Western District of Arkansas
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
Magnolia Man Sentenced to 6 Years in Federal Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
EL DORADO – A Magnolia man was sentenced today to 72 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 United States District Court in El Dorado.
According to court documents, on or about September 4, 2020, investigators with the 13th Judicial District Drug Task Force and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) conducted a controlled purchase of methamphetamine from Rasheed Rahid Muhammad, age 50. The methamphetamine field tested positive and was sent to the crime lab for further testing.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The 13th Judicial District Drug Task Force and the FBI investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney’s 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.
Gentry Woman Sentenced to over 23 Years in Federal Prison for Drug Trafficking and Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
FAYETTEVILLE – A Gentry woman was sentenced yesterday to 280 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release on one count of Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine and one count of Money Laundering. The Honorable Judge Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in Fayetteville.
According to court documents, in August of 2019, agents with Homeland Security Investigations received information that Jessica Marie Harcrow, age 40, was trafficking large quantities of methamphetamine into the Northwest Arkansas area from Oklahoma.
In August and September of 2019, agents conducted multiple controlled purchases of methamphetamine from Harcrow in Decatur, Arkansas. On July 14, 2020, Harcrow used proceeds from drug trafficking to obtain a cashier’s check for $26,000.00. Harcrow then used the check to purchase a parcel of land.
On May 14, 2021, agents executed a search warrant on a residence owned by Harcrow in Delaware County, Oklahoma. During the search, law enforcement located and seized approximately five pounds of methamphetamine, a firearm, multiple plastic baggies, and a digital scale.
In August 2021, the defendant gave a voluntary interview and admitted to distributing methamphetamine to three other members of her drug trafficking organization. She further admitted that drug trafficking was her primary source of income. At sentencing, Harcrow was determined to be the leader of her drug trafficking organization and held responsible for seizures of over 5 kilograms of actual methamphetamine.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
Homeland Security Investigations Fayetteville, the Benton County Drug Unit, and the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sydney Butler prosecuted the case.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Harrell, Arkansas Man Sentenced to over 11 Years in Federal Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
EL DORADO – A Harrell man was sentenced today to 140 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 United States District Court in El Dorado.
According to court documents, on or about August 12, 2020, investigators with the 13th Judicial District Drug Task Force and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) conducted a controlled purchase of methamphetamine from Antonio Bush, age 40. The methamphetamine field tested positive and was sent to the crime lab for further testing.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The 13th Judicial District Drug Task Force and the FBI investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney’s Kim Harris and Graham Jones prosecuted the case.
Career Offender living in Proximity to Springdale Elementary School Sentenced to 12 Years in Federal Prison for Trafficking MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
FAYETTEVILLE – A Springdale man was sentenced today to 144 months in prison followed by four 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 August of 2020, detectives with the 4th Judicial District Drug Task Force (DTF), with the assistance of other law enforcement agencies, identified Miles L. Neil, age 57, as a distributor of methamphetamine operating in Northwest Arkansas.
Between August and October of 2020, Detectives conducted multiple controlled purchases of methamphetamine from Neil.
On or about October 9, 2020, DTF detectives executed a search warrant on Neil's Springdale residence, which is located adjacent to Westwood Elementary School. The search resulted in the confiscation of approximately 162 gross grams of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.
At sentencing, the United States presented evidence to the Court that Neil had prior felony convictions, which resulted in him being sentenced as a Career Offender.
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 Dustin Roberts prosecuted the case.
Former Sheriff of Franklin County, Arkansas Sentenced to 4 Years in Federal Prison for Assaulting Two People in CustodyRead the Press Release
FAYETTEVILLE – Former Franklin County, Arkansas, Sheriff Anthony Boen, 51, was sentenced today to 48 months in prison, followed by two years of supervised release, for assaulting two individuals in his custody. After a six-day trial in August 2021, a jury in the Western District of Arkansas convicted Boen of two counts of deprivation of rights under color of law.
Evidence presented at trial established that Boen used unreasonable force to punish pretrial detainees on two separate occasions. On Dec. 3, 2018, Boen struck a detainee multiple times in the head with a closed fist while the detainee was sitting on the floor and shackled to a bench inside the Franklin County Jail. Several minutes later, Boen returned to the detainee’s cell and struck him in the head again, then spit on him. On Nov. 21, 2018, Boen slammed a detainee onto the floor and ripped his hair during an interrogation. Both detainees suffered bodily injury as a result of Boen’s actions. During the subsequent investigation of these offenses, Boen contacted officers who witnessed his assaults and pressured them not to provide truthful information to investigators.
“Anthony Boen swore an oath to support the United States Constitution and the State of Arkansas Constitution,” said U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas. “His actions clearly violated not only the civil rights of these individuals but also the trust of the people of Franklin County. Cases like this are very important to our office because they involve the most personal and basic of civil rights: the rights to be protected and unharmed while in the custody of law enforcement officers. Today’s sentencing shows that justice will prevail in cases where a person’s civil rights are violated. We will continue to vigorously pursue cases involving the violation of basic civil rights that should be afforded to everyone.”
“No one is above the law, especially high-ranking law enforcement officers who have a duty to uphold the Constitution and protect individuals in their custody,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The defendant abused his power as sheriff by assaulting the people he was sworn to protect and pressuring his subordinates to cover
up his crimes. The Justice Department will continue to vigorously prosecute law enforcement officials who violate people’s civil rights.”
"When former Sheriff Boen brutally assaulted individuals in his custody and violated their civil rights, it impacted all Arkansans and their trust in authorities," said FBI Little Rock Special Agent in Charge James A. Dawson. "The FBI is committed to maintaining the public's trust in law enforcement. With today's sentencing of Mr. Boen, our community knows we will aggressively investigate and bring to justice any law enforcement officer who would violate the rights of their fellow Americans."
The case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon T. Carter and Civil Rights Division Trial Attorney Michael J. Songer.
Two Arkansas Men Sentenced to over 29 Years Combined in Federal Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
FORT SMITH – Two Arkansas men have been sentenced to federal prison for the Distribution of Methamphetamine. The Honorable Judge P.K. Holmes, III, presided over the sentencing hearings in the United States District Court in Fort Smith.
In March 2021, Agents with the FBI launched an investigation into drug trafficking in the Western District of Arkansas. Between the months of March and June of 2021, agents conducted controlled purchases of methamphetamine from Omar Perez and David Franks. According to court documents, the investigation of Perez and Franks was completed on June 23, 2021, when the parties were discovered to be in the process of completing a two-kilogram methamphetamine transaction in the parking lot of a shopping center in Fort Smith. Upon the arrest of both parties, approximately two kilograms of methamphetamine, $17,000 in cash, a firearm and ammunition were seized.
Omar Perez, age 30, of Waldron, Arkansas, was sentenced today to 210 months in prison followed by 5 years of supervised release on one count of Distribution of More than 500 Grams of Methamphetamine.
David Allen Franks, age 40, of Fort Smith, Arkansas, was sentenced today to 140 months in prison followed by 5 years of supervised release on one count of Distribution of a Mixture or Substance Containing Methamphetamine.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The FBI and Fort Smith Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Carter prosecuted the case.
Fort Smith Woman Sentenced to over 15 Years in Federal Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
FORT SMITH – A Fort Smith woman was sentenced today to 188 months in prison followed by four years of supervised release on one count of Possession with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine. 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 September 1, 2021, members of the United States Marshals Service (USMS) Fugitive Task Force had information that Cynia Lea Morgan, age 48, was harboring a state fugitive, and that Morgan was at a motel in Fort Smith, Arkansas.
The USMS Fugitive Task Force had information that Morgan had an outstanding warrant, had reason to believe that Morgan may be in possession of controlled substances, and requested the assistance of the Fort Smith Police Department (FSPD) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
The USMS Fugitive Task Force made contact with Morgan who was sitting in the driver’s seat of her vehicle in the parking lot of the motel, had her exit the vehicle, and detained her. A male passenger sitting in the front passenger seat was also removed from the vehicle and detained.
A FSPD K-9 officer arrived at the location and assisted with a K-9 search on the vehicle. After receiving a positive alert, a search of the vehicle was conducted. The search resulted in officers locating a purse belonging to Morgan. Inside the purse officers located, a golf ball sized bag of an off-white powder substance suspected to be fentanyl, a baggie of pills suspected to be fentanyl, a golf ball sized bag of suspected black tar heroin, suspected marijuana, a clutch containing $7,251 in United States currency and Morgan’s driver’s license, three cellular phones, and a safe key. Officers also located a safe in the vehicle. Inside the safe officers located multiple baggies containing suspected methamphetamine, two small baggies of unmarked pills suspected to be fentanyl, a prescription bottle containing assorted pills, a pill press, syringes, and other drug paraphernalia.
While conducting their search, the K-9 officer became unconscious and was experiencing symptoms of fentanyl overdose due to exposure to the fentanyl found in Morgan’s vehicle. The K-9 officer was administered naloxone by fellow officers on scene and received treatment from a Deputy U.S. Marshal who was a member of the fugitive task force and an Operational Medical Support Unit Medic. Their efforts stabilized the K-9 officer until an ambulance and EMTs arrived and transported them to the hospital, where they made a full recovery.
The suspected methamphetamine field-tested positive for methamphetamine and had a gross weight of 129.8 grams. The suspected fentanyl and heroin were not weighed, or field tested. Instead, they were packaged safely to be tested by the DEA Laboratory in a controlled environment along with the methamphetamine
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The United States Marshals Services Fugitive Task Force, Fort Smith Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Jennen prosecuted the case.
Two Arkansas Men Sentenced to over 23 Years Combined in Federal Prison for Fraud and Money Laundering in Connection with Proposed Elm Springs, Arkansas Wind FarmRead the Press Release
FAYETTEVILLE – Two Arkansas men were sentenced today to federal prison for Wire Fraud, Aiding and Abetting Wire Fraud, Money Laundering and Aiding and Abetting Money Laundering in connection with the development of a wind turbine that was never operational and a proposed wind farm project in Elm Springs, Arkansas, that was never constructed. The Honorable Judge Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearings in the United States District Court in Fayetteville.
Jody Douglas Davis, 47, of Searcy, Arkansas, was sentenced to 180 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $1,138,845.28 in restitution and Phillip Vincent Ridings, 64, of North Little Rock, Arkansas, was sentenced to 97 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $1,138,845.28 in restitution.
