Central District of Illinois
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
Ohio Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Engaging in Child Exploitation EnterpriseRead the Press Release
A Hamilton, Ohio, man was sentenced today to life in prison for engaging in a child exploitation enterprise, announced Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney James A. Lewis of the Central District of Illinois and Special Agent in Charge Sean Cox of the FBI’s Springfield, Illinois, Division.
Jason Gmoser, 36, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Colin S. Bruce of the Central District of Illinois, who also sentenced him to 30 years and 20 years in prison to be served concurrent to the life sentence for conspiring to advertise and conspiring to distribute child pornography, respectively, and ordered him to serve a lifetime term of supervised release. Gmoser was convicted by a federal jury in Urbana, Illinois, on Feb. 12, 2016.
Gmoser was arrested on Oct. 16, 2014, following a court-authorized search of his home in Hamilton. Forensic examination of computers and devices seized pursuant to that search found that he was in possession of millions of files depicting the sexual exploitation of children. Evidence at trial established that Gmoser acted as a member and co-administrator of a highly-sophisticated global enterprise dedicated to the sexual exploitation of children, organized via a members-only website that operated on the Tor anonymity network, through which he and others posted thousands of messages containing images of sexual exploitation involving pre-pubescent children. According to sentencing documents, as of July 2014, the website hosted nearly 30,000 members, who were required to share illicit child pornography images in order to gain and keep membership and included numerous child pornography producers who were actively abusing children. Site members employed advanced technological means in order to undermine law enforcement’s attempts to identify them, including the use of a hidden service on the Tor network and elaborate file encryption, according to the sentencing papers.
The FBI’s Springfield Field Office and the FBI’s Violent Crimes Against Children Section, Major Case Coordination Unit and Digital Analysis and Research Center led the investigation of this case. Acting Assistant Deputy Chief Keith Becker and Trial Attorney Elly Peirson of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Jury Convicts Champaign Man for Felon in Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
Urbana, Ill. – A jury deliberated for nearly two hours before returning its guilty verdict late Friday, July 8, 2016, against Kevin Pettis, aka KP, 37, of the 400 block of South State St., Champaign, Ill., for possession of a firearm by a felon, as announced by Jim Lewis, U.S. Attorney for the Central District of Illinois.
During the trial, which began on July 6, the government presented evidence to establish that on July 7, 2013, around 3:18 a.m., Pettis fired a Taurus, .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol from a Chevrolet Tahoe in the parking lot of the Oakwood Trace Apartments in north Champaign. When a woman reported the shooting, Pettis drove to his apartment in the 400 block of South State Street and tried to hide the pistol in his jacket in his apartment. Officers of the Champaign Police Department arrested Pettis minutes later as he was walking away from the apartment. They located and recovered the stolen, loaded gun after obtaining a search warrant for his apartment. At the time, Pettis had six prior felony convictions: three aggravated battery, reckless discharge of a firearm, possession of a weapon by a felon, and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.
Pettis remains in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service, where he has been since his arrest on Dec. 7, 2015. Sentencing for Pettis is scheduled for Nov. 7, 2016, before U.S. District Judge Colin S. Bruce in Urbana, Ill.
The maximum statutory penalty for unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon is 10 years in prison, and a fine of up to $250,000.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eugene L. Miller and A. Remy Taborga. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Champaign Police Department investigated the case.
U.S. Attorney Lewis: Statement Regarding Recent Shootings, ViolenceRead the Press Release
Five police officers (Brent Thompson, Michael Krol, Patrick Zamarriga and two others), killed in Dallas. Alton Sterling, killed in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Philando Castile, killed in St. Anthony, Minnesota. We are losing too many lives, too many people. We hurt. And we ask, “Have we lost our way?”
The five police officers—and others--were protecting a public protest that arose because other lives were lost. Somehow, this makes it feel even worse. If we hurt from the loss of life, and we express our grief in public protest—peaceful, lawful public protest--and officers come out to protect that peaceful protest, how can we then have an attack on those officers? How can we have and express our pain, if we cannot find a safe place, for ourselves, our expression and our peace officers?
I have some doubt and despair, but I will not give in. We have too much to do, and cannot give in to doubt or despair.
First, we must mourn these lives, and all the lives that have been lost. Then, we must reflect—and act wisely.
Reflection begins with investigations. These investigations must be prompt, honest and open, and they will be. After investigation, then we can make judgments, wise judgments.
Our officers have to be safe, if we are to be safe. If we ask our officers to go toward trouble, at our request and on our behalf, then we must assure their safety. When officers approach us on the street, we must assure their safety. When officers come to protect us, we must assure their safety. We must teach and reteach the ways to do this, beginning with respect.
And officers are relearning respect for our people. There is more training, with more emphasis on “community policing,” working more closely with the community that is served.
I could write in detail about the use of force and community policing and how people should approach the police, but the present question is more basic: “Can we find a way forward?” The answer is yes, we have to find our way. We do want a safe place, for ourselves, for our officers, for our children, for our future, and we are willing to work together—peacefully—to go forward.
Jury Convicts Rock Island Man for Heroin Distribution Resulting in DeathRead the Press Release
Rock Island, Ill. – A jury deliberated for two hours today before returning guilty verdicts on all counts against Phil Trent, 51, of Rock Island, Ill. Trent was charged with distribution of heroin resulting in death, three counts of distributing heroin, and conspiring to distribute heroin resulting in death. U.S. District Judge Sara Darrow scheduled sentencing for Nov. 3, 2016. Trent remains in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
The trial began on June 27. Over four days of testimony, the government presented evidence that Trent conspired with others to distribute heroin in the Rock Island area from early July through September 2014. During the trial, the government presented evidence that Trent distributed heroin on August 13, October 1, and October 2, 2014, either directly or through co-conspirators, to undercover agents. Evidence was also presented that Trent distributed the heroin that resulted in the death of Tyler Corzette on Aug. 29, 2014. Corzette was 21 years old at the time of his death.
Two other defendants, Kyle Hull and Curtis Land, were also charged in connection with Corzette’s death. Both Hull and Land pled guilty on May 19, 2015, and are scheduled for sentencing on July 21, 2016.
The Rock Island Police Department, with assistance from the Quad City Metropolitan Enforcement Group, investigated the charges. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Don Allegro and Meredith DeCarlo are prosecuting the case.
The statutory penalty for distribution of heroin resulting in death is a mandatory minimum term of 20 years, and up to life, in prison, and a fine of up to $1,000,000. The statutory maximum penalty for each count of heroin distribution is 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $1,000,000. The statutory penalty for conspiracy to distribute heroin resulting in death is a mandatory minimum term of 20 years, and up to life, in prison, and a fine of up to $1,000,000.
Peoria Man Pleads Guilty to Producing Child Pornography While Registered as Sex OffenderRead the Press Release
Peoria, Ill. – A September sentencing date has been scheduled for a Peoria, Ill., man, Jordan D. Salem, 24, of the 600 block of S. Byron Court. Salem appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jonathan E. Hawley on June 28, 2016, to enter his pleas of guilty to production of child pornography while registered as a sex offender. Pursuant to a plea agreement, Salem faces a stipulated sentence of 35 years in federal prison, subject to acceptance by U.S. District Judge Michael M. Mihm. Sentencing before Judge Mihm has been scheduled for Sept. 22, 2016.
According to court documents, beginning in 2013, Salem created several false identities on Facebook, using another male’s picture, and solicited naked photographs and sexual acts from female victims, including minors. Acting under his false personas, including “Cody Miller” and “Ryan Daniel Singer,” Salem represented that he was employed as a performer by an internet pornography website that was seeking females to produce short pornographic videos. Salem promised that the girls would be paid thousands of dollars by the website and that their identities would not be revealed.
When a girl inquired with Salem’s false persona on Facebook, Salem would provide additional details about the job and direct them to send several naked images of themselves if they were interested. If a girl complied with his request for naked photographs, Salem would then direct her to his residence for the purpose of producing the pornographic film with him. In the course of his Facebook chats with females he knew to be minors, Salem would reassure them that he had produced pornography with minors in the past and he could either blur their face or keep their face out of the video to protect them from being discovered.
With his plea of guilty, Salem further admitted that the investigation, including the results of search warrants executed on his Facebook accounts and e-mail accounts, revealed that Salem used the fictitious Facebook profiles to solicit sex and sexually explicit images from at least 28 females, including 10 minors. Salem used the scheme to persuade six of the minor females, including an 11 year-old, to produce sexually explicit images of themselves and send them to him on the internet. Over the course of the scheme, at least 22 females, seven of whom were minors, engaged in sexual intercourse with Salem with the expectation that they were going to be paid large sums of money by a pornographic film production company. Salem did not pay any of his victims the money they were promised for taking part in the production of sexually explicit images.
At the time of these offenses, according to court documents, Salem was required to register as a sex offender under Illinois law. In May 2012, Salem pleaded guilty to the offense of statutory rape in Tennessee. In that case, Salem admitted that he traveled to Tennessee and engaged in sexual intercourse with a minor.
Salem has remained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service since he was arrested on Oct. 30, 2015.
The charges are the result of a joint investigation by the U.S. Secret Service, the Peoria Police Department, and the Peoria County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ron Hanna is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Charleston Man to Serve Nine Years in Federal Prison for Heroin, Gun OffensesRead the Press Release
Urbana, Ill. – Arnett Deshaun Brown, 43, last known address 1500 block Woodlawn Drive, Charleston, Ill., has been ordered to serve nine years in federal prison for drug and gun offenses. U.S. District Judge Colin S. Bruce sentenced Brown in Urbana on June 27. Brown was also ordered to remain on supervised release for a period of six years after his release from prison.
On Feb. 29, 2016, Brown pled guilty to possession of heroin with intent to distribute, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug crime and possession of a firearm by a felon. Brown’s sentence consists of 48 months in prison, to be served concurrently, for the possession of heroin with intent to distribute and possession of a firearm by a felon counts, followed by a consecutive sentence of 60 months for possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug crime.
According to court documents, on June 11, 2014, when law enforcement officers executed a search warrant for an apartment where Brown allegedly stored drugs, they recovered 47.0 grams of heroin, and a loaded, Taurus, .45 caliber, semi-automatic pistol. At the time Brown possessed the gun, he had at least four prior felony convictions from Cook and Coles County.
The East Central Illinois Task Force investigated the charges. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eugene L. Miller prosecuted the case in the Central District of Illinois, Urbana Division.
Brown has remained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service since his arrest in September 2015.
Champaign Roofer Charged with Immigration ViolationsRead the Press Release
Springfield, Ill. – The owner of Gire Roofing, Inc., and its corporate parent, Grayson Enterprises, Inc., of Champaign, Ill., have been charged on multiple federal immigration violations. Edwin J. Gire made his initial appearance in federal court in Springfield on June 21, 2016, before U.S. District Judge Sue E. Myerscough. A trial date of Aug. 2, 2016, is scheduled for Gire and Grayson Enterprises, doing business as Gire Roofing, Inc., in Springfield.
On June 8, 2016, a federal grand jury returned the 10-count indictment that charges Gire with visa immigration fraud (four counts), harboring illegal aliens (three counts), and unlawful employment of aliens (three counts). The indictment also charges Grayson Enterprises, Inc. in eight of the ten counts and seeks forfeiture of the Gire Roofing property located at 309 West Hensley Road in Champaign, Ill., which is alleged to have been used to facilitate the commission of the offenses.
