District of Maryland

Baltimore, Maryland – Odunayo “Baba” Oluwalade, age 25, of Windsor Mill, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to a federal wire fraud conspiracy in connection with a scheme purporting to sell COVID-19 vaccines.  

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; Special Agent in Charge Mark S. McCormack of the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), Office of Criminal Investigations’ Metro Washington Field Office; Postal Inspector in Charge Daniel A. Adame of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service - Washington Division; and Chief Melissa R. Hyatt of the Baltimore County Police Department.

According to his guilty plea, Oluwalade conspired with others to obtain access to a bank account for use in the fraud scheme.  Oluwalade admitted that he knew the bank account would be used for a fraud scheme, but was not aware of the specifics of the scheme.  The scheme called for Oluwalade to be compensated for his role in obtaining bank accounts for use in the scheme.

As detailed in Oluwalade’s guilty pleas, the scheme involved the creation of a fake domain, named “Modernatx.shop” (the “Fake Domain”), which appeared visually similar to Company 1’s actual home page, including in the trademarked logos for Company 1, colors and markings.  Company 1 is a biotechnology company that focuses on drug discovery, drug development, and vaccine technologies, including a vaccine for COVID-19. According to the plea agreement, unlike Company1’s website, the Fake Domain had the text: “YOU MAY BE ABLE TO BUY A COVID-19 VACCINE AHEAD OF TIME,” with a link to “Contact us.”

Oluwalade admitted that on November 13, 2020, he received a message from an individual asking him to obtain bank accounts to be used in the fraud scheme.  On November 16, 2020, a co-conspirator texted Oluwalade that he had located someone who would allow them to use his Navy Federal Credit Union account for the fraud scheme.  The co-conspirator provided Oluwalade with the banking information, which he sent to a second co-conspirator.

On January 11, 2021, an HSI Special Agent, in an undercover capacity (“UC”), contacted a number listed on the Fake Domain, which investigators determined was linked to an account on an encrypted messaging application which also allows voice-over-Internet calls and video chats.  The number replied approximately two hours later requesting an e-mail address to contact the UC, which the UC provided. Approximately four minutes later the UC received an e-mail from [email protected], an e-mail address which appears on the Fake Domain, purporting to welcome the UC to Company 1 and providing a brief description of Company 1 and the storage requirements of Company 1’s vaccine.

After several additional e-mails, the UC received information regarding payment, delivery, and purchase for alleged Company 1 vaccines from a Google e-mail address.  The UC was sent a purported invoice for 200 doses of Company 1’s vaccine at $30.00 per dose, for a total of $6,000, with payment terms listed as 50% up front and 50% upon delivery.  The UC was allegedly instructed to send payment to the Navy Federal Credit Union account discussed above.  The UC transferred a portion of the funds to the account as directed.

According to his plea agreement and court documents, on January 15, 2021, the government seized the fake domain and executed a series of search warrants, including at the home of the co-conspirator with the Navy Federal Credit Union account.  Investigators used that co-conspirator’s phone to send Oluwalade a message: “Yo where u want me send the bread?” (referring to the cash investigators had sent to Williams’s bank account for the purchase of alleged vaccines as directed).  Oluwalade replied, “Yea send me some thru zelle and some through cash app.”  Both Zelle & Cash App are online payment platforms.  Oluwalade provided his Cash App User ID name, and investigators made a cash transfer of the funds to Oluwalade’s Cash App account per his request. 

 Odunayo “Baba” Oluwalade faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for the wire fraud conspiracy.   U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher did not schedule a sentencing date.

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 HSI, the FDA Office of Criminal Investigations, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Baltimore County Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Aaron S. J. Zelinsky and Sean Delaney, 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.

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Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett today sentenced Jamie Clemons, age 36 of Pasadena, Maryland, to nine years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for malicious destruction of a property by fire, in connection with the fire on July 28, 2017, at Coconut Charlie’s, a bar in Pasadena.  Judge Bennett also ordered Clemons to pay restitution in the amount of $560,346.26. As a result of the arson, Coconut Charlie’s sustained over $500,000 in damage; the building was razed and the business was forced to permanently close.

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; the Anne Arundel County Fire Chief Trisha L. Wolford; and the Anne Arundel County Fire Marshal Division Chief John Lane.

“This defendant not only endangered our brave firefighters who responded to the arson that he set, he caused devastating damage to a longtime Maryland business, forcing it to close,” said  U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron. “The fire arsons often cause are indiscriminate in the lives and property they put in jeopardy. Arsons are also often difficult crimes to uncover and prove in court, and I am grateful to our investigative and prosecution teams for their dedication and persistence.”