“This case represents some of the most important work that we do,” said United States Attorney Clay Fowlkes. “These defendants developed a scheme for the purposed of stealing large sums of money from innocent investors. The defendants in this case used lies and misrepresentations to trick investors into paying them large amounts of money that they converted for their own, personal use. We will continue to work with our Federal Law Enforcement partners at the FBI and the IRS to investigate and prosecute cases like this. We will also continue to work tirelessly to protect others from similar schemes to defraud.”
"Mr. Davis and Mr. Ridings callously defrauded members of our community through a fictional investment opportunity," said FBI Little Rock Special Agent in Charge James A. Dawson. "Even after being federally indicted, these men continued to advance their criminal scheme through blatant falsehoods and deceit. Today's sentencings send a clear message to other fraudsters: preying upon our Arkansas communities will not stand."
“Davis and Ridings stole money from investors and used it for their personal use with no intention of building the wind farm project.,” said Special Agent in Charge Christopher J. Altemus Jr., IRS-CI Dallas Field Office. “This sentencing should detour criminals from committing similar crimes.”
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Davis, and Ridings, formed a limited liability company in Texas in 2014 called Dragonfly Industries International, LLC (“Dragonfly”) and Arkansas Wind Power (“AWP”), an Arkansas limited liability company located in Springdale, Arkansas, to develop what they told investors was a revolutionary wind turbine design that was to be installed on a 311-acre wind farm proposed for construction in Elm Springs, Arkansas.
According to the superseding indictment, Davis and Ridings conspired with Cody Fell of Springdale, Arkansas, and others, beginning as early as June 2014 and continuing through and including March 2018, to obtain money from investors who were told that the investors’ money would be used to build a prototype of the wind turbine and develop wind farms in Elm Springs, Arkansas, in Iowa, and other states. The evidence presented at trial showed that Davis and Ridings used most of the $700,000 they obtained from investors for Davis’ and Ridings’ personal use. Specifically, evidence at trial revealed that investors were told that Dragonfly’s wind turbine could produce more energy than the traditional three-blade wind turbines commonly used on existing wind farms; that nationally recognized engineering firms and a University of Memphis mechanical engineering professor had “validated” the Dragonfly wind turbine’s design; that the Department of Defense has expressed strong interest in acquiring Dragonfly’s wind turbines for use in combat zones; that a prototype of the wind turbine was nearing completion; that leaders of underdeveloped countries were ready to buy Dragonfly’s wind turbines; and that a $10 million grant from the Department of Energy was soon to be awarded to Dragonfly, when in truth and fact, none of these representations were true.
A federal jury convicted Davis and Ridings on September 3, 2021.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kyra Jenner and Kenneth Elser prosecuted the case.
Springdale Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Federal Prison for Firearms Possession and Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
FAYETTEVILLE – A Springdale man was sentenced on March 2, 2022, to 144 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release on one count of Being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm and 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, on October 27, 2020, detectives with the 4th Judicial District Drug Task Force (DTF) received information that Dylan Leon Coats, age 32, was staying at a hotel in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The information received was that Coats was in possession of a large amount of methamphetamine and that he was armed with a firearm.
Detectives located Coats as he arrived and parked at the hotel. A search of the vehicle resulted in detectives locating and seizing 3 firearms, a distribution amount of methamphetamine packaged for sale, $10,646.00 in U.S. currency, drug ledgers, baggies, a digital scale and a box of ammunition. Coats is a convicted felon and is prohibited from possessing a firearm.
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.
Convicted Felon Sentenced to over 8 Years in Federal Prison for Firearms PossessionRead the Press Release
FAYETTEVILLE – A Springdale man was sentenced today to 100 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release on one count of being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm. The Honorable Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in Fayetteville.
According to court documents, on or about May 28, 2020, officers with the Springdale Police Department initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by Alexander Ramon Perez, age 34. One of the officers attempting to stop Perez witnessed him throw an object from the window prior to stopping his vehicle. Officers searched the area where the object was thrown and found a 9mm pistol. After the stop, police interviewed two passengers in the vehicle who both confirmed that Perez possessed the firearm and threw it from the vehicle. Perez is a convicted felon and is prohibited from possessing a firearm.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The Springdale Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Hunter Bridges 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.
Northwest Arkansas Couple Sentenced to over 18 Years Combined in Federal Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
FAYETTEVILLE – A Northwest Arkansas couple has been sentenced to federal prison for drug trafficking. The Honorable Judge Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearings for the United States District Court in Fayetteville.
On or about November 7, 2020, detective with the 4th Judicial District Drug Task Force ("DTF") were notified that a package suspected of containing narcotics had been identified at a local Fed Ex package sorting facility. The label on the package showed it had been sent from Jeanette Mayor from Brawley, California to Brandon Hale at an address in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Detectives, working in an undercover capacity, delivered the package to Hale’s Fayetteville address. At the residence, undercover officers were greeted at the door by Mayor, who acknowledged that Hale was her boyfriend and that they were expecting a package. Hale subsequently came to the door at the request of undercover officer and accepted the package. Immediately thereafter, detectives identified themselves and conducted a search of the residence, which resulted in the confiscation of approximately 2000 gross grams of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.
Brandon Ray Hale, age 42, of Fayetteville, was sentenced on March 1, 2022, to 180 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release on one count of Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine. Due to the nature of Hale’s prior felony convictions, he was sentenced as a Career Offender.
Jeanette Marie Mayor, age 50, of Springdale, was sentenced on February 24, 2022, to 46 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release on one count of Aiding and Abetting in the Distribution of More Than 50 grams of a Mixture or Substance Containing a Detectable Amount of 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 Dustin Roberts prosecuted the case for the United States.
Kansas Man Sentenced to over 6 Years in Federal Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
FAYETTEVILLE – A Niotaze, Kansas man was sentenced today to 74 months in prison followed by four 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, On or about June 25, 2020, law enforcement received information that a large amount of methamphetamine was being transported to the Fayetteville, Arkansas area. After receiving a vehicle description and locating the vehicle, a traffic stop was initiated. While speaking with the driver, Jeremy David Holland, age 43, and while waiting for information regarding a possible warrant for him out of Oklahoma, a K9 officer was called in to assist. After the K9 officer alerted on the vehicle and a search was conducted. The search resulted in officers locating and seizing over 408g of pure methamphetamine.
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 Aaron Jennen prosecuted the case.
Former Rogers Company Owner and Former CEO Charged with Workers’ Comp Fraud/Kickback Conspiracy, Other CrimesRead the Press Release
FORT SMITH - Both the former owner of a Rogers-based medical supply and billing company and its former chief executive officer have been indicted by a federal grand jury for their roles in three separate conspiracies to defraud the U.S. government and private workers’ compensation insurers: a billing and kickback fraud scheme with multiple physicians and medical clinics, and separate frauds with two Louisiana physicians to ship medications to them from Arkansas and distribute those medications from their clinics in violation of Louisiana laws. Additionally, the former company owner was charged with wire fraud for falsifying emails he provided in a civil lawsuit involving his sale of the company.
A federal grand jury in Fort Smith returned a 12-count indictment, charging Hunter Matthew Burroughs, 42, and Stephen Keith Andrews, 48, each with one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and eight counts of wire fraud. Additionally, the indictment charges Burroughs in another wire fraud count.
According to the indictment, Burroughs, who in 2011 founded the Rogers company, and Andrews, who served as the company’s chief executive officer, defrauded both federal and private workers’ compensation insurers in schemes that ran until 2017. The basic premise of the health care fraud scheme was that Burroughs, Andrews, and other individuals associated with the Rogers company recruited physicians to dispense pain creams and patches to their workers’ compensation patients by offering them a split of the profits collected from successfully billing insurers, typically 50 percent. One such physician was Robert Dale Bernauer, Sr., who ran a clinic in Lake Charles, La. Bernauer pleaded guilty to his role in the same conspiracy on July 30, 2021.
After signing contracts with physicians, the indictment alleges, Burroughs and Andrews caused the Rogers company to supply them with pain creams and patches, and to act as the billing agent for the physicians, handling all of the paperwork and submitting 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. The company billed insurers at markups of anywhere from 15 to 20 times what the medications actually cost, and then paid the physicians unlawful kickbacks on amounts collected. The company’s former billing director, Amanda Dawn Rains, pleaded guilty to her role in the same conspiracy on October 6, 2021.
Additionally, the indictment alleges, Burroughs and Andrews conspired separately with Bernauer and with another Louisiana physician to have the Rogers company ship medications to the doctors, and bill insurers for their prescriptions, despite knowing neither physician had the required Louisiana license to dispense medications from his clinic.
Finally, the indictment charges Burroughs in a separate count with attempting to defraud a Florida court and the Florida corporation to which he sold the medical supply and billing company. It alleges Burroughs falsified five emails he provided as discovery in a civil lawsuit he had filed against the Florida company, and then testified falsely about the emails in a sworn deposition.
The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
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, 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 Steven Mohlhenrich and Hunter Bridges are prosecuting the case for the United States.
West Fork Woman Sentenced over 6 Years in Federal Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
FAYETTEVILLE – A West Fork woman was sentenced today to 78 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, on September 16, 2020, the 4th Judicial District Drug Task Force (DTF) conducted a controlled purchase of methamphetamine from Christie Marie Soumah, age 45, in Washington County, Arkansas. The methamphetamine was sent to the DEA laboratory in Miami and tested positive for 55.3 grams of pure 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.
Prairie Grove Man Sentenced to 9 Years in Federal Prison for Drug Trafficking and Firearms PossessionRead the Press Release
FAYETTEVILLE – A Prairie Grove man was sentenced yesterday to 108 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 February 8, 2021, detectives with the 4th Judicial District Drug Task Force received information that a large quantity of methamphetamine was being delivered by mail to Aaron Gregory Samplawski, age 38, at his residence in Prairie Gove.
On February 10, 2021, Detective’s contacted Special Agent’s with the U.S. Postal Service and advised them of the investigation. Special Agent’s found a package, a priority mail parcel, coming from San Diego, California addressed to Samplawski and his address in Prairie Grove, Arkansas. The weight of the package was one pound, five ounces.
On February 13, 2021, Special Agent’s intercepted the parcel at the Prairie Grove, Arkansas, Post Office. On that day, a Springdale Police Officer, and his canine (K-9) partner were utilized in the investigation of the suspect parcel. The K-9 searched and alerted to the parcel.