The indictment alleges that in March 2011, August 2011, March 2013, and April 2014, Gire submitted petitions to the U.S. Department of Labor and to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to obtain foreign workers to perform roofing work in Champaign County and Douglas County, Ill. The indictment further alleges that to support the need for workers, Gire submitted contracts that he knew were false with the petitions, causing the State Department to issue H-2B non-immigrant worker visas to more than 150 foreign workers.
The indictment further alleges that from 2008 to 2014, Gire engaged in a practice and pattern of knowingly hiring unauthorized aliens, and in 2014, harbored those same illegal aliens in Champaign County, Ill., for the purpose of commercial advantage and private financial gain.
If convicted, each count of visa fraud and harboring illegal aliens carries a penalty of up to ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The unlawful employment of aliens charges carry a penalty of up to six months imprisonment and a maximum fine of $3,000 for each unauthorized alien employed.
The charges are the result of investigation by the U.S. Department of State, Diplomatic Security Service; the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations; and, the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Eugene L. Miller.
Members of the public are reminded that an indictment is merely an accusation; the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Springfield Sex Offender to Serve 35 Years in Prison for Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Springfield, Ill. — A Springfield, Ill., man, Marcus B. Fifer, 44, who was convicted in October 2015 for producing child pornography, has been sentenced. On June 20, 2016, U.S. District Judge Sue E. Myerscough ordered that Fifer serve 35 years in federal prison and remain on supervised release for the remainder of his life after his release from prison.
A jury convicted Fifer on Oct. 30, 2015, on 17 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor to produce child pornography and one count of committing a felony offense with a minor while being required to register as a sex offender. Fifer has remained detained in U.S. Marshals’ custody since his arrest in February 2014.
At trial, the government presented evidence that from April 1, 2013 through Nov. 18, 2013, Fifer used a cell phone, tablet and laptop computer to take images of a minor. Further evidence from the government established that Fifer previously pled guilty in 2008, in Champaign County, Ill., to aggravated criminal sexual abuse, and at the time of the offenses for which Fifer was convicted in October 2015, he was required to register as a sex offender.
The charges were investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations in cooperation with the Springfield Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John E. Childress and Matthew Z. Weir prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Illinois Couple Sentenced for Multiple Kidnappings and Transporting Minor with Intent to Engage in Sexual ActivityRead the Press Release
Nicole and Calvin Eason were sentenced today to each serve 40 years in prison for kidnapping and transporting a minor with intent to engage in sexual activity.
Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney James A. Lewis of the Central District of Illinois and Special Agent in Charge Sean Cox of the FBI’s Springfield, Illinois, Division made the announcement.
Nicole Eason, 37, and Calvin Eason, 47, both formerly of Danville and Westville, Illinois, were sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge James E. Shadid of the Central District of Illinois, who also ordered each to serve a lifetime term of supervised release. On Dec. 18, 2015, a federal jury in Peoria, Illinois, found Nicole Eason guilty of two counts of kidnapping and one count of transportation with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity with a minor. On Nov. 6, 2015, Calvin Eason pleaded guilty to all three counts in the indictment.
Evidence at trial established that in 2006 through 2008, the Easons sought to adopt through an informal process sometimes referred to as private “re-homing,” in which the legal adoptive family can no longer care for a child and transfers the child to another’s custody. In 2007, the Easons communicated with a minor’s parents about rehoming and misrepresented material facts about their background to gain the parents’ trust, including, among other things, that they had a home study “waiver,” which was used to verify the Easons as fit caregivers. Based on these misrepresentations, one of the minor’s parents transported the child across state lines in 2007 to live with the Easons. The minor testified that while in the Easons’ custody for nearly a month, both Nicole and Calvin Eason repeatedly sexually and physically abused her.
Evidence at trial also established that in 2008, the Easons kidnapped a second minor in the same manner, who was with them for a few days. That child and a third identified minor victim testified that the Easons subjected the minors to inappropriate sexual behavior and “grooming” while in their custody. All three minors also testified about the deplorable living conditions in the Eason home.
The FBI’s Springfield Division investigated the case in cooperation with the Vermilion County, Illinois, Sheriff’s Department. Senior Trial Attorney Jennifer Toritto Leonardo of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Elly Peirson of the Central District of Illinois prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Kankakee Latin Kings Leader, Members Face Charges in Federal CourtRead the Press Release
Urbana, Ill. - Five Kankakee area men identified as local leaders and members of the Latin Kings and a girlfriend of one of the men are scheduled for trial in August 2016, on federal charges, after making their respective initial appearances in Urbana, Ill., before U.S. District Judge Colin S. Bruce. A federal grand jury returned three indictments earlier in June 2016, but the charges had remained sealed pending their arrests and court appearances.
James Atwood, 31, of Bourbonnais, Ill., Jessie Dorsett, 22, and Jovan Saulsberry, both of Kankakee, Ill., are charged in one indictment with conspiracy to distribute cocaine from Nov. 5, 2014 to Feb. 3, 2015, and with distribution of cocaine. If convicted, both offenses carry statutory penalties of up to 20 years in prison; if a defendant has a prior felony drug conviction, the statutory penalty increases to up to 30 years in prison.
In a separate indictment, Jesse Guardiola, 43, of the 2200 block of E 3100 North Road, Martinton, Ill., is charged with five counts of possession of a firearm by a felon. The indictment alleges that Guardiola possessed firearms on five occasions in 2014 and 2015. Guardiola’s girlfriend, Heather Grad, 30, of the 300 block of E. Court St., Kankakee, Ill., is charged with Guardiola in count two of the indictment, with possession of a firearm by a felon on Feb. 11, 2015.
A third indictment charges Santos Salgado, 30, of the 800 block of E. Station, Kankakee, Ill., with two counts of possession of a firearm by a felon in 2016 and 2014.
If convicted, possession of a firearm by a felon carries a statutory penalty of up to 10 years in prison.
Atwood, Saulsberry, Guardiola, and Salgado remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. Dorsett is already in the custody of the Illinois Department of Corrections on unrelated charges. Grad has been released on bond. Trial for the defendants in each case is scheduled on Aug. 16, 2016.
The charges are the result of ongoing investigations related to violent crime in the Kankakee area by the Kankakee Area Project Safe Neighborhoods Task Force; the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the Kankakee Police Department; Kankakee Area Metropolitan Enforcement Group; Kankakee County Sheriff’s Office; Illinois State Police; and Kankakee County Corrections. The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan Freres in cooperation with the Kankakee County State’s Attorney’s Office.
Members of the public are reminded that an indictment is merely an accusation; the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Peoria Man to Serve 30 Years in Prison and Lifetime Supervised Release for Distributing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Peoria, Ill. – U.S. District Judge Michael M. Mihm sentenced Jacob T. Burmood, 24, of the 6800 block of N. Fawndale Drive, Peoria, Ill., today to serve 30 years in prison to be followed by a lifetime term of supervised release for the offense of distribution of child pornography.
The charges are the result of an investigation by the Peoria Police Department, acting in participation with the Illinois Attorney General’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) taskforce and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ron Hanna prosecuted the case.
On Jan. 25, 2016, Burmood pled guilty to the offense. According to court documents, on Oct. 14, 2015, Peoria police officers executed search warrants on Burmood’s person, his residence, and various computers and electronic media. A subsequent forensic analysis of Burmood’s computer showed that he possessed more than 3,000 images and approximately 200 video files of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct with other minors and adults. The forensic review further revealed that Burmood distributed child pornography to others using an e-mail account.
Burmood is a registered sex offender as a result of a prior conviction for a sex crime in Illinois in 2011. He has remained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service since he was arrested on Oct. 16, 2015.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Guilty Pleas in Federal Firearms, Violent Crime CasesRead the Press Release
Rock Island, Ill. – Three felons entered pleas of guilty in separate, unrelated cases today in federal court in Rock Island, Ill. Each remains in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending their respective sentencing hearing.
During court proceedings and according to court documents, Gregory F. Young, 37 of South Bend, Ind., admitted that he possessed a loaded .40 caliber Smith & Wesson semi-automatic pistol, an SKS-type 7.62mm rifle with folding stock and bayonet, about 13 rounds of .40 caliber ammunition, and about 221 rounds of 7.62 ammunition loaded in eight SKS high capacity magazines when he was stopped by Illinois State Police on Nov. 20, 2015, in Henry County, Ill. At that time, Young was the subject of an active arrest warrant from Indiana. Young also has prior felony convictions from the State of Indiana for burglary and other offenses. At sentencing, set for Oct. 20, 2016, for possession of firearms and ammunition by a felon, Young faces a penalty of up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to three years supervised release following release from prison. Assistant U.S. Attorney Don Allegro is prosecuting the case which was investigated by the Illinois State Police and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives.
In an unrelated case, Robert Ford, 22, of Rock Island, Ill., pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon. According to court documents, Ford was stopped by Moline, Ill., police officers during the early morning hours of Dec. 2, 2015. The officers had received an alert that Ford and others might be planning to take retaliatory action against a citizen of Moline in connection with a shooting in Rock Island on Dec. 2, 2015. Ford was searched and found to be carrying a loaded .38-caliber, 2-shot handgun in a jacket pocket. Ford has prior felony convictions for aggravated battery and burglary from Rock Island County, Ill. At sentencing, also set for Oct. 20, 2016, Ford faces a penalty of up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to three years supervised release following release from prison. Assistant U.S. Attorney Don Allegro is prosecuting the case which was investigated by the Moline Police Department and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives.
Walker Hampton, 41 of Viola, Ill., pled guilty to robbery of U.S. government property from a post office, brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, being a felon in possession of a firearm(s), and possession of stolen firearms. Hampton admitted to the Jan. 24, 2015, robbery of the Taylor Ridge, Ill., Post Office, during which he brandished a firearm at the two postal workers, and took money from a postal bag. Hampton was taken into custody on Feb. 25, 2015, by the Mercer County Sheriff’s Office. Following his arrest, in Hampton’s home, officers found the Jimenez Arms 9mm pistol Hampton used in the robbery. In addition, officers found a Mossberg 12-gauge shotgun and a Smith & Wesson .40 caliber handgun. Both of those weapons were found to have been stolen during a burglary of a home in Rock Island County, which Hampton admitted committing. Hampton has a prior felony conviction for possession of a controlled substance in Muscatine, Iowa. At Hampton’s sentencing, scheduled on Oct. 20, 2016, he faces up to 25 years in prison for the robbery, a consecutive seven years for brandishing a firearm during the crime, and up to 10 years in prison for the possession of a firearm and stolen firearms, up to a $250,000 fine and up to five years of supervised release. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Linda Mott. The Rock Island County Sheriff’s Office, the Mercer County Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation of the charges.
Geneseo Man Indicted on Charges of Theft of Government Funds and Making False Statements Related to Military ServiceRead the Press Release
Rock Island, Ill. –A Geneseo, Ill., man, William R. Jones, appeared in federal court this afternoon charged with theft of government funds and making false statements to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to support payment of disability benefits. U.S. District Judge Sara Darrow set the case for trial on Aug. 1, 2016. The indictment, returned in May by the grand jury, remained sealed pending Jones’ surrender for today’s scheduled court appearance. Judge Darrow ordered that Jones be released on bond with conditions of release, including surrender of Jones’ gun safe key.
