Western District of Arkansas
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
Fayetteville Man Sentenced to over 15 Years in Federal Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
FAYETTEVILLE – A Fayetteville man was sentenced on December 9,2022, to 188 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release on one count of Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine. The Honorable Judge Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in Fayetteville.
According to court documents, In October of 2021 detectives with the Fourth Judicial District Drug Task Force (DTF) received information that Kacey Derell Jones, age 45, was distributing methamphetamine in the Northwest Arkansas area. Detectives learned that JONES was a parolee with a warrantless search waiver on file.
On October 17, 2021, detectives conducted a controlled purchase of methamphetamine from Jones.
On October 19, 2021, detectives received information that Jones was in possession of a large amount of methamphetamine at his Fayetteville residence. Detectives observed Jones driving his vehicle and requested a Fayetteville Patrol Officer to initiate a traffic stop and to place Jones under arrest for the October 17th controlled purchase.
Jones was arrested and then transported back to his residence where a search was conducted. The search resulted in detectives locating a .40 caliber handgun, as well as four individually packaged bags of methamphetamine with an approximate weight of 115 grams. The drugs were subsequently sent to the Homeland Security Investigations Crime Laboratory where they tested positive for methamphetamine.
Jones later admitted to detectives that the drugs and firearm seized belonged to him.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The Fourth Judicial District Drug Task Force investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David Harris prosecuted 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.
Rogers Woman Sentenced to over 9 Years in Federal Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
FAYETTEVILLE – A Rogers Woman was sentenced today to 110 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release on one count of Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine. The Honorable Judge Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in Fayetteville.
According to court documents, on December 2, 2021, Arkansas State Probation officers, with the assistance of the Rogers Police Department, conducted an unannounced parole home visit on Geneva Ann Bensley, age 34.
Upon entering the motel room where Bensley was residing, Bensley ran to the back of the room and threw a backpack into a corner. Bensley took responsibility for the backpack. A search of the backpack resulted in officers locating multiple baggies containing suspected methamphetamine, and miscellaneous drug paraphernalia.
The suspected methamphetamine was subsequently sent to the Homeland Security Investigations Crime Laboratory where it tested positive for methamphetamine.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The Arkansas State Probation and Parole Office and the Rogers Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sydney Butler prosecuted the case.
Washington County Man Sentenced to over 12 Years in Federal Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
FAYETTEVILLE – A Washington County, Arkansas, man was sentenced today to 151 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release on one count of Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine. The Honorable Judge Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in Fayetteville.
According to court documents, on or about October 22, 2021, an officer with the Tontitown police department initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle operated by Luis Gabriel Cardenas, age 35, for speeding. Cardenas attempted to flee the stop by speeding away and later attempted to crash with the pursuing officer. While attempting to turn a corner at high speed, Cardenas's vehicle overturned.
The officer approached the vehicle but was unable to see Cardenas because of the tinted windows. The officer asked Cardenas if there was a gun in the vehicle to which Cardenas responded "yes." The officer broke the driver's side window to communicate with Cardenas who appeared trapped in the vehicle and injured. The officer asked Cardenas for the location of the gun and Cardenas stated it was in a bag. The officer was able to see a backpack near Cardenas and pulled it from the vehicle.
A search of the backpack revealed a loaded firearm, multiple plastic baggies containing suspected methamphetamine and miscellaneous drug paraphernalia.
The suspected methamphetamine was subsequently sent to the Homeland Security Investigations Crime Laboratory where it tested positive for methamphetamine.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The Tontitown Police Department and the Fourth Judicial District Drug Task Force investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Hunter Bridges prosecuted 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.
Hot Springs Woman Sentenced to 7 Years in Federal Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
HOT SPRINGS – A Hot Springs woman was sentenced today to 84 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release on one count of Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine. The Honorable Chief Judge Susan O. Hickey presided over the sentencing hearing in the U.S. District Court in Hot Springs.
According to court documents, Debra Ellen Hulsey, age 48, was identified by law enforcement to be distributing methamphetamine in Hot Springs, Arkansas area.
Between the months of August 2020 and January 2021, investigators were able to conduct multiple controlled purchases of methamphetamine from Hulsey.
On March 19, 2021, a search warrant was executed at Hulsey's residence. The search resulted in investigators locating approximately 17.7 grams of a mixture or substance that field tested positive for methamphetamine and nine (9) firearms.
Hulsey was arrested and an interview was conducted at the Hot Springs Police Department. Hulsey stated that she first began distributing methamphetamine around 2007 and that she had been distributing, on-average, approximately three (3) to four (4) pounds of methamphetamine per week for the last year prior to her arrest.
The methamphetamine seized and purchased was subsequently submitted to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) laboratory for additional testing.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The Hot Springs Police Department, the 18th East Judicial District Drug Task Force, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations Little Rock, and the 18th East Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney’s Office investigated the case.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Trent Daniels and Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan Achorn prosecuted the case.
This case was prosecuted as 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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Sheridan Man Sentenced to 8 Years in Federal Prison for Distributing Child PornRead the Press Release
FAYETTEVILLE – A Sheridan, Arkansas man was sentenced yesterday to 96 months in prison without the possibility of parole on one count of Distribution of Child Pornography. The Honorable Judge Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearing in the U.S. District Court in Fayetteville.
According to court documents, Joshua Landon Hall, age 30, was identified by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) pursuant to an ongoing child pornography investigation in November 2020. HSI’s investigation showed that Hall had sent child pornography to another user via online social media applications. HSI executed a federal search warrant on Hall’s residence and continued their investigation.
Hall pled guilty to an Information in May 2022.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
Homeland Security Investigations Fayetteville, and the Northwest Arkansas Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Carly Marshall prosecuted the case.
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Bentonville Man Found Guilty of Business Operations and Non-Commercial SolicitingRead the Press Release
HARRISON – A federal magistrate judge convicted a Bentonville man yesterday on one count of engaging in or soliciting business inside a national park without a permit and one count of soliciting money inside a national park without a permit.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, on May 7, 2022, Jeffrey Michael Johnson, age 47, of Bentonville, Arkansas, led a guided hike to an area known as the Eye of the Needle in the Indian Creek area of the Buffalo National River and accepted at least four payments of $20 for the service while in the Kyle’s Landing parking area of the park. The business operation came to light after one of the hikers with the group fell from approximately 15 feet from the path into a pool of water, prompting a search and rescue operation involving the NPS and multiple other area agencies and forty-seven individuals. The hiker was pronounced dead on scene.
Testimony and evidence presented showed that Johnson created and operated an outdoor adventure group known as Arkansas Nature Lovers and hosted a site on Meetup.com as well as regularly posting and operating on Facebook. Johnson advertised membership to his group, which included attendance at as many of his hikes as the member wished, for a $20 annual fee, payable through Paypal, check, or cash at the first event attended. Johnson admitted to Rangers that he had led multiple hikes within the Buffalo National River over an approximate seven-year period. Testimony revealed that Johnson never applied for or received a permit to engage in business within the park or to solicit money within the park. Sentencing in this matter is scheduled for March 7, 2023.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The National Park Service investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Devon Still prosecuted the case.
Berryville Man Sentenced to over 6 Years in Federal Prison for Receipt of Child PornRead the Press Release
FORT SMITH – A Berryville man was sentenced yesterday to 75 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release on one count of Receipt of Child Pornography. The Honorable Judge P.K. Holmes, III presided over the sentencing hearing in the U.S. District Court in Fort Smith.
According to court documents, in January of 2022, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Fayetteville, received a Cyber Tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children which reported that an unknown person was utilizing an account on the Kik Messenger application to upload media files including child pornography. An investigation into the IP addresses and the Kik account information revealed the account owner to be Andrew Cruz Tovar-Reyes, age 20, of Berryville, Arkansas. Tovar-Reyes admitted to receiving child pornography using his Kik account through his cellphone. Berryville Police Department arrested Tovar-Reyes on February 15, 2022.
Tovar-Reyes was indicted by a Grand Jury in April 2022 and pled guilty in June 2022.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
Homeland Security Investigations Fayetteville, the Northwest Arkansas Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force and the Berryville Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carly Marshall and Kyra Jenner prosecuted the case.
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Louisiana Man Sentenced to over 5 Years in Federal Prison for Wire FraudRead the Press Release
FAYETTEVILLE - A New Orleans, La., man was sentenced today to 70 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $19,222.00 in restitution to the victims on one count of Wire Fraud. The Honorable Judge Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in Fayetteville.
According to court documents, on November 5, 2020, Wilbert Adam Theodore, III, age 52, was arrested for forgery in connection with his possession of a stolen U-Haul van at a hotel in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It was determined that he had been using a stolen identity to rent the hotel room and van. In the hotel room, he was found to be in possession of various items used to conduct check fraud, including: three hundred forged checks, over one hundred forged driver’s licenses with the defendant’s photo, a notebook with a list of real social security numbers, and multiple receipts of wire transfers conduct at Walmart.
A subsequent investigation determined that Theodore was a suspect in an ongoing investigation into fraudulent wire transfers conducted at various Walmart locations in Arkansas and other states. Theodore had been using the forged identification cards and the social security numbers of several stolen identities to pass the checks. On November 3, 2020, video surveillance showed Theodore cashing a check for $600 at a Walmart in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The United States Secret Service and Fayetteville Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sydney Butler prosecuted the case for the United States.