According to the indictment and the government’s plea letter, on July 28, 2017, Clemons maliciously damaged and destroyed by fire a bar known as Coconut Charlie’s, located in the 9100 block of Fort Smallwood Road in Pasadena, in order to conceal evidence of an assault he had committed there on July 22, 2017.

As detailed in the statement of facts filed as part of the government’s plea letter, on July 22, 2017, at approximately 1:00 a.m., Clemons assaulted his girlfriend on the patio area of Coconut Charlie’s.  An Anne Arundel County Police officer witnessed the assault and it was also captured on Coconut Charlie’s video surveillance system.  As a result, Clemons was charged with second degree assault and theft of less than $100 in the District Court for Anne Arundel County, and was served with a summons for the case on July 27, 2017.

Clemons admitted that in the early morning hours of July 28, 2017, he assembled multiple incendiary devices akin to Molotov cocktails, then lit the wicks for the devices on fire, and threw them at the exterior of Coconut Charlie’s in an attempt to burn the structure and destroy the video surveillance system, which had captured his assault on his girlfriend the week prior.

Due to the size of the fire, several agencies responded in an attempt to control and extinguish the fire, and a firefighter sustained injuries due to the force of a Backdraft that caused him to fall off a ladder. A fire scene examination was conducted, and the area of origin of the fire was determined to be the west exterior of the restaurant. Investigators reviewed the exterior camera footage from the video recording system, which remained operational after the fire, and were able to observe multiple flashes of light (at least three), followed by a sustained fire on the west exterior of the structure.

Charred melted plastic cups, which had been filled with gasoline, and a burnt cloth used as a wick material were located on the roof and exterior grounds of the building, and most were found to contain the presence of gasoline. Clemons admitted that he set the wicks on fire prior to throwing the devices on the roof. An accelerant detection K-9 dog also alerted to the presence of gasoline on the west side of the exterior just on the other side of the fence surrounding Coconut Charlie’s. This is the area where Clemons launched the devices at Coconut Charlie’s. A short distance away, along the north side of the exterior of the property fence line, a glove was found which tested positive for the presence of an ignitable liquid and contained Clemons’ DNA.

On November 30, 2017, a federal search warrant was obtained for Clemons’ text messages on his cell phone. The contents of those messages revealed that after the assault and in the days leading up to the fire, Clemons sent multiple text messages expressing concern as to whether police would obtain the video surveillance of the assault, and what the video had captured.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the ATF, the Anne Arundel County Fire Department, and the Anne Arundel County Fire and Explosives Investigation Unit for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Judson T. Mihok and Mary W. Setzer, 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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Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel sentenced David Annor, age 28 and Lesley Annor, age 23, both of Gaithersburg, Maryland to federal prison for conspiracy to commit money laundering, in connection with a romance scheme in which conspiracy members induced elderly and isolated victims to send money to co-conspirators based on romantic assertions and other misrepresentations. David Annor, Lesley Annor, and their co-conspirators received and laundered the payments from the victims.  David Annor was sentenced to three years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.  Lesley Annor was sentenced to 20 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. The court also ordered the Annors to pay $6,278,250 in restitution.

The sentences were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Assistant Director in Charge Wayne Jacobs of the Federal Bureau of Investigation - Washington Field Office; Postal Inspector in Charge Daniel Adame of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service - Washington Division (USPIS); and Special Agent in Charge Matthew R. Stohler of the United States Secret Service - Washington Field Office (USSS).

“David and Lesley Annor preyed on hundreds of elderly victims around the world. They took advantage of their trust to selfishly obtain millions of dollars in fraud proceeds. Now, they will spend time in federal prison for the severe financial fraud they have inflicted on vulnerable elderly victims,” said United States Attorney for the District of Maryland, Erek L. Barron. “This sentencing should serve as a deterrent from others conspiring to defraud our elderly citizens.”

“This investigation is yet another example that the U.S. Postal Inspection Service is strongly committed to ensuring the sanctity of the U.S. Mail and will hold those who prey on our most vulnerable citizens accountable for their actions.” said Postal Inspector in Charge Daniel Adame of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service - Washington Division.

“Today’s sentencing demonstrates the FBI’s and our law enforcement partners’ commitment to pursuing justice for victims of elder fraud,” said Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division. “We will continue to track down criminals like Annor and his co-conspirators—who coldheartedly prey on their elderly victims’ isolation, loneliness, and vulnerability and then pocket their hard-earned money—and hold them to account for their cruel scams.”

“We are pleased to see justice served here. These individuals preyed on the elderly making their crimes particularly egregious. The outcome of this collective investigative effort should send a clear message that these types of scams will not be tolerated.” said Special Agent in Charge Matthew R. Stohler of the United States Secret Service - Washington Field Office.

