District of Maryland
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
Germantown Man Facing Federal Gun and Drug ChargesRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – A federal criminal complaint has been filed charging Dwight Luis Clarke, age 31, of Germantown, Maryland, for federal charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm, distribution of controlled substances, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. According to the criminal complaint affidavit, Clarke sold crack cocaine and a heroin/fentanyl mixture, as well as seven firearms, including five privately manufactured firearms, known as “ghost guns.” The criminal complaint was filed on March 4, 2022, and Clarke was arrested on March 7, 2022. Upon his arrest, law enforcement seized another apparent semi-automatic privately made firearm from Clarke’s person. Clarke had his initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt yesterday and U.S. Magistrate Judge Charles B. Day ordered that Clarke be detained pending trial.
The criminal complaint was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Acting Special Agent in Charge L.C. Cheeks, Jr. of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department; and Chief Victor Brito of the Rockville City Police Department.
According to the affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, early in 2022, Clarke was identified as an individual involved in the distribution of narcotics and firearms. Clarke allegedly sold narcotics and firearms to an undercover law enforcement officer (the UC) in Montgomery County, Maryland on three occasions in February. During those three meetings, Clarke allegedly sold the UC approximately 46.87 grams of crack cocaine; several gel caps of a suspected heroin/fentanyl mixture; two semi-automatic privately made firearms (ghost guns); one Smith & Wesson .22 caliber semi-automatic AR style pistol; one Walther .380 caliber semi-automatic pistol; one 33 round extended magazine loaded with one 9mm caliber cartridge; one AR style extended magazine loaded with three .22 caliber cartridges; and one ammunition box, containing 95 .22LR caliber cartridges.
As detailed in the affidavit, in a fourth meeting at the end of February, Clarke and the UC allegedly communicated via phone calls and text messages and Clarke agreed to sell three fully assembled Glock-type ghost guns for a total of $3,000. Law enforcement observed Clarke get out of his car at the meeting location carrying a white bag that appeared to contain a heavy object that allegedly resembled a firearm. The affidavit alleges that Clarke entered the front passenger seat of the UC’s vehicle and after a short conversation, exited the vehicle without the bag. A short time later, law enforcement recovered three plastic shopping bags from the vehicle, each containing a clear gallon-sized Ziploc bag. Each Ziploc bag contained a privately manufactured 9mm caliber semi-automatic pistol bearing no serial number.
The affidavit alleges that during the investigation, Clarke and the UC had a conversation, during which the UC told Clarke that he was unable to purchase a gun at a gun store due to a prior felony conviction. Clarke allegedly told the UC that he could not go into a gun store for the same reason.
If convicted, Clarke faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition; a maximum of 20 years in federal prison for distribution of controlled substances; and a mandatory minimum of five years and a maximum of life in federal prison for possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
A criminal complaint is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by criminal complaint is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. PSN, an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime, is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the ATF, the Montgomery County Police Department, and the Rockville City Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy F. Hagan and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Kibbe, who are prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Member of the Karon Foster Carjacking Crew Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Participate in RacketeeringRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Malik Evans, age 25, of Baltimore City, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to participate in racketeering activity.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Acting Special Agent in Charge L.C. Cheeks, Jr. of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; and Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department.
According to his guilty plea, from April 2019 to August 2019, Evans and co-defendant Karon Foster age 27, of Baltimore, Maryland were members of an enterprise that engaged in a pattern of deadly racketeering activity, including a series of armed carjackings, armed robberies, attempted armed robberies, and the pawning of stolen goods.
Specifically, between April 19, 2019, and August 8, 2019, Evans participated in four of thirteen carjackings committed by the enterprise. In all four of the carjackings in which Evans participated, members of the enterprise brandished firearms. Other co-conspirators, not including Evans, participated in an armed carjackings in which one victim was shot and killed. Two other victims were killed during street robberies; another victim was paralyzed as a result of an armed street robbery.
Members of the conspiracy not only promoted their activities on social media, but they also shared the proceeds of their exploits. Members also concealed enterprise activities by hiding, destroying, or disposing of evidence.
On December 20, 2021, co-defendant Karon Foster was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison for conspiracy to participate in racketeering activity, a carjacking conspiracy, and for aiding and abetting a carjacking resulting in death.
Evans and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Evan will be sentenced to 17 years in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher has scheduled sentencing for May 31, 2022 at 10 a.m.
This case was made possible by investigative leads generated from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives’ (ATF) National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN). NIBIN is the only national network that allows for the capture and comparison of ballistic evidence to aid in solving and preventing violent crimes involving firearms. NIBIN is a proven investigative and intelligence tool that can link firearms from multiple crime scenes, allowing law enforcement to quickly disrupt shooting cycles. For more information on NIBIN, visit https://www.atf.gov/firearms/national-integrated-ballistic-information-network-nibin.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. PSN, an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime, is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the ATF and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patricia C. McLane and Brandon Moore who are prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Inmate at Maryland Correctional Institution Jessup Sentenced to over Four Years in Federal Prison for Participating in a Racketeering ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis sentenced inmate Jerrard Bazemore, a/k/a Tic, age 36, to 51 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for a racketeering conspiracy charge related to his participation in a scheme to smuggle contraband into the Maryland Correctional Institution Jessup (MCIJ), including heroin, fentanyl, Suboxone, and K2 (a synthethic cannabinoid) in exchange for bribe payments. The sentence was imposed on March 4, 2022.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski, of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Secretary Robert L. Green, of the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services.
According to court documents, MCIJ was a medium-security prison in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, that housed approximately 1,100 male inmates, with 262 custody staff or Correctional Officers (COs) and 52 non-custody staff, including case management, medical, and administrative staff.
As detailed in his plea agreement, Bazemore conspired with other inmates, individuals outside the facility who obtained and packaged contraband, and with Correctional Dietary Office (CDO) Patricia McDaniel, to smuggle narcotics and other contraband into MCIJ in exchange for bribe payments.
In recorded phone calls over a contraband cell phone, Bazemore was heard discussing with outside facilitators receiving payments and obtaining drugs to be provided to CDO McDaniel. On August 30, 2017, after phone calls with outside facilitators to obtain contraband and arrange to get it to McDaniel, Bazemore sent a message to McDaniel stating, “I love you. Don’t forget it.” Bazemore told McDaniel to put the contraband in her shoes. The following day, Bazemore confirmed to his outside facilitator that the contraband had successfully entered MCIJ.
On September 4, 2017, McDaniel informed Bazemore that another correctional officer had discovered their relationship and discussed how to make sure that Bazemore would keep his prison job in the kitchen, where McDaniel worked. On September 16, 2017, in a recorded phone call over a contraband cell phone, Bazemore informed McDaniel that he had a $300 bribe payment for her. McDaniel told Bazemore that she met with one of Bazemore’s facilitators the night before to obtain contraband.
On September 17, 2017, McDaniel was stopped in the MCIJ park lot in possession of a purple balloon containing heroin, fentanyl, Suboxone, and K2, that she intended to smuggle into MCIJ for Bazemore.
Patricia McDaniel, Correctional Dietary Officer, age 29, of Baltimore, pleaded guilty to the racketeering conspiracy and is awaiting sentencing.
This case arose from the efforts of the Maryland Prison Task Force, coordinated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and comprised of local, state, and federal stakeholders that meet regularly to share information and generate recommendations to reform prison procedures and attack the gang problem that has plagued Maryland in recent years. The work of the Task Force previously resulted in the federal convictions of more than 78 defendants, including 16 correctional officers, at the Eastern Correctional Institution, and 40 defendants, including 24 correctional officers, at the Baltimore City Detention Center.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI and the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services for their work in the investigation. The U.S. Attorney expressed appreciation to the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, whose staff initiated the MCIJ investigation and have been full partners in this investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean R. Delaney, who is prosecuting this case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Baltimore Fentanyl Dealer Admits to Selling Narcotics to Customers Across Four StatesRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Devin Cunningham, age 26, of Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Acting Special Agent in Charge L.C. Cheeks, Jr. of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; Assistant Special Agent in Charge Orville O. Greene of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office; and Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office.
According to his guilty plea, Cunningham engaged in a years’ long conspiracy to sell and distribute narcotics including fentanyl, heroin, and other controlled substances in Baltimore, Maryland. During the existence of the conspiracy, which spanned from January 2017 to December 2020, scores of customers from Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia traveled to the Forest Park area of Baltimore, where they would purchase between a half of a gram and several grams of fentanyl or heroin and other controlled substances from Cunningham and his associates.
From June 2018 to October 2018, law enforcement conducted numerous controlled narcotics purchases from Cunningham and his co-conspirators. In four of the controlled purchases, Cunningham either distributed or participated in the distribution of narcotics, including fentanyl, to a confidential informant. For example, on July 24, 2018, Cunningham and an accomplice sold less than two grams of a mixture containing fentanyl and heroin to a confidential informant for $200.
As stated in his plea agreement, Cunningham continued to sell heroin and fentanyl until his arrest on December 10, 2020. During his arrest, agents seized a 9mm semi-automatic pistol, four cell phones, and approximately several thousand dollars cash. Law enforcement also executed a search warrant on the vehicle that Cunningham operated. As a result of the executed search warrant, law enforcement recovered drug packaging and labeling materials, digital scales, approximately 68 grams of fentanyl, approximately 41 grams of a heroin/tramadol mixture, and approximately 383 grams of marijuana.
Cunningham and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Cunningham will be sentenced to between six and ten years in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett has scheduled sentencing for June 22, 2022, at 11 a.m.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. PSN, an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime, is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the ATF, DEA, and FBI for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher M. Rigali, who is prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Maryland Woman Pleads Guilty to Fraud Schemes Resulting in Losses of More Than $1.1 MillionRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Linda Pylant, age 58, of Grasonville, Maryland, pleaded guilty yesterday to wire fraud, social security fraud, tax evasion, and aggravated identity theft in connection with schemes to defraud her employer, fraudulently obtain disability insurance payments, and evade more than $225,000 in taxes, including by concealing income in connection with a bankruptcy petition. As a result of these crimes, Pylant admits that she illegally obtained more than $1.1 million.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Darrell J. Waldon of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, Washington, D.C. Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Michael McGill of the Social Security Administration - Office of Inspector General, Philadelphia Field Division.
Wire Fraud Scheme
According to her guilty plea, from 2012 to about July 2020, Pylant worked for a Washington, D.C. trade association as an office administrator. Her responsibilities included bookkeeping and other accounting duties, making check deposits, handling accounts receivable, accounts payable, and other administrative duties.
As detailed in her plea agreement, in October 2017, Pylant opened a bank account, purportedly for the trade association, for which she was the sole signatory and caused the bank statements to be mailed to her home. From October 2017 until July 2020, Pylant deposited more than $700,000 in checks, primarily from the trade association’s members and from insurance companies, which were intended for the benefit of the trade association. Pylant also transferred more than $70,000 of the trade association’s funds from a PayPal account to the account she opened in the name of the trade association. In addition, Pylant admitted that she issued trade association checks made payable to herself and a contractor for the trade association, which she signed, forging the names of two trade association executives. Pylant then deposited the forged checks into other accounts she controlled.
Pylant spent more than $175,000 of the stolen funds at a local bingo hall, used more than $100,000 for retail, restaurant, and grocery expenditures and withdrew more than $200,000 in cash. As a result of the fraud scheme, Pylant obtained more than $900,000.
Social Security and Disability Fraud
On August 18, 2015, Pylant applied for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) payments, failing to disclose that she was working and earning income from the trade association. SSDI payments are only made as long as the beneficiaries are unable to work and/or their income is under a certain amount. From 2018 to July 2020, Pylant illegally received and spent more than $75,000 in SSDI payments to which she was not entitled.
In addition, from 2014 to about 2017, Pylant provided false information to a private insurance company in order to fraudulently collect disability insurance payments. Pylant consistently failed to disclose her income from the trade association, as well as her SSDI payments. As a result, Pylant fraudulently received more than $140,000 in disability insurance payments from the private insurance company.
Tax Evasion and Bankruptcy Fraud
From 2014 until July 2020, Pylant caused her salary payments from the trade association to be paid through a non-existent entity, LPSR, Inc., which Pylant created but did not register with the State of Maryland nor the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Pylant also established LPSR as a vendor in the trade association’s computer system, with no federal tax identification number and no 1099 reporting status. During the six years of the tax evasion scheme Pylant caused the trade association to pay LPSR more than $100,000. During that time, Pylant also caused the trade association to not issue a 1099 IRS reporting form for LPSR. Because Pylant also made false statements to the Social Security Administration, including failing to disclose that she was employed by the trade association, she avoided paying taxes that would have been due on her SSDI payments.
As detailed in her plea agreement, Pylant submitted false information in the course of three Maryland bankruptcy proceedings filed on February 3, 2016, in December 2020, and in January 2021. Specifically, Pylant’s petitions failed to list her taxable income from the trade association that was paid through LPSR, falsely claimed that she had zero earned income and was not required to file any tax returns, failed to list any business names that she had used, including LPSR, and falsely stated that her employment status had not changed since February 2016.
Pylant admitted that her tax evasion offenses caused a tax loss to the United States of at least $233,547 and she will be required to pay restitution to the government in that amount.
As detailed in her plea agreement, Pylant will also be required to pay restitution in the full amount of the actual losses caused by her fraud schemes, which is at least $1.1 million. Pylant will also forfeit assets directly traceable to the fraud offenses, substitute assets, and/or a money judgement equal to the value of the property derived from the offense, which is at least $950,000.
Pylant faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for wire fraud; a maximum of five years in prison for social security fraud and for tax evasion; and a mandatory sentence of two years in federal prison, consecutive to any other sentence imposed, for aggravated identity theft. U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett has scheduled sentencing for September 8, 2022 at 11:00 a.m.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI, IRS-CI and SSA OIG for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Harry M. Gruber and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael F. Davio, who are prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to report fraud, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/report-fraud.
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Edgewood Man Sentenced to over 18 Years in Federal Prison for an Attempted Carjacking Resulting in DeathRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – On February 10, 2022, U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher sentenced Amir Stanley Turner, age 20, of Edgewood, Maryland, to 222 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for carjacking resulting in death, in connection with the fatal attempted carjacking of a delivery driver in Harford County, Maryland on February 10, 2019. There is no parole in the federal system.
Two alleged co-conspirators have been arrested on related State charges.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Acting Special Agent in Charge L.C. Cheeks, Jr. of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; Colonel Woodrow W. Jones III, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police; Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey R. Gahler; and Harford County State’s Attorney Albert Peisinger.
According to Turner’s guilty plea, on February 10, 2019, Turner and at least two co-conspirators attempted to carjack T.Y, who was working as a delivery driver for a local restaurant. As T.Y. was delivering food to a residence in Edgewood, Maryland, he saw an individual enter his vehicle, a 2000 Honda Accord and ran to prevent the perpetrators from taking the vehicle.
As detailed in the plea agreement, as Turner and his associates tried to take the vehicle, T.Y. fought back, hitting Turner’s associates with an expandable baton. When T.Y. refused to retreat and stop the confrontation, Turner shot T.Y. multiple times and Turner and his associates fled the scene. Harford County Sheriff’s Office deputies arriving at the scene found T.Y. lying on the ground next to the Honda, suffering from gunshot wounds to his hand, back, and chest. Deputies noted that the driver’s side front door was open and that an expandable baton was adjacent to T.Y. in a fully extended position. T.Y. was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at a nearby hospital.
Turner, who was 17 years old at the time of the shooting, waived his juvenile status and consented to be prosecuted as an adult for this offense.
This case was made possible by investigative leads generated from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives’ (ATF) National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN). NIBIN is the only national network that allows for the capture and comparison of ballistic evidence to aid in solving and preventing violent crimes involving firearms. NIBIN is a proven investigative and intelligence tool that can link firearms from multiple crime scenes, allowing law enforcement to quickly disrupt shooting cycles. For more information on NIBIN, visit https://www.atf.gov/firearms/national-integrated-ballistic-information-network-nibin.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. PSN, an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime, is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the ATF, the Maryland State Police, the Harford County Sheriff’s Office, and the Harford County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation and prosecution. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Austin, who prosecuted the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Woman Facing Federal Charges for Filing and Receiving Social Security Benefits Under Two Social Security NumbersRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Dinorah De Denis, age 72, of Frederick, Maryland, for the federal charges of theft of government property and social security fraud.
The indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Michael McGill of the Social Security Administration - Office of Inspector General, Philadelphia Field Division; and Lead Investigator Pam Shank of the Office of Inspector General, Maryland Department of Human Services.
According to the two-count indictment, De Denis allegedly obtained two social security numbers and did not report to the Social Security Administration or the State of Maryland that she was receiving widows insurance benefits (WIB) payments under another social security number. Allegedly, she received supplemental security income (SSI) Medicaid and Food Supplement benefits through the State of Maryland under her first social security number when she applied for and was awarded SSA WIB under the other social security number. As a result, De Denis received $89,085 in benefits to which she was not entitled.
As alleged in the indictment, De Denis applied for her first social security number in 1973 under her birth name, Dinorah Cepeda Ulloa, on May 7, 1973. After De Denis married her husband later that year, De Denis obtained a second social security number under her married surname “De Denis”. The indictment alleges that De Denis applied for SSI in 2005 and was awarded SSI in 2006 under her first social security number and then applied for WIB after her husband died in 2012 under her second social security number and was awarded monthly payments thereafter. According to the indictment, De Denis did not disclose to the Social Security Administration that she was receiving WIB under another social security number, which would have disqualified her from receiving SSI.
Further, the indictment alleges that on September 28, 2017, during an interview with Social Security Administration representatives regarding her continued eligibility for supplemental security income under her first social security number, De Denis allegedly falsely stated that she was currently married to her husband and that they had been separated since 1984. Allegedly, De Denis also stated that her husband lived in Puerto Rico and that she was not aware of his whereabouts, despite the fact that she had applied for widows insurance benefits upon his death in 2012.
If convicted, De Denis faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison for theft of government property and 5 years in federal prison for social security fraud. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
An indictment is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the SSA-OIG and the Maryland Department of Human Services Office of Inspector General for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Davio, who is prosecuting the federal case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Former Contract Nurse Sentenced to 30 Months in Federal Prison for Participation in a Racketeering Conspiracy at Maryland Correctional Institution JessupRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis sentenced former Contract Nurse Joseph Nwancha, age 41, of Baltimore, yesterday to 30 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for a racketeering conspiracy charge related to his participation in a scheme to smuggle contraband into the Maryland Correctional Institution Jessup (MCIJ), including narcotics, tobacco, and cell phones.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski, of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Secretary Robert L. Green, of the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services.
According to court documents, MCIJ was a medium-security prison in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, that housed approximately 1,100 male inmates, with 262 custody staff or Correctional Officers (COs) and 52 non-custody staff, including case management, medical, and administrative staff.
As detailed in his plea agreement, Nwancha conspired with inmates and individuals outside the facility who obtained and packaged contraband, including, suboxone strips, K2, tobacco, pills and cell phones, to smuggle into MCIJ in exchange for bribe payments. Nwancha was regularly the on-duty nurse during the evening and overnight shifts at MCIJ. Because of the nature of his employment, Nwancha had the opportunity to have contact with inmates in private without other prison employees or inmates observing the interactions.
Beginning in September 2017, inmate Corey Alston began bribing Nwancha to bring contraband into MCIJ. On September 19 and September 20, 2017, via text message, Alston’s sister, Ashley Alston, and Nwancha discussed bribe payments. Ashley Alston told Nwancha that she had the “$200 he owe” and Nwancha responded that he was expecting $1,000 in addition to the $200 and wanted it deposited in his bank account. On September 22, 2017, Ashley Alston met with Nwancha to give him money. According to his plea agreement, over the course of his association with Alston, Nwancha agreed to smuggle contraband cell phones, a pocket knife, tobacco, K2 (a synthetic cannabinoid), and other contraband into MCIJ in exchange for bribe payments. Nwancha admitted that he also conspired with other inmates, including Irving Hernandez, to smuggle contraband, including K2, narcotics, tobacco, and cell phones into the facility in exchange for bribe payments.
On November 28, 2017, Nwancha was stopped at MCIJ in possession of approximately 230 grams of K2 intended for MCIJ inmates, including Alston. A cell phone recovered from Nwancha was subsequently searched and revealed numerous text message conversations between Alston, Hernandez and Nwancha discussing bribe payments and smuggling contraband into MCIJ. The next day, Nwancha booked a flight and left the country to travel to Dublin, Ireland. He remained out of the country until his arrest and extradition.
Inmate Corey Alston, a/k/a “C,” age 29, pleaded guilty to the racketeering conspiracy and was sentenced to six years in federal prison. Inmate Irving Hernandez, age 27, also pleaded guilty to the racketeering conspiracy and is scheduled to be sentenced on May 26, 2022 at 11:00 a.m.
This case arose from the efforts of the Maryland Prison Task Force, coordinated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and comprised of local, state, and federal stakeholders that meet regularly to share information and generate recommendations to reform prison procedures and attack the gang problem that has plagued Maryland in recent years. The work of the Task Force previously resulted in the federal convictions of more than 78 defendants, including 16 correctional officers, at the Eastern Correctional Institution, and 40 defendants, including 24 correctional officers, at the Baltimore City Detention Center.
“Contraband is dangerous to our employees and the incarcerated population, endangering the safety and security of our correctional facilities," said DPSCS Secretary Robert Green. "Our detectives worked with federal agents to track this individual down overseas to make certain that he faced the consequences for his actions, and we will continue to pursue accountability for those engaged in criminal activity within our correctional system.”
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI and the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services for their work in the investigation. The U.S. Attorney expressed appreciation to the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, whose staff initiated the MCIJ investigation and have been full partners in this investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean R. Delaney, who is prosecuting this case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Sex Offender Sentenced to over Five Years in Federal Prison for Failure to Register in MarylandRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Chief U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar today sentenced Lawrence A. Marvitz, age 44, of Hagerstown, Maryland, to 69 months in federal prison, followed by lifetime supervised release, for failing to register as a sex offender and for violating his supervised release for a previous federal conviction. Judge Bredar also ordered that, upon his release from prison, Marvitz must continue to register as a sex offender in the places where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron and Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office.
According to his guilty plea, on July 13, 2012, Chief Judge Bredar sentenced Marvitz to a year and a day in federal prison, followed by 20 years of supervised release, for possession of child pornography. As a condition of his supervised release, Marvitz was prohibited from possessing or using any computer, except with the permission of his probation officer, or in connection with authorized employment. Marvitz was also required to cooperate with U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services Office monitoring of compliance with this condition, including participating in a computer and internet monitoring program, identifying computer systems and internet-capable devices to which Marvitz had access, and permitting random, unannounced examinations of electronic devices under his control.
As detailed in his plea agreement, Marvitz was released from custody in May 2013. In January 2017 Marvitz’s case was transferred to the U.S. Probation Office for the Northern District of West Virginia for supervision. On September 19, 2019, Marvitz moved to an apartment in Hagerstown, Maryland. Marvitz did not obtain permission from his U.S. Probation Officer prior to changing his residence, nor did he update his sex offender registration by registering his new address in West Virginia or by registering as a sex offender in Maryland.
On October 9, 2019, a U.S. Probation Officer (USPO) conducted an unannounced home visit to Marvitz’s new address and observed what appeared to be an empty computer box. Marvitz advised the USPO that he had just purchased the new computer and that he was planning to remove his old laptop. Marvitz had not obtained the permission of the USPO prior to purchasing the new computer. The USPO instructed Marvitz to contact the monitoring company immediately so the monitoring software could be installed on the new computer. After the visit by the USPO, Marvitz did update the West Virginia and Maryland sex offender registries with his address.
On November 20, 2019, the USPO returned to Marvitz’s residence. Marvitz advised the USPO that he had wiped his old laptop and sold it to a local pawn shop. The USPO observed an internet cable that disappeared behind a computer desk. Upon further inspection, the USPO located Marvitz’s old laptop and an external hard drive hidden behind the computer desk. Search warrants were subsequently obtained for Marvitz’s apartment and for a total of 20 electronic devices that were ultimately seized. A forensic examination of the old laptop and external hard drive found by the USPO revealed seven videos and five images depicting prepubescent minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The files had been downloaded from the internet between January 12, 2018 and September 30, 2019.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc and click on the "Resources" tab on the left of the page.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI for its work in the investigation and thanked the U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services Office for its assistance in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Judson T. Mihok, who prosecuted the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-childhood and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Nigerian National Sentenced to over Four Years in Federal Prison for Mail Fraud Conspiracy Resulting in the Loss of More Than $500,000Read the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake sentenced Samson A. Oguntuyi, age 29, of Atlanta, Georgia, yesterday to 54 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release for conspiracy to commit bank fraud and mail fraud, bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Imari R. Niles of the U.S. Postal Service, Office of Inspector General; Postal Inspector in Charge Greg Torbenson of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service - Washington Division; and Special Agent in Charge J. Russell George of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA).
According to his plea agreement, between July 25, 2016, and February 5, 2019, Oguntuyi conspired with Johnson B. Ogunlana, age 25, of Middle River, Maryland and others to steal bank checks and credit and debit cards from the mail, open fraudulent business banking accounts using the names of victim businesses and the stolen identities of victim postal customers to negotiate the stolen checks by depositing them into the fraudulent bank accounts, and then conduct transactions with stolen payment cards and with money derived from the stolen checks. Ogunlana was a letter carrier for the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) in Brooklyn, Maryland.
As part of the scheme to defraud, Ogunlana intercepted and stole mail pieces containing credit cards addressed to individual victims and sent photos of the stolen mail pieces and credit cards through a messaging application to Oguntuyi and other conspirators. Oguntuyi then used the victims’ personal identifying information (“PII”) to activate the stolen credit cards and to obtain new credit cards the victims never requested or applied for. Once the stolen credit cards were activated, members of the conspiracy used the credit cards to make retail purchases.
As detailed in his plea agreement, members of the conspiracy registered fraudulent businesses with state government agencies using the names of victim businesses and the names and identifying information of postal customer identity theft victims as the agents and/or incorporators of the businesses. Ogunlana and others used stolen payment cards issued to identity theft victims to pay fees to register some of the fraudulent businesses. Ogunlana also stole banks checks payable to victim businesses, whose mail was serviced out of the USPS facility where Ogunlana worked, by intercepting their mail. Oguntuyi and Ogunlana then endorsed some of the checks by forging the signatures of identity theft victims and deposited the checks into the fraudulent business bank accounts the conspirators opened in the names of the victim businesses. The conspirators then withdrew the money from the accounts through cash withdrawals, debit card purchases and cash back transactions at retail merchants, wire transfers, and by writing checks drawn on the accounts.
As stated in his plea agreement, at least $565,000 was stolen from two victim businesses and at least eight postal customers were victims of identity theft.
Ogunlana was sentenced to six years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit bank fraud and mail fraud, access device fraud, aggravated identity theft, and theft of mail by a postal employee on February 18, 2022.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and TIGTA for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael F. Davio, who prosecuted the case.
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Final Four Defendants, Including Former Correctional Officer, Plead Guilty to Federal Racketeering Conspiracy Charge in Connection with a Prison Corruption Scheme at Jessup Correctional InstitutionRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – A former Correctional Officer, two inmates, and an outside “facilitator” have pleaded guilty to a federal racketeering conspiracy at the Jessup Correctional Institution (JCI), involving inmates and outside facilitators paying bribes to correctional officers to smuggle contraband, including narcotics, alcohol, tobacco, and cell phones into the prison. As a result of the guilty pleas entered yesterday and today, all 15 defendants charged in this case have now pleaded guilty. The following individuals entered their guilty pleas this week:
Former Correctional Officer Dominique Booker, age 45, of Baltimore;
Inmates William Cox, a/k/a Dollar, age 45 and Vernard Majette a/k/a Nard, age 40; and
Facilitator Vonda Bolden, age 57, of Baltimore.The guilty pleas were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski, of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Secretary Robert Green, of the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services.
JCI is a maximum-security prison located in Jessup, Maryland.
According to the defendants’ plea agreements, Booker, Cox, Majette, and Bolden conspired with other COs, inmates, and outside facilitators to smuggle contraband into JCI, including narcotics, alcohol, tobacco, and cell phones. According to their plea agreements and other court documents, COs accepted or agreed to accept payments from facilitators and/or inmates as consideration for smuggling contraband into JCI. Inmates acted as both wholesalers and retailers of contraband, often obtaining profits that far exceeded the profits that could be made by selling similar drugs on the street.
During the investigation, law enforcement intercepted phone calls and text messages in which the defendants discussed contraband to be smuggled into JCI, as well as the payment of bribes. Several of the inmate defendants, including Cox and Majette, had contraband cell phones, which they used to facilitate their smuggling activities. As detailed in her plea agreement, CO Booker conspired with inmate Cox, with whom she had a romantic relationship, and others, to smuggle contraband, including controlled dangerous substances, such as Suboxone, into JCI and then distribute the contraband to inmates. In January 2019, a search of Booker and her vehicle as she entered JCI revealed contraband, including plastic baggies containing the synthetic cannabinoid K-2, which she intended to smuggle into the prison.
As detailed in Bolden’s plea agreement, she was the facilitator for her son and co-defendant, inmate Marshall Hill, a/k/a “Boosie.” Bolden admitted that at Hill’s direction she made bribe payments, obtained contraband, met with co-conspirators to deliver contraband, and communicated with other JCI inmates to facilitate the movement of contraband within JCI.
The defendants each face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for the racketeering conspiracy. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang has scheduled sentencing for Booker and Cox on June 7, 2022; for Bolden on July 29, 2022; and for Majette on August 1, 2022.
The other 11 defendants previously pleaded guilty to their roles in the racketeering conspiracy. Nine of those defendants have been sentenced, including Marshall Hill, a/k/a “Boosie,” age 30, who pleaded guilty to the racketeering conspiracy and was sentenced to four years in federal prison.
The U.S. Attorney expressed appreciation to the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, whose staff initiated the JCI investigation and have been full partners in this investigation.
This case is also part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI and the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher M. Rigali, who is prosecuting this case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Hanover Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Distribution of Fentanyl, Cocaine, and Marijuana Shipped Through the Mail from California to MarylandRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher today sentenced Dwight Antonio Pitts, age 47, of Hanover, Maryland, to 15 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for his participation in a drug distribution conspiracy involving large amounts of fentanyl, cocaine, and marijuana, shipped through the U.S. Mail from California to Maryland. Pitts admitted that during his participation in the conspiracy, it was foreseeable that he and the other conspirators distributed approximately 8.5 kilograms of fentanyl; approximately 150 kilograms of cocaine; and approximately 50 kilograms of marijuana.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Superintendent Colonel Woodrow W. Jones III of the Maryland State Police (MSP); Postal Inspector in Charge Greg L. Torbenson of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) - Washington Division; and Assistant Special Agent in Charge Orville O. Greene of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Baltimore District Office.
According to his guilty plea, since November 2019, the MSP, the DEA, and the USPIS were investigating a drug trafficking conspiracy involving Pitts, Michael Fisher (a.k.a. Mark Wilson), and others, that was distributing fentanyl, cocaine, and marijuana in the Baltimore/Washington Metropolitan areas. Investigators used court-authorized wiretaps to intercept calls and other communications between Pitts, Fisher, and other conspirators in which they discussed drug distribution with each other and with other individuals. Investigators also conducted surveillance of drug transactions conducted by both Pitts and Fisher.
During the conspiracy, Pitts and Fisher traveled to California multiple times to obtain kilograms of cocaine and fentanyl. Once in possession of the narcotics, Pitts or Fisher used the U.S. Mail to ship the narcotics back to Maryland for distribution.
Between May and August 2020, U.S. postal inspectors interdicted several parcels from the mail, including two parcels bound for an address in Hyattsville, Maryland that was leased by Pitts. On August 13, 2020, a search warrant was authorized for the two parcels. Law enforcement recovered more than two kilograms of cocaine from one parcel and more than two kilograms of fentanyl from the other parcel. Investigators obtained video surveillance from the El Segundo Branch Post Office, from which the parcels had been mailed. The video showed Pitts at the post office at the time the parcels were mailed.
On August 13, 2020, investigators obtained consent to search Co-Conspirator 2’s residence in Los Angeles after watching Fisher transfer a box containing approximately $190,020 in cash to Co-Conspirator 2’s car. Law enforcement recovered from the residence two duffle bags containing approximately 30 kilograms of cocaine, along with two additional duffle bags that contained more than $193,980 in narcotics proceeds, not including the approximately $190,020 Fisher provided to Co-Conspirator 2 earlier that day.
On August 17, 2020, law enforcement executed search warrants at the six locations in Maryland associated with Pitts and Fisher and at a residence in Las Vegas, Nevada. Investigators seized 15 firearms—6 firearms from locations associated with Pitts and 9 firearms from locations associated with Fisher—along with kilogram quantities of cocaine, fentanyl, and marijuana. In total, during the investigation law enforcement seized approximately 35 kilograms of cocaine, approximately 6.5 kilograms of fentanyl, and approximately 50 kilograms of marijuana. In addition, investigators seized approximately $1,501,308, which Pitts admitted was proceeds from the sale of narcotics.
As detailed in the plea agreement, additional evidence, including evidence seized from searches on cellular phones of conspirators and CCTV footage, showed that between July 2019 and August 2020, the conspiracy was responsible for mailing approximately 121 parcels from Los Angeles area Post Offices to locations in Maryland.
Co-defendant Michael Fisher, age 47, of Laurel, Maryland, pleaded guilty to the same charges and is awaiting sentencing.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
The overdose crisis continues to devastate our state and local communities. If you believe you may need substance use disorder treatment or recovery services, please call 1800-662-HELP (4357). You may also visit the website for United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland for further information and resources on opioid awareness here.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the MSP, USPIS, and DEA for their work in the investigation and recognized the Los Angeles Police Department, the Los Angeles and Las Vegas DEA, and the USPIS Phoenix Division-Las Vegas, Nevada for their assistance. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Anatoly Smolkin, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Romano, who prosecuted the case.
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Silver Spring Man Pleads Guilty to Soliciting and Paying for the Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – Patrick Lawrence Wood, age 35, of Silver Spring, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to produce child pornography. Wood admitted that he paid co-conspirators in the Philippines to procure images and videos of children under the age of 12 engaged in sexually explicit conduct requested by Wood.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge James R. Mancuso of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; and Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department.
According to his guilty plea, Wood used a social media platform to solicit the production of child pornography and used various digital money transfer services to send payment to co-conspirators in exchange for images and videos depicting children engaged in sexually explicit conduct, as requested by Wood.
As detailed in Wood’s plea agreement, the social media platform sent a Cybertipline Report to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, about a user who had requested, and subsequently paid, another user to create sexually explicit images of a prepubescent male and female and send them via the platform’s private message function. Law enforcement identified Patrick Wood as the user and executed a search warrant at Wood’s residence, seizing a laptop computer, desktop computer, two cellular phones and two tablets.
A search of Wood’s social media accounts and the seized electronic devices revealed that Wood communicated with three co-conspirators in the Philippines to procure images and videos of minors engaged in sexual conduct. Those communications occurred over various digital platforms. Wood routinely paid a co-conspirator for access to videos and images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, including via live feeds involving a child engaged in the specific sexual conduct requested by and paid for by Wood. Images and videos of at least five minor male and female victims, all under the age of 12, engaging in sexual conduct were electronically sent during online chat sessions from co-conspirators in the Philippines to Wood, at Wood’s request, and in exchange for payment by Wood. During the four years prior to Wood’s arrest, he paid more than $40,000 to co-conspirators in the Philippines in exchange for the production of child pornography.
In addition, the investigation revealed that sexually explicit images and videos of at least eight minor male victims 14 to 17 years old were electronically sent to Wood at his request from locations in the United States during online chat sessions. At least one of those minor victims was also paid by Wood, in the form of gift cards and new clothes, for producing sexually explicit images requested by Wood.
In addition to the images and videos of child pornography identified on Wood’s social media and cloud-based storage accounts, the forensic examination of the devices seized from Wood’s home revealed over 150 images and five videos of child pornography. The forensic analysis also showed screenshots of a ticket confirmation for Wood to travel to Manila, Philippines for two weeks, but investigators confirmed that Wood did not ultimately travel there and cancelled the ticket.
As stated in his plea agreement, upon his release from prison, Wood will be required to register as a sex offender in the places where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).
Wood and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Wood will be sentenced to between 17 years and 23 years in federal prison. U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel has scheduled sentencing for May 23, 2022 at 2:00 p.m.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc and click on the "Resources" tab on the left of the page.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended HSI and the Montgomery County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy F. Hagan, who is prosecuting the federal case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-childhood and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Check and Credit Card Scammer Sentenced to Five Years in Federal Prison for Bank and Wire FraudRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher sentenced Warren Tillery, age 46, of Atlanta, Georgia and previously of Baltimore to five years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiracy to commit mail and bank fraud. Judge Gallagher also ordered Tillery to pay $166,860 in restitution to victim financial institutions.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron and Postal Inspector in Charge Greg L. Torbenson of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service - Washington Division.
According to his plea agreement, from 2015 to February 2018, Tillery led a conspiracy to engage in a mail and bank fraud scheme designed to steal money from federally insured financial institutions in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Georgia, and elsewhere.
Tillery led and organized a conspiracy that initially focused on stealing checks written by victim businesses and individuals from United States Postal Service mail receptacles. As part of the scheme to defraud, Tillery obtained a stolen U.S. Postal Service key that opened mail receptacles in the Baltimore area. He then provided this key to co-conspirators who were recruited to steal mail and provide stolen checks to Tillery. Tillery altered the stolen checks or created fraudulent checks that displayed the victim’s account information and instruct co-conspirators to cash the fraudulently obtained checks made out to them in exchange for a portion of the proceeds. In addition to his check theft conspiracy, Tillery made counterfeit money orders and credit cards to use as secondary identification for check cashing and to make purchases.