On February 13, 2021, Special Agent’s obtained a federal search warrant to search the parcel. Special Agent’s opened the parcel and seized approximately one pound of a crystal substance that field tested positive for methamphetamine.
On February 13, 2021, Special Agent’s, conducted a controlled delivery at Samplawski’s residence in Prairie Grove. Samplawski took possession of the parcel and entered his residence. A search warrant was executed at the residence. The search resulted in law enforcement officers locating 439.3 grams of actual methamphetamine, two loaded handguns, counterfeit money, and drug paraphernalia. Samplawski subsequently posted bond in February and was arrested again in April when detectives from the Drug Task Force conducted a controlled purchase of methamphetamine from Samplawski.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The 4th Judicial District Drug Task Force, the United States Postal Service and the Springdale Police Department 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.
Convicted Felon Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Firearms PossessionRead the Press Release
HOT SPRINGS – A Hot Springs man was sentenced today to 120 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 or about September 18, 2019, officers with the Hot Springs Police Department were dispatched to a residential neighborhood after receiving a report of an individual discharging a firearm. Upon arrival to the area, officers made contact with a local resident who advised that Zachary Ray Burks, age 32, was on a boat dock on Lake Hamilton discharging a firearm.
As Officers approached the boat dock, they observed Burks to be in possession of a handgun. Contact was subsequently made with Burks and officers recovered a .44 caliber handgun, along with multiple expended and live rounds of ammunition. Burks is a convicted felon and is prohibited from possessing any firearms.
A Special Agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms confirmed that the firearm was manufactured outside the State of Arkansas and, thus, had traveled in interstate commerce.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The Hot Springs Police Department, the Arkansas State Police and the ATF investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan Achorn and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Trent Daniels 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.
Man Sentenced to 27 Years in Federal Prison for Drug Trafficking he Arranged and Directed from his Oklahoma Prison CellRead the Press Release
FAYETTEVILLE – A former inmate at an Oklahoma State Prison was sentenced today to 324 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release on one count of Conspiracy to Distribute Phencyclidine (PCP) and one count of Conspiracy 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 and evidence presented at trial, Jeremy Dewight Foreman, 39, was an inmate at the Mack Alford Correctional Center in Atoka, Oklahoma, in late 2020/early 2021. In October 2020, from his prison cell, Foreman orchestrated the sale of two ounces of PCP to a confidential source working with the Drug Enforcement Administration at a residence in Springdale. Foreman arranged the PCP sale utilizing a contraband cellular phone, giving directions to both a third party that handled the delivery of the PCP as well as the confidential source. Foreman then directed the confidential source to pay for the PCP using Cash App, a mobile payment service.
In January 2021, Foreman orchestrated the delivery of over a kilogram of methamphetamine from his Oklahoma prison cell into Fayetteville. Foreman utilized a runner, Sergio Rodriguez, who was also convicted and sentenced to prison for 60 months for his role in the conspiracy, to deliver 360 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential source working with the Drug Enforcement Administration in the parking lot of a Fayetteville business. After the delivery to the confidential source, Rodriguez was stopped in a traffic stop and found to be in possession of an additional 751 grams of methamphetamine bound for an address in Fayetteville.
A federal jury convicted Foreman on September 10, 2021, after a 3-day jury trial.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case with the assistance of the Fayetteville Police Department and the Benton County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney’s Aaron Jennen and Hunter Bridges prosecuted the case.
Rogers Group Sentenced to over 34 Years Combined in Federal Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
FAYETTEVILLE – The final member of a Northwest Arkansas group of drug traffickers has been sentenced to federal prison for Conspiring to Distribute Methamphetamine. The Honorable Judge Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearings for the United States District Court in Fayetteville.
According to court documents, in the fall of 2019, Agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) identified Jonathan Fullerton, Callie Mann, and Patrick Innes as members of a methamphetamine trafficking organization operating in Northwest Arkansas. During the investigation that spanned approximately one (1) year, agents were able to establish Fullerton as the leader and source of supply to several members of the drug organization. The overall investigation led to the arrest, prosecution, and imprisonment of four (4) individual drug traffickers and the seizure of over 700 grams of methamphetamine. In total, the organization was held responsible for trafficking over 17 pounds of methamphetamine.
The sentencings of the drug trafficking organization members are as follows:
Jonathan Fullerton: age 26, Rogers, Arkansas – Conspiracy to Distribute More Than 50 grams of a Mixture or Substance Containing a Detectable Amount of Methamphetamine – 135 months imprisonment, 4-year term of supervised release, a fine of $1,900, and a $100 special assessment.
Callie Mann: age 42, Rogers, Arkansas – Conspiracy to Distribute More Than 50 grams of a Mixture or Substance Containing a Detectable Amount of Methamphetamine – 96 months imprisonment, 3-year term of supervised release, a fine of $1,400, and a $100 special assessment.
Juan Garcia Maldonado: age 46, Rogers, Arkansas - Distribution of Methamphetamine -120 months imprisonment, a 3-year term of supervised release, a fine of $900, and a $100 special assessment.
Patrick Innes: age 31, Rogers, Arkansas - Conspiracy to Distribute More Than 50 grams of a Mixture or Substance Containing a Detectable Amount of Methamphetamine – 60 months imprisonment, 4-year term of supervised release, a fine of $1,400.00, and a $100 special assessment.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, Fayetteville Division, and the Benton County Sherriff’s department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Dustin Roberts prosecuted the case for the United States.
Convicted Felon Sentenced to over 7 Years in Federal Prison for Firearms PossessionRead the Press Release
EL DORADO – A Hamburg man was sentenced today 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 El Dorado.
According to court documents, during an investigation on December 9, 2019, the Ashley County Sheriff’s Department and the Arkansas State Parole Office conducted a search of the residence belonging to Richard Patrick Stanley, 35. The Search resulted in officers locating and seizing two firearms and narcotics from the residence.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The Ashley County Sheriff’s Department, with assistance from the Arkansas State Parole Office and the ATF, 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.
Hot Springs Man Sentenced to over 6 Years in Federal Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
HOT SPRINGS – A Hot Springs man was sentenced today to 77 months in prison followed by three 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 18th East Judicial District Drug Task Force and Homeland Security Investigations launched an investigation into Nicholas Allen Bland, 41, for drug trafficking in the Western District of Arkansas. In July of 2019, detectives conducted a controlled purchase of methamphetamine from Bland.
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, and the 18th East Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney’s Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan Achorn and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Trent Daniels prosecuted the case.
Arkansas Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Mailing a Communication Threatening to Blow up the Federal Courthouse in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and the White HouseRead the Press Release
FORT SMITH – A Fort Smith man was sentenced today to 36 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release on one count of Mailing a Threatening Communication. 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 June 25, 2021, the Sebastian County District Court received a letter from David Daniel Dieringer, III, age 28, threatening to blow up the Fayetteville Federal Courthouse and the White House. The letter stated that if the recipient did not communicate the threat, that they would be killed. The return address was an address used by the Sebastian County Adult Detention Center where Dieringer was an inmate at the time. Dieringer was interviewed and admitted to sending the letter, and stated that if given the opportunity, Dieringer would carry out bombings of both locations using a pressure cooker bomb. Dieringer also described how to assemble such a device. On July 11, 2021, Dieringer placed a letter addressed to the White House in the Sebastian County Detention Center inmate mail system. The letter addressed President Joe Biden and stated, “When I get out of federal prison, I’m going to blow up the White House.” Dieringer was later interviewed and admitted to writing the second letter as well.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The Sebastian County Sheriff’s Department, The United States Postal Service, the United States Marshals Service, and the United States Secret Service investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Jennen prosecuted the case for the United States.
Career Offender Sentenced to over 12 Years in Federal Prison for Drug Trafficking and Firearms PossessionRead the Press Release
HOT SPRINGS – A Hot Springs man was sentenced today to 152 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release on one count of Possession with the Intent to Distribute Cocaine 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 Hot Springs.
In September, 2019, detectives with the Hot Springs Police Department conducted a controlled purchase of cocaine from Bobby Nutt. The next day, Nutt reported to his parole officer for an office visit. During his parole visit, Nutt’s vehicle was searched and approximately 148 grams of cocaine was seized as well as a loaded Glock pistol with a round in the chamber.
Due to the nature of Nutt’s prior felony convictions, he was sentenced as a Career Offender.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes made the announcement.
The Hot Springs Police Department and the ATF 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.
Related court documents may be found on the Public Access to Electronic Records website at www.pacer.gov.
Florida Dentist Sentenced to 12 Months and a day in Prison for Public Corruption Scheme Involving Former Arkansas State SenatorRead the Press Release
FAYETTEVILLE - A Florida dentist, formerly of Arkansas, was sentenced today to 12 months and a day in prison followed by one year of supervised release and a $157,500 fine on one count of Conspiracy to Commit Honest Services Fraud. The Honorable Judge Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in Fayetteville.
According to court documents, between February of 2014 through November of 2016, Benjamin Gray Burris, age 50, was the owner of several orthodontic clinics and practiced as an orthodontist through Arkansas. On February 27, 2014, Burris, State Senator Jeremy Hutchinson, and others met for a dinner at a Little Rock restaurant and discussed Burris’s legislative objectives and hiring Hutchinson as Burris’s corporate legal counsel. Jeremy Hutchinson, who then represented state Senate District 33, comprised of portions of Pulaski and Saline County, Arkansas, stated that as part of any arrangement there needed to be “real legal work.” In his plea agreement, Burris admitted that part of his intent in hiring Hutchinson was to enable Burris to influence and request official action from Hutchinson. Throughout the course of their arrangement, Burris’s legal entities paid Hutchinson Law Firm a total of $157,500 at a rate of approximately $5,000 per month as a general retainer and Hutchinson was assigned legal work.