According to their guilty pleas, between May 2017 and October 2020, David Annor, Lesley Annor, and a co-conspirator participated in a romance scheme that targeted elderly victims online, typically through social media, dating websites, e-mail, and online applications.  Once the conspiracy members convinced the victims to trust them, the conspiracy members would instruct the victims to send money to bank accounts and physical addresses linked to David Annor and conspiracy members. Conspirators often received 10 percent of the victim’s money and sent the remainder of the money to co-conspirators located in Ghana.

For example, in September 2018, Victim 2, a woman born in 1957, met an individual claiming to be Brett Fernley on a social media platform. Fernley told Victim 2 that he was an underwater welder from Canada, who resided in Florida and worked near Ireland. After engaging in what Victim 2 thought to be romantic conversations, and gaining Victim 2’s trust, Fernley began asking Victim 2 for money.

In December 2018, Fernley instructed Victim 2 on how to send money to a bank account in the name of Ravid Enterprise, a business bank account opened and controlled by David Annor. Bank records show that Victim 2 wired over $44,800 to the Ravid Enterprise bank account.

Over the course of the scheme, the conspiracy members laundered over $6,200,000 through approximately 34 bank accounts at 11 different financial institutions. At least $3,909,396 in victim payments were made into personal and business bank accounts controlled by David Annor.

The Annor brothers have remained in custody since their arrest on November 16, 2020.

The Department of Justice runs the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311), has an interactive tool for elders who have been financially exploited to help determine to which agency they should report their incident, and also a senior scam alert website.  Victims are encouraged to file a complaint online with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at this website or by calling 1-800-225-5324.  Elder fraud complaints may be filed with the FTC at www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov or at 877-FTC-HELP.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron praised FBI, USPIS, and the USSS for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas P. Windom and Special Assistant United States Attorney Jessica C. Harvey from the Department of Justice’s Public Integrity Section, 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/community-outreach.

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Greenbelt, Maryland – Larry Francis Newman, Jr., age 37, of Capitol Heights, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.    

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Timothy Jones 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 September 5, 2018, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Newman’s Capitol Heights, Maryland residence. As a result of the search warrant, officers recovered a loaded .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol, 28.22 grams of crack cocaine divided into 547 individual baggies, 40.19 grams of cocaine, 106 vials of PCP, a bottle containing 21.71 grams of PCP, several empty vials containing PCP residue, and a digital scale from Newman’s bedroom.

Newman knowingly possessed the crack cocaine, cocaine, and PCP with the intent to distribute them. Newman possessed the loaded firearm in furtherance of his drug trafficking activities. 

Newman and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Newman will be sentenced to between 61 months and 96 months in federal prison. U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel has scheduled sentencing for March 16, 2022 at 10 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.  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.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the ATF and PGPD for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elizabeth Wright and Michael Morgan, 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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Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang today sentenced two members of the racially motivated violent extremist group “The Base” each to nine year in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release for firearms and alien-related charges arising from federal charges in Maryland and Delaware.  Judge Chuang found that, based on additional evidence presented by the government at a hearing on October 25, 2021, the defendants committed these crimes with the intent to promote federal terrorism crimes.

Brian Mark Lemley, Jr., age 35, of Elkton, Maryland, and Newark, Delaware, previously pleaded guilty to the Maryland charges of conspiracy to transport certain aliens, to transporting certain aliens, to disposing of a firearm and ammunition to an illegal alien, and to transporting a firearm and ammunition in interstate commerce with intent to commit a felony; and for the Delaware charges of harboring certain aliens, aiding and abetting an alien in possession of a firearm, and obstruction of justice. 

Canadian national Patrik Jordan Mathews, age 29, recently of Newark, Delaware, previously pleaded guilty to the Maryland and Delaware charges of being an alien in possession of a firearm and ammunition; for the Maryland charge of transporting a firearm and ammunition in interstate commerce with intent to commit a felony; and for the Delaware charge of obstruction of justice. 

A third co-defendant and member of “The Base,” William Garfield Bilbrough IV, age 21, of Denton, Maryland, previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to transport an alien and to transporting the alien, specifically, The Base member Patrik Mathews, and was sentenced to five years in federal prison.

Today’s sentences were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; United States Attorney for the District of Delaware David C. Weiss; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Timothy Jones of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division.

“Lemley, Mathews and others in The Base were assembling firearms and collecting thousands of rounds of ammunition with the intent to commit violence in furtherance of white nationalism and the downfall of the American state” said United States Attorney Erek L. Barron.  “Detecting, disrupting, and deterring terrorist threats continues to be a top priority of the Justice Department. The U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners will use all of the tools at our disposal to investigate and prosecute violent extremists.”