As stated in his plea agreement, on February 2, 2018, a search warrant was executed at Tillery’s Atlanta-area home. As a result of the executed search warrant, investigators recovered card manufacturing equipment, $4,000 in cash, and hundreds of credit cards in his and others’ names encoded with stolen credit card information. Agents also recovered stolen credit card information, recently stolen U.S. Postal Service mail tubs, social security cards and driver’s licenses that belonged to other people, and hundreds of blank money orders and stolen checks.
Tillery’s fraud conspiracy caused at least $180,269 in losses to more than 30 victim businesses and 15 federally insured financial institutions. In total, Tillery personally obtained at least $30,000 from the conspiracy.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron praised the USPIS and the Harford County Sheriff’s Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam K. Ake and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Hamilton, who prosecuted the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to report fraud, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/report-fraud .
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Construction Company CEO Admits to Bribing APG Army Biochemist Researcher for Government ContractsRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – John R. Conigliaro, age 60, of Kingsville, Maryland, pleaded guilty yesterday to conspiracy to bribe a public official.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Christopher Dillard of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service - Mid-Atlantic Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge L. Scott Moreland of the Army Criminal Investigation Division.
Conigliaro is the owner and Chief Executive Officer of EISCO, Inc. EISCO provides general construction services, including fixed and portable biochemical laboratories.
According to his guilty plea, from 2012 to 2019, Conigliaro bribed an Army Research Biologist (Public Official 1), who worked at the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (CCDC) Chemical Biological Center (CB Center), located on Aberdeen Proving Ground, in Maryland. The CCDC CB Center is the nation’s principal research and development center for non-medical chemical and biological weapons defense. The CB Center develops technology in the areas of detection, protection, and decontamination. Conigliaro bribed Public Official 1 with a stream of benefits including cash loans, payments for renovations to rental properties owned by public official 1, payments for renovations to Public Official 1’s personal residence, and other things of value in exchange for influencing CB Center projects to EISCO.
For example, in October 2013, after EISCO received its first payment of $150,000 for a government project, Conigliaro gave cash and a $40,000 zero-interest loan to Public Official 1 to finance the purchase of two rental properties. Once Public Official 1 purchased the rental properties, Conigliaro paid for thousands of dollars of renovations to the rental properties. Further Public Official 1 executed a “Promissory Note,” in which Public Official 1 wrote that he repaid Conigliaro a portion of the funds that Conigliaro had given him with CB Center projects.
Additionally, from 2016 to 2018, Public Official 1 directed three CB Center projects to EISCO. During the performance of one of those projects, Conigliaro spent approximately half of the time not performing work but being “on call.” Over that same time period, Conigliaro paid for more than $30,000 in renovations to Public Official 1’s personal residence, including more than more than $20,000 to renovate Public Official 1’s kitchen, and more than $16,000 to replace the siding on Public Official 1’s personal residence.
According to the guilty plea, from July 2012 to 2019, Conigliaro paid more than $95,000 in bribes to Public Official 1, and over that same time period, Public Official 1 directed more than $1 million of contract awards to EISCO.
Conigliaro faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison followed by up to three of supervised release for conspiracy to bribe a public official. U.S. District Judge Deborah L. Boardman has scheduled sentencing for May 10, 2022, at 10 a.m.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI, the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, and the Army Criminal Investigation Division for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew P. Phelps and Harry Gruber, who are prosecuting the federal case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Salisbury Man Sentenced to Five Years in Federal Prison for Large-Scale Heroin Distribution Operation on the Dark WebRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake sentenced Jason Lawrence Green, age 40, of Salisbury, Maryland, today to five years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute heroin, which he sold on the dark web, which is part of the internet that is only accessible by using specific software that disguises the true location and identity of computers using the software to communicate.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge James R. Mancuso of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; Acting Postal Inspector in Charge Greg L. Torbenson of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service - Washington Division; Colonel Adrian Baker, Superintendent Maryland Department of Natural Resources Police; Colonel Woodrow W. Jones III, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police; and Dorchester County Sheriff James W. Phillips, Jr.
According to Green’s guilty plea, from at least 2018 through October 2019, Green used an apartment and a storage unit in Salisbury, Maryland to sell and distribute heroin on the dark web and using encrypted email services.
As detailed in the plea agreement, Green initially operated as “CaliClaire” on the Dream Market, a dark web marketplace for controlled substances and other illegal goods. After Dream Market closed in April 2019, Green sold heroin through encrypted email services under the usernames “CaliClaire” and “clairebear2.” Green sent the heroin to buyers throughout the country using the U.S. mail (USPS).
For example, on June 20 and August 28, 2018, an undercover investigator purchased one gram of heroin from CaliClaire’s vendor site on Dream Market for approximately $200 in bitcoin, a cryptocurrency. The next day, law enforcement surveilled Green as he drove a white BMW from his home to the post offices in Ocean City, Maryland and Salisbury, respectively, and deposited parcels in a mailbox. After the BMW drove away, investigators searched the mailbox and recovered the parcel addressed to the address provided to CaliClaire by the undercover investigator. Each parcel contained one gram of a substance that field-tested positive for heroin. Investigators also recovered two additional parcels that Green had placed in the mailbox in Salisbury. After obtaining search warrants, investigators found that the parcels contained 3.5 and 4.5 grams, respectively, of a tan powdery substance that appeared to be heroin.
CaliClaire was inactive on Dream Market from September 7, 2018 until December 4, 2018—the same time that Green was in custody after being arrested by Ocean City police on unrelated state charges. Green was released on electronic monitoring on December 4, 2018. Six days later, CaliClaire posted an update on Dream Market claiming that the vendor had taken a “break” due to the loss in value of bitcoin, followed by another update on December 21, 2018 stating that heroin would be available for purchase again starting on December 25, 2018. Dream Market was shut down sometime between January and April 2019.
In June and September 2019, law enforcement seized two USPS parcels (later found to contain heroin) being shipped to addresses in Fairfax County, Virginia and Washington County, Oregon. Investigators contacted the intended recipients and learned that they were former CaliClaire customers on Dream Market. The Virginia recipient told investigators that CaliClaire had resumed selling heroin directly to customers under the CaliClaire username on Encrypted Email Service A. Investigators learned from the Oregon customer that CaliClaire was also selling heroin directly to customers under the username “clairebear2” on Encrypted Email Service B.
As detailed in the plea agreement, in September and October 2019, investigators conducted two undercover purchases from clairebear2 on Encrypted Mail Service B, each time obtaining 2 grams of heroin for $300 in bitcoin. Investigators surveilled Green following each undercover purchase. After the first purchase, investigators observed Green delivering parcels to a drive-up mailbox in Delaware. The mailbox where Green deposited the parcel was searched and the parcel addressed to the undercover officer was found. It contained three grams of a substance that field-tested positive for heroin. After the second purchase, Green was seen accessing a storage unit he was renting and later that day depositing multiple parcels in a mailbox in Berlin, Maryland. The parcel addressed to the undercover officer was delivered to investigators a few days later and contained a clear zip-top bag holding approximately 2.5 grams of a substance that field-tested positive for heroin.
Search warrants were executed at Green’s residence and storage unit on October 16, 2019. Law enforcement recovered a total of 77 grams of heroin; approximately 41 grams of cocaine; approximately five grams of MDA, a controlled substance often sold as “ecstasy”; approximately 33 grams of amphetamine; more than 1.4 kilograms of marijuana, with all but 48 grams packaged in heat sealed bags; 334 grams of cutting agent; and drug paraphernalia, including numerous digital scales, a money counter, and packaging materials. In addition, investigators seized six firearms, including a .40 caliber pistol which had been reported stolen from an officer with the Federal Air Marshal Service; a Level 3A body armor vest; ammunition; $13,796 in cash; mailing materials; a laptop computer and several cellular phones, including an iPhone.
A subsequent forensic analysis of Green’s iPhone found data of Green’s use of Encrypted Mail Service B and a mobile cryptocurrency storage application which showed that before the phone was seized, the wallet held approximately 15.97 bitcoin, which at that time was worth approximately $130,000. A forensic analysis of the laptop revealed, among other things, internet searches related to the addresses of customers; the names and addresses of approximately 56 individuals who appeared in either return or recipient addresses on parcels seized during the investigation and found to contain heroin, including undercover purchases; email addresses for Encrypted Email Services A and B; a password to Encrypted Email Service B; USPS tracking numbers, including for the undercover parcels; and approximately 44 PDF files containing USPS shipping labels from nearly every heroin parcel seized during the investigation.
This case was prosecuted utilizing resources from the Dark Market and Digital Currency Crimes (DMDCC) Task Force. The DMDCC Task Force is a joint effort between the U.S. Attorney’s Office, HSI – Baltimore, the U.S. Secret Service, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; the Food and Drug Administration, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the Baltimore Police Department, and the Baltimore County Police Department, targeting the use of dark net marketplaces and digital currencies to facilitate criminal activities. The past several years have witnessed a significant increase in the use of the internet (both the clear net and dark net) and digital currencies to facilitate, for example, the illegal sale and distribution of narcotics and firearms, computer technologies (including hacking tools), and Personal Identifiable Information (PII). In response to this rising threat, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, HSI, and their partners formed the DMDCC Task Force to facilitate stronger collaboration among law enforcement partners combatting these crimes.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended HSI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Maryland State Police, and the Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey J. Izant and Christopher M. Rigali, who prosecuted the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Romanian National Sentenced to Five Years in Federal Prison for Bank Fraud and Wire Fraud Conspiracy Related to a Scheme to Steal Checks Intended for Religious Institutions from the MailRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang sentenced Romanian national Mateus Vaduva, age 29, of Baltimore, Maryland, and Florida yesterday to five years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud, in connection with a scheme to steal donation checks intended for religious institutions from the mail. Judge Chuang also ordered Mateus Vaduva to pay restitution in the full amount of the victims’ losses, which is $1,320,885.84 and entered a forfeiture money judgment in the amount of $79,551.07, equal to the proceeds Vaduva obtained as a result of the conspiracy.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Acting Postal Inspector in Charge Greg L. Torbenson of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service - Washington Division; Special Agent in Charge James R. Mancuso of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; Acting Special Agent in Charge Quenton Sallows, of the Mid-Atlantic Region, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General (FDIC-OIG); Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department; Chief Toni Dezomits of the Cary, North Carolina, Police Department; and Sheriff Dusty Rhoades of the Williamson County, Tennessee, Sheriff’s Office.
According to his guilty plea, beginning in June 2018 to January 2021, Vaduva and his co-conspirators conspired to steal checks from the U.S. mail intended for religious institutions and deposit the illegally obtained funds into multiple fraudulent bank accounts at various victim financial institutions. Conspirators, including Vaduva, conducted the thefts by driving to roadside mailboxes of churches and other religious institutions and removing the mail, specifically targeting donation checks.
As part of the scheme to defraud, Vaduva and other co-conspirators fraudulently opened bank accounts at victim financial institutions under false identities. Conspiracy members often opened fictitious bank accounts with the aid of a conspiracy member that was an employee at one of the victim financial institutions. In addition, Vaduva and his co-conspirators used at least two extended family members who were minors to assist in the account openings.
Vaduva and co-conspirators then withdrew cash from the fraudulent bank accounts through ATMs and spent the illegally obtained proceeds using debit cards associated with the bank accounts.
Throughout the scheme to defraud, Vaduva personally deposited at least approximately 126 stolen checks totaling at least approximately $79,551.07. In total, co-conspirators deposited at least 3,067 stolen checks from Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, and elsewhere, totaling at least approximately $1,307,484.23. Vaduva admitted that based on the length, scope, and type of involvement in the scheme and his relationship with other conspirators, more than $550,000, but less than $1.5 million in actual and intended loss was foreseeable to Vaduva.
Co-conspirators Daniel Velcu, age 44; Marian Unguru, age 37; Marius Vaduva, age 27; and Vali Unguru, age 19, all of Baltimore, Maryland, previously pled guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud and are awaiting sentencing. Nicolae Gindac, age 53, of Dania Beach, Florida pled guilty to the same charge and was sentenced to 54 months in federal prison.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, HSI, the FDIC Office of Inspector General, the Montgomery County Police Department, the Cary (North Carolina) Police Department, and the Williamson County (Tennessee) Sheriff’s Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Wright, who is prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources to report fraud, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/report-fraud.
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Centreville Man Sentenced to 16 Years in Federal Prison for Coercion and Enticement of a MinorRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher sentenced William Tyler Beck, age 30, of Centreville, Maryland to 16 years in federal prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, for coercion and enticement of a minor. Judge Gallagher also ordered that, upon his release from prison, Beck must continue to register as a sex offender in the places where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge James R. Mancuso of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore and Colonel Woodrow W. Jones III, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police.
According to his guilty plea, between 2014 and August 2018, Beck used internet-based communication services to coerce at least six minor females into creating and sending him sexually explicit images and videos of themselves. As part of his scheme to exploit the minors, Beck created fictitious accounts and represented himself as a 16-year old minor.
Specifically, on March 5, 2017, Beck used a cell phone and video streaming application to communicate with Jane Doe, a 9-year-old victim. Beck instructed the victim to perform sexual acts on a live stream video and threatened to call the police if she did not cooperate with his demands. As a result of Beck’s threats, Jane Doe exposed her breast, genitalia, and performed other sexual acts on an open live stream video. The live stream video was viewed by over 100 users, and some users immediately reported the conduct to law enforcement. After Jane Doe was banned from the live stream site, Beck instructed Jane Doe to change her username to “Lil Sexy Chica” to stream another video where she performed additional sexual acts. Beck also live streamed a video of himself masturbating during his communication with Jane Doe.
According to Beck’s plea agreement, from approximately 2014 to August 2017, Beck used two social media applications to communicate with minor females who identified themselves as ages 9 to 16 years of age. Beck communicated with more than 24 self-identifying minors during that time. All communications related to sex or requests for photos. During most of the conversations, Beck falsely posed as a 16-year-old or 13-year-old minor.
In at least three instances, Beck threatened to expose the victims by posting pictures, stating that he already posted pictures, or threatening to tell the victims’ parents that they were using the applications.
Beck admits that he caused or attempted to cause at least five minor females between the ages of 13 and 16 years of age to produce images, videos, or live stream videos of their exposed genitalia.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc and click on the "Resources" tab on the left of the page.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the HSI, the Maryland State Police, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Police, Kent County Sheriff’s Office, the Madisonville Police Department of Kentucky, and the Queen Anne’s County Sheriff’s Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul E. Budlow who prosecuted the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-childhood and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Baltimore Heroin Dealer Sentenced to Five Years in Federal Prison for Drug Conspiracy ChargeRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander sentenced Larry Gardner, a/k/a “Little Larry,” age 40, of Baltimore, Maryland, today to five years in federal prison, followed by four years of supervised release, for his participation in a conspiracy to distribute heroin and other drugs in the Baltimore area.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Assistant Special Agent in Charge Orville O. Greene of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office; and Postal Inspector in Charge Greg L. Torbenson of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service - Washington Division.
According to his guilty plea, between November 2019 and December 2020, Gardner participated in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that distributed large quantities of controlled dangerous substances, including heroin, in the Baltimore area.
As detailed in the plea agreement, between June and November 2020, federal agents assigned to the Baltimore Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Strike Force intercepted hundreds of electronic and wire communications between Gardner and the leader of the DTO which revealed that Gardner was a mid-level distributor of heroin and that the DTO leader was his source of supply.
Gardner exchanged coded text messages with the DTO’s leader negotiating the price and amount of heroin. After one such exchange on November 4, 2020, a covert camera captured the DTO leader entering an apartment in downtown Baltimore used as a stash house, then leave eight minutes later. A few minutes later, agents conducting surveillance outside Gardner’s residence saw the DTO leader arrive and intercepted a message from the DTO leader to Gardner stating, “Here cuz”. The DTO leader rang the bell at Gardner’s residence and Gardner answered the door and accompanied the DTO leader to his car, where they conducted the heroin transaction.
On December 16, 2020, law enforcement executed a search at Gardner’s residence, which was occupied at that time by Gardner, his wife, and three minor children. Law enforcement recovered a ballistic vest, a kilogram press and more than 1,000 empty gel capsules in the basement. In the bathroom, officers found white residue around a toilet and on the floor next to the toilet; plastic bags containing a white powder substance; and at least one plastic bag with a crystalline white rock-like substance that was subsequently analyzed and identified as approximately 19 grams of cocaine.
Gardner admitted that it was reasonably foreseeable to him that the conspiracy involved the distribution of between 100 and 400 grams of heroin.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Project Safe Neighborhoods is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
This prosecution was brought as a part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Co-located Strike Forces Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations against a continuum of priority targets and their affiliate illicit financial networks. These prosecutor-led co-located Strike Forces capitalize on the synergy created through the long-term relationships that can be forged by agents, analysts, and prosecutors who remain together over time, and they epitomize the model that has proven most effective in combating organized crime. The specific mission of the Baltimore OCDETF Strike Force is to reduce violent, drug-related, and gang crime in the Baltimore area and surrounding region.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI, the DEA, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service for their work in the investigation and thanked the Baltimore Police Department for its assistance. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey J. Izant, who prosecuted the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Baltimore County Husband and Wife Sentenced to Federal Prison for a Crack Cocaine Distribution ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III sentenced Nathaniel Donnell Carter, age 37, of Baltimore, Maryland, yesterday to eight years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute crack cocaine and for possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Judge Russell sentenced Carter’s wife, Raymia Sophia Carroll, also age 37, of Baltimore, to 30 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for the crack cocaine distribution conspiracy.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Assistant Special Agent in Charge Orville O. Greene of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office; Chief Melissa R. Hyatt of the Baltimore County Police Department; and Baltimore County State’s Attorney Scott Shellenberger.
According to their guilty pleas, on November 12, 2019, the DEA and the Baltimore County Police Department conducted surveillance on Carter’s and Carroll’s family home in connection with an investigation into their drug trafficking activities. Law enforcement saw Carter leave the house with a bulge in the front pocket of his hooded jacket and drive away. Carter was seen fidgeting in the car and continued to reach behind and under the front passenger seat. Baltimore County Police conducted a traffic stop. After being read his Miranda rights, which he acknowledged, Carter gave consent for officers to search his vehicle, telling them “it would be under the seat.” Law enforcement recovered a .45-caliber handgun from the center console of the vehicle and a large black bag containing 1,012.3 grams of crack cocaine from under the front passenger seat.
Law enforcement traveled to a Baltimore County elementary school to conduct surveillance on Carroll and saw her car. A K9 scan of the vehicle alerted positive for drugs. Law enforcement conducted a search of the vehicle and recovered approximately 385.242 grams of crack cocaine and packaging materials.
A subsequent search of the family home recovered 72.9 grams of crack cocaine, packaging materials, and 22.5 grams of suspected marijuana.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. PSN, an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime, is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the DEA, the Baltimore County Police Department, and the Baltimore County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joan C. Mathias and Christopher M. Rigali, who prosecuted the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Associate Medical Director of Baltimore County, Maryland Pain Management Practice Sentenced to Federal Prison for Accepting Kick-BacksRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III sentenced Howard Hoffberg, M.D., age 65, of Reisterstown, Maryland, today, to eight months in federal prison, followed by one year of supervised release, for conspiracy to violate the anti-kickback statutes, in connection with a scheme to accept payments from a pharmaceutical company in exchange for prescribing a fentanyl-based drug.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Assistant Special Agent in Charge Orville O. Greene of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office; Special Agent in Charge Maureen Dixon, Office of Investigations, Office of Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services; and Chief Melissa R. Hyatt of the Baltimore County Police Department.
According to his guilty plea, Howard Hoffberg, is a doctor and was licensed to practice medicine in the State of Maryland. He served as the Associate Medical Director and part-owner of Rosen-Hoffberg Rehabilitation and Pain Management (the “Practice”). The Practice’s Medical Director was Norman Rosen, who worked primarily at the Practice’s Towson, Maryland locations. Hoffberg principally worked at the Practice’s location in Owings Mills, Maryland, but at times also was at the Practice’s locations in Towson, Maryland.
Hoffberg was a Medicare provider and submitted claims to Medicare, which is federal healthcare program. In September 2011, Hoffberg certified to Medicare that he would comply with Medicare rules and regulations, including that he would refrain from violating the federal anti-kickback statute. Further, in August 2013, Hoffberg certified to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”), as part of his ability to prescribe drugs known as Transmucosal Immediate Release Fentanyl (“TIRF”) drugs, that: (a) he understood TIRF drugs are indicated only for the management of breakthrough pain in cancer patients; (b) he understood that TIRF drugs can be abused by patients; and (c) he understood that one TIRF drug is not interchangeable with another TIRF drug.
As detailed in his plea agreement, starting in June 2012, Hoffberg solicited and received kickbacks and bribes for himself in the form of payments from Insys Therapeutics, Inc. (“Insys”) (a pharmaceutical company) and related entities. In January 2012, the FDA approved Insys’s application to sell and market a TIRF drug named Subsys to treat cancer patients experiencing break-through pain, which is a sudden onset of pain in cancer patients that cannot be controlled with their usual treatment regimen. Subsys is a potent opioid designed to rapidly enter a patient’s bloodstream upon being sprayed under the tongue. Subsys contains fentanyl, which is a synthetic opioid pain reliever that has a high potential for abuse and addiction.
According to the plea agreement, because of the limited number of cancer patients experiencing breakthrough pain who fit the FDA-approved criteria, Insys devised an illegal kickback and bribery scheme to induce Hoffberg and others to prescribe Subsys off-label for conditions other than breakthrough pain in cancer patients. In order to conceal and disguise that kickbacks and bribes were being paid to Hoffberg to prescribe Subsys, Insys falsely designated the payments to Hoffberg as “honoraria” for purportedly providing educational programs about Subsys (the “Speakers Bureau Program”). Hoffberg admitted that his participation in the Speakers Bureau Program was a sham. Hoffberg often made these presentations at high-end restaurants, and to staff at the Practice and/or to persons who could not even prescribe controlled substances. Hoffberg knew that these presentations were not designed to promote any bona fide educational initiative about Subsys but rather were required to receive the honoraria.
Hoffberg was paid $66,600 by Insys and knew that these payments were kickbacks and bribes that were paid, at least in part, to induce Hoffberg to prescribe, or in exchange for Hoffberg prescribing, Subsys. As part of the scheme, through January 2018 Hoffberg prescribed Subsys to patients of the Practice who were not suffering from cancer, some of whose insurance coverage was paid for, in whole or in part, by a federal healthcare program. Further, Hoffberg admitted that he switched several other patients to Subsys from another fentanyl-based drug because of the kickbacks he received from Insys, even though he previously certified that TIRF drugs were not interchangeable.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI, the DEA, HHS-OIG, and the Baltimore County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason D. Medinger, who prosecuted the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Prince George’s County Felon Pleads Guilty to Federal Charge for Illegal Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – Kweisi Akeem Gray, age 27, of Lanham, Maryland, pleaded guilty yesterday to the federal charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Acting Special Agent in Charge L.C. Cheeks, Jr. of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; and Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department.
According to his guilty plea, on April 9, 2021, a Prince George’s County Police officer saw a car backed into a parking space with its engine running in the Riverdale Road area in New Carrollton, Maryland. The vehicle had no front tag and the rear temporary tag had expired in September 2020. Several men appeared to be smoking inside and outside the vehicle.
The officer activated his lights and pulled his cruiser directly in front of the car. The driver, later identified as Gray, stepped out of the vehicle, looked in the direction of the officer’s cruiser, and put his right arm under the driver’s seat before shutting the door and walking away. The officer stopped Gray in an empty parking space and a second officer arriving on the scene handcuffed Gray for a brief time. The officers smelled the odor of marijuana emanating from the vehicle. A subsequent search recovered a .40 caliber pistol sticking out from under the driver’s seat. The pistol was loaded with one 9mm round of ammunition in the chamber and 12 rounds of .40 caliber ammunition in the magazine. Officers also recovered a black plastic bag containing eight grams of marijuana on the front passenger seat. The keys to the car were found in Gray’s pants pocket. Gray was arrested.
Gray knew that as a result of a previous felony conviction, he was prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition.
Gray faces a maximum of 10 years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang has scheduled sentencing for May 31, 2022 at 9:00 a.m.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. PSN, an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime, is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the ATF and the Prince George’s County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy F. Hagan and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick D. Kibbe, who are prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Owner of Steel Drum Company Admits to Defrauding over $20 Million from a Harford County, Maryland Manufacturer in Kickback SchemeRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Anthony P. Urcioli, Sr., age 78, of Park Ridge, New Jersey, pleaded guilty yesterday to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and filing a false tax return.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Darrell J. Waldon of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, Washington, D.C. Field Office.
According to his guilty plea, Urcioli is the owner and president of Tunnel, Barrel & Drum Co, Inc. (TBD), a wholesale commercial drum container seller.
As stated in his plea agreement, in 2012, Urcioli approached two employees (Employees 1 and 2) of a New York company that formulates and produces oils and extracts used in the food industry (Company 1) to purchase TBD’s drums for manufacturing in Harford County, Maryland. One of the employee’s responsibilities (Employee 1) was to review drum invoices and authorize payments to drum suppliers.
After TBD became a drum supplier to Company 1, Employee 1 proposed to Urcioli to continue selling drums to Company 1 if Urcioli agreed to fraudulently invoice Company 1 for more drums than TBD actually sold and delivered to the company. Urcioli and Employee 1 agreed to falsify invoices and split the extra funds paid to TBD from Company 1 for fabricated deliveries. Employee 1 told Urcioli he would split his portion of the funds by fifty percent with Urcioli and share twenty-five percent of the remaining funds with Employee 2. As a result of this conversation, Urcioli accepted Employee 1’s offer to pocket the extra funds or “kickbacks”.
From approximately January 2012 to January 31, 2020, Employee 1 contacted Urcioli at least once a week to discuss the number and type of drums that Employee 1 actually wanted delivered to Company 1’s Maryland facilities. During the same conversation, Employee 1 told Urcioli how many additional drums to charge Company 1 but not deliver to Company 1. After Urcioli created bogus invoices that fraudulently billed Company 1 for both delivered and undelivered drums, Employee 1 approved the invoices and sent them to Company 1’s headquarters to be paid.
Urcioli, Employee 1, and Employee 2 agreed to write the kickback checks in the names of two fraudulent companies to create the appearance of authentic wholesale drum invoices and serve as a deductible as a cost of goods on TBD’s tax returns. Additionally, in December 2013, Urcioli told Employee 1 about Hartford Fibre Drum, Inc., the other drum supply company Urcioli owned. After receiving records that proved that Hartford was a legitimate company, Employee 1 and Urcioli agreed to expand the kickback scheme to include Hartford.
Between January 2012 and January 31, 2020, Urcioli falsely invoiced Company 1 a total of $20,300,757. TBD and Hartford kept half that amount while the remaining funds were sent to Employee 1 and Employee 2. Urcioli also used his companies and their bank accounts to conceal the scheme and launder the proceeds. As a result of the scheme to defraud, Urcioli obtained approximately $10,150,378 from checks made out to TBD and Hartford.
Further, over the course of the eight-year scheme to defraud Company 1, Urcioli filed yearly corporate tax returns for TBD and Hartford that falsely stated the cost of goods sold each year. In total, from 2014 to 2020, TBD and Hartford underreported the companies’ incomes by approximately $9.05 million, resulting in a tax loss to the federal government of $2,539,633.
Urcioli faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and a maximum of three years in prison followed by one year of supervised release for filing a false tax return. U.S. District Judge Lydia Kay Griggsby has not yet scheduled sentencing.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI and IRS-CI for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marty Clarke and Harry M. Gruber. who are prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Owner of Maryland Export Business Sentenced to Federal Prison for Attempting to Smuggle Items Out of the U.S. Without the Required Export LicenseRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III today sentenced Jorge Orencel, age 65, of Silver Spring, Maryland, to six months in federal prison, followed by one year of supervised release, for federal charges of attempting to smuggle goods out of the United States without the required export license. Judge Russell also ordered Orencel, who owned and operated Sumtech, an export business located in Fulton, Maryland, to pay a $5,000 fine.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agents in Charge Jonathan Carson and Nasir Khan of the U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Export Enforcement, New York and Washington Field Offices, respectively.
According to his guilty plea, Orencel owned and operated Sumtech, which advertised itself on the Internet as specializing in the distribution of American merchandise, including “high technology laboratory devices,” to South America, Asia, and the Middle East.
As detailed in the plea agreement, in October 2016, Orencel began communicating with Co-conspirator 1, an individual representing herself as an employee of a company in Hong Kong, regarding Co-conspirator 1’s desire to purchase five ionization chambers and one fission chamber from Company A, which manufactured gas-filled nuclear radiation detectors. Co-conspirator 1 advised that Company A, located in New York, required an end user statement and export license if they knew the goods were to be shipped to other countries, and suggested to Orencel that he not mention that the goods would be shipped to Hong Kong. Orencel agreed and got a quote from Company A for prices on the items requested by Co-conspirator 1, falsely telling officials from Company A that the request was from a customer in Argentina, South America.
After communicating with Co-conspirator 1, on October 26, 2016, Orencel sent a Sumtech purchase order to Company A for the ionization chambers and the fission chamber, along with an End User Statement on Sumtech letterhead and a Statement by Ultimate Consignee and Purchaser, which falsely indicated that the end user and ultimate destination was a company in Argentina. On February 7, 2017, Orencel emailed Co-conspirator 1 that he had received the ionization chambers but not the fission chamber. Orencel stated that although Company A had indicated that the fission chamber was regulated because it contained nuclear material, Orencel had obtained a ruling from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that the item was not barred from export due to the small amount of nuclear material contained within the chamber. The following day, Orencel sent an email to Co-conspirator 1 advising that Company A had not built the fission chamber and would not do so until Orencel agreed that the fission chamber would be transported via UPS SCS, a shipping service provided by the United Parcel Service (UPS) which would pick an item up directly from the seller, such as Company A, and ship it directly to the user. Orencel stated to Co-conspirator 1, “This is a very difficult vendor…seems like they are a little suspicious and of course we have not said that the unit is for Hong Kong.”
As detailed in the plea agreement, on February 24, 2017, law enforcement agents from the Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry Security, Office of Export Enforcement visited Orencel at Sumtech. The agents provided Orencel copies of reference materials regarding export rules and regulations and reviewed the materials with Orencel. Orencel told the agents that he was very familiar with U.S. export laws and his company always obtained export licenses when required.
Shortly after that visit, on March 3, 2017, Orencel shipped the ionization chambers to an address in Hong Kong, despite his statements to Company A that the items were destined for Argentina and would not be re-exported.
On August 22, 2017, shortly after Company A advised Orencel that the fission chamber was completed and ready for pickup by UPS for shipment to the end user, Orencel executed a Shipper’s Letter of Instruction falsely certifying that the fission chamber was detection equipment with a value of $930 and the ultimate consignee and destination was in Argentina. In fact, Orencel knew that the fission chamber was valued at $9,300 and that he planned to export the item to Hong Kong. If Orencel had correctly stated the value of the item, which was more than $2,500, he would have been required to file a Shipper’s Export Declaration, which, in turn, would have alerted the Department of Commerce and other authorities to the existence of the shipment and allowed them to track the export and confirm compliance with licensing and other export requirements.
On August 25, 2017, Orencel emailed Co-conspirator 1 that UPS had picked up the fission chamber from Company A and discussed how to get the item shipped to Hong Kong, since the paperwork was issued with the name of a fake end-user. Co-conspirator 1 suggested contacting a freight forwarder in California, that had previously assisted in a similar situation. Orencel advised that he was trying to convince the shipper in New York to move the package to Maryland so he could pick it up and export it to Co-conspirator 1. Law enforcement authorities detained the package at the UPS facility in New York before it could be shipped any further.
Orencel admitted to law enforcement in a voluntary interview on October 30, 2017, that he never intended to ship the fission chamber to Argentina and had only listed Argentina as the final destination to convince Company A to release the fission chamber for shipment. Further, Orencel stated that he planned to contact UPS after it had picked up the fission chamber from Company A and direct UPS to change the shipping address to Hong Kong. Orencel admitted that he also knew he was required to file a Shipper’s Export Declaration and export information in the Automated Export System, since the value of the fission chamber was more than $2,500.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Export Enforcement for its work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kathleen O. Gavin and Abigail Ticse, who prosecuted the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Washington, D.C. Man Admits to Participating in the Kidnapping of a Victim at Maryland Hotel and CasinoRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – Christopher Allen Young, a/k/a “40,” age 26, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty yesterday to conspiracy to commit kidnapping, in connection with the kidnapping of a victim from a Maryland hotel and casino.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Wayne Jacobs of the Federal Bureau of Investigation - Washington Field Office Criminal Division; and Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office.
According to Young’s guilty plea, on February 3, 2021, co-conspirators 1 and 2 met Victim A at a Maryland casino and hotel, and falsely promised Victim A that they would get women for Victim A if Victim A accompanied them to Southeast Washington, D.C. At approximately 7:30 a.m., Victim A agreed to get into co-conspirator 1’s vehicle with co-conspirators 1 and 2 and they drove from the casino and hotel to Washington, D.C.
As detailed in the plea agreement, at 8:12 a.m., Young received a call from co-conspirator 2. A minute later, Young called co-conspirator 3 to report that co-conspirators 1 and 2 had “snatched” Victim A and all Young and co-conspirator 3 had to do was sit in the car with Victim A while co-conspirators 1 and 2 robbed Victim A. Young advised co-conspirator 3 that he was going to split the proceeds of the robbery with co-conspirators 1 and 2, and would pay co-conspirator 3 from his share. Young added that, if Victim A “gets feisty, I don’t want to have to crush him.”
A short time later, co-conspirators 1 and 2 arrived in Southeast D.C. with Victim A, and Young and co-conspirator 3 got in the car. Co-conspirator 2 pointed a gun at Victim A, and Young and the co-conspirators took Victim A’s personal items, including Victim A’s wallet, cellphone, and watch (which had been purchased for approximately $500), and the key to Victim A’s hotel room. Young and the co-conspirators then demanded the code to the safe in Victim A’s hotel room. After Victim A refused to provide the code to the safe, co-conspirator 2 struck Victim A in the forehead with the gun, and Victim A gave up the code to his safe. Co-conspirator 2 then forced Victim A out of the vehicle.
Young and co-conspirator 3 then exited the vehicle with Victim A, while co-conspirators 1 and 2 drove back to the casino and hotel. Young and co-conspirator 3 then led Victim A, at gunpoint, to a boiler room inside an apartment building in Southeast D.C., and co-conspirator 3 called co-conspirator 4 to ask him to look out for police or anyone else who might be near enough to hear or see Young and co-conspirator 3 with Victim A.
Inside the boiler room, Young and co-conspirator 3 physically assaulted Victim A and threatened his life. Young and co-conspirator 3 also demanded that Victim A disclose the PIN number for his ATM card, which was in Victim A’s wallet that they had taken, and to provide details about Victim A’s hotel room, including what was in the safe.
According to the plea agreement, co-conspirators 1 and 2 were seen on surveillance footage leaving Victim A’s hotel room with a backpack and roller suitcase, which contained items they had stolen from the room, including an Xbox, at least $1,500 in MGM Casino chips, and approximately $6,000 in cash. The total value of the property stolen from Victim A during the kidnapping was at least $8,000.
When Young and co-conspirator 3 learned that co-conspirators 1 and 2 had finished stealing property from Victim A’s hotel room, they left the boiler room, leaving Victim A. They were seen by law enforcement at approximately 10:57 a.m. walking away from the area of the boiler room, getting into Young’s vehicle, and driving away. Just a few moments later, law enforcement located Victim A near the apartment building, with blood running down his face and a wound on his forehead. Victim A also appeared to have suffered cuts on his mouth and eye, and a broken nose. At about that same time, Young and his co-conspirators discussed the kidnapping and robbery during a phone call. Young told the co-conspirators that he was not worried about Victim A talking to law enforcement because Victim A was too afraid after Young and co-conspirator 3 had threatened him. Young said he told Victim A, “If the police come, or anything come, I got your address. Mom…your little brother, all them is gone!”
Young and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Young will be sentenced to 126 months in federal prison. U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel has scheduled sentencing for May 5, 2022 at 2 p.m.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. PSN, an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime, is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
This case is an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI Washington and Baltimore Field Offices for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey J. Izant, who is prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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United States Postal Service Letter Carrier Sentenced to Six Years in Federal Prison for Bank and Mail Fraud ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake sentenced Johnson B. Ogunlana, age 25, of Edgewood, Maryland, to six years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release for conspiracy to commit bank fraud and mail fraud, access device fraud, aggravated identity theft, and theft of mail by a postal employee. As part of his sentencing, Ogunlana has been ordered to pay $232,588 in restitution.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Imari R. Niles of the U.S. Postal Service, Office of Inspector General; and Postal Inspector in Charge Greg Torbenson of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service - Washington Division.
According to his plea agreement, Ogunlana was a letter carrier for the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) in Brooklyn, Maryland. Ogunlana knew that his duties and responsibilities as a letter carrier included handling, sorting, collecting, and delivering letter and parcel mail to postal customers residing and conducting business on his assigned postal delivery routes, and preserving and protecting the security of all mail in his custody.
Between July 25, 2016 and February 5, 2019, Ogunlana, and his co-conspirator Samson A. Oguntuyi, age 29, of Atlanta, Georgia conspired with others to steal bank checks and credit and debit cards from the mail, open fraudulent business banking accounts using the names of victim businesses and the stolen identities of victim postal customers to negotiate the stolen checks by depositing them into the fraudulent bank accounts, and then conduct transactions with stolen payment cards and with money derived from the stolen checks.
As detailed in the plea agreement, Ogunlana intercepted and stole mail pieces containing credit cards addressed to individual victims and sent photos of the stolen mail pieces and credit cards through a messaging application to Oguntuyi and other conspirators. Oguntuyi then used the victims’ personal identifying information (“PII”) to activate the stolen credit cards and to obtain new credit cards the victims never requested or applied for. Once the stolen credit cards were activated, members of the conspiracy used the credit cards to make retail purchases.
Members of the conspiracy also registered fraudulent businesses with state government agencies in similar names as the victim businesses. Conspiracy members also used the fraudulent businesses to cash stolen checks. Conspiracy members also used the names and identifying information of postal customer identity theft victims as the agents and/or incorporators of the fraudulent businesses and used stolen payment cards issued to identity theft victims to pay fees to register some of the fraudulent businesses. Ogunlana stole checks payable to victim businesses, whose mail was serviced out of the USPS facility where Ogunlana worked, by intercepting their mail. Oguntuyi and Ogunlana then endorsed some of the checks by forging the signatures of identity theft victims and depositing the checks into the fraudulent business bank accounts the conspirators opened in the names of the victim businesses. The conspirators then withdrew the money from the accounts through cash withdrawals, debit card purchases and cash back transactions at retail merchants, wire transfers, and by writing checks drawn on the accounts.
As detailed in his plea agreement, at least $565,000 in checks was stolen from two victim businesses and at least eight postal customers were victims of identity theft.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron praised the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service for their work in the investigation and thanked the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration for its assistance. Mr. Barron thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael F. Davio, who is prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach. For more information about resources available to report fraud, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/report-fraud.
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United States Attorney Announces the Appointment of Assistant United States Attorney Matthew J. Maddox to Serve as a Federal Magistrate Judge in MarylandRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron announced today that Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew J. Maddox has been appointed to serve as a United States Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the District of Maryland. He will sit in Baltimore, Maryland.
U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron said, “Matthew’s appointment is a reflection of his tremendous service to the United States Attorney’s Office and I am excited that he will be continuing in public service as a federal judge. Matthew is a uniquely talented and dedicated public servant, whose intellect and commitment to helping others are no doubt why he was selected for the federal bench. Matthew joins a distinguished group of Maryland United States Attorney’s Office alumni who have gone on to serve as judges at both the state and federal level.”
Mr. Maddox has served in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland as an Assistant U.S. Attorney since 2015. In this capacity, Mr. Maddox prosecuted a wide range of criminal cases, including human trafficking, child exploitation, identity theft, financial fraud, bank robbery, and a variety of other federal offenses. In 2017, Mr. Maddox received an award from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Outstanding Contribution to a Law Enforcement Initiative. Mr. Maddox has served as the Office’s Identity Theft Coordinator since 2018 and Deputy Chief of the Major Crimes Section since 2020.
Mr. Maddox was born and raised in Maryland. He graduated summa cum laude from Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland, where he majored in philosophy and religious studies. After receiving his B.A. degree, Mr. Maddox was a Fulbright Scholar and taught high school through the Teach for America program. Mr. Maddox received his J.D. degree from the Yale Law School in 2011.
Upon graduation from law school, Mr. Maddox served as law clerk to the Honorable Gerald Bruce Lee, United States District Judge for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. From October 2012 to August 2014, Mr. Maddox worked as a litigation associate at the law firm of Holland & Knight in Washington, D.C. From August 2014 to August 2015, Mr. Maddox served as law clerk to the Honorable André M. Davis, United States Circuit Judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.
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Oxon Hill Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Charges for a Drug Distribution Conspiracy and for Illegal Possession of Stolen FirearmsRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – Zaid Rushdan, age 41, of Oxon Hill, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to federal charges of conspiracy, possession with intent to distribute controlled substance, and to possession of stolen firearms.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of the Drug Enforcement Administration - Washington Division; Special Agent in Charge Charlie Patterson of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives - Washington Field Division; and Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince Georges’ County Police Department.
According to his guilty plea, from at least December 2020 until February 11, 2021, Rushdan conspired with others to distribute and possess with intent to distribute over one kilogram of phencyclidine (“PCP”) and over 28 grams of crack cocaine.
Specifically, the DEA began investigating Rushdan, a co-conspirator, and others for distributing narcotics in Southern Maryland and the District of Columbia. Agents determined that Co-Conspirator 1 was transporting drugs and drug proceeds to facilitate Rushdan’s drug trafficking business after seeing Co-Conspirator 1 at Rushdan’s apartment on multiple occasions, leaving and picking up bags at the apartment while traveling to and from drug trafficking locations.
On February 11, 2021, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Rushdan’s apartment and seized: over a gallon (4,486 grams) of PCP with a purity of between 7% and 12%; approximately 299 grams of powder cocaine; approximately 31 grams of crack cocaine; plastic baggies containing pills and powders, subsequently identified to include 50 grams of heroin and 81.35 grams of Eutylone; approximately seven pounds of marijuana; seven handguns; two rifles; approximately 652 rounds of ammunition; and $14,485 in cash.
Rushdan admitted that the $14,485 in cash were proceeds of his drug trafficking business and all of the firearms were used, or were intended to be used, to facilitate his drug trafficking. As detailed in his plea agreement, Rushdan also knew, or had reasonable cause to believe, that four of the firearms were stolen, specifically, a Glock .40 caliber pistol, a Springfield Armory .45 ACP pistol, a Smith and Wesson 9x19mm pistol, and an Auto-Ordnance Corporation .45 ACP pistol.
Rushdan and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Rushdan will be sentenced to at least 121 months, but not more than 151 months, in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang has scheduled sentencing for April 7, 2022 at 9:00 a.m.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. PSN, an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime, is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the DEA, the ATF, and the Prince George’s County Police Department for their work in the investigation and thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, the Town of Vienna, Virginia Police Department, the Alexandria, Virginia Police Department, the Virginia State Police, the Arlington, Virginia Police Department, the Loudoun County, Virginia Sheriff’s Office, and the Fairfax County Police Department for their assistance. Mr. Barron thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick D. Kibbe and Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam K. Ake, who are prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Felon Who Possessed a .40 Caliber Ghost Gun and Marijuana Sentenced to Six Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel sentenced Jovar Demetrius Jefferson, age 30, of Lanham, Maryland to six years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Acting Special Agent in Charge L.C. Cheeks, Jr. of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; and Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department.
According to his plea agreement, on January 24, 2020, Prince George’s County Police (PGPD) Officers observed a black vehicle parked in front of a Riverdale, Maryland residence. As officers approached the vehicle, one officer detected the odor of marijuana and saw Jefferson sitting in a reclined position with a hand-rolled marijuana cigarette in the center console. After Jefferson was asked to exit the vehicle, a PGPD officer searched the vehicle and located a .40 caliber semi-automatic privately made firearms, commonly referred to as a “ghost gun,” loaded with ten rounds of ammunition.
Once the officer located the firearm, Jefferson attempted to flee on foot and was later apprehended by other officers in the surrounding area. Upon further inspection, officers located additional items in Jefferson’s vehicle including approximately 169 grams of marijuana, a digital scale, and several small clear plastic bags.
As stated in his plea agreement, on January 31, 2020, a search warrant was executed at Jefferson’s apartment. As a result of the executed search warrant, officers located an empty large plastic bag that contained marijuana residue and a firearm magazine containing three .40 caliber rounds of ammunition.
Jefferson admits that he possessed the marijuana seized from his vehicle with the intent to distribute a portion of it and use the remaining portion for personal use.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron praised the ATF and the Prince George’s County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy F. Hagan, who prosecuted the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Methamphetamine Dealer Sentenced to Five Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis sentenced Kevin Lawrence Carter, age 40, of Faulkner Maryland, to five years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge James R. Mancuso of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; and Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department.
According to Carter’s plea agreement, on July 30, 2020, law enforcement observed an individual purchase approximately one ounce of methamphetamine from Carter for $700. The transaction occurred in a Clinton, Maryland parking lot. After the transaction, law enforcement continued surveillance of Carter as he left the parking lot, stopped to get gas for the car, and headed into Charles County, Maryland.
A short time later, a Charles County Sheriff’s deputy conducted a traffic stop on Carter’s vehicle in White Plains, Maryland. During the traffic stop, the deputy asked Carter to step out of the vehicle. As Carter exited the vehicle, the deputy saw a clear gallon freezer bag with a white substance protruding from the driver’s seat where Carter was sitting and noticed a digital scale in the driver’s side door.
Carter was placed under arrest and transported to the Charles County Detention Center. As a result of a search of Carter’s vehicle, law enforcement seized the digital scale, 388 grams of pure methamphetamine, and $680 remaining from the $700 Carter was paid during the earlier drug transaction. The remaining $20 had been used when Carter stopped to get gas. Lab results proved that the substance Carter distributed was 28.04 grams of pure methamphetamine.
In total, Carter possessed with intent to distribute at least 416 grams of 100% pure methamphetamine.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron praised HSI and the Prince George’s County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joel Crespo and Elizabeth Wright, who prosecuted the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Twin Brothers Facing Federal Charges for Allegedly Obtaining over $1 Million in Covid-19 Loans and Unemployment Insurance BenefitsRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – A federal criminal complaint has been filed charging Jerry Phillips, age 24, of Temple Hills, Maryland, for the federal charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft; and Jaleel Phillips, age 24, of Temple Hills, Maryland, for wire fraud, in relation to an alleged scheme to unlawfully obtain COVID-19 relief loans and unemployment benefits.
Jerry and Jaleel Phillips made their initial appearances today at 1:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.; respectively, in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt before U.S. Magistrate Judge Charles B. Day.
The criminal complaint was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Acting Special Agent in Charge Quenton Sallows, of the Mid-Atlantic Region, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General (FDIC-OIG); Acting Special Agent in Charge Troy W. Springer, of the Washington Regional Office, U.S. Department of Labor - Office of Inspector General; and Special Agent in Charge Darrell J. Waldon of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, Washington, D.C. Field Office.
According to the criminal complaint, IP addresses linked to Jaleel and Jerry Phillips were used to submit fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program loan applications (PPP), Economic Injury Disaster loan applications (EIDL), and unemployment insurance claims resulting in $1 million in received funds.
As stated in the affidavit in support of the criminal complaint, the Phillips brothers allegedly created fictitious aliases, used the personal identifying information of real people, and used out of business or fake corporate entities to apply for EIDL and PPP loans, and unemployment benefits.
Further, the complaint alleges that the brothers created several financial and email accounts under aliases, including “Kenneth Williams,” “Allen Gator,” and “Jamal Hopkins.” The aliases were supported by fake Maryland driver’s licenses, social security numbers, and birth dates. The complaint further alleges that after receiving the fraudulently obtained funds, the defendants used the funds to purchase a 2020 Camaro, furniture, home improvement items and services, and made many other purchases. Significant funds were also transferred between the various financial accounts established in the aliases’ names. Additionally, the criminal complaint alleges that the defendants used several fraudulent Maryland driver’s licenses to create multiple accounts in popular digital currency exchange platforms.
If convicted, Jerry Phillips and Jaleel Phillips face a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for wire fraud. Jerry Phillips faces an additional two years in federal prison consecutive to any other sentence imposed for aggravated identity theft. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
A criminal complaint is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by criminal complaint is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the DOL-OIG, SBA-OIG, IRS-CI, FDIC-OIG, and the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Harry M. Gruber, who is prosecuting the federal case. He also thanked the Office of Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch-Public Integrity Division, for its assistance.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to report fraud, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/report-fraud.
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St. Mary’s County Felon Pleads Guilty to Federal Charges for Distribution of Fentanyl and for Illegal Possession of a Firearm and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – DeAundre Tyrique Keys, a/k/a “Dre,” age 35, of Lexington Park, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to federal charges of distribution of fentanyl and to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of the Drug Enforcement Administration - Washington Division; St. Mary’s County Sheriff Tim Cameron; and Calvert County Sheriff Mike Evans.
According to Keys’ guilty plea, on March 1, 2021, three individuals traveled to St. Mary’s County, Maryland to purchase narcotics from Keys. One of the individuals met with Keys at Keys’ apartment complex in Lexington Park and purchased fentanyl from Keys, who was on pretrial release for pending charges in St. Mary’s County, and was wearing an ankle monitor at the time of the drug transaction.
As detailed in the plea agreement, after buying fentanyl from Keys, the three individuals returned to Calvert County, where two of the individuals ingested the fentanyl purchased from Keys. One of the individuals became unresponsive and the other two individuals administered Narcan, attempted CPR, and called 9-1-1. Before first responders could arrive, the individual who had purchased the fentanyl from Keys discarded the remaining fentanyl in the woods. Arriving first responders attempted life saving measures, but the victim was pronounced dead. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for Maryland concluded that the victim’s cause of death was fentanyl and alcohol intoxication.
Law enforcement executed a search warrant at Keys’ apartment on March 12, 2021. Keys was the sole occupant of the apartment when officers arrived and was wearing his GPS ankle monitor. Law enforcement recovered a plastic baggie containing 30.07 grams of a mixture containing fentanyl, acetylfentanyl, heroin, acetaminophen, and 06-Monoacetylmorphine; drug paraphernalia, including a digital scale with fentanyl residue, a cutting agent, and plastic glassine baggies used for narcotics packaging and distribution; a Polymer 9mm handgun with a 30-round magazine containing 21 rounds of 9mm ammunition; one round of 9mm ammunition on the floor; two .40 magazines—one empty and the other containing 13 rounds of 9mm ammunition; an empty 30 round magazine; and $7,080 in cash, which were proceeds of Keys’ drug sales.
The seized firearm is a ghost gun—privately made with parts manufactured outside Maryland, which has no serial number and is not a registered firearm. The gun was tested by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and was found to be a fully functioning firearm. Keys knew that he had a previous felony conviction and was prohibited from possessing a firearm and/or ammunition.
Keys and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Keys will be sentenced to between 10 and 12 years in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Peter J. Messitte has scheduled sentencing for May 24, 2022 at 11:00 a.m.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. PSN, an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime, is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the DEA, the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office, and the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office for their work in the investigation and thanked the ATF and the St. Mary’s County State’s Attorney’s Office for their assistance. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica C. Collins, who is prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Inmate Sentenced to over Four Years in Federal Prison and Second Inmate Pleads Guilty for Participation in a Racketeering Conspiracy at Maryland Correctional Institution JessupRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis sentenced inmate Todd Holloway, age 36, today to 50 months in federal prison, consecutive to the state sentence he is currently serving, followed by three years of supervised release, for a racketeering conspiracy charge related to his participation in a scheme to smuggle contraband into the Maryland Correctional Institution Jessup (MCIJ), including narcotics, unauthorized flash drives, tobacco, and cell phones into the prison.
Inmate Irving Hernandez, age 27, pleaded guilty to the same charge yesterday.
The sentence and guilty plea were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski, of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Secretary Robert L. Green, of the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services.
According to court documents, MCIJ was a medium-security prison in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, that housed approximately 1,100 male inmates, with 262 custody staff or Correctional Officers (COs) and 52 non-custody staff, including case management, medical, and administrative staff.
As detailed in his plea agreement, Holloway conspired with individuals outside the facility who obtained and packaged contraband, including, Suboxone Strips, K2, and tobacco, met with employees, and managed the proceeds of contraband sales for Holloway. The contraband was brought into MCIJ by exterminator Ricky McNeely in exchange for bribe payments.
For example, at Holloway’s direction, McNeely met with a facilitator co-conspirator on June 10, 2017 to obtain a bribe payment and contraband, which McNeely subsequently brought into MCIJ and provided to Holloway. The following week, McNeely again met with a facilitator co-conspirator to obtain additional contraband and bribe payment. On June 19, 2017, McNeely brought Suboxone, K2, and tobacco, into MCIJ. While McNeely was in the library attempting to plant the contraband, a correctional officer saw McNeely dropping K2. A subsequent search revealed 215 Suboxone strips, heroin, fentanyl, cocaine base, and K2, all of which was intended to be delivered to Holloway and other co-conspirators.
According to Hernandez’s plea agreement, he conspired with MCIJ Contract Nurse Joseph Nwancha, who brought contraband, including K2, pills, tobacco, and cell phones into the facility in exchange for bribe payments. On November 28, 2017, co-defendant Joseph Nwancha was stopped at MCIJ in possession of approximately 230 grams of K2 intended for MCIJ inmates. A cell phone recovered from Nwancha was subsequently searched and revealed numerous text message conversations between Hernandez and Nwancha discussing bribe payments and smuggling contraband into MCIJ. For example, on October 28, 2017, Nwancha agreed to bring K2 into MCIJ in exchange for $1,000. On October 30, 2017, Hernandez, through a co-conspirator, wired Nwancha a $700 bribe via Western Union. On November 3, 2017, Hernandez sent Nwancha a text message stating that he was going to “start sending a good amount [of contraband] every week.” Nwancha agreed to bring K2 and tobacco into the facility for Hernandez in exchange for $1,000 per week.
Hernandez faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison for racketeering conspiracy. Judge Xinis scheduled sentencing for Irving Hernandez on May 26, 2022 at 11:00 a.m.
In addition to Holloway and Hernandez, 15 other defendants—six outside facilitators, five prison employees, and four inmates—have pleaded guilty to their roles in the conspiracy, including Ricky McNeely and Joseph Nwancha. Seven defendants are awaiting sentencing and three defendants are pending trial.
This case arose from the efforts of the Maryland Prison Task Force, coordinated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and comprised of local, state, and federal stakeholders that meet regularly to share information and generate recommendations to reform prison procedures and attack the gang problem that has plagued Maryland in recent years. The work of the Task Force previously resulted in the federal convictions of more than 78 defendants, including 16 correctional officers, at the Eastern Correctional Institution, and 40 defendants, including 24 correctional officers, at the Baltimore City Detention Center.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI and the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services for their work in the investigation. The U.S. Attorney expressed appreciation to the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, whose staff initiated the MCIJ investigation and have been full partners in this investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean R. Delaney, who is prosecuting this case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Columbia, Maryland Drug Dealer Sentenced to Eight Years in Federal Prison for Heroin and Meth Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III sentenced Scott Gregory Screen, age 56, of Columbia, Maryland to eight years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Assistant Special Agent in Charge Orville O. Greene of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office; Chief Melissa R. Hyatt of the Baltimore County Police Department; Chief Lisa D. Myers of the Howard County Police Department and Colonel Kevin Anderson of the Maryland Transportation Authority Police.
According to his plea agreement, from May 2020 to February 23, 2021, Screen conspired with others to distribute heroin and possess with intent to distribute those drugs in Maryland and elsewhere.
As stated in his plea agreement, on February 8, 2021, law enforcement executed search warrants in multiple locations including Screen’s Columbia, Maryland apartment. As a result of the search warrants, investigators located multiple bags of narcotics including 900 grams of a fentanyl methamphetamine mixture, 499 grams of a heroin and methamphetamine mixture, $18,000 in cash, and at least eight digital scales.
Investigators later located Screen in Georgia where he was arrested on February 23, 2021. Prior to his arrest, Screen dropped a vehicle at a car dealership and told the employees that he was preparing to leave the area for a long time. Additionally, after he heard of the raid on his apartment, Screen contacted the management company of his apartment complex and informed them that he was not returning and that his belongings should be thrown away.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron praised the DEA, the Baltimore County Police Department, the Howard County Police Department, and the Maryland Transportation Authority Police for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary B. Stendig, who prosecuted the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile.
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Chillum Drug Dealer Caught with Two Kilograms in Cocaine Sentenced to over Five Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis sentenced Ludin Alfredo Ipina-Ipina, age 33, of Chillum, Maryland, today to 66 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute over two kilograms of cocaine.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of the Drug Enforcement Administration - Washington Division; and Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department (PGPD).
According to his plea agreement, from July 2020 to November 2020, Ipina sold cocaine to co-conspirators on three instances. Specifically, in July 2020, Ipina sold 21.7 grams of cocaine to a co-conspirator for $1,600; in August 2020, Ipina sold 55.7 grams of cocaine to a co-conspirator for $3,600; and in September 2020, Ipina sold 167.8 grams of cocaine to a co-conspirator for $10,000.
On November 12, 2020, law enforcement executed search warrants at Ipina’s residences. At his Chillum, Maryland residence, law enforcement recovered approximately 2,406.2 grams of cocaine, digital scales, baggies, and shrink wrap with cocaine residue. In addition to the cocaine and drug paraphernalia, law enforcement also recovered five-kilogram wrappings with cocaine residue and $118,453 in cash. At the time of his arrest, law enforcement also recovered $1,021 from Ipina’s person. In an interview with law enforcement, Ipina admitted that the cocaine recovered by law enforcement was his and claimed that he was holding the two kilograms of cocaine for another individual. Ipina also informed authorities that he intended to use the $119,474 in recovered cash to purchase 10 kilograms of cocaine from a drug supplier in Texas.
As stated in his plea agreement, Ipina distributed 167.8 grams of cocaine, possessed 2,405.2 grams of cocaine with the intent to distribute, and attempted to purchase 10 kilograms of cocaine with the intent to distribute that cocaine to drug users and distributors.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the DEA and PGPD for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Rajeev R. Raghavan, who prosecuted the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Baltimore Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug Trafficking ChargesRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Juawan Davis, age 25, of Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty yesterday to conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise and possession of a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Assistant Special Agent in Charge Orville O. Greene of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office; Secretary Robert Green of the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services; Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department; and Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department.
According to his guilty plea, from 2017 to April 2019, Davis participated in a drug trafficking enterprise (DTO) and self-identified as an “NFL” member. The term “NFL” stands for Normandy, Franklin, and Loudon, which are three adjacent streets that run through the Edmondson Village in Baltimore. Members of NFL have social and familial ties to the Edmondson Village neighborhood in southwest Baltimore. Members of the NFL distributed large quantities of heroin, cocaine base, and fentanyl to drug users and drug redistributors from Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. In furtherance of the enterprise, NFL members shared narcotics supplies and distributed narcotics on a daily basis, including heroin mixed with fentanyl. Drug customers believed they were purchasing heroin, but in reality, the NFL DTO often altered the heroin with fentanyl or sold fentanyl to customers without any heroin.
As detailed in his plea agreement, intercepted communications identified Davis as a participant in the NFL’s drug trafficking activities. Specifically, Davis obtained heroin and fentanyl in distribution quantities from other NFL members, which he then sold to customers on a regular basis. Davis agrees that it was reasonably foreseeable to him that he and other NFL members distributed over one kilogram of heroin during his participation in the DTO.
Davis also intimidated, threatened, and publicly shammed people who the enterprise thought to be cooperating with law enforcement. For example, on January 11, 2018, Davis posted a photo of a former NFL drug distributor on social media, in which Davis identified the former distributor as a “rat” or a person who cooperated with law enforcement. Similarly, on January 31, 2018, Davis posted discovery information from a state prosecution which identified a witness in the case. Davis made this post to assist an NFL member who was pending trial in that case. The witness later refused to testify in state court and the case was dismissed against the NFL member.
As stated in his plea agreement, on December 20, 2018, an associate of Davis’ contacted him and asked for a handgun. Davis agreed to provide this associate with one of his handguns. Davis then traveled to his Baltimore home and shared a live stream video of himself brandishing a pistol. Shortly after retrieving the pistol from his home, the law enforcement stopped Davis at a nearby gas station where agents searched his car and recovered 40 grams of a heroin fentanyl mix and a pistol loaded with ammunition.
Davis and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Davis will be sentenced to 13 years in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Paul W. Grimm has scheduled sentencing for May 23, 2022, at 1:00 p.m.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI, DEA, DPSCS, the Montgomery Police Department, and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Peter J. Martinez and John W. Sippel, who are prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile.
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Final Defendant Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Charges Related to a Series of Home BurglariesRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel sentenced Demar A. Brown, age 38, of Paterson, New Jersey and Winston-Salem, North Carolina to 10 years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy and for transportation of stolen property, taken during a series of burglaries committed in Maryland and Georgia. Brown was convicted by a federal jury on September 16, 2021, after a 10-day trial for his role in the series of home burglaries.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Chief Melissa R. Hyatt of the Baltimore County Police Department.
According to the evidence presented at the trial, from November 29, 2017, through January 26, 2018, Brown, and co-defendants Jashon Fields and Kamar Beckles participated in a series of break-ins at residences in Baltimore County, Maryland and Milton, Georgia, in order to steal property, including: cash; foreign currency; safes; jewelry; designer purses, bags, and clothing; personal electronics; collectibles; personal identity documents; and items of sentimental value, such as historical medals, rare coins, and other memorabilia. The defendants intended to sell the stolen property out-of-state for cash.
Witnesses at trial testified that the defendants wore masks and gloves during the break-ins and communicated with each other using two-way radios and mobile phones. One of the conspirators often remained in the getaway car while the other conspirators committed the burglaries. Brown, Fields, and Beckles rented hotel rooms in Maryland where they would store the proceeds of the burglaries they committed (until the property and proceeds were transported out of state). Brown and Beckles transported the stolen property outside Maryland, including to two residences to which Brown had access in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
As detailed during the trial, on January 26, 2018, the defendants were arrested near two residences that had recently been burglarized. Brown was arrested after officers responding to the burglary noticed a dark green Ford Explorer with North Carolina tags traveling slowly down the street. The vehicle was identical to a suspect vehicle seen in surveillance footage from some of the earlier burglaries. An officer pulled in behind the vehicle and, after a short vehicle chase, Brown was eventually arrested after trying to flee from the SUV.
Beckles and Fields were arrested in a nearby wooded area, about a half mile from one of the burglarized homes. At the time of his arrest, Beckles was wearing a distinct jacket with a reflective emblem on the back – identical in appearance to the insignia visible in surveillance footage from some of the earlier burglaries. Additional responding officers were able to view through the vehicle’s windows a safe matching the description of a safe stolen during the robbery, along with what appeared to be bags of other property stolen that evening and over $2500 in loose change – later determined to have been stolen from a home in Milton, Georgia.
A search of each defendant resulted in the discovery of hotel key cards, a breakfast ticket from the same hotel as the key cards, as well as $1,000 that one defendant possessed in his sock.
Search warrants executed on the two hotel rooms resulted in the recovery of jewelry stolen from a residence, property from homes burglarized in Milton, Georgia, as well as property from homes burglarized in Baltimore County on December 29, 2017, January 9, 2018, and January 10, 2018. Law enforcement also recovered a mask, a pair of gloves, a diamond tester, a scale, and a gold testing kit. In the second room, they located, among other things, Fields’ license, mail in the name of Beckles, and various phones.
On January 27, 2018, after obtaining a search warrant, law enforcement searched the Ford Explorer driven by Brown the previous day. They discovered, among other things, various tools and clothing for use in connection with burglaries, including a pry bar, a drill and hole saw, a mallet, three chisels, a reciprocating saw, multiple pairs of gloves, black knit hats, a balaclava style mask, two-way radios, and flashlights.
Law enforcement officers searching the vehicle also discovered many of the pieces of property stolen during two burglaries the previous day, as well as notes concerning a pawn shop and a jewelry shop in North Carolina.
On January 30, 2018, law enforcement obtained search and seizure warrants for Brown’s residences in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. There they located property from three earlier burglaries in Baltimore County—including numerous pieces of fine jewelry. Additionally, evidence on the nine phones seized from the defendants, the SUV, and the defendants’ hotel rooms showed, among other things, Brown and Beckles photographing many pieces of the jewelry and other items taken during some of the burglaries.
In total, 21 homes were burglarized in connection with the conspiracy, and the victims reported that $850,000 worth of property was stolen. Only some of that stolen property has been recovered and returned to its owners; for a few victims, most of their property has yet to be recovered.
Co-defendants Jashon C. Fields, age 37, of Atlanta, Georgia, and Kamar O. Beckles, age 36, of Teaneck, New Jersey were previously sentenced to five years in federal prison and 76 months in federal prison, respectively.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI and the Baltimore County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul A. Riley and Christopher M. Rigali, who prosecuted the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Owner of Blair Pharmacy Sentenced to a Year and a Day in Federal Prison for Providing Illegal Payments to Independent Marketers to Induce Them to Refer Business to His PharmacyRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander today sentenced Matthew Edward Blair, age 48, of Timonium, Maryland, to a year and a day in federal prison, followed by 18 months of supervised release, for payment of illegal remunerations to encourage independent marketers to refer federal health care related business to Blair’s pharmacy. Judge Hollander also ordered Blair to pay restitution of $3,176,470.83.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Christopher Dillard of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service - Mid-Atlantic Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Darrell J. Waldon of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, Washington, D.C. Field Office.
According to his guilty plea, beginning in November 2014 and continuing through May 2015, Blair, the owner and operator of a compounding pharmacy called the Blair Pharmacy, paid illegal remunerations to independent marketers to induce them to refer business to Blair Pharmacy.
Members of the United States military and their families receive health care benefits through TRICARE, a federal health care benefits program. Like many other health care benefit programs, TRICARE utilizes a pharmacy benefit manager (“PBM”), specifically, Express Scripts (“ESI”) to administer all pharmacy-related benefits for the TRICARE program. ESI receives, processes and adjudicates all electronically submitted pharmacy benefit claims submitted on behalf of TRICARE beneficiaries in New Jersey.
Blair submitted applications to several PBMs, including ESI, requesting that Blair Pharmacy be accepted into the PBMs’ networks of participating pharmacies. ESI approved Blair’s application and Blair was permitted to bill TRICARE and receive payment for TRICARE beneficiary prescriptions. Blair set up a process by which beneficiary prescriptions were electronically submitted directly to his pharmacy. Blair also set up a process by which prescription and benefit plan data was uploaded electronically through the internet. The uploaded electronic data was processed by the PBMs instantaneously, providing Blair with immediate information about whether a claim he submitted had been approved for payment by the benefit plan or not. Blair linked successful claim reimbursements to a bank account in the name of Blair Pharmacy so Blair Pharmacy could receive all monies paid by health care benefit companies into his bank account.
Blair actively pursued several independent sales marketers to work for him at his pharmacy. In order to increase prescription referrals to his pharmacy, maximize reimbursement amounts and thereby increase profits, Blair sought these independent marketers to solicit and refer prescriptions to his pharmacy. Blair entered into independent contractor arrangements with several sales marketers and arranged to pay the independent marketers a percentage of any reimbursement money he received from health care benefit programs, including TRICARE.
For example, in November 2014, Blair agreed to pay an independent marketer working for Blair as follows “commission will be 50% of gross reimbursement to [Blair Pharmacy] paid bi-weekly.” The agreement required the independent marketer to use Blair Pharmacy exclusively, and to refer all business within his established territory to Blair Pharmacy. Blair induced these referrals to his pharmacy by offering the marketer a 50% percentage payment of any money that Blair received from health care benefit programs, which was the sole compensation to the marketer under the agreement. The independent marketer was not paid unless Blair was successful in obtaining reimbursement from a health care benefit program for a prescription that the marketer referred to Blair. Only then was the marketer paid a percentage of the successful reimbursement. Blair knew it was a violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute to pay an independent contractor a volume and value-based commission for referrals of federal health care program business to his pharmacy.
Blair provided the independent marketer with pre-printed prescription forms which listed the specific ingredients for Blair’s formulations. Blair knew the amount of money that he would receive from TRICARE for each gram of each ingredient that he listed in his formulas. Blair modified the ingredients and amounts of ingredients of his formulations based on the ingredient’s reimbursement value.
Blair Pharmacy received reimbursement from TRICARE for the individual ingredients in his formulas as follows: $4,348.25 for a one month supply of the ingredients in his vitamin formulation; $8,741.26 for a one month supply of the ingredients in his pain cream; $14,365.39 for a one month supply of the ingredients in his migraine cream; and $17,336.30 for a one month supply of the ingredients in his scar cream. After receiving payment from TRICARE for the prescriptions the independent marketer directed to Blair Pharmacy, Blair paid 50% of the reimbursement amount to the marketer.
The independent marketer solicited cream prescriptions from numerous doctors, including military surgeons at Walter Reed, with whom he had direct contact. Blair knew that the marketer was in a position to influence which pharmacy the prescriptions were sent to, and that the marketer would send the prescriptions directly back to Blair’s pharmacy. By paying the marketer 50% of every successfully reimbursed TRICARE claim, Blair incentivized the marketer to refer as many cream prescriptions as possible to Blair’s pharmacy.
As detailed in the plea agreement, the marketer actively pursued and solicited cream prescriptions for Blair from a military doctor, who had no idea about the amount of money that the creams reimbursed for. The marketer took advantage of the military doctor’s grueling work schedule, oftentimes waiting, with a stack of Blair’s pre-printed prescription forms in hand, for the doctor outside of the operating room after a long day of back-to-back surgeries. The marketer directed, sent, and referred all of the pain and scar cream prescriptions directly to Blair’s pharmacy. Neither the doctor, nor the TRICARE beneficiaries for whom the creams were authorized, had an opportunity to choose which pharmacy they wanted to fill the prescription because the prescriptions were submitted directly to Blair.
Many of the TRICARE beneficiaries were not aware a prescription had been written for them until they received a box from Blair Pharmacy on their doorstep. Some of the TRICARE beneficiaries had no idea of the cost to TRICARE of these creams and vitamins that they received in the mail, or they learned about the high cost of the creams and vitamins only after they reviewed their TRICARE Explanation of Benefits letter a month or two later. Some of the TRICARE beneficiaries lodged official complaints and made fraud referrals to TRICARE and ESI. When the military doctor learned of the cost of the creams he had prescribed, he was outraged and immediately stopped authorizing any additional cream prescriptions. The doctor provided notice of the problem to his management and advised TRICARE patients who made complaints about the creams, to send the creams back to the pharmacy.
From November 2014 to May 2015, TRICARE reimbursed Blair a total of $6,352,941.66 based upon claims Blair submitted to TRICARE that were tainted by remuneration payments Blair paid to independent sales contractors. Blair admits that TRICARE would not have approved or reimbursed any claim for compounded ingredients made by Blair Pharmacy, had TRICARE known that Blair had agreed to pay a 1099 independent contractor based on the volume and value-based commission of prescription referrals to Blair Pharmacy.
In addition to the restitution Blair will pay for the financial loss caused to TRICARE, Blair has agreed to be excluded from the TRICARE health benefit program as an Authorized Provider for a term of 25 years.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI, the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, and the IRS-CI for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christine Duey and Paul Riley, who are prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to report fraud, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/report-fraud.
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Florida Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Charges in Scheme to Fraudulently Obtain Unemployment Benefits in the Names of Identity Theft VictimsRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Christopher Kenneth Guy, age 30, of Tampa, Florida, pleaded guilty today to federal charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud, and aggravated identity theft.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Acting Special Agent in Charge Troy Springer, of the Washington Regional Office, U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG); Acting Postal Inspector in Charge Greg L. Torbenson of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service - Washington Division; and Chief Gregory Der of the Howard County Police Department.
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES ACT) was enacted on March 27, 2020, to assist individuals experiencing financial distress as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Among other things, the CARES Act established the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation program (FPUC), which provided federal funds to state agencies responsible for the administration of unemployment benefits. The FPUC funds were provided to supplement regular unemployment compensation payments to qualified applicants.
According to his plea agreement, from May 26, 2020, to August 5, 2020, Guy and his co-conspirators submitted fraudulent applications, using the personal information of identity theft victims, claiming unemployment benefits to which they were not entitled. The applications were submitted through the internet to the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission (OESC) and other state workforce agencies. Based on the fraudulent applications, OSEC and other workforce agencies disbursed benefits, including FPUC funds, through debit cards issued in the names of the identity theft victims. The debit cards were mailed to addresses in Maryland and elsewhere, that were accessible to Guy and other conspirators. Guy and his co-conspirators used the debit cards to withdraw money and to conduct retail transactions.
For example, between July 27 and August 5, 2020, Guy conducted fraudulent transactions using debit cards in the names of at least seven identity theft victims and funded with unemployment compensation, including FPUC funds. On August 5, 2020, Guy used a debit card issued in the name of an identity theft victim to purchase a laptop computer for $2,225.99, from a retail electronics store in Elkridge, Maryland. Howard County Police officers, who had been called for a possible fraudulent purchase, approached Guy in the parking lot. Upon questioning by the officers, Guy falsely stated that he had lost the receipt and that he made the purchase using a card he produced bearing no name. When officers advised that the number on the card did not match that listed on the receipt reprinted by the store, Guy falsely claimed that he must have lost the card he used to purchase the laptop. Guy was then arrested by officers, who located the card used to purchase the laptop in Guy’s pocket.
A search of Guy’s vehicle by Howard County Police Department officers recovered $1,500 in cash, four debit cards issued in names other than Guy’s, multiple electronic devices, and a room key from a hotel in Chevy Chase, Maryland. A search warrant was obtained for Guy’s hotel room and officers recovered 13 additional debit cards issued in various names, additional electronic devices, receipts from retail purchases, and $11,619 in cash. DOL-OIG agents obtained surveillance images that showed Guy using the debit cards funded with fraudulently obtained unemployment benefits at ATMs within a mile of the hotel where he was staying. Twelve of the debit cards that were used in these transactions were recovered from Guy or his hotel room on August 5, 2020.
A forensic examination of the electronic devices seized from Guy and his hotel room revealed internet searches and browsing history relating to unemployment benefits; notes containing the mailing addresses where the fraudulent debit cards were delivered by mail; and a listing of the last four digits of each of the 18 debit cards recovered on August 5, 2020, each with a monetary balance listed next to it.
Agents with DOL-OIG also learned that the 18 debit cards seized from Guy or his hotel room were issued as a result of 16 fraudulent applications for unemployment benefits submitted in the names of identity theft victims. The 16 fraudulent claims resulted in the disbursement of more than $176,970 in unemployment and FPUC funds, which losses were reasonably foreseeable to Guy. The 16 fraudulent claims were associated with 30 Internet Protocol addresses that are connected to thousands of other unemployment claims filed with OESC and the state workforce agencies in Maryland, Arizona, Massachusetts, California, Nevada, and many other states, resulting in the disbursement of approximately $11,084,141.
Guy faces a maximum of 20 years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud and a mandatory sentence of two years in federal prison, consecutive to any other sentence imposed, for aggravated identity theft. U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher has scheduled sentencing for Guy on May 11, 2022, at 2:00 p.m.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the U.S. Department of Labor-OIG, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Howard County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew J. Maddox and Sean R. Delaney, who are prosecuting the federal case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to report fraud, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/report-fraud.
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Sex Trafficker Leader Pleads Guilty to Kidnapping in Relation to a Sex Trafficking SchemeRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Joshua Lankford, a/k/a “20-20”, a/k/a “Light Bright”, a/k/a “Yellow”, age 33, of Manchester, Maryland, pleaded guilty yesterday to kidnapping in relation to a sex trafficking conspiracy.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division; Special Agent in Charge James R. Mancuso of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; Colonel Woodrow W. Jones III, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police; Chief Michael McDermott of the Federalsburg Police Department; and Colonel Melissa Zebley of the Delaware State Police Department.
“This case is a prime example of the horrendous realities surrounding human trafficking and why our office works fiercely to combat it,” said U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron for the District of Maryland. “Lankford took advantage of an at-risk woman’s drug addiction and her desire to be reunited with her son to lure her into a dehumanizing sex trafficking trap. He then intended to kill her to undermine the federal prosecution of his crimes at trial. Our office remains dedicated to the prosecution of sex traffickers, and most importantly, to the protection of sex trafficking survivors within our cases.”
“Sex trafficking is a horrific crime that deprives some of the most vulnerable people in our society of their freedom and dignity,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke for the Justice Department’s the Civil Rights Division. “This defendant preyed on a vulnerable young woman and cruelly exploited her for his profit. The Civil Rights Division will continue its vigorous enforcement of our human trafficking laws to hold perpetrators accountable and to seek justice for their victims.”
“Joshua Lankford’s crimes are nothing short of horrific; he kidnapped and victimized a vulnerable woman then plotted to kill her in order to save himself,” said Special Agent in Charge James R. Mancuso of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore. “Fortunately, he will now face the consequences of his actions. HSI Baltimore is proud to have partnered with the Maryland State Police, the Delaware State Police and the Federalsburg Police Department to bring Lankford to justice. HSI remains committed to investigating human trafficking organizations as they prey upon the most vulnerable populations in our communities.”
According to his guilty plea, from Oct. 25, 2018, to Oct. 30, 2018, Lankford led and organized a conspiracy to commit sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, and to commit kidnapping. The evidence indicated that Lankford recruited the victim, a young adult woman, to engage in prostitution under fraudulent pretenses. Lanford knew that the victim was addicted to heroin and withheld drugs from her when she did make enough money for him engaging in commercial sex. When the victim attempted to escape, Lankford and his three co-defendants drove the victim to a rural road on Maryland’s Eastern Shore where they beat, whipped, and choked her with a belt, and then drove her to a hotel in Delaware to engage in prostitution. All of Lankford’s co-defendants have already pleaded guilty for their participation in this crime.
Lankford was arrested two days later and informed officers that he deleted the contents of his cell phone in anticipation of his apprehension. While incarcerated, Lankford told a co-conspirator that he intended to kill the victim to prevent her from testifying against them at trial.
Lankford and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Lankford will be sentenced to 17 years in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake has scheduled sentencing for April 29, 2022, at 9:30 a.m.
Report suspected instances of human trafficking and sex trafficking to HSI's tip line at 866-DHS-2ICE (1-866-347-2423) or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron and Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke commended the HSI Baltimore and Philadelphia offices, the Maryland State Police Department, the Federalsburg Police Department, and the Delaware State Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary W. Setzer and Leah Branch of the Department of Justice’s Human Trafficking Prosecution unit, who is prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/human-trafficking and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Final Defendant in a Harford County Drug Conspiracy Sentenced to Six Years in Federal Prison for Conspiracy to Distribute Crack CocaineRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced Tremayne Murphy, age 40, of Harford County, Maryland to six years in federal prison, followed by four years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute crack cocaine.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Harford County State’s Attorney Albert J. Peisinger, Jr.; Assistant Special Agent in Charge Orville O. Greene of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office; Chief Melissa R. Hyatt of the Baltimore County Police Department; Sheriff Jeff Gahler of the Harford County Sheriff’s Office; and the Harford County Narcotics Task Force comprised of members of the Harford County Sheriff's Office, Aberdeen Police Department, Bel Air Police Department, and Havre de Grace Police Department.
According to his guilty plea, as a result of the Harford County Narcotics Task Force investigation into a drug trafficking organization (DTO) distributing powder and crack cocaine, Murphy, Reginald Leon Bolden, age 37, of Harford County, Maryland; and Joel Hammond, age 35, of Essex, Maryland were identified as DTO members. During the investigation of this case, law enforcement observed numerous instances of drug-related activities.
For example, on February 24, 2020, investigators surveilled Bolden and Murphy as they traveled to Wilmington, Delaware to meet with a cocaine supplier. After completing a drug transaction for nine ounces of cocaine, Bolden and Murphy returned to Harford County to distribute the cocaine. Two days later, Murphy was seen traveling back to Wilmington, Delaware, to return the cocaine to the original supplier, as customers complained about the quality of the cocaine.
After meeting with the source, detectives followed Murphy back to Harford County where Murphy was observed conducting a hand-to-hand drug transaction.
As stated in his plea agreement, on March 15, 2020, Bolden’s communications regarding the purchase of three ounces of crack cocaine from co-defendant Hammond were intercepted. Bolden had arranged the transaction through a co-conspirator, who transported money to Hammond and received a small backpack from Hammond, which investigators believed contained the cocaine.
A co-conspirator, Murphy, and Bolden then determined when Murphy could retrieve the cocaine. After the conversation, investigators observed the co-conspirator exit his residence with the same small backpack of suspected cocaine and briefly enter a vehicle operated by Murphy. Once the conspirator quickly exited Murphy’s vehicle without the backpack, Murphy subsequently traveled to Bolden’s residence.
After a brief period of time, Bolden was seen exiting Hammond’s residence and proceeded to return to Harford County. As Bolden returned to Harford County, members of the Harford County Narcotics Task Force executed a search warrant on his vehicle where law enforcement seized 16 grams of powder cocaine, 41 grams of crack cocaine, and $660 in cash.
As a member of the DTO, Murphy agreed that it is reasonably foreseeable that the amount of crack cocaine sold was at least 112 grams but less than 196 grams.
Co-defendants Joel Hammond and Reginald Bolden were sentenced to six years and nine years in federal prison for their roles in the conspiracy; respectively.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the DEA, the Harford County State’s Attorney’s Office, the Harford County Narcotics Task Force, and the Baltimore County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Romano, who prosecuted the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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United States Army Research Biologist and Contractor Charged in Bribery Scheme at Aberdeen Proving GroundRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Jason Edmonds, age 43, of North East, Maryland, with conspiracy and bribery. Co-defendant John Conigliaro, age 60, of Kingsville, Maryland was separately charged with conspiracy in an Information filed on February 1, 2022.
The Indictment against Edmonds was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Christopher Dillard of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General; and Special Agent in Charge L. Scott Moreland of the Army Criminal Investigation Division.
As stated in the Indictment, Edmonds was employed by the Army as a Research Biologist at the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (CCDC) Chemical Biological Center (CB Center) located at the Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG). The CCDC CB Center was the nation’s principal research and development center for non-medical chemical and biological weapons defense. The CB Center developed technology in the areas of detection, protection, and decontamination.
According to the seven-count Indictment, from 2012 to 2019, Edmonds accepted cash and other financial benefits from John Conigliaro, the owner and CEO of EISCO, Inc. in exchange for favorable action on CB Center contracts. For example, the Indictment alleges that in July 2013, Edmonds directed a $300,000 CB Center project to EISCO. The Indictment alleges that, three months later, in October 2013, Conigliaro gave Edmonds $40,000 in cash so that Edmonds could purchase two rental real estate properties. Once Edmonds purchased the rental properties, the Indictment alleges that Conigliaro paid for thousands of dollars of renovations to the rental properties. The Indictment alleges that Edmonds executed a “Promissory Note,” in which Edmonds wrote that he repaid Conigliaro a portion of the funds that Conigliaro had given him with CB Center projects.
Additionally, the Indictment alleges that from 2016 to 2018, Edmonds directed four CB Center projects to EISCO. Over that same time period, Conigliaro allegedly paid for more than $30,000 in renovations to Edmonds’ personal residence.
Conigliaro is scheduled to appear for an initial appearance and arraignment on February 24, 2022, at 9:30 a.m. before U.S. District Judge Deborah L. Boardman.
If convicted, Edmonds and Conigliaro face a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for conspiracy, and Edmonds faces fifteen years in federal prison for bribery. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
An indictment is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI, the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, and the Army Criminal Investigation Division for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew P. Phelps and Harry Gruber, who are prosecuting the federal case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Maryland Man Pleads Guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute over 500 Grams of FentanylRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – John Cooley, age 20, of Nottingham, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Assistant Special Agent in Charge Orville O. Greene of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office; Colonel Woodrow W. Jones III, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police; Baltimore City Sheriff John W. Anderson, and Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department.
According to his guilty plea, from October 2020 to March 2021, Cooley was engaged in a drug trafficking conspiracy involving the trafficking of large amounts of fentanyl and other controlled substances. Cooley and his co-conspirators operated out of a stash house in Pikesville, Maryland. There, Cooley and his co-conspirators would process fentanyl and other controlled substances, mix it with cutting agents and package the drugs for re-sale.
As stated in his plea agreement, on March 1, 2021, law enforcement saw Cooley exit the Pikesville, Maryland stash house with a co-conspirator. At the time, Cooley was carrying a bag containing narcotics. Cooley and his co-conspirator then entered a vehicle and drove away. Law enforcement followed the vehicle to a drug store parking lot where Cooley and his co-conspirator were about to conduct a drug transaction.
Subsequently, law enforcement conducted a search of the vehicle and Cooley’s person. As a result of the search, officers recovered 20 separate plastic bags, each containing 50 gel fentanyl capsules. In total, Cooley possessed 569 grams of fentanyl.
Cooley and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Cooley will be sentenced to five years in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake has scheduled sentencing for March 24, 2022 at 9:30 a.m.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. PSN, an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime, is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
This case is an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the DEA, the Maryland State Police, the Baltimore City Sherriff’s Office, and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason D. Medinger, who is prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Bel Air Man Sentenced to 28 Months in Federal Prison for a Conspiracy to Defraud the Company Where He Worked of More Than $2 MillionRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Chief U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar sentenced Kevin Miller, age 48, of Bel Air, Maryland, to 28 months in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release, for conspiracy and for wire fraud, in connection with a scheme to defraud a Maryland company of more than $2 million. Chief Judge Bredar also ordered Miller to pay restitution in the amount of $2,799,729.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron and Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office.
According to his plea agreement and other court documents, Miller was employed as the Director of Planning, Logistics, and Control at Company A, located in Linthicum, Maryland. Miller conspired with Mean Peach, Eam Peng Chou, Chonnathason Has, Thi Van Ho, and separately with David Dempsey, in schemes to defraud Company A, which was engaged in the business of manufacturing personal products, such as hair care, hair dye and lotions, of at least $2.4 million.
As detailed in his plea agreement, Miller was responsible for determining the timing and volume requirements for materials used in the manufacturing operations at Company A, and had the authority to approve payments of invoices submitted by vendors and service providers without obtaining approval from anyone else at Company A.
In the first scheme, which took place between 2013 and 2015, Miller and Dempsey agreed to a kickback scheme in which Dempsey submitted fraudulent invoices from Company B, a company that he owned, to Company A for items that his company never actually provided. Miller then approved the payment of those invoices. Once Dempsey received payment from Company A, he wrote a check to Miller, drawn on the Company B account, for a portion of the amount of the false invoices. In all, Dempsey paid kickbacks to Miller totaling $321,660.
The second fraud scheme took place between approximately September 2015, and December 2018. In 2015, Company A assigned Miller the task of arranging for vendors to dispose of various waste products that were stored at the Company’s two warehouse locations in Maryland. Miller, Ho, Peach, Has, and Chou, agreed to created and use shell companies in various names, with business addresses that were mailboxes at commercial mail facilities, to submit fraudulent invoices to Company A for waste disposal and other work that was never performed by those entities. Miller approved the fraudulent invoices and submitted them to Company A’s accounting department for payment. Company A then issued checks which the conspirators would transmit and cause to be transmitted from Maryland to Pennsylvania. Peach, Chou, and Has would cash the checks at facilities in Philadelphia and the proceeds would be divided up among the conspirators.
As a result of the conspiracies and schemes to defraud, Miller and his co-conspirators caused Company A to issue approximately $2.4 million in checks for goods and services that it never received.
David Dempsey, age 55, of Bel Air, Maryland, was sentenced to a year and a day in federal prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Chonnathason Has, a/k/a Bora Has, age 54, Mean Peach, age 65, and Eam Peng Chou, age 56, all of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, were sentenced to three years in federal prison, two years in federal prison, and a year and a day in federal prison, respectively, for conspiracy, wire fraud, and for interstate transportation of stolen property. Has was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $2,478,069.16. Peach and Chou were each also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $1,645,494. Thi Ho, age 51, of Bear, Delaware, who also pleaded guilty to conspiracy and interstate transportation of stolen property, was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison and ordered to pay restitution of $2,478,069.16.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI for its work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathleen O. Gavin, who prosecuted the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to report fraud, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/report-fraud.
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Texas Man Pleads Guilty to Threatening a Medical Doctor Who Publicly Advocated for the Covid-19 VaccineRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Scott Eli Harris, age 51, of Aubrey, Texas pleaded guilty today to threats transmitted by interstate communication, related to a threatening message sent to a Maryland medical doctor, who publicly advocated for the COVID-19 vaccine.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division; and Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office.
“Threats and intimidation should not be tolerated,” said United States Attorney Erek L. Barron. “This office and our law enforcement partners will continue to investigate and prosecute such conduct.”
“During the pandemic, we have seen a disturbing increase in threats of violence targeting doctors and public health advocates,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Public health officials and doctors deserve our respect for their tireless efforts during the ongoing pandemic, and individuals who seek to use threats of violence to intimidate and silence them will be held accountable.”
“These threats are taken very seriously and the response to them is an example of the FBI’s dedication to keeping our community safe,” said Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the FBI Baltimore Field Office. “No one should live in fear for doing their job. Posting a threat online, through mail or over the phone is a crime and comes with consequences, whether or not the person intended to carry out the threat.”
According to his plea agreement and statements made in connection with the plea hearing, Harris sent a threatening message from his cellular phone to a Maryland doctor who had been a vocal proponent of the COVID-19 vaccine. Harris’ message included violent statements including “Never going to take your wonder drug. My 12 gauge promises I won’t .… I can’t wait for the shooting to start.” The message also referenced the doctor’s Asian-American race and national origin.
Harris faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison. U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III has scheduled sentencing for April 21, 2022.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron and Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke commended the FBI for their work in the investigation and thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney P. Michael Cunningham and Trial Attorney Katherine DeVar of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, who are prosecuting the federal case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/civil-rights and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office Continues to Fight Fraud Related to the Covid-19 PandemicRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Today Maryland United States Attorney Erek L. Barron announced that the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland has entered into a memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with Special Inspector General Brian D. Miller of the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery (SIGPR) and Deputy Inspector General James D. Powell of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG), Office of Investigations, regarding the investigation and prosecution of fraud relating to The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding. The CARES Act was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“While many of our neighbors have suffered to make ends meet during this ongoing pandemic, others stole taxpayer money meant to put food on the kitchen table,” said U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron. “These partnerships allow us to beef up our efforts to prosecute those who steal from the American taxpayers.”
“SIGPR’s partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland has already produced results and we are excited to continue our work to protect pandemic relief funds from fraud, waste, and abuse.”
Since the start of 2021, the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office has charged 23 defendants with criminal offenses based on fraud schemes connected to the COVID-19 pandemic. These cases involve attempts to defraud over $14 million and more than $419,000 has been seized as the proceeds of these fraud schemes. These cases were made possible by the coordination, perseverance, and skill of the many law enforcement partners working with us to bring to justice those committing COVID-19-related fraud.
The SIGPR MOU will allow the US. Attorney’s Office and SIGPR to enhance their efforts to provide a coordinated response to CARES Act funding fraud, with an emphasis on organized criminal activity; to link and associate isolated CARES Act-related complaints with larger schemes and related criminal activity; to speed up the prosecution of these cases and deter future fraud by increasing awareness of successful criminal prosecutions and civil enforcement actions against individuals and businesses engaging in CARES Act fraud.
The DOL-OIG MOU will allow up to two DOL-OIG special agents to be co-located in the U.S. Attorney’s Offices in Baltimore and Greenbelt, allowing a quicker response and more comprehensive and coordinated investigations involving CARES Act fraud, especially related to unemployment insurance fraud.
U.S. Attorney Barron also provided the following updates on the status of the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office’s efforts to combat COVID-19 related fraud, including schemes targeting the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program and Unemployment Insurance (UI) programs.
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) fraud
The PPP and EIDL fraud cases charged federally in Maryland during 2021 involve a range of conduct, from individual business owners who inflated their payroll expenses to obtain larger loans than they otherwise would have qualified for, to fraudsters applying for multiple loans using false claims about their purported business entities, and/or charities. Most charged defendants misappropriated loan proceeds for prohibited purposes, such as the purchase of houses, cars, jewelry, and other luxury items. For example, Brandon Fitzgerald-Holley, of Suitland, Maryland, used his non-operational nonprofit, the Coalition for Social Justice and Reform Incorporated (the Coalition), to fraudulently obtain $305,854 in PPP loan funds, even though the Coalition had no employees, income, or regular operations since its formation in 2018. Fitzgerald-Holley admitted that he used the funds to purchase personal items including clothing, a pool table, televisions, electronic equipment, a 2020 Dodge Charger Scat, and various accessories for the vehicle. He also used the funds to fund a vacation rental. Fitzgerald-Holley is awaiting sentencing.
In addition to Fitzgerald-Holley, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has charged eight other defendants with PPP and/or EIDL fraud. Those charges remain pending.
Unemployment Insurance (UI) fraud
More than $860 billion in federal funds were appropriated for UI benefits through September 2021, to assist individuals who lost their jobs due to COVID-19. Investigation indicates that international organized criminal groups have targeted these funds by using stolen identities to file for UI benefits throughout the country. Domestic fraudsters have also committed UI fraud. For example, an indictment filed in September 2021 alleges that from February 2020 through February 2021, three Maryland men, Gladstone Njokem, Martin Tabe, Sylvester Atekwane, and others conspired to fraudulently obtain more than $2.7 million in unemployment benefits. The indictment alleges that the conspirators impersonated victims in order to submit fraudulent UI claims, by obtaining the personally identifiable information (PII) of victims, often under false pretenses. The defendants allegedly shared the PII amongst themselves and with others and used the victims’ PII to submit fraudulent applications for UI benefits in Maryland, Michigan, and Tennessee. The defendants are awaiting trial.
A total of six defendants, including Njokem, Tabe, and Atekwane, are charged with UI fraud and those charges remain pending.
Fraudulent Websites
To date, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Maryland has shut down 17 fraudulent websites which appear to have been used to collect the personal information of individuals visiting the site, in order to use the information for nefarious purposes, including fraud, phishing attacks, and/or deployment of malware. The seized websites were almost identical to the names of authentic U.S. websites, including COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers, retailers, and purported COVID-19 treatment. Several of the seized websites purported to sell vaccines and other treatments for the COVID-19 virus. Often, the fake domains mimicked the stylistic designs and language of the authentic U.S. website. After the seizures, individuals visiting the website see a message that the website has been seized by the federal government and are redirected to another website for additional information.
Of the three defendants charged with attempting to use a fraudulent website to sell fake COVID-19 vaccines, two are awaiting trial and one has pleaded guilty to his role in the fraud scheme.
Other COVID-19 related fraud schemes
Nicholas Milano White was sentenced to eight years in federal prison and was ordered to pay $29,324 in restitution for conspiring to steal mail, stealing benefits under the CARES Act, and aggravated identity theft. White was arrested after stealing mail from multiple U.S. Postal Service collection boxes in the Baltimore metropolitan area in March 2020, and Postal Inspectors learned that he had been conducting a bank fraud scheme that involved falsifying and cashing stolen checks. After his arrest, White continued engaging in fraud, including submitting a false claim for Florida state unemployment benefits using the personally identifying information of another person, and illegally acquiring and cashing an Economic Impact Payment check issued in the name of a couple residing in Maryland, in the amount of $2,900. In another case, Tyrese Carter, a former Federal Emergency Management Agency employee detailed to work in a Small Business Administration (SBA) virtual call center, was assigned to assist potential disaster loan applicants by answering questions about the SBA’s EIDL program. Carter admitted that he posed as an SBA employee to induce a victim business owner to wire him funds received. Specifically, Carter emailed the victim using an account created in the name of the purported SBA employee and directed the victim to wire funds to a PayPal account created in the name of “SBA Financial.” Carter was sentenced to three years of probation and was ordered by pay restitution of $8,738.
Other defendants are charged with allegedly selling fraudulent COVID-19 vaccination cards and fraudulently obtaining funds by claiming financial hardship as a result of COVID-19, respectively. Those charges remain pending. Another defendant was convicted of selling misbranded disinfectants in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
What Can You Do?
We encourage the public to follow these three steps when accessing COVID-19 related information and services online:
First, be careful where you click. Fraudulent websites are designed to look like legitimate websites. Websites may have small spelling errors or an additional letter or two in website URLs and email addresses, or a different domain suffix. Check email addresses and links to ensure you’re where you want to be.
Second, guard your personal information. Don’t enter it on an unknown website or in response to an unsolicited email. Criminals are trying to capture your information to compromise your identity and access your financial accounts. Your response may also deploy malware that compromises your digital device.
Third, always remember: the COVID-19 vaccine is not for sale. Only a limited number of manufacturers have authorization to provide the vaccine in the U.S. The federal government is covering the cost of the vaccine for all people living in the U.S. You will never be asked to pay for a vaccine.
In addition to the DOL-OIG and SIGPR, U.S. Attorney Barron recognized the efforts of a wide range of law enforcement partners for their work in COVID-19 related cases, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); the FBI; the U.S. Secret Service; the IRS-CI; the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service; the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; the Offices of Inspectors General from SBA, Department of Homeland Security, Social Security Administration, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts.
For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
To report a COVID-19-related fraud scheme or suspicious activity, contact the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) by calling the NCDF Hotline at 1-866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to fight fraud, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/report-fraud.
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MS-13 Gang Member Sentenced to 41 Months in Federal Prison for AssaultRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Chief U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar sentenced MS-13 gang member Edin Velasco Garcia, age 21, of Frederick, Maryland, to 41 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for assault with a deadly weapon, in connection with his assault of two victims whom he believed were rival gang members. The sentence was imposed on February 2, 2022.
The was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Baltimore Field Office; and Chief Jason Lando of the Frederick City Police Department.
MS-13 is a national and international gang composed primarily of immigrants or descendants from El Salvador and other central American countries. Branches or “cliques” of MS-13, one of the largest street gangs in the United States, operate throughout Frederick County, Anne Arundel County, Prince George’s County, and Montgomery County, Maryland. Velasco Garcia was a member of the Fulton Locos Salvatruchas (“FLS”).
At all times of this conspiracy, members of MS-13 were expected to protect the name, reputation, and status of the gang from rival gang members and other persons. To protect the gang and to enhance its reputation, MS-13 members were expected to use any means necessary to force respect from those who showed disrespect, including acts of intimidation and violence. MS-13 had mottos consistent with its rules, beliefs, expectations and reputation including “mata, viola, controla,” which translates as, “kill, rape, control,” and “ver, oir y callar,” which means, “see nothing, hear nothing and say nothing.” One of the principal rules of MS-13 is that its members must attack and kill rivals, often referred to as “chavalas,” whenever possible.
MS-13 members are required to commit acts of violence both to maintain membership and discipline within the gang, as well as against rival gang members. Participation in criminal activity by a member, particularly in violent acts directed at rival gangs or as directed by gang leadership, increase the respect accorded to that member, resulting in that member maintaining or increasing his position in the gang, and opens the door to promotion to a leadership position.
As detailed in his plea agreement, from at least January 2019, Velasco Garcia agreed with members of MS-13 to conduct and participate in the gang’s affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity that included narcotics trafficking, extortion, and acts of violence.
According to his plea agreement, on March 22, 2019, Velasco Garcia and several other MS-13 members and associates approached Victim 1 and Victim 2 in a parking lot in Frederick, Maryland. They asked Victim 1 and Victim 2 if they were in a gang and they responded that they were not. Victim 2 had “18” tattooed on his arms, which is related to the 18th Street gang, one of MS-13 primary rival gangs. After calling other gang members on the phone to joint them, Velasco Garcia pulled out a black folding knife and attempted to stab Victim 2 with an overhead motion, but missed. Victim 2 ran but was caught by the group and punched several times. Victim 2 broke away and attempted to run away, but MS-13 members tackled him, punching and kicking Victim 2 several times before one person hit Victim 2 in the head with a rock. During the attack Velasco Garcia threw up several MS-13 gang signs. When the attack began, Victim 1 ran in a different direction and was also attacked. Gang members punched Victim 1 in the face and he was slashed with the knife in the face. Victim 1 was unconscious for a period of time and gang members stole his cell phone. Both Victim 1 and Victim 2 were transported to the hospital for treatment of their injuries.
Velasco Garcia admitted that the assaults on Victim 1 and Victim 2 were intended to maintain and increase the status of MS-13 and allow members to maintain or increase their status within the gang.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
This case is an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI and the Frederick Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kenneth S. Clark and Zachary Stendig, who prosecuted this case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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In Separate Cases, Three Maryland Men Facing Federal Indictment for Sexual Exploitation of Children to Produce Child Pornography and Related ChargesRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Federal grand juries in Maryland have returned indictments against three men in unrelated cases charging them with sexual exploitation of a child to produce child pornography and related charges. Charged in the three indictments are Gary Rocky Jones, age 42, of Baltimore; Dennis James Harrison, age 39, of Rocky Ridge, Maryland; and Jose Alexander Diaz-Rodriguez, age 22, of Thurmont, Maryland.
The indictments were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge James R. Mancuso of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Baltimore Field Office; Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department; Chief Jason Lando of the City of Frederick Police Department; Frederick County Sheriff Charles A. “Chuck” Jenkins; and Frederick County State’s Attorney J. Charles Smith, III.
A superseding indictment was returned on February 2, 2022, against previously convicted sex offender Gary Rocky Jones, adding 27 counts of sexual exploitation of a child to produce child pornography, 15 counts of use of an interstate commerce facility, specifically, the internet, to entice a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity—relating to 15 minor victims from around the country, and commission of a felony crime involving a minor by a registered sex offender, to his original charges of distribution and possession of child pornography. The superseding indictment alleges that between 2014 and August 2015, Jones twice produced images and videos of a minor male engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The victim was age 14 to 15 years old during the exploitation. The superseding indictment also alleges that from September 2018 through August 2020, Jones used social media accounts to persuade, entice, and coerce another 15 minor males from several states and ranging in age from eight to 17 years old, to engage in sexually explicit conduct. During these internet-based communications, Jones allegedly caused and attempted to cause the victims to produce live and recorded visual depictions of themselves engaged in sexually explicit conduct, both alone and with others, and send Jones the sexually explicit images and video via the internet. Further, the superseding indictment alleges that on April 2, 2018, Jones distributed child pornography, and possessed child pornography from December 2, 2014 through January 31, 2020, and from May 29, 2017 through July 14, 2020, respectively, in affiliation with two separate email addresses and related storage accounts. Finally, the superseding indictment alleges that between 2015 and September 2020, Jones committed felony offenses involving minors while Jones was required to register as a sex offender under Maryland law.
According to Harrison’s nine-count indictment, which was returned by the Grand Jury on February 3, 2022, Harrison sexually exploited two minor girls beginning when the one victim was two years old and when another victim was 10 to 11 years old, to produce child pornography; coerced and enticed a 12-year-old victim to engage in illegal sexual conduct; possessed child pornography; and committed a felony crime involving a minor while he was a registered sex offender. From at least September 2020 through August 2021, Harrison engaged in sexual activity with Jane Doe 1, a 12-year-old girl who resided in Pennsylvania. The indictment alleges that Harrison picked-up Jane Doe 1 from her residence and drove her to various location in Maryland, including Harrison’s residence, where he engaged in illegal sexual activity with Jane Doe 1. The indictment alleges that Harrison attempted to and did use, persuade, induce, entice, and coerce Jane Doe 1 to engage in sexually explicit conduct in order to produce visual depictions of such conduct. Harrison also allegedly used a hidden camera and a mobile phone in 2018 to produce a series of image files depicting Jane Doe 2, a 10-to-11 year old minor, nude and partially nude in a bedroom and bathroom in Pennsylvania and in a bathroom in Maryland. The images were taken without the knowledge of Jane Doe 2. The indictment alleges that on August 12, 2021, Harrison possessed child pornography on his phone, a tablet, several USB drives, and a micro SD card. Finally, the indictment alleges that Harrison committed these offenses involving a minor while he was required to register as a sex offender under Maryland law.
Finally, Jose Alexander Diaz-Rodriguez is charged in a three-count indictment, returned on February 3, 2022, with sexual exploitation of a child on July 26, 2021, by employing, using, persuading, inducing and coercing a prepubescent minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct, for the purpose of producing visual depictions of such conduct; for distributing child pornography on June 4, 2021; and for possessing visual depictions of prepubescent minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct on July 26, 2021.
If convicted, Jones and Harrison each face a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years and a maximum sentence of 50 years in federal prison for each count of sexual exploitation of a child; a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum of life imprisonment for each count of coercion and enticement of a child; a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum of 20 years in federal prison for possession of child pornography, and a mandatory sentence of 10 years in federal prison for commission of a felony crime involving a minor by a registered sex offender. Jones also faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum of 40 years in federal prison for distribution of child pornography. Diaz-Rodriguez faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years and a maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison for sexual exploitation of a child; a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years and a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for distribution of child pornography; and a maximum of 20 years in federal prison for possession of child pornography. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Jones is in federal custody and is scheduled for trial on December 5, 2022. Harrison and Diaz-Rodriguez are in custody on state charges and will have an initial appearances in U.S. District Court in Baltimore, although dates for those hearings have not been set.
An indictment is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.
These cases were brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc and click on the “Resources” tab on the left of the page.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in the Jones case which is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul E. Budlow and Paul A Riley. Mr. Barron also recognized the FBI, the City of Frederick Police Department, and the Frederick State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the Diaz-Rodriguez case, and HSI, the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office, and the Frederick County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the Harrison investigation and prosecution. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul E. Budlow and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Joyce King, Chief Counsel with the Frederick County State’s Attorney’s Office, who are prosecuting the Diaz-Rodriguez and Harrison cases.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-childhood and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Florida Woman Facing Federal Indictment for Second Degree MurderRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Janice Martina Mason, age 28, of Melbourne, Florida, with second degree murder. The indictment was returned on February 3, 2022.
The indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the U.S. Park Police.
According to the indictment, on November 24, 2021, Mason killed Victim 1 on property under the jurisdiction of the United States.
If convicted, Mason faces a maximum sentence of life in federal prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Mason is in custody on related state charges. She is expected to have an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Baltimore on February 14, 2022, although that date has not yet been confirmed.
An indictment is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the U.S. Park Police for their work in the investigation and thanked Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney Anne Colt Leitess and her office for their assistance. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ellen Nazmy and Kim Oldham, who are prosecuting the federal case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Sex Trafficker Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison for the Trafficking of Two MinorsRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang sentenced Aaron Crawford, age 37, of Capitol Heights, Maryland, to 20 years in federal prison, followed by 20 years of supervised release, for the sex trafficking of two minors. Crawford was also sentenced to pay $10,350 in restitution to the victims. Judge Chuang also ordered that, upon his release from prison, Crawford must register as a sex offender in the places where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department.
“Human trafficking is an insidious crime,” said Attorney General Garland. “Traffickers exploit and endanger some of the most vulnerable members of our society and cause their victims unimaginable harm. The Justice Department’s new National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking will bring the full force of the Department to this fight.”
“Not only will our office continue to actively prosecute human traffickers to the fullest extent of the law, but we also remain unified with the Department’s comprehensive strategy to combat this heinous and inhumane crime. The Office’s longstanding history and exemplary work to bring human traffickers to justice is particularly clear in the sentencing of Aaron Crawford.” said U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, Erek L. Barron. “Crawford abused, manipulated, threatened, and trafficked two minor victims to line his own pockets from the sex work that they conducted. Let this 20-year sentence be a deterrent to others who may commit human trafficking crimes in Maryland.”
“FBI Baltimore and our law enforcement partners worked tirelessly to ensure this defendant will never intimidate, coerce or victimize a child again,” said Thomas J. Sobocinski, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Baltimore Field Office. “Crawford’s sentence of 20 years will hopefully bring some closure and allow the victims and their families to move forward from these heinous crimes.”
According to his plea agreement, from April 2019 to December 2019, Crawford recruited, harbored, and transported two minor victims to engage in commercial sex acts.
Specifically, Crawford posted a juvenile victim (Victim 1) in online advertisements for commercial sex and provided lodging in two locations for Victim 1 where Victim 1 conducted sex “dates.” Victim 1 was 15-years-old and had been reported missing for two months at the time. Crawford instructed Victim 1 to send sexually explicit images to him for the online advertisements; these images constituted child pornography. Upon further investigation, law enforcement located numerous communications on Crawford’s phone between Crawford, Victim 1, and sex procurers between November 5, 2019 and December 6, 2019. Crawford sent “johns” the addresses where Victim 1 was kept on 182 occasions. The majority of the communications were related to facilitating prostitution in various locations in Maryland and the District of Columbia.
Further, in January 2020, law enforcement officers were advised that a 16-year-old female (Victim 2) had been trafficked by an individual known as “Fly.” In an interview with law enforcement, Victim 2 positively identified Crawford as the individual she knew as “Fly.” Crawford first met Victim 2 in March 2017 when Victim 2 was 13-years-old. Later, after they met again in April 2019, Crawford introduced Victim 2 to an adult female who encouraged Victim 2 to work as a prostitute. After Victim 2 engaged in commercial sex dates, Crawford refused to share the profits with Victim 2. Victim 2 then left with the adult female. When they met again in August 2019, Victim 2 performed sex acts for customers at Crawford’s direction at an apartment complex and a parking lot. When Victim 2 declined to engage in further commercial sex dates, Crawford raped Victim 2 and threatened to kill her if she did not engage in more sex dates. Victim 2 escaped soon thereafter when Crawford left the apartment complex where he was keeping her. She then deleted the text communication application that Crawford used to contact her so that he could no longer communicate with her.
After his arrest, investigators discovered that Crawford’s cell phone contained communications with numerous women where Crawford attempted to recruit them to work for him as commercial sex workers. In at least two of the conversations, the women identified themselves as minors.
As a founding member of the Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force, the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office pledges to continue to combat human trafficking by working with our partners to investigate and prosecute traffickers and rescue victims. The Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force (MHTTF) was formed in 2007 by the U.S. Attorney's Office, the Attorney General of Maryland, and the State's Attorney for Baltimore City to serve as the lead investigative, prosecutorial, and victim services coordinating body for anti-human trafficking activity in the State of Maryland. The MHTTF is a multidisciplinary team of agencies and organizations committed to a victim-centered approach in the fight against human trafficking in Maryland. Our record of success in rescuing and serving a range of labor and sex trafficking victims is irrespective of gender, nationality, sexual orientation, or age. Our communities, including the vulnerable victims who are the targets of traffickers, benefit greatly from awareness of the types of human trafficking; indicators of human trafficking; and resources available to survivors of human trafficking.
On January 31, 2022, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland released the Justice Department’s new National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking pursuant to the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act, which aims to enhance the department's capacity to prevent human trafficking; to prosecute human trafficking cases; and to support and protect human trafficking victims and survivors.
Among other things, the Justice Department’s multi-year strategy to combat all forms of human trafficking will:
- Strengthen engagement, coordination and joint efforts to combat human trafficking in U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and by federal law enforcement agents nationwide.
- Establish federally-funded, locally-led anti-human trafficking task forces that support sustained state law enforcement leadership and comprehensive victim assistance.
- Step up departmental efforts to end forced labor by increasing attention, resources and coordination in labor trafficking investigations and prosecutions.
- Develop and implement new victim screening protocols to identify potential human trafficking victims during law enforcement operations and encourage victims to share important information.
- Increase capacity to provide victim-centered assistance to trafficking survivors, including by supporting efforts to deliver financial restoration to victims.
- Expand dissemination of federal human trafficking training, guidance and expertise.
- Advance innovative demand-reduction strategies.
To learn more about the Department’s efforts to combat human trafficking, please visit www.justice.gov/opa/pr/attorney-general-merrick-b-garland-announces-justice-department-strategy-combat-human.
To learn more about human trafficking indicators visit www.dhs.gov/blue-campaign/indicators-human-trafficking. If you believe that you or someone you know may be a victim of human trafficking, please contact the National Human Trafficking Resource Center Hotline at 1-888-373-7888, or Text 233733.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc and click on the “Resources” tab on the left of the page.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron praised the FBI and the Prince George’s County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph R. Baldwin, who prosecuted the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-childhood and (https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/human-trafficking.
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