The indictment alleges that Jones, 66, of the 700 block of Willow Drive, made false statements claiming that he served in Vietnam in the 1970s when in fact, Jones never served in Vietnam. According to the indictment, in July 2013, Jones submitted a form containing false information to the office of U.S. Senator Richard J. Durbin to support his claim for veterans disability benefits. The form indicated that Jones had served in combat in Vietnam in 1972; that he was assigned to Special Operations in Vietnam; and that he was shot down in enemy territory and rescued three weeks later by U.S. Marines. In fact, according to the indictment, Jones never served in Vietnam.
In May 2015, on two occasions, to support his request to start veterans disability benefits on an earlier date, Jones allegedly made false statements to employees of Veterans Affairs as follows: that he had an updated military form, a fabricated document Jones allegedly drafted and procured to deceive the Department of Veterans Affairs, that reflected his combat medals; that he was assigned to 10th Special Operations in Vietnam; that he was assigned to conduct drug interdiction missions in the Golden Triangle area of Southeast Asia, and that he was wounded by shrapnel caused by a mortar round while he was a crewman on a Spectre Gunship. In fact, as Jones knew, he was never assigned to any military unit in Vietnam and never served in Vietnam.
If convicted for theft of government funds from December 2014 to December 2015 (one count), the maximum statutory penalty is 10 years in prison; for each count of making false statements (three counts), the maximum penalty is five years in prison. Both offenses carry fines of up to $250,000.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Don Allegro of the Rock Island Division of the Central District of Illinois. The U.S. Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General investigated the charges.
Members of the public are reminded that an indictment is merely an accusation; the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Former Danville Business Owner Sentenced to Prison for Defrauding U.S. Energy GrantRead the Press Release
Springfield, Ill. – Former Danville, Ill., business owner Joseph Samuel Kozicki has been ordered to serve 15 months in federal prison for defrauding a U.S. Department of Energy grant program. Kozicki, 80, currently resides in California. He waived his personal appearance to appear by video for sentencing yesterday before U.S. District Judge Sue E. Myerscough in Springfield. Judge Myerscough ordered Kozicki to pay restitution in the amount of $383,318. Kozicki was allowed to self-report in 30 to 60 days to the federal Bureau of Prisons to begin serving his sentence. He was ordered to serve a three-year term of supervised release following his release from prison.
Kozicki served as chief executive officer for AA Solar, Inc., in Danville, in March 2010, when his company sought and received a U.S. Department of Energy grant in the amount of $1,776,268. The grant program was funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, to, among other things, provide grants to businesses to boost the economy. The program was administered in Illinois by the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO).
According to court documents, AA Solar was one of 20 projects awarded a grant by the Department of Energy. The company sought funds to purchase and install equipment for a manufacturing facility in Danville to make solar tracking systems.
On May 26, 2015, Kozicki entered a plea of guilty to defrauding the grant program. According to court documents, Kozicki instructed AA Solar employees to provide DCEO with fraudulent invoices, quotes, or purchase orders. During the scheme, Kozicki made payments or withdrawals from AA Solar’s bank accounts for personal expenses. As a result of the scheme, Kozicki fraudulently attempted to obtain approximately $649,269 from the grant and did obtain $383,318 from the grant. DCEO denied payment of AA Solar’s final two fraudulent payment requests, approximately $265,269, after becoming aware of the scheme. Further, AA Solar sold only one or two of its solar tracking devices during its existence and did not provide the cash match of $1,985,000 required by the terms of the grant.
The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, in cooperation with the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. The case was prosecuted by Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Eugene L. Miller.
Sherman Man Charged with Violating Clean Air Act, Making False Statements Related to Asbestos RemovalRead the Press Release
Springfield, Ill. – A Sherman, Ill., man, Joseph J. Chernis, IV, is scheduled to appear for arraignment on June 7, 2016, in federal court, to face charges that he violated the Clean Air Act and made false statements related to asbestos removal at the former Pillsbury Mills / Cargill facility in Springfield. The indictment, returned by the grand jury on May 5, 2016, charges Chernis, 33, with illegal and unsafe asbestos removal and with making false statements during a hearing in the Circuit Court of the Seventh Judicial District, Sangamon County.
The indictment alleges that in October 2014, Chernis hired an untrained individual to illegally remove dry asbestos pipe insulation from the facility located at 1525 East Phillips Street. From October 2014 to August 2015, dry asbestos-containing insulation was allegedly cut and stripped from pipes inside four buildings at the facility, including the structure known as the Dryer building. The asbestos debris was stuffed into approximately 300 garbage bags and at least two open-topped cardboard boxes, and left inside vacant buildings at the facility. The indictment further alleges that in late October 2014, Chernis caused the Dryer building to be demolished with more than 1,000 linear feet of asbestos pipe insulation remaining inside the structure.
The indictment further charges Chernis with two counts of making false statements during a hearing on Oct. 1, 2015, in the Circuit Court of the Seventh Judicial District, Sangamon County, in connection with a civil action filed against him by the Illinois Attorney General’s Office at the request of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. The indictment alleges Chernis falsely represented that he did not know who had performed the demolition work at the Pillsbury Mills / Cargill facility, when he knew that he had personally participated in the demolition work and had solicited others to assist him. In addition, Chernis allegedly falsely represented that another individual was responsible for the work activity by the untrained individual hired to remove dry asbestos pipe insulation when he knew that he had hired and directed the individual’s activity at the facility.
Under provisions of the Clean Air Act, the EPA has promulgated rules, regulations and requirements to control the removal, handling and disposal of asbestos, a hazardous air pollutant. Any owner or operator of a renovation or demolition activity which involves removal of specified amounts of asbestos-containing material must comply with the EPA regulations.
The indictment specifically charges Chernis with four violations of the Clean Air Act and the federal asbestos regulations from Oct. 1, 2014, to Aug. 31, 2015: failure to have at least one on-site representative, trained in federal asbestos regulations, present during the removal of regulated asbestos-containing material; failure to adequately wet all regulated asbestos-containing material and ensure that it remained wet until collected and contained or treated in preparation for disposal; failure to remove all regulated asbestos-containing material from a building before beginning any activity that would break-up, dislodge or similarly disturb regulated asbestos-containing material; and failure to deposit all asbestos-containing waste material as soon as was practical at a waste disposal site operated in accordance with the federal asbestos regulations.
If convicted, the statutory penalty for each count charged in the indictment, violation of the Clean Air Act (four counts) and making a false statement (two counts), is a maximum of five years in prison and a term of supervised release of up to three years following any term of imprisonment, as well as a fine of up to $250,000.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Boyle and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney James Cha. The charges are the result of investigation by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Criminal Investigation Division.
Members of the public are reminded that an indictment is merely an accusation; the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
U.S. Attorney Lewis: National Reentry Week EditorialRead the Press Release
Our country has more than two million people in state and federal prisons and jails. We have 5% of the world’s population, and 25% of the world’s prisoners. We have the highest percentage of people in prison in the world—although our people are certainly just as law-abiding as others. And our prisons have disproportionate populations of people of color. We initiated this “spike” in imprisonment in the 1980s, and we--liberal, moderate and conservative--are beginning to understand the social and economic consequences of 35 years of reliance on incarceration.
The Illinois Department of Corrections has about 50,000 people in prison, plus nearly 30,000 out on supervision. Each year, approximately 30,000 are newly incarcerated and 30,000 are released. Almost all prisoners will be released at some point, sooner or later; many are re-arrested within six months, and about half return to prison within three years.
Our criminal justice system involves a lot of people. If we care about people in our community, we ought to care about our use of imprisonment—and about people who are released.
How? I have two suggestions and one prediction.
First, I suggest increased use of alternatives to prison: If we strengthen our state drug courts, our federal Pretrial Alternatives to Detention Initiative (“PADI”), and similar programs, we can intercept non-violent people with lower-level offenses, if they are addicted. We can give them a carefully-conditioned chance to turn their lives around, and they can avoid time in prison--if they prove that they can succeed. In PADI, almost 90% of the addicted defendants turn their lives around, and this saves about $1 million per year in cost of incarceration. For these people, the alternative to prison works better than prison itself.
Second, I suggest realistic assistance with re-entry, when people are released. If we assist re-entry efforts already underway in our communities, we may be able to improve the results.
For example, Peoria has an ELITE program that trains, prepares and places ex-offenders with worthwhile employment; a five-year study of federal prisoners found that 93% stayed out of prison, if they had employment. I am not suggesting either extreme—no employment for former prisoners, or priority for employment—but I am suggesting practical access to job-training and employment, if a person can learn the skills that employers need. If a former prisoner succeeds, it helps that individual, that family, that neighborhood, that community.
Finally, I offer my experience and my prediction: I’ve been talking to more re-entry groups and doing more re-entry activities. When I first met the Warden at FCI Pekin, we spent all our time talking about re-entry; federal prosecutors and prison wardens share real concern for the lives and futures of people who go through the prison system.
As individuals and as a community, we are learning to look more closely at our entire criminal justice system; we are struggling to become wiser about what helps individuals and what helps communities. My prediction is that we will learn to care - and act - more thoughtfully, and this will be to our benefit.
Champaign Real Estate Developer Pleads Guilty to Bank FraudRead the Press Release
Urbana, Ill. - A Champaign, Ill., real estate developer, Gene T. Hardwick, 73, entered a plea of guilty yesterday to a single count of bank fraud related to a $3.9 million bank loan he received in 2007.
Hardwick obtained the bank loan to construct a 64-unit apartment building in Champaign. After receiving the loan, Hardwick admitted that he used some of the loan proceeds to purchase the lot, at 611 East Park Street, but diverted other loan proceeds to personal expenses. During yesterday’s court proceedings, the government advised the court that these personal expenses included a trip to France and multiple credit card payments.
The fraud was discovered when a FDIC examiner drove to 611 East Park Street in Champaign to inspect the building and discovered an empty lot. At the time the FDIC examiner discovered the fraud, the amount loaned was approximately $2.4 million.
Under the terms of the plea agreement, the defendant has agreed to continue to make restitution payments to the bank and may be imprisoned for up to two years. Hardwick is scheduled for sentencing before U.S. District Judge Colin S. Bruce on Aug. 22, 2016.
The FDIC Inspector General’s Office conducted the investigation; Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason M. Bohm is prosecuting the case.
Jury Convicts Decatur Man for Murder ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Urbana, Ill. – A jury deliberated for approximately four hours before returning a verdict of guilty this afternoon against Kelton Snyder, 23, of Decatur, Ill., for conspiracy to murder a witness, Paige Mars, also of Decatur. Last month, on March 7, Snyder admitted that he and co-conspirator Matthew Vogt robbed the Circle K convenience store at 1685 South Baltimore in Decatur on April 3, 2015. Snyder also admitted that he brandished a 12-gauge shotgun during the robbery, and that at the time, he was a convicted felon.
The trial began last week, on April 5, one year after the death of 19-year-old Mars, on April 5, 2015. During four days of trial, the government presented evidence that Snyder met with Vogt, on April 5, 2015, because he feared that Mars, who served as the robbery getaway driver, might go to law enforcement about the robbery. The government presented evidence, including surveillance camera recordings of the robbery, where Snyder is clearly seen holding a shotgun, the same weapon used to murder Mars. Evidence also included text and Facebook messages that Mars questioned Snyder about information she had heard, that Snyder was violent to women. Mars’ body was found on April 6, 2015, in the vicinity of the sanitation district. Also on April 6, officers executed a search warrant at Snyder’s grandmother’s home, where Snyder had been living in a basement bedroom, in the 300 block of S. 19th Street, Decatur. Officers recovered 20-gauge and 12-gauge shotgun shells from Snyder’s bedroom. On May 15, 2015, officers recovered a Mossberg 12-gauge shotgun hidden along a path in the sanitation district, which was the shotgun used during the robbery and in the murder.