U.S. Attorney David C. Weiss stated, “Violence predicated on racial hatred lies at the core of the Base philosophy. Defendants embraced that philosophy and made preparations— through planning, training and manufacturing weapons—to execute that philosophy. These actions, designed to promote terror, deserve harsh punishment. Today’s sentence delivers that punishment.”

“Brian Lemley and Patrik Mathews betrayed their countries and forfeited their freedom when they conspired, with others, to attack and murder innocent civilians, children, police officers and federal agents. Today’s sentence ensures they never achieve those goals,” said Thomas J. Sobocinski, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Baltimore Field Office. “Identifying and disrupting terrorist plots, both foreign and domestic, is one of the FBI’s top priorities, and the round-the-clock teamwork with our partners saved innocent lives and kept Lemley and Mathews’ endgame of civil war out of reach.”

“These individuals had a mission to terrorize and harm innocent people, and destroy infrastructure to cause chaos, all in an effort to advance their White nationalist beliefs. They spent months obtaining firearms and ammunition in preparation to execute it,” said ATF Baltimore Acting Special Agent in Charge L.C. Cheeks, Jr. “ATF is proud to be part of FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force where we can lend our expertise in firearms and explosives investigations to the greater goal of identifying and preventing violent extremism. Strong partnerships between local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies are crucial in ensuring we stop these individuals, no matter what state or jurisdiction they are in.”

According to court filings, Lemley, Mathews, and Bilbrough were members of The Base, a racially motivated violent extremist group.  Since 2018, The Base has built a coalition of white supremacist members within the United States and abroad through, among other things, online chat rooms, in-person meetings, propaganda, and military-style training.  The Base’s accounts on social media repeatedly posted content promoting terrorism, lone-wolf attacks, and a white ethno-state.

As detailed in their plea agreements, Lemley and Bilbrough traveled in Lemley’s vehicle to participate in a regional training camp conducted by members of The Base in Georgia from August 2 through August 4, 2019, including participating in tactical training and firearms drills.  Later in August, Lemley and Bilbrough attended another The Base training camp in a different state.

As detailed in the plea agreements for Lemley and Mathews, on August 19, 2019, the Winnipeg (Canada) Free Press published an article regarding one of its reporter’s infiltration of The Base that led to the identification of Mathews as a member of The Base. Mathews then fled Canada and illegally entered the United States. At some point thereafter, Lemley and Bilbrough learned that Mathews had unlawfully crossed the border.

On August 30, 2019, Lemley and Bilbrough traveled in Lemley’s truck from Maryland to southern Michigan to pick up Mathews in order to transport him to the East Coast where he could safely reside and continue his participation in The Base.  Lemley later drove Mathews to the area of Chincoteague, Virginia, in order to conceal Mathews’ presence in the United States.

On Saturday, September 14, 2019, Lemley traveled in his vehicle from his residence in Elkton, Maryland, to Chincoteague Island, Virginia, where he picked up Mathews.  Lemley and Mathews then traveled south, through the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel to Rome, Georgia, in the vicinity of the residence of a known member of The Base.  Approximately five hours later, Lemley departed for Maryland and Mathews stayed at the Georgia property.

According to court documents, on October 30, 2019, Lemley and Bilbrough drove to Georgia to attend a training camp at the property of another member of The Base.  Mathews, who was already residing at the Georgia property, also attended the training camp.  While in Georgia, on November 2, 2019, Lemley and Bilbrough purchased approximately 1,550 rounds of 5.56 ammunition.  Later that day, Lemley, Mathews and Bilbrough traveled from Georgia to Maryland.  The next day, Lemley and Mathews dropped Bilbrough off at his house and traveled to Elkton, Maryland, where Mathews spent the night at a motel a few minutes from Lemley’s residence.  On November 4, 2019, Lemley and Mathews rented an apartment in Newark, Delaware, where they resided until their arrests on January 16, 2020.

As detailed in the government’s sentencing memorandum, on December 13, 2019, law enforcement agents executed a court authorized delayed-notification search warrant of the Delaware residence.  Agents located Base propaganda flyers, notes suggesting that Mathews had vetted an applicant to The Base, a large number of military style Meals-Ready-to-Eat (“MREs”), and obtained images of electronic devices.  Agents found several videos of Mathews espousing violent, anti-Semitic, and racist language.  Many of the videos discussed killing people in furtherance of “the movement.”

Intercepted communications obtained from a court-authorized closed circuit television camera and microphone installed in the Delaware residence and other evidence showed that the defendants believed that a pro-firearms rally in Richmond, Virginia on January 20 , 2020, would begin the collapse of the United States government, which white nationalists often refer to as the Boogaloo.  After the November 2019 state elections both chambers of the Virginia legislature and the Governor were controlled by elected representatives from the Democratic Party. The defendants believed that the Democrats intended to use their power to pass a variety of gun control and other legislation anathema to the white nationalist cause.  The defendants believed that at the rally on January 20, they and other like-minded confederates would begin systematically murdering and destroying to force the capitulation and demise of the U.S. government.  The evidence showed that the defendants began preparing for the Virginia violence weeks before the scheduled rally.