Specifically, Burris sent Hutchinson an email outlining Burris’s “Legislative Objectives” in late February of 2014 in which Burris stated that he wanted specialty restrictions on orthodontists removed. On January 26, 2015, Hutchinson filed a shell bill in the Arkansas Senate entitled “An Act to Clarify the Laws Governing Dental Practice.” Later on, April 6, 2015, Hutchinson filed a related Interim Study Proposal with the Senate Committee on Public Health, Welfare, and Labor. On September 22, 2015, Hutchinson filed another Interim Study Proposal (ISP-2015-154) on the subject. This ISP, among other things, proposed to remove the specialist restriction for orthodontists. According to text messages cited in Burris’s plea agreement, in 2016 Burris texted Hutchinson complaining about a lack of “ROI” also known as “return on investment” in his arrangement with Hutchinson and he requested specific updates on legislative matters. ISP-2015-154 was eventually filed as House Bill 1250 on January 23, 2017, after Hutchinson claimed a belated conflict, passed in the 91st General Assembly of the State of Arkansas, and was later signed into law on or about March 15, 2017.
Burris sold his businesses and moved to Florida in the spring of 2017 and has not practiced in Arkansas since that time.
Burris plead guilty on September 13, 2021.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas and U.S. Attorney Jonathan D. Ross of the Eastern District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The FBI and the IRS investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney’s Aaron Jennen, Ben Wulff, Stephanie Mazzanti, Allison Bragg and Kenneth Elser prosecuted the case for the United States.
Related court documents may be found on the Public Access to Electronic Records website at www.pacer.gov.
University of Arkansas Professor Pleads Guilty to Lying to Federal Agents About Patents in ChinaRead the Press Release
FAYETTEVILLE – An Arkansas man and University of Arkansas Professor pleaded guilty today to 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).
Simon Saw-Teong Ang, 64, of Fayetteville, entered a guilty plea to count 58 on a Superseding Indictment charging him with making a materially false and fictitious, statement and representation to an FBI Special Agent. According to court documents, 24 patents filed 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.
Ang’s sentencing is expected to take place in approximately four months. Ang faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison for the crime for which he pleaded guilty, however, the plea agreement also states that if the court wishes to sentence Ang to a sentence that is not a year and a day in federal prison, Ang will have the right to withdraw from the plea agreement. 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 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 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 are prosecuting the case.
plea agreement.pdfUniversity of Arkansas Professor Pleads Guilty to Lying to Federal Agents About Patents in ChinaRead the Press Release
An Arkansas man and University of Arkansas Professor pleaded guilty today to 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).
Simon Saw-Teong Ang, 64, of Fayetteville, entered a guilty plea to count 58 on a superseding indictment charging him with making a materially false and fictitious statement and representation to an FBI Special Agent. According to court documents, 24 patents filed 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.
Ang’s sentencing is expected to take place in approximately four months. Ang faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison for the crime for which he pleaded guilty, however, the plea agreement also states that if the court wishes to sentence Ang to a sentence that is not a year and a day in federal prison, Ang will have the right to withdraw from the plea agreement. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division and U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas 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 are prosecuting the case.
Illinois Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Federal Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
HOT SPRINGS. – An East St. Louis, Illinois man was sentenced yesterday to 144 months in prison followed by four years of supervised release on one count of Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine. 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 the evening of March 27, 2018, an Arkansas State Police (ASP) Trooper, traveling in his ASP patrol vehicle, observed a silver vehicle with Missouri plates traveling eastbound on Interstate 30, in Hot Spring County, Arkansas.
After the Trooper observed a traffic violation, he executed a traffic stop on the vehicle. The Trooper made contact with the driver, Aliza RobertsWilliams, age 24, of East St. Luis Illinois, and Deanthony Leon Tillman, age 35, who was the sole passenger. After the Trooper identified himself and explained the reason for the stop, he asked for, and received, consent to search the vehicle from both Tillman and Roberts-Williams.
A search of the vehicle resulted in the Trooper locating a black bag in the vehicle's trunk, which contained at least 4,005.1 grams (slightly more than four kilograms) of cocaine hydrochloride.
Roberts-Williams will be sentenced at a later date.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The Arkansas State Police and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Graham Jones prosecuted the case.
Felon Sentenced to over 8 Years in Federal Prison for Firearms PossessionRead the Press Release
FAYETTEVILLE – A Springdale man was sentenced today to 100 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release on one count of being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm. The Honorable Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in Fayetteville.
According to court documents, on October 22, 2020, detectives with the 4th Judicial District Drug Task Force made contact with Johnta Martez Dixon, 30, at his residence in Springdale, Arkansas. Dixon is a parolee on active supervision and has a warrantless search wavier on file. After asking and receiving permission to search, a search was conducted on the residence. The search resulted in detectives locating a .300 rifle in Dixon’s bedroom. The investigation also revealed Dixon was involved in the trafficking of methamphetamine. Dixon is a convicted felon and is prohibited from possessing any firearms.
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.
Springdale Man Sentenced to 50 Years in Federal Prison for Multiple Child Sexual Abuse OffensesRead the Press Release
FAYETTEVILLE – Matthew Ray Lawson, 34, was sentenced today to 50 years in prison without the possibility of parole and ordered to pay $30,000.00 collectively in fines and restitution on three counts of Possession of Child Pornography, four counts of Aggravated Sexual Abuse in Indian Country, one count of Lewd Acts with a Child in Indian Country and one count of 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 September of 2019, the Springdale Police Department was contacted by employees of a local towing company, who stated that a vehicle belonging to Lawson was impounded and a thumb drive located therein appeared to contain child sexual abuse images. A subsequent investigation by both the Springdale Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations, Fayetteville Division, led to the execution of a search warrant on Lawson’s Springdale residence and the confiscation of multiple electronic devices, including a laptop computer. A forensic examination conducted by Homeland Security of Lawson’s laptop computer revealed approximately 900 videos and over 240 images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Included within these images, were multiple videos of Lawson, himself, sexually abusing an approximately 6-year-old male. Homeland Security ultimately identified the minor male, who was determined to reside with his family outside of Tulsa, Oklahoma. An investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, Tulsa Division, revealed that Lawson had previously resided with the minor victim’s family when he produced the child sexual abuse images, and, during the same timeframe, sexually abused an approximately 3-year-old female.
Lawson was initially charged in federal court in the Western District of Arkansas with two (2) Counts of Possession of Child Pornography. He was separately charged in federal court in the Eastern District of Oklahoma, with multiple offenses related to the sexual abuse of the two minor victims. In June of 2021, the Oklahoma charges pending against Lawson were transferred to Arkansas and, thereafter, Lawson entered guilty pleas to all charges pending against him in each respective state.
"This sentence accurately reflects the serious nature of this particularly heinous crime,” said David Clay Fowlkes United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas. “It is our sincere hope that this sentence sends an important message to those who would seek to engage in this sort of criminal conduct: our office will continue to aggressively pursue cases against individuals who would seek to exploit and abuse children in the Western District of Arkansas and elsewhere.”
“The successful prosecution of the defendant in this case is a testament to the cooperation of state, local, and federal law enforcement agencies and prosecutors,” said Christopher J. Wilson, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Oklahoma. “The actions of the defendant were detestable, and I am hopeful the sentence imposed today will send a clear, resounding message that sexually assaulting and exploiting children is intolerable and will result in substantial punishment.”
“This lengthy sentence is a testament to the repugnant nature of child exploitation crimes, particularly the production of child pornography which only perpetuates the trauma endured by victims,” said David Denton, Special Agent in Charge, HSI New Orleans. “Our hope is that this sentence sends a message that our HSI agents will aggressively pursue anyone who attempts to prey on our nation’s vulnerable children, as well as serve as a starting point to the healing process for the victims and their families.”
The Springdale Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, Fayetteville, Arkansas Division, and Homeland Security Investigations, Tulsa, Oklahoma Division, investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Dustin Roberts prosecuted the case for the Western District of Arkansas and Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah McAmis prosecuted the case for the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
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.
Career Offender Sentenced to 14 Years in Federal Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
FAYETTEVILLE – A Springdale man was sentenced yesterday 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 Judge Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in Fayetteville.
In February 2020, detectives with the Fourth Judicial Drug Task Force (DTF) received information that Remberto Alexander Rivera (age 31), was distributing methamphetamine in Northwest Arkansas and that he was on parole with a warrantless search waiver on file. Rivera was released from the Arkansas Department of Correction in October 2019.
On March 3, 2020, detectives were conducting surveillance at a hotel located in Springdale, Arkansas. While on surveillance, detectives observed Rivera arrive in a vehicle, exit it, and then retrieve a backpack from it.
Detectives approached Rivera and requested his identification, which he claimed he did not possess and further refused to identify himself. Rivera was placed under arrest and searched. During the search, detectives located multiple bags of methamphetamine, a digital scale and $3,440.00. Rivera was released on bond on March 11, 2020.
In May of 2020, officers with the Fayetteville Police Department, responding to complaints from citizens that drug activity was occurring in a certain neighborhood in Fayetteville, made contact with Rivera. During the encounter with police, Rivera fought with police and attempted to take one of the officer’s taser and another officer’s firearm. After Rivera was taken into custody his vehicle was searched. The search resulted in officers locating two firearms (one loaded) and drug paraphernalia commonly used in drug trafficking.
Due to the nature of Rivera’s prior felony convictions, he was sentenced as a Career Offender.
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 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.
West Fork Man Sentenced to 8 Years in Federal Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
FAYETTEVILLE – A West Fork man was sentenced today to 96 months in prison followed by four years of supervised release on one count of Possession with the Intent to Distribute Heroin. 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 April 14, 2021, officers with the 4th Judicial District Drug Task Force executed a search warrant at the residence of Arnulfo Gomez (age 22), in West Fork, Arkansas. Officers knew Gomez to be a dealer of heroin based on previous controlled purchases of heroin from him.
During the search of the residence, officers located more than 100 grams of a mixture or substance containing heroin, drug legers and drug paraphernalia.
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 Hunter Bridges prosecuted the case.
Felon Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Firearms Possession and Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
FAYETTEVILLE – A Springdale man was sentenced today to 180 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release on one count of Being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm and 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, On December 18, 2020, Detectives with the Fourth Judicial District Drug Task Force (DTF) were called by Springdale Police to assist in a parole search of Rodney Luis Reed’s (age 49) residence in Springdale Arkansas.
While officers were conducting the search, Reed attempted to flee the residence and officers had to use force to take Reed into custody.
During the search, officers located a .22 caliber pistol, a distribution amounts of methamphetamine, a distribution amount of cocaine, digital scales, baggies and $794.00.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The 4th Judicial District Drug Task Force and the Springdale Police Department 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.