Fayetteville Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for the Online Enticement of a MinorRead the Press Release
FAYETTEVILLE – A Fayetteville man was sentenced yesterday to 10 years in prison without the possibility of parole on one count of Online Enticement of a Minor. The Honorable Judge Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearing in the U.S. District Court in Fayetteville.
According to court documents, in July 2020, law enforcement in Texas were notified of a subject, later identified as Bart Thomas Stockland, age 33, who had been in contact with a minor via Snapchat and had been requesting nude images from the minor in exchange for money. Ultimately the case was referred to the Department of Homeland Security Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Further investigation revealed Stockland had obtained nude images constituting child pornography from the minor.
Stockland pled guilty to an information in June of 2022.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The Abilene, Texas Police Department, Fayetteville, Arkansas Police Department and Department of Homeland Security Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Carly Marshall prosecuted the case.
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Bentonville Man Sentenced to 8 Years in Federal Prison for Transportation of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
FAYETTEVILLE – A Bentonville man was sentenced today to 96 months in prison without the possibility of parole on one count of Transportation of Child Pornography. The Honorable Judge Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearing in the U.S. District Court in Fayetteville.
According to court documents, in September 2021, the Rogers Police Department received a Cyber Tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) in reference to suspected child pornography being uploaded to a Google account. Further investigation revealed that the email address associated with the Google account was assigned to Keith Alan Miller, age 36, and that the account contained child pornography belonging to Miller.
Miller was indicted in April of 2022 and entered a plea of guilty in June of 2022.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The Rogers Police Department and the Arkansas Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tyler Williams prosecuted the case.
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Texarkana Physician Found Guilty of Prescribing a Controlled Substance Without a Legitimate Medical PurposeRead the Press Release
TEXARKANA, AR – A federal jury convicted a Texarkana Doctor yesterday on two counts of Distribution of a Schedule II Controlled Substance Without an Effective Prescription and two counts of Distribution of a Schedule V Controlled Substance Without an Effective Prescription.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Little Rock District Office (LRDO), Tactical Diversion and Diversion Groups initiated an investigation into Dr. Lonnie Joseph Parker, age 58, of Texarkana, Arkansas in 2018 after receiving complaints from local law enforcement about a suspected pill mill and possible overdose death of a patient. Investigators analyzed prescription drug monitoring data attributed to Dr. Parker, and the investigation revealed Dr. Parker was an over-prescriber of controlled substances, to include opioids, benzodiazepines, and promethazine with codeine cough syrup in the Texarkana area. In the two-year period analyzed, Dr. Parker prescribed approximately 1.2 million dosage units of opioid pain medications, including oxycodone, hydrocodone and fentanyl, to approximately 1,508 patients (approximately 847 dosage units per patient). Dr. Parker also prescribed approximately 16 gallons of Promethazine with Codeine cough syrup to approximately 29 patients during the same time frame. The prescriptions included narcotics written in combination with sedatives, creating a high risk of addiction and overdose to patients.
Parker is scheduled to be sentenced at a later date and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. He also faces a period of supervised release and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes made the announcement.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Little Rock District Office (LRDO), Tactical Diversion and Diversion Group, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Texarkana Police Department, and the United States Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS).
Assistant United States Attorney Anne Gardner and Assistant United States Attorney Graham Jones prosecuted the case for the United States.
Paving Business Owner Pleads Guilty to Filing False Tax ReturnRead the Press Release
TEXARKANA, AR – An Arkansas man pleaded guilty on October 25, 2022, to filing a false tax return with the IRS on which he did not report all of the income he earned from his business.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Clarence A. Joles, Sr., age 51, of Texarkana, owned Rock Hard Paving, an asphalt paving business, which he operated as a sole proprietorship. Joles admitted that he deposited Rock Hard Paving’s gross receipts into approximately nine different bank accounts, then intentionally withheld from his tax preparer records from some of those accounts. As a result, the tax preparer did not have access to Rock Hard Paving’s true income, and Joles caused a false 2015 personal tax return to be filed with the IRS. In total, Joles did not report more than $1 million in Rock Hard Paving receipts.
Joles is scheduled to be sentenced at a later date and faces a maximum penalty of three years in prison for filing a false tax return. He also faces a period of supervised release, monetary penalties, and restitution. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes for the Western District of Arkansas and Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement.
IRS-Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Assistant Chief Greg Tortella and Trial Attorney Isaiah Boyd, III of the Tax Division are prosecuting the case.
Lavaca Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Health Care Fraud and Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
FORT SMITH – A Lavaca, Arkansas, man plead guilty today to one count of Conspiracy to Commit Healthcare Fraud and one count of Money Laundering. The Honorable Judge Mark E. Ford presided over the hearing in the United States District Court in Fort Smith.
In the plea agreement, Billy Joe Taylor, 43, admitted that from approximately November 2017 through approximately May 2021, he and his co-conspirators submitted and received payment for thousands of Medicare claims totaling millions of dollars for lab tests that had never been ordered by the referring medical provider or performed for the benefit of the beneficiary listed on the claims. The fraudulent claims were submitted on behalf of five clinical labs during the time that they were owned or controlled by Taylor and his co-conspirators, namely, Vitas Laboratory LLC in Barling, Arkansas, Corrlabs LLC in Southern Pines, North Carolina, Nations Laboratory Services LLC in Tecumseh, Oklahoma, Beach Tox LLC in Torrance, California, and Imaginus Diagnostic Laboratory LLC in Spiro, Oklahoma. More than $130 million in Medicare claims were submitted by these labs during the time they were owned or controlled by Taylor and his co-conspirators and Medicare paid approximately $38 million on these claims.
Taylor’s sentencing is expected to take place in approximately four months. Taylor faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for the crimes he plead guilty to. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The FBI, Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation investigated the case.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth Elser of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Arkansas, and Trial Attorney D. Keith Clouser of the Department of Justice National Rapid Response Strike Force are prosecuting the case.
This case was initiated in coordination with the Health Care Fraud Unit’s COVID-19 Interagency Working Group, which is chaired by the National Rapid Response Strike Force and organizes efforts to address illegal activity involving health care programs during the pandemic.
El Dorado Arkansas Group Sentenced to 47 Years Combined in Federal Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
EL DORADO – The final member of a South Arkansas drug trafficking organization was sentenced yesterday to federal prison for the Distribution of Methamphetamine. The Honorable Chief Judge Susan O. Hickey presided over the sentencing hearings for the United States District Court in El Dorado.
According to court documents, beginning in February of 2019, investigators with the 13th Judicial District Drug Task Force, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) initiated an investigation into a drug trafficking organization operating out of the El Dorado Division of the Western District of Arkansas. During the course of that investigation, Pharell Jackson and his drug trafficking organization were identified by investigators to be responsible for distributing large quantities of methamphetamine from Magnolia, Arkansas, to other locales in the Western District of Arkansas and the Eastern District of Arkansas.
Those members of the drug trafficking organization indicted federally have been sentenced as follows:
Pharell Bronse Jackson: age 32, El Dorado, Arkansas - Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine – 168 months imprisonment and 3-year term of supervised release.
Michael Fitzgerald Williams Jr.: age 31, North Little Rock, Arkansas - Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine - 120 months imprisonment and 3-year term of supervised release.
Gary Bernard Green II: age 33, Camden, Arkansas - Distribution of Methamphetamine -168 months imprisonment and 3-year term of supervised release.
Jacovas Deonta Mitchell: age 32, El Dorado, Arkansas – Knowing and Intentionally Distributing Methamphetamine – 108 months imprisonment and 3-year term of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The 13th Judicial District Drug Task Force, the Drug Enforcement Administration Little Rock, and the FBI investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Benjamin Wulff, Graham Jones, and Steven Mohlhenrich prosecuted the case for 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.
Arkansas Mother and Daughter Sentenced to Seven Years Combined in Federal Prison for Bank Fraud, Identity Theft and Theft of Government FundsRead the Press Release
FORT SMITH – A Fort Smith mother and daughter were sentenced today to a combined sentencing of seven years in federal prison and ordered to pay $53,000.00 in restitution for Bank Fraud, Identity Theft and Theft of Government Funds. Amanda Komp, 39, was sentenced to 4 years in prison while Tammy McCullough, 58, was sentenced to 3 years in prison. The Honorable Judge P.K. Holmes, III presided over the sentencing hearing in the U.S. District Court in Fort Smith.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Komp worked as Housing Manager at Fort Chaffee from approximately 2014 to September 2019. Komp’s duties included processing payments from funds belonging to the United States government held in the Fort Chaffee billeting fund checking account at Regions Bank. The approval process for expenditures from this account required Komp to obtain the signatures of two members of the Fort Chaffee Lodging Advisory Council on purchase requests and checks payable from the billeting fund account.
From on or about December 26, 2017, to on or about September 3, 2019, sixty-eight checks totaling $53,000 were issued and paid from the Fort Chaffee billeting fund account at Regions Bank for furniture moving services claimed to have been provided to Fort Chaffee by Triple M Enterprises, a company owned by Komp’s mother, Tammy McCullough. Several of the checks and purchase orders contained forged signatures and the furniture moving services for which the checks were issued were not provided as claimed in invoices submitted by Triple M Enterprises.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The FBI investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney’s Kenneth Elser and Bryan Achorn prosecuted the case.
Tulsa Man Sentenced to over 8 Years in Federal Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
FAYETTEVILLE – A Tulsa, Oklahoma man was sentenced today to 100 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release on one count of Distribution of Heroin. The Honorable Judge Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in Fayetteville.
According to court documents, detectives with the Benton County Drug Unit and 4th Judicial District Drug Task Force received information that Jeremy Burns Dodson, age 43, was distributing heroin in the Northwest Arkansas area. Beginning in the month of November of 2020, detectives conducted multiple controlled purchases of heroin from Dodson.
The heroin purchased was tested by the Arkansas State Crime laboratory and was confirmed to be heroin.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The Benton County Drug Unit and the 4th Judicial District Drug Task Force investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Eaton prosecuted the case.
Hot Springs Man Sentenced to over 12 Years in Federal Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
HOT SPRINGS – A Hot Springs man was sentenced yesterday to 151 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release on one count of Distribution of Methamphetamine. The Honorable Chief Judge Susan O. Hickey presided over the sentencing hearing in the U.S. District Court in Hot Springs.
According to court documents, in July of 2020, detectives with the 18th East Judicial Drug Task Force received information that Richard Allen Stapleton (aka Ricky), age 46, was trafficking large quantities of methamphetamine in Garland County. Later that month, detectives were able to conduct multiple controlled purchases of methamphetamine from Stapleton.
The methamphetamine was tested by the Drug Enforcement Administration laboratory and confirmed to be pure methamphetamine.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The 18th East Judicial District Drug Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations Little Rock, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the 18th East Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney’s Office investigated the case investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David Harris prosecuted the case.
California Man Sentenced to over Seven Years in Federal Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
HOT SPRINGS – A California man was sentenced today to 87 months in prison followed by four years of supervised release on one count of Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance Methamphetamine. The Honorable Chief Judge Susan O. Hickey presided over the sentencing hearing in the U.S. District Court in Hot Springs.
According to court documents, on or about March 16, 2021, Troopers with the Arkansas State Police (ASP) initiated a traffic stop on a passenger vehicle operated by Uriel Ramirez-Manzanares, age 40. After determining that Manzanares did not have a valid driver’s license, a vehicle inventory was conducted prior to the vehicle being towed. The inventory resulted in Troopers locating and seizing a black bag that contained suspected narcotics and a blue bag that contained approximately $11,084.00 of United States currency. The ASP Troopers subsequently requested the assistance of agents from the 18th East Drug Task Force. During an interview with Manzanares, he admitted that he knew the vehicle contained narcotics and that he was aware of the presence of the United States Currency. Further, Manzanares stated that he was in-route to Hot Springs, Arkansas, to deliver the narcotics and money to an area drug dealer. Further, Manzanares also advised that he had delivered drugs to the Hot Springs area on at least two (2) previous occasions.
One package of suspected narcotics was determined to be 420.94 grams of pure methamphetamine by the Drug Enforcement Administration Laboratory. The other packages of narcotics were submitted to the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory and determined to be approximately 214 grams of Fentanyl.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The Arkansas State Police, the 18th East Judicial District Drug Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations Little Rock, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the 18th East Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney’s Office investigated the case investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan Achorn prosecuted the case.
Hot Springs Man Sentenced to Seven Years in Federal Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
HOT SPRINGS – A Hot Springs man was sentenced today to 84 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release on one count of Distribution of Methamphetamine. The Honorable Chief Judge Susan O. Hickey presided over the sentencing hearing in the U.S. District Court in Hot Springs.
According to court documents, in July of 2019, detectives with the 18th East Judicial Drug Task Force received information that Lee Kelly Cargile, age 36, was trafficking large quantities of methamphetamine in Garland County. Later that month, detectives were able to conduct multiple controlled purchases of methamphetamine from Cargile.
The methamphetamine was tested by the Drug Enforcement Administration laboratory and confirmed to be pure methamphetamine.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The 18th East Judicial District Drug Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations Little Rock, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the 18th East Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney’s Office investigated the case investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan Achorn and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (SAUSA) Trent Daniels prosecuted the case.
Harrison Man Sentenced to 7 Years in Federal Prison for Possession of Child PornRead the Press Release
FORT SMITH – A Harrison man was sentenced yesterday to 84 months in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release on one count of Receipt of Child Pornography. The Honorable Judge P.K. Holmes, III presided over the sentencing hearing in the U.S. District Court in Fayetteville.
According to court documents, in April of 2021, the Harrison Police Department received a Cyber Tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children which reported that an unknown person was utilizing an account on the Kik Messenger application to upload media files including child pornography. An investigation into the IP addresses and the Kik account information revealed the account owner to be Christopher Scott Hafar, age 46, of Harrison, Arkansas. Harrison officers arrested Hafar on July 21, 2021, and Hafar later admitted to receiving child pornography using his Kik account through his cellphone.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
Harrison Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations Fayetteville, and the Northwest Arkansas Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Devon Still prosecuted the case.
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Springdale Man Sentenced to 13 Years in Federal Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
FAYETTEVILLE – A Springdale man was sentenced today to 156 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release on one count of Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine. The Honorable Judge Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in Fayetteville.
According to court documents, on October 19, 2021, detectives with the Fourth Judicial District Drug Task Force (DTF) received information that Ronnie Wayne Cain, age 51, was in possession of a large quantity of methamphetamine and that Cain had a search waiver on file.
Later that day, detectives conducted surveillance at Cains residence. As the garage door opened, detectives observed Cain standing in the garage. Detectives made contact with Cain in the garage and identified themselves as law enforcement.
A parole search of the residence resulted in detectives locating approximately 200 grams of methamphetamine, a set of digital scales, three additional containers of methamphetamine, packaging materials and utensils, a drug ledger, two loaded firearms and $2,410.00 in U.S. currency. Cain, a multi-convicted felon, was out on bond for a similar arrest at the time of the offense.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The Fourth Judicial District Drug Task Force investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David Harris prosecuted 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.
Fayetteville Man Sentenced to over 10 Years in Federal Prison for Drug Trafficking and Firearms PossessionRead the Press Release
FAYETTEVILLE – A Fayetteville man was sentenced yesterday to 126 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release on one count of Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance Methamphetamine and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Offense. The Honorable Judge Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in Fayetteville.
According to court documents, during the months of June and July 2021, detectives with the Fourth Judicial District Drug Task Force (DTF) conducted multiple controlled purchases of methamphetamine from David Damarion Sims, age 25, in Washington County.
On July 9, 2021, detectives with the DTF were conducting surveillance at one of Sims' residences. Detectives observed Sims and an unknown female exit the residence and Sims was carrying a backpack. He got into the passenger seat of the vehicle and left the area.
Officers with the Fayetteville Police Department were in the area and were requested to initiate a traffic stop on Sims and arrest him on the felony distribution charges. When Officers attempted to stop the vehicle, Sims exited the vehicle and fled the area on foot.
Officers pursued Sims on foot and observed him discard the backpack he was carrying. Officers caught Sims and arrested him. Sims was in possession of approximately 58.7 grams of methamphetamine separated into three individual baggies, approximately 19.4 grams of marijuana, and two stolen firearms.
Detectives with the DTF conducted a search warrant at one of Sims' residences. During a search of the residence, detectives located an additional 29 grams of methamphetamine, a digital scale, $10,410.00 US Currency, DTF buy funds, approximately 2 strips of LSD ,5 unknown pills, and 2 spent shell casings located in the residence.
A search was also conducted at a second residence of Sims. That search yielded a baggie containing multiple rounds of ammunition, and a digital scale with methamphetamine residue.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The Fourth Judicial District Drug Task Force and the Fayetteville Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David Harris prosecuted 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.
Fort Smith Man Sentenced to over 9 Years in Federal Prison for Firearms PossessionRead the Press Release
FORT SMITH – A Fort Smith man was sentenced today to 110 months in federal prison followed by three years supervised release on one count of Being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm. The Honorable Judge P.K. Holmes, III, presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in Fort Smith.
According to court documents, on November 6, 2021, a Fort Smith, Arkansas, Police Department patrol officer on routine patrol observed a Chrysler 300 turn off Rogers Avenue and park behind a closed business. Dustin Elijah Wells, age 30, and two others got out of the vehicle and began walking past closed storefronts. The patrol officer approached Wells and the two other individuals. Wells provided identification to the officer who noted Wells was a State of Arkansas parolee with a valid parole search waiver on file. The officer searched Wells pursuant to the search waiver, found a small quantity of drugs and arrested Wells. Wells, under arrest and handcuffed, fled on foot. He fell and was apprehended. Wells was taken for medical treatment due to injuries he said he suffered when fleeing on foot from the police officer. A search of the vehicle resulted in officers locating a loaded handgun under the steering column of the vehicle.
On December 3, 2021, Fort Smith Police Department detectives received information that Wells was staying at a motel in Fort Smith. Detectives conducted surveillance on a specific room at the motel and approached Wells when they saw him leaving. Wells fled on foot but was apprehended. When Wells was arrested, a loaded handgun fell prom his possession on to the ground. A search of Wells vehicle at the motel, resulted in officers locating a 5.56 millimeter/.223 caliber rifle.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The Fort Smith Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyra Jenner prosecuted 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.
Former Police Officer Sentenced to 144 Months in Federal Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
FAYETTEVILLE – A Huntsville man was sentenced today to 144 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release on one count of Distribution of Methamphetamine. The Honorable Judge Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in Fayetteville.
According to court documents, In March of 2021, the Fourth Judicial District Drug Task Force (DTF) began investigating a drug trafficking organization operating within the Western District of Arkansas, Fayetteville Division. Through source reporting, investigators learned that the defendant, Skylar Houston, was a member of the organization.
In March of 2021, detectives with the DTF conducted two separate controlled purchases of methamphetamine from Houston. On April 1, 2021, detectives arrested Houston and located a firearm in his possession. That day, detectives executed a search warrant at Houston’s residence in Johnson. During execution of the search warrant, detectives seized over 7 pounds of methamphetamine, approximately 4 pounds of marijuana, 1,485 Xanax pills, LSD, mushrooms and steroids. Two additional firearms were also seized during execution of the warrant. The drugs were locked in a safe for future distribution by the organization.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The Fourth Judicial District Drug Task Force investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David Harris prosecuted 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.
Wynne Arkansas Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Possession of Child PornRead the Press Release
FAYETTEVILLE – A Wynne, Arkansas man was sentenced yesterday to 180 months in prison without the possibility of parole on one count of Receipt of Child Pornography. The Honorable Judge Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearing in the U.S. District Court in Fayetteville.
According to court documents, in January 2020 Special Agents identified suspected child pornography that was being made available through a peer-to-peer program from an IP address in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Law enforcement executed a search warrant on the residence associated with the IP address in February 2020. Michael Billy Whitehead, age 35, was present at the residence on the day of the search warrant. Forensic examination of the devices seized from Whitehead’s residence yielded images and videos of child sexual abuse material. Whitehead was previously convicted of Receipt of Child Pornography in 2013 out of the Western District of Arkansas.
A Grand Jury indicted Whitehead in November 2021. Whitehead entered a plea of guilty in March 2022.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
Homeland Security Investigations Fayetteville, and the Northwest Arkansas Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Carly Marshall prosecuted the case.
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Magnolia Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
EL DORADO – A Magnolia man was sentenced today to 120 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for distributing methamphetamine in Columbia County. The Honorable Chief Judge Susan O. Hickey presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in El Dorado.
According to court documents, in June 2019, agents and investigators with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, and 13th Judicial Drug Task Force (DTF) initiated an investigation into the distribution of methamphetamine in Colombia County by Eddie Dean McBride Jr., age 50.
On June 20, 2019, investigators conducted a controlled purchase of methamphetamine form McBride in Columbia County.
The suspected methamphetamine was sent to the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Crime Lab, were it tested positive for methamphetamine.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, and 13th Judicial Drug Task Force (DTF) investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Graham Jones prosecuted the case.
Springdale Man Sentenced to over 27 Years in Federal Prison for Drug Trafficking and Firearms PossessionRead the Press Release
FAYETTEVILLE – A Springdale man was sentenced yesterday to 330 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release and ordered to pay $10,000.00 in fines on one count of Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Offense. The Honorable Judge Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in Fayetteville.
“The increase in violent crime in the Western District of Arkansas is directly tied to dangerous drug traffickers who use firearms in furtherance of their drug distribution,” said United States Attorney David Clay Fowlkes. “Our office is determined to reduce violent crime in the Western District of Arkansas by using Project Safe Neighborhoods and OCDETF to target violent drug traffickers with lengthy criminal records. We will continue to work with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to identify, investigate, and prosecute these dangerous criminals who distribute drugs in our communities and who use firearms and threaten violence to advance their distribution activities.”
According to court documents, In October 2018, the FBI initiated an investigation into Antonio Hernandez, age 36, while he was incarcerated in the Arkansas Department of Correction, Varner Supermax. The investigation revealed that Hernandez was utilizing a contraband cell phone to operate a drug trafficking organization, which was distributing large amounts of methamphetamine into Northwest Arkansas from the Mexican border. Hernandez was released from the Department of Correction in September of 2021.
On October 18, 2021, while conducting surveillance, detectives with the Fourth Judicial District Drug Task Force observed a known vehicle frequently used by Hernandez leave an apartment complex near his residence. Detectives visually confirmed Hernandez to be the driver of the vehicle. Detectives followed and made contact with Hernandez as he exited the vehicle. Detectives approached and identified themselves as police. During the contact with Hernandez, he was asked if he had any weapons on his person. Hernandez advised he had a gun in his waistband. As one of the detectives was removing the firearm, Hernandez stated, "I've got something else in my pocket." As the detective reached into his pocket to remove some flex-cuffs, Hernandez darted to his left and attempted to flee. He broke free momentarily, but detectives were able to quickly regain control. Hernandez was detained in handcuffs and subsequently searched.
A search of Hernandez's vehicle was conducted. During the search detectives located a backpack containing a box of ammunition and two baggies containing a distribution amount of methamphetamine. In addition, a second loaded magazine for the firearm Hernandez had on his person was found under the driver's seat. In a post-Miranda interview Hernandez advised the detective he had the firearm "for protection."
Hernandez was arrested and taken to the Washington County Detention Center where he has been detained. According to court documents, Hernandez continued to operate his drug trafficking organization from the detention center by using the jail’s phone system.
In addition to the firearm, the United States District Court also held Hernandez accountable for the distribution of 30 kilograms of methamphetamine.
The Fourth Judicial District Drug Task Force and the FBI investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David Harris prosecuted the case.
This case was prosecuted as 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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
This effort is also part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Hot Springs Man Sentenced to 18 Years in Federal Prison for Drug and Firearms PossessionRead the Press Release
HOT SPRINGS – A Hot Springs man was sentenced today to 216 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release on one count of Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Offense. The Honorable Chief Judge Susan O. Hickey presided over the sentencing hearing in the U.S. District Court in Hot Springs.
According to court documents, on February 26, 2019, the Hot Springs Police Department (HSPD) received a complaint concerning a vehicle attempting to ram another vehicle. A HSPD Officer responded to the area and was able to observe the vehicle and the altercation. A traffic stop was initiated on the vehicle at that time.
The driver of the vehicle was identified as Ralph Andrew Stevens, age 37. Stevens was questioned and ultimately determined to be on parole through the state of Arkansas. Stevens was searched and officers located a clear drug pipe with white residue in his jacket pocket. Stevens was placed in custody at this time.
A search of Stevens vehicle resulted in officers locating two (2) loaded firearms, approximately 163 grams of suspected marijuana, approximately 101.8 grams of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia. Officers also located and seized $3,916.00 in United States currency.
The suspected methamphetamine was tested by the Drug Enforcement Administration laboratory and confirmed to be not less than 93.56 grams of pure methamphetamine.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The Hot Springs Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan Achorn prosecuted the case.
This case was prosecuted as 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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
This effort is also part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Career Offender Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison for Firearms ViolationRead the Press Release
FAYETTEVILLE – A Fayetteville man was sentenced today to 240 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release on one count of Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Offense. The Honorable Judge Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in Fayetteville.
According to court documents, in January of 2021, law enforcement officers made contact with Troy Dale Franklin, 39, after he ran a stop sign in a stolen vehicle. The vehicle was searched, and officers located a distribution amount of methamphetamine, cocaine, and marijuana. In addition, Franklin was in possession of a loaded pistol, after having been convicted of multiple felony offenses. Franklin was arrested and released on bond the same day. In February and March of 2021, detectives with the Fourth Judicial District Drug Task Force (DTF) made a series of controlled purchases of methamphetamine from Franklin in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
After the last purchase, Franklin was arrested by detectives and searched. The search resulted in detectives locating and recovering DTF buy money. A search of Franklin’s vehicle resulted in detectives locating, approximately 269 grams of methamphetamine, a loaded handgun and drug paraphernalia. Franklin was also in possession of $2,093.00 dollars cash, which was seized by detectives. Under Federal law, Franklin is considered a Career Criminal, subject to enhanced penalties.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The Fourth Judicial District Drug Task Force investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David Harris prosecuted the case.
This case was prosecuted as 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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
Arkansas Couple Sentenced to Federal Prison for Social Security FraudRead the Press Release
FORT SMITH – A Fort Smith husband and wife were sentenced today to federal prison for Theft of Government Funds and Aiding and Abetting. The Honorable Judge P.K. Holmes, III, presided over the sentencing hearings in the United States District Court in Fort Smith.
Stephen Wayne Schwartz, age 55, was sentenced to 6 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release and Rebekah Jolea Schwartz, age 44, was sentenced to 6 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. They were ordered to pay restitution, jointly and severally, to the Social Security Administration in the amount of 167,756.60.
“The Social Security Administration is set up to make funds available to those who are truly in need because of a disability. However, through their criminal conduct, Mr. and Mrs. Schwartz lined their own pockets with this money that was intended to help those with legitimate disabilities,” said United States Attorney David Clay Fowlkes. “Our office will continue to pursue fraud cases such as this one and will continue to seek to protect programs like this, which are designed to help some of the most vulnerable members of our society.”
“Stephen and Rebekah Schwartz conspired to defraud the Social Security Administration (SSA). By misrepresenting Mr. Schwartz as having a disabling condition that prevented him from working -- although he had steady employment – their fraudulent scheme caused SSA to pay Mr. Schwartz more than $167,000 that he was not entitled to receive,” said Gail S. Ennis Inspector General for the Social Security Administration. “Today’s sentence demonstrates that my office will continue to hold people accountable when they defraud SSA’s programs for personal gain.” Inspector General Ennis thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office for its support of this investigation and its efforts to bring these individuals to justice and recover taxpayer funds.
According to court documents, Stephen Wayne Schwartz began receiving Social Security Administration Title II Disability Insurance benefits in 2000. In 2010, the Social Security Administration informed Stephen Wayne Schwartz he was no longer entitled to Social Security Administration disability insurance payments, due to his employment and income.
In November 2012, the Social Security Administration reinstated Stephen Wayne Schwartz’s disability insurance payments based in part on his report that he was no longer working. He was instructed to tell the Social Security Administration if he returned to work, or his disabling medical condition improved.
In 2015, while receiving Social Security Administration disability insurance payments, Stephen Wayne Schwartz worked as a school bus driver. He did not report his job and earnings to the Social Security Administration. When the Social Security Administration learned about his school bus driver job and income, Stephen Wayne Schwartz’s disability insurance payments were stopped.
On June 15, 2016, Stephen Wayne Schwartz, aided and abetted by his wife Rebekah Jolea Schwartz, submitted a document asking the Social Security Administration to reinstate his disability insurance payments. The couple claimed Stephen Wayne Schwartz’s current medical condition prevented him from working. At the time the couple made the reinstatement request, Stephen Wayne Schwartz was working as a driver for a roofing company. The money he earned from the roofing company was paid directly to Rebekah Jolea Schwartz to hide his income from the Social Security Administration.
On July 13, 2016, Stephen Wayne Schwartz signed a document filled out by Rebekah Jolea Schwartz that claimed Stephen Wayne Schwartz could not “drive a big truck, keep log books, follow map/directions . . . carry on a conversation, count, concentrate, [and] follow instructions . . . .” Stephen Wayne Schwartz claimed the information was true. At the time Stephen Wayne Schwartz signed the document, he was working as a driver for a roofing company, counting roofing materials for delivery and pick up, and following his employer’s delivery and pick-up instructions.
In 2017, the Social Security Administration reinstated Stephen Wayne Schwartz’s disability insurance benefits from 2016 forward. The decision to reinstate benefits was based, in some part, upon information provided by the couple.
On April 8, 2020, Stephen Wayne Schwartz and Rebekah Jolea Schwartz completed a form entitled “Work Activity Report – Employee” to determine whether Stephen Wayne Schwartz should continue getting disability benefit payments. The couple reported that Stephen Wayne Schwartz’s job was Justice of the Peace. The pay was listed as $224 per week with “zero hours” worked per week “on average.”
On February 22, 2021, the Social Security Administration, having learned that Stephen Wayne Schwartz had worked for a roofing company in 2016 and a marble and granite company, determined Stephen Wayne Schwartz was not eligible for disability payments for the period of June 2016 through and including February 2021. In response, Rebekah Jolea Schwartz told the Fort Smith Social Security Administration Office that her husband had never worked for a roofing company. Rebekah Jolea Schwartz subsequently gave documentation to the Social Security Administration claiming she was the one who had earned income from the roofing company.
On July 6, 2021, Stephen Wayne Schwartz and Rebekah Jolea Schwartz appeared in person at the Fort Smith Social Security Administration Office to ask about the status of Stephen Wayne Schwartz’s disability benefits payments.
Investigators from the Office of the Inspector General for the Social Security Administration were present when the couple arrived. Stephen Wayne Schwartz gave a voluntary statement to investigators and confessed he had committed fraud. Rebekah Jolea Schwartz gave a voluntary statement to investigators. She admitted to completing the June 2016 “Expedited Reinstatement Request” form the same month her husband began working for the roofing company.
The loss to the Social Security Administration resulting from the couple’s criminal conduct, for the period of June 2016 through and including July 2021, was $167,756.60.
The Office of the Inspector General for the Social Security Administration investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyra Jenner prosecuted the case.
Fayetteville Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Federal Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
FAYETTEVILLE – A Fayetteville man was sentenced yesterday to 300 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release on one count of Aiding and Abetting the Possession with Intent to Distribute more than 500 grams of Methamphetamine. The Honorable Judge Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in Fayetteville.
According to court documents, In March of 2021, the Fourth Judicial District Drug Task Force (DTF) began investigating a drug trafficking organization operating within the Western District of Arkansas, Fayetteville Division. Through source reporting, investigators learned that Michael Scott Southerland, age 33, was the leader of the organization and was supplying narcotics to other members of the organization for distribution. As the investigation continued the DTF was able to make several purchases of methamphetamine from members of the organization.
On April 1, 2021, detectives with the DTF executed a search warrant at the residence of a co-conspirator. During execution of the warrant, detectives located over seven pounds of methamphetamine stored in safes for future distribution, as well as numerous firearms.
On May 18, 2021, detectives executed a search warrant at Southerland's residence, as well as the residence of one of his co-conspirators. The residences, which were adjacent to each other, were located near a school. During execution of the warrants, detectives located approximately 2.8 pounds of methamphetamine, numerous firearms, $10,366.00 in U.S. currency, and a drug ledger.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The Fourth Judicial District Drug Task Force investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David Harris prosecuted the case.
Hot Springs Man Sentenced to over 17 Years in Federal Prison for Drug Trafficking and Firearms PossessionRead the Press Release
HOT SPRINGS – A Hot Springs man was sentenced today to a total of 211 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release on one count of Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine and one count of Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Offense. The Honorable Chief Judge Susan O. Hickey presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in Hot Springs.
In June of 2019, agents with the Arkansas State Police and detectives from the 18th East Judicial Drug Task Force began an investigation into Antone Nicklaus Costa, age 42, for the distribution of methamphetamine in the Garland County area. Between the dates of June 20, 2019, and July 23, 2019, law enforcement officers conducted several controlled purchases of methamphetamine from Costa.
On September 16, 2019, an Arkansas State Police Trooper made a traffic stop on Costa and took him into custody. A search of his person revealed approximately 4 grams of methamphetamine, 29 suspected Clonazapam tablets and $823.00 dollars in U.S. currency. In the passenger's seat of the vehicle being operated by Costa, the officers observed in plain view, a loaded 9mm handgun.
Costa was transported back to his residence and a search was conducted. The search resulted in officers locating a stolen .45 caliber handgun, an additional handgun, ammunition, and multiple empty baggies.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes made the announcement.
The 18th East Judicial Drug Task Force and the Arkansas State Police investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Harris and Kim Harris prosecuted the case.
This case was prosecuted as 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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
Former University of Arkansas Professor Sentenced to a Year and a Day for Lying to Federal Agents About Patents in ChinaRead the Press Release
An Arkansas man and former University of Arkansas professor was sentenced today to 12 months and a day in prison followed by one year of supervised release on one count of making a false statement to the FBI about the existence of patents for his inventions in the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
According to court documents, Simon Saw-Teong Ang, 64, of Fayetteville, filed 24 patents in the PRC which bear Ang’s name or Chinese birth name. The University of Arkansas, where Ang worked as a professor, required individuals such as Ang to promptly furnish to the university “full and complete” disclosures of inventions, and university policy provided that it, not individual inventors, would own all inventions created by those subject to the policy. This policy was established “in furtherance of the commitment of the university to the widest possible distribution of the benefits of university research, the protection of inventions resulting from such research, and the development of Inventions for the public good.”
Despite this requirement, Ang did not disclose his Chinese patents to the university and, when interviewed by an FBI agent, lied about his involvement in the inventions. Specifically, when asked whether his name would be listed as “the inventor” of numerous patents in China, Ang denied being the inventor, despite knowing he was. In addition, Ang also received numerous talent awards from the PRC government, which he did not list on the university’s annual conflict of interest disclosure forms.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes for the Western District of Arkansas and Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division made the announcement.
The FBI, the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), NASA Office of Inspector General and Air Force Office of Special Investigations investigated the case.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes and Trial Attorney Christine Bonomo from the Department of Justice National Security Division prosecuted the case.
Former University of Arkansas Professor Sentenced to One Year in Federal Prison for Lying to Federal Agents About Patents in ChinaRead the Press Release
FAYETTEVILLE – An Arkansas man and former University of Arkansas Professor was sentenced today to 12 months and a day in prison followed by one year of supervised release on one count of making a false statement to the FBI about the existence of patents for his inventions in the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The Honorable Judge Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in Fayetteville.
According to court documents, Simon Saw-Teong Ang, 65, of Fayetteville, filed 24 patents in the People’s Republic of China bear Ang’s name or Chinese birth name. The University of Arkansas, where Ang worked as a professor, required individuals such as Ang to promptly furnish to the University “full and complete” disclosures of inventions, and University policy provided that it, not individual inventors, would own all inventions created by those subject to the policy. This policy was established “in furtherance of the commitment of the University to the widest possible distribution of the benefits of University Research, the protection of Inventions resulting from such research, and the development of Inventions for the public good.”
Despite this requirement, Ang did not disclose his Chinese patents to the university and, when interviewed by an FBI agent, lied about his involvement in the inventions. Specifically, when asked whether his name would be listed as “the inventor” of numerous patents in China, Ang denied being the inventor, despite knowing he was. In addition, Ang also received numerous talent awards from the PRC government, which he did not list on the university’s annual conflict of interest disclosure forms.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas, Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division and FBI Little Rock Special Agent in Charge James A. Dawson made the announcement.
The FBI, the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), NASA Office of Inspector General and Air Force Office of Special Investigations investigated the case.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Arkansas and Trial Attorney Christine Bonomo from the Department of Justice National Security Division prosecuted the case.
Arkansas Man Sentenced to 50 Years in Federal Prison for Sexual Exploitation of A MinorRead the Press Release
FAYETTEVILLE – A Tontitown man was sentenced today to 600 months in prison without the possibility of parole on two counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor via Production of Child Pornography. The Honorable Judge Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearing in the U.S. District Court in Fayetteville.
According to court documents, in July 2021 Agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigations received a lead regarding the exchange of child sexual abuse material between an individual in Florida with a user located in Tontitown, Arkansas. The investigation led the FBI to Joshua Paul Brown, 32.
A residential search warrant was obtained and executed at Brown’s residence. Subsequent forensic examination of the electronics taken from Brown’s residence revealed Brown had produced multiple videos of child sexual abuse material with a minor.
Brown was indicted by a Grand Jury in the Western District of Arkansas in November 2021 and entered a plea of guilty in February 2022.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The FBI, Benton County Sheriff’s Office and Tontitown Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Carly Marshall prosecuted the case.
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Hot Springs Man Sentenced to 27 Months for Pandemic Funds FraudRead the Press Release
Hot Springs, Arkansas – David Clay Fowlkes, United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, announced that on May 26, 2022, James Heritage, 39 of Hot Springs, Arkansas, was sentenced to 27 months in prison and ordered to pay $469,082.73 in restitution after pleading guilty to two counts relating to fraud committed against the United States Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and numerous state unemployment benefits administrators.
According to plea documents in the case, Heritage applied for and received a PPP loan for $183,937.32, using falsified employee and payroll data. In addition, Heritage applied for and received Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, a supplemental form of unemployment benefits, from thirty different states, by falsely representing to those states’ benefits administrators that he was eligible for the benefits.
Both the Paycheck Protection Program and Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program are parts of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, a federal law passed in March 2020, designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans who are suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The case was investigated by the Department of Labor Office of the Investigator General, the Federal Bureau of Investigations, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Small Business Administration Office of the Inspector General. Assistant United States Attorney Hunter Bridges prosecuted the case for the United States.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department's response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice's National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Former Reality Television Personality Sentenced to 151 Months in Federal Prison for Downloading Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
FAYETTEVILLE – A Springdale man was sentenced today to 151 months in prison without the possibility of parole on one count of Receiving Material Depicting Minors Engaged in Sexually Explicit Conduct. The Honorable Judge Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearing in the U.S. District Court in Fayetteville.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Joshua James Duggar, 34, of Springdale, repeatedly downloaded and viewed images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children, including images of prepubescent children and depictions of sadistic abuse. Duggar, a former reality television personality who appeared with his family on the TLC series 19 Kids and Counting, installed a password-protected partition on the hard drive of his desktop computer at his used car lot in Springdale to avoid pornography-detecting software on the device. He then accessed the partition to download child sexual abuse material from the internet multiple times over the course of three days in May 2019. The password for the partition was the same one he used for other personal and family accounts. Duggar downloaded the material using the dark web and online file-sharing software, viewed it, and then removed it from his computer.
Law enforcement in Arkansas detected Duggar’s activity during an undercover investigation involving the online file-sharing program, subsequently searched his car lot in November 2019, and seized Duggar’s desktop computer as well as other evidence. Significant evidence was found that pointed to Duggar’s presence at the times of the offenses, including pictures that Duggar took on his phone that geolocated at or near the car lot. Duggar also sent multiple timestamped text messages to various individuals that indicated he was at the car lot at the relevant times; the messages were sent, and the iPhone pictures were created, at times within minutes of when the child sexual abuse material was downloaded or displayed on the desktop computer. Additionally, he was the only paid employee on the lot at those times.
On December 9th, 2021, a federal jury in the Western District of Arkansas convicted Duggar of receiving and possessing material depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
Homeland Security Investigations Fayetteville, Arkansas, the Arkansas Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce, the Little Rock Police Department, and the High Technology Investigative Unit of the Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carly Marshall and Dustin Roberts of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Arkansas and Trial Attorney William G. Clayman of CEOS prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Related court documents may be found on the Public Access to Electronic Records website @ www.pacer.gov. Western District of Arkansas case number 5:21 CR 50014
U.s. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes Recognizes Police WeekRead the Press Release
FORT SMITH— In honor of National Police Week, U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes recognizes the service and sacrifice of federal, state, local, and Tribal law enforcement. This year, the week is observed Wednesday, May 11 through Tuesday, May 17, 2022.
“This week, we gather to pay tribute to the law enforcement officers who sacrificed their lives in service to our country,” said Attorney General Garland. “We remember the courage with which they worked and lived. And we recommit ourselves to the mission to which they dedicated their lives. On behalf of a grateful Justice Department and a grateful nation, I extend my sincerest thanks and gratitude to the entire law enforcement community.”
“The profession of serving as a police officer has faced unprecedented challenges over the last year,” said U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes. “These challenges include a rising tide of drug trafficking, directly accompanied by a dramatic increase in violent crime. Our police officers have also faced numerous challenges associated with a global pandemic. We are extremely fortunate in the Western District of Arkansas to have some of the most dedicated, trustworthy, and competent law enforcement officers in the United States. The law enforcement officers in Western Arkansas have met each one of these unprecedented challenges with the dedication and sacrifice that we too often take for granted. It is with great respect and deep admiration for their service that we take this opportunity to express our thanks and deepest gratitude for all that they do on our behalf.”
In 1962, President Kennedy issued the first proclamation for Peace Officers Memorial Day and National Police Week to remember and honor law enforcement officers for their service and sacrifices. Peace Officers Memorial Day, which every year falls on May 15, specifically honors law enforcement officers killed or disabled in the line of duty. Based on data submitted to and analyzed by the National Law Enforcement Officer Memorial Fund (NLEOMF), 472 law enforcement officers died nationwide in the line of duty in 2021. Of that number, 319 succumbed to COVID-19.
Additionally, according to 2021 statistics reported by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) through the Law Enforcement Officer Killed and Assaulted (LEOKA) Program, 73 law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty in 2021 were killed as a result of felonious acts, whereas 56 died in accidents. Deaths resulting from felonious acts increased in 2021, rising more than 58 percent from the previous year. In 2021, unprovoked attacks[i] were the cause of 24 deaths significantly outpacing all other line of duty deaths resulting from felony acts and reaching the highest annual total in over 30 years of reporting. Additional LEOKA statistics can be found on FBI’s Crime Data Explorer website for the LEOKA program.
The names of the 619 fallen officers added this year to the wall at the National Law Enforcement Officer Memorial will be read on Friday, May 13, 2022, during a Candlelight Vigil in Washington, D.C., starting at 8:00 PM EDT. Those who wish to view the vigil live online, can watch on the NLEOMF YouTube channel found at https://www.youtube.com/TheNLEOMF. The schedule of National Police Week events is available on NLEOMF’s website.
total in over 30 years of reporting. Additional LEOKA statistics can be found on FBI’s Crime Data Explorer website for the LEOKA program.
The names of the 619 fallen officers added this year to the wall at the National Law Enforcement Officer Memorial will be read on Friday, May 13, 2022, during a Candlelight Vigil in Washington, D.C., starting at 8:00 PM EDT. Those who wish to view the vigil live online, can watch on the NLEOMF YouTube channel found at https://www.youtube.com/TheNLEOMF. The schedule of National Police Week events is available on NLEOMF’s website.
[i][i] An unprovoked attack is defined as an attack on an officer not prompted by official contact at the time of the incident between the officer and the offender. Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) through the Law Enforcement Officer Killed and Assaulted (LEOKA) Program.
Rogers Man Sentenced to 60 Years in Federal Prison for Aggravated Sexual Abuse and Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
FAYETTEVILLE – A Rogers man was sentenced today to 60 years in prison without the possibility of parole on one count of Production of Child Pornography and one count of Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Minor. The Honorable Judge Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearing in the U.S. District Court in Fayetteville.
According to court documents, in July 2020, Rogers Police Department received a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) regarding a Snapchat user that was uploading child sexual abuse material. The investigation led police to Michael Henderson LeClaire, 34, of Rogers, Arkansas. Results of search warrants conducted on LeClaire’s residence and electronics, showed LeClaire had produced videos of child sexual abuse material involving multiple minors. Multiple videos showed LeClaire sexually abusing an approximately 5-year-old male, 5-year-old female, and a 2-year-old male. Further, the investigation showed LeClaire had traveled across state lines to engage in sexual acts with two of the minors.
LeClaire was indicted by a Grand Jury in the Western District in July 2021 and entered a plea of guilty in November 2021.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The Rogers Police Department and the Arkansas Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tyler Williams prosecuted the case for the United States.
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Hot Springs Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Federal Prison for Sexual Exploitation of A MinorRead the Press Release
HOT SPRINGS – Bradley Fields, age 40, was sentenced today to a total of 30 years in prison without the possibility of parole on one count of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor via the Production of Child Pornography and one count of Distribution of Child Pornography. Fields was also ordered to be placed on Supervised Release for the remainder of his life upon his release from federal prison. The Honorable Chief Judge Susan O. Hickey presided over the sentencing hearing in the U.S. District Court in Hot Springs.
According to court records, in July of 2019 the Hot Springs Police Department received a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) in reference to suspected child pornography being uploaded to the internet. Further investigation revealed that the internet account associated with the suspected child porn was registered to Fields. The subsequent investigation determined that not only had Fields been distributing child pornography, but Fields had also been involved in the filming of at least one (1) video that constituted child pornography.
Fields was indicted by a Grand Jury in the Western District of Arkansas in November of 2019 and entered a plea of guilty in June of 2020.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The Hot Springs Police Department and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan Achorn prosecuted the case for the United States.
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Convicted Felon Sentenced to over 7 Years in Federal Prison for Firearms PossessionRead the Press Release
HOT SPRINGS – A Hot Springs man was sentenced yesterday to 92 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release on one count of being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm. The Honorable Chief Judge Susan O. Hickey presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in Hot Springs.
According to court documents, on September 4, 2020, a Hot Springs Police Officer observed a sports bike traveling at a high rate of speed and weaving in and out of traffic in Hot Springs, Arkansas. When Officer’s attempted to stop the sports bike, the driver, who was later identified as, Derek Christopher Lowrey, age 35, fled via the sports bike and then on foot. Lowrey was eventually arrested and, in a search incident to his arrest, law enforcement officers located a .380 caliber pistol in his front right pants pocket.
At the time that Lowrey possessed the firearm, he was an absconder from parole and had several prior felony convictions and was prohibited from possessing any firearms.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The Hot Springs Police Department and the ATF investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth Elser prosecuted the case.
This case was prosecuted as 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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
Texarkana Man Sentenced to 14 Years in Federal Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
TEXARKANA – A Texarkana man was sentenced today to 168 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release on one count of Possession with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine. The Honorable Chief Judge Susan O. Hickey presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in Texarkana.
According to court records, Officers with the Texarkana Police Department began investigating, 33 year old, Terron Jerome Pearse, after receiving information that a felony warrant had been issued for his arrest. On October 12, 2020, officers located and attempted to make contact with Pearse, while he sat in a parked vehicle at his residence. As officers approached Pearse, he ran inside his residence and locked the door. Knowing that Pearse was on state parole, and had an active search wavier on file, officers searched Pearse’s vehicle. Inside Pearse’s vehicle, officers located a backpack that contained approximately 611 grams (or about 1.34 pounds) of suspected methamphetamine. While officers were making attempts to get Pearse to come out of the residence, he fell through the ceiling and was taken into custody.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes made the announcement.
The Texarkana Police Department, the Bi-State Narcotics Task Force and the FBI investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Graham Jones prosecuted the case.
Magnolia Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
HOT SPRINGS – A Magnolia man was sentenced yesterday to 120 months in prison followed by four years of supervised release on one count of Distribution of a Controlled Substance Methamphetamine. The Honorable Chief Judge Susan O. Hickey presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in Hot Springs.
According to court documents, Detectives with the Hot Springs Police Department, and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) launched an investigation into Brandon Dwight Jenkins, age 39, for drug trafficking in the Western District of Arkansas. In September of 2019, detectives conducted a controlled purchase of methamphetamine from Jenkins. The methamphetamine purchased was sent to the DEA lab where it tested positive for more than 50 grams of a mixture or substance containing methamphetamine.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The Hot Springs Police Department and the DEA investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney’s David Harris and Bryan Achorn prosecuted the case.
Bentonville Man Sentenced to over 8 Years in Federal Prison for Firearms and Drug PossessionRead the Press Release
FAYETTEVILLE – A Bentonville man was sentenced on April 6, 2022, to 100 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release on one count of Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Offense. The Honorable Judge Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in Fayetteville.
According to court documents, in March 2021, the Bentonville Narcotics Unit began investigating Rafael Melendrez, age 37, for drug trafficking. An anonymous tip indicated that Melendrez, was staying at a residence in Bentonville and selling drugs. The investigation revealed that Melendrez was a probation absconder with an active warrant out for his arrest.
On April 9th, 2021, while conducting surveillance, detectives observed Melendrez leave the residence in a vehicle. Melendrez was subsequently traffic stopped by a uniformed officer and arrested based on the outstanding warrant for absconding.
After the arrest, a search of Melendrez’ residence was conducted by detectives and Arkansas Community Corrections Officers. The search resulted in detectives locating multiple vacuum sealed packages, Ziplock baggies, and glass containers filled with marijuana (later totaling approximately 8.14 pounds), a money counting machine, two food processing machines used to vacuum seal the marijuana, two digital scales and 13 firearms. Detectives also located a safe that contained $48,150.00 in United States currency.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The Bentonville Narcotics Unit and Homeland Security Investigations Fayetteville investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David Harris prosecuted the case.
This case was prosecuted as 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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
Springfield Health Care Charity Pays More Than $8 Million Related to Federal Embezzlement, Bribery InvestigationRead the Press Release
FORT SMITH – Springfield, Missouri-based nonprofit Preferred Family Healthcare will pay more than $8 million in forfeiture and restitution to the federal government and the state of Arkansas under the terms of a non-prosecution agreement announced yesterday, which acknowledges the criminal conduct of its former officers and employees.
“Preferred Family Healthcare must relinquish the illegal profits it garnered from a wide-ranging fraud and bribery scheme,” said U.S. Attorney Teresa Moore for the Western District of Missouri. “Several former officers and employees are being prosecuted in separate criminal cases for their individual criminal conduct. This non-prosecution agreement holds the charity itself responsible for their actions as agents of the charity. Public tax dollars were stolen and misused in the course of this public corruption scheme, and through this agreement and these separate prosecutions, those dollars are being restored to the public coffers.”
“Employees of Preferred Family Healthcare used charitable organizations to illegally line their own pockets through fraud and bribery,” said Special Agent in Charge Tyler Hatcher of IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) “IRS-Criminal Investigation and our law enforcement partners will continue to work diligently to uncover large frauds designed to divert funds that were meant to help those in need of medical services. Preferred Family Healthcare has acknowledged that its former employees engaged in criminal activity and they are taking steps to make amends by forfeiting a sum of money to the federal government and paying restitution to the state of Arkansas.”
“The public should not suffer or be responsible for individuals who abuse their leadership positions out of greed for personal financial gain,” said Special Agent in Charge Charles Dayoub of the FBI’s Kansas City Field Office. “It is never acceptable to embezzle and misappropriate funds, especially those that directly impact our health care system. As today’s announcement underscores, although the individuals directly involved are no longer with Preferred Family Healthcare, this organization is accepting responsibility for its employees’ actions.”
“The misuse and misappropriation of millions of federally sourced funds, designated for employment training and behavioral healthcare services to the public, by former executives of Preferred Family Healthcare (PFH) is a gross abuse of the positions of trust they once held within the organization,” said Special Agent-in-Charge Steven Grell of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General. “These former executives failed the public and did a disservice to PFH employees by prioritizing their own personal benefit and financial gain over the public they served. Today’s agreement demonstrates PFH’s willingness to take corrective actions regarding the criminal actions of former executives of the organization.”
Preferred Family Healthcare provides a variety of services to individuals in Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Illinois, including mental and behavioral health treatment and counseling, substance abuse treatment and counseling, employment assistance, aid to individuals with developmental disabilities, and medical services. Most of the charity’s funding is from appropriated federal funds – the largest portion being Medicaid reimbursement.
By signing the non-prosecution agreement, representatives of Preferred Family Healthcare admitted that former officers and employees of the charity engaged in a conspiracy to, amongst other criminal activity, embezzle funds from the charity and to bribe several elected state officials in the Arkansas House of Representatives and the Arkansas Senate. As a direct result of these actions, Preferred Family Healthcare realized a financial benefit. Although Preferred Family Healthcare’s board of directors did not receive full or accurate information about these actions, the board, through lack of proper oversight, allowed its officers and employees to violate federal law.
Under the terms of the non-prosecution agreement, Preferred Family Healthcare will forfeit more than $6.9 million to the federal government and pay more than $1.1 million in restitution to the state of Arkansas related to the misuse of funds from the state’s general improvement fund.
Several former executives from the charity, former members of the Arkansas state legislature, and others have pleaded guilty in federal court as part of the multi-jurisdiction, federal investigation, including the following:
Former Chief Executive Officer, Marilyn Luann Nolan of Springfield, Missouri, pleaded guilty to her role in a conspiracy to embezzle and misapply the funds of a charitable organization that received federal funds. A sentencing hearing has not been scheduled.
Former Director of Operations and Executive Vice President Robin Raveendran, of Little Rock, Arkansas, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds. A sentencing hearing has not been scheduled.
Former executive and head of clinical operations Keith Fraser Noble, of Rogersville, Missouri., pleaded guilty to concealment of a known felony. A sentencing hearing has not been scheduled.
Former employee and head of operations and lobbying in Arkansas, Milton Russell Cranford, aka Rusty, of Rogers, Arkansas, was sentenced to seven years in federal prison without parole after pleading guilty to one count of federal program bribery.
Political Consultant Donald Andrew Jones, aka D.A. Jones, of Willingboro, New Jersey, pleaded guilty to his role in a conspiracy from April 2011 to January 2017 to steal from an organization that receives federal funds.
Former Arkansas State Senator Jeremy Hutchinson, of Little Rock, Arkansas, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit federal program bribery. A sentencing hearing has not been scheduled.
Former Arkansas State Representative Eddie Wayne Cooper, of Melbourne, Arkansas, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to embezzle more than $4 million from Preferred Family Healthcare. A sentencing hearing has not been scheduled.
Former Arkansas State Senator and State Representative Henry (Hank) Wilkins IV pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit federal program bribery, and devising a scheme and artifice to defraud and deprive the citizens of the State of Arkansas of their right to honest services. A sentencing hearing has not been scheduled.
As part of the federal investigation, the former chief operating officer and chief financial officer of the charity were indicted by a federal grand jury on March 29, 2019. They pleaded not guilty, and are awaiting trial, which is scheduled to begin on Oct. 3, 2022.
The separate criminal cases are being prosecuted by Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Randall Eggert and Assistant U.S. Attorney Shannon T. Kempf of the Western District of Missouri, Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven M. Mohlhenrich of the Western District of Arkansas, Senior Litigation Counsel Marco A. Palmieri and Trial Attorney Jacob Steiner with the Public Integrity Section of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Mazzanti of the Eastern District of Arkansas.
IRS-Criminal Investigation, the FBI, and the Offices of the Inspectors General from the Departments of Justice, Labor, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) investigated the cases. This is a combined investigation with the Western District of Missouri, the Western District of Arkansas, the Eastern District of Arkansas, and the Public Integrity Section of the Department of Justice Criminal Division.
Second Doctor Pleads Guilty to Workers’ Comp Fraud ConspiracyRead the Press Release
FAYETTEVILLE - An Alexandria, La., physician pleaded guilty today to having conspired to violate three different federal statutes in connection with a scheme to defraud both federal and private workers’ compensation insurers.
U.S. District Judge Timothy L. Brooks presided over the plea hearing, in which Robert Clay Smith, 60, waived indictment by a grand jury and pleaded guilty to a criminal information charging him with conspiracy to commit health care fraud, wire fraud, and illegal remunerations (taking kickbacks).
Court documents allege that the basic premise of the scheme, which ran from 2013 until 2017, was that individuals associated with a Rogers-based medical supply and billing company recruited Smith to dispense pain creams and patches to his workers’ compensation patients by offering him a split of the profits. The Rogers company acted as the billing agent for Smith, handling all the paperwork and submitting the allegedly fraudulent claims to both the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs, which covers all federal employees, and to private insurers as well. In exchange, Smith admitted, the company paid him 50 to 55 percent of the profits collected from successfully billing insurers, at markups of 15 to 20 times what the medications actually cost.
According to court documents, Smith, a Louisiana physician, made more than $650,000 from the scheme. Smith admitted that in addition to receiving illegal kickbacks, he knew he did not have a license to dispense medications from his clinic, required under Louisiana law, and nonetheless bought topical medications from the Rogers company and dispensed them to his workers’ compensation patients from his clinic.
Smith is the second physician to plead guilty in connection with the federal investigation. In July 2021, Dr. Robert Dale Bernauer Sr., another Louisiana doctor, pleaded guilty to conspiring with the same individuals, in a scheme similar to the one for which Smith has accepted responsibility. Additionally, in October 2021, the company’s former billing director, Amanda Dawn Rains, pleaded guilty to participating in criminal conspiracies with the two doctors, and others.
As a result of his guilty plea, Smith may be sentenced to up to five years in prison. The court will determine his sentence at a later date, after reviewing a pre-sentence investigation report prepared by the U.S. Probation Office and considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The case is being investigated by the Department of Defense, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, and the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, with the assistance of the Louisiana Department of Justice, the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners, and the Louisiana Board of Pharmacy.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Hunter Bridges and Steven Mohlhenrich are prosecuting the case for the United States.
Four Men Indicted for $16 Million Investment Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
FAYETTEVILLE – Four men were charged in an indictment unsealed today in the Western District of Arkansas for an alleged $16 million wire fraud and money laundering scheme involving fake investment offerings.
According to court documents, John C. Nock, 53, of Fayetteville, Arkansas; Brian Brittsan, 65, of San Marcos, California; Kevin Griffith, 66, of Orem, Utah; and Alexander Ituma, 55, of Lehi, Utah, allegedly engaged in an investment fraud scheme between 2013 and 2021 through their firm, The Brittingham Group, by falsely representing the nature of their investment offerings and promising large returns they could not and did not produce. The indictment further alleges that Nock and Brittsan directed victims to send their funds to bank accounts controlled by Griffith, Ituma, and others, and the defendants then transferred the money through a complex web of bank accounts throughout the world.
The defendants are each charged with wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. In addition, Nock is charged with money laundering. The defendants made their initial appearances in federal court today in the Western District of Arkansas. If convicted, the defendants face up to 20 years in prison for each count of wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Additionally, Nock faces up to 10 years in prison for money laundering. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes for the Western District of Arkansas; Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Special Agent in Charge Christopher Altemus of the IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Dallas Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge James A. Dawson of the FBI’s Little Rock Field Office made the announcement.
IRS-CI and the FBI investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Mohlhenrich for the Western District of Arkansas and Trial Attorneys Philip Trout and Vasanth Sridharan of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Springdale Man Sentenced to over 9 Years in Federal Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
FAYETTEVILLE – A Springdale man was sentenced yesterday to 110 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release on one count of Possession with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine. The Honorable Judge Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in Fayetteville.
According to court documents, during the month of October 2020, detectives with the 4th Judicial District Drug Task Force (DTF) were investigating, Kenneth Wayne Efurd, age 42, for drug trafficking. On October 22, 2020, detectives with the DTF conducted a parole search at Efurd’s residence in Springdale. During the search detectives located a black bag which contained approximately 116.2 grams of suspected methamphetamine, 2.2 grams of suspected methamphetamine, 1.4 grams of suspected heroin, 0.1 gram of suspected heroin, 5 doses of suspected LSD, a digital scale, $2,127.00 and drug paraphernalia.
The suspected methamphetamine was sent to the DEA Laboratory in Miami, Florida, where it tested positive for methamphetamine.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The Fourth Judicial District Drug Task Force investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David Harris prosecuted the case.
Springdale Man Sentenced to over 12 Years in Federal Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
FAYETTEVILLE – A Springdale man was sentenced on March 14, 2022, to 151 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release on one count of Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine. The Honorable Judge Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in Fayetteville.
According to court documents, on May 13, 2021, the 4th Judicial District Drug Task Force (DTF) received information that Seth Dalton Adams, age 26, was selling and possessing a large amount of Methamphetamine. Detectives with the DTF made contact with Adams at his residence in Springdale where he was observed smoking methamphetamine inside his garage. A search of the residence was conducted resulting in detectives locating a vacuum seal bag that contained ten (10) individually wrapped bags, each containing approximately one (1) ounce of methamphetamine, two firearms, drug paraphernalia and a drug ledger.
The suspected methamphetamine was sent to the Department of Homeland Security Laboratory in Savannah, Georgia, where it tested positive for methamphetamine.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The 4th Judicial District Drug Task Force investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David Harris prosecuted the case.
This case was prosecuted as 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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
California Man Sentenced to over 14 Years in Federal Prison for Drug Trafficking and Firearms PossessionRead the Press Release
EL DORADO – A California man was sentenced today to 170 months in prison followed by four years of supervised release on one count of Possession with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine and one count of Possessing a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Offense. The Honorable Chief Judge Susan O. Hickey presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in El Dorado.
On August 2, 2019, a deputy with the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office began following a vehicle after it committed a traffic violation, which resulted in continued pursuit after the driver refused to pull over. The deputy continued pursuit of the vehicle as multiple other deputies and officers were called to assist. A male passenger jumped out of the vehicle while the driver continued fleeing. The vehicle rammed a Magnolia Police unit as it continued driving recklessly. The vehicle was eventually stopped after the two rear tires were shot out by law enforcement. The driver then bailed out of the vehicle and fled into the woods.
A search of the vehicle resulted in law enforcement locating and seizing five firearms, a jar of marijuana, baggies, and a bag of suspected methamphetamine. The suspected methamphetamine was sent to the Arkansas Crime Laboratory where it was determined to be 255.4 grams of methamphetamine.
During the investigation it was determined that the driver was Damien Andrew Wolfson, 28, and that he had an active warrant out of California. Later in the investigation law enforcement received information that Wolfson was on his way to Texarkana in an SUV. The SUV was located, and a traffic stop resulted in law enforcement finding and arresting Wolfson while hiding in the rear cargo area of the SUV.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes made the announcement.
The Columbia County Sheriff’s Department, the Magnolia Police Department and the ATF investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sydney Butler prosecuted the case.
This case was prosecuted as 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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.