According to their plea agreements, on December 20, 2019, Mathews took steps to construct a rifle out of various weapons parts and watched a video on his phone that provided directions on constructing the rifle.  Lemley and Mathews also discussed the rifle and parts that needed to be obtained to finish constructing the rifle.  Lemley and Mathews admitted that they held and manipulated the rifle.

On December 21, 2019, the defendants discussed the Virginia plan.  They wanted to “create f*****g some instability while the Virginia situation is happening,” “derail some rail lines,” “…shut down the highways,” “shut down the rest of the roads,” and “kick off the economic collapse of the US within a week after the Boog starts.” Lemley stated, “I mean even if we don’t win, I would still be satisfied with a defeat of the system…”

The evidence further showed that on December 23, 2019, the defendants discussed murdering a law enforcement officer in order to obtain additional gear for the Virginia plan.  For example, after Lemley discussed with Mathews what a good shot he was, “My shot group my grouping at 300 yards is an inch and a half…,”  Lemley stated, “Guy is the guy is just like sitting there he just parked in his in his car and sitting in his in his driver’s seat and not moving he’s just sitting there…An all I have to do is is plink him right through the f*****g windshield…and everything is now mine.”

As detailed in court documents, on December 25, 2019, the defendants discussed killing guards at the federal prison in Indiana where a convicted mass murderer was being held, in order to break that person out of jail.

On December 26, 2019, the defendants continued discussing how Base members should take out power lines in Virginia and kill “the system.”  Specifically, Mathews wanted Base members to “get to every single thing you can take out---power lines, everything.  We need to f*****g escalate this and spread that idea and just say ‘f*****g bring the system down.’ When Virginia happens, we f*****g kill the system.”

Lemley and Mathews acknowledged that on December 29, 2019, they discussed visiting a gun range to test fire the newly constructed rifle.  On January 2, 2020, Lemley took the rifle from the apartment in Delaware to a public gun range in Maryland, where he was observed by an FBI agent.  On January 5, 2020, Mathews and Lemley left the Delaware residence with at least one firearm and went to the same public gun range previously visited by Lemley.  Prior to their arrival, the FBI had set up a stationary camera in a vehicle near the range and an ATF agent was in the vicinity of the range.  Agents observed, and the camera recorded, Mathews in possession of, and firing a firearm.  Lemley observed Mathews’ shots through an unattached rifle scope.

Lemley admitted that on January 7, 2020, he ordered approximately 1,500 rounds of 5.56 mm and 6.5 mm ammunition, which fit two rifles possessed by Lemley and Mathews.  On January 11, 2020, Lemley drove Mathews from their Delaware residence to the Maryland gun range they had visited previously.  Mathews admitted that while at the range, he handled and fired the rifle.  On the way back to Delaware, the men stopped at Lemley’s prior residence in Elkton, where they retrieved some of the 1,500 rounds of ammunition Lemley had ordered on January 7.  Mathews admitted that he knew he was an alien illegally present in the United States at the times he possessed the firearm and ammunition in Maryland and Delaware.

As detailed in court documents, that same day, the defendants told an undercover FBI employee about what was happening in Virginia and that they “expected 60,000 militia to show up in the capitol” on January 20, 2020 and that they were “rolling for chaos.”  Lemley further stated, “It’s just that we can’t live with ourselves if we don’t get somebody’s blood on our hands…”  Later that day Lemley stated, “If we’re not ambushing feds, and we’ve got nothing better to do, we might as well go disable that infrastructure…”  Per Lemley, “I’ll be kind of like on the ground in Richmond.  Not in the front, but way int eh back, just kind of looking at things, seeing how things are going, and if it turns into a shoot-out, I’ll immediately retreat from the city and then start organizing all the people that are going to come and respond.”  Lemley established the Shenandoah valley as the base camp.

On January 15, 2020, Lemley and Mathews had an extensive conversation about Virginia, including the possibility of going to jail for their conduct. During the conversation, Mathews told Lemley, "Right now, if I ever get captured, I am going to jail for the rest of my life. You realize they’re just gonna call us terrorists…."