Oklahoma Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
FAYETTEVILLE – A Muskogee, Oklahoma man was sentenced today to 120 months in prison followed by five 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 July 2020, detectives with the Fourth Judicial Drug Task Force (DTF) initiated an investigation into the distribution of methamphetamine in the Northwest Arkansas area by Dervin Ward Foster Jr., age 31.
On July 17, 2020, detectives with the DTF conducted surveillance on a hotel in Fayetteville and reported observing Foster’s vehicle. Foster was observed carrying a green soft-sided ice chest into the hotel with him. Shortly thereafter, Foster left the hotel carrying the same ice chest and entered his vehicle.
An officer with the Fayetteville Police Department initiated a traffic stop. After receiving probable cause, a search was conducted. The search resulted in officers locating a loaded .40 caliber pistol, two vacuum sealed bags of methamphetamine weighing approximately 2,000 grams and approximately $6,000.00 in U.S. currency.
A search of Foster’s hotel room resulted in officers locating approximately 806 grams of methamphetamine, a digital scale, packaging materials, rubber gloves and $4,980.00 in U.S. currency.
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 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.
Department of Justice Awards More Than $125 Million in Grants Under the Stop School Violence ActRead the Press Release
FORT SMITH – The Department of Justice today announced nearly $126 million in funding to advance school safety under the STOP School Violence Act. The grants, awarded by the Office of Justice Programs’ Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) and the department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office), will help institute safety measures in and around primary and secondary schools, support school violence prevention efforts, provide training to school personnel and students, and implement evidence-based threat assessments.
“The Justice Department has no greater responsibility than protecting Americans from harm,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “Schools must be safe places to learn, and today’s investment of more than $125 million under the STOP School Violence Act will help ensure that they are.”
The Students, Teachers and Officers Preventing School Violence Act of 2018 (the “STOP School Violence Act”) gives the Justice Department the authority to provide awards directly to states, units of local government, Indian tribes, and public agencies (such as school districts and law enforcement agencies) to improve security at schools and on school grounds through evidence-based school safety programs. It also provides grants to ensure a positive school climate by helping students and teachers recognize, respond quickly to, and help prevent acts of violence.
The 78 BJA annual awards, totaling almost $74 million, are intended to support training and education for school personnel and students on preventing violence against others and themselves, including anti-bullying training and specialized training for school officials to respond to mental health crises. Funds also help develop and implement multidisciplinary threat assessment or intervention teams and design technology solutions such as anonymous reporting systems, hotlines and websites.
The COPS School Violence Prevention Program (SVPP) provides up to 75% of the funding for school safety measures in and around primary and secondary schools. The 153 SVPP awards, totaling almost $52 million, are statutorily obligated to be used for coordination with law enforcement; training for local law enforcement officers to prevent student violence; locks, lighting and other deterrent measures; technology for expedited notification of local law enforcement during an emergency; and other measures that provide a significant improvement in security.
The full list of SVPP awards can be found here: https://cops.usdoj.gov/svpp-award.
A list of BJA awards, as they are made, can be found on the OJP Grant Awards page.
The COPS Office is the federal component of the Department of Justice responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. The only Department of Justice agency with policing in its name, the COPS Office was established in 1994 and has been the cornerstone of the nation’s crime fighting strategy with grants, a variety of knowledge resource products, and training and technical assistance. Through the years, the COPS Office has become the go-to agency for law enforcement agencies across the country and continues to listen to the field and provide the resources that are needed to reduce crime and build trust between law enforcement and the communities served. The COPS Office has invested more than $14 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of more than 135,000 officers.
The Office of Justice Programs provides federal leadership, grants, training, technical assistance and other resources to improve the nation’s capacity to prevent and reduce crime, advance racial equity in the administration of justice, assist victims and enhance the rule of law. More information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.
Fort Smith Woman Sentenced to More Than 3 Years in Federal Prison for Pandemic Benefits Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
FORT SMITH – A Fort Smith woman was sentenced on December 8, 2021 to 41 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $120,978.00 in restitution following her guilty plea to one count of Wire Fraud. 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, Fort Smith Police encountered Jasmin Molina, 26, in possession of identity documents and banking information belonging to unwitting victims. Molina used the documents to file for pandemic related unemployment benefits from the Arkansas Department of Workforce Services (ADWS) and directed benefits payments to bank accounts under her control. Using login information from the ADWS web portal, law enforcement was able to connect Molina to numerous benefits applications she made using others’ identities.
These benefits, called Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) and Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) are authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act passed in March 2020, and are intended for those have become unemployed for reasons related to the Coronavirus Pandemic.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The Fort Smith Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations Fort Smith Division, U.S. Department of Labor and the Arkansas Department of Workforce Services investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Hunter Bridges prosecuted the case.
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.
Justice Department Awards More Than $17.5 Million to Support Project Safe NeighborhoodsRead the Press Release
FORT SMITH – The Department of Justice announced today that it has awarded more than $17.5 million in grants to support the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program. Funding will support efforts across the country to address violent crime, including the gun violence that is often at its core. The Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration was awarded $108,584.00 to administer PSN grant funds in the Western District of Arkansas.
The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), part of the department’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP), will administer the 88 grant awards, which are being made to designated fiscal agents to support local PSN projects that work in partnership with U.S. Attorneys’ Offices.
“Our office is committed to fighting the rising rates of violent crime in the Western District of Arkansas,” said United States Attorney Clay Fowlkes. “Protecting our communities through the prosecution of violent criminals in possession of firearms is a top priority in this effort. This grant is an important step in the right direction and demonstrates our commitment to working with our state and local partners on this very important issue. We look forward to using these funds to implement the strategy we have developed with our state and local partners to help keep our communities safe.”
“This latest Project Safe Neighborhoods grant is critical to addressing the violent crime threatening cities and towns all across our country,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco. “Ensuring the safety of all Americans is the highest priority for the Department of Justice, but when it comes to violent crime, there is not a one-size-fits-all solution. We have to work closely with local public safety agencies as well as community organizations to craft individual strategies unique to each community’s needs. Programs like Project Safe Neighborhoods and the funding it provides allow us to do just that.”
“Investing in our communities, supporting victims and building a justice system that both keeps people safe and earns their trust – these are mutually reinforcing goals that stand at the heart of Project Safe Neighborhoods,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Amy L. Solomon for OJP. “The Office of Justice Programs is pleased to join with our U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, and with jurisdictions across the country, as we work together to meet the challenges of crime and violence and achieve our shared aspirations of public safety and community trust.”
In May 2021, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland announced a new effort to reduce violent crime, including the gun violence that is often at its core. Integral to that effort was the reinvigoration of PSN, a two-decade old evidence-based and community-oriented program focused on reducing violent crime. The updated PSN approach, outlined in the department’s Comprehensive Strategy for Reducing Violent Crime issued by Deputy Attorney General Monaco, is guided by four key principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities and measuring the results of our efforts. The fundamental goal is to reduce violent crime, not simply to increase the number of arrests or prosecutions.
This fall, U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the country have enhanced their violent crime reduction efforts to ensure alignment with the department’s comprehensive violent crime reduction strategy. U.S. Attorneys’ Offices have engaged in outreach to law enforcement and other agencies and organizations serving communities to identify the most significant drivers of violence in their districts. Working together with a broad coalition of stakeholders, the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices are addressing the most pressing violent crime issues in their district to make our neighborhoods safer for all.
PSN programs are led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in collaboration with local public safety agencies, community stakeholders and other agencies and organizations that work to reduce violent crime.
For a list of all grantees, please visit: FY21-Project-Safe-Neighborhoods-Awards.pdf (ojp.gov).
The Office of Justice Programs provides federal leadership, grants, training, technical assistance and other resources to improve the nation’s capacity to prevent and reduce crime, advance racial equity in the administration of justice, assist victims and enhance the rule of law. More information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.
Federal Jury Convicts Former Reality Television Personality for Downloading and Possessing Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
FAYETTEVILLE – A federal jury convicted an Arkansas man today for receiving and possessing material depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Joshua James Duggar, 33, 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.
“Over 7% of the cases sentenced in the year 2020 in the Western District of Arkansas were child pornography and sexual abuse cases,” said the United States Attorney for Western Arkansas Clay Fowlkes. “Our office is focused on expending all the resources necessary to the very important work of protecting children in Arkansas and elsewhere. This verdict sends the message that these cases are a top priority for our office. This verdict also demonstrates that no person is above the law. Regardless of wealth, social status, or fame, our office will continue to seek out all individuals who seek to abuse children and victimize them through the downloading, possession, and sharing of child pornography.”
“Today’s verdict sends a message that we will track down and prosecute people who download and view child sexual abuse material, regardless of the lengths they go to conceal their conduct,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “I am grateful for the efforts of the prosecution team and our law enforcement partners who helped ensure the defendant will be held accountable for his crimes. I hope today’s conviction serves as a reminder of the Department’s steadfast commitment to bringing to justice those who callously contribute to the online sexual exploitation of young children.”
“Because of the exceptional efforts by HSI special agents and our law enforcement partners, a child predator has been brought to justice. Every time child exploitation imagery is shared, it re-victimizes innocent and vulnerable children,” Jack Staton, HSI New Orleans acting Special Agent in Charge. “The verdict demonstrates that regardless of an individual’s notoriety or influence, they are not above the law. HSI agents make it a priority to protect children by investigating these offenders and ensuring they pay for their incomprehensible actions.”
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.
Duggar was convicted of receipt and possession of child pornography. He is scheduled to be sentenced on a later date. Receipt of child pornography is punishable by a term of imprisonment of five to 20 years. Possession of child pornography depicting prepubescent children has a maximum penalty of 20 years of imprisonment as well. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Homeland Security Investigations Fayetteville, Arkansas, 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 are prosecuting 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.
Federal Jury Convicts Former Reality Television Personality for Downloading and Possessing Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
A federal jury convicted an Arkansas man today for receiving and possessing material depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Joshua James Duggar, 33, 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.
“Today’s verdict sends a message that we will track down and prosecute people who download and view child sexual abuse material, regardless of the lengths they go to conceal their conduct,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “I am grateful for the efforts of the prosecution team and our law enforcement partners who helped ensure the defendant would be held accountable for his crimes. I hope today’s conviction serves as a reminder of the department’s steadfast commitment to bringing to justice those who callously contribute to the online sexual exploitation of young children.”
“Over 7% of the cases sentenced in the year 2020 in the Western District of Arkansas were child pornography and sexual abuse cases,” said the U.S. Attorney Clay Fowlkes for Western Arkansas. “Our office is focused on expending all the resources necessary to the very important work of protecting children in Arkansas and elsewhere. This verdict sends the message that these cases are a top priority for our office. This verdict also demonstrates that no person is above the law. Regardless of wealth, social status, or fame, our office will continue to seek out all individuals who seek to abuse children and victimize them through the downloading, possession, and sharing of child pornography.”
“Because of the exceptional efforts by HSI special agents and our law enforcement partners, a child predator has been brought to justice,” said Special Agent in Charge Jack Staton of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New Orleans, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “Every time child exploitation imagery is shared, it re-victimizes innocent and vulnerable children. The verdict demonstrates that regardless of an individual’s notoriety or influence, they are not above the law. HSI agents make it a priority to protect children by investigating these offenders and ensuring they pay for their incomprehensible actions.”
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.
Duggar was convicted of receipt and possession of child pornography. His sentencing date has not been scheduled yet. Receipt of child pornography is punishable by a term of imprisonment of five to 20 years. Possession of child pornography depicting prepubescent children has a maximum penalty of 20 years of imprisonment as well. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
HSI in Fayetteville, Arkansas, the Little Rock Police Department, and the High Technology Investigative Unit of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) investigated the case.
Trial Attorney William G. Clayman of CEOS and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dustin Roberts and Carly Marshall of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Arkansas are prosecuting 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.
Northwest Arkansas Group Sentenced to 141 Years Combined in Federal Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
FAYETTEVILLE – The final member of a Northwest Arkansas group has been sentenced to federal prison for the Distribution of Methamphetamine. The Honorable Judge Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearings for the United States District Court in Fayetteville.
In the spring of 2019, Agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) launched an investigation into drug trafficking and money laundering in the Western District of Arkansas. For approximately a year between April 2019 and August of 2020, agents conducted extensive investigative activities into a large, Northwest Arkansas-based drug trafficking organization led by Nathan Martin.
This investigation resulted in the arrest, prosecution, and imprisonment of fifteen (15) individual drug traffickers and money launderers and the seizure of approximately 28 kilograms of methamphetamine, approximately 415 grams of heroin, approximately 61 grams of fentanyl, 5 firearms, and over $43,000.00 in funds derived from drug trafficking.
The sentencings of the drug trafficking organization members are as follows:
WDAR Case No. 5:20 CR 50044 – 001-012 – (Indictment issued August 26, 2020)
Nathan Martin: age 36, Rogers, Arkansas - Aiding and Abetting in the Distribution of More Than 50 grams of a Mixture or Substance Containing a Detectable Amount of Methamphetamine – 300 months imprisonment, 4-year term of supervised release, a fine of $9,900, and a $100 special assessment.
Karla Avelar-Mejia: age 23, Rogers, Arkansas - Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine - 60 months imprisonment, a 3-year term of supervised release, a fine of $1,400, and a $100 special assessment. Rogers
Evan Boyd: age 26, Springdale, Arkansas - Distribution of Methamphetamine -130 months imprisonment, a 3-year term of supervised release, a fine of $2,400, and a $100 special assessment.
Gary Boyd: age 40, Bella Vista, Arkansas - Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine – 180 months imprisonment, 3-year term of supervised release, a fine of $1,900, and a $100 special assessment.
Patrick Ford: age 23, Rogers, Arkansas - Distribution of Methamphetamine -120 months imprisonment, a 5-year term of supervised release, a fine of $2,400, and a $100 special assessment.
Humberto Noel Gonzalez: age 38, Rogers, Arkansas - Distribution of Methamphetamine – 78 months imprisonment, a 3 -year term of supervised release, a fine of $1,400, and a $100 special assessment.
Christopher Lee Jackson: age 59, Rogers, Arkansas - Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine – 100 months imprisonment, a 3 -year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
Michael Moran: age 38, Bentonville, Arkansas - Distribution of Heroin -120 months imprisonment, a 3-year term of supervised release, a fine of $1,400, and a $100 special assessment.
Thomas Porras: age 32, Bentonville, Arkansas - Distribution of More Than 50 Grams of a Mixture Containing Methamphetamine- 110 months imprisonment, a 4 -year term of supervised release, a fine of $1,400, and a $100 special assessment.
Katie Putty: age 41, Springdale, Arkansas - Distribution of More Than 5 Grams Actual - 30 months imprisonment, a 3-year term of supervised release, a fine of $1,400, and a $100 special assessment.
Dakota Siller: age 26, Springdale, Arkansas - Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering- 84 months imprisonment, a 3-year term of supervised release, a fine of $1,400, and a $100 special assessment.
Ruben Zapien: age 35, Rogers, Arkansas – Aiding and Abetting in the Distribution of More Than 50 grams of a Mixture or Substance Containing a Detectable Amount of Methamphetamine- 188 months imprisonment, a 5-year term of supervised release, a fine of $900, and a $100 special assessment.
Natalie Urbina: age 26, Rogers, Arkansas - Aiding and Abetting the Possession with Intent to Distribute of More Than 50 Grams of a Mixture or Substance Containing Methamphetamine - 87 months imprisonment, a 4-year term of supervised release, a fine of $900, and a $100 special assessment.
Bernardo Carcamo: age 29, Rogers, Arkansas - Aiding and Abetting the Possession with Intent to Distribute of More Than 50 Grams of a Mixture or Substance Containing Methamphetamine - 63 months imprisonment, a 4-year term of supervised release, a fine of $900, and a $100 special assessment.
Helena Belena Sorimle: age 23, Springdale, Arkansas - Conspiracy to Distribute More Than 50 Grams of a Mixture or Substance Containing Methamphetamine: - 42 months imprisonment, a 4-year term of supervised release, a fine of $400, and a $100 special assessment.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The Drug Enforcement Administration Fayetteville Division, Benton County Sheriff’s Office, Rogers Police Department, Benton County Drug Unit, Bentonville Police Department, Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Springdale Police Department, 4th Judicial District Drug Task Force, Arkansas National Guard Counter Drug Unit, Homeland Security Investigations Fayetteville Division, United States Postal Service, United States Marshals Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and the Arkansas State Probation and Parole investigated the case.p
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kim Harris prosecuted the case for the United States.
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.
Justice Department Announces $139 Million for Law Enforcement Hiring to Advance Community PolicingRead the Press Release
FORT SMITH, Ark. – The Department of Justice today announced more than $139 million in grant funding through the department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) COPS Hiring Program (CHP). The awards provide direct funding to 183 law enforcement agencies across the nation, allowing those agencies to hire 1,066 additional full-time law enforcement professionals. In the Western District of Arkansas, the city of Hot Springs was awarded funding totaling $625,000.00
“We are committed to providing police departments with the resources needed to help ensure community safety and build community trust,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The grants we are announcing today will enable law enforcement agencies across the country to hire more than 1,000 additional officers to support vitally important community oriented policing programs.”
“We are so proud of the efforts that the Hot Springs Police Department has taken to combat the rising tide of violent crime in the Western District of Arkansas,” said United States Attorney David Clay Fowlkes. “This award reflects both their hard work in this area and their deep commitment to help protect our communities. We look forward to the future of working together with the Hot Springs Police Department and other agencies throughout Western Arkansas to accomplish these important goals.”
The CHP is a competitive award program intended to reduce crime and advance public safety through community policing. CHP provides funds directly to law enforcement agencies to hire new or rehire additional career law enforcement officers, thereby increasing their community policing capacity and crime prevention efforts. Of the 183 agencies awarded grants today, approximately half will use the funding to focus on building legitimacy and trust between law enforcement and communities; 41 agencies will seek to address high rates of gun violence; 21 will focus on other areas of violence; and 19 will focus CHP resources on combating hate and domestic extremism or supporting police-based responses to persons in crisis. The complete list of awards can be found here.
Since its creation in 1994, COPS has invested more than $14 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state, local and Tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of more than 135,000 officers. CHP, COPS’ flagship program, continues to be in demand today: In FY21, COPS received 590 applications requesting nearly 3,000 law enforcement positions. For FY22, President Biden has requested $537.0 million for CHP, an increase of $300 million.
To learn more about CHP, please visit https://cops.usdoj.gov/chp. For additional information about the COPS Office, please visit www.cops.usdoj.gov.
The COPS Office is the federal component of the Department of Justice responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. The only Department of Justice agency with policing in its name, the COPS Office was established in 1994 and has been the cornerstone of the nation’s crime fighting strategy with grants, a variety of knowledge resource products, and training and technical assistance. Through the years, the COPS Office has become the go-to organization for law enforcement agencies across the country and continues to listen to the field and provide the resources that are needed to reduce crime and build trust between law enforcement and the communities served.
River Valley Group Sentenced to over 206 Years Combined in Federal Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
FORT SMITH, Ark. – The final members of an Arkansas River Valley group have been sentenced to federal prison for the Distribution of Methamphetamine. The Honorable Judge Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearings for the United States District Court in Fort Smith.
In the fall of 2019, Agents with the DEA and the FBI launched an investigation into drug trafficking and money laundering in the Western District of Arkansas. For approximately a year between September 2019 and September of 2020, agents conducted extensive investigative activities into a large, River Valley-based drug trafficking organization led by Manuel “Chuy” De Jesus Perez-Echeverria.
This investigation resulted the arrest, prosecution, and imprisonment of twenty-two (22) individual drug traffickers and money launderers and the seizure of approximately 6.5 kilograms of methamphetamine, 15 firearms, and $146,687 in funds derived from drug trafficking.
The sentencings of the drug trafficking organization members are as follows:
WDAR Case No. 2:20 CR 20014 – 001-004 – (Indictment issued July 28, 2020)
Alexis Tirado - age 27, Fort Smith, Arkansas – sentenced April 8, 2021 to 180 months BOP and $100 special assessment for Aiding and Abetting in the Distribution of More Than 50 Grams of Methamphetamine.
Emmanuel Miranda – age 25, Fort Smith, Arkansas – sentenced April 1, 2021 to 78 months BOP and $100 special assessment for Conspiracy to Distribute More Than 5 Grams of Methamphetamine.
Israel Miranda-Zapata – age 30, Fort Smith, Arkansas – sentenced April 1, 2021 to 108 months BOP and $100 special assessment for Conspiracy to Distribute More Than 5 Grams of Methamphetamine.
Brenda Golden Day – age 36, Fort Smith, Arkansas – sentenced April 1, 2021 to 60 months BOP and $100 special assessment for Distribution of More Than Five Grams of Methamphetamine.
WDAR Case No. 2:20 CR 20017-001-018 (Original Indictment issued August 26, 2020, Superseding Indictment issued October 7, 2020)
Manuel “Chuy” De Jesus Perez-Echeverria - age 36, Fort Smith, Arkansas – sentenced October 22, 2021 to 360 months BOP, $100 special assessment, and $20,000 fine for Conspiracy to Distribute More Than Five Hundred (500) Grams of a Mixture or Substance Containing Methamphetamine.
Humberto “Beto” Acosta-Martinez – age 33, Poteau, Oklahoma – sentenced October 12, 2021 to 48 months BOP, $100 special assessment, $300 fine for Conspiracy to Distribute a Mixture or Substance Containing Methamphetamine.
Shaun Michael Easton – age 40, Fort Smith, Arkansas – sentenced November 9, 2021 to 108 months BOP, $100 special assessment, $900 fine for Distribution of More Than Five (5) Grams of Methamphetamine.
Julio Ivan Enriquez-Munoz – age 41, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma – sentenced November 8, 2021 to 51 months BOP, $100 special assessment, $400 fine for Conspiracy to Distribute a Mixture or Substance Containing Methamphetamine.
Alberto Ledesma – age 43, Fort Smith, Arkansas – sentenced October 18, 2021 to 188 months BOP, $100 special assessment and $2,900 fine for Distribution of More than Fifty (50) Grams of Methamphetamine.
Efrain Maciel-Martinez – age 54, Fort Smith, Arkansas – sentenced October 14, 2021 to 78 months BOP, $100 special assessment, $300 fine for Possession of More Than Fifty (50) Grams of a Mixture or Substance Containing Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute.
Makayla Nicole Martin – age 22, Fort Smith, Arkansas – sentenced October 15, 2021 to 63 months BOP, $100 special assessment and $1,400 fine for Money Laundering.
Traye Everett Martin – age 26, Fort Smith, Arkansas – sentenced October 14, 2021 to 57 months BOP, $100 special assessment, $1,400 fine for Conspiracy to Distribute a Mixture or Substance Containing Methamphetamine.
Nicholas “Nico” Moron-Rivera – age 29, Fort Smith, Arkansas – plead guilty on September 16, 2021 to Distribution of Methamphetamine. Sentencing has not yet been scheduled.
Julie Ann Pyles - age 42, Fort Smith, Arkansas – sentenced October 13, 2021 to 78 months BOP, $100 special assessment, $1,400 fine for Money Laundering.
Paula Lynne Rider – age 58, Fort Smith, Arkansas – sentenced October 6, 2021 to 87 months BOP, $100 special assessment and a $900 fine for Conspiracy to Distribute a Mixture or Substance Containing Methamphetamine.
Ezequiel Rodriguez – age 43. Heavener, Oklahoma – sentenced October 21, 2021 to 210 months BOP, $100 special assessment, $14,653.19 in restitution to the DEA for methamphetamine laboratory cleanup/abatement for Conspiracy to Distribute More Than Five-Hundred (500) Grams of a Mixture or Substance Containing Methamphetamine.
Ronal Salinas – age 24, Fort Smith, Arkansas – sentenced October 5, 2021 to 33 months BOP, $100 special assessment, $900 fine for Distribution of More Than Five (5) Grams of Methamphetamine.
Benjamin Valdez – age 38, Paris, Arkansas – sentenced October 21, 2021 to 262 months BOP, $100 special assessment and a $5,000 fine for Distribution of More Than Five (5) Grams of Methamphetamine.
Amber Renee Vance – age 35, Fort Smith, Arkansas – sentenced July 21, 2021 to 130 months BOP and a $100 special assessment for Conspiracy to Distribute a Mixture or Substance Containing Methamphetamine.
Richard James Vineyard – age 33, Fort Smith, Arkansas – sentenced November 9, 2021 to 120 months BOP, $100 special assessment, $900 fine for Conspiracy to Distribute a Mixture or Substance Containing Methamphetamine.
Emily Elizabeth Williams – age 31, Fort Smith, Arkansas – sentenced October 5, 2021 to 70 months BOP, $100 special assessment, $900 fine for Conspiracy to Distribute a Mixture or Substance Containing Methamphetamine.
Michael Dean Wilson – age 38, Hot Springs, Arkansas – sentenced October 13, 2021 to 110 months BOP, $100 special assessment, $1900 fine for Conspiracy to Distribute a Mixture or Substance Containing Methamphetamine.
Acting U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas, FBI Little Rock, Special Agent in Charge Jim Dawson, and DEA Little Rock, Assistant Special Agent in Charge Jarad Harper made the announcement.
DEA – Fort Smith, AR; McAllister, OK; Atlanta, GA, FBI – Fort Smith, AR; Oklahoma City, OK; Miami, FL, U.S. Marshals Service, ATF – Fort Smith, AR, State & Local Agencies - Logan County Sheriff’s Office, Fort Smith Police Department, Sebastian County Sheriff’s Office, Greenwood Police Department, Paris Police Department, Crawford County Sheriff’s Office, 12th/21st Judicial District Drug Task Force, Arkansas State Police, and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Carter prosecuted the case for the United States.
Today’s announcement is part of the Western District of Arkansas’ Operation Bear Mountain Bingo, which is part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program. The OCDETF program is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s drug supply reduction strategy. OCDETF was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations. Today, OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illicit drug supply.
Lavaca Man Charged in $100 Million COVID-19 Health Care Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
FORT SMITH, Ark. – A federal grand jury in the Western District of Arkansas returned an indictment this week charging a Lavaca man who owned or managed numerous diagnostic testing laboratories with health care fraud in connection with over $100 million dollars in false billings for urine drug testing, COVID-19 testing, and other clinical laboratory services.
According to court documents, Billy Joe Taylor, 42, engaged in a scheme between February 2017 and May 2021 in connection with diagnostic laboratory testing, including urine drug testing and tests for respiratory illnesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, that were medically unnecessary, not ordered by medical providers, and/or not provided as represented. According to the indictment, Taylor controlled and directed multiple diagnostic laboratories, and used those labs to submit more than $100 million in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare. The indictment alleges that Taylor obtained medical information and private personal information for Medicare beneficiaries, and then misused that confidential information to repeatedly submit claims to Medicare for diagnostic tests that were not ordered by medical providers and were not actually performed by the laboratories. Taylor allegedly then used the proceeds of the fraud to live a lavish lifestyle, including purchasing numerous luxury automobiles, including a Rolls Royce Wraith, as well as real estate, jewelry, guitars, and other luxury clothing and items.
Taylor is charged with 16 counts of health care fraud, and one count of engaging in a monetary transaction in criminally derived property. Taylor was previously charged by criminal complaint in May 2021. The defendant is scheduled for his arraignment on November 23, 2021, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark E. Ford of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas. Each of the counts is punishable by a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting 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 James A. Dawson, of the FBI’s Little Rock division; Special Agent in Charge Miranda Bennett of the Department of Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), Dallas Regional Office; and Special Agent in Charge Christopher Altemus of the IRS-Criminal Investigation, Dallas Field Office, made the announcement.
The FBI, HHS-OIG, and IRS-Criminal Investigation are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth Elser of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Arkansas and Senior Litigation Counsel Jim Hayes and Trial Attorney D. Keith Clouser of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section’s National Rapid Response Strike Force 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.
Arkansas Man Charged in $100 Million COVID-19 Health Care Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury in the Western District of Arkansas returned an indictment yesterday charging an Arkansas man who owned or managed numerous diagnostic testing laboratories with health care fraud in connection with over $100 million dollars in false billings for urine drug testing, COVID-19 testing, and other clinical laboratory services.
According to court documents, Billy Joe Taylor, 42, of Lavaca, engaged in a scheme between February 2017 and May 2021 in connection with diagnostic laboratory testing, including urine drug testing and tests for respiratory illnesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, that were medically unnecessary, not ordered by medical providers, and/or not provided as represented. According to the indictment, Taylor controlled and directed multiple diagnostic laboratories, and used those labs to submit more than $100 million in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare. The indictment alleges that Taylor obtained medical information and private personal information for Medicare beneficiaries, and then misused that confidential information to repeatedly submit claims to Medicare for diagnostic tests that were not ordered by medical providers and were not actually performed by the laboratories. Taylor allegedly then used the proceeds of the fraud to live a lavish lifestyle, including purchasing numerous luxury automobiles, including a Rolls Royce Wraith, as well as real estate, jewelry, guitars, and other luxury clothing and items.
Taylor is charged with 16 counts of health care fraud, and one count of engaging in a monetary transaction in criminally-derived property. Taylor was previously charged by criminal complaint in May 2021. The defendant is scheduled for his arraignment on Nov. 23 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark E. Ford of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas. Each of the counts is punishable by a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Acting U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes for the Western District of Arkansas; Special Agent in Charge James A. Dawson, of the FBI’s Little Rock division; Special Agent in Charge Miranda Bennett of the Department of Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), Dallas Regional Office; and Special Agent in Charge Christopher Altemus of the IRS-Criminal Investigation, Dallas Field Office, made the announcement.
The FBI, HHS-OIG, and IRS-Criminal Investigation are investigating the case.
Senior Litigation Counsel Jim Hayes and Trial Attorney D. Keith Clouser of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section’s National Rapid Response Strike Force and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth Elser of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Arkansas 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.
Central Arkansas Group Sentenced to over 20 Years Combined in Federal Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – The final member of a central Arkansas group has been sentenced to federal prison for the Distribution of Methamphetamine. The Honorable Chief Judge Susan O. Hickey presided over the sentencing hearings in the United States District Court in Hot Springs.
In January 2019, Detectives with the 18th Judicial Drug Task Force launched an investigation into drug trafficking in the Western District of Arkansas. Between the months of January and June of 2019, detectives conducted several controlled purchases of methamphetamine from John Rickey Stinger and members of his drug trafficking organization.
The sentencings are as follows:
Kenneth Traylor, age 60, of Malvern, Arkansas, was sentenced today to 72 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release on one count of Aiding and Abetting in the Distribution of Methamphetamine.
Krista Graves, age 27, of Malvern, Arkansas, was sentenced June 25, 2020 to 30 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release on one count of Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine.
John Rickey Stinger, age 36, of Malvern, Arkansas, was sentenced on June 23, 2020 to 121 months in federal prison followed by four years of supervised release on one count of Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine and one count of Aiding and Abetting in the Distribution of Methamphetamine.
Joshua Tollett, age 40, of Hot Springs, Arkansas, was sentenced on June 23, 2020 to 18 months in federal prison followed by four years of supervised release on one count of Aiding and Abetting in the Distribution of Methamphetamine.
Acting 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, and the 18th East Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney’s Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan Achorn and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Trent Daniels prosecuted the case.
Indiana Man Sentenced to 9 Years in Federal Prison for Robbing A Hot Springs PharmacyRead the Press Release
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – An Anderson, Indiana man was sentenced yesterday to 108 months on each count (to run concurrently) in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release on one count of Robberies Involving Controlled Substances (Aiding and Abetting) and one count of Conspiracy and Possession with Intent to Distribute a Schedule II Controlled Substances. 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 or about June 7, 2018, Jerome Scott King, 22, along with two (2) other unidentified males, entered the CVS Pharmacy in Hot Springs, Arkansas, brandished a weapon, and forced employees to give them several Schedule II controlled substances. The amount of controlled substance taken were valued at $22,421.87. In September of 2019, King was sentenced to 168 months in federal prison, out of the Western District of Missouri, Central Division, for a similar pharmacy robbery. Yesterday’s sentencing was ordered to run consecutive to that 168-month sentence.
Acting U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The Hot Springs Police Department and the FBI Little Rock investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan Achorn and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Trent Daniels 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.
Hot Springs Man Sentenced to over 17 Years in Federal Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – A Hot Springs man was sentenced today to 210 months in prison followed by three 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, in the summer of 2019, Detectives with the 18th East Judicial District Drug Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations and the Drug Enforcement Administration launched an investigation into Paul Scaife, 41, for drug trafficking in the Western District of Arkansas. In July of 2019, detectives conducted a controlled purchase of methamphetamine from Scaife.
Acting 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, and the 18th East Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney’s Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan Achorn and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Trent Daniels prosecuted the case.
Drug Traffickers Sentenced to 20 Years Combined in Federal Prison for Drug PossessionRead the Press Release
FORT SMITH, Ark. – A Marshalltown IA, women and a Greenville MS, man were sentenced to 20 years combined in prison followed by five years each of supervised release on one count of Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine. The Honorable Judge P.K Holmes, III presided over the sentencing hearings in the United States District Court in Fort smith.
According to court documents, on March 13, 2021, an Arkansas State Police Trooper conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle operated by Kyla Nicole Forbes, age 47, for a traffic violation. The vehicle was also occupied by a front seat passenger named Malcolm Dewayne Alexander, age 46. After asking and being denied consent to search the vehicle, a second Trooper arrived with his K9 partner. That Trooper utilized his K9 partner to conduct a sniff of the air around the vehicle. The K9 alerted to the presence of narcotics being in the vehicle. During a search of the vehicle 10 bundles of methamphetamine weighing a total of 6.3 kilograms were located inside a black duffle bag that was placed in the trunk. Also located inside the vehicle was a glass pipe used to smoke meth in Forbes purse and an open syringe in the center console.
Alexander was sentenced on September 16, 2021 to 120 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release. Forbes was sentenced on October 6, 2021 to 120 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release.
Acting U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The Arkansas State Police and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tyler Williams prosecuted the case.
Convicted Felon Sentenced to over 7 Years in Federal Prison for Firearms PossessionRead the Press Release
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – A Hot Springs man was sentenced on October 5, 2021 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 May 25, 2019, an Arkansas State Police Trooper conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle operated by Redmon DeShawn Logan, 33, for a traffic violation. As the Trooper approached the vehicle the Trooper observed a bullet in the driver’s door handle. The Trooper asked Logan if he had any weapons in the vehicle. As Logan began to reach down toward the weapon the Trooper pulled Logan from the vehicle and placed him under arrest. A vehicle search was conducted and resulted in the Trooper locating and seizing two stolen handguns, an assault rifle, and over 200 rounds of ammunition.
Acting U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The Arkansas State Police 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.
Former Rogers Company Executive Pleads Guilty to Role in Workers’ Comp Billing Fraud/Kickback ConspiracyRead the Press Release
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark.—A former executive with a Rogers medical supply and billing company pleaded guilty today to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud, health care fraud, fraud to obtain federal employees’ compensation, and illegal remunerations (paying kickbacks), in connection with a scheme to defraud the U.S. government and private insurance companies by over-billing for unnecessary medications provided to workers’ compensation patients.
U.S. District Judge Timothy L. Brooks presided over the plea hearing, in which Amanda Dawn Rains, 39, waived indictment by a grand jury and pleaded guilty to a criminal information charging her with conspiracy to violate five different federal statutes. According to court documents, Rains, who in 2013 was hired as the Billing Director of an unidentified Rogers corporation, joined in a fraud scheme that ran from 2011 until 2017 and defrauded both federal and private workers’ compensation insurers.
Court documents allege that the basic premise of the scheme was that individuals associated with the Rogers corporation recruited physicians to dispense pain creams and patches to their workers’ compensation patients by offering them a split of the profits collected from successfully billing insurers, typically 50 percent. One such physician was Robert Dale Bernauer, Sr., who ran a clinic in Lake Charles, La. Bernauer pleaded guilty to his role in the same conspiracy on July 30, 2021.
After signing contracts with physicians, the company supplied them with pain creams and patches, and acted as the billing agent for the physicians, handling all of 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. The company billed insurers at markups of anywhere from 15 to 20 times what the medications actually cost, and then paid the physicians kickbacks on amounts collected.
According to court documents, Rains’ role in the conspiracy included: managing the billing system for the Rogers corporation and electronically submitting allegedly fraudulent claims to the Department of Labor and private insurers; maintaining a “do not dispense” list of insurers that refused to pay the company’s claims; advising doctors and clinics how to respond to insurance companies that questioned the charges; shipping the company’s medications to doctors and clinics; preparing presentations used by the company’s sales representatives to recruit doctors that falsely stated the business arrangement did not violate anti-kickback laws; and continuing to ship medications to Bernauer and bill insurers for his prescriptions despite knowing he did not have the required Louisiana license to dispense medications.
In her plea agreement, Rains promises to pay restitution to the Department of Labor and to other insurers victimized by the conspiracy, in amounts to be determined. The charging document for her case alleges that the total losses include more than $3.9 million paid by the Department of Labor, and amounts paid by private insurers that are still to be calculated but include almost $2 million in payments related to medication dispensed by Bernauer alone. According to court documents in the related case, Bernauer has already paid $664,176.30 in restitution to the Department of Labor, and $361,096.70 to the court clerk’s office, to go to other victims of the fraud, for a total of $1,025,273 restitution paid to date.
As a result of her guilty plea to the single conspiracy count, Rains may be sentenced to a maximum of five years in prison. The court will determine her 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.
Acting U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The case was 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, the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, with the assistance of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, the Louisiana Department of Justice, the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners, and the Louisiana Board of Pharmacy.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Steven Mohlhenrich and Hunter Bridges prosecuted the case for the United States.
Bismarck Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Federal Prison for Sexual Exploitation of A MinorRead the Press Release
HOT SPRINGS, ARK. – Aaron Edward Briggs, 28, formerly of Morgan City, Louisiana, was sentenced yesterday to thirty (30) years in prison without the possibility of parole on one count of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor via the Production of Child Pornography. 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 2019, Briggs met and began a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old female. During the course of the sexual relationship, Briggs sent a picture of his genitals to the minor via Facebook Messenger. During a subsequent online conversation, Briggs requested that the minor take and send him sexually explicit images of herself. The evidence recovered during the investigation revealed numerous sexually explicit images of the minor that were sent to Briggs.
Acting U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The Federal Bureau of Investigations, Little Rock Division investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyra Jenner 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.
Mountain Home Man Sentenced to 63 Months for Obtaining Coronavirus Relief Funds by FraudRead the Press Release
FORT SMITH – James Read, 45, of Mountain Home was sentenced on September 20, 2021 to 63 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for charges stemming from his abuse of various COVID-19 related economic relief programs. According to court documents, Read falsified documents to apply for Small Business Administration loans intended for businesses struggling from the COVID-19 pandemic. Read also filed for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, on behalf of himself and others, in multiple states despite being ineligible for the funds. The Court further ordered Read to pay $277,827.00 in restitution for the fraudulently obtained funds.
“Our office will continue to vigorously pursue criminals such as Mr. Read and Mrs. Payne,” stated Acting United States Attorney David Clay Fowlkes. “This couple executed a scheme to steal money that was intended to help those who were truly in need. This sort of fraud is reprehensible and will not be tolerated in the Western District of Arkansas. It is our sincere hope that this sentence sends a clear message to all those who would endeavor to steal money that is intended for the less fortunate: that we will continue to investigate and prosecute these crimes to the very best of our ability and that we will seek sentences that will deter this kind of criminal conduct in the future.”
“Our agents will continue to pursue fake business owners such as Mr. Read aka ‘Snowbird Bob’, who chose to steal funds intended for small business owners crippled by this global pandemic,” said Special Agent in Charge Christopher Artemis, of Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations.
“In a time of national turmoil and uncertainty, Mr. Read flagrantly defrauded programs intended to assist Americans and their businesses,” said FBI Little Rock Special Agent in Charge James Dawson. “Mr. Read’s total disregard for his fellow citizens during the COVID-19 pandemic revealed his true colors as a fraudster. The FBI will continue to work with its partners to bring criminals who defraud SBA and PUA programs to justice.”
“The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration aggressively pursues those who endeavor to defraud programs afforded to the American people under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act,” said J. Russell George, of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. “We appreciate the efforts of the U.S. Department of Justice and our law enforcement partners in this effort.”
Read’s wife, Crystal Payne, 43, was sentenced on September 20, 2021 to five years of probation, a $5,000 fine, and $59,130.00 in restitution for her role in the offense.
The case was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigations, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), and the Small Business Administration Office of the Inspector General.
Assistant United States Attorney Hunter Bridges prosecuted the case for the United States.
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Related court documents may be found on the Public Access to Electronic Records website @ www.pacer.gov.