The case is being prosecuted in federal court by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jason Bohm and Katherine Boyle. The Decatur Police Department and FBI conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Macon County Sheriff’s Office.
Sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 22, 2016. The statutory penalty for conspiracy to murder a witness is life in prison. Snyder remains in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Grand Jury Indicts Five in Meth, Firearms CasesRead the Press Release
Rock Island, Ill. - A federal grand jury has returned indictments charging five individuals in separate cases in the Central District of Illinois, as announced by U.S. Attorney Jim Lewis. The indictments had remained sealed pending the defendants’ arrests and court appearances. Alejandro Lopez appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jonathan E. Hawley on Friday, April 1, 2016, in Peoria, and the other four defendants appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephen B. Jackson, Jr. in Rock Island. After the hearings, all five defendants were remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshal.
Kirk Curtis Bryner, 61, of the 200 block of North Street, Neponset, Ill., is charged with unlawful possession of a short-barreled shotgun on Jan. 1, 2016, and possession of a firearm after having been previously convicted of a felony offense. If convicted of both charges, the statutory maximum penalty is 20 years in prison.
Dimitri Miles Lopez, 28, of the 600 block of Cole Street, Kewanee, Ill., is charged with unlawful possession of a short-barreled shotgun on Dec. 2, 2015; possession of a firearm after having been previously convicted of a felony offense; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine; and distribution of methamphetamine on June 18, 2015 and July 13, 2015. If convicted of all charges, the statutory maximum penalty is life in prison.
Alejandro M. Lopez, 30, of the 700 block of 12th Street, Moline, Ill., is charged with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and distribution of methamphetamine on Dec. 1, 2015. If convicted of both charges, the statutory maximum penalty is 60 years in prison.
Heath Aaron Petty, 28, of the 300 block of Olive Street, Toulon, Ill., is charged with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine on Nov. 25, 2015 and on Dec. 3, 2015; and unlawful possession of a hand gun on Dec. 3, 2015, after having been previously convicted of a felony offense. If convicted of all charges, the statutory maximum penalty is life in prison.
Kristina Rachel Johnson, 26, of the 600 block of 11th Street, Kewanee, Ill., is charged with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine on Jan. 11, 2016. If convicted, the statutory maximum penalty is life in prison.
The charges are the result of investigations by the Illinois State Police’s Blackhawk Area Task Force, the Kewanee Police Department, the Henry County Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau County Sheriff’s Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Members of the public are reminded that an indictment is merely an accusation; each defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Former Deere Employee Charged with Wire Fraud, Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
Rock Island, Ill. – A former employee of Deere and Company appeared in federal court today on charges of wire fraud and money laundering. Harvey Ulfers, 62, Cedar Falls, Iowa, appeared before U.S. District Judge Sara Darrow in Rock Island. Trial has been scheduled for June 6, 2016. Ulfers was allowed to remain on bond pending trial. The indictment was returned on Mar. 22, 2016, but remained sealed pending Ulfers’ court appearance.
The indictment alleges that from about 2004 to January 2013, Ulfers defrauded Deere & Company, headquartered in Moline, of at least $250,000. Using his position at Deere’s foundry facility in Waterloo, Iowa, Ulfers allegedly caused the creation and approval of fraudulent internal documents that allowed significantly undervalued scrap metal to leave the facility. Ulfers conspired with others to obtain the excess value of the scrap after it was sold at scrap yards, using a third party to launder the fraudulent proceeds and provide cash payments to Ulfers.
If convicted, the statutory maximum penalty for each count of wire fraud is 20 years in prison, and a fine of up to $250,000, and the statutory maximum penalty for each count of money laundering is 20 years in prison, and a fine of up to $500,000, or twice the value of property involved in the transactions, whichever is greater.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Meredith DeCarlo and Donald Allegro. The charges are the result of investigation by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Deere & Company is cooperating in the investigation and referred the matter to law enforcement following internal investigations.
Members of the public are reminded that an indictment is merely an accusation; the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Jury Convicts Springfield Man for Enticement of a MinorRead the Press Release
Urbana, Ill. – Jim Lewis, U.S. Attorney for the Central District of Illinois, announced that a jury convicted Jeffrey Parkhurst, 59, of the 1100 block of Reynolds St., Springfield, Ill., today for attempted enticement of a minor. The jury deliberated for approximately 26 minutes before returning the verdict. Sentencing has been scheduled for Aug. 1, 2016, before U.S. District Judge Colin S. Bruce.
During the trial, which began on Tuesday, Mar. 29, the government presented evidence to establish that in July 2015, Parkhurst used the Internet and a cellular telephone to knowingly attempt to entice an individual he believed to be a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity.
Parkhurst was arrested on Jul. 27, 2015, in Decatur, Ill. and charged initially by state authorities. He has remained in custody since his arrest. The defendant was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service on Sept. 18, 2015.
The statutory penalty for attempted enticement of a minor is 10 years to life in prison plus a fine of up to $250,000.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elly M. Peirson. The charges are the result of an investigation by the Decatur Police Department and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations in cooperation with the Macon County State’s Attorney.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys= Offices and the Criminal Division=s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Former EMI Owners Sentenced for Multi-Million Dollar Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Springfield, Ill. – Brothers Joel and Eric Andrews, former principal owners of Environmental Management of Illinois, Inc. (EMI), Springfield, Ill., were sentenced today to three years and two and one-half years, respectively, in federal prison for a scheme that defrauded the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency of millions of dollars. Co-defendant Michael Keebler, who bought the business in 2006, was sentenced in August 2015 to five years in prison for the scheme, which, over a period of 12 years, from 2001 to 2013, swindled money from a fund administered by Illinois EPA to clean up sites contaminated by leaking underground storage tanks.
U.S. District Judge Sue E. Myerscough allowed both men to remain on bond until they report to the federal Bureau of Prisons in July 2016. Following their release from prison, both were ordered to serve the first 12 months of a three-year term of supervised release under home confinement.
Joel Andrews, 47, of New Berlin, Ill., Eric Andrews, 52, of Shipman, and Michael Keebler, 42, of Sherman, each share, jointly and severally, in the court’s order to pay restitution of no more than $13.36 million to the Illinois EPA minus any offsets agreed to by the government. Thus far, the three defendants have posted $6.2 million with the court toward the total amount of restitution ordered, and any of their remaining assets, including EMI, are subject to forfeiture proceedings by the government.
Joel and Eric Andrews each pled guilty on Mar. 2, 2015, to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud. Keebler entered pleas of guilty on Feb. 27, 2015, to two counts of conspiracy to commit mail fraud.
The U.S. EPA has a cooperative agreement with the State of Illinois to administer the UST (underground storage tanks) program. IEPA and the Illinois Office of the State Fire Marshal share administration of the UST fund which assists tank owners and operators with the cleanup costs of petroleum leaks from USTs. The State Fire Marshal administers the preventative and permitting aspects of the program. If there is a spill or leak, IEPA is responsible for oversight of the cleanup investigation and the corrective action, in order to clear the property for use again. State taxes and fees paid on the purchase of gasoline fund the Leaking UST (LUST) program.
Joel Andrews founded EMI in 1997 and served as president, and Eric Andrews joined in 1999 as vice-president. In April of 2001, professional engineer Michael Keebler joined the firm. In 2006, the firm was sold to Michael Keebler, who remained as the firm’s principal owner and president.
The environmental consulting firm, located at 1154 N. Bradfordton Road, Springfield, worked with property owners to clean up sites contaminated by petroleum leaks, spills, or overfills from underground storage tanks. The firm then sought reimbursement of its costs to remediate the land from a fund administered by a designated section within Illinois EPA.
According to plea agreements filed by the parties and during court hearings, each of the men admitted that they conspired to defraud the LUST fund by artificially inflating expenses they incurred in remediating property. For example, agreements were made with vendors to submit two invoices for certain services; one that listed the actual costs of the service provided and the payment to be made by EMI, and a second invoice which inflated the amount of work performed and supplies used, the amount charged for the work, or both. The inflated invoice would then be provided to Illinois EPA for reimbursement. Certain vendors were also paid a reduced rate, but EMI misrepresented to the Illinois IEPA that they had been paid full price. At other times, invoices were created or existing invoices modified to reflect a higher charge than was actually paid before they were submitted to IEPA for reimbursement.
The case was prosecuted by First Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick D. Hansen. The charges resulted from a two-year investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Criminal Investigation Division.
Chicago Businessman Pleads Guilty to Grant Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Springfield, Ill. – A Chicago businessman today pled guilty to fraudulently inducing two separate state agencies to issue separate, but nearly identical, grants to his not-for-profit entity. George E. Smith, 66, owned and operated Diversified Behavioral Comprehensive Care, a not-for-profit entity described as offering comprehensive and holistic social services and mental health care to youth and their families. In addition, Smith owned and operated three for-profit entities: Diversified Behavioral Services, Inc., Management Planning Institute, Inc., and the Institute for Positive Child and Family Development.
From 2005 through 2011, Smith, through both his for-profit and not-for profit entities, received millions of dollars in funding from agencies of the state of Illinois, including the Illinois Department of Human Services, the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, and the Illinois State Board of Education.
At today’s hearing, Smith admitted that he induced DCFS and ISBE to issue two separate, but nearly identical grants to Diversified Behavior Comprehensive Care: a $450,000 grant awarded by DCFS on Sept. 2, 2008, under the Students at Risk Program; and a $342,000 grant awarded by the State Board of Education on Sept. 8, 2008. According to the terms of the grants, awarded within 10 days of each other, both provided for services to be provided to the same at-risk population in the Chicago area during fiscal year 2009. The populations served, sources of referral, services to be provided, and the goals for each grant were essentially identical. Neither DCFS nor ISBE were aware of the issuance of an identical grant by the other state agency. Smith then converted the duplicate funding to his personal and business use.
In addition, Smith admitted that as part of the scheme, in February 2009, he caused the Department of Human Services to award a third grant of $200,000 to DBCC to provide community services relating to the prevention, intervention, treatment and rehabilitation of alcohol and other drug abuse and dependency. Smith admitted that he submitted and caused to be submitted false and fraudulent documentation to DHS falsely representing the amount of community services DBCC actually provided under the DHS grant and fraudulently caused DHS to pay DBCC a total of $138,901.
Smith appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Tom Schanzle-Haskins to enter his guilty pleas to two counts of mail fraud and one count of money laundering. Sentencing has been scheduled for July 25, 2016.
According to terms of the plea agreement, the government has agreed to recommend a sentence at the low end of the advisory sentencing guidelines range. The government and the defendant agree that the amount of restitution owed to the State of Illinois as a result of the mail fraud offense is between $400,000 and $550,000. Smith was allowed to remain on bond pending sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy A. Bass is prosecuting the case on behalf of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of Illinois. The investigation was conducted by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Office of Inspector General (FDIC-OIG) and the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations Division.
Tuscola Businessman Sentenced for Income Tax Evasion to More Than Two Years in Prison and to Pay $1.1 Million to IRSRead the Press Release
Springfield, Ill. – A Tuscola, Ill., businessman, Lorenzo Shane Stewart, owner of Ten Acres Excavating, has been ordered to serve 30 months (2 ½ years) in prison for failure to pay income tax. Upon release from prison, Stewart was ordered to serve the first six months of his three-year term of supervised release under home confinement. Stewart was also ordered to pay $1,122,074 in restitution to the IRS.
Stewart, 49, appeared today in federal court in Springfield before U.S. District Judge Sue E. Myerscough. Stewart was ordered to report on May 8, 2016, to the federal Bureau of Prisons to begin serving his prison sentence.
Stewart pled guilty on Aug. 21, 2015, to two counts of income tax evasion. During court proceedings and according to court documents, Stewart admitted that he failed to pay more than $1.12 million in income tax for the 2008 and 2009 tax years. In 2006, Stewart began conducting his excavation and construction business under the name Ten Acre Excavating. Stewart put the business under the name of one of his employees. Although Stewart operated the business and received the income generated from the business, Stewart did not claim income generated by Ten Acre Excavating on his own tax returns.
In approximately July 2008, Stewart was awarded contracts to perform excavating and construction work on several natural gas pipeline substations that were being built in the Tuscola area. Stewart and his employees performed work on these substations and received checks related to this pipeline work totaling approximately $1.7 million in 2008 and $5.9 million in 2009. Stewart claimed his adjusted gross income for 2008 was approximately $74,199, when in fact, his adjusted gross income for 2008 was approximately $279,803. For 2009, Stewart claimed his adjusted gross income was approximately $257,361, when in fact, his adjusted gross income was approximately $3,044,980.
Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Eugene L. Miller prosecuted the case. The charges were investigated by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division.
Decatur Man Enters Guilty Pleas to Hobbs Act Robbery, Gun CrimesRead the Press Release
Urbana, Ill. – A Decatur, Ill., man, Kelton Snyder, 23, appeared today in federal court in Urbana and entered open pleas of guilty to three of the four charges against him. Snyder admitted that he committed the April 3, 2015, armed robbery of the Circle K convenience store at 1685 South Baltimore in Decatur, that he brandished a firearm during the armed robbery, and that at the time he possessed the firearm, he was a convicted felon.
Snyder remains scheduled for trial beginning on April 5, 2016, on the charge that he conspired to commit the April 5, 2015, murder of Paige Mars, also of Decatur.
During court this afternoon, before U.S. District Judge Colin Bruce, Snyder admitted to facts presented by the government that would have been presented to a jury had the defendant gone to trial on the charges:
Shortly before 2:30 a.m., on April 3, 2015, a cashier was outside the Circle K smoking a cigarette when two masked men approached him from behind. One of the men, identified as Snyder, put a shotgun to the cashier’s back and told him to “keep calm, go inside.” Inside the store, the cashier was ordered to the ground while the men took money from the cash register and liquor. A male customer who entered the store was also ordered to the ground and the robbers tied up the two men. After the robbers left, the cashier and customer untangled their hands and called police.
Law enforcement officers reviewed the surveillance camera recording of the robbery where Snyder is clearly seen holding a shotgun. Law enforcement also acquired text messages from Snyder’s phone to others which included messages from Snyder that he had committed the armed robbery. Officers also identified the driver of the car for the robbery as Paige Mars. On April 6, 2015, officers executed a search warrant at Snyder’s grandmother’s home, where Snyder had been living in a basement bedroom, in the 300 block of S. 19th Street, Decatur. Officers recovered 20-gauge and 12-gauge shotgun shells from Snyder’s bedroom. On May 15, 2015, officers located a Mossberg 12-gauge shotgun, which, based on the modifications to the shotgun, appears to be the same one used during the robbery.
The case is being prosecuted in federal court by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jason Bohm and Katherine Boyle. The Decatur Police Department and FBI conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Macon County Sheriff’s Office.
The statutory penalty for committing a Hobbs Act Robbery, the commission of a robbery in interference with commerce, is up to 20 years in prison; for brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a violent crime, the penalty is a mandatory minimum seven years in prison and up to life, to be served consecutive to any term of imprisonment ordered for the underlying crime of violence; and for being a felon in possession of a firearm, the penalty is up to 10 years in prison.
Snyder remains in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. If convicted of conspiracy to commit murder, the statutory penalty is life in prison.
Members of the public are reminded that an indictment is merely an accusation; the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Pekin Man Pleads Guilty to Distribution of Child Pornography and Impersonating a U.S. MarshalRead the Press Release
Peoria, Ill. – Arthur D. Wheeler, 30, of the 600 block of Harberts, South Pekin, Ill., pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court today to one count of distribution of child pornography and one count of impersonating a federal officer. Wheeler entered his plea before Chief U.S. District Judge James E. Shadid. The agreement includes a stipulated sentence of 20 years in federal prison for distributing child pornography to run concurrent with a sentence of three years for impersonating a federal officer, subject to acceptance by the court. Sentencing has been scheduled for June 23, 2016.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald L. Hanna is prosecuting the case. The charges are the result of an investigation conducted by the U.S. Secret Service; task force members of the Central Illinois Cyber Crime Unit, including the Peoria County Sheriff’s Office and the Bloomington Police Department; the Pekin Police Department; Illinois State Police; and the U.S. Marshal’s Service.
According to court documents, in May 2015, Wheeler obtained nude photos from a minor female in Missouri by receiving them on his phone and by accessing the minor’s Facebook account. Wheeler appeared June 1, 2015, in the Circuit Court of Tazewell County seeking an order of protection against the minor’s family. Wheeler stated to the court that the minor’s family had threatened him because of his communications with the minor during the preceding two weeks. During the court proceeding, Wheeler produced his phone, which was ultimately seized and examined by law enforcement. The forensic review revealed that on three separate occasions, in late May and early June 2015, Wheeler used the cellphone’s text function to send naked images of the minor to approximately 120 people in the area code where the minor lives.
Wheeler also acknowledged during his plea hearing that on June 1, 2015, he impersonated a U.S. Marshal in an attempt to get information from an individual about the minor’s whereabouts.
Wheeler is a registered sex offender as a result of a prior conviction for a sex crime involving a minor in Illinois in 2011. He has remained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service since he was arrested on Aug. 24, 2015.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Ohio Man Convicted for Engaging in Child Exploitation EnterpriseRead the Press Release
A federal jury found a Hamilton, Ohio, man guilty of one count of engaging in a child exploitation enterprise, one count of conspiracy to advertise child pornography and one count of conspiracy to distribute child pornography.
Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney James A. Lewis of the Central District of Illinois and Special Agent in Charge Sean Cox of the FBI’s Springfield, Illinois, Division made the announcement.
Evidence at trial established that Jason Gmoser, 36, acted as a member and co-administrator of an Internet website through which Gmoser and others posted thousands of messages containing images of sexual exploitation involving pre-pubescent children. The website’s users also employed advanced technological means in order to undermine law enforcement’s attempts to identify them.
Gmoser was arrested on Oct. 16, 2014, following a court-authorized search of his home in Hamilton. A forensic examination of computers and devices seized pursuant to that search found he was in possession of millions of files depicting the sexual exploitation of children. Sentencing is scheduled for June 13, 2016.
The FBI’s Springfield Field Office and the FBI’s Violent Crimes against Children Section, Major Case Coordination Unit and Digital Analysis and Research Center led the investigation of this case. Trial Attorney Keith Becker of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Elly Peirson of the Central District of Illinois prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Vermilion County Man Indicted on Gun, Drug ChargesRead the Press Release
Urbana, Ill. – A grand jury has returned an indictment that charges Jesse Harper, 28, of Potomac, Ill., with possession of a firearm by a felon and possession of pseudoephedrine. The two-count indictment was returned yesterday. Harper will appear in federal court in Urbana for arraignment at a future date to be determined by the U.S. Clerk of the Court. Harper remains in law enforcement custody.
The indictment alleges that on Sept. 18, 2015, Harper unlawfully possessed a Colt .45 caliber handgun, after having previously been convicted of a felony offense, and pseudoephedrine while having reasonable cause to believe it would be used to manufacture methamphetamine.
If convicted, the statutory maximum penalty for being a felon in possession of a firearm is up to 10 years in prison, and a fine of up to $250,000. For the possession of pseudoephedrine offense, the maximum penalty is 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan D. Freres in cooperation with the Vermilion County State’s Attorney’s Office. The charges are the result of an investigation by the Vermilion County Metropolitan Enforcement Group (VMEG), the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Vermilion County Sheriff’s Office, and the Danville Police Department.
Members of the public are reminded that an indictment is merely an accusation; the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Livingston County Man Sentenced to Eight Years in Prison for Distributing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Peoria, Ill. – Daniel W. Craver, 56, of Chatsworth, Ill., was sentenced yesterday to eight years (96 months) in prison for distributing child pornography. The court also ordered that Craver remain on supervised release for 10 years following his release from incarceration. Craver will be required to register as a sex offender.
Craver pleaded guilty on Oct. 14, 2015. According to court documents, Craver was identified after the FBI learned that a computer located within his residence was using a peer-to-peer file sharing program to download and share files containing child pornography. Based on this information, the FBI obtained and executed a search warrant for Craver’s residence on Apr. 9, 2014. During the search, Craver agreed to be interviewed and admitted that he accessed child pornography with the computer in his living room and traded and distributed the images and videos using a peer-to-peer file sharing program.
At the conclusion of the search, the FBI seized numerous items of computer equipment. A forensic examination of the seized items revealed the presence of 665 images and 103 videos of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
Craver has remained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service since he was arrested on Feb. 23, 2015.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald L. Hanna prosecuted the case which was investigated by the FBI and the East Peoria Police Department.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Peoria Man Pleads Guilty to Distributing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Peoria, Ill. – Jacob T. Burmood, 24, of the 6800 block of N. Fawndale Drive, Peoria, Ill., pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court on Monday, Jan. 25, to a single count of distribution of child pornography. Burmood, a registered sex offender, entered his plea before U.S. District Judge Michael M. Mihm, pursuant to a plea agreement. The agreement includes a stipulated sentence of 360 months in federal prison, subject to acceptance by the court. Sentencing has been scheduled for May 27, 2016.
The charges are the result of an investigation by the Peoria Police Department, acting in participation with the Illinois Attorney General’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) taskforce and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
According to court documents, on Oct. 14, 2015, Peoria police officers executed search warrants on Burmood’s person, his residence, and various computers and electronic media. A subsequent forensic analysis of Burmood’s computer showed that he possessed more than 3,000 images and approximately 200 video files of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct with other minors and adults. The forensic review further revealed that Burmood distributed child pornography to others using an e-mail account.
Burmood is a registered sex offender as a result of a prior conviction for a sex crime in Illinois in 2011. He has remained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service since he was arrested on Oct. 16, 2015.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ron Hanna is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Jury Convicts California Man for Money Laundering Scheme to Hide Drug ProceedsRead the Press Release
Rock Island, Ill. – A jury deliberated for less than an hour yesterday before returning guilty verdicts on all counts against Gianco Sheridan, 27, aka “Geo,” of Los Angeles. Sheridan was charged with 32 counts of money laundering to conceal drug proceeds and one count of conspiracy to launder drug proceeds. Sentencing is scheduled on May 26, 2016, in Rock Island, before U.S. District Judge Sara Darrow.
At trial, which began on Monday afternoon, Jan. 25, the government presented evidence that Sheridan laundered money to hide proceeds from a marijuana trafficking operation tied to a sham company, Trust Auto Sales, in Rock Island, Ill. The purported used car sales and repair business, located at 801 11th Street, was owned by Joel McCalebb, aka Omar Mukhtar, a co-defendant in the case. Over the course of the scheme, from August 2013 to June 2014, numerous packages, with fictitious California return addresses, were delivered to Trust Auto Sales. The packages, which contained high grade marijuana from two different medical marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles, were arranged by another co-defendant, Quisontro Rahman Hart, 35, aka “BJ,” of Los Angeles.
As part of the scheme, evidence showed that McCalebb made cash deposits into bank accounts opened by Sheridan, at the request of Hart, Sheridan’s cousin. The sums of cash were from McCalebb and Hart’s distribution and possession of marijuana with intent to distribute. Between July 2013 and April 2014, the government’s evidence showed that McCalebb made approximately 83 cash deposits to accounts at banks that also have branches in the Los Angeles area. None of the accounts were in McCalebb’s name, but were in the name of Sheridan or a business account held by Sheridan. All of the deposits were under $10,000. Sheridan would withdraw the cash, often on the same day as the deposit, and give the money to Hart. As a result of the scheme, the total amount of money laundered through Sheridan’s accounts was approximately $230,000 from August 2013 to June 2014.
McCalebb, 52, of Rock Island, pled guilty in September 2015, to one count of conspiracy to distribute marijuana and was sentenced on Jan. 7, 2016, to serve two years in federal prison. Co-defendant Hart entered a plea of guilty in August 2015 to one count of conspiracy to distribute marijuana and is scheduled to be sentenced on Mar. 10, 2016. Both men have remained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service since their respective arrests.
Following the jury’s return of the guilty verdicts, Judge Darrow allowed Sheridan to remain on release, under conditions of bond, until sentencing.
The statutory penalty for each count of money laundering and for conspiracy to commit money laundering is up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $500,000, or twice the value of the property involved in the transaction, whichever is greater.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Linda Mott and Don Allegro. The charges were investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Quad City Metropolitan Enforcement Group.
South Dakota Man to Serve 22 ½ Years in Federal Prison for Sexual Exploitation of Champaign MinorRead the Press Release
Urbana, Ill. – In federal court today, U.S. District Judge Colin S. Bruce ordered a South Dakota man to serve 22 ½ years (270 months) in federal prison for blackmailing a minor female to send him nude photographs of herself. Austin A. Burns, 21, of Huron, S.D., was ordered to serve five years supervised release following completion of his prison sentence. Burns will be required to register as a sex offender.
On Sept. 21, 2015, Burns pled guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of a minor. Burns admitted that soon after he began communicating online with a minor female, in 2014, she told him that she was 13 years old. Burns admitted that he demanded the girl send him naked photographs of herself and threatened that if she did not comply, he would post naked photographs of her online.
Burns has remained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service since he was arrested on Aug. 14, 2014, in Huron, S.D.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Elly M. Peirson prosecuted the case. The Champaign Police Department, the Huron, S.D. Police Department, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys= Offices and the Criminal Division=s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Rock Island Man to Serve Eight Years in Prison on Federal Firearms ChargeRead the Press Release
Rock Island, Ill. – U.S. District Judge Sara L. Darrow today sentenced Kenneth Russell, 34, of the 500 block of 6th Street, Rock Island, Ill., to serve 96 months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Russell was also ordered to serve a one-year term of supervised release following his release from prison. Russell has remained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service since May 2015, when the grand jury returned the single count indictment charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm.
On Sept. 24, 2015, Russell entered a plea of guilty to possession of a 9mm handgun in Rock Island on Apr. 15, 2015. At the time Russell possessed the handgun, he was a convicted felon.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Micah Reyner prosecuted the case. The investigation was conducted by the Rock Island Police Department, the Quad City Metropolitan Enforcement Group, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Two Men Sentenced on Federal Firearms ChargesRead the Press Release
Rock Island, Ill. – Two men were sentenced today to federal prison in separate cases for being felons in possession of firearms, as announced by U.S. Attorney Jim Lewis, Central District of Illinois.
Chief U.S. District Judge James E. Shadid ordered Brandon McNeal, 24, of the 1600 block of 12th Avenue, Moline, Ill., to serve 10 years in federal prison, to be followed by a three year term of supervised release. At the conclusion of the sentencing hearing, McNeil was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals. On Sept. 11, 2015, McNeil entered a plea of guilty to a single count indictment charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm.
In a separate case, Chief Judge Shadid ordered Hasan Stoner, 23, of 16000 block of Glen Oak Drive, Country Club Hills, Ill., to serve 37 months in federal prison to be followed by two years of supervised release. Stoner was also remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals at the conclusion of the sentencing hearing. On Sept. 11, 2015, Stoner entered a plea of guilty to a single count indictment charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Both cases were prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John Mehochko, and the charges were the result of investigations by the Moline Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Quad Cities Federal Gang Task Force, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Illinois Woman Convicted for Kidnapping and Transportation of a Minor with Intent to Engage in Sexual ActivityRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A federal jury in Peoria, Illinois, found Nicole Eason guilty on two counts of kidnapping and one count of transportation with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity with a minor, announced Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney James A. Lewis of the Central District of Illinois and Special Agent in Charge Sean Cox of the FBI’s Springfield, Illinois, Division.
“The Easons took advantage of adopted children at their most vulnerable state and caused them to suffer irreparable abuse,” said Assistant Attorney General Caldwell. “Every child in American deserves a safe home, and this conviction should send a clear message that we will go after anyone who seeks to exploit children and risk their safety.”
“Those who wish to harm children often go to great lengths to deceive and manipulate in order to gain access to them,” said U.S. Attorney Lewis. “Citizen jurors, however, rendered their decision in this case based on the facts and evidence gathered and presented by law enforcement and prosecutors, to hold this defendant accountable.”
“Children are our most precious and vulnerable resource and protecting them from individuals like Mr. & Mrs. Eason who seek to exploit them sexually remains one of this office’s priorities,” said Special Agent in Charge Cox. “Today, the jury sent a clear message that this kind of reprehensible conduct will not be tolerated. We will continue to actively pursue anyone who would destroy a child’s innocence by violating federal child exploitation laws.”
Nicole Eason, 37, and her husband Calvin Eason, 46, both formerly of Danville and Westville, Illinois, were charged in connection with their sexual abuse of a child. The couple has remained in custody since their arrest in April 2015. On Nov. 6, 2015, Calvin Eason pleaded guilty to all three counts in the indictment. Nicole and Calvin Eason are scheduled to be sentenced on March 11, 2016.
Evidence at trial established that in 2006 through 2008, the Easons sought to adopt through an informal process, sometimes referred to as private “re-homing,” in which the legal adoptive family can no longer care for the child and transfer the child to another’s custody. In 2007, the Easons communicated with Minor Victim 1’s parents both through online discussion boards and directly and misrepresented material facts about their background to gain the parents’ trust, including, among other things, that they had a home study “waiver,” which the parents believed was needed to transfer custody of their child and which was used to verify the Easons as fit caregivers. Based on these misrepresentations, one of Minor Victim 1’s parents transported their child across state lines in 2007. The minor testified that while in the Easons’ custody for nearly a month, both Nicole and Calvin Eason sexually abused her.
Evidence at trial also established that in 2008, Nicole and Calvin Eason kidnapped a second minor, Minor Victim 2, in the same manner, and the minor was with them for a few days.
The FBI’s Springfield Division investigated the case in cooperation with the Vermilion County, Illinois, Sheriff’s Department, and Trial Attorney Jennifer Toritto Leonardo of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Elly Peirson of the Central District of Illinois prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Illinois Woman Convicted for Kidnapping and Transportation of a Minor with Intent to Engage in Sexual ActivityRead the Press Release
A federal jury in Peoria, Illinois, found Nicole Eason guilty on two counts of kidnapping and one count of transportation with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity with a minor, announced Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney James A. Lewis of the Central District of Illinois and Special Agent in Charge Sean Cox of the FBI’s Springfield, Illinois, Division.
“The Easons took advantage of adopted children at their most vulnerable state and caused them to suffer irreparable abuse,” said Assistant Attorney General Caldwell. “Every child in American deserves a safe home, and this conviction should send a clear message that we will go after anyone who seeks to exploit children and risk their safety.”
“Those who wish to harm children often go to great lengths to deceive and manipulate in order to gain access to them,” said U.S. Attorney Lewis. “Citizen jurors, however, rendered their decision in this case based on the facts and evidence gathered and presented by law enforcement and prosecutors, to hold this defendant accountable.”
“Children are our most precious and vulnerable resource and protecting them from individuals like Mr. & Mrs. Eason who seek to exploit them sexually remains one of this office’s priorities,” said Special Agent in Charge Cox. “Today, the jury sent a clear message that this kind of reprehensible conduct will not be tolerated. We will continue to actively pursue anyone who would destroy a child’s innocence by violating federal child exploitation laws.”
Nicole Eason, 37, and her husband Calvin Eason, 46, both formerly of Danville and Westville, Illinois, were charged in connection with their sexual abuse of a child. The couple has remained in custody since their arrest in April 2015. On Nov. 6, 2015, Calvin Eason pleaded guilty to all three counts in the indictment. Nicole and Calvin Eason are scheduled to be sentenced on March 11, 2016.
Evidence at trial established that in 2006 through 2008, the Easons sought to adopt through an informal process, sometimes referred to as private “re-homing,” in which the legal adoptive family can no longer care for the child and transfer the child to another’s custody. In 2007, the Easons communicated with Minor Victim 1’s parents both through online discussion boards and directly and misrepresented material facts about their background to gain the parents’ trust, including, among other things, that they had a home study “waiver,” which the parents believed was needed to transfer custody of their child and which was used to verify the Easons as fit caregivers. Based on these misrepresentations, one of Minor Victim 1’s parents transported their child across state lines in 2007. The minor testified that while in the Easons’ custody for nearly a month, both Nicole and Calvin Eason sexually abused her.
Evidence at trial also established that in 2008, Nicole and Calvin Eason kidnapped a second minor, Minor Victim 2, in the same manner, and the minor was with them for a few days.
The FBI’s Springfield Division investigated the case in cooperation with the Vermilion County, Illinois, Sheriff’s Department, and Trial Attorney Jennifer Toritto Leonardo of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Elly Peirson of the Central District of Illinois prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Former Federal Correctional Officer Pleads Guilty to BriberyRead the Press Release
Peoria, Ill. – A former employee of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, Melissa Gilmer, 41, of Tremont, Ill, waived indictment today and entered a plea of guilty to an information charging her with the offense of bribery, as announced by Jim Lewis, U.S. Attorney for the Central District of Illinois. Gilmer, of the 500 block of W. Tazewell St., appeared today before U.S. District Judge Joe B. McDade. Sentencing has been scheduled on Mar. 30, 2016.
During today’s hearing and according to court documents, Gilmer admitted that during her employment as a correctional officer at Federal Correctional Institution – Pekin, Ill., she provided contraband tobacco and a cellular telephone to an inmate. Gilmer admitted that in 2013, from August to December, she received approximately $6,000 from the family of an inmate in exchange for providing the contraband to the inmate.
According to court documents, the investigation of Gilmer began after she was observed allowing an inmate access to what appeared to be a cell phone. The inmate’s cell and area to which he had access were searched, and tobacco, a cell phone, and a lighter were recovered. A forensic examination of the cell phone established that calls and text messages were made and received from both Gilmer and the inmate’s family.