Early in the morning on January 16, 2020, federal agents executed federal arrest warrants on Lemley and Mathews at the Delaware residence. Before Lemley and Mathews submitted to the agents, however, Lemley repeatedly directed Mathews to smash his cell phone.  Lemley and Mathews smashed their cell phones and dumped them into the toilet.  Lemley and Mathews admitted that by doing so, they intended to obstruct or impede the administration of justice with respect to the investigation, prosecution, and sentencing of their offenses.  Their activity was fully captured on video and audio surveillance equipment installed in the Delaware residence, pursuant to a federal court order.  From the residence, agents recovered two firearms, ammunition, magazines, radios, camping gear, tactical gear, and MREs.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron and United States Attorney David C. Weiss commended the FBI Baltimore Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) and the ATF for their work in the investigation, and thanked U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, the Maryland State Police, and the Delaware State Police for their assistance.  Mr. Barron and Mr. Weiss thanked their offices’ national security prosecutors, who are handling the case.

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Baltimore, Maryland - A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Lewis Ismael Blandon, a/k/a “LordLewy”, age 35, of Edgewood, Maryland, for the charges of sexual exploitation of a child, coercion and enticement, distribution/receipt of child pornography, possession of child pornography, and transfer of obscene matter to a minor. Blandon is a former Baltimore City Public Schools music teacher.

The indictment 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 18-count indictment, beginning in December 2020, Blandon operated several different social media accounts and a variety of aliases on these platforms to meet and/or communicate with minor males. Blandon allegedly used these aliases and social media platforms to persuade, induce, entice and coerce three minor victims to engage in sexually explicit conduct and to send Blandon images and video of that conduct during the victims’ online communications with Blandon.

The indictment alleges that Blandon, using an alias of “JaggRock,” also used an online messaging account to send images of what Blandon represented was his penis to one of the minor victims on three separate occasions.  Under the same username, Blandon also allegedly distributed and possessed other sexually explicit images and videos of minors, including a video depicting the sexual abuse of a toddler.

If convicted, Blandon faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 and a maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison for each of two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor; a mandatory minimum of 10 years and a maximum of life in federal prison for each of two counts of coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct; a maximum of 40 years in federal prison for four counts each of receipt of child pornography and distribution of child pornography; a maximum of 20 years in federal prison for each of three counts of possession of child pornography; and a maximum of 10 years in federal prison for each of three counts of transfer of obscene matter to a minor. 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. Blandon has been detained since he was arrested on related charges on October 13, 2021.  

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. 

The case was investigated by the FBI-led Maryland Child Exploitation Task Force, created in 2010 to combat child prostitution, with members from10 state and federal law enforcement agencies.  The Task Force coordinates with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the Maryland State Police Child Recovery Unit to identify missing children being advertised online for prostitution.

MCETF partners with the Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force, formed in 2007 to discover and rescue victims of human trafficking while identifying and prosecuting offenders.  Members include federal, state and local law enforcement, as well as victim service providers and local community members.  For more information about the Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force, please visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/md/priorities_human.html.

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 and the Maryland Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Colleen E. McGuinn, 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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Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced Joel William Hammond, age 35, Essex of 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; 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; Harford County State’s Attorney Albert Peisinger; 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, Havre de Grace Police Department; and the Harford County States Attorney’s Office.

According to his guilty plea, the Harford County Narcotics Task Force undertook an investigation into a drug trafficking organization (DTO) distributing powder and crack cocaine in Harford County, Maryland. Over the course of the investigation, detectives intercepted numerous drug-related communications over social media and phone calls, which identified Hammond as a drug supply source. 

On March 7, 2020, task force detectives followed one of the DTO members who met with Hammond at Hammond’s residence in Essex, returned to Harford County.  Detectives then observed a member of the DTO meet with several known drug users. Detectives believe that the DTO member obtained two to three ounces of crack cocaine from Hammond, which were then sold to the DTO’s customers.

Hammond met with members and customers of the DTO on at least 10 occasions between March and April 2020. Specifically, on March 31 detectives intercepted a series of communications indicating that a member of the DTO planned to meet Hammond to obtain crack cocaine. Investigators learned that Hammond sold approximately one ounce of crack cocaine to the individual during the meeting.

On April 21, 2020, investigators learned that Hammond and a DTO member were to meet later that day. Detectives observed Hammond and the DTO member make contact at Hammond’s residence. Soon after, the DTO member drove back to Harford County. A traffic stop by the Harford County Sheriff’s office led to a search of the vehicle by the Harford County Sheriff’s Office Special Response Team and Harford Narcotics Task Force, after first obtaining a search warrant for the vehicle.

As a result of the search, law enforcement discovered two plastic bags, both containing a white substance, as well as $660 in cash. One of the bags contained 16 grams of a white rock like substance that was similar to powder cocaine that had been directly cut off a kilogram of pressed cocaine. The second bag contained an off-white rock-like substance that law enforcement determined to be 41 grams of crack cocaine. The combined weight of the two bags was 57.9 grams.

On April 22, 2020, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Hammond’s residence and seized a small quantity of crack cocaine.

Hammond agrees it is reasonably foreseeable that the conspiracy involved at least 112 grams but less than 196 grams of crack cocaine.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the DEA, the Harford 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.

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Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paul W. Grimm sentenced Zhiyang Yang, age 61, formerly of Silver Spring, Maryland, to 14 months in federal prison, which is time served, for making illegal payments to an immigration official.  The sentence was imposed on October 26, 2021.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Jim Valenzuela of Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR); and Special Agent in Charge James R. Mancuso of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore.

According to his plea agreement, Yang entered into the United States on a tourist visa in May 2018 and never departed, contrary to the terms and duration of that visa. Later, Yang was identified by immigration authorities and ordered to report regularly to an ICE, Enforcement and Removal contractor. The contractor managed the supervision of certain individuals during the pendency of immigration proceedings.

On at least four occasions, Yang provided cash to a case manager (Public Official 1) in relation to immigration matters.

First, on September 27, 2019, Yang met with Public Official 1 for a scheduled appointment as part of Yang’s monitoring agreement with ICE, pending Yang’s immigration proceedings.  An interpreter was participating in the meeting by telephone while both Public Official 1 and Yang were physically present in a room. In the meeting with Public Official 1, Yang stated that he “wanted his freedom back.”  Public Official 1 informed Yang that he was on the lowest form of monitoring, but Public Official 1 could potentially reduce the frequency of Yang’s required office visits. Public Official 1 also informed Yang that there was a process for the reduction of required meetings. Immediately after Public Official 1 ended the call with the interpreter, Yang looked over his shoulders before offering Public Official 1 several folded bills of cash. Public Official 1 refused the money twice and left the office to make copies of documents for Yang. Yang then concealed $100 under Public Official 1’s keyboard. Public Official 1 reported the conduct to the appropriate authorities.

On October 11, 2019, Yang met with Public Official 1 for an immigration monitoring meeting. At that time, Public Official 1 was acting in an undercover capacity at the direction of law enforcement. Upon entering Public Official 1’s office, Yang placed $200 in cash in Public Official 1’s pocket and asked for reduced monitoring.  During their conversation, Public Official 1 stated that if he were to help Yang with less reporting, as Yang requested, Public Official 1 would need “more money”. Yang subsequently asked if $1,000 would suffice and said that he could provide it before the next scheduled appointment.

During an in-office meeting with Public Official 1 on October 25, 2019, Yang gave Public Official 1 $700 in cash, in exchange for Public Official 1 reducing the frequency of Yang’s in-office visits. Yang then inquired about obtaining additional immigration benefits, asking if he could obtain legal status earlier, as he wanted “as much freedom as possible.”

On December 20, 2019, Public Official 1 stated there could be another way to help Yang obtain a Green Card (officially known as a “Permanent Resident Card” which allows an immigrant to live and work permanently in the United States), but that it would be illegal. In response, Yang stated that he would very much appreciate that and would compensate those involved. Public Official 1 then estimated a price of $15,000 for Yang to obtain the Green Card. At the end of the conversation, Yang asked if he could pay upon the next visit.  At the next office visit, Yang made a $5,000 down payment towards the illegal Green Card. 

From December 2019 to August 28, 2020, Yang continued to speak with Public Official 1 and other immigration officials, who were also acting in an undercover capacity, to arrange installment payments in the effort to illegally obtain a Green Card. In several instances, the officials reiterated that this was illegal activity. Yang’s response was “not to worry.”

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron praised ICE OPR and HSI Baltimore for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney 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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Greenbelt, Maryland – Justin Ryan Best, age 46, of Laurel, Maryland, pleaded guilty yesterday to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances.   

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 Special Agent in Charge Timothy Jones of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division.

According to his guilty plea, from 2013 to April 2021, Best operated an illegal steroid manufacturing business from his Laurel, Maryland residence and conspired with others to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute, home manufactured steroids throughout the United States.

In March 2021, investigators received information about a suspicious parcel that had been shipped from a Chinese sender to Best’s Laurel, Maryland residence. The shipment was flagged because two shipments from the same China-based sender were previously seized and contained equipment to illegally press pharmaceutical pills. The parcel destined for Best also contained a similar cargo description that was previously used for other Chinese shipments containing pill press components. After the interception of the parcel destined for Best, investigators discovered pill press components concealed inside bubble wrap.

As stated in his plea agreement, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Best’s Laurel, Maryland residence.  Officers located and seized 8,500 units of controlled substances used in manufacturing steroids, including two 2,000-milliliter jars of testosterone cypionate, 198 pills of oxandrolone, 114 pills of stanozolol, 61 pills of oxymetholone, nine 10-milliliter vials of testosterone enanthate, one 10-milliliter vial of testosterone phenylpropionate, syringes, and packaging and mailing materials.

In addition to precious metals, collectable coins, and $6,127 in cash, officers recovered approximately 167 firearms consisting of 120 handguns, 39 rifles, seven shotguns, and 25 silencers.  Officers also seized hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition, as well as 277 firearm magazines and 18 sets of firearm accessories from Best’s garage.  Best agreed that the seized firearms, silencers, ammunition, magazines and firearm accessories were purchased with proceeds of his manufacturing and distribution of controlled substances.

In an interview with law enforcement, Best stated that he had manufactured and distributed steroids for approximately 10 years and that he purchased the raw material from Chinese sellers using cash or Bitcoin.  Best also stated that he mixed and manufactured vials of steroids at his residence, sold the products on an encrypted messaging application, and commonly shipped the steroids using the U.S. Mail to customers throughout the United States.  Best also informed officers that he was employed full-time as a software engineer and contractor for the United States Navy’s Office of Naval Intelligence, which paid him a salary of approximately $140,000 a year.  Best estimated that his drug trafficking operation generated an additional $100,000 per year.

Best faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison followed by up to three years of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis has scheduled sentencing for February 18, 2022 at 2 p.m.

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 the HSI, ATF, the Maryland State Police – Forensic Sciences Division and the Laurel Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey J. Izant and Caitlin R. Cottingham, who are prosecuting the case.

# # #

Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury returned an indictment charging four defendants with a racketeering conspiracy at the Metropolitan Transition Center (MTC), in Baltimore, Maryland.  The indictment charges two former correctional officers (COs), a detainee, and an outside “facilitator” for their roles in the conspiracy, which allegedly involved paying bribes to correctional officers to smuggle contraband, including narcotics, tobacco, and cell phones, into the jail.  The indictment was returned on October 13, 2021 and made public today.  Charged in the indictment are:

Christopher Mann, age 39, of Baltimore, a detainee at MTC; Thomas Green, a/k/a “Fatass,”, age 33, of Pikesville, Maryland, a former Correctional Officer at MTC; Shanese Butler, age 33, of Baltimore, a former Correctional Officer at MTC; and
Cania Jefferson, age 35, of Landsdowne, Maryland, an outside facilitator.

Green, Butler, and Jefferson will have their initial appearances in U.S. District Court in Baltimore today beginning at 2:00 p.m. Mann is currently serving a state sentence and will be brought in for his initial appearance at a later date.

The indictment 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 Green of the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services.

“Corrupt correctional officers that smuggle contraband into jails endanger the lives of their co-workers and the detainees entrusted to their care,” said United States Attorney Erek L. Barron.  “Prisoners can use contraband cell phones to direct criminal activity outside, which also endangers the community.  The United States Attorney’s Office will continue working with our law enforcement partners to root out prison corruption and prosecute those who abuse their positions of trust to facilitate and engage in criminal behavior.”

“This case demonstrates that we will not tolerate employees in positions of trust violating their oaths,” said Thomas J. Sobocinski, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Baltimore Field Office. “Federal, state, and local officials will continue to work together to ensure public servants who violate their duty for personal gain will be held accountable.”

According to the indictment, MTC is a medium security facility run by the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS) for the housing of Maryland pretrial detainees.  MTC houses approximately 500 male detainees in eight housing areas, or “dorms.” 

The indictment alleges that from about June 2020 and continuing until November 2020, the COs smuggled contraband into MTC, including narcotics, cell phones, and tobacco.  The indictment alleges that the narcotics smuggled into MTC included buprenorphine, commonly referred to as “Suboxone” and synthetic cannabinoids (otherwise known as “K2”).  The COs allegedly accepted and agreed to accept payments from facilitators and detainees as consideration for smuggling contraband into MTC.  The indictment alleges that Shanese Butler also engaged in a romantic relationship with Christopher Mann. Mann and his facilitators paid the COs for smuggled contraband using cash and electronic payment platforms, including Cash App.  Mann allegedly received payment from other detainees for contraband transactions via Cash App and other methods, often with the assistance of facilitators.

The defendants allegedly used cell phones to communicate with one another and to coordinate their contraband smuggling and trafficking activities.  The indictment alleges that by using contraband cell phones, Mann avoided using MTC’s jail call system, thereby enabling him to have undetected and unrecorded conversations with his co-conspirators.

The indictment documents numerous text and phone conversations between Mann, Butler, and Jefferson during which Mann directed Butler and Jefferson to make payments to Green and others and  arranged for the delivery of contraband to Green for smuggling into MTC. 

On July 29, 2020, Mann allegedly used a contraