off about Chebiam’s arrest at the gas station, as Landge was caught by deputies in the act of taking pills out of the house and loading the trunk of his car with the drugs to hide them from law enforcement. Numerous drugs were recovered from the trunk of the vehicle to include approximately 416.98 grams of fentanyl pills. Landge confessed to participating in the same drug distribution scheme as Chebiam.
The case was investigated by the US Customs and Border Protection, the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations and the Mobile County Sheriff's Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney George F. May.
Court Sentences Dominican Drug Smuggler Caught with Approximately 443 Kilograms of CocaineRead the Press Release
On October 3, 2024, United States District Court Judge, Terry F. Moorer, sentenced Jesus Acosta-Acosta, a Dominican national, to 87 months imprisonment for smuggling 443 kilograms of cocaine in the Caribbean Sea. Acosta-Acosta had previously plead guilty to the drug smuggling offense, which is charged under Title 46, United States Code, Section 70506 (b).
Documents filed with the Court established that on September 13, 2023, during a routine patrol in the Caribbean, a Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) located a suspicious Go-Fast Vessel (GFV) on a northerly path with two persons on board.
United States Coast Guard Cutter Valiant (USCGC VALIANT) launched it’s Over the Horizon (OTH) boat with a boarding team (BT). The OTH and BT arrived on scene and gained positive control of the vessel approximately 161 nautical miles South of Isla Beta, Dominican Republic. The BT recovered 13 bales of cocaine from the vessel weighing approximately 443 kilograms. The government of the Dominican Republic denied any claim to nationality of the GFV, and the vessel was thus subsequently treated as one without nationality, giving the United States jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute the case under Title 46. The vessel was deemed a danger to navigation due to no suitable tow points and its distance from land. Consequently, the vessel was sunk upon completion of law enforcement activities.Title 46 United States Code, § 70501 states: Congress finds and declares that (1) trafficking in controlled substances aboard vessels is a serious international problem, is universally condemned, and presents a specific threat to the security and societal well-being of the United States and (2) operating or embarking in a submersible vessel or semi-submersible vessel without nationality and on an international voyage is a serious international problem, facilitates transnational crime, including drug trafficking, and terrorism, and presents a specific threat to the safety of maritime navigation and the security of the United States. Title 46 further provides that such offenses may be prosecuted in any United States federal district court.
The case was investigated by the United States Coast Guard, and the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney George F. May.
Mobile Man Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison for Illegally Possessing a MachinegunRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A Mobile man was sentenced to 18 months in prison for illegally possessing a machinegun.
According to court documents, on January 23, 2024, Hunter Lee Powell, 21, was arrested by agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation after Powell sold a machinegun-conversion device to another individual. A machinegun-conversion device is commonly referred to as a “Glock switch,” and renders a pistol into a fully automatic weapon.
Powell was indicted for being in possession of a machinegun and pled guilty to the charge. United States District Court Judge Terry F. Moorer sentenced Powell to 18 months in prison followed by a 3-year term of supervised release for possessing the machinegun.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica S. Terrill prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
Mobile Man Sentenced to 24 Months in Prison for Illegally Possessing a FirearmRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A Mobile man was sentenced to 24 months in prison for possessing a firearm as a previously convicted felon.
According to court documents, Brandon Reed, 27, was arrested by Mobile police on January 5, 2023, following a traffic stop. Reed was operating a vehicle with a revoked license and had a switched tag. A search revealed Reed to be in possession of a firearm, marijuana, and drug paraphernalia.Reed was indicted for being a felon in possession of a firearm and pled guilty to the charge. United States District Court Judge Jeffrey U. Beaverstock sentenced Bailey to 24 months in prison followed by a 3-year term of supervised release for illegally possessing the firearm.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Mobile Police Department investigated the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica S. Terrill prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
Court Sentences Texas Mother to 60 Months Imprisonment for Trafficking MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – United States District Court Judge, Jeffrey U. Beaverstock sentenced Zolia Rosa Zuniga of Texas to 60 months imprisonment for her part in a methamphetamine distribution conspiracy.
Documents filed with the court and evidence introduced in court established that on January 5, 2021, a Baldwin County Sheriff's Office's Special Operations Unit Task Force Officer (TFO) stopped Zuniga on Interstate 10 for travelling too closely behind another vehicle. Due to a number of suspicious circumstances during the stop the TFO deployed his canine named “Darlin” to sniff the outside of the vehicle and the canine alerted to the odor of narcotics emanating from the vehicle. After the canine alert law enforcement searched the vehicle and found approximately 32 pounds of methamphetamine secreted behind the speakers in the vehicle.
Zuniga later admitted to law enforcement that she knowingly agreed to transport the drugs for an individual from Mexico that had agreed to pay her $10,000 for her courier services. Zuniga further admitted she was driving from Texas to the Tampa, Florida area with the drugs when she was stopped in Baldwin County. Zuniga is the mother of two minor children.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Baldwin County Sheriff's Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney George F. May.
Court Sentences Mobile Woman to 2 Years Imprisonment for Possessing a Firearm as a Convicted FelonRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – On September 20, 2024, United States District Court Judge Kristi K. DuBose sentenced Elizabeth Elaine Pemberton to 24 months imprisonment for Possession of a Firearm as a Convicted Felon.
Documents filed with the Court established that on August 5, 2022, the Bayou La Batre Police Department (BLBPD) was assisting the Mobile Police Department (MPD) in the arrest of two individuals in their area that had active felony warrants, to include Pemberton.
BLBPD officers attempted to stop a vehicle in which Pemberton was a passenger. This resulted in a high-speed chase which ended when the vehicle being pursued attempted to make a sharp right turn and wrecked into a ditch. Officers later located a Taurus 9mm handgun in the vehicle near where Pemberton was seated. Pemberton admitted that she was in possession of the weapon. The weapon was determined to be stolen. Pemberton also had a small amount of methamphetamine in her possession. Pemberton had previously been convicted of the following felony offenses: Burglary Third Degree, on or about July 21, 2014; Felony Obstruction of Justice, on or about July 21, 2014; and Possession of a Controlled Substance, on or about July 21, 2014. All felony convictions were prosecuted in the Circuit Court of Mobile County. The Taurus handgun was not manufactured in the state of Alabama and thus affected interstate commerce by its transportation into the state of Alabama.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, the City of Mobile Police Department and the City of Bayou La Batre Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney George F. May.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Texas Man Sentenced to 51 Months in Prison for Illegally Possessing a FirearmRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A Houston, Texas man was sentenced to 51 months in prison for possessing a firearm as a previously convicted felon.
According to court documents, Miguel Wayne Hall, 40, was arrested by Mobile County Sheriff’s Office on December 18, 2023 following a traffic stop where he was found to be in possession of a firearm. Hall has multiple prior felony convictions, including convictions for aggravated robbery, burglary, and assault. As a convicted felon, Hall is prohibited from possessing a firearm.
Hall was indicted for being a felon in possession of a firearm and pled guilty to the charge. United States District Court Judge Kristi K. DuBose sentenced Hall to 51 months in prison followed by a 3-year term of supervised release for illegally possessing the firearm.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica S. Terrill prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
Repeat Child Pornography Offender Sentenced to 15 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – Jedidiah Allen, age 32, was sentenced on September 10 to 15 years in prison after entering guilty pleas to Distribution of Child Pornography and Access with Intent to View Child Pornography. Allen entered his guilty pleas on April 15, 2024.
According to court documents, Allen was distributing child pornography via a social media website and possessed child pornography on his phone on two different occasions. Law enforcement investigated Allen after receiving a tip from a social media platform. In August of 2022, Allen’s phone was seized and examined. Law enforcement found 103 images of child pornography. There was a text message on the device in which Allen asked a female to take pictures of her young niece in the shower, and there were messages in which Allen described sexually abusing a minor child and taking a photograph of the abuse. Upon his arrest on March 14, 2024, Allen was again found to be in possession of child pornography on his phone. Allen was previously convicted of Possession of Obscene Materials Under 17 in the Circuit Court of Mobile County on March 2, 2020.
At sentencing, Chief Judge Beaverstock imposed a 180-month sentence of incarceration and a fifteen-year term of supervised release upon Allen’s discharge from prison. During his term of supervised release, Allen will be subject to sex offender treatment, substance abuse testing and treatment as well has mental health treatment. Allen will be required to register as a sex offender and is to have no contact with minors. Allen was ordered to pay $3,000 in restitution in $200 in special assessments.
Homeland Security Investigations and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kacey Chappelear prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc/publications-resources
Man Sentenced for Third Federal Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – Cornelius Jeremih Pruitt, 28, of Daphne, Alabama, was sentenced today on his third conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm or ammunition. Court documents show that Pruitt was under federal supervision through the United States Probation Office for two prior federal convictions for felon in possession of a firearm when he was apprehended in July of 2023. Bay Minette police responded to a report of a man in a silver vehicle brandishing a weapon while driving in front of a residence. Officer began a patrol of the area an observed a silver vehicle parked in the middle of Means Avenue in the dark with no headlights on. Pruitt was the driver and sole occupant. As a result of the ensuing investigation, officers discovered a gun under his seat loaded with 17 rounds of ammunition. Pruitt told the police it was over for him, and admitted he was a convicted felon. Pruitt pled guilty to the charge in May of 2024.
Judge Jeffery U. Beaverstock sentenced Pruitt to 30 months in prison on the new charge, and ordered that Pruitt serve 5 years of supervised release following his imprisonment. The judge further ordered that Pruitt’s supervised release term from his two prior felon in possession charges be revoked and that he serve 24 months imprisonment for his violation of that supervision. The judge ordered that Pruitt would be subjects to standard conditions of supervised release, as well as certain special conditions, including mental health counseling and treatment, drug and alcohol testing and treatment and the model search provision, which permits a search of his person and premises upon reasonable suspicion that he has violated his supervision. He was also ordered to pay $100 in special mandatory assessments. No fine was imposed but the firearm and ammunition seized from Pruitt was ordered forfeited to the United States.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Bay Minette Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Gloria Bedwell prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
Federal Drug Conspirators SentencedRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – Five members of a federal drug conspiracy were sentenced on September 6 in federal court. Eric Maurice Moseley, 37, of Grand Bay, Alabama; Hardy Devan Forrest, 35, also of Grand Bay; Markell Durrell Moore, 36, of Mobile; Zyshonne Osilk Smith, 25, of Grand Bay; and Bryan Dion Campbell, 30, of Mobile, each appeared before United States District Court Judge Kristi K. Dubose in separate sentencing hearings. Moseley pled guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine in November of 2023. In October of 2023, Forrest pled guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking felony, and felon in possession of a firearm. Moore pled guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine in December of 2023. Smith pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking felony in August of 2023.
Otis Sanders, Jr., was alleged to be the organizer and manager of the drug distribution conspiracy. Sanders and two other members of the conspiracy were convicted in April of 2024 by a jury of multiple counts involving conspiracy and drug trafficking, including specific instances of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine. Evidence from that trial established that Sanders operated a large, interstate distribution organization in which he obtained methamphetamine from suppliers in Texas for distribution in Mobile County. Sanders hired couriers to get money to Texas and return to Mobile with the drugs. The evidence showed that some of the couriers rode commercial buses for that round trip, and others used private vehicles for their transportation. Drugs were stored residences in Moss Point, Mississippi, and in south Mobile County until they were packaged into smaller amounts for distribution to local dealers.
Investigators made controlled buys of methamphetamine from Sanders and other members of the organization, including Smith, Campbell and Forrest. Search warrants were executed at their residences where additional amounts of drugs were seized. Investigators also found and seized guns at Smith’s residence and Forrest’s residence. Court documents show that in August of 2022, Moseley was arrested with another conspirator in a vehicle by St. Tammany Parish sheriff’s deputies traveling from New Orleans to Mobile with 4 kilograms of methamphetamine ice and a pistol in their vehicle. Additional amounts of methamphetamine, heroin, and cocaine were seized at Moseley’s residence in Mobile shortly after his arrest. Moore was arrested on June of 2023 at his residence where investigators seized two firearms. Other members of the conspiracy, including Sanders, were arrested that date. Numerous firearms and additional quantities of methamphetamine were seized during the arrests. One firearm seized was a Glock handgun equipped with a machine gun conversion device, which illegally converts a semi-automatic handgun into a machine gun. Sanders was also identified as the instigator in a drive-by shooting on Ramsay Road in south Mobile County.
Evidence from Sanders’ trial established that the shooting resulted after Sanders did not pay one of his couriers for the delivery a shipment of 10 or 20 kilograms of methamphetamine to Mobile. Sanders drove by a residence associated with the courier and Zyshonne Osilk Smith, who was one of his distributors, on Ramsay Road, and fired shots at them in the yard. A gun battle ensued. Mobile County sheriff’s deputies responded when a complainant notified them that one of the bullets had penetrated her trailer and lodged in the wall above her bed, where she was lying when she heard the shots. Sanders abandoned his silver Suburban in the road near the intersection with Highway 188. The deputies impounded the vehicle and seized shell casings inside the vehicle, establishing that Sanders had fired shots from the interior of the vehicle. Sanders attempted to have Bryan Dion Campbell tow the vehicle before law enforcement arrived, but they were already present and investigating at that location when the wrecker driver arrived. Photographs of the Suburban were introduced into evidence at Sanders’ trial, showing the vehicle had been struck by numerous bullets and the tires on the driver’s side were shredded by gunshots. Sanders was convicted by a jury on 12 counts and sentenced to 20 years in federal prison in July of 2024. Court documents established that Forrest, Campbell, Moore, Moseley and Smith were distributors for Sanders, and Forrest and Moseley stored larger quantities of methamphetamine for Sanders at their residences at his instruction. Moseley also acted as one of Sanders’ couriers to bring shipments of methamphetamine from Houston, Texas, to Mobile for further distribution here.
Judge Dubose sentenced Moseley to 75 months in prison on both counts, with the sentences to run concurrently. Moseley will also serve 5 years of supervised release following his imprisonment. The judge ordered that Moseley would be subjects to standard conditions of supervised release, as well as certain special conditions, including drug and alcohol testing and treatment and the model search provision, which permits a search of his person and premises upon reasonable suspicion that he has violated his supervision. He was also ordered to pay $200 in special mandatory assessments. No fine was imposed.
The judge sentenced Forrest to 150 months imprisonment on the drug counts and the felon in possession count with those sentences to run concurrently. Forrest was sentenced an additional 5 years on the gun charge, which was ordered to run consecutively. The judge ordered Forrest to serve 5 years of supervised release following his release from imprisonment. The same conditions as those imposed for Moseley’s supervision were likewise imposed for Forrest. Forrest was ordered to pay $400 in special mandatory assessments. No fine was imposed.
Moore was sentenced to 120 months in prison on the drug count and 90 months imprisonment on the felon in possession charge, with the sentences to run concurrently. Moore will also serve 5 years of supervised release following his imprisonment. Moseley will also be subject to the same conditions as those imposed for his codefendants. He was ordered to pay $200 in special mandatory assessments. No fine was imposed.
Campbell was sentenced to 105 months in prison on both counts, with the sentences to run concurrently. Campbell will also serve 5 years of supervised release following his imprisonment. Campbell will also be subject to the same conditions as those imposed for his codefendants. He was ordered to pay $200 in special mandatory assessments. No fine was imposed.
Smith was sentenced to 90 months in prison, consisting of 30 months on the drug count and 60 onths on the gun count, which will run consecutively. The judge ordered that Smith will serve a 5 year term of supervised release to follow his imprisonment. Smith will be subject to the same conditions of supervised release as the other defendants. He was ordered to pay $200 in special mandatory assessments. No fine was imposed.
The case was investigated by the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Department of Homeland Security, the Beaumont Police (Texas) Department, the St. Tammany Parish (Louisiana) Sheriff’s Office, and the Mobile Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Gloria Bedwell prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
The investigation was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and transnational criminal organization that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Violent Carjacker Sentenced in Federal CourtRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – An Andalusia, Alabama, man was sentenced to 32 years in federal prison for a brutal, violent carjacking, brandishing a firearm during the commission of a violent crime, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Kenneth Lamar Douglas, 49, was convicted of the federal crimes by a jury during April of 2024. Evidence produced at the trial showed that Douglas was staying at the victim’s residence in Andalusia overnight on March 7, 2022, and on March 8, he threatened her and physically struck her, knocking her to the floor in her kitchen. Douglas was trying to arrange with a supplier to get methamphetamine, as he had been a heavy user of methamphetamine for years. Finally, during the afternoon of March 8, Douglas agreed to leave the residence and he and the victim got into her car. Douglas had a bag containing his clothes and a shotgun when he got into the car. Douglas asked to go to a residence where a methamphetamine supplier lived, but when they arrived, Douglas asked to go to a different location. The victim, who was driving her own car, refused to take him to another location. Douglas struck the victim in the side of the neck and head with such force that she was knocked unconscious. When she regained consciousness, she was upside down in the passenger’s seat and covered in blood. She was bleeding from gashes in her head and mouth. Her face was covered in blood.
Douglas was driving her to an abandoned house in the woods of Escambia County, where he told her he was going to kill her and bury her in the backyard where no one could find her. She pleaded with him not to kill her, and when they arrived at the abandoned house, Douglas took his clothes into the house and returned to the car. He asked the victim how much money she had, and she said she did not know but he could have it all and asked again that he not kill her. Douglas took the money and drove back toward the drug supplier’s house. Douglas stopped the car a short distance from the drug suppliers house, took shotgun, and walked away from the car. The victim got behind the wheel and drove to Andalusia, to a friend’s workplace near the hospital. The victim’s friend testified at the trial that she was horrified at the victim’s appearance and told her she would follow her to the emergency room. There, the victim was treated, and medical personnel at the hospital called the police to report the violent assault demonstrated by the victim’s injuries.
Her eyes were almost swollen shut. She had cuts and bruises all over her face. Her face and head were literally covered in blood and the examination revealed a large gash on the top of her head. Her lips were swollen and cut on the inside of her mouth. She had a chipped tooth. Her nose was broken in three places and the breaks were displaced. The x-rays showed that she had blood in her sinuses from the force of the repeated blows to her head. She had a large bloody scrape on her leg. She also had a sprained left wrist from the initial attack on her in her kitchen at the house. A photograph from two weeks later still showed significant bruising and injuries to the victim’s face. The victim testified that she also had bruises on her upper chest and side. She explained that suffered serious and prolonged pain from these injuries. She stayed away from her house at a friend’s house for two weeks, until after Douglas was arrested, out of fear that Douglas would return and further harm her or kill her. The victim described to the jury that she had a large bruise on the side of her face and neck shaped like the butt stock of Douglas’ shotgun.
Andalusia Police spoke to the victim at the hospital and began to search for Douglas. After dark, they surrounded the abandoned house in Escambia County, along with Escambia County sheriff’s deputies. The house had no electricity or plumbing but a generator was running a light inside. The deputies approached the house and saw Douglas standing beside the light in the house. Douglas pointed the shotgun at the deputy approaching the open front door and the deputies took cover. They attempted to talk Douglas out of the house, but he escaped under cover of darkness. The shotgun was recovered from the house along with paraphernalia used for intravenous methamphetamine abuse. DNA testing showed the victim’s blood in the grooves on the end of the butt stock.Douglas claimed during the trial that he did not use the shotgun to strike the victim and that he did not intend to carjack her vehicle due to his severe drug addiction. A psychologist from the Bureau of Prisons had examined Douglas prior to the trial to address his claims of legal incapacity based upon his mental condition and testified at the trial to contradict Douglas’ claims. The jury found Douglas guilty of all three counts charged in the indictment.
United States District Court Judge Kristi K. Dubose sentenced Douglas to a total of 32 years in prison, consisting of 10 years on the felon in possession charge, 25 years on the carjacking charge, to run concurrently with each other, and 7 years on brandishing a firearm in connection with a violent crime, to run consecutively to the sentences on the other two counts. When Douglas is released from prison, he will serve a five-year term of supervised release. Judge Dubose further ordered that Douglas undergo drug abuse counseling and treatment and mental health evaluation and treatment while he is in prison. The judge ordered that drug testing and treatment as well as mental health counseling will also be included as conditions of his supervised release. The judge ordered that the shotgun used in the commission of the crime is forfeited to the United States, and Douglas will also be required to pay $100 to the victim of the carjacking as restitution. No fine was imposed but the judge ordered that Douglas pay $300 in special assessments.U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Andalusia Police Department and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Gloria Bedwell prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
Court Sentences Mobile Man to 10 Years Imprisonment for Methamphetamine Trafficking with a FirearmRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – On August 23, 2024, United States District Court Judge, Kristi K. DuBose sentenced Tymel Rashad Franklin to 120 months imprisonment for possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of the drug trafficking.
Documents filed with the court established that on January 6, 2021, Mobile Police Department officers used a confidential informant to purchase approximately one ounce of methamphetamine from the defendant. When Franklin sold the methamphetamine to the informant, Franklin was armed with a Glock 32 handgun in his waistband. The defendant also had a digital scale with methamphetamine and marijuana residue on it in his pocket, and also had $2,649 in cash at the time. The defendant had been previously convicted of receiving stolen property and possession of marijuana first degree in 2015.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms and the City of Mobile Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney George F. May.
Mobile Woman Sentenced for Felony Theft from Social Security AdministrationRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A Mobile woman who lied about her living situation was sentenced today five years of probation for unlawfully receiving Social Security benefits for many years, a felony offense.
According to court documents, Cheryl Bradley, 64, accompanied her husband to the Social Security office in Mobile in January 2023, for her husband to apply for benefits. At the time, she told a clerk that she and her husband were married and had lived together since 1988. This was contrary to what she had told the agency in June 2007, when she applied for benefits and said that they were separated. The agency approved her application for benefits. In 2012, she had told the agency that she and her husband had been separated since about 1990. Those two representations were important because her living situation and her spouse's earnings should have been but were not factored into whether she remained eligible for benefits or as much benefits. The Social Security benefits paid to her over the years were from a needs-based program.
In 2021 and 2022, Bradley's husband had substantial earnings as a truck driver, and she had the benefit of those earnings since they were married and lived together. As a result, she was ineligible for benefits in those years, and she was eligible for lesser benefit amounts in the years between 2007 and 2020.
The court also ordered that Bradley pay the agency restitution in the amount of $88,626.94, and pay a $100.00 Special Assessment.
The Office of Inspector General for the Social Security Administration investigated the case. “For over a decade, Cheryl Bradley falsely reported her marital status and living arrangements to the Social Security Administration (SSA) and fraudulently obtained over $88,000 in needs-based Supplemental Security Income benefits that she should not have gotten. This sentence holds her accountable for her criminal actions and I thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their assistance in prosecuting this case,” stated Rodregas W. Owens, Special Agent in Charge SSA Office of the Inspector General (OIG), Atlanta Field Division.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex F. Lankford, IV prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
Felon in Possession of A Gun Sentenced in Federal CourtRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A Robertsdale, Alabama, man was sentenced to 42 months in federal prison for his possession of a firearm after being convicted of a felony. David Alexander Brown, 28, pled guilty to the charge in federal court in Mobile during April of 2024.
At the guilty plea, the case prosecutor informed United States District Court Judge Terry F. Moorer that during July of 2023, Brown was stopped by a Baldwin County Sheriff’s deputy for a traffic violation, including no tag displayed on the vehicle as required by law. Brown, the driver, and his two passengers displayed extreme nervousness while the deputy spoke to Brown about the violation and Brown admitted that he had a pistol on his hip. The deputy seized to gun, and Brown consented to a search of the vehicle. The deputy also found 4 grams of marijuana, 8.2 grams of methamphetamine and a glass pipe used to ingest drugs. Subsequent investigation established that Brown was under federal supervision for a prior federal conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm from 2017. Court documents establish that Brown’s supervised release term was revoked in October of 2023. Brown was ordered to serve 18 months imprisonment for the violation of his conditions of supervision, to be followed by 18 months of additional supervision.
Judge Moorer imposed the 42-month sentence on this new conviction and ordered that Brown serve another five-year term of supervision following his release from imprisonment. As conditions of supervision, Brown will also undergo testing and treatment for drug and/or alcohol abuse and mental health treatment. He will also be subject to a search of his person and premises upon reasonable suspicion. No fine was imposed but the judge ordered that Brown pay $100 in special assessments. The firearm used in the commission of the offense was ordered forfeited to the United States.
The case was investigated by the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gloria Bedwell prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
Court Sentences Brewton Man to 60 Months Imprisonment for Cocaine TraffickingRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – On August 2, 2024, United States District Court Judge, Kristi K. DuBose sentenced Michael Anthony Woods II to 60 months imprisonment for possession with the intent to distribute cocaine.
Documents filed with the court established that on May 1, 2023, officers with the Brewton Police Department had had an active arrest warrant for Woods for violation of a protection order. During the execution of the arrest warrant, at Woods’s home in Brewton, Woods ran from the officers but was captured and arrested.
While at the scene of the arrest officers looked through the windshield of a Dodge Charger “Scat-Pack” parked in the driveway that they had seen Woods retrieve something from just before the arrest. Officers were able to see drugs in the vehicle. A later full search of the vehicle resulted in the recovery of a total of approximately 608 grams of cocaine and crack cocaine. The powder cocaine was still in the form of what was left of a kilogram brick.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the City of Brewton Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney George F. May.
Texas Man Sentenced to 46 Months for Illegally Possessing A Firearm and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – Hunter Bixler, a Texas man, has been sentenced to 46 months in federal prison for possessing a firearm and ammunition as a previously convicted felon. The sentence was imposed by United States District Judge Kristi K. DuBose.
According to court documents, in December 2023, Bixler was pulled over for a traffic violation by a deputy with the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office. Bixler had previously been convicted of two felonies in Texas and was the subject of outstanding warrants active in Texas. When asked for a driver’s license, Bixler did not provide one and instead provided the deputy with a false name and incorrect personal identifiers. While the first deputy continued to investigate the traffic violation and Bixler’s identity, another deputy arrived to provide assistance. The deputies observed that Bixler was attempting to conceal a firearm under his leg. Bixler bladed his body towards the passenger, then abruptly turned back to the first deputy, who was at the driver side window. Fearing for his personal safety and that he was about to be fired upon by Bixler, the deputy at the driver side window discharged his service weapon and hit Bixler in the hand. Bixler was taken into custody and transported to the hospital to receive treatment for his hand. While in the hospital, the Defendant attempted to escape from the custody of the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office and was quickly re-apprehended. An Escape in the First Degree charge is pending before the Mobile County Grand Jury based on Bixler’s actions at the hospital.
At sentencing, Judge DuBose imposed a 46-month sentence of incarceration and a three-year term of supervised release upon Bixler’s discharge from prison. During his term of supervised release, Bixler will be subject to substance abuse testing and treatment as well has mental health treatment.
The Mobile County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Beth Stepan prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Two Members of the Darrin Southall Continuing Criminal Enterprise Sentenced in Federal CourtRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – Two Mobile men, Adrian McGhee, 61, and Jadarrin Barnes, 23, were sentenced today in federal court on their convictions for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine as members of the Darrin Southall drug trafficking organization.
According to court documents, Barnes was a distributor in the organization who sold cocaine to a confidential informant. The informant was equipped with electronic equipment that recorded the image of Barnes during the sale. McGhee was a courier for the organization who traveled to California and to Texas to pick up drug shipments and return them to Mobile. Southall bought a vehicle which was equipped with a concealed compartment for McGhee’s use to transport drug money to Houston, Texas, and to return with multi-kilogram shipments of cocaine. Barnes and McGhee were intercepted during a court-authorized wiretap of Southall’s phones. The calls implicated them as members of Southall’s extensive organization and also constituted evidence of their participation in the drug distribution conspiracy. Barnes and McGhee each pled guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than 5 kilograms of cocaine during 2021.
United States District Court Judge Kristi K. Dubose sentenced McGhee to 60 months in custody, to be followed by a five-year term of supervised release. Judge Dubose sentenced Barnes to time served and ordered that he begin a five-year term of supervised release immediately upon his release. Both men will be subject to search upon reasonable suspicion that they have violated the conditions of supervision, and both are subject to drug testing and treatment. No fine was imposed but the judge ordered that each defendant pay $100 in special assessments.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.The Mobile Police Department, the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office, the Department of Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, the Saraland Police Department, the St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, Sheriff’s Office, and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Gloria Bedwell prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
This investigation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Money Launderers Sentenced in Federal CourtRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – Two Mobile women, Jamaka King, 29, and Danielle Dailey, 39, were sentenced today in federal court on their convictions for conspiracy to launder drug proceeds.
According to court documents, King and Dailey both became involved in the Darrin Southall criminal organization by handling his illegal drug proceeds in ways that concealed his illegal activities that generated the cash and that promoted the crimes. King was intercepted in numerous phone calls with Southall during a court-authorized wiretap of Southall’s phones. The calls implicated her one of Southall’s money launderers. Dailey was identified during the initial investigation. Southall’s organization generated millions of dollars in drug proceeds and when the arrests were made, federal authorities seized more than $2 million in cash, 18 vehicles and approximately $160,000 worth of jewelry. King and Dailey each pled guilty to conspiracy to launder drug money during 2021.
United States District Court Judge Kristi K. Dubose sentenced King to 3 months in custody, to be followed by a three-year term of supervised release. Judge Dubose sentenced Dailey to three years of probation. Both women will be subject to search upon reasonable suspicion that they have violated the conditions of supervision, and both are subject to drug testing and treatment and mental health evaluations. No fine was imposed but the judge ordered that each defendant pay $100 in special assessments.
U. S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The Mobile Police Department, the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office, the Department of Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, the Saraland Police Department, the St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, Sheriff’s Office, and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Gloria Bedwell prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
The investigation was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and transnational criminal organization that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Federal Drug Conspirators SentencedRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – Four members of a federal drug conspiracy were sentenced on July 19 in federal court. Otis Sanders, Jr., 35, of Moss Point, Mississippi; Richard Dewise, 39, of Grand Bay, Alabama; Jeffery Ryan Clark, 28, of Mobile; and Maurice Marcell Carter, 44, of Moss Point, Mississippi, appeared before United States District Court Judge Kristi K. Dubose in separate sentencing hearings. Carter pled guilty in November of 2023 to one count charging conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and one count charging possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Sanders, Dewise and Clark were convicted by a jury after a trial conducted in May of 2023. The trial jury convicted Sanders of eleven counts of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine, and the count charging conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine. The trial jury convicted Dewise of three counts of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and the conspiracy count.
Evidence from the trial established that Sanders operated a large, interstate distribution organization in which he obtained methamphetamine from suppliers in Texas for distribution in Mobile County. Sanders hired couriers to get money to Texas and return to Mobile with the drugs. The evidence showed that some of the couriers rode commercial buses for that round trip, and others used private vehicles for their transportation. Drugs were stored a residences in Moss Point and in south Mobile County until they were packaged into smaller amounts for distribution to local dealers.Investigators made controlled buys of methamphetamine from Sanders, Dewise and Carter during the investigation. They also obtained a court authorized wiretap on some of Sanders’ phones. Monitored phone calls between Sanders, Dewise and other conspirators proved the connection between the conspirators in the distribution organization and helped establish their roles. As a result of a series of calls and texts between Sanders and Dewise, investigators stopped Dewise traveling from a gas station in Mississippi, where they observed his meeting with Sanders, to Mobile County. They seized approximately one kilogram of Sanders’ methamphetamine ice from Dewise before he could get back to his residence in the Lakeland Drive neighborhood. Clark was identified as a courier for Sanders when he was arrested driving a vehicle in Beaumont, Texas, traveling from Mobile to Houston with approximately an ounce of methamphetamine and $17,000 in drug proceeds to pay one of Sanders’ suppliers.
Sanders, Dewise, Clark, Carter and other conspirators were all arrested on the federal charges in June of 2023. Numerous firearms and additional quantities of methamphetamine were seized during the arrests. One firearm seized was a Glock handgun equipped with a machine gun conversion device, which illegally converts a semi-automatic handgun into a machine gun. Sanders was also identified as the instigator in a drive-by shooting on Ramsay Road in south Mobile County when a member of the distribution conspiracy testified against him during the trial. Sanders did not pay one of his couriers for a shipment of 10 or 20 kilograms of methamphetamine, and a dispute arose when the courier’s cousin, one of Sanders’ distributors, withheld payment for methamphetamine previously supplied. Sanders drove by the residence where they were staying on Ramsay Road, and fired shots at them in the yard. They began a pursuit, and shots were fired between the vehicles. Mobile County sheriff’s deputies responded to the running gun battle when a complainant notified them that one of the bullets had penetrated her trailer and lodged in the wall above her bed, where she was lying when she heard the shots. Sanders abandoned his silver Suburban in the road near the intersection with Highway 188. The deputies impounded the vehicle and seized shell casings inside the vehicle, establishing that Sanders had fired shots from the interior of the vehicle. Sanders attempted to have a private wrecker tow the vehicle before law enforcement arrived, but they were already present and investigating at that location when the wrecker driver arrived. Photographs of the Suburban were introduced into evidence, showing the vehicle had been struck by numerous bullets and the tires on the driver’s side were shredded by gunshots.
Judge Dubose sentenced Sanders to 240 months in prison on all the counts, with the sentences to run concurrently. Sanders was also ordered to serve 5 years of supervised release following his imprisonment. Conditions of his supervision include drug and alcohol testing and treatment and the model search provision, which permits a search of his person and premises upon reasonable suspicion that he has violated his supervision. He was also ordered to pay $1,200 in special mandatory assessments. No fine was imposed.
The judge sentenced Dewise to 150 months in prison on all the counts, with the sentences to run concurrently. Dewise was also ordered to serve 5 years of supervised release following his imprisonment. The same conditions as those imposed for Sanders’ supervision were likewise imposed for Dewise. Dewise was ordered to pay $400 in special mandatory assessments. No fine was imposed.
Clark was sentenced to 120 months in prison on all the counts, with the sentences to run concurrently. Clark will also serve 5 years of supervised release following his imprisonment. Clark will also be subject to the same conditions as those imposed for his codefendants. He was ordered to pay $200 in special mandatory assessments. No fine was imposed.
Carter was sentenced to 120 months in prison on his two counts of conviction, with a 5 year term of supervised release to follow his imprisonment. Carter will be subject to the same conditions of supervised release as the codefendants. He was ordered to pay $200 in special mandatory assessments. No fine was imposed.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The case was investigated by the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Department of Homeland Security, the Beaumont Police (Texas) Department, the St. Tammany Parish (Louisiana) Sheriff’s Office, and the Mobile Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Gloria Bedwell prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
Fairhope Man Sentenced for Illegal Firearm PossessionRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A Fairhope, Alabama, man was sentenced on July 18, 2024, to 24 months in prison for illegally possessing a firearm after being convicted of a felony offense.
According to court documents, Christopher Caleb Thomas, 30, was arrested by Baldwin County sheriff’s deputies who came upon Thomas’ vehicle stopped in the middle of a road in Baldwin County. Deputies activated their lights and siren, and Thomas began to drive the vehicle away from the patrol car. Thomas stopped his vehicle after moving forward about 50 yards. When deputies approached the vehicle, Thomas was identified as the driver. They observed an empty holster on his belt, and he was asked to step out of the vehicle. Thomas told the deputies that the gun was under the front seat. Thomas knew that he was a convicted felon and that he could not legally possess a firearm. He admitted that he had bought the gun for $100. He told ATF investigators that the gun was in the holster on his hip until the deputies got behind him and he placed it under his seat after they activated their blue lights.
Thomas pled guilty to the charge in March of 2023. United States District Court Judge Jeffery U. Beaverstock imposed the 24-month sentence and ordered that Thomas will serve a term of three years’ supervised release when he completes his prison time. Thomas will be subject to testing and treatment for drug and alcohol abuse, and he is subject to a search of his person and premises upon reasonable suspicion that he has violated the terms of his supervision. No fine was imposed in the case, but Thomas was ordered to pay $100 in special mandatory assessments.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama and made the announcement.
The Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Gloria Bedwell prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
Drug Courier Sentenced in Federal CourtRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A Lexington, Mississippi, man was sentenced on July 18, 2024, to 60 months in prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine.
According to court documents, Morris Alan Morgan, 39, was a courier for Darrin J. Southall, a notorious and prolific drug distributor who operated in Mobile, Alabama, since 2016. Southall previously pled guilty to operating a continuing criminal enterprise, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, and conspiracy to launder drug money, and was sentenced in 2022 to 35 years’ imprisonment in federal prison. Morgan was hired by Southall to transport drug money and drugs concealed in compartments in various vehicles Southall owned back and forth between Mobile and Houston, Texas. Morgan admitted responsibility for smuggling 30 kilograms of cocaine in shipments for Southall during early 2021.
Morgan pled guilty to the charges in March of 2023. United States District Court Judge Terry F. Moorer imposed the 60-month sentence and ordered that Morgan will serve a term of five years’ supervised release when he completes his prison time. Morgan will be subject to testing and treatment for drug and alcohol abuse, and he is subject to a search of his person and premises upon reasonable suspicion that he has violated the terms of his supervision. No fine was imposed in the case, but Morgan was ordered to pay $100 in special mandatory assessments.U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The Mobile Police Department, the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office, the Department of Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, the Saraland Police Department, the St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, Sheriff’s Office, and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Gloria Bedwell prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
Court Sentences Two California Men Caught with Approximately Five Kilograms of Fentanyl to 70 Months ImprisonmentRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – On June 17, 2024, United States District Court Judge, Jeffrey U. Beaverstock sentenced Zeshan Malik Fayyaz and Lener Daneski Jairon-Solis, each to 70 months imprisonment each for Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Fentanyl.
Documents filed with the Court established that on October 8, 2022 a cooperating source, along with a Mobile County Sheriff's Deputy, acting in an undercover capacity, agreed to meet the two defendants in Mobile County to purchase 2 kilograms of fentanyl for $38,000 per kilogram. When the men arrived at the meet location, Jairon-Solis got out of the vehicle and went into the back seat of the vehicle and opened a suitcase and removed two kilograms of fentanyl in exchange for the cash. Law enforcement had arranged the cash to appear to contain $76,000 by putting $100 bills on the outside and mostly $1 bills on the inside, but in fact it was less than $10,000.
During the operation law enforcement observed what appeared to be more drugs in the suitcase. The vehicle was followed from the location and later stopped by law enforcement and officers recovered an additional three kilograms of fentanyl from the vehicle as well as the undercover buy money. The defendants were planning to deliver the additional three kilograms to Pensacola, Florida.
United States Attorney Sean P. Costello commended the investigators for their hard work and dedication in removing 5 kilograms of the deadly drug fentanyl from the community. Costello added that 2 milligrams of fentanyl is considered a lethal dose and thus this seizure surely saved many lives given the fentanyl overdose epidemic facing the nation. The case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations and the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney George F. May.
Court Sentences Moss Point Woman Caught with Approximately Ten Pounds of Methamphetamine to 87 Months ImprisonmentRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – On June 17, 2024, United States District Court Judge, Jeffrey U. Beaverstock sentenced Christian Ikenya Amir Lewis to 87 months imprisonment for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than 4 kilograms of methamphetamine.
Documents filed with the Court established that on January 22, 2020, officers with the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office Drug Task Force stopped a vehicle being by Lewis on Interstate 65 in Baldwin County. Pursuant to further investigation a canine gave a positive alert on the vehicle Lewis was driving. Inside the trunk of the vehicle officers found almost ten pounds of pure methamphetamine in a hidden compartment in a large speaker box.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office Drug Task Force. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys George F. May and John P. Hutchins III.
Court Sentences Colombian Drug Smuggler Caught with 1,550 Kilograms of CocaineRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A Colombian national was sentenced on July 17, 2024 to 65 months in prison for smuggling 1,550 kilograms of cocaine in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Edgar Parades Sanchez, pled guilty to the drug smuggling offense.
Documents filed with the court in connection with his guilty plea established that on November 7, 2023 while on routine patrol in the eastern Pacific Ocean, a marine patrol aircraft located a target of interest Go Fast Vessel (GFV) approximately 105 nautical miles south of Panama. United States Coast Guard Cutter Waesche was patrolling nearby and diverted to intercept the vessel.
The cutter Waesche launched its small boats and a helicopter to investigate. When the helicopter arrived on scene, the vessel went dead in the water. The small boats launched from cutter arrived on the scene and a team began boarding the GFV. The boarding team encountered four people on board the vessel, including Edgar Parades Sanchez. The GFV had no physical flag flown, no homeport on the hull, no registration numbers on the hull and no name on the hull. The master of the vessel made a claim of Costa Rican nationality for the vessel. The country of Costa Rica was contacted and Costa Rica could neither confirm nor deny the nationality of the vessel. The vessel was thus considered a Vessel Without Nationality under United States law.
The four people on board the vessel and the cocaine found on the GFV were removed to the USCG Cutter Waesche. The vessel was sunk by the Coast Guard due to it being a hazard to navigation due to its distance from land, the fact that there were no suitable tow points, no navigational lights, and there was excessive fuel onboard. The final at sea weight of the cocaine was 1,550 kilograms. The wholesale value of the cocaine seized in this case is conservatively valued at approximately 46 million dollars.
The three people on board the GFV with Sanchez were Abelardo Castellon, Jorge Escobar Mejia and Kainor Antoinio Nicolas Castellon. The three other drug smugglers were previously sentenced by the court.
The case was investigated by the United States Coast Guard, and the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney George F. May.
Kindred and Related Entities Agree to Pay $19.428M to Settle Federal and State False Claims Act Lawsuits Alleging Ineligible Claims for Hospice PatientsRead the Press Release
Gentiva, successor to Kindred at Home, has agreed to pay $19.428 million to resolve allegations that Kindred at Home and related entities (Kindred) knowingly submitted false claims and knowingly retained overpayments for hospice services provided to patients who were ineligible to receive hospice benefits under various federal health care programs. Gentiva’s hospice operations, headquartered in Atlanta, include entities that previously operated Kindred at Home hospice locations under the names Avalon, Kindred, SouthernCare and SouthernCare New Beacon.
“The hospice benefit under Medicare and other federal health care programs provides critical services to some of the most vulnerable patients,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The department will ensure that this important benefit is used to assist those who need it, and not as an opportunity to line the pockets of those who seek to abuse it.”
The settlement resolves allegations made by the United States and the State of Tennessee in a consolidated complaint filed in 2021 against certain Kindred related entities alleging that, from 2010 until February 2020, the defendants knowingly submitted or caused to be submitted false claims for hospice services provided to Avalon hospice patients in Tennessee who were ineligible for the Medicare or Medicaid hospice benefit because they were not terminally ill. The settlement also resolves the complaint’s allegations that the defendants improperly concealed or avoided Avalon’s obligation to repay those hospice claims.
In addition, the settlement resolves allegations that certain Kindred, SouthernCare and SouthernCare New Beacon hospice locations knowingly submitted, or caused to be submitted, false claims for hospice services provided to patients who were ineligible for hospice benefits under Medicare and other federal health care programs because the patients were not terminally ill. Those hospice locations were Kindred’s locations in Warwick, Rhode Island; Beaumont, Texas; and Independence, Missouri; SouthernCare New Beacon’s location in Demopolis, Alabama; and SouthernCare’s locations in Daphne, Alabama; Mobile, Alabama; South Bend, Indiana; and Youngstown, Ohio. The settlement also resolves allegations that those Kindred, SouthernCare and SouthernCare New Beacon locations knowingly and improperly concealed or avoided obligations to repay the foregoing hospice claims.
Further, the settlement resolves allegations that SouthernCare New Beacon allegedly violated the Anti-Kickback Statute by willfully paying renumeration to a consulting physician, between Oct. 1, 2016, and Oct. 1, 2022, to induce hospice referrals of Medicare beneficiaries to its Gadsden, Alabama, location. The settlement of those allegations stems from a voluntary self-disclosure made by New Beacon Healthcare Group LLC doing business as SouthernCare New Beacon Hospice. The Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits offering, paying, soliciting or receiving remuneration to induce referrals of items or services covered by Medicare, Medicaid and other federally funded health care programs. It is intended to ensure that medical providers’ judgments are not compromised by improper financial incentives and are instead based on the best interests of their patients.
“Hospice provides vital care and support for terminally ill patients and their families. Medicare’s and TennCare’s eligibility requirements ensure that federal and state health care money is properly used to support hospice programs,” said U.S. Attorney Henry C. Leventis for the Middle District of Tennessee. “We are committed to holding accountable health care companies and providers who prioritize profits over patient care by ignoring these requirements.”
“This office remains committed to safeguarding public monies,” said U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett for the Western District of Kentucky. “I commend the work of all those in the department who have made this successful settlement possible and truly appreciate the strong working relationships that exist between the United States Attorneys’ Offices, the Civil Division’s Fraud Section and our law enforcement partners.”
“My office remains determined to ensure that federal funding for essential health care, like the hospice care at issue in this investigation, goes to the patients who need it, rather than to health care companies who seek to exploit those patients for profit,” said U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Cunha for the District of Rhode Island. “Today’s result reflects a concerted effort by this office and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices around the country, working alongside the Fraud Section of the Justice Department’s Civil Division, and our law enforcement partners, to help to guarantee that Medicare funds are directed where they belong and that high-quality hospice care is available for patients and their families in the future.”
“Hospice care is special end-of-life care intended to provide comfort for terminally ill patients. The decision to provide hospice services should be prompted by a patient’s terminally ill medical diagnosis, not a hospice provider’s desire to increase profits,” said U.S. Attorney Todd Gee for the Southern District of Mississippi. “The continued work of the department and our law enforcement partners is critical to the integrity of these important programs. I appreciate the work of all involved in this significant case.”
“Our office is committed to protecting federal healthcare programs like the Medicare hospice benefit from false claims” said U.S. Attorney Sean Costello for the Southern District of Alabama. “We will hold accountable any providers that abuse taxpayer dollars.”
“The integrity of hospice care is critical to the millions of patients receiving these services,” said Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Christian J. Schrank of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “We, along with our law enforcement partners, will continue to ensure that providers who focus on personal financial gain rather than providing medically necessary, high-quality hospice care will be held accountable.”
The Medicaid program is funded jointly by the state and federal governments. As a result of the settlement announced today, the federal government will receive $18,956,151.32, the State of Tennessee will receive $448,800 and the State of Ohio will receive $23,618.68.
The settlement includes the resolution of claims in nine lawsuits brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act by various current and former Kindred employees. Under those provisions, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery. The qui tam cases are captioned: United States ex rel. Pence, et al. v. Curo Health Services Holdings, Inc., et al., Civil Action No. 3:13-00672 (M.D. Tenn.); United States,, et al. ex rel. Anderson et al. v. Curo Health Services, LLC d/b/a Avalon Hospice, Civil Action No. 3:20-cv-00168 (M.D. Tenn.); United States ex rel. Riar v. Kindred Healthcare, Inc., et al., Civil Action No. 3:18-CV-52 (W.D. Ky.); United States ex rel. Didde, et al. v. Kindred Healthcare Inc. et al., Civil Action No. 19-2321-JWB-JPO (D. Kan.); United States ex rel. Mut v. Gentiva Certified Healthcare Corp. D/B/A Kindred at Home, Civil Action No. 1:21-cv-00425-JJM-PAS (D.R.I.); United States ex rel. Harris v. SouthernCare, Inc., Civil Action No. 3:18-cv-643-HTW-LGI (S.D. Miss.); United States,, et al. ex rel. Roy v. Curo Health Services, LLC, et al., Civil Action No. 3:18-cv-643-HTA-LRA (S.D. Miss.); U.S. ex rel. Petrey v. Curo HealthCare Services, LLC, et al., Civil Action No. 1:19-CV-00617 (S.D. Ala.), and United States ex rel. Medved, et al. v. SouthernCare, Inc. D/B/A SouthernCare, et al., Civil Action No. 2:23-cv-3345 (S.D. Ohio). The share of the settlement to be received by the whistleblowers has not yet been determined.
The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Civil Division's Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Middle District of Tennessee, Western District of Kentucky, District of Kansas, District of Rhode Island, Southern District of Mississippi, Southern District of Alabama and Southern District of Ohio, with assistance from HHS-OIG, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the Office of Personnel Management Office of Inspector General, the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, the Office of the Tennessee Attorney General and the Office of the Ohio Attorney General.
The investigation and resolution of this matter illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating health care fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse and mismanagement can be reported to HHS at 800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).
Trial Attorney William E. Olson of the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Wynn M. Shuford for the Middle District of Tennessee, Jessica R.C. Malloy and William F. Campbell for the Western District of Kentucky, Jon P. Fleenor for the District of Kansas, Kevin Love Hubbard for the District of Rhode Island, Deidre Lamppin Colson for the Southern District of Mississippi, Nina T. Herring for the Southern District of Alabama and W. Hunter West and Michael J. T. Downey for the Southern District of Ohio handled the matter.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only. There has been no determination of liability.
Settlement
Kindred and Related Entities Agree to Pay $19.428M to Settle Federal and State False Claims Act Lawsuits Alleging Ineligible Claims for Hospice PatientsRead the Press Release
Gentiva, successor to Kindred at Home, has agreed to pay $19.428 million to resolve allegations that Kindred at Home and related entities (Kindred) knowingly submitted false claims and knowingly retained overpayments for hospice services provided to patients who were ineligible to receive hospice benefits under various federal health care programs. Gentiva’s hospice operations, headquartered in Atlanta, include entities that previously operated Kindred at Home hospice locations under the names Avalon, Kindred, SouthernCare and SouthernCare New Beacon.
“The hospice benefit under Medicare and other federal health care programs provides critical services to some of the most vulnerable patients,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The department will ensure that this important benefit is used to assist those who need it, and not as an opportunity to line the pockets of those who seek to abuse it.”
The settlement resolves allegations made by the United States and the State of Tennessee in a consolidated complaint filed in 2021 against certain Kindred related entities alleging that, from 2010 until February 2020, the defendants knowingly submitted or caused to be submitted false claims for hospice services provided to Avalon hospice patients in Tennessee who were ineligible for the Medicare or Medicaid hospice benefit because they were not terminally ill. The settlement also resolves the complaint’s allegations that the defendants improperly concealed or avoided Avalon’s obligation to repay those hospice claims.
In addition, the settlement resolves allegations that certain Kindred, SouthernCare and SouthernCare New Beacon hospice locations knowingly submitted, or caused to be submitted, false claims for hospice services provided to patients who were ineligible for hospice benefits under Medicare and other federal health care programs because the patients were not terminally ill. Those hospice locations were Kindred’s locations in Warwick, Rhode Island; Beaumont, Texas; and Independence, Missouri; SouthernCare New Beacon’s location in Demopolis, Alabama; and SouthernCare’s locations in Daphne, Alabama; Mobile, Alabama; South Bend, Indiana; and Youngstown, Ohio. The settlement also resolves allegations that those Kindred, SouthernCare and SouthernCare New Beacon locations knowingly and improperly concealed or avoided obligations to repay the foregoing hospice claims.
Further, the settlement resolves allegations that SouthernCare New Beacon allegedly violated the Anti-Kickback Statute by willfully paying renumeration to a consulting physician, between Oct. 1, 2016, and Oct. 1, 2022, to induce hospice referrals of Medicare beneficiaries to its Gadsden, Alabama, location. The settlement of those allegations stems from a voluntary self-disclosure made by New Beacon Healthcare Group LLC doing business as SouthernCare New Beacon Hospice. The Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits offering, paying, soliciting or receiving remuneration to induce referrals of items or services covered by Medicare, Medicaid and other federally funded health care programs. It is intended to ensure that medical providers’ judgments are not compromised by improper financial incentives and are instead based on the best interests of their patients.
“Hospice provides vital care and support for terminally ill patients and their families. Medicare’s and TennCare’s eligibility requirements ensure that federal and state health care money is properly used to support hospice programs,” said U.S. Attorney Henry C. Leventis for the Middle District of Tennessee. “We are committed to holding accountable health care companies and providers who prioritize profits over patient care by ignoring these requirements.”
“This office remains committed to safeguarding public monies,” said U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett for the Western District of Kentucky. “I commend the work of all those in the department who have made this successful settlement possible and truly appreciate the strong working relationships that exist between the United States Attorneys’ Offices, the Civil Division’s Fraud Section and our law enforcement partners.”
“My office remains determined to ensure that federal funding for essential health care, like the hospice care at issue in this investigation, goes to the patients who need it, rather than to health care companies who seek to exploit those patients for profit,” said U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Cunha for the District of Rhode Island. “Today’s result reflects a concerted effort by this office and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices around the country, working alongside the Fraud Section of the Justice Department’s Civil Division, and our law enforcement partners, to help to guarantee that Medicare funds are directed where they belong and that high-quality hospice care is available for patients and their families in the future.”
“Hospice care is special end-of-life care intended to provide comfort for terminally ill patients. The decision to provide hospice services should be prompted by a patient’s terminally ill medical diagnosis, not a hospice provider’s desire to increase profits,” said U.S. Attorney Todd Gee for the Southern District of Mississippi. “The continued work of the department and our law enforcement partners is critical to the integrity of these important programs. I appreciate the work of all involved in this significant case.”
“Our office is committed to protecting federal healthcare programs like the Medicare hospice benefit from false claims” said U.S. Attorney Sean Costello for the Southern District of Alabama. “We will hold accountable any providers that abuse taxpayer dollars.”
“The integrity of hospice care is critical to the millions of patients receiving these services,” said Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Christian J. Schrank of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “We, along with our law enforcement partners, will continue to ensure that providers who focus on personal financial gain rather than providing medically necessary, high-quality hospice care will be held accountable.”
The Medicaid program is funded jointly by the state and federal governments. As a result of the settlement announced today, the federal government will receive $18,956,151.32, the State of Tennessee will receive $448,800 and the State of Ohio will receive $23,618.68.
The settlement includes the resolution of claims in nine lawsuits brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act by various current and former Kindred employees. Under those provisions, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery. The qui tam cases are captioned: United States ex rel. Pence, et al. v. Curo Health Services Holdings, Inc., et al., Civil Action No. 3:13-00672 (M.D. Tenn.); United States,, et al. ex rel. Anderson et al. v. Curo Health Services, LLC d/b/a Avalon Hospice, Civil Action No. 3:20-cv-00168 (M.D. Tenn.); United States ex rel. Riar v. Kindred Healthcare, Inc., et al., Civil Action No. 3:18-CV-52 (W.D. Ky.); United States ex rel. Didde, et al. v. Kindred Healthcare Inc. et al., Civil Action No. 19-2321-JWB-JPO (D. Kan.); United States ex rel. Mut v. Gentiva Certified Healthcare Corp. D/B/A Kindred at Home, Civil Action No. 1:21-cv-00425-JJM-PAS (D.R.I.); United States ex rel. Harris v. SouthernCare, Inc., Civil Action No. 3:18-cv-643-HTW-LGI (S.D. Miss.); United States,, et al. ex rel. Roy v. Curo Health Services, LLC, et al., Civil Action No. 3:18-cv-643-HTA-LRA (S.D. Miss.); U.S. ex rel. Petrey v. Curo HealthCare Services, LLC, et al., Civil Action No. 1:19-CV-00617 (S.D. Ala.), and United States ex rel. Medved, et al. v. SouthernCare, Inc. D/B/A SouthernCare, et al., Civil Action No. 2:23-cv-3345 (S.D. Ohio). The share of the settlement to be received by the whistleblowers has not yet been determined.
The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Civil Division's Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Middle District of Tennessee, Western District of Kentucky, District of Kansas, District of Rhode Island, Southern District of Mississippi, Southern District of Alabama and Southern District of Ohio, with assistance from HHS-OIG, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the Office of Personnel Management Office of Inspector General, the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, the Office of the Tennessee Attorney General and the Office of the Ohio Attorney General.
The investigation and resolution of this matter illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating health care fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse and mismanagement can be reported to HHS at 800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).
Trial Attorney William E. Olson of the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Wynn M. Shuford for the Middle District of Tennessee, Jessica R.C. Malloy and William F. Campbell for the Western District of Kentucky, Jon P. Fleenor for the District of Kansas, Kevin Love Hubbard for the District of Rhode Island, Deidre Lamppin Colson for the Southern District of Mississippi, Nina T. Herring for the Southern District of Alabama and W. Hunter West and Michael J. T. Downey for the Southern District of Ohio handled the matter.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only. There has been no determination of liability.
SettlementKindred and Related Entities Agree to Pay $19.428 Million to Settle Federal and State False Claims Act Lawsuits Alleging Ineligible Claims for Hospice PatientsRead the Press Release
NASHVILLE – Gentiva, successor to Kindred at Home, has agreed to pay $19.428 million to resolve allegations that Kindred at Home and related entities (Kindred) knowingly submitted false claims and knowingly retained overpayments for hospice services provided to patients who were ineligible to receive hospice benefits under various federal health care programs. Gentiva’s hospice operations, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, include entities that previously operated Kindred at Home hospice locations under the names Avalon, Kindred, SouthernCare and SouthernCare New Beacon.
“Hospice provides vital care and support for terminally ill patients and their families. Medicare’s and TennCare’s eligibility requirements ensure that federal and state health care money is properly used to support hospice programs,” said U.S. Attorney Henry C. Leventis for the Middle District of Tennessee. “We are committed to holding accountable health care companies and providers who prioritize profits over patient care by ignoring these requirements.”
“The hospice benefit under Medicare and other federal health care programs provides critical services to some of the most vulnerable patients,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The department will ensure that this important benefit is used to assist those who need it, and not as an opportunity to line the pockets of those who seek to abuse it.”
The settlement resolves allegations made by the United States and the State of Tennessee in a consolidated complaint filed in 2021 against certain Kindred related entities alleging that, from 2010 until February 2020, the defendants knowingly submitted or caused to be submitted false claims for hospice services provided to Avalon hospice patients in Tennessee who were ineligible for the Medicare or Medicaid hospice benefit because they were not terminally ill. The settlement also resolves the complaint’s allegations that the defendants improperly concealed or avoided Avalon’s obligation to repay those hospice claims.
In addition, the settlement resolves allegations that certain Kindred, SouthernCare and SouthernCare New Beacon hospice locations knowingly submitted, or caused to be submitted, false claims for hospice services provided to patients who were ineligible for hospice benefits under Medicare and other federal health care programs because the patients were not terminally ill. Those hospice locations were Kindred’s locations in Warwick, Rhode Island, Beaumont, Texas, and Independence, Missouri; SouthernCare New Beacon’s location in Demopolis, Alabama; and SouthernCare’s locations in Daphne, Alabama, Mobile, Alabama, South Bend, Indiana, and Youngstown, Ohio. The settlement also resolves allegations that those Kindred, SouthernCare and SouthernCare New Beacon locations knowingly and improperly concealed or avoided obligations to repay the foregoing hospice claims.
Further, the settlement resolves allegations that SouthernCare New Beacon allegedly violated the Anti-Kickback Statute by willfully paying renumeration to a consulting physician, between Oct. 1, 2016 and Oct. 1, 2022, to induce hospice referrals of Medicare beneficiaries to its Gadsden, Alabama location. The settlement of those allegations stems from a voluntary self-disclosure made by New Beacon Healthcare Group LLC doing business as SouthernCare New Beacon Hospice. The Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits offering, paying, soliciting or receiving remuneration to induce referrals of items or services covered by Medicare, Medicaid and other federally funded health care programs. It is intended to ensure that medical providers’ judgments are not compromised by improper financial incentives and are instead based on the best interests of their patients.
“This office remains committed to safeguarding public monies,” said U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett for the Western District of Kentucky. “I commend the work of all those in the department who have made this successful settlement possible and truly appreciate the strong working relationships that exist between the United States Attorneys’ Offices, the Civil Division’s Fraud Section, and our law enforcement partners.”
“My office remains determined to ensure that federal funding for essential health care, like the hospice care at issue in this investigation, goes to the patients who need it, rather than to health care companies who seek to exploit those patients for profit,” said U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Cunha for the District of Rhode Island. “Today’s result reflects a concerted effort by this Office and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices around the country, working alongside the Fraud Section of the Justice Department’s Civil Division, and our law enforcement partners, to help to guarantee that Medicare funds are directed where they belong and that high-quality hospice care is available for patients and their families in the future.”
“Hospice care is special end-of-life care intended to provide comfort for terminally ill patients. The decision to provide hospice services should be prompted by a patient’s terminally ill medical diagnosis, not a hospice provider’s desire to increase profits,” said U.S. Attorney Todd Gee for the Southern District of Mississippi. “The continued work of the department and our law enforcement partners is critical to the integrity of these important programs. I appreciate the work of all involved in this significant case.”
“Our office is committed to protecting federal healthcare programs like the Medicare hospice benefit from false claims” said U.S. Attorney Sean Costello for the Southern District of Alabama. “We will hold accountable any providers that abuse taxpayer dollars.”
“The integrity of hospice care is critical to the millions of patients receiving these services,” said Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Christian J. Schrank of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “We, along with our law enforcement partners, will continue to ensure that providers who focus on personal financial gain rather than providing medically necessary, high-quality hospice care will be held accountable.”
The Medicaid program is funded jointly by the state and federal governments. As a result of the settlement announced today, the federal government will receive $18,956,151.32, the State of Tennessee will receive $448,800 and the State of Ohio will receive $23,618.68.
The settlement includes the resolution of claims in nine lawsuits brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act by various current and former Kindred employees. Under those provisions, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery. The qui tam cases are captioned: United States ex rel. Pence, et al. v. Curo Health Services Holdings, Inc., et al., Civil Action No. 3:13-00672 (M.D. Tenn.); United States,, et al. ex rel. Anderson et al. v. Curo Health Services, LLC d/b/a Avalon Hospice, Civil Action No. 3:20-cv-00168 (M.D. Tenn.); United States ex rel. Riar v. Kindred Healthcare, Inc., et al., Civil Action No. 3:18-CV-52 (W.D. Ky.); United States ex rel. Didde, et al. v. Kindred Healthcare Inc. et al., Civil Action No. 19-2321-JWB-JPO (D. Kan.); United States ex rel. Mut v. Gentiva Certified Healthcare Corp. D/B/A Kindred at Home, Civil Action No. 1:21-cv-00425-JJM-PAS (D.R.I.); United States ex rel. Harris v. SouthernCare, Inc., Civil Action No. 3:18-cv-643-HTW-LGI (S.D. Miss.); United States,, et al. ex rel. Roy v. Curo Health Services, LLC, et al., Civil Action No. 3:18-cv-643-HTA-LRA (S.D. Miss.); U.S. ex rel. Petrey v. Curo HealthCare Services, LLC, et al., Civil Action No. 1:19-CV-00617 (S.D. Ala.), and United States ex rel. Medved, et al. v. SouthernCare, Inc. D/B/A SouthernCare, et al., Civil Action No. 2:23-cv-3345 (S.D. Ohio). The share of the settlement to be received by the whistleblowers has not yet been determined.
The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section and the United States Attorneys’ Offices for the Middle District of Tennessee, the Western District of Kentucky, the District of Kansas, the District of Rhode Island, the Southern District of Mississippi, the Southern District of Alabama and the Southern District of Ohio, with assistance from the HHS-OIG, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the Office of Personnel Management, Office of Inspector General, the Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General, the Office of the Tennessee Attorney General and the Office of the Ohio Attorney General.
The investigation and resolution of this matter illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating health care fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse and mismanagement can be reported to HHS at 800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).
Trial Attorney William E. Olson in the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section and Assistant United States Attorneys Wynn M. Shuford for the Middle District of Tennessee, Jessica R.C. Malloy and William F. Campbell for the Western District of Kentucky, Jon P. Fleenor for the District of Kansas, Kevin Love Hubbard for the District of Rhode Island, Deidre Lamppin Colson for the Southern District of Mississippi, Nina T. Herring for the Southern District of Alabama and W. Hunter West and Michael J. T. Downey for the Southern District of Ohio handled the matter.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only. There has been no determination of liability.
# # # # #
Former Mobile Pain Management Doctors Xiulu Ruan and John Patrick Couch ResentencedRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – Xiulu Ruan and John Patrick Couch, both formerly pain management doctors practicing in Mobile, Alabama, were resentenced to 252 months and 240 months, respectively.
In 2017, a jury convicted Ruan and Couch of numerous offenses connected to their former medical practice, Physicians Pain Specialists of Alabama, and their related pharmacy C&R Pharmacy. The jury found that Ruan and Couch committed numerous drug and fraud offenses connected primarily to the unlawful prescribing of powerful opioid medications including fentanyl, and also convicted Ruan of money laundering offenses related to the schemes. Following the trial, U.S. District Court Judge Callie V.S. Granade sentenced Ruan and Couch to 252 and 240 months, respectively, and ordered the defendants to pay full restitution of nearly $14 million to the victims. In addition, the United States forfeited millions of dollars in property, vehicles, and cash that Ruan and Couch obtained from their crimes.
The case was returned to Judge Granade for resentencing after the completion of appeals before the Supreme Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Although the Eleventh Circuit vacated several of the convictions, the appellate courts affirmed the most substantial charges connected to the fraudulent scheme. On resentencing, Judge Granade again sentenced Ruan and Couch to 252 and 240 months in prison, respectively. All restitution and forfeiture aspects of the sentence were reimposed as well.
The Eleventh Circuit proceedings on remand from the Supreme Court were handled by AUSA Scott Gray, and the resentencing hearing was handled by AUSAs Scott Gray and Christopher Bodnar, both of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Alabama.
Chicago Man Sentenced in Cyber Fraud CaseRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – Charles Boyd, age 28, of Chicago, IL was sentenced today to 33 months in prison for his role in a cyber fraud scheme known as a business e-mail compromise.
According to court documents filed in connection with Boyd’s guilty plea, unknown co-conspirators gained unauthorized access to the e-mail account of a Spanish Fort, Alabama mortgage company in 2019. After gaining access, the conspirators were able to read the mortgage company’s e-mails and, therefore, knew when buyers were expecting wiring instructions to complete real estate transactions. When a sale was near completion, co-conspirators sent the buyer a spoofed e-mail that appeared to come from the mortgage company. These e-mails contained wiring instructions supposedly for the completing of the real estate purchase. However, when the buyer followed the instructions in the e-mail, their money was unwittingly sent to bank accounts controlled by the conspirators.
Boyd’s role in the conspiracy was to set up the bank accounts into which the buyers unwittingly wired the money. Specifically, during July and August 2019, Boyd opened multiple bank accounts using documents that purported to be passports issued by the governments of Sierra Leone and the Gambia. These documents contained Boyd’s picture along with alias names and identifiers. Accounts set up by Boyd with these fraudulent documents received over $400,000 from real estate purchasers who were victimized by this scheme, including victims in the Southern District of Alabama.
Boyd is currently serving an 18-month sentence for a separate financial fraud scheme in Wisconsin. Once that sentence is complete, Boyd will begin serving his 33-month sentence in this case.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Bodnar and Marjorie Vincent-Tripp prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
Mobile Man Sentenced to Three Years in Prison for Mail Theft, Fraud, and Aggravated Identity TheftRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A Mobile man was sentenced to 36 months in prison for bank fraud and aggravated identity theft involving checks that he stole from the mail.
According to court documents, Jonathan Taylor Randle, 32, pleaded guilty to defrauding numerous banks and credit unions between October 2022 and May 2023. Randle admitted that he carried out the scheme by stealing checks from the mail, producing counterfeited and forged checks, making false identification documents, and conducting unlawful deposits, transfers, and withdrawals.
In March 2023, federal agents began receiving complaints about someone “fishing” mail from U.S. postal collection boxes using tools covered in rat trap glue. Agents recovered several of these “fishing” devices from tubs inside postal collection boxes at post offices in Mobile, Alabama and Escatawpa, Mississippi. A fingerprint examiner found Randle’s fingerprints on the devices.
In April 2023, Randle deposited several forged checks bearing identifiers of mail-theft victims at Regions Bank ATMs in the Mobile area. Surveillance cameras captured Randle making the fraudulent deposits. Thereafter, in May 2023, agents executed a search warrant at Randle’s house in Mobile, seizing hundreds of checks and pieces of stolen mail, fraudulent identifications bearing Randle’s picture and stolen identifying information, multiple debit/credit cards in the names of other people, a laptop, a notebook containing stolen identifying information, and a rifle. Agents also seized and searched Randle’s cell phone, which contained evidence of his fraud scheme.
In addition to the three-year prison term, Senior United States District Judge William H. Steele ordered Randle to serve a five-year term of supervised release upon his release from prison, during which time he will be subject to credit restrictions, undergo drug testing, and receive mental health treatment. The court did not impose a fine, but Judge Steele ordered Randle to pay $33,042.95 in victim restitution and $200 in special assessments.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Secret Service, and Mobile Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Roller prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
Texas Man Sentenced to 120 Months for Attempted Enticement of A MinorRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – Jeremy Alexander Martinez, 33, has been sentenced to 120 months in prison for one count of Attempted Enticement of a Minor. Martinez entered a guilty plea to this offense on February 20, 2024.
According to court documents filed in connection with his guilty plea, in June of 2023, a minor child’s mother went through the minor child’s phone and discovered sexually explicit images that the minor was sending to an unknown person via email. Based on the email exchange, the mother believed the unknown person to be an adult male. FBI Mobile began their investigation, and ultimately identified Jeremy Martinez as the unknown male to whom the minor child victim was sending the images. The minor child had met Martinez on a social media application and then they began communicating via email. When the child’s mother discovered the images, she gave consent for the FBI to take over her daughter’s account. FBI agents continued conversing with Martinez. During the course of this conversation, Martinez detailed several explicit sexual acts he wanted to engage in with the child, while confirming he knew her age. Martinez was located in San Antonio, Texas. He was interviewed and admitted to the conversations.
Chief United States District Judge Jeffrey U. Beaverstock imposed a 120-month sentence of incarceration and a lifetime term of supervised release upon his discharge from prison. Chief Judge Beaverstock further ordered that Martinez pay $100 in a special assessment. Martinez will be required to register as a sex offender when he is released from prison and is to have no contact with minors.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorneys Kacey Chappelear and Beth Stepan prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc/publications-resources
National Health Care Fraud Enforcement Action Results in 193 Defendants Charged and over $2.75 Billion in False ClaimsRead the Press Release
The Justice Department today announced the 2024 National Health Care Fraud Enforcement Action, which resulted in criminal charges against 193 defendants, including 76 doctors, nurse practitioners, and other licensed medical professionals in 32 federal districts across the United States, for their alleged participation in various health care fraud schemes involving approximately $2.75 billion in intended losses and $1.6 billion in actual losses.
In connection with the coordinated nationwide law enforcement action, and together with federal and state law enforcement partners, the government seized over $231 million in cash, luxury vehicles, gold, and other assets.
“It does not matter if you are a trafficker in a drug cartel or a corporate executive or medical professional employed by a health care company, if you profit from the unlawful distribution of controlled substances, you will be held accountable,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The Justice Department will bring to justice criminals who defraud Americans, steal from taxpayer-funded programs, and put people in danger for the sake of profits.”
“The extraordinary Special Agents of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) were proud to play an integral role in this multi-agency investigation and national takedown of healthcare fraud,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas. “Through this action, we in federal law enforcement send a clear and strong message—that we will hold accountable those health care providers and prescribers who prey on their patients for profit and disregard the first rule of medical care: do no harm.”
“Healthcare fraud victimizes patients, endangers the health of vulnerable people, and plunders healthcare programs,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “This wide-ranging collaboration demonstrates the FBI’s commitment to rooting out predatory healthcare fraud, protecting patients, and ensuring critical healthcare funds go where they are needed most.”
The charges alleged include over $900 million fraud scheme committed in connection with amniotic wound grafts; the unlawful distribution of millions of pills of Adderall and other stimulants by five defendants associated with a digital technology company; an over $90 million fraud committed by corporate executives distributing adulterated and misbranded HIV medication; over $146 million in fraudulent addiction treatment schemes; over $1.1 billion in telemedicine and laboratory fraud; and over $450 million in other health care fraud and opioid schemes.
“Health care fraud affects every American,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “It siphons off hard-earned tax dollars meant to provide care for the vulnerable and disabled. In doing so, it also raises the cost of care for all patients. Even worse, as the prosecutions we announce today underscore, health care fraud can harm patients and fuel addiction. The Criminal Division is committed to rooting out health care fraud, wherever it may be found, no matter who commits it. And we are using more tools than ever before to uncover misconduct and hold wrongdoers to account, whether they are executives in corner offices or doctors who violate their oaths.”
Today’s enforcement action was led and coordinated by the Health Care Fraud Unit of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and its core partners: U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), FBI, and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The cases were investigated by agents from the division’s core partner agencies along with other federal and state law enforcement agencies. The cases are being prosecuted by Health Care Fraud Strike Force teams from the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, 32 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices nationwide, and 11 State Attorney Generals’ Offices.
“This work is important to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the millions of Americans we serve. HHS vigorously pursues anyone who commits fraud against our health care programs. But it takes all of us, working together, to be successful,” said HHS Deputy Secretary Andrea Palm. “Those who steal from these programs are stealing from the American families who rely on them and putting patients at risk. We won’t stop until all those who try to defraud the federal government are caught and held accountable.”
“We will not tolerate fraud that preys on patients who need and deserve high quality health care,” said the HHS-OIG Inspector General Christi A. Grimm. “The hard work of the HHS-OIG team and our outstanding law enforcement partners makes today’s action possible. We must protect taxpayer dollars and keep Americans safe from harms to their health, privacy, and financial well-being.”
Amniotic Wound Grafts
Charges were filed in the District of Arizona against four individuals who allegedly filed $900 million in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare for amniotic wound grafts used on Medicare patients. As alleged, the defendants targeted elderly Medicare patients, many of whom were terminally ill. The defendants caused medically unnecessary and expensive amniotic grafts to be applied to these vulnerable patients’ wounds indiscriminately, without coordination with the patients’ treating physicians and without proper treatment for infection, to superficial wounds that did not need this treatment, and in sizes that far exceeded the size of the wound. In just 16 months, Medicare paid two defendants more than $600 million as a result of their fraud scheme, paying on average more than a million dollars per patient for these unnecessary grafts. These two defendants owned wound care companies in Arizona and received more than $330 million in illegal kickbacks in exchange for purchasing the grafts billed to Medicare. In connection with the charges, the government seized over $70 million, including four luxury vehicles, gold, jewelry, and cash.
“Every dollar saved by investigating fraud is critical to the sustainability of the Medicare program and the needs of the people who depend on it,” said Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). “In addition to the actions taken by the Justice Department, CMS took 127 administrative actions in the last six months separately against providers for their alleged involvement in health care fraud schemes. We thank our partners at the Department of Justice and Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General for working closely with us to identify, investigate, and eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse in our federal health care programs.”
Distribution of Adderall and Other Stimulants
Five additional defendants associated with digital technology company Done Global Inc. and its affiliated entity, Done Health P.C. (collectively, “Done”), were charged for the unlawful distribution of millions of Adderall pills. The CEO and Clinical President of Done were charged on June 13 in a scheme to distribute Adderall and other stimulants over the internet. The charges announced today include those against one of the most prolific prescribers working for Done, a Florida nurse practitioner who prescribed over 1.5 million pills of Adderall and other stimulants to patients across the United States. The indictment alleges that the nurse practitioner prescribed Adderall and other stimulants without interaction with patients, pursuant to Done’s “auto-refill” policy. This policy allowed patients to obtain continued prescriptions after an initial encounter without any further audio or visual interaction with a medical professional. This allegedly resulted in the nurse practitioner prescribing Adderall and other stimulants to individuals suffering from drug addiction and continuing to issue Adderall prescriptions for months after the overdose deaths of patients.
“DEA works tirelessly to protect the public from harm, be it cartels funneling fentanyl into our communities or medical providers caring more about profits than patients,” said DEA Administrator Anne Milgram. “The CEO and clinical director of Done Global Inc. are charged with over-prescribing millions of unneeded stimulant pills, potentially putting patients in danger and exacerbating the current stimulant medicine shortage. The seriousness of these actions should not be understated. DEA will continue to hold anyone accountable who endangers the health and well-being of Americans.”
Diverted HIV Medication
Three owners and executives of a wholesale distributor of pharmaceutical drugs were charged in connection with an alleged $90 million wire fraud conspiracy to introduce adulterated and misbranded HIV drugs into the market. The HIV drugs were allegedly acquired through unlawful “buyback” schemes in which previously dispensed bottles of prescription drugs were bought from vulnerable patients. The defendants allegedly purchased these drugs from the black market and resold them to pharmacies throughout the country with falsified documentation designed to conceal the true source of the medication. Pharmacies then dispensed these diverted HIV medications to unsuspecting patients. At times, patients received bottles labeled as their prescription medication, but the bottles contained a different drug entirely, with one patient passing out and remaining unconscious for 24 hours after taking an anti-psychotic drug thinking it was his prescribed HIV medication.
Addiction Treatment Cases
The addiction treatment cases announced today include charges filed in the District of Arizona and Southern District of Florida against four defendants in connection with more than $146 million of allegedly false and fraudulent claims for services for vulnerable patients seeking treatment for drug or alcohol addiction. As alleged in one of the indictments, one defendant paid kickbacks in exchange for the referral of patients recruited from the homeless population and Native American reservations. She then fraudulently billed Arizona Medicaid for substance abuse treatment services that were either never provided or were provided at a level that was so substandard that it failed to serve any treatment purpose. The defendant is charged with money laundering offenses for her lavish purchases with the fraud proceeds, as well as obstruction of justice for allegedly falsifying records in response to a grand jury subpoena for documents.
Telemedicine and Laboratory Fraud Cases
Thirty-six defendants were charged in connection with the submission of over $1.1 billion in fraudulent claims to Medicare resulting from telemedicine schemes. For example, in separate cases involving similar schemes that were perpetrated by different criminal networks in the Southern District of Texas, Northern District of Texas, and District of New Jersey, clinical laboratory owners allegedly paid illegal kickbacks and bribes, including to telemedicine companies, in exchange for the referral of orders for unnecessary genetic testing. The results of these genetic tests—which were supposed to detect genetic mutations that could indicate an elevated risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, Parkinson’s disease, and other serious illness—were not used in the patients’ treatment. Other telemedicine schemes included the unsealing of a complaint in the Eastern District of Virginia against a psychiatrist who allegedly submitted fraudulent claims based on minimal patient interactions, including for visits that lasted between 10 to 30 seconds. The continued focus on prosecuting health care fraud schemes involving telemedicine reflects the Department’s commitment to rooting out these schemes, which has saved taxpayers billions of dollars.
Cases Involving the Illegal Prescription and Distribution of Opioids and Other Health Care Fraud Schemes
The other cases announced today charge 14 defendants with crimes related to the illegal prescription and distribution of opioids that resulted in millions in false billings, including several charges against medical professionals and others who prescribed unnecessary opioids, Suboxone, and other controlled substances.
An additional 126 defendants are charged with various other health care fraud schemes involving over $450 million in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance companies for treatments that were medically unnecessary or never provided. Ten defendants across the country were charged in connection with fraudulent COVID-19 testing, including an over $65 million scheme charged in the Southern District of Florida.
The Center for Program Integrity of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CPI/CMS) separately announced today that it took adverse administrative actions in the last six months against 127 medical providers for their alleged involvement in health care fraud.
Principal Assistant Deputy Chief Jacob Foster, Assistant Chief Rebecca Yuan, and Trial Attorney Miriam L. Glaser Dauermann of the Health Care Fraud Unit of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section led and coordinated today’s enforcement action. The cases are being prosecuted by the Health Care Fraud Unit’s National Rapid Response, Florida, Gulf Coast, Los Angeles, Midwest, Northeast, and Texas Strike Forces; U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Southern District of Alabama, District of Arizona, Central District of California, Northern District of California, Southern District of California, District of Connecticut, Middle District of Florida, Southern District of Florida, Northern District of Illinois, Eastern District of Kentucky, Western District of Kentucky, Eastern District of Louisiana, Middle District of Louisiana, Western District of Louisiana, Eastern District of Michigan, Western District of Michigan, Southern District of Mississippi, District of Montana, District of New Jersey, Eastern District of New York, Eastern District of North Carolina, Western District of Oklahoma, District of Rhode Island, Eastern District of Tennessee, Middle District of Tennessee, Eastern District of Texas, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas, Eastern District of Virginia, Western District of Virginia, Southern District of West Virginia, and Eastern District of Wisconsin; and State Attorney Generals’ Offices for Arizona, California, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, and South Dakota. The Health Care Fraud Unit’s Data Analytics Team used cutting-edge data analytics to identify and support the investigations that led to these charges.
In addition to the FBI, HHS-OIG, DEA, and CMS/CPI, HSI, IRS Criminal Investigation, Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Department of Labor, United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General, and other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies participated in the operation. The Medicaid Fraud Control Units of the states of Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia also participated in the investigation of many of the federal and state cases announced today.
The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force. Prior to the charges announced as part of today’s nationwide enforcement action and since its inception in March 2007, the Health Care Fraud Strike Force, which operates in 27 districts, charged more than 5,400 defendants who collectively billed Medicare, Medicaid, and private health insurers more than $27 billion.
An indictment, information, or complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The following documents related to today’s announcement are available on the Health Care Fraud Unit website through these links:
- Graphics and Resources
- Case Descriptions
- Court Documents
Mobile Man Sentenced to 77 Months in Prison for Illegally Possessing a FirearmRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A Mobile man was sentenced to 77 months in prison for possessing a firearm as a previously convicted felon.
According to court documents, Randy Fisher Crandle, 26, was arrested by Mobile police on November 22, 2022 following a traffic stop where he was found to be in possession of a firearm. Crandle has multiple prior felony convictions, including convictions for robbery, arson, and assault. As a convicted felon, Crandle is prohibited from possessing a firearm.
Crandle was indicted for being a felon in possession of a firearm and pled guilty to the charge. United States District Court Judge Kristi K. DuBose sentenced Crandle to 77 months in prison followed by a 3-year term of supervised release for illegally possessing the firearm.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Mobile Police Department investigated the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica S. Terrill and Justin D. Kopf prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
Court Sentences Two California Men Caught with Approximately Five Kilograms of Fentanyl to 70 Months ImprisonmentRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – On June 17, 2024, United States District Court Judge, Jeffrey U. Beaverstock sentenced Zeshan Malik Fayyaz and Lener Daneski Jairon-Solis, each to 70 months imprisonment each for Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Fentanyl.
Documents filed with the Court established that on October 8, 2022 a cooperating source, along with a Mobile County Sheriff's Deputy, acting in an undercover capacity, agreed to meet the two defendants in Mobile County to purchase 2 kilograms of fentanyl for $38,000 per kilogram. When the men arrived at the meet location, Jairon-Solis got out of the vehicle and went into the back seat of the vehicle and opened a suitcase and removed two kilograms of fentanyl in exchange for the cash. Law enforcement had arranged the cash to appear to contain $76,000 by putting $100 bills on the outside and mostly $1 bills on the inside, but in fact it was less than $10,000.
During the operation law enforcement observed what appeared to be more drugs in the suitcase. The vehicle was followed from the location and later stopped by law enforcement and officers recovered an additional three kilograms of fentanyl from the vehicle as well as the undercover buy money. The defendants were planning to deliver the additional three kilograms to Pensacola, Florida.
United States Attorney Sean P. Costello commended the investigators for their hard work and dedication in removing 5 kilograms of the deadly drug fentanyl from the community. Costello added that 2 milligrams of fentanyl is considered a lethal dose and thus this seizure surely saved many lives given the fentanyl overdose epidemic facing the nation. The case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations and the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney George F. May.
Court Sentences Moss Point Woman Caught with Approximately Ten Pounds of Methamphetamine to 87 Months ImprisonmentRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – On June 17, 2024, United States District Court Judge Jeffrey U. Beaverstock sentenced Christian Ikenya Amir Lewis to 87 months imprisonment for Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute 4.464 kilograms of methamphetamine.
Documents filed with the Court established that on January 22, 2020, officers with the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office Drug Task Force stopped a vehicle being driven by Lewis on Interstate 65 in Baldwin County. Pursuant to further investigation a drug dog alerted on the vehicle Lewis was driving. Inside the trunk of the vehicle officers found almost ten pounds of pure methamphetamine in a hidden compartment in a large speaker box.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office Drug Task Force. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys George F. May and John P. Hutchins III.
Group of Check Fraudsters Sentenced in Federal CourtRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – Several defendants from Mobile were sentenced for their roles in an organized scheme to commit bank fraud. Two leaders of the scheme were each sentenced to serve eight years in federal prison.
According to court documents, Thomas Charles Bridges, 21, Errol Michael Gilyot, 22, and several codefendants committed widespread bank fraud between November 2021 and April 2023 involving checks stolen from the U.S. mail, which the defendants later altered and deposited at various financial institutions. The fraudulent checks bore the personal identifying information of numerous victim businesses and individuals in the Mobile area and elsewhere. Bridges, Gilyot, and their coconspirators used social media and other means to recruit individuals with accounts at various banks, who provided their account information, debit cards, and other support to further the scheme. Victims of the scheme suffered more than $187,000 in financial losses.
For example, in September and October 2022, bank surveillance video captured Bridges making dozens of fraudulent transactions involving counterfeited checks in the Mobile area. On October 12, 2022, police stopped Bridges and Gilyot in a vehicle after they attempted a fraudulent transaction at a bank branch in Mobile. During that stop, police seized more than $4,700 in cash and debit cards belonging to other people. Later, on October 18, 2022, federal agents executed a search warrant at Bridges’s house in Mobile, seizing a laptop, a printer, several counterfeited checks, and more debit cards belonging to other people.
Agents executed numerous search warrants and obtained voluminous text messages and social media communications between and among Bridges, Gilyot, their codefendants, and others discussing the scheme and recruiting others to take part in it. Additionally, latent fingerprint analysts found Bridges’s and Gilyot’s fingerprints on checks that federal law enforcement obtained from victim banks during the course of the investigation.
At sentencing, United States District Judge Terry F. Moorer reviewed evidence that Bridges and Gilyot continued committing check fraud while they were subject to the court’s release conditions. In addition to their 96-month prison terms, Judge Moorer ordered Bridges and Gilyot to serve five year terms of supervised release upon their release from prison, during which time they will be subject to credit restrictions. The court did not impose a fine, but Judge Moorer ordered Bridges and Gilyot to pay $187,941.36 in victim restitution jointly and severally with their codefendants, and a total of $200 in special assessments. The court also forfeited $5,741 and several electronic devices to the United States.
For their roles in the scheme, the court sentenced Bridges’s and Gilyot’s codefendants as follows: LiJordan Alexander Lucas (60 months); Tranealius Lashun Abrams (57 months); Emerson Trevaun Striveson, Jr. (33 months); Ashir Davonte-Jovonta Hogue (24 months); and Amartinez Carson (one day). The court also ordered each of those defendants to serve supervised release terms and pay restitution and special assessments.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.The United States Postal Inspection Service, United States Secret Service, Mobile Police Department, Mobile County Sheriff’s Office, and Jackson Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Roller prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
North Carolina Man Sentenced to 240 months for Possessing with Intent to Distribute Cocaine and Illegally Possessing FirearmRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – Preston Buie was sentenced by a federal judge to a total of 240 months incarceration after a January 2024 jury conviction for Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine and Illegally Possessing a Firearm.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, in January 2023, a deputy with the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office stopped Preston Buie on Interstate 10 around the Grand Bay exit in Mobile County. Following an alert by a drug detection dog, law enforcement searched Buie’s vehicle and located 12 kilograms of cocaine and a 9mm pistol in Buie’s possession. Buie was previously convicted of several federal offenses including bank robbery and possession with intent to distribute cocaine.
U.S. Attorney Sean Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations and the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tandice Blackwood, Kacey Chappelear, and Beth Stepan prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
Court Sentences Grand Bay Man to 100 Months Imprisonment in Multi-Defendant Interstate Methamphetamine Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – On June 5, 2024, United States District Court Judge Callie V. S. Grande sentenced David Willis Hale to 100 months imprisonment for his role in a multi-defendant interstate methamphetamine drug trafficking conspiracy.
Documents filed with the Court established that Hale was involved with five other persons to transport and distribute methamphetamine from Texas to Mobile County, Alabama. Hale served as a drug courier in the organization. On numerous occasions Hale transported methamphetamine from Lafayette, Louisiana, where he met another courier (co-defendant Daniel Castillo Garcia) working for the Texas supplier (co-defendant Christopher Perales). Hale would then transport the methamphetamine back to Mobile for David Eric Crumpton and Heather Jeanean Boone.
On August 3, 2020, Hale was stopped in Hancock County, Mississippi with $8,000 in U.S. currency, given to him by Boone to purchase approximately one pound of methamphetamine from Perales. On December 28, 2020, Hale was stopped in Harrison County, Mississippi, with approximately 300 grams of crystal methamphetamine that he was in the process of delivering to Crumpton in Mobile. Crumpton had ordered the methamphetamine from Perales and then directed Hale to meet Castillo-Garcia in Lafayette, LA to obtain the methamphetamine. Crumpton, Castillo Garcia and another member of the conspiracy, Julie Alesia Roberts, have already been sentenced by the Court. Perales and Boone will be sentenced in the future.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Mobile Police Department, Narcotics Unit, the Harrison and Hancock County, Mississippi, Sherriff’s Offices and the Galveston County Texas Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney George F. May.
Mobile Man Sentenced to 30 Months for Illegally Possessing A FirearmRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – Kelvontae Brown, a Mobile, Alabama man, has been sentenced to 30 months in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a previously convicted felon. The sentence was imposed by Senior United States District Judge Callie V. S. Granade.
According to court documents, in January 2024, Kelvontate Brown plead guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. In March 2023, concerned neighbors called 911 because Brown was acting erratically and was in the street with a firearm. When members of the Mobile Police Department arrived, they located Brown, took him into custody, and collected the Glock pistol he had attempted to hide nearby. Brown admitted he had possessed the firearm and that he had hidden it. Brown has prior convictions for domestic violence and theft offenses and was on state probation at the time of this firearms offense.
At sentencing, Judge Granade imposed a 30-month sentence of incarceration and a three-year term of supervised release upon Brown’s discharge from prison. Brown will also be required to undergo mental health evaluation upon release.
The Mobile Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Beth Stepan prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.