Middle District of Georgia
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
Methamphetamine Dealer Sentenced to 188 Months in Prison Consecutive to His Thirty-Year State SentenceRead the Press Release
G.F. “Pete” Peterman, III, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, announces that Paul Leonard Hodge, age 40, of Madison County, Georgia, was sentenced to 188 months imprisonment for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine by United States District Court Judge C. Ashley Royal in Athens, Georgia on May 2, 2017. Mr. Hodge’s federal sentence will run consecutively to the 30-year state prison sentence he is already serving for trafficking methamphetamine.
In his plea agreement, Mr. Hodge admitted that from January 21, 2015, to April 25, 2016, while he was in state prison serving a thirty-year state sentence for trafficking methamphetamine in Madison County, he conspired with other people to possess with intent to distribute 250.19 grams of actual methamphetamine in Athens, Georgia. In addition to his January 2015 conviction for trafficking methamphetamine in Madison County, Mr. Hodge had previously been convicted of felony counts involving methamphetamine in 2014, 2010, and twice in 2005.
“Mr. Hodge is obviously a career drug dealer whose pedaling of poison continued even while he was incarcerated. He deserves to serve every moment of both sentences now imposed upon him,” said United States Attorney Peterman.
The case was investigated by the Athens-Clarke County Police Department and the Madison County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Peter D. Leary prosecuted the case for the Government.
Questions concerning this case should be directed to Pamela Lightsey, Public Information Officer, United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 621-2603.
Macon Woman Charged in Connection with Bomb Threat to Local Daycare Center, Threatening Interstate Communications, and Perpetuating A HoaxRead the Press Release
United States Attorney G. F. “Pete” Peterman, III announces that Jasmine Jaquel Bradley, age 26, of Macon, Georgia, was arrested and charged with Interstate Bomb Threats, Threatening Interstate Communications and Conveying False Information and Perpetuating a Hoax against Child Care Network School, a daycare located at 3940 Northside Drive in Macon, Georgia.
This case was investigated by the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office and the Macon Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Law enforcement is also continuing to investigate similar recent activities in the Middle District of Georgia.
Copies of the criminal complaint and the affidavit on which it is based, both of which were filed with the court earlier today, are attached.
If convicted, Ms. Bradley faces up to ten (10) years imprisonment for making interstate bomb threats, five (5) years imprisonment for making threatening interstate communications, and five (5) years imprisonment for conveying false information and perpetuating a hoax. She could also be subject to a possible fine of at least $250,000 for each charge and a term of supervised release upon completion of any prison sentence.
“This is the second matter in as many weeks in which my office has brought charges against individuals for threatening to harm children in this district, terrorizing not only the children but their families and their communities, as well,” said United States Attorney Peterman. “The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office and the Macon office of the FBI are to be commended for their outstanding work in this investigation.”
Bibb County Sheriff David Davis stated, "The arrest of Jasmine Bradley is proof that bomb threats against our children or hoax threats against places of business will not be tolerated in Bibb County. I commend the immediate action of our deputies, including the bomb unit, and Macon-Bibb fire personnel at the time the threat in Macon-Bibb was originally called in. We can all be proud of the diligent work of Bibb investigators and FBI agents which resulted in an arrest in this case.”
David J. LeValley, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Atlanta Field Office, stated: “These crimes are not only disruptive to the community, but they pull emergency response resources from other matters and result in huge costs to the tax payers for the emergency responses they generate. The FBI is incredibly appreciative of the hard work of the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office and the close relationship that exists between the agencies.”
A criminal complaint is an accusation only and the person charged is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Assistant United States Attorneys Peter D. Leary and C. Shanelle Booker are prosecuting the case for the United States. Questions concerning this case should be directed to Pamela Lightsey, United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 752-3511.
U.S./Israeli Man Charged in Connection with Threats to Jewish Community Centers, Conveying False Information, and CyberstalkingRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Michael Ron David Kadar, 18, who holds dual United States and Israeli citizenship and who was recently arrested in Israel, was charged today with making threatening calls to Jewish Community Centers in Florida, conveying false information to police dispatch regarding harm to private residents in Georgia, and cyberstalking, the Justice Department announced today. The investigation into violent threats to Jewish Community Centers, schools and other institutions across this nation continues, including an ongoing investigation into potential hate crime charges.
According to a federal criminal complaint filed in Orlando, Florida, it is alleged that beginning on or about Jan. 4, 2017, and continuing until March 7, 2017, Kadar made multiple threatening calls involving bomb threats and active shooter threats to numerous Jewish Community Centers throughout Florida. Although no actual explosives were found, many of the calls resulted in the temporary closure and evacuation or lockdown of the targeted facilities, and required law enforcement and emergency personnel to respond and clear the area.
Further, according to a federal criminal complaint filed in Macon, Georgia, it is alleged that on or about Jan. 3, 2017, Kadar made a phone call to a police department conveying false information about an alleged violent emergency situation concerning multiple individuals at a private residence in Athens, Georgia. Police and emergency personnel responded to the scene, only to learn that there was no emergency.
“Today’s charges into these violent threats to Jewish Community Centers and others represent this Department’s commitment to fighting all forms of violent crime,” said Attorney General Sessions. “These threats of violence instilled terror in Jewish and other communities across this country and our investigation into these acts as possible hate crimes continues.”
“This kind of behavior is not a prank, and it isn't harmless. It’s a federal crime,” said Director Comey. “It scares innocent people, disrupts entire communities, and expends limited law enforcement resources. The FBI thanks our partners for working with us here at home and around the world.”
“Violent threats intended to instill fear in our religious communities, schools, and homes are an attack on the very fabric of our society and will not be tolerated,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Tom Wheeler of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The department will continue to vigorously investigate and prosecute those who engage in such violent acts.”
“Kadar allegedly took extraordinary steps to conceal his identity and location through several technological means, including voice alteration, use of proxy IP addresses, virtual currencies and caller ID spoofing,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Blanco. “Thanks to the specialized training and expertise of our investigative team, we were successful in identifying, locating and apprehending the person accused of this despicable campaign of threats.”
“The charges brought today demonstrate our resolve to pursue and prosecute those who seek to sow terror and fear in our community, wherever they may hide,” said Acting U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow for the Middle District of Florida. “They also reflect the tireless efforts, dedication and cooperation of agents, analysts and prosecutors within the Justice Department, as well as our state, local and international law enforcement partners.”
“People, especially children, deserve to feel safe in their communities,” said U.S. Attorney G. F. Peterman III for the Middle District of Georgia. “The violent threats made against schools, families, and Jewish Community Centers sought to rob our citizens of that right. I'm proud that the Department of Justice and the FBI have fought tirelessly to restore that sense of safety.”
This matter is being investigated by the FBI, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia, the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section of the Department of Justice, and the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section. Federal authorities also acknowledge and appreciate the assistance and the investigative efforts of the Israeli National Police. The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs is providing assistance with this case.
A complaint is merely an allegation and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Mock Interviews Held to Benefit Returning CitizensRead the Press Release
Recognizing its previous declaration of one week in April as “National Re-Entry Week” the United States Department of Justice identified the last week of April 2017 for United States Attorney’s Offices throughout the country to host or attend events related to the issue of individuals making the transition from prison back into the community.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia (USAO-MDGA) likewise recognizes the importance of the success of this transition both to those returning to society and to local citizens in reducing recidivism and making our communities safer. The USAO-MDGA is pleased to announce its participation in re-entry events in the Macon-Bibb County community and its ongoing collaboration with the Macon Reentry Coalition (MRC), a local nonprofit organization that connects returning citizens with a variety of resources to assist in that vital transition. The Macon Reentry Coalition is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, promoting a collaborative effort among federal, state, and local agencies, mentors and advocates, faith-based and philanthropic organizations, and community resource partners to empower returning citizens.
On Friday, April 28, the Macon Reentry Coalition will host its monthly meeting at 9:00 a.m. at the Salvation Army Chapel (2312 Houston Avenue). This meeting provides agencies and organizations the opportunity to information share and address issues affecting returning citizens.
On that same day, at 1:30 p.m., a mock job interview project for individuals re-entering society from both state and federal prisons will be held at Dismas Charities (722 2nd Street). Volunteers will serve as interviewers to give the participants valuable job interviewing experience to assist in their efforts to successfully enter the workforce.
“Macon-Bibb and the Middle Georgia region contain vast and critical resources to help ensure the successful reintegration of our returning citizens,” Macon Reentry Coalition CEO Todd Robinson noted. “Many of these men and women are talented, hard-working individuals that just need counsel and direction. Since 2008, the Macon Reentry Coalition has brought resources together to help reentrants become productive citizens who can support their families. Stronger families equates to a safer community.”
Questions regarding any of the events or the Macon Reentry Coalition can be directed to Brittney Kish Lightsey, Reentry and Community Outreach Coordinator for the United States Attorney’s Office, at 478-621-2735 or [email protected].
Final Two Defendants Sentenced for 2013 Burglary of Macon Bass Pro ShopsRead the Press Release
United States Attorney G. F. “Pete” Peterman, III, announces that the final two of the four defendants who broke into the Macon Bass Pro Shops in 2013 have been sentenced. On April 12, 2017, Kenneth Atwater, 35, of McDonough, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 45 months in prison and Jabari Walters, 24, of East Point, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 48 months in prison. On March 14, 2017, Dante Thomas, 32, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced to 60 months in prison, to run consecutive to an unrelated state sentence. On March 17, 2017, Tabari Walters, 24, of East Point, Georgia was sentenced to 33 months in prison. All defendants were also ordered to jointly and severally pay $14,619.83 in restitution to Bass Pro Shops. The Honorable Judge Marc T. Treadwell handed down the sentences in Macon.
All four men previously entered guilty pleas to conspiracy to commit theft from a federal firearms licensee. Through their pleas, the men admitted that on September 29, 2013, after discussing the idea of stealing firearms, they drove to the Bass Pro Shops in Macon, Georgia and parked along the side of Interstate 75 northbound, in the proximity of the Bass Pro Shops. All four men then ran up the hill and approached the Bass Pro Shops on foot near the glass window where boats are displayed. At approximately 11:49 p.m., Mr. Thomas broke and cleared the glass from the window of an emergency door using a yellow crowbar to gain access.
All four men then entered the store and ran to the firearms section where they broke the bar holding the rifles. In total, the men stole 17 firearms. They then left the store through the same door they through which they had entered and returned to Mr. Thomas’ vehicle. Mr. Thomas drove all four men back to the Atlanta area. Upon arriving in Atlanta, each of the four defendants retained possession of the firearms he personally had taken from the Bass Pro Shops.
Agents later obtained a search warrant for Mr. Thomas’ residence, where they found a yellow crowbar that matched the one used to break into the Bass Pro Shops. Agents also obtained records from Thomas’ cell phone which revealed that his cell phone pinged off cell phone towers in the vicinity of the Bass Pro Shops around the time of the burglary.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorney Beth Howard is handling the prosecution for the Government.
Questions concerning this case should be directed to Pamela Lightsey, United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 621-2603.
Columbus Man Sentenced to 78 Months Imprisonment for Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney G. F. “Pete” Peterman, III announces that Wilfred E. Wright, age 34, of Columbus, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 78 months in federal prison for possession of child pornography. The sentence was handed down by Chief United States District Court Judge Clay D. Land in Columbus, Georgia on April 11, 2017.
Through his plea, Mr. Wright admitted to uploading images of child pornography to his Gmail email account on February 26, 2015. After obtaining search warrants for his electronic devices and online accounts, law enforcement obtained 86 images and nine videos of child pornography from Mr. Wright. A majority of the identified victims in these images were under the age of 12 at the time their abuse was captured on video or through photo.
In addition to his 78 months imprisonment, Judge Land ordered Mr. Wright to a lifetime of supervision as a registered sex offender upon his release from federal prison. Mr. Wright will also be required to pay $12,500.00 in restitution to the respective victims depicted in the images and videos he possessed.
“The sexual exploitation of the children used to make these videos and photos is an abomination. Those who support this exploitation by buying and possessing this type of material will be prosecuted by my office to the fullest extent of the law,” said United States Attorney Peterman.
This case was investigated by the Columbus Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney C. Shanelle Booker prosecuted the case for the United States.
Questions concerning this case should be directed to Pamela Lightsey, United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 752-3511.
Local Firearms Dealer Convicted for Possessing Unregistered Destructive DeviceRead the Press Release
G.F. Peterman, III, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, announces that Mark Mann, owner and operator of Mann’s World, LLC d/b/a The Rifleman, was convicted by a jury in federal court on April 6, 2017, of illegal possession of a destructive device, a Finnish Lahti 20mm anti-tank rifle, before the Honorable Marc T. Treadwell, United States District Judge, in Macon, Georgia.
The evidence showed that Mark Mann was the owner and operator of Mann’s World, LLC d/b/a The Rifleman, a local gun dealership. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) received a referral from the previous owner of the anti-tank rifle that Mark Mann illegally possessed the weapon after two checks from Mann’s business account, issued to purchase the weapon, were returned for insufficient funds. A resulting search pursuant to a warrant of Mann’s World, LLC on December 30, 2014, resulted in the discovery and seizure of the gun. Weapons such as machine guns, sawed off shotguns, or weapons of larger than fifty caliber cannot be legally possessed unless the possessor registers them with the ATF. Upon checking records, it was found that this destructive device, being a weapon of larger than fifty caliber, was not registered to Mr. Mann, who had used his status as a firearms dealer in order to circumvent this law.
Mr. Mann will be sentenced in approximately 60 days. He faces a maximum penalty of ten (10) years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, or both.
"A Federal Firearms Licensee, such as Mark Mann, is someone who is trusted to know and follow the law regarding firearms, especially when dealing with dangerous instrumentalities such as this weapon, an anti-tank rifle, which is far more powerful and capable of far more destruction than weapons available to the general public. Mr. Mann chose to violate that trust and now must bear the responsibility for that choice,” said United States Attorney Peterman.
“The ATF’s involvement in securing this guilty verdict is a prime example of the successful use of federal laws to confront, engage and eliminate criminal activity. Criminals must understand there are serious repercussions for those who violate federal law, and that regulatory enforcement and law enforcement personnel will contribute all necessary time and effort to ensure that these individuals are brought to justice,” said ATF Assistant Special Agent in Charge John Schmidt.
This case was investigated by the Industry Operations Investigators and the Criminal Enforcement Agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorneys Kimberly S. Easterling and Michael T. Solis prosecuted the case for the Government.
Questions concerning this case should be directed to Pamela Lightsey, United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 752-3511.