The statutory maximum penalty for the offense of bribery is 15 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
The case is being prosecuted by Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Darilynn J. Knauss. The charge is the result of an investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General.
Chicago Couple Sentenced for Multi-Million Dollar State Grant Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Springfield, Ill. – A Chicago couple convicted nearly one year ago of taking millions of dollars in state grant funds for their personal benefit and use was sentenced today. U.S. District Judge Richard Mills ordered Leon Dingle, Jr., 78, to serve six years in the federal Bureau of Prisons, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Leon Dingle was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $2,900,000 to the Illinois Department of Public Health. Leon Dingle’s wife, Karin, 76, was sentenced to three years in federal prison and ordered to pay $2,100,000 in restitution jointly and severally with her husband. Both were ordered to report to the Bureau of Prisons within 90 days to begin serving their respective sentences.
Judge Mills ordered that $1,093,380 from the sale of various assets belonging to the Dingles, currently in the custody of the U.S. Clerk of the Court, be applied toward payment of the restitution ordered.
Nearly one year ago, on Dec. 17, 2014, a jury convicted Leon and Karin Dingle following a weeks-long trial. Evidence presented by the government demonstrated that the Dingles used non-profit organizations as straw grantees to fraudulently solicit and obtain more than $11 million in grant funds awarded by the Illinois Department of Public Health. The majority of the grant funds were non-competitively awarded and paid up-front, for programs related to breast, cervical and prostate cancer, HIV/AIDS, and emergency preparedness.
During the time of the fraud scheme, from 2004 to June 2010, the Dingles owned and operated the for-profit corporation known as Advance Health, Social and Educational Associates, Inc., (AHSEA). Leon Dingle served as the president, CEO, treasurer, and sole shareholder of AHSEA; Karin Dingle served as vice-president and secretary.
Former Illinois State Representative Connie Howard Sentenced for Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Springfield, Ill. – U.S. District Judge Richard Mills today sentenced former Illinois State Representative Constance ‘Connie’ Howard to three months in prison for fraud committed by Howard when she was a state representative. Following her release from the federal Bureau of Prisons, Howard, 72, was ordered to serve three months home confinement, the first three months of a two-year term of supervised release. Howard was also ordered to pay restitution to two organizations: $15,900 to the Chicago Urban League and $12,450 to the Black United Fund, Chicago.
In July 2013, Howard waived indictment and admitted that from 2003 to 2007, she solicited and obtained approximately $76,700, representing that the funds would be used to provide scholarships. In fact, no more than five scholarships, totaling $12,500, were issued, and approximately $28,000 of the funds raised was converted to her personal and political use. Misuse of the funds included expenses associated with the promotion of her campaign, and campaign events, and to benefit one of her assistants.
At the time of the fraud, Howard was a member of the Illinois House of Representatives. She served as Chairwoman of the Computer Technology Committee for the House of Representatives and the Eliminate the Digital Divide Advisory Committee of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. Howard’s legislative and campaign offices were located in Chicago.
In 2003, Howard created an organization known as “Tee Off for Technology,” (TOFT), and established the “Constance A ‘Connie’ Howard Computer Technology Scholarship Fund, to provide scholarships to persons in need seeking a degree in computer science and related fields. Howard established an annual event in July 2003, known as the “Tee Off for Technology Celebrity Golf Outing.” Howard represented that the purpose of the organization and the annual golf outing was to be a fundraising mechanism for the scholarship fund. Because TOFT was not a tax-exempt organization, it partnered with tax-exempt organizations to serve as its fiscal agent to ensure that donations to TOFT and the scholarship fund were tax deductible.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy A. Bass prosecuted the case on behalf of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of Illinois. The investigation was conducted by participating agencies of the Central District of Illinois’ U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Public Corruption Task Force including the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Chicago Division; the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations; and, the Illinois Secretary of State Office of Inspector General.
Central District of Illinois’ U.S. Attorney’s Office Collects $5.77 Million in Criminal and Civil Actions in FY 2015Read the Press Release
Springfield, Ill. - U.S. Attorney Jim Lewis announced today that the Central District of Illinois collected $5,769,736 million for taxpayers in criminal and civil actions in fiscal year 2015. Of this amount, $3,402,513 was collected in criminal actions by the Central District and $2,367,233 in civil actions. In addition, working with other Department of Justice entities, $23,420 was collected in criminal actions and $1,362,086 was collected in civil actions.
Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch announced today that the Justice Department collected $23.1 billion in civil and criminal actions in the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2015. The more than $23.1 billion in collections in FY 2015 represents more than seven and a half times the approximately $2.93 billion of the Justice Department’s combined appropriations for the 94 U.S. Attorneys’ offices and the main litigating divisions in the same period.
"The Department of Justice is committed to upholding the rule of law, safeguarding taxpayer resources, and protecting the American people from exploitation and abuse,” said Attorney General Loretta Lynch. “The collections we are announcing today demonstrate not only the strength of that commitment, but also the significant return on public investment that our actions deliver. I want to thank the prosecutors and trial attorneys who made this achievement possible, and to reiterate our dedication to this ongoing work.”
“We hold people accountable when the law says that they should be accountable,” said U.S. Attorney Lewis. “We collect restitution for victims of crime, we collect damages if there has been fraud in government programs, we collect debts owed to the government, and we protect federal funds and the public treasury. We do our very best to make sure that justice is done.”
The U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, along with the department’s litigating divisions, are responsible for enforcing and collecting civil and criminal debts owed to the U.S. and criminal debts owed to federal crime victims. The law requires defendants to pay restitution to victims of certain federal crimes who have suffered a physical injury or financial loss. While restitution is paid to the victim, criminal fines and felony assessments are paid to the department’s Crime Victims’ Fund, which distributes the funds to state victim compensation and victim assistance programs.
Additionally, the U.S. Attorney’s office in the Central District of Illinois, working with partner agencies and divisions, collected $218,374 in asset forfeiture actions in FY 2015. Forfeited assets deposited into the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund are used to restore funds to crime victims and for a variety of law enforcement purposes.
Springfield Man to Serve 25 Years in Federal Prison after 18-Year State SentenceRead the Press Release
Springfield, Ill. – U.S. District Judge Sue E. Myerscough has ordered Charles Raymond Schrode, (SHROH-dee) 33, of Springfield, Ill., to serve 25 years in federal prison for sexual exploitation of a minor and receiving and possessing child pornography. Schrode’s sentencing hearing concluded late Friday, Oct. 30, 2015.
Judge Myerscough ordered that Schrode’s federal sentence be served consecutive to an 18-year sentence with the Illinois Department of Corrections. Schrode pled guilty in February 2014, to a charge of predatory criminal sexual assault in Sangamon County. Judge Myerscough further ordered that Schrode remain on supervised release for life following his release from prison.
On Feb. 24, 2015, Schrode entered open guilty pleas to the federal charges: receipt of child pornography (one count) in May 2012; sexual exploitation of a minor (two counts) in February and March 2013; and possession of child pornography (one count) in June 2013.
The federal charges were investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Gregory K. Harris.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Jury Convicts Springfield Sex Offender for Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Springfield, Ill. — A jury deliberated for approximately three and one-half hours this afternoon before returning verdicts of guilty against Marcus B. Fifer, 44, for production of child pornography. Fifer, of Springfield, was convicted on 17 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor to produce child pornography and one count of committing a felony offense with a minor while being required to register as a sex offender. The jury returned not guilty verdicts on six counts of sexual exploitation of a minor. U.S. District Judge Sue E. Myerscough presided over the trial which began on Tuesday, Oct. 27. Judge Myerscough scheduled sentencing for Fifer on Feb. 29, 2016.
At sentencing, Fifer faces mandatory life in prison for each count of sexual exploitation of a minor in the production of child pornography. Fifer was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. Fifer has remained detained in the Marshals’ custody since his arrest in February 2014.
At trial, the government presented evidence that from April 1, 2013 through Nov. 18, 2013, Fifer used a cell phone, tablet and laptop computer to take images of a minor. Further evidence from the government established that Fifer previously pled guilty in 2008, in Champaign County, Ill., to aggravated criminal sexual abuse, and at the time of the offenses for which Fifer was convicted today, he was required to register as a sex offender.
The charges are the result of an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations in cooperation with the Springfield Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John E. Childress and Matthew Z. Weir are prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Woman Faces Charge of International Parental Kidnapping for Taking Child from Urbana to CanadaRead the Press Release
Peoria, Ill. – A federal grand jury has indicted a Canadian woman, Sarah M. Nixon, 47, of Montreal, on a charge of international parental kidnapping, as announced by Jim Lewis, U.S. Attorney for the Central District of Illinois. The indictment, returned today, alleges that Nixon took her minor-aged child from the United States in July 2015 with the intent to obstruct the lawful exercise of another person’s parental rights.
Nixon was previously charged by criminal complaint and a warrant was issued for her arrest. Nixon was arrested on Sept. 20, 2015, in New York, as she attempted to return to the U.S.
The affidavit filed in support of the complaint alleges that Nixon and the child failed to appear for a custody exchange with the child’s father in Urbana on July 13, 2015. A Champaign County circuit court had ordered that full custody of the child should immediately go to the father. When Urbana police officers went to Nixon’s home in the 700 block of East Green St., to check on Nixon and the child’s welfare, it appeared that all valuables had been removed and minimal possessions were left behind.
Also on July 13, according to the affidavit, U.S. Customs and Border Protection confirmed that Nixon and the child had entered Canada earlier in the day. Two days later, on July 15, Canadian officers found Nixon’s abandoned car and Nixon and the child at a nearby farmhouse in a rural area near Moose Creek, Ontario. Authorities then returned the child to the father.
According to the affidavit, following a week-long custody trial, on July 13, 2015, Champaign County Circuit Judge Arnold F. Blockman ordered that full custody of the child should go to the father. In Judge Blockman’s final order, the court determined that visitation between Nixon and the minor child would endanger the child’s mental and emotional health. Judge Blockman ordered that the child be immediately turned over to her father and that Nixon have no contact with the child except one recorded Skype or telephone contact per week for two months.
During Nixon’s initial court appearance on Sept. 21, in federal court in Syracuse, New York, she waived detention hearing and was ordered to remain detained in U.S. Marshals Service custody pending her transportation to the Central District of Illinois. The U.S. Clerk of the Court will issue a date for Nixon to appear for arraignment upon her return to Illinois.
If convicted, the statutory maximum penalty for international parental kidnapping is three years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elly M. Peirson. The charges are the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Urbana Police Department; University of Illinois Police Department; the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services; the Ontario Provincial Police; and, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, in cooperation with the Champaign County State’s Attorney’s Office and the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs.
Members of the public are reminded that an indictment is merely an accusation; the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Kankakee County Man Resentenced to Higher Prison Term for Repeated Trafficking of Crack CocaineRead the Press Release
Urbana, Ill. - Edward Dorsey Sr., 43, of St. Anne, Ill., was sentenced late last week to 327 months (27 years, three months) in federal prison for repeated trafficking of crack cocaine. On Friday, Oct. 16, U.S. District Judge Colin Bruce added 51 months to Dorsey’s previous sentence of 276 months (23 years.) The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals had remanded Dorsey’s case to the district court for resentencing after Dorsey challenged conditions of his supervised release.
Dorsey pleaded guilty in August 2014 to distributing crack cocaine on three occasions in late 2013 in Kankakee County. The government presented evidence at Dorsey’s December 2014 sentencing that, during his drug trafficking activities, Dorsey threatened to shoot any law enforcement officers investigating him.
Judge Bruce had previously determined that Dorsey was a career offender with two prior felony drug trafficking convictions. In fact, at the time he committed the offenses, in late 2013, Dorsey had five prior felony drug convictions and was serving a three-year term of supervised release for a prior federal drug crime.
Dorsey was on federal supervised release at that time because his prior 10-year federal sentence had been reduced to time served (three years and eight months) after the U.S. Supreme Court concluded that he should have been sentenced under the more lenient penalties of the Fair Sentencing Act.
The charges were investigated by the Kankakee Area Project Safe Neighborhoods Task Force, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Kankakee Police Department, and the Kankakee County Major Crimes Task Force. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Eugene L. Miller.
Supervised Release Revoked for Former Kankakee County Board Member, Pembroke Township SupervisorRead the Press Release
Peoria, Ill. - Supervised release for former Kankakee County Board member and Pembroke Township Supervisor Larry Dean Gibbs was revoked at a hearing on Friday, Oct. 2, 2015, before Chief U.S. District Judge James E. Shadid in Peoria. Gibbs, 54, was sentenced to serve nine months in federal prison after pleading guilty to violating terms of his supervised release. Judge Shadid ordered that Gibbs report to the federal Bureau of Prisons on Nov. 2, 2015, to begin serving the sentence.
Gibbs was serving a one-year term of supervised release following completion of his prison sentence for filing a false income tax return when a petition to revoke his supervised release was filed on June 4, 2015. Gibbs was sentenced on May 8, 2013, to 18 months in federal prison and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $66,282 to the IRS, after pleading guilty to filing a false tax return for the 2005 tax year.
During the court hearing on Oct. 2, Gibbs admitted that he violated his supervised release when he traveled to Minnesota on May 22, 2015, without the prior permission of his probation officer, and that he failed to report that he had been arrested for various traffic violations in Woodbury, Minn.
On June 3, 2015, Gibbs filed a document in U.S. District Court in Urbana to advise the court that Larry Dean Gibbs was “deceased and cannot speak, or appear.” The notice further stated that “further information must be referred to Minister Mulumbua Humraukn El Taikaem Bey, Executor.” In a document filed in Kankakee County Circuit Court on Apr. 30, 2015, an order for Change of Name was entered by Judge Ronald Gerts to change Gibbs’ name from Larry Dean Gibbs to Mulumbua Humraukn El, Taikaem Bey.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Eugene L. Miller.
Kankakee Felon to Serve 12 Years in Federal Prison for Drug, Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
Urbana, Ill. - Brian K. Dalton, 35, was sentenced late yesterday, Monday, Oct. 5, 2015, to serve 12 years in federal prison for distribution of crack cocaine and illegal possession of a firearm by a felon, as announced by U.S. Attorney Jim Lewis, Central District of Illinois. Dalton remains on bond and was ordered to report to the federal Bureau of Prisons on Feb. 9, 2016, to begin serving his sentence.
Dalton, who previously lived in St. Paul, Minn., pled guilty on June 3, 2015, to distribution of 28 grams or more of crack cocaine in the Kankakee, Ill., area on Jan. 26, 2012, and to possession of a firearm by a felon in February 2012. According to court documents, Dalton possessed a loaded .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol with an obliterated serial number. At the time of the offenses, Dalton had prior drug convictions in Kankakee County.
The case is the result of ongoing investigations related to gun violence in the Kankakee area by the Kankakee Area Project Safe Neighborhoods Task Force, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Kankakee Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Eugene L. Miller.
Three Decatur Men Sentenced to More Than 10 Years in Federal Prison for Trafficking Crack CocaineRead the Press Release
Urbana, Ill. - On Friday, Kameron L. Farrington, 26, became the third Decatur, Ill., man in two weeks to be sentenced to more than 10 years in federal prison for trafficking crack cocaine as a repeat drug offender. On Sept. 25, U.S. District Judge Colin S. Bruce sentenced Farrington, of the 4700 block of North Martin Luther King Jr. St., to 130 months (10 years, 10 months) in federal prison for distributing crack cocaine in January 2012. Following release from prison, Farrington was ordered to remain on supervised release for a period of six years. Farrington entered a plea of guilty to the offense on Apr. 24, 2015.
One week ago, on Sept. 21, Judge Bruce ordered Chonice L. Burtley, 34, of the 1000 block of North Pine, to serve 14 years in federal prison for possessing approximately an ounce of crack cocaine with the intent to distribute it on July 25, 2014. Burtley was also ordered to remain on supervised release for six years following his release from prison. Burtley pled guilty to the charge on May 7, 2015.
Two weeks ago, on Sept. 14, Judge Bruce sentenced Wallace N. Pugh, 38, of the 1500 block of North College, to 17 years in federal prison for possessing over 2 ½ ounces of crack cocaine with the intent to distribute it. Pugh was ordered to remain on supervised release for eight years following his release from prison. Pugh pled guilty on April 29, 2015, to possession with intent to distribute on Nov. 21, 2014.
Each of the men was classified as a Career Offender under the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and was eligible for enhanced sentences, because each of them had at least two prior convictions for either a crime of violence or a controlled substance offense. According to court documents, each of the men has prior drug convictions in Macon County Circuit Court.
The three men have remained detained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service since their respective arrests: Farrington on July 8, 2014; Burtley on Nov. 5, 2014; and Pugh, arrested on Dec. 9, 2014.
The cases are the result of ongoing investigations related to drug and gun violence in the Decatur area by the Decatur Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eugene L. Miller represented the government at sentencing for each of the defendants.
Iroquois County Man to Serve 20 Years in Federal Prison for Trafficking Kilograms of CocaineRead the Press Release
Urbana, Ill. - U.S. District Court Judge Colin S. Bruce today sentenced Valeriano J., aka ‘Billy,’ Zarate (zah-RAH'-te), 41, of Cissna Park, Ill., to 20 years in federal prison for conspiracy to possess more than five kilograms of cocaine with intent to distribute. Following release from prison, Zarate was ordered to remain on supervised release for 10 years.
Zarate has been detained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service since his arrest on Oct. 9, 2014. Zarate entered a plea of guilty on April 17, 2015, to conspiring with others from 2012 to October 2014 to possess cocaine with intent to distribute. Zarate admitted that he and others with whom he conspired agreed to have large quantities of cocaine driven in semi-tractor trailers from outside Illinois to pre-arranged locations in Vermilion County, Ill., as well as near Indianapolis, and other locations.
According to court documents, overt acts to further the conspiracy included distribution by Zarate on Dec. 8, 2013, of approximately 11 kilograms of cocaine to an individual in Youngstown, Ohio; on Dec. 12, 2013, travel by Zarate with a co-conspirator to Columbus, Ohio to receive approximately $1.2 million in payment for 36 kilograms of cocaine previously distributed by the conspirators; and, in June 2014, co-conspirators drove a semi-tractor trailer from Texas to Vermilion County, Ill., loaded with approximately 49 kilograms of cocaine, hidden in a load of mangos, to deliver to Zarate and others at a location arranged by Zarate. According to DEA agents, the verified 49 kilogram “bricks” of cocaine hidden in the tractor-trailer were valued at more than $1,000,000 wholesale, with a street value of more than $4,000,000.
According to the factual basis included in the plea agreement, officers with the Bryant, Ark., police department discovered the cocaine in the load of mangos on June 18, 2014, when they stopped to assist after the tractor-trailer broke down on Interstate 30 in Arkansas. The driver and passenger were traveling from Mission, Texas, and planned to deliver the mangos to a location in Chicago. After delivering the mangos, they planned to travel to a gas station in Oakwood, Ill., where they would be directed to a drop-off location to deliver the cocaine to Zarate and others. Zarate paid the owner of the drop-off location to allow the tractor-trailer to be unloaded there. On June 19, 2014, DEA agents attempted to make a controlled delivery of “bricks” of fake cocaine.
The case against Zarate was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Eugene L. Miller.
Indictment Charges Pekin Man with Distribution of Child Pornography and Impersonating a U.S. MarshalRead the Press Release
Peoria, Ill. – Late yesterday, a federal grand jury returned a four-count indictment that charges Arthur D. Wheeler, 30, of of the 600 block of Harberts, South Pekin, Ill., with distribution of child pornography and impersonating a federal officer, as announced by Jim Lewis, U.S. Attorney for the Central District of Illinois.
Wheeler was previously arrested and charged by criminal complaint on Aug. 24, 2015. Wheeler made his initial appearance in federal court in Peoria before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jonathan E. Hawley who ordered that Wheeler remain detained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
The affidavit filed in support of the complaint alleges that in May 2015, Wheeler obtained nude photos from a minor female in Missouri by receiving them on his phone and by accessing the minor’s Facebook account. According to the affidavit, Wheeler appeared June 1, 2015, in the Circuit Court of Tazewell County seeking an order of protection against the minor’s family. Wheeler stated to the court that the minor’s family had threatened him because of his communications with the minor during the preceding two weeks. During the court proceeding, Wheeler produced his phone, which was ultimately seized and examined by law enforcement. The affidavit alleges that on three separate occasions, in late May and early June 2015, Wheeler used the cellphone’s text function to send naked images of the minor to approximately 120 people in the area code where the minor lives.
The indictment alleges that on three occasions, one on May 29, and on two separate occasions on June 1, 2015, Wheeler distributed child pornography. Further, the indictment alleges that on June 1, 2015, Wheeler impersonated a U.S. Marshal in an attempt to get information from an individual about the minor’s whereabouts.
If convicted, for each count of distribution of child pornography (three counts), Wheeler faces a statutory penalty of at least 15 years and up to 40 years in prison, and up to three years in prison for impersonating a federal officer.
The charges are the result of an investigation conducted by the U.S. Secret Service; task force members of the Central Illinois Cyber Crime Unit, including the Peoria County Sheriff’s Office and the Bloomington Police Department; the Pekin Police Department; Illinois State Police; and, the U.S. Marshal’s Service .
Members of the public are reminded that an indictment is merely an accusation; each defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Grand Jury Indicts Urbana Man on Child Pornography ChargesRead the Press Release
Peoria, Ill. – Jim Lewis, U.S. Attorney for the Central District of Illinois, announced today that a federal grand jury in Peoria returned an indictment late yesterday that charges Terrence J. O’Connor, 52, of the 800 block of East Kerr Ave., Urbana, Ill., with receipt and possession of child pornography.
The indictment alleges that from April to August 2015, O’Connor received and possessed images and videos of minors who had not attained the age of 12 years engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The indictment also seeks forfeiture of computers and related materials allegedly used to commit or promote the offenses.
If convicted, the statutory penalty for each count of receipt of child pornography (two counts) is a mandatory minimum of five years in prison to 20 years in prison and a term of supervised release of up to life following any term of imprisonment. If a defendant has a prior child sex abuse or child pornography conviction, the statutory penalty is not less than 15 years and up to 40 years in prison. For possession of child pornography, the penalty is up to 20 years in prison.
O’Connor was arrested on Aug. 31, 2015, and charged in a criminal complaint with distribution of child pornography. During a court appearance on Sept. 1, 2015, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Eric I. Long, in Urbana, O’Connor was ordered detained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. Arraignment has been scheduled on Sept. 28, 2015.
The charges are the result of an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations, the Urbana Police Department and the Illinois Secretary of State.
Members of the public are reminded that an indictment is merely an accusation; each defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.