Pair Sentenced for Fort Benning Jewelry Store BurglaryRead the Press Release
United States Attorney G. F. “Pete” Peterman, III announces that Antonio Riggins, age 35, of Columbus, GA, and Steven Scott, aged 49, also of Columbus, were sentenced today for their roles in a Balfour Jewelry store burglary that occurred on Fort Benning on November 14, 2015.
Chief U.S. District Court Judge Clay D. Land sentenced Mr. Riggins to 18 months confinement, followed by 3 years supervised release. Mr. Scott was sentenced to 27 months confinement, consecutive to a revoked state of Georgia sentence, followed by 3 years supervised release.
The evidence showed that in November 2015, both Mr. Riggins and Mr. Scott were civilian contract workers on Fort Benning. On or about November 12, 2015, both men went to the Balfour’s Jewelry store, posing as customers, and surveyed the premises. Balfour’s is part of a mini-mall that includes other shops. They determined that there was little or no surveillance equipment inside the store. On November 14, 2015, the two men returned to the store after business hours. Mr. Scott possessed a hammer, which he used to break a glass paned door which led inside the main mall. He then used a pair of wire cutters to pierce a metal roll down door that separated Balfour’s from the mall area. Mr. Scott then entered the store and stole approximately $38,000 worth of rings and other assorted jewelry. His handprint was recovered from the floor adjacent to the point of entry. While Mr. Scott burglarized the store, Mr. Riggins remained outside as a lookout.
For the next six days, both Mr. Riggins and Mr. Scott sold much of the stolen jewelry to local pawn shops. An additional quantity of stolen jewelry was recovered from Mr. Scott’s home. Most of the stolen items were eventually recovered. Both defendants admitted their roles in the burglary.
The case was investigated by the Fort Benning Criminal Investigations Division and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Questions concerning this case should be directed to Pamela Lightsey, United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 621-2603.
Montezuma Man Sentenced to Three Hundred and Sixty (360) Months Imprisonment for Sale of Firearm and Crack CocaineRead the Press Release
United States Attorney G. F. “Pete” Peterman, III announces that Carlton M. Butler, age 36, of Montezuma, Georgia was sentenced to serve 30 years (360 months) in federal prison for distribution of crack cocaine and using or carrying a firearm during and in relation to his drug trafficking crime. The sentence was handed down by United States District Court Judge Marc T. Treadwell in Macon, Georgia on March 31, 2017.
Through his plea, Mr. Butler admitted to selling a 9mm semiautomatic pistol and a quantity of crack cocaine to a confidential informant on May 28, 2014. At the time of the sale, Mr. Butler was a convicted felon on parole in two separate, state drug trafficking cases and was therefore prohibited from possessing any firearm. At the time of his plea, Mr. Butler also admitted that prior to his federal case, he had three previous convictions for drug trafficking crimes in the state of Georgia.
“Carlton Butler is the exact type of armed career drug dealer that our federal statutes are designed to put out of business. As with all federal sentences, there is no parole available to him as he does his thirty (30) years of “hard time” in a United States Penitentiary. At least for the next three decades, the citizens and children of the Middle District of Georgia will be safe from Mr. Butler and the poisons he sells,” said United States Attorney Peterman.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, through lead agent Brian Queener, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, through lead agent Shannon McCook, and additional assistance from the Montezuma Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Shanelle Booker prosecuted the case for the United States.
Questions concerning this case should be directed to Pamela Lightsey, United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 752-3511.
Two Sentenced for Burglary of Macon Bass Pro ShopsRead the Press Release
Two of four defendants, all of whom have previously pled guilty to conspiracy to commit theft from a federal firearms licensee stemming from the September 29, 2013, burglary of the Macon Bass Pro Shops, were sentenced this week in Macon by the Honorable Marc T. Treadwell, District Court Judge, announced United States Attorney G. F. “Pete” Peterman, III.
On Tuesday, March 14, 2017, Dante Thomas, age 32, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced to five years in prison, to run consecutively to an unrelated state sentence. On Friday, March 17, 2017, Tabari Walters, age 24, of East Point, Georgia, was sentenced to 33 months imprisonment. They were also ordered to pay $14,619.83 in restitution to Bass Pro Shops, being jointly and severally liable for this amount. There is no parole in the federal system.
Through their pleas the men admitted that, after discussing the idea of stealing firearms, they drove from the Atlanta area to the Bass Pro Shops in Macon, Georgia, and parked along the side of Interstate 75 northbound, next to the store. All four men then ran up the hill and approached the store on foot near where boats are displayed. Shortly before midnight Mr. Thomas broke and cleared the glass from the window of an emergency door using a yellow crowbar to gain access. All four men ran to the firearms section, where they stole 17 firearms. They then returned to the Atlanta area.
Agents later obtained a search warrant for Mr. Thomas’ residence, where they found a yellow crowbar that matched the one used to break into the Bass Pro Shops. Agents also obtained records from Mr. Thomas’ cell phone which revealed that the device had been used in the vicinity of cell phone towers in the area of the Bass Pro Shops around the time of the burglary.
Sentencing for remaining co-defendants, Kenneth Atwater, 35, of McDonough, Georgia, and Jabari Walters, 24, of East Point, Georgia, is currently set for April 12, 2017.
“With the increase in violent crime and gun related violence that our communities are experiencing, including the recent murders of five law enforcement officers by gunfire in this area in recent months, the United States Attorney’s Office, consistent with the mandate of Attorney General Sessions, will vigorously prosecute all defendants who illegally obtain or possess firearms. These defendants, and those to whom they would have sold or given these weapons, certainly fall into that category,” said United States Attorney Peterman.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorney Beth Howard is handling the prosecution for the Government.
Questions concerning this case should be directed to Brittney Kish Lightsey, United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 752-3511.
Valdosta Dentist Sentenced to Twenty-Seven (27) Months in Prison for Healthcare FraudRead the Press Release
United States Attorney G. F. “Pete” Peterman, III, announces that Dr. Stanley B. Marable, DDS, age 55, a dentist from Valdosta, Georgia, was sentenced March 16, 2017 to serve twenty-seven (27) months in Federal prison for Healthcare Fraud followed by two (2) years of supervised release. In addition, Dr. Marable was ordered to pay a fine of $5,000.00 and a $100.00 mandatory assessment fee. The sentence was handed down by United States District Court Judge Hugh Lawson in Valdosta, Georgia.
Dr. Marable entered a plea of guilty on October 13, 2016. Facts admitted showed that he was a general practice dentist in Valdosta who was reimbursed through Medicaid payments from the State of Georgia. In 2012, at the request of the Georgia Department of Community Health, Division of Medical Assistance (DCH), an audit was performed by the Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts (DOOA). Several billing irregularities were discovered. Further investigation by the Georgia Medicaid Fraud Control Unit revealed that from January 2011 through September 30, 2013, Dr. Marable was paid for 3,145 claims for the extraction of teeth and received Medicaid payments for these extractions totaling more than $789,000.00. The investigation of the claims revealed that Dr. Marable had not actually extracted the teeth from many of the patients for whom claims of reimbursement had been submitted. Several patients had never had any teeth extracted, including one individual who did not even know Dr. Marable was a dentist.
As part of his plea agreement, Dr. Marable agreed to pay a total of $789,841.00 in restitution to the Georgia Medicaid Program. The full amount of restitution was paid prior to sentencing.
The case was investigated by the Georgia Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and Georgia Department of Community Health – Office of Inspector General. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Sonja Profit and Tamara Jarrett and Georgia Assistant Attorney General James Mooney.
“The Office of the Attorney General applauds the court’s sentence in the case of Dr. Stanley Marable for Healthcare Fraud,” said Attorney General Chris Carr. “I am especially proud of our Medicaid Fraud Control Unit for working with the Georgia Department of Community Health and the Georgia Department of Audits to develop crucial evidence for the inception of this case and provide vital support throughout the prosecution. Our team was led by Assistant Attorney General Jim Mooney, Investigator Kevin White, Investigative Auditor Denise Colson, Intelligence Analyst Kirste Young and former Investigative Auditor Kenyetta Smith. I congratulate our partners in the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Middle District of Georgia for a successful prosecution, and we look forward to continuing to work with them to prevent truly bad actors from defrauding our systems in Georgia.”
Said United States Attorney Peterman, “Dr. Marable’s conduct in this case was egregious. In many cases he claimed to have pulled twenty or more teeth from a single patient. In one case he claimed to have extracted 31 of the patient’s 32 teeth. He fully deserves the sentence imposed upon him today.”
Questions concerning this case should be directed to Brittney Kish Lightsey, United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 752-3511.
Former Bibb County Public Schools Employee Pleads Guilty to Student Loan FraudRead the Press Release
G.F. “Pete” Peterman, III, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, announces Queen Adeboyejo, age 64, of Perry, Georgia entered a guilty plea in federal court in Macon to Student Loan Fraud on March 15, 2017 before the Honorable Leslie Abrams, United States District Judge. Through her plea, Ms. Adeboyejo admitted that she obtained federal student loans fraudulently by using the personal identifying information of three individuals to file bogus endorsements necessary to obtain the loans.
Ms. Adeboyejo was pursuing her doctoral degree and was denied additional federal student aid due to her poor credit. In order to qualify for further federal student loans, it was required that she have another person sign an endorser addendum agreeing to repay her loans if she did not. Without their knowledge or consent, Ms. Adeboyejo obtained the personal identifying information (PII) of three individuals, one of whom she used to work with at the Bibb County Public Schools, and used the PII to create and submit forged endorsement addendums online. As the result of these addendums, Ms. Adeboyejo obtained $18,828.00 in federal student loans with one endorser and $75,166.00 in federal student loans with another endorser. She also attempted to obtain a total of $150,000.00 in federal student loans with another person as an endorser.
"Scams like this steal money from hardworking taxpayers and legitimate students and that is unacceptable," said Yessyka Santana, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector General's Southeastern Regional Office. "The OIG is committed to fighting student financial aid fraud and we will continue to aggressively pursue those that participate in these types of crimes."
“Ms. Adeboyejo stole from the government student loan program, she stole from deserving students who were qualified to receive the money she fraudulently obtained, and she damaged the credit of those whose identities she stole to carry out her scheme,” said United States Attorney Peterman. “I commend the good work of the investigators at both the U. S. Department of Education Office of Inspector General and the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office for their fine work and cooperation in bringing Ms. Adeboyejo to justice.”
Sentencing has been scheduled for June 26, 2017 in Macon. At sentencing, Ms. Adeboyejo faces a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment, a maximum fine of $250,000, or both, and a term of supervised release of three years. As part of her plea, Ms. Adeboyejo has also agreed to pay $123,732.18 in restitution to the United States Department of Education.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Education - Office of Inspector General and the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office - Property Crimes Division. Assistant United States Attorney Beth Howard is handling the prosecution for the Government.
Questions concerning this case should be directed to Brittney Kish Lightsey, United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 621-2735.
Athens Methamphetamine Dealer Sentenced to 188 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
United States Attorney G. F. “Pete” Peterman, III announces that Clint Jackson Beck, age 37, of Arnoldsville, Georgia was sentenced today to serve more than 15 years (188 months) in Federal prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The sentence was handed down by Senior U.S. District Court Judge C. Ashley Royal in Athens, Georgia.
Mr. Beck entered a plea of guilty to the charge on December 20, 2016. Facts admitted at his guilty plea showed that on March 21, 2016, he and co-defendant Dana Michelle Thomas were pursued and arrested after being observed by law enforcement officers conducting a hand-to-hand illegal drug sale in front of a residence in Athens, Georgia. When stopped by a law enforcement officer, Mr. Beck pulled away from the officer and ran but was subsequently apprehended. A search of the vehicle revealed a glass smoking pipe and a small green spoon. Also found were a digital scale, several sandwich baggies containing what proved to be methamphetamine and a large quantity of small jeweler bags commonly used to package methamphetamine for sale. A search of Mr. Beck’s cell phone revealed extensive text messages detailing drug trafficking activities.
At the time of his arrest, Mr. Beck had two active arrest warrants: one Federal warrant from the U. S. Marshals and a felony probation warrant from Jackson County, Georgia. He also admitted that he has ten prior criminal convictions.
Ms. Thomas also pled guilty and was sentenced by Judge Royal to serve 20 months’ imprisonment on January 18, 2017.
This case was investigated by the Clarke County Sheriff’s Office, Athens-Clarke County Police Department, and the Northeast Georgia Regional Drug Task Force. Assistant United States Attorney Peter D. Leary prosecuted the case for the United States.
Questions concerning this case should be directed to Brittney Kish Lightsey, United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 752-3511.
Court Orders Return Preparation Business Owner to Pay Nearly $950,000 to the United States for Preparing Fraudulent ReturnsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON — A federal court in Orlando, Florida, has permanently barred Jason Stinson, of Longwood, Florida, from preparing federal tax returns for others and from owning or operating a tax return preparation business, following a six-day bench trial held in 2016, the Justice Department announced today. The civil order, signed by Judge Anne C. Conway of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, also requires Stinson to disgorge to the United States $949,952.47 of funds he received from “improper and fraudulent tax return preparation.”
The court determined that Stinson owns a company called “Nation Tax Services” and had stores in four states: Birmingham and Fairfield, Alabama; St. Petersburg and Tampa, Florida; Albany and Augusta, Georgia; and Greenville and Raleigh, North Carolina. Stinson’s stores, the court found, targeted “underprivileged, undereducated poor people and earned income credit claims.”
The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is a refundable tax credit for working people with low to moderate income. Eligibility depends on factors such as the amount of income, filing status, and the amount of dependents. To illustrate, the court noted that customers with earned income between $13,050 and $17,100 in tax year 2012 could receive the maximum EITC. The court found that Stinson falsified information on his customers’ returns to claim the maximum EITC amount by: “claiming bogus dependents, fabricating unreimbursed employee expenses and charitable contributions, and fabricating business income and expenses.” The court found that in many instances Stinson and his preparers fraudulently lowered a customer’s taxable income by claiming false unreimbursed business expenses in large amounts, at times more than half of what the customer earned in a given year. According to the court’s decision, “it is illogical for an individual making $35,000 a year to spend as much as half of their yearly income, around $16,000, on unreimbursed business expenses.”
Stinson’s stores charged customers in excess of $600 to prepare a single tax return, even as much as $999, sometimes without telling the customer, the court determined. Moreover, the court found that Stinson’s practice was to take his fees out of his customer’s refund, rather than charge fees upfront, meaning that “a larger refund was better for the client and better for Stinson.” Based upon the pattern of abusive claims made by Stinson and his preparers, the court ordered Stinson to pay the United States nearly $950,000 in fees he received.
“The Tax Division works with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to protect taxpayers from unscrupulous return preparers,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General David A. Hubbert of the Justice Department’s Tax Division. “Court decisions like this show that those who prepare false tax returns will be stopped and will not profit from their fraudulent conduct.”
Acting Assistant Attorney General Hubbert thanks the Tax Division attorneys assigned to the case, Daniel Applegate, Sean Green, Alison Yewdell, Steven Woodliff, Jared Wiesner, and Joshua Levine, and the revenue agents of the IRS—Small Business/Self-Employed Division, who conducted the investigation.
Return preparer fraud is one of the IRS’s Dirty Dozen Tax Scams for 2017 and taxpayers seeking a return preparer should remain vigilant. The IRS has some tips on their website for choosing a return preparer and has launched a free directory of federal tax preparers.
In the past decade, the Tax Division has obtained injunctions against hundreds of unscrupulous tax preparers. Information about these cases is available on the Justice Department’s website. An alphabetical listing of persons enjoined from preparing returns and promoting tax schemes can be found on this page. If you believe that one of the enjoined persons or businesses may be violating an injunction, please contact the Tax Division with details.
Columbus Bank Robber Pleads Guilty After Jury SelectedRead the Press Release
G.F. “Pete” Peterman, III, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, announces Christopher Belt, age 26, of Columbus, Georgia entered a plea of guilty on February 27, 2017 to bank robbery and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence in front of District Court Judge Clay D. Land. Mr. Belt entered the guilty plea after a jury had been selected to hear his case.
The evidence showed that Mr. Belt entered the Milgen Road branch of the Wells Fargo Bank on March 18, 2016, wearing a disguise and carrying a firearm. Mr. Belt approached a lone teller, demanded money, and was given $8,101 in bank proceeds. He then exited the bank and fled in a gold-colored Ford Fusion. The robbery lasted for less than a minute. An employee at the bank managed to write down the Fusion’s license plate number, and Columbus Police detectives were able to trace the car to a known associate of Mr. Belt’s. Mr. Belt was arrested in connection with the robbery on April 5, 2016. The stolen money and the firearm used during the robbery were not recovered.
Sentencing has been set for July 13, 2017. Bank robbery is punishable by a maximum of 20 years imprisonment. Possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence is punishable by a maximum of five years imprisonment and must be served consecutive to any imprisonment due to the bank robbery charge. As a condition of his sentence, Mr. Belt will have to pay $8,101 restitution to Wells Fargo Bank.
The investigation primarily was worked by the Columbus Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Melvin E. Hyde is prosecuting the case on behalf of the Government.
Questions concerning this case should be directed to Pamela Lightsey, Public Information Officer, United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 621-2603.
Published Historian of Spain Indicted by A Federal Grand Jury for Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury indicted Henry Kamen for possession of child pornography. Kamen, a British citizen currently residing in Barcelona, Spain, is a well-known historian and Professor of Spanish History, who resided within the Athens Division of the Middle District of Georgia. The grand jury alleged in the Indictment that Kamen possessed child pornography in September of 2014. If convicted of this charge, Kamen faces up to 20 years of imprisonment, and up to lifetime supervised release after being released from custody.
The charges in the Indictment are only allegations and are not evidence of guilt. Defendant Kamen is presumed innocent unless and until he is proven guilty and the Government has the burden of proving his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The case is being investigated by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit. Assistant United States Attorney Erin N. Spritzer is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States. Inquiries regarding this case should be directed to Pamela Lightsey, United States Attorney’s Office at (478) 621-2603.
Jamaica Man Sentenced for Threatening A JudgeRead the Press Release
U.S. Attorney G. F. “Pete” Peterman, III announces that Delroy Anthony McLean, age 42, from Jamaica, was sentenced today to serve 41 months in Federal prison for threatening a Federal official. The sentence was handed down by Honorable Clay D. Land, Chief U.S. District Court Judge, in Columbus.
Mr. McLean’s case was tried before a jury on October 4-5, 2016 in Columbus. Evidence at trial showed that he was a detainee awaiting deportation at Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia. During a hearing at the facility, Mr. McLean threatened to “bash the head” of Judge Sandra Arrington-Dempsey. He also threatened the judge’s husband and repeated his threats outside the courtroom. After serving his sentence, it is expected that Mr. McLean will be deported to his native Jamaica.
U.S. Attorney Peterman said, “Federal judges are public servants who should be free from threats and intimidation while carrying out their duties. Respect for law and the courts is essential to the functioning of our judicial system. This substantial sentence should make clear that behavior such as that of Mr. McLean will not be tolerated in the Middle District of Georgia.”
The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Assistant United States Attorney Melvin E. Hyde, Jr. prosecuted the case on behalf of the Government.
Inquiries regarding this case should be directed to Pamela Lightsey, United States Attorney’s Office at (478) 621-2603.
Check Casher Sentenced to Prison for Cashing Fraudulently Obtained Tax Refund ChecksRead the Press Release
A Columbus, Georgia resident was sentenced to 18 months in prison today for his role in a stolen identity refund fraud scheme, announced Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney G.F. Peterman III for the Middle District of Georgia.
According to documents filed with the court, George Rowell, 61, owned and operated Big O’s Package Store in Columbus, which offered check-cashing services. Between February 2012 and March 2013, federal agents approached Rowell about cashing fraudulently obtained refund checks for people whose names did not appear on the checks. Despite being warned, Rowell cashed checks in bulk for several co-conspirators even though the checks were not in their names. Rowell also allowed at least one co-conspirator to forge in front of him the signature of the taxpayers to whom the checks were made payable. Rowell charged his co-conspirators a 10 percent fee and in 2013 cashed over 250 refund checks worth more than $645,000.
In addition to the term of prison imposed, Rowell was ordered to serve three years of supervised release and to pay restitution to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in the amount of $645,343.03. Rowell pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit theft of public money in August 2016.
Rowell’s co-conspirators previously pleaded guilty and were sentenced to prison. In Dec. 2016, Tonya Alexander was sentenced to serve 37 months in prison. In September 2015, Keisha Lanier was sentenced to serve 15 years in prison. In August 2015, Tracy Mitchell was sentenced to serve 13 years and three months in prison.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Goldberg and U.S. Attorney Peterman commended special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation and the U.S. Secret Service, who conducted the investigation, and Trial Attorney Michael C. Boteler of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Crawford L. Seals of the Middle District of Georgia, who are prosecuting the case.
Additional information about the Tax Division and its enforcement efforts may be found on the division’s website.
Check Casher Sentenced to Prison for Cashing Fraudulently Obtained Tax Refund ChecksRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A Columbus, Georgia resident was sentenced to 18 months in prison today for his role in a stolen identity refund fraud scheme, announced Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney G.F. Peterman III for the Middle District of Georgia.
According to documents filed with the court, George Rowell, 61, owned and operated Big O’s Package Store in Columbus, which offered check-cashing services. Between February 2012 and March 2013, federal agents approached Rowell about cashing fraudulently obtained refund checks for people whose names did not appear on the checks. Despite being warned, Rowell cashed checks in bulk for several co-conspirators even though the checks were not in their names. Rowell also allowed at least one co-conspirator to forge in front of him the signature of the taxpayers to whom the checks were made payable. Rowell charged his co-conspirators a 10 percent fee and in 2013 cashed over 250 refund checks worth more than $645,000.
In addition to the term of prison imposed, Rowell was ordered to serve three years of supervised release and to pay restitution to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in the amount of $645,343.03. Rowell pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit theft of public money in August 2016.
Rowell’s co-conspirators previously pleaded guilty and were sentenced to prison. In Dec. 2016, Tonya Alexander was sentenced to serve 37 months in prison. In September 2015, Keisha Lanier was sentenced to serve 15 years in prison. In August 2015, Tracy Mitchell was sentenced to serve 13 years and 3 months in prison.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Goldberg and U.S. Attorney Peterman commended special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation and the U.S. Secret Service, who conducted the investigation, and Trial Attorney Michael C. Boteler of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Crawford L. Seals of the Middle District of Georgia, who are prosecuting the case.
Additional information about the Tax Division and its enforcement efforts may be found on the division’s website.
Two Sentences Handed Down in Northeast Georgia Methamphetamine CrackdownRead the Press Release
G.F. “Pete” Peterman, III, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, announces that two individuals were sentenced yesterday in Athens on drug and other charges by the Honorable C. Ashley Royal, Senior United States District Court Judge.
Travis Eugene Pearson, aged 40, of Spartanburg, South Carolina, was sentenced to serve 10 years (120 months) in Federal prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm by an illegal drug user. Mr. Pearson pled guilty to the charges on October 26, 2016. According to the plea agreement, on June 10, 2015, a Franklin County Sheriff’s Deputy stopped Mr. Pearson’s vehicle on Interstate 85 in response to several traffic violations. Mr. Pearson had more than $13,000 in U.S. currency in his trousers pocket. During a subsequent search, the deputy found a loaded firearm in the driver-side panel, drugs in clear baggies and drug paraphernalia.
During an interview, Mr. Pearson admitted that he had collected the currency from at least ten individuals in South Carolina and planned to use it to pay for methamphetamine acquired in Atlanta. He further admitted that he had made trips to Atlanta three prior times for drug-related activities. Mr. Pearson also stated that the firearm found in the car was his and that he had been a daily user of methamphetamine for two years.
In a separate case, William Corey Hughes, aged 26, of Bowman, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 13.5 years (162 months) in Federal prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Mr. Hughes entered his guilty plea on November 15, 2016.
In pleading guilty, Mr. Hughes admitted that on March 17, 2015, he was stopped by a Hart County Sheriff’s Deputy in Royston, Georgia while driving in the middle of the road. After Mr. Hughes refused to give consent for a search of the vehicle, a drug dog alerted on several spots on the car, including the front right headlight. Upon lifting the hood, the deputy found a metal box attached to the frame of the truck with magnets. Inside the box was a gallon-sized bag containing a crystalline substance later identified as methamphetamine, a substantial number of pills, and other drug paraphernalia.
The case against Mr. Pearson was investigated by the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Peter Leary with the participation and cooperation of the District Attorney’s Office for the Northern Judicial Circuit of Georgia.
The Hart County Sheriff’s Office, Athens-Clarke County Police Department, Northeast Georgia Regional Drug Task Force and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation investigated the case against Mr. Hughes. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Danial Bennett, again with the participation and cooperation of the District Attorney’s Office for the Northern Judicial Circuit of Georgia.
United States Attorney Peterman stated that “These two cases are excellent examples of what can be accomplished when federal, state and local authorities work together. In each case a major drug dealer has been taken out of the local community for a decade or more as the result of this cooperation.”
“We are grateful to the dedicated and professional prosecutors working in the United States Attorney’s Office for partnering with us to incapacitate those who peddle poison in our community. Drug dealers breed crime by profiting off of the misery of individuals who might otherwise have a chance to be productive citizens. The actions taken here by the United States Attorney’s Office sends a strong message to would be outlaws regarding the consequences of their action.” said Northern Judicial Circuit District Attorney Parks White.
Inquiries regarding this case should be directed to Pam Lightsey, Public Information Officer, United States Attorney’s Office, at 478-752-3511.
Couple Sentenced for Wire Fraud and Identity TheftRead the Press Release
G.F. “Pete” Peterman, III, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, announces that sentences were imposed upon Tamara Andreatta, age 45, and Stacy Rix, 47, both of Albany, on January 19, 2017, in Albany, GA, by the Honorable Leslie J. Abrams, District Judge for the Middle District of Georgia. Following a jury trial in September 2016, both defendants were convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and seven counts of wire fraud. Ms. Andreatta was also convicted of two counts of aggravated identity theft. Ms. Andreatta was sentenced on Friday to a term of 61 months imprisonment to be followed by a term of three years supervised release. Mr. Rix was sentenced to a term of 24 months imprisonment to be followed by a term of three years supervised release. In addition, both defendants were ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $466,692.41.
The evidence at trial showed that the defendants, who lived together, were both employed at Industrial Manufacturing, an Albany business that manufactures machine parts and equipment. Ms. Andreatta was employed as a bookkeeper and Mr. Rix worked as a mechanic. During a seven-year period beginning in November 2006, Ms. Andreatta used Mr. Rix’s company credit card and the company credit cards of two other employees who had left the company, to obtain over $450,000 in goods, services, and cash for her and Mr. Rix’s personal benefit. The cards were used to purchase groceries and other household items, pay car payments and other bills, pay for vacations, including a Caribbean cruise, and for various other purposes.
“Theft from an employer, who trusted you enough to both give you a job and to put you in a position where you had access to company accounts, believing you to be honest, is as ungrateful an act as it is illegal. These defendants fully deserve the sentences they received in this case,” said United States Attorney Peterman.
The case was investigated by agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney K. Alan Dasher.
Questions concerning this case should be directed to Pamela Lightsey, Public Information Officer, United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 621-2603.
Correctional Officer Sentenced for Distributing Marijuana to InmatesRead the Press Release
United States Attorney G.F. “Pete” Peterman, III, announced that James Royal, age 43, of Cuthbert, Georgia, was sentenced on January 19, 2017, in Columbus, Georgia, by the Honorable Clay D. Land, United States District Judge, to serve a total of six months imprisonment, followed by two years of supervised release, for distributing marijuana to inmates. He will also not be able to seek or obtain further employment in law enforcement.
Mr. Royal worked as a correctional officer at the Stewart County Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia. Evidence showed that he smuggled marijuana into the facility to various detainees, who then arranged to have Mr. Royal paid via Western Union transfers. Mr. Royal collected the money at a convenience store in Cuthbert, after friends or relatives of the detainees transmitted the money.
The case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security. Assistant United States Attorney Melvin E. Hyde prosecuted this matter on behalf of the Government.
Questions concerning this case should be directed to Pamela Lightsey, Public Information Officer, United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 621-2603.
California Man Pleads Guilty to Sexual AssaultRead the Press Release
G.F. “Pete” Peterman, III, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, announces that Alberto F. Islas, age 59, from the Los Angeles, California area, today entered a guilty plea to assault with intent to commit aggravated sexual abuse before the Honorable Clay D. Land, Chief United States District Judge for the Middle District of Georgia, in Columbus.
In pleading guilty, Mr. Islas admitted that on September 25, 2016, he assaulted a woman on the Fort Benning Military Reservation by threatening her with a firearm in an effort to coerce sexual relations.
Mr. Islas faces a maximum sentence 20 years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, or both. Sentencing will take place in about 60 days following a presentence investigation. Mr. Islas remains in custody, as he has been since the day of the incident.
United States Attorney Peterman said “This matter was resolved through swift action by the Military Police at Fort Benning and rapid investigation by the FBI, which arrested Mr. Islas and obtained the physical and testimonial evidence necessary to this successful prosecution on the day of the incident.”
This case was investigated by the Columbus office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Melvin E. Hyde, Jr. is handling the prosecution for the Government.
Questions concerning this case should be directed to Pamela Lightsey, Public Information Officer, United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 621-2603.
James Maxwell a/k/a "Sonny Spoon" Pleads Guilty to Narcotics ChargesRead the Press Release
G.F. “Pete” Peterman, III, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, announces that James Maxwell a/k/a “Sonny Spoon”, age 43, of Macon, Georgia, entered a plea of guilty on December 15, 2016 to counts one and two of a Superseding Information charging him with possession with intent to distribute marijuana before the Honorable Marc. T. Treadwell, U.S. District Court Judge, in Macon, Georgia.
As a part of his plea agreement, Mr. Maxwell admitted that between January 13, 2014, and October 31, 2014, Ira Christopher Jackson and James Maxwell, a/k/a "Sonny Spoon" operated a multi-state distribution network in which kilograms of marijuana were purchased from sources of supply in Texas and California. Once purchased, the marijuana was mailed via the United States Postal Service to coconspirators working in Macon, Georgia and other locations. Individuals working for Jackson and Maxwell accepted the packages and held them until they were sold to drug dealers in Macon and other locations in the district.
Also during the investigation, proceeds from the drug sales were seized directly from Mr. Maxwell in October 2014 in Taylor County, Georgia. Agents learned that Mr. Maxwell was going to Texas to meet with Mr. Jackson with a large amount of cash to pay for marijuana. Law enforcement officers in Butler, Georgia stopped the limousine hired by Mr. Maxwell to drive him to Texas. During a search of the limousine, officers seized $184,980.00 in cash from him.
On October 17, 2014, Mr. Maxwell was provided with approximately nineteen (19) pounds of marijuana. The drugs were taken to Mr. Maxwell's studio located at 4546 Columbus Road in Macon where he later distributed the drugs to others who came to the studio to obtain the drugs.
On October 31, 2014, agents executed a search at a co-conspirator’s residence in Macon, Georgia. Mr. Maxwell's van was parked next to the house and a subsequent of the van uncovered additional nineteen (19) pounds of marijuana.
Sentencing for Mr. Maxwell was set for April 12, 2017 at 9:00 am in Macon. He faces a maximum sentence of five (5) years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, or both, on each count.
“This is not the first time Mr. Maxwell has been in federal court on drug violations,” said United States Attorney Peterman. “In 2007 Mr. Maxwell, a/k/a “Sonny Spoon” of “Dirty Bird” fame, was sentenced for drug and gun violations. Upon his release from prison he professed to the public to be a man who had learned his lesson and put his past behind him, speaking frequently to youth groups and civic organizations. It is very disappointing that a man of his talent, given the opportunity to atone and start over that he was, returned to a life of crime.”
The case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, United States Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Homeland Security Investigations and Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation. Assistant United States Attorneys Charles L. Calhoun, Elizabeth Howard and Tamara A. Jarrett are prosecuting the case for the Government.
Questions concerning this case should be directed to Pamela Lightsey, Public Information Officer, United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 621-2603.
Hamilton Man Sentenced to 212 Months for Transportation of A MinorRead the Press Release
United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia G.F. Peterman, III announced Rickey Goodwin, age 43, of Hamilton, Georgia was sentenced December 12, 2016 to 212 months imprisonment for transportation of a minor by the Honorable Clay D. Land, United States District Court Judge, in Columbus, Georgia. Mr. Goodwin pled guilty to Count Four of the indictment on August 3, 2016.
On September 21, 2014 a 16-year-old ran away from the home of her legal guardian in Alabama to Panama City Beach, FL to engage in prostitution with her biological mother. The teen was with Mr. Goodwin, a convicted felon on parole. A Facebook entry by Mr. Goodwin stated he was on his way to Birmingham “to pick up a lil care package.” Several ads on Backpage.com and other sites commonly used for prostitution depicted the runaway. In October 2014, the Columbus Police Department was informed that Mr. Goodwin and the teen were believed to be in Columbus, Georgia, involved in prostitution. On October 13, 2014, the Columbus Police Department traced the cell phone number on Backpage to Mr. Goodwin.
“The acts for which Mr. Goodwin stands convicted are truly loathsome,” United States Attorney G.F. Peterman, III said. “Without question he deserves the full measure of the sentence imposed upon him.”
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Crawford Seals prosecuted this case on behalf of the Government.
Questions concerning this case should be directed to Pamela Lightsey, Public Information Officer, United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 621-2603.
Convicted Felon Sentenced to 235 Months Imprisonment for Possession of FirearmRead the Press Release
United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia G.F. Peterman, III announced Mario Senior, age 37, of Columbus, Georgia was sentenced December 12, 2016 to 235 months imprisonment for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon by the Honorable Clay D. Land, United States District Court Judge, in Columbus, Georgia. Mr. Senior pled guilty on August 4, 2016 to Count One of the indictment.
On May 17, 2015, an officer with the Columbus Police Department initiated a stop for a traffic violation. When the vehicle came to a stop, the passenger jumped out of the car and began running. The officer caught up with the passenger, later identified as Mr. Senior, and a physical struggle took place. A large black item that seemed to be a pistol in Mr. Senior’s hand was noticed by the officer. The pistol was found in a neighbor’s yard that Mr. Senior had run through along with eleven bags containing 4.8 grams of methamphetamine. After Mr. Senior was taken into custody, he admitted he was a felon and knew he could not possess a firearm.
“Drug dealing is the most prolific crime seen by this office, but the possession of a firearm by a convicted felon while doing so greatly increases our concern,” United States Attorney G.F. Peterman, III said. “With the recent proliferation of violence involving firearms against officers and citizens, anyone possessing a firearm while committing a federal offense can expect prosecution of all available firearms violations and increased sentences for doing so.”
“Today’s sentence is another reminder that ATF and our law enforcement partners will hold individuals accountable for any criminal behavior, especially that which threatens the safety of innocent civilians,” said ATF Assistant Special Agent in Charge John Schmidt.
The investigative agency in this case was the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorney Crawford Seals prosecuted the case on behalf of the Government.
Questions concerning this case should be directed to Pamela Lightsey, Public Information Officer, United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 621-2603.
Americus Man Sentenced for Child Pornography PossessionRead the Press Release
United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia G.F. Peterman, III announced William C. Jones, age 61, of Americus, Georgia was sentenced by the Honorable Clay D. Land, United States District Court Judge, in Columbus, Georgia,December 8, 2016 to 120 months imprisonment for possession of child pornography which had been shipped or transported for interstate commerce . Mr. Jones pled guilty to Count One of the indictment on August 2, 2016.
On April 24, 2014, Mr. Jones was observed by campus staff at Columbus Technical College in Columbus, Georgia looking at inappropriate photos of young boys on a computer in one of the library study rooms. Campus Security was called and when Mr. Jones realized he was being watched, he immediately closed the website he was viewing. One of the officers noticed a USB flash drive in the computer that contained inappropriate images of children. Mr. Jones admitted to deputies that he was looking at underage males but denied the images were pornographic. He confirmed he had been released from prison for possession of child pornography on January 6, 2014 and came to the campus a couple times a week. A search warrant for external hard drives and DVDs that belonged to Mr. Jones contained a total of 1,510 digital photos of young males ranging in ages from 8 to 18. Many of the images depicted nudity and sex.
The case was investigated by the Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office and the United States Secret Service. Assistant United States Attorney Crawford Seals prosecuted the case on behalf of the Government.
Questions concerning this case should be directed to Pamela Lightsey, Public Information Officer, United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 621-2603.
Conagra Subsidiary Sentenced in Connection with Outbreak of Salmonella Poisoning Related to Peanut ButterRead the Press Release
ConAgra Grocery Products LLC, a subsidiary of ConAgra Foods Inc., today pleaded guilty to a criminal misdemeanor charge alleging the shipment of contaminated peanut butter linked to a 2006 through 2007 nationwide outbreak of salmonellosis, or salmonella poisoning, the Department of Justice announced today. Following its guilty plea, the company was sentenced to pay an $8 million criminal fine and forfeit an additional $3.2 million in assets. The sentence represents the largest fine ever paid in a food safety case. ConAgra Grocery Products LLC is based in Omaha, Nebraska, with a manufacturing facility in Sylvester, Georgia.
The company pleaded guilty pursuant to a plea agreement filed last year in federal district court in the Middle District of Georgia. Senior U.S. District Court Judge W. Louis Sands accepted the company’s guilty plea and imposed the sentence proposed in the plea agreement. In pleading guilty to violating the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, the company admitted that it introduced Peter Pan and private label peanut butter contaminated with salmonella into interstate commerce during the salmonellosis outbreak.
“This case demonstrates companies – both large and small - must be vigilant about food safety,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “We rely every day on food processors and handlers to meet the high standards required to keep our food free of harmful contamination.”
In February 2007, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that an ongoing outbreak of salmonellosis cases in the United States could be traced to Peter Pan and private label peanut butter produced and shipped from the company’s Sylvester, Georgia, peanut butter plant. The company voluntarily terminated production at the plant on Feb. 14, 2007, and recalled all peanut butter manufactured there since January 2004. The CDC eventually identified more than 700 cases of salmonellosis linked to the outbreak with illness onset dates beginning in August 2006. The CDC estimated that thousands of additional related cases went unreported. The CDC did not identify any deaths related to the outbreak.
The criminal information specifically alleged that on or about Dec. 7, 2006, the company shipped from Georgia to Texas peanut butter that was adulterated, in that it contained salmonella and had been prepared under conditions whereby it may have become contaminated with salmonella. The company admitted in the plea agreement that samples obtained after the recall showed that peanut butter made at the Sylvester plant on nine different dates between Aug. 4, 2006, and Jan. 29, 2007, was contaminated with salmonella. Environmental testing conducted after the recall identified the same strain of salmonella in at least nine locations throughout the Sylvester plant.
“Consumers are at the mercy of food merchants when it comes to the wholesomeness and healthiness of the food we consume and, as the result, a great responsibility is imposed by law on those merchants and manufacturers,” said U.S. Attorney G. F. “Pete” Peterman III for the Middle District of Georgia. “Likewise, agriculture is Georgia’s largest industry and peanuts and peanut products are a major factor in the health of that industry. While ConAgra did take corrective action eventually, by failing to timely recognize and rectify the problem of salmonella contamination, this company damaged the health of both public consumers and of the agricultural industry overall. I commend my staff, that of the Consumer Protection Branch of the Civil Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, and the investigators of the FDA, for the excellent work by all in bringing this incident to this conclusion and I hope that it will serve as a reminder to others in the industry of the high cost of failing to protect the public that relies on them to properly meet this responsibility.”
As part of the plea agreement, the company admitted that it had previously been aware of some risk of salmonella contamination in peanut butter. On two dates in October 2004, routine testing at the Sylvester plant revealed what later was confirmed to be salmonella in samples of finished peanut butter. Company employees attempting to locate the cause of the contamination identified several potential contributing factors, including an old peanut roaster that was not uniformly heating raw peanuts, a storm-damaged sugar silo, and a leaky roof that allowed moisture into the plant and airflow that could allow potential contaminants to move around the plant. As stated in the plea agreement, while efforts to address some of these issues had occurred or were underway, the company did not fully correct these conditions until after the 2006 through 2007 outbreak. In public statements after the 2007 recall, company officials hypothesized that moisture entered the production process and enabled the growth of salmonella present in the raw peanuts or peanut dust.
The company also admitted in the plea agreement that between October 2004 and February 2007, employees charged with analyzing finished product tests at the Sylvester plant failed to detect salmonella in the peanut butter, and that the company was unaware some of the employees did not know how to properly interpret the results of the tests.
“Product safety has to be a high priority for every manufacturer of foods sold in the United States” says Stephen M. Ostroff, Deputy Commissioner for Foods and Veterinary Medicine at the FDA. “FDA is working with food producers to promote compliance with food safety requirements, but if problems occur and are willfully ignored, we will use all available resources to protect American consumers from unsafe food.”
Following the outbreak and shutdown, the company made significant upgrades to the Sylvester plant to address conditions the company identified after the 2004 incident as potential factors that could contribute to salmonella contamination. The company also instituted new and enhanced safety protocols and procedures regarding manufacturing, testing and sanitation, which it affirmed in the plea agreement it would continue to follow.
The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Middle District of Georgia and the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch. This matter was investigated by the FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations.
Robins Employee Convicted on Child Porn ChargesRead the Press Release
United States Attorney G.F. “Pete” Peterman, III announces that Steven Craig Deason, Jr., age 40 of Gray, Georgia, was found guilty of one count of attempted online enticement of a minor and six counts of attempted transfer of obscene matter to a minor. A jury, sitting in the Middle District of Georgia, found Mr. Deason guilty on December 9, 2016 following a trial that lasted a week. U.S. District Court Judge Marc Thomas Treadwell was the presiding judge.
The evidence presented at trial showed that between January 6, 2016, and February 4, 2016, Mr. Deason, using the alias “Cameron,” chatted online with a person who identified itself as a 14-year-old girl named Amber. In actuality, Amber was an undercover agent. During the course of the chats, Mr. Deason discussed meeting with Amber to engage in sexual activity, to include oral sex and sexual intercourse. Mr. Deason also sent Amber pornographic pictures and videos to get her used to the things they had been talking about and comfortable with sex. Mr. Deason told Amber that he chose pictures where the men appeared older and the females appeared younger to match their age difference. Mr. Deason also instructed Amber how to masturbate, telling her it would make their sexual encounter better.
Upon his conviction, Mr. Deason was taken into the custody of the United States Marshals. A sentencing date has not yet been set. Mr. Deason faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment, up to the possibility of life imprisonment, on the attempted online enticement of a minor charge. Each of the attempted transfer of obscene matter to a minor charges carries a maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment. Mr. Deason will also be required to register as a sex offender.
This case was investigated by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, with coordination from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorneys Beth Howard and Michael Solis prosecuted the case for the Government.
“The seduction of children is a vile crime and one that is growing in frequency throughout the country and in the Middle District of Georgia,” said United States Attorney G. F. “Pete” Peterman, III. “The predators who attempt to defile our youth in this fashion should take note that law enforcement officers and prosecutors are hunting them just as they are hunting their victims.”
Inquiries regarding the case should be directed to Pamela Lightsey at the United States Attorney’s Office at 478-621-2603.
Georgia Bank Teller Sentenced to Prison for Cashing Fraudulently Obtained Income Tax Refund ChecksRead the Press Release
A Columbus, Georgia resident was sentenced to 37 months in prison today for her role in a stolen identity refund fraud scheme, announced Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Caroline D. Ciraolo, head of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, and U.S. Attorney G.F. Peterman III for the Middle District of Georgia.
Between June 2012 and December 2013, Tonya Alexander worked as a bank teller at SunTrust Bank in Columbus. Alexander received and cashed fraudulently obtained income tax refund checks in exchange for a fee. Alexander’s co-conspirators, including Tracy Mitchell, Keisha Lanier and others, filed fraudulent income tax returns using stolen identities and directed other co-conspirators to bring the fraudulently obtained refund checks to Alexander to cash. Alexander received and cashed approximately 330 fraudulently obtained tax refund checks that totaled more than $600,000. Alexander also recruited another bank teller, co-conspirator Vicky Wheeler, to assist in cashing the tax refund checks.
On Aug. 5, Alexander pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit theft of public money. In addition to the term of prison imposed, Alexander was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release and to pay $606,008.38 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Keisha Lanier was previously sentenced to 15 years in prison on Sept. 25, 2015. Tracy Mitchell was sentenced to 13 years and 3 months in prison on Aug. 7, 2015.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Ciraolo and U.S. Attorney Peterman commended special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation and the U.S. Secret Service, who conducted the investigation, and Trial Attorney Michael C. Boteler of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Crawford L. Seals of the Middle District of Georgia, who prosecuted the case.
Additional information about the Tax Division and its enforcement efforts may be found on the division’s website.
Toomsboro Man Sentenced to 151 Months for Possessing Cocaine with Intent to DistributeRead the Press Release
G.F. “Pete” Peterman, III, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, announced that Eddie Dewayne Whipple, age 38, of Toomsboro, Georgia was sentenced November 30, 2016, to 151 months for possession with intent to distribute cocaine by the Honorable Marc T. Treadwell, United States District Court Judge, in Macon, Georgia. Mr. Whipple entered a plea of guilty to this charge on September 22, 2016.
On February 19, 2015, Drug Enforcement Administration agents in Arizona contacted the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office and advised that a FedEx shipment believed to contain marijuana was scheduled for delivery the next day to a house in Wilkinson County, Georgia. This information was relayed to the Wilkinson County Sheriff’s Office.
The following day agents of the Ocmulgee Drug Task Force observed the delivery of the package to the address on the shipping label, a home across the street from Mr. Whipple. After the FedEx truck departed, Mr. Whipple and two other men came out of his residence. Mr. Whipple watched the two men retrieve the package from the neighboring house and place it in the rear of his Chevrolet Caprice. Mr. Whipple then departed in the vehicle on Highway 57.
Authorities followed Mr. Whipple at a distance and then pulled in behind him when he stopped at a residence. As officers approached, Mr. Whipple exited his vehicle and took off running. He attempted to discard the black jacket he was wearing but was quickly apprehended and wrestled to the ground. A baggie of cocaine was found in his jacket. Mr. Whipple consented to a search of his vehicle and a package containing almost 50 pounds of marijuana was recovered.
A search warrant for Mr. Whipple’s residence was obtained and cans with false bottoms were found containing marijuana and cocaine. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation confirmed the substance was marijuana in Mr. Whipple’s car and that it weighed 20.14 kilograms. The GBI Crime Lab also determined that the white substance recovered from his home and in his jacket was cocaine weighting 31.86 grams.
This case was investigated by the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office, Wilkinson County Sheriff’s Office, the Ocmulgee Drug Task Force, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant United States Attorney Sonja Profit prosecuted the case on behalf of the Government.
Questions concerning this case should be directed to Pamela Lightsey, Public Information Officer, United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 621-2603.
Check Casher Indicted for Role in Stolen Identity Refund Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury sitting in Macon, Georgia returned an indictment against a Columbus, Georgia resident on Nov. 9, which was unsealed today, for her role in a stolen identity refund fraud conspiracy, announced Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Caroline D. Ciraolo, head of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, and U.S. Attorney G.F. Peterman III for the Middle District of Georgia.
According to the indictment, throughout 2013, Shade Bakare cashed fraudulently obtained tax refund checks at the request of several individuals, including co-conspirators Tracy and Dameisha Mitchell, in exchange for a fee. Bakare endorsed several of the checks, and cashed many of the checks at Big O’s Package Store located in Columbus, Georgia. Bakare provided the cash, minus the fee she charged, to Dameisha Mitchell and others. In addition to cashing these refund checks, Bakare filed fraudulent tax returns using stolen identities. Bakare obtained an Electronic Filing Identification Number from co-conspirator Danielle Wallace and used it to file fraudulent tax returns. Bakare directed the tax refunds to financial institutions which issued the refunds via check. Bakare and others cashed those checks at various locations, including Big O’s Package Store.
An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
If convicted, Bakare faces a statutory maximum sentence of five years in prison for the conspiracy count, 10 years in prison for each theft of public funds count, 20 years in prison for each wire fraud count, and a mandatory minimum sentence of two years in prison for aggravated identity theft. Bakare also faces a period of supervised release and monetary penalties.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Ciraolo and U.S. Attorney Peterman commended special agents of Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation and the U.S. Secret Service, who conducted the investigation, and Trial Attorney Michael C. Boteler of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Melvin Hyde of the Middle District of Georgia, who are prosecuting the case.
Additional information about the Tax Division and its enforcement efforts may be found on the division’s website.
Check Casher Indicted for Role in Stolen Identity Refund Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A federal grand jury sitting in Macon, Georgia returned an indictment against a Columbus, Georgia resident on Nov. 9, which was unsealed today, for her role in a stolen identity refund fraud conspiracy, announced Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Caroline D. Ciraolo, head of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, and U.S. Attorney G.F. Peterman III for the Middle District of Georgia.
According to the indictment, throughout 2013, Shade Bakare cashed fraudulently obtained tax refund checks at the request of several individuals, including co-conspirators Tracy and Dameisha Mitchell, in exchange for a fee. Bakare endorsed several of the checks, and cashed many of the checks at Big O’s Package Store located in Columbus, Georgia. Bakare provided the cash, minus the fee she charged, to Dameisha Mitchell and others. In addition to cashing these refund checks, Bakare filed fraudulent tax returns using stolen identities. Bakare obtained an Electronic Filing Identification Number from co-conspirator Danielle Wallace and used it to file fraudulent tax returns. Bakare directed the tax refunds to financial institutions which issued the refunds via check. Bakare and others cashed those checks at various locations, including Big O’s Package Store.
An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
If convicted, Bakare faces a statutory maximum sentence of five years in prison for the conspiracy count, 10 years in prison for each theft of public funds count, 20 years in prison for each wire fraud count, and a mandatory minimum sentence of two years in prison for aggravated identity theft. Bakare also faces a period of supervised release and monetary penalties.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Ciraolo and U.S. Attorney Peterman commended special agents of Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation and the U.S. Secret Service, who conducted the investigation, and Trial Attorney Michael C. Boteler of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Melvin Hyde of the Middle District of Georgia, who are prosecuting the case.
Additional information about the Tax Division and its enforcement efforts may be found on the division’s website.
Georgia Postal Employee Indicted for His Role in A Stolen Identity Refund Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A federal grand jury sitting in Macon, Georgia returned an indictment against a resident of Columbus, Georgia on Nov. 9, which was unsealed today, for his role in a stolen identity refund fraud conspiracy, announced Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Caroline D. Ciraolo, head of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, and U.S. Attorney G.F. Peterman III for the Middle District of Georgia.
According to the indictment, Harold Coley worked as a mail carrier for the U.S. Postal Service and his postal route was in Columbus, Georgia. In 2012, Coley became involved in a stolen identity tax refund conspiracy. Coley’s co-conspirators, including Keshia Lanier, obtained stolen personal identification information from several sources, including from an Alabama state database and then prepared and filed false federal income tax returns for tax years 2011 and 2012. Coley provided his co-conspirators with addresses on his postal route to which the fraudulently obtained tax refund checks could be mailed. Several of these addresses did not exist or were for vacant homes. Coley was paid a fee to divert and provide these checks to his co-conspirators.
If convicted, Coley faces a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for the conspiracy count, 20 years in prison for each mail fraud count, five years in prison for each theft of mail count, and a mandatory minimum sentence of two years in prison for aggravated identity theft. In addition to the charges, Coley faces a forfeiture claim of approximately $924,000, a period of supervised release, and monetary penalties.
An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Ciraolo and U.S. Attorney Peterman commended special agents of Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, the U.S. Secret Service, and the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, who conducted the investigation, and Trial Attorney Michael C. Boteler of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Crawford L. Seals of the Middle District of Georgia, who are prosecuting the case.
Additional information about the Tax Division and its enforcement efforts may be found on the division’s website.
Walton County Residents Arrested on A Twenty-Nine Count IndictmentRead the Press Release
Eight members of a drug conspiracy were arrested today on a twenty- nine count drug indictment filed in the Middle District of Georgia, Athens Division, announced United States Attorney G.F. “Pete” Peterman, III.
Michael Deshawn Johnson, 39, wife, Sandra Johnson, 51, daughter Felisha Smith, 31, Rodricus Devoe, 27, Robert Mayweather, 28, William Orlando Randolph, 41, Shapharrier Harper, 25, and Annie R. Malcom, 56, all of Monroe, Georgia, were indicted on November 10, 2016 by a Middle District of Georgia grand jury in a twenty-nine count indictment charging them with drug conspiracy and distribution charges in Monroe, Walton County, Georgia.
According to allegations in the indictment, the defendants conspired to distribute cocaine base, also known as crack cocaine and marijuana for over three years in Monroe, Georgia. Conviction of participation in this conspiracy carries a maximum sentence of a mandatory minimum of ten years to life imprisonment, a fine of up to $10,000,000 and up to five years of supervised release. A copy of the indictment is attached.
All of the defendants were arrested on November 15, 2016 and are expected to have their initial appearance on November 16, 2016 in Macon, Georgia. They are all in custody.
The charges contained in an indictment are merely accusations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case is being investigated by the FBI and the Monroe Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tamara Jarrett is prosecuting the case for the Government.
Questions concerning this case should be directed to Pamela Lightsey, Public Information Officer, United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 621-2603.
Athens Man Sentenced to Twenty-Five Years in Federal Prison for Attempting to Kill an Undercover ATF Special AgentRead the Press Release
G. F. Peterman, III, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, announces that Steven Maurice McKinley, age 23, of Athens, Georgia, was sentenced today to serve twenty-five years in Federal prison for his attempt to kill an undercover United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) Special Agent (hereinafter “the agent”) on September 30, 2014. The sentence was handed down by the Honorable C. Ashley Royal, Senior United States District Court Judge, in Athens, Georgia. McKinley previously entered a plea of guilty on August 12, 2016, to a Superseding Indictment charging him with Attempt to Kill a Federal Officer and Discharging a Firearm During and in Relation to a Federal Crime of Violence.
Had this case gone to trial, the evidence presented by the United States would have shown that in September 2014, the ATF conducted an operation utilizing undercover agents to target the illegal sale of firearms and narcotics in Athens, Georgia. During the course of this undercover operation, the agent agreed to purchase an AK 47 or SKS style assault rifle and a quantity of marijuana from McKinley for $800.00 in cash. Defendant McKinley directed the agent to a convenience store parking lot to complete the transaction. When the agent arrived, McKinley persuaded the agent to pull the undercover vehicle down a nearby dirt road adjacent to the convenience store.
Shortly after the agent stopped the undercover vehicle, Javonta Terrell Darden, carrying a duffel bag, appeared on foot and accompanied McKinley and the agent to a small wooded area. Darden then dropped the duffel bag which was supposed to contain the firearm and marijuana that the agent was going to purchase for $800. Instead, the duffel bag contained only sticks and several pieces of wood because, as the agent then realized, McKinley and Darden intended to rob the agent at gunpoint of the $800 in cash as well as the contents of the agent’s vehicle.
After Darden dropped the bag, he produced a silver colored .25 caliber handgun, racked the slide and, pointing it at the agent ordered the agent to get on the ground. Once the agent was on the ground, McKinley took $400.00 from the agent’s front pocket. McKinley then returned to the agent’s vehicle, rummaged through the interior console, and removed items from inside. During the course of the armed robbery, Darden instructed McKinley to “get it all,” while Darden held the agent at gunpoint.
At this time, the agent was able to draw a Glock 27, .40 caliber service handgun, and fire several shots at Darden. While the agent was shooting, Darden, wounded, closed the gap and made physical contact with the agent, struggling with him until Darden expired. A later forensic analysis of the firearm used by Darden revealed a primer strike on the chambered round, indicating that Darden had pulled the trigger but his weapon failed to fire.
McKinley, who was rummaging through the agent’s vehicle when the shots rang out, attacked the agent. During the course of this assault, McKinley struck the agent on the head with the agent’s service weapon and ultimately gained positive control of the agent’s firearm. The agent attempted to flee from the area by running away from McKinley in the direction of the convenience store. As the agent fled, McKinley took aim and shot him in the back, with the bullet entering the back side of the agent’s right shoulder, fragmenting as it traveled through his body and lodging in the agent’s jaw, breaking the jaw as it did so.
As a part of his plea agreement, McKinley admitted that on September 30, 2014, he and his accomplice, Darden, agreed to meet with the agent for the purported purpose of selling a firearm and a quantity of marijuana for $800 when, in reality, he and Darden had conspired to rob the agent at gunpoint. As part of the robbery McKinley admitted firing the agent’s service weapon at the agent in an attempt to kill the agent while the agent was engaged in and on account of the performance of the agent’s official duties.
Said United States Attorney Peterman, “It is only through bravery, perseverance and extremely good luck that the agent Mr. McKinley tried to kill is alive and has recovered after being shot in the back while unarmed and posing no threat whatsoever. As despicable as were Mr. McKinley’s actions that night, those of the agent in this case stand as a reminder of the courage and dedication of our law enforcement professionals, who unflinchingly face such perils every day yet unflaggingly continue to carry out their duty to serve and protect our communities.”
“Today’s sentence is a direct message to criminals that law enforcement is observant and it will not tolerate violent crime. Steven McKinley showed a complete and utter disregard for human life when he attempted to murder a federal agent,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge John Schmidt. “As an agency and unified law enforcement community, we will not tolerate armed violent individuals continually terrorizing our neighborhoods and reducing the quality of life.”
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Athens and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorneys Danial E. Bennett and Tamara A. Jarrett prosecuted the case for the Government.
Questions concerning this case should be directed to Pamela Lightsey, Public Information Officer, United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 621-2603.
Bass Pro Shops Firearms Thieves Plead GuiltyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney G.F. “Pete” Peterman, III, of the Middle District of Georgia announces that on October 31, 2016, Dante Thomas, 32, of Atlanta, Georgia entered a guilty plea to Conspiracy to Commit Theft from a Federal Firearms Licensee. Co-defendant Jabari Walters, 23, of East Point, Georgia, entered a plea to the same charge on September 12, 2016 as did co-defendants Tabari Walters, 23, of East Point, Georgia, and Kenneth Atwater, 34, of McDonough, Georgia, on October 27, 2016.
Through their pleas, these men admitted that on September 29, 2013, after discussing the idea of stealing firearms, they drove to the Bass Pro Shops in Macon, Georgia and parked along the side of Interstate 75 northbound, in the proximity of the business. All four men ran up the hill and approached the Bass Pro Shops on foot. Mr. Thomas broke and cleared the glass from the window of an emergency door using a yellow crowbar to gain access. They entered the store and ran to the firearms section, where they stole 17 firearms. The men then left the store and returned to Mr. Thomas’ vehicle, which they drove back to the Atlanta area.
Agents later obtained a search warrant for Mr. Thomas’ residence, in which they found a yellow crowbar that matched the one used to break into the Bass Pro Shops. The agents also obtained records from Mr. Thomas’ cell phone which revealed that his cell phone pinged off cell phone towers in the vicinity of the Bass Pro Shops around the time that the burglary took place.
All four men each face a maximum sentence of five years of imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, or both. Sentencing for Jabari Walters is currently set for November 20, 2016. Sentencing for Tabari Walters, Kenneth Atwater, and Dante Thomas is currently scheduled for February 15, 2017.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorney Beth Howard is handling the prosecution for the Government.
Questions concerning this case should be directed to Pamela Lightsey, Public Information Officer, United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 621-2603.
Fitzgerald Physician Pleads Guilty to Drug ChargesRead the Press Release
United States Attorney G.F. “Pete” Peterman, III announces that Dr. Edd Colbert Jones, III, from Fitzgerald, Georgia, has pled guilty to conspiring to distribute and dispense controlled substances including Oxycodone, Alprazolam and Diazepam. Dr. Jones was indicted on April 12, 2016.
In entering his plea, Dr. Jones admitted that he was a licensed physician operating a general practice in Fitzgerald, Georgia. He and co-conspirator Shannon Benedict devised a scheme whereby Ms. Benedict would receive prescriptions in her name and the names of others. The pills received as a result of the prescriptions were sold by Ms. Benedict in the Fitzgerald area. Dr. Jones never conducted any medical examination of Ms. Benedict or any of the persons in whose names he wrote prescriptions at her direction. These prescriptions were provided by him unlawfully and outside the scope of his professional practice.
These charges arose from the execution of a search warrant on April 22, 2015, at Ms. Benedict’s Ben Hill County residence. Inside the residence agents located four (4) prescriptions written by Dr. Jones to persons other than Ms. Benedict - two (2) for Oxycodone and two (2) for Xanax. A second search warrant executed at Dr. Jones’ Ben Hill County office produced no medical files associated with the prescriptions found at Ms. Benedict’s residence. Dr. Jones admitted that he should be held accountable for between 2500 and 5000 units of Schedule III narcotics. Upon entering his plea of guilty, Dr. Jones agreed to forfeit his medical license.
Sentencing in the case will be set in about sixty (60) days following a pre-sentence investigation. Dr. Jones faces a potential maximum penalty of twenty (20) years imprisonment, a $1 million fine, or both. Dr. Jones was taken into custody at the end of the hearing.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Ben Hill County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Leah E. McEwen is prosecuting the case for the government.
“The actions of Dr. Jones in distributing these highly dangerous and extremely addictive drugs violated not only the law but also his oath as a physician by bringing harm instead of healing and suffering instead of relief to those in his community. It is truly a shame to see the privilege of practicing medicine perverted in such a way,” said United States Attorney Peterman.
Daniel R. Salter, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division said, “It is a sad commentary when a trusted person in the medical community attempts to hide behind the veil of legitimacy to commit criminal acts. The reckless distribution of pharmaceuticals results in addiction and death. Many thanks to the hard-working law enforcement partners who worked this case.”
For additional information, contact Pamela Lightsey, Public Information Officer, at 478-621-2603 or [email protected].
Miller County Sheriff ArrestedRead the Press Release
United States Attorney G. F. “Pete” Peterman, III, of the Middle District of Georgia announces that on October 28, 2016, Miller County Sheriff Shane Rathel, aged 42, was arrested by Federal Bureau of Investigation agents at the Albany FBI office on charges of selling two stolen firearms.
Copies of the complaint and supporting affidavit are attached. The complaint is only an allegation of criminal conduct. Sheriff Rathel is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law. If convicted, Sheriff Rathel faces a potential maximum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, or both, on each count.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Alan Dasher. The case was investigated by the Albany office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
Inquiries regarding this case should be directed to Pamela Lightsey, Public Information Officer, United States Attorney’s Office at (478) 621-2603.
Middle District Election Officers AppointedRead the Press Release
United States Attorney G.F. Peterman, III announced today that Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSA) C. Shanelle Booker and Todd Swanson will lead the efforts of his Office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 8, 2016, general elections. AUSA Booker and AUSA Swanson have been appointed to serve as the District Election Officers (DEO) for the Middle District of Georgia, and in that capacity are responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of complaints of election fraud and voting rights abuses in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.
United States Attorney Peterman said, “Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted without it being stolen because of fraud. The Department of Justice will act promptly and aggressively to protect the integrity of the election process.”
The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring election fraud and discrimination at the polls, and combating these violations whenever and wherever they occur. The Department’s long-standing Election Day Program furthers these goals, and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the integrity of the election process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible election fraud and voting rights violations while the polls are open on election day.
Federal law protects against such crimes as intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters and provides that they can vote free from acts that intimidate or harass them. For example, actions of persons designed to interrupt or intimidate voters at polling places by questioning or challenging them, or by photographing or videotaping them, under the pretext that these are actions to uncover illegal voting may violate federal voting rights law. Further, federal law protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice.
The franchise is the cornerstone of American democracy. We all must ensure that those who are entitled to the franchise exercise it if they choose, and that those who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice. In order to respond to complaints of election fraud or voting rights abuses on November 8, 2016, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, United States Attorney Peterman stated that AUSA/DEO Booker and AUSA/DEO Swanson will be on duty in this District while the polls are open. They can be reached by the public at the following telephone number: 478-752-3511. This number is for reports of voting irregularities only. All press inquiries or requests for information should be directed to our Public Information Officer, Pamela Lightsey, at 478-621-2603.
In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day. The Macon FBI resident agency can be reached at (478) 745-1271, the Athens FBI resident agency can be reached at (706) 549-6477, and the Columbus FBI resident agency can be reached at (706) 596-9603.
Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section in Washington, DC by phone at 1-800-253-3931 or (202) 307-2767, by fax at (202) 307-3961, by email to [email protected] or by complaint form at http://www.justice.gov/crt/complaint/votintake/index.php.
United States Attorney Peterman said, “Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the cooperation of the American electorate. It is imperative that those who have specific information about discrimination or election fraud make that information available immediately to my Office, the FBI, or the Civil Rights Division.”
Justice Department Releases Information on Election Day Efforts to Protect the Right to Vote and Prosecute Ballot FraudRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – In anticipation of the upcoming general elections, the Justice Department today provided information about its efforts, through the Civil Rights Division and Criminal Division, to ensure that all qualified voters have the opportunity to cast their ballots and have their votes counted free of discrimination, intimidation or fraud in the election process.
Civil Rights Division:
The Civil Rights Division is responsible for ensuring compliance with the civil provisions of federal statutes that protect the right to vote and the criminal provisions of federal statutes that prohibit discriminatory interference with that right.
The Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section enforces the civil provisions of a wide range of federal statutes that protect the right to vote including: the Voting Rights Act, the National Voter Registration Act, the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, the Help America Vote Act and the Civil Rights Acts. Among other things, collectively, these laws:
- prohibit election practices that have either a discriminatory purpose, based on race or membership in a minority language group, or a discriminatory result, with members of racial or language minority groups having less opportunity than other citizens to participate in the political process;
- prohibit voter intimidation;
- provide that individuals who need assistance in voting because of disability or illiteracy can obtain assistance from a person of their choice;
- provide for accessible election machines for voters with disabilities;
- require provisional ballots for voters who assert they are eligible but whose names do not appear on poll books;
- provide for absentee ballots for service members, their family members and U.S. citizens living abroad;
- require states to ensure that citizens can register through drivers’ license offices, public assistance and disability services offices, other state agencies and through the mail; and
- include requirements regarding maintaining voter registration lists.
The Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section enforces federal criminal statutes that prohibit voter intimidation and voter suppression based on race, color, national origin or religion.
On Election Day, Nov. 8, 2016, the Civil Rights Division will implement a comprehensive program to help protect the right to vote, including:
- The Civil Rights Division will conduct monitoring in the field at polling places around the country (locations for monitoring will be announced closer to Election Day).
- Civil Rights Division attorneys in both the Voting and Criminal Sections in Washington, D.C., will be ready to receive election-related complaints of potential violations relating to any of the statutes the Civil Rights Division enforces. Attorneys in the division will take appropriate action and will consult and coordinate with local U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and with other entities within the Justice Department concerning these complaints before, during and after Election Day.
- Civil Rights Division staff will be available by phone to receive complaints related to voting rights (1-800-253-3931 toll free or 202-307-2767) or by TTY (202-305-0082). In addition, individuals may also report complaints, problems or concerns related to voting by fax 202-307-3961, by mail to [email protected] and by complaint forms that may be submitted through a link on the department’s website: https://www.justice.gov/crt/voting-section.
- Complaints related to violence, threats of violence or intimidation at a polling place should always be reported immediately to local authorities by calling 911. They should also be reported to the department after local authorities are contacted.
Criminal Division and the Department’s 94 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices:
The Department’s Criminal Division oversees the enforcement of federal laws that criminalize certain forms of election fraud and vindicate the integrity of the federal election process.
The Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and the department’s 94 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices are responsible for enforcing the federal criminal laws that prohibit various forms of election fraud, such as vote buying, multiple voting, submission of fraudulent ballots or registrations, alteration of votes and malfeasance by election officials. The Criminal Division is also responsible for enforcing federal criminal law prohibiting voter intimidation for reasons other than race, color, national origin or religion (as noted above, voter intimidation that has a basis in race, color, national origin or religion is addressed by the Civil Rights Division).
The U.S. Attorney’s Offices around the country designate Assistant U.S. Attorneys who serve as district election officers (DEOs) in the respective districts. DEOs are responsible for overseeing potential election-crime matters in their districts and coordinating with the department’s election-crime experts in Washington, D.C.
On Nov. 8, 2016, the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices will work with specially trained FBI personnel in each district to ensure that complaints from the public involving possible voter fraud are handled appropriately. Specifically:
- In consultation with federal prosecutors in the Public Integrity Section in Washington, D.C., the DEOs in U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, FBI officials at Headquarters in Washington, D.C., and FBI special agents serving as Election Crime Coordinators in the FBI’s 56 field offices will be on duty while polls are open to receive complaints from the public.
- Election-crime complaints should be directed to the local U.S. Attorney’s Offices or the local FBI office. A list of U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and their telephone numbers can be found at https://www.justice.gov/usao/find-your-united-states-attorney. A list of FBI offices and accompanying telephone numbers can be found at https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us.
- Public Integrity Section prosecutors are available to consult and coordinate with the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the FBI regarding the handling of election-crime allegations.
- Again, complaints related to violence, threats of violence or intimidation at a polling place should be reported first to local police authorities by calling 911.
Both protecting the right to vote and combating election fraud are essential to maintaining the confidence of all Americans in our democratic system of government. The department encourages anyone who has information suggesting voting discrimination or ballot fraud to contact the appropriate authorities.
Valdosta Dentist Enters Guilty Plea to Health Care FraudRead the Press Release
G.F. Peterman, III, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, announces that Dr. Stanley B. Marable, DDS, age 55, a dentist from Valdosta, Georgia, pled guilty in United States District Court in Valdosta, Georgia to one count of Health Care Fraud. Dr. Marable faces a maximum sentence of up to ten years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release.
Facts stipulated in the written plea agreement show the following:
Dr. Marable was a general practice dentist in Valdosta who treated some patients whose claims were reimbursed through Medicaid payments from the State of Georgia. In 2012, at the request of the Georgia Department of Community Health, Division of Medical Assistance (DCH), an audit was performed by the Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts (DOOA). During the audit, several billing irregularities were discovered. Further investigation by the Georgia Medicaid Fraud Control Unit revealed that from January 2011 through September 30, 2013, Dr. Marable had was paid for 3,145 claims for the extraction of teeth and received Medicaid payments for these extractions totally more than $789,000.00. The investigation of the claims, however, revealed that Dr. Marable had not extracted the teeth from many of the patients for whom claims of reimbursement had been submitted. Several patients had never had any teeth extracted including one individual who did not even know Dr. Marable was a dentist.
U.S. Attorney Peterman stated: "Dr. Marable violated not only the trust placed in him as a practitioner of the healing arts, he blatantly lied to and stole from the tax paying public solely for his personal enrichment. His fraud was uncovered through diligent investigation by the Georgia Attorney General's Office – Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and the Georgia Department of Community Health – Office of Inspector General. The resulting prosecution is an excellent example of what can be accomplished through state and federal cooperation."
"Dr. Marable's actions are inexcusable and clearly warranted the actions taken," said Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens. "My office continues to combat Medicaid fraud, waste, and abuse through prosecutions like these."
As part of his plea agreement, Dr. Marable has agreed to pay a total of $789,841.00 in restitution to the Georgia Medicaid Program.
Sentencing for Dr. Marable has been scheduled for February 8, 2017.
The case was investigated by the Georgia Medicare Fraud Control Unit and Georgia Department of Community Health – Office of Inspector General. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Sonja Profit and Tamara Jarrett and Georgia Assistant Attorney General James Mooney.
For additional information please contact Pamela Lightsey, Public Affairs Specialist, United States Attorney’s Office at (478) 621-2603.
Macon Attorney Sentenced for Narcotics DistributionRead the Press Release
G.F. Peterman, III, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, announces that Holly Hogue Edwards, age 36, a former attorney from Macon, Georgia, was sentenced today to serve three years on probation and pay a $1000 fine for distribution of oxycodone and methamphetamine. The sentence was handed down by the Honorable Marc T. Treadwell, United States District Judge, in Macon.
Ms. Edwards pled guilty to the charges on April 20, 2016. In her plea agreement, she admitted that on June 4, 2015, after being introduced to a Georgia Bureau of Investigation undercover agent through a confidential informant, she made arrangements to sell the undercover agent ten (10) tablets of oxycodone and an “eight ball” (three and a half grams) of methamphetamine. Ms. Edwards met the undercover agent in the parking lot of fast food restaurant and provided the undercover agent with a sample of methamphetamine to try, explaining it was from a different source of supply from the source she typically uses. The agent then provided Ms. Edwards with $500 of official funds for the “eight ball” of methamphetamine and the ten (10) oxycodone tablets. Ms. Edwards left to meet with her source of supply. Agents observed Ms. Edwards travel to a nearby gas station and meet with her source of supply. Ms. Edwards then returned and handed the undercover agent the ten (10) oxycodone tablets, stating that she did not get the “eight ball” of methamphetamine but would get it to him later in the day.
In addition to the sentence imposed by the court, Ms. Edwards surrendered her license to practice law last month based on the charges for which she appeared this morning. In accepting the surrender of Ms. Edwards’ license, the Supreme Court of Georgia stated that such action was “tantamount to disbarment.”
Daniel R. Salter, the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division commented, “Drug trafficking often leads to morally debased actions of those involved, which was the case in this investigation. This attorney was licensed to practice law, but this does not mean that she was above the law. This investigation would have not been possible without the collaborative efforts between our local, state and federal law enforcement counterparts.”
This case was investigated by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant United States Attorney Beth Howard handled the prosecution for the Government.
Questions concerning this case should be directed to Pamela Lightsey, Public Information Officer, United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 621-2603.
Hospital Chain Will Pay over $513 Million for Defrauding the United States and Making Illegal Payments in Exchange for Patient Referrals; Two Subsidiaries Agree to Plead GuiltyRead the Press Release
A major U.S. hospital chain, Tenet Healthcare Corporation, and two of its Atlanta-area subsidiaries will pay over $513 million to resolve criminal charges and civil claims relating to a scheme to defraud the United States and to pay kickbacks in exchange for patient referrals.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General David Bitkower of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney John Horn of the Northern District of Georgia; Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division; U.S. Attorney G.F. Peterman III of the Middle District of Georgia; Georgia Attorney General Samuel S. Olens; Acting Special Agent in Charge George Crouch of the FBI’s Atlanta Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Derrick L. Jackson of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) in Atlanta made the announcement.
In addition, two Tenet subsidiaries, Atlanta Medical Center Inc. and North Fulton Medical Center Inc., have agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States and to pay health care kickbacks and bribes in violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS). The plea agreements remain subject to acceptance by the court. Up until April 2016, Atlanta Medical Center Inc. and North Fulton Medical Center Inc. owned and operated acute-care hospitals located in the greater Atlanta metropolitan area.
Atlanta Medical Center Inc. and North Fulton Medical Center Inc. were charged in a criminal information filed today in federal court in Atlanta with conspiracy to defraud the United States by obstructing the lawful government functions of HHS and to violate the AKS, which, among other things, prohibits payments to induce the referral of patients for services paid for by federal health care programs. The two Tenet subsidiaries have agreed to plead guilty to the charges alleged in the criminal information and will forfeit over $145 million to the United States – which represents the amount paid to Atlanta Medical Center Inc. and North Fulton Medical Center Inc. by the Medicare and Georgia Medicaid programs for services provided to patients referred as part of the scheme.
Tenet HealthSystem Medical Inc. and its subsidiaries (collectively THSM) entered into a non-prosecution agreement (NPA) with the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Northern District of Georgia related to the charges in the criminal information. THSM is the parent company of Atlanta Medical Center Inc., North Fulton Medical Center Inc., Spalding Regional Medical Center Inc. and Hilton Head Hospital, and employed their executives. THSM is a subsidiary of Tenet Healthcare Corporation. Under the terms of the NPA, THSM and Tenet will avoid prosecution if they, among other requirements, cooperate with the government’s ongoing investigation and enhance their compliance and ethics program and internal controls. Tenet has also agreed to retain an independent compliance monitor to address and reduce the risk of any recurrence of violations of the AKS by any entity owned in whole, or in part, by Tenet. The term of THSM’s and Tenet’s obligations under the NPA is three years, but the NPA may be extended for up to one year.
In the civil settlement, Tenet agreed to pay $368 million to the federal government, the state of Georgia and the state of South Carolina to resolve claims asserted in United States ex rel. Williams v. Health Mgmt. Assocs., Tenet Healthcare, et al., a lawsuit filed by Ralph D. Williams, a Georgia resident, in the Middle District of Georgia, under the federal and Georgia False Claims Acts. The acts permit whistleblowers to file suit for false claims against the government entities and to share in any recovery. The federal share of the civil settlement is $244,227,535.30, the state of Georgia will recover $122,880,339.70 and the state of South Carolina will recover $892,125. Mr. Williams’ share of the combined civil settlement amount is approximately $84.43 million.
“When pregnant women seek medical advice, they deserve to receive care untainted by bribes and illegal kickbacks,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Bitkower. “The Tenet case is the first brought through the assistance of the Criminal Division’s corporate health care fraud strike force. This is one of more than a dozen active corporate investigations by the strike force, and we are committed to following evidence of health care fraud wherever it leads – whether it be individual physicians, pharmacy owners or corporate boardrooms.”
“Our Medicaid system is premised on a patient’s ability to make an informed choice about where to seek care without undue interference from those seeking to make a profit,” said U.S. Attorney Horn. “Tenet cheated the Medicaid system by paying bribes and kickbacks to a pre-natal clinic to unlawfully refer over 20,000 Medicaid patients to the hospitals. In so doing, they exploited some of the most vulnerable members of our community and took advantage of a payment system designed to ensure that underprivileged patients have choices in receiving care.”
“The Department of Justice continues to devote enormous resources to exposing and pursuing alleged misconduct of improper financial relationships between hospitals and referral sources,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Mizer. “Such relationships exploit vulnerable populations and threaten to drive up the cost of healthcare for everyone. In addition to yielding a substantial recovery for taxpayers, this settlement reflects the department’s lack of tolerance for these types of abusive arrangements, and the negative effects they can have on our health care system.”
“The global resolution of this complex and sophisticated fraud scheme exemplifies what can be accomplished through the cooperation of federal and state investigative and prosecutorial authorities,” said U.S. Attorney Peterman. “I am particularly proud of the civil attorneys in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia, working hand in hand with investigators of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and attorneys in the Civil Division and the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the Office of the Attorney General of Georgia, whose combined efforts greatly contributed to this outstanding result on behalf of the American taxpayers.”
“Tenet took advantage of vulnerable pregnant women in clear violation of the law by paying kickbacks in order to bring their referrals to Tenet hospitals,” said Georgia Attorney General Olens. “Through this scheme, Tenet defrauded the Georgia Medicaid program, and reaped hundreds of millions of dollars. This is an unprecedented settlement for the state of Georgia, and reflects my office’s commitment to protecting Georgia taxpayers by uncovering Medicaid fraud and abuse.”
“The FBI continues to play a significant role in ensuring that federal laws related to the healthcare industry, to include the federally funded Medicare and Medicaid programs, are enforced,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Crouch. “The settlement agreements announced today involving Tenet Healthcare Corporation, as well as related guilty pleas by two of its Atlanta-based hospitals, Atlanta Medical Center Inc., and North Fulton Medical Center Inc., are a clear example of those efforts. In addition, the FBI’s Major Provider Response Team (MPRT) assisted the Atlanta Field Office in the civil and criminal investigation of Tenet. The MPRT was created in 2011 in response to numerous healthcare related corporate-level schemes resulting in billions in losses to healthcare plans. The FBI, along with its MPRT, will continue to aggressively address the threat of large-scale corporate healthcare schemes significantly impacting both private and government healthcare benefit plans.”
“OIG continues to emphasize investigation of improper financial relationships between health care providers,” said Special Agent in Charge Jackson. “Using their positions of trust, health providers – after receiving payments from Tenet – sent expectant women specifically to Tenet hospitals. Patients were often directed to Tenet facilities miles and miles from their homes and on their journeys passed other hospitals that could have provided needed care. These women were thereby placed at increased risk during one of the most vulnerable points in their lives. HHS-OIG will continue to protect patients by exposing such illegal arrangements.”
As alleged in the criminal information as well as civil complaints filed by the department and the state of Georgia in 2014 and 2013, Atlanta Medical Center Inc., North Fulton Medical Center Inc., Spalding Regional Medical Center Inc. and Hilton Head Hospital paid bribes and kickbacks to the owners and operators of prenatal care clinics serving primarily undocumented Hispanic women in return for the referral of those patients for labor and delivery medical services at Tenet hospitals. These kickbacks and bribes allegedly helped Tenet obtain more than $145 million in Medicaid and Medicare funds based on the resulting patient referrals.
According to the criminal information, as part of the scheme, expectant mothers were in some cases told at the prenatal care clinics that Medicaid would cover the costs associated with their childbirth and the care of their newborn only if they delivered at one of the Tenet hospitals, and in other cases were simply told that they were required to deliver at one of the Tenet hospitals, leaving them with the false belief that they could not select the hospital of their choice. The criminal information alleges that as a result of these false and misleading statements and representations, many expectant mothers traveled long distances from their homes to deliver at the Tenet hospitals, placing their health and safety, and that of their newborn babies, at risk.
The criminal information also charges Atlanta Medical Center Inc. and North Fulton Medical Center Inc. with conspiring to defraud HHS in its administration and oversight of the Medicare and Medicaid Programs, including HHS-OIG’s enforcement of Tenet’s September 2006 corporate integrity agreement (the CIA). The criminal information and the civil complaint allege that many of the unlawful payments happened while Tenet was under the CIA. The criminal information further alleges that certain executives of Atlanta Medical Center Inc., North Fulton Medical Center Inc. and others concealed these unlawful payments from HHS-OIG during the pendency of the CIA by, among other things, falsely certifying compliance with the requirements of the CIA and failing to disclose reportable events relating to the unlawful relationship under the CIA.
* * *
Deputy Chief Joseph S. Beemsterboer, Assistant Chief Robert A. Zink and Trial Attorneys Sally B. Molloy, Antonio M. Pozos and A. Brendan Stewart of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Chief Randy S. Chartash and Deputy Chief Stephen McClain of the Northern District of Georgia’s Economic Crime Section represented the government in the criminal prosecution. The U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Middle District of Georgia and the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch represented the federal government in the civil case. The HHS Office of Counsel to the Inspector General, the FBI and the Georgia and South Carolina Medicaid Fraud Control Units provided assistance in this matter.
The FBI’s Atlanta Field Office, HHS-OIG and the FBI Healthcare Fraud Unit MPRT investigated the case.
This settlement illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating health care fraud and marks another achievement for the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team (HEAT) initiative, which was announced in May 2009 by the Attorney General and the Secretary of HHS. The partnership between the two departments has focused efforts to reduce and prevent Medicare and Medicaid financial fraud through enhanced cooperation. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Since January 2009, the Justice Department has recovered a total of more than $30.9 billion through False Claims Act cases, with more than $18.6 billion of that amount recovered in cases involving fraud against federal health care programs.
If you believe you are a victim of this offense, please visit this website or call (888) 549-3945.
Hospital Chain Will Pay over $513 Million for Defrauding the United States and Making Illegal Payments in Exchange for Patient Referrals; Two Subsidiaries Agree to Plead GuiltyRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A major U.S. hospital chain, Tenet Healthcare Corporation, and two of its Atlanta-area subsidiaries will pay over $513 million to resolve criminal charges and civil claims relating to a scheme to defraud the United States and to pay kickbacks in exchange for patient referrals.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General David Bitkower of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney John Horn of the Northern District of Georgia; Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division; U.S. Attorney G.F. Peterman III of the Middle District of Georgia; Georgia Attorney General Samuel S. Olens; Acting Special Agent in Charge George Crouch of the FBI’s Atlanta Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Derrick L. Jackson of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) in Atlanta made the announcement.
In addition, two Tenet subsidiaries, Atlanta Medical Center Inc. and North Fulton Medical Center Inc., have agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States and to pay health care kickbacks and bribes in violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS). The plea agreements remain subject to acceptance by the court. Up until April 2016, Atlanta Medical Center Inc. and North Fulton Medical Center Inc. owned and operated acute-care hospitals located in the greater Atlanta metropolitan area.
Atlanta Medical Center Inc. and North Fulton Medical Center Inc. were charged in a criminal information filed today in federal court in Atlanta with conspiracy to defraud the United States by obstructing the lawful government functions of HHS and to violate the AKS, which, among other things, prohibits payments to induce the referral of patients for services paid for by federal health care programs. The two Tenet subsidiaries have agreed to plead guilty to the charges alleged in the criminal information and will forfeit over $145 million to the United States – which represents the amount paid to Atlanta Medical Center Inc. and North Fulton Medical Center Inc. by the Medicare and Georgia Medicaid programs for services provided to patients referred as part of the scheme.
Tenet HealthSystem Medical Inc. and its subsidiaries (collectively THSM) entered into a non-prosecution agreement (NPA) with the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Northern District of Georgia related to the charges in the criminal information. THSM is the parent company of Atlanta Medical Center Inc., North Fulton Medical Center Inc., Spalding Regional Medical Center Inc. and Hilton Head Hospital, and employed their executives. THSM is a subsidiary of Tenet Healthcare Corporation. Under the terms of the NPA, THSM and Tenet will avoid prosecution if they, among other requirements, cooperate with the government’s ongoing investigation and enhance their compliance and ethics program and internal controls. Tenet has also agreed to retain an independent compliance monitor to address and reduce the risk of any recurrence of violations of the AKS by any entity owned in whole, or in part, by Tenet. The term of THSM’s and Tenet’s obligations under the NPA is three years, but the NPA may be extended for up to one year.
In the civil settlement, Tenet agreed to pay $368 million to the federal government, the state of Georgia and the state of South Carolina to resolve claims asserted in United States ex rel. Williams v. Health Mgmt. Assocs., Tenet Healthcare, et al., a lawsuit filed by Ralph D. Williams, a Georgia resident, in the Middle District of Georgia, under the federal and Georgia False Claims Acts. The acts permit whistleblowers to file suit for false claims against the government entities and to share in any recovery. The federal share of the civil settlement is $244,227,535.30, the state of Georgia will recover $122,880,339.70, and the state of South Carolina will recover $892,125. Mr. Williams’ share of the combined civil settlement amount is approximately $84.43 million.
“When pregnant women seek medical advice, they deserve to receive care untainted by bribes and illegal kickbacks,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Bitkower. “The Tenet case is the first brought through the assistance of the Criminal Division’s corporate health care fraud strike force. This is one of more than a dozen active corporate investigations by the strike force, and we are committed to following evidence of health care fraud wherever it leads – whether it be individual physicians, pharmacy owners or corporate boardrooms.”
“Our Medicaid system is premised on a patient’s ability to make an informed choice about where to seek care without undue interference from those seeking to make a profit,” said U.S. Attorney Horn. “Tenet cheated the Medicaid system by paying bribes and kickbacks to a pre-natal clinic to unlawfully refer over 20,000 Medicaid patients to the hospitals. In so doing, they exploited some of the most vulnerable members of our community and took advantage of a payment system designed to ensure that underprivileged patients have choices in receiving care.”
“The Department of Justice continues to devote enormous resources to exposing and pursuing alleged misconduct of improper financial relationships between hospitals and referral sources,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Mizer. “Such relationships exploit vulnerable populations and threaten to drive up the cost of healthcare for everyone. In addition to yielding a substantial recovery for taxpayers, this settlement reflects the department’s lack of tolerance for these types of abusive arrangements, and the negative effects they can have on our health care system.”
“The global resolution of this complex and sophisticated fraud scheme exemplifies what can be accomplished through the cooperation of federal and state investigative and prosecutorial authorities,” said U.S. Attorney Peterman. “I am particularly proud of the civil attorneys in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia, working hand in hand with investigators of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and attorneys in the Civil Division and the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the Office of the Attorney General of Georgia, whose combined efforts greatly contributed to this outstanding result on behalf of the American taxpayers.”
“Tenet took advantage of vulnerable pregnant women in clear violation of the law by paying kickbacks in order to bring their referrals to Tenet hospitals,” said Georgia Attorney General Olens. “Through this scheme, Tenet defrauded the Georgia Medicaid program, and reaped hundreds of millions of dollars. This is an unprecedented settlement for the state of Georgia, and reflects my office’s commitment to protecting Georgia taxpayers by uncovering Medicaid fraud and abuse.”
“The FBI continues to play a significant role in ensuring that federal laws related to the healthcare industry, to include the federally funded Medicare and Medicaid programs, are enforced,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Crouch. “The settlement agreements announced today involving Tenet Healthcare Corporation, as well as related guilty pleas by two of its Atlanta-based hospitals, Atlanta Medical Center Inc., and North Fulton Medical Center Inc., are a clear example of those efforts. In addition, the FBI’s Major Provider Response Team (MPRT) assisted the Atlanta Field Office in the civil and criminal investigation of Tenet. The MPRT was created in 2011 in response to numerous healthcare related corporate-level schemes resulting in billions in losses to healthcare plans. The FBI, along with its MPRT, will continue to aggressively address the threat of large-scale corporate healthcare schemes significantly impacting both private and government healthcare benefit plans.”
“OIG continues to emphasize investigation of improper financial relationships between health care providers,” said Special Agent in Charge Jackson. “Using their positions of trust, health providers – after receiving payments from Tenet – sent expectant women specifically to Tenet hospitals. Patients were often directed to Tenet facilities miles and miles from their homes and on their journeys passed other hospitals that could have provided needed care. These women were thereby placed at increased risk during one of the most vulnerable points in their lives. HHS-OIG will continue to protect patients by exposing such illegal arrangements.”
As alleged in the criminal information as well as civil complaints filed by the department and the state of Georgia in 2014 and 2013, Atlanta Medical Center Inc., North Fulton Medical Center Inc., Spalding Regional Medical Center Inc. and Hilton Head Hospital paid bribes and kickbacks to the owners and operators of prenatal care clinics serving primarily undocumented Hispanic women in return for the referral of those patients for labor and delivery medical services at Tenet hospitals. These kickbacks and bribes allegedly helped Tenet obtain more than $145 million in Medicaid and Medicare funds based on the resulting patient referrals.
According to the criminal information, as part of the scheme, expectant mothers were in some cases told at the prenatal care clinics that Medicaid would cover the costs associated with their childbirth and the care of their newborn only if they delivered at one of the Tenet hospitals, and in other cases were simply told that they were required to deliver at one of the Tenet hospitals, leaving them with the false belief that they could not select the hospital of their choice. The criminal information alleges that as a result of these false and misleading statements and representations, many expectant mothers traveled long distances from their homes to deliver at the Tenet hospitals, placing their health and safety, and that of their newborn babies, at risk.
The criminal information also charges Atlanta Medical Center Inc. and North Fulton Medical Center Inc. with conspiring to defraud HHS in its administration and oversight of the Medicare and Medicaid Programs, including HHS-OIG’s enforcement of Tenet’s September 2006 corporate integrity agreement (the CIA). The criminal information and the civil complaint allege that many of the unlawful payments happened while Tenet was under the CIA. The criminal information further alleges that certain executives of Atlanta Medical Center Inc., North Fulton Medical Center Inc. and others concealed these unlawful payments from HHS-OIG during the pendency of the CIA by, among other things, falsely certifying compliance with the requirements of the CIA and failing to disclose reportable events relating to the unlawful relationship under the CIA.
Deputy Chief Joseph S. Beemsterboer, Assistant Chief Robert A. Zink and Trial Attorneys Sally B. Molloy, Antonio M. Pozos and A. Brendan Stewart of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Chief Randy S. Chartash and Deputy Chief Stephen McClain of the Northern District of Georgia’s Economic Crime Section represented the government in the criminal prosecution. The U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Middle District of Georgia and the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch represented the federal government in the civil case. The HHS Office of Counsel to the Inspector General, the FBI and the Georgia and South Carolina Medicaid Fraud Control Units provided assistance in this matter.
The FBI’s Atlanta Field Office, HHS-OIG and the FBI Healthcare Fraud Unit MPRT investigated the case.
This settlement illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating health care fraud and marks another achievement for the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team (HEAT) initiative, which was announced in May 2009 by the Attorney General and the Secretary of HHS. The partnership between the two departments has focused efforts to reduce and prevent Medicare and Medicaid financial fraud through enhanced cooperation. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Since January 2009, the Justice Department has recovered a total of more than $30.9 billion through False Claims Act cases, with more than $18.6 billion of that amount recovered in cases involving fraud against federal health care programs.
If you believe you are a victim of this offense, please visit this website or call (888) 549-3945.
Former Office Manager Sentenced for Wire FraudRead the Press Release
United States Attorney G.F. Peterman, III announces that Maria E. Trenam, age 52, of Cumming, Georgia, previously of Warner Robins, Georgia, was sentenced to serve sixty (60) months imprisonment for one count of wire fraud on September 30, 2016. The sentence was handed down by the Honorable Marc T. Treadwell, U. S. District Court Judge, in Macon, Georgia. As part of the sentence, Ms. Trenam was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $1,178,736.90 and was ordered to forfeit certain property obtained through the fraud, including a bank account, a house, an automobile, and a diamond ring. Following imprisonment, she will be required to serve a term of supervised release for three (3) years.
Ms. Trenam was the office manager of Surgical Associates of Warner Robins, P.C., in Warner Robins, Georgia. Surgical Associates is a health care benefit program providing surgical and other medical services to individuals under public and private plans. As office manager of Surgical Associates, Ms. Trenam had access to the banking and financial records of the business.
Beginning about March 31, 2011, through about August 11, 2015, Ms. Trenam used her position to embezzle money from Surgical Associates totaling $1,178,736.90. She embezzled money in several ways, including making unauthorized cash withdrawals at automated teller machines of financial institutions utilizing her business credit card, writing unauthorized checks to herself on business accounts and concealing the unauthorized checks by falsifying bookkeeping ledger entries, increasing her salary without authorization, using her business credit card to make unauthorized purchases of goods and services, using her business credit card for unauthorized travel and entertainment, and using her business credit card to make unauthorized purchases of goods and services on the internet.
Concerning Count One of the indictment, Ms. Trenam used her Surgical Associates business credit card to make a personal and unauthorized purchase of goods in the amount of $2,289.79 by computer on the internet from the Jo-Ann Fabric and Crafts Store in Ohio.
U.S. Attorney Peterman stated, “Ms. Trenam stole a huge sum of money, more than many people would make in their lifetime. Making it even worse, she stole from her employer, who had trusted her with access to and control over its financial assets. The greed and abuse of trust this theft demonstrates certainly called for the sentence imposed on Ms. Trenam today.”
The case was investigated by the Macon Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and by the Houston County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Paul C. McCommon III prosecuted the case on behalf of the Government.
Inquiries regarding the case should be directed to Pamela Lightsey at the United States Attorney’s Office at 478-621-2603.
Former Corrections Officer Pleads Guilty to Distribution of MarijuanaRead the Press Release
G.F. Peterman, III, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, announces James Royal, age 43, of Cuthbert, Georgia pled guilty September 20, 2016 to distribution of marijuana in front of the Honorable Clay D. Land, United States District Court Judge, in Columbus, Georgia.
Mr. Royal was a corrections officer at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Lumpkin, Georgia. Between November 2015 and January 2016, Mr. Royal smuggled marijuana into the prison and sold it to the inmates. He received payment from inmates, and/or friends of inmates, via Western Union. The money was sent to a convenience store in Cuthbert, Georgia, where Mr. Royal would pick it up.
Sentencing has been set for January 17, 2017. Mr. Royal faces up to five years in prison.
The case was investigated by Department of Homeland Security. United States Attorney Mel Hyde is prosecuting the case on behalf of the Government.
Questions concerning this case should be directed to Pamela Lightsey, Public Information Officer, United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 621-2603.
Prescription Opioid and Heroin Awareness Week September 19-26, 2016Read the Press Release
Attorney General Loretta Lynch has designated the week of September 19-23, 2016 as Prescription Opioid and Heroin Awareness Week. The prescription opioid and heroin epidemic has taken a heartbreaking toll on too many Americans and their families, while straining resources of law enforcement and treatment programs.
More Americans now die every year from drug overdoses than they do in motor vehicle crashes—and most of those involve prescription opioids or heroin. Some of the commonly abused drugs are codeine cough syrup, heroin, fentanyl, hydrocodone, methadone, and oxycodone.
The President has made clear that addressing the prescription opioid and heroin epidemic is a priority for his Administration, and has proposed to invest $1.1 billion in new funding to make sure that every American with an opioid use disorder who seeks treatment can get care.
Federal agencies will continue to use all available tools to combat this epidemic. States and communities are also working to save lives through innovative partnerships between public safety and public health.
Recovery from opioid and other substance use disorders is possible, and many Americans are able to recover because they get the treatment and care they need. But too many still are not able to get treatment. That’s why the President has called on Congress to provide the resources needed to ensure that every American with an opioid use disorder who wants treatment can get it and start the road to recovery.
We all have a role to play in turning the tide of this epidemic. Talk with your teens about the consequences of using prescription and over-the-counter drugs for non-medical uses; follow disposal guidelines on unused medicines; lock up powerful medications in a safe place other than your medicine cabinet; count your pills when you receive them and periodically check to see how many are in the container.
During Prescription Opioid and Heroin Awareness Week, Americans can learn more about the disease of addiction, join with community members to support evidence-based prevention and treatment programs, and stand with those suffering from a substance use disorder or in recovery—to let them know they are not alone.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia has copies of a documentary called “Chasing the Dragon”. The video was produced by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Drug Enforcement Administration. It is a resource for law enforcement, educators, and parents to educate young people on how opiate addiction destroys lives. If you would like to show the video to an audience, contact Pamela Lightsey at 478-621-2603 or [email protected].
For more information about the current heroin and opioid addiction epidemic, go to the Drug Enforcement Administration’s website at dea.gov.
Career Offender Sentenced for Firearms ViolationsRead the Press Release
G.F. Peterman, III, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, announced Richard Bynes, III, age 30, of Newton, Georgia was sentenced to 180 months (15 years) by the Honorable Leslie Abrams, United States District Court Judge, in Albany, Georgia after his guilty plea for Discharging a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime. Mr. Bynes was sentenced as a career offender based on his two prior bank robbery convictions in 2005.
He pled guilty on June 29, 2016. According to the plea agreement, on January 26, 2015, Camilla Police responded to an apartment complex regarding shots fired. A witness stated that Mr. Bynes, an alleged club owner from Baker County, had fired four shots into the air because a tenant known as “JuJu” owed him money. The person identified as “JuJu” told the police Mr. Bynes was angry because he owed him money for marijuana. GBI agents developed information about drug sales by Mr. Bynes and obtained a search warrant for his residence in Baker County, GA. During the search of the residence, the GBI agents uncovered $4,755 in currency, a drug ledger, two hand guns, one shotgun and a rifle, a set of digital scales, baggies, an antifreeze jug containing marijuana, and a white plastic bag containing a measuring cup and a metal whisk with cocaine residue.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorney Leah McEwen prosecuted the case on behalf of the Government.
Inquiries regarding this case should be directed to Pam Lightsey, Public Information Officer, United States Attorney’s Office, at 478-752-3511.
Lizella Resident Sentenced for Assaulting Federal OfficersRead the Press Release
G.F. Peterman, III, the United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, announces that Bobby Leon Parrish, of Lizella, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 95 months in Federal prison for assaulting a Federal law enforcement officer and using a firearm in relation to a crime of violence. The sentence was handed down by the Honorable Marc T. Treadwell on September 7, 2016 in Macon.
Through his guilty plea entered on April 20, 2016, Mr. Parrish admitted that on August 24, 2015, Deputy U.S. Marshals attempted to take Mr. Parrish into custody for several outstanding state warrants and failure to report to his state probation officer. Mr. Parrish pulled a firearm from his waistband and aimed it at the officers. A search of Mr. Parrish revealed a small container of marijuana, two digital scales, two shotgun shells and crushed substance Mr. Parrish claimed was Xanax, along with the single shot shotgun.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorney Kimberly S. Easterling prosecuted the case on behalf of the Government.
Inquiries regarding this case should be directed to Pam Lightsey at the United States Attorney’s Office at 478-752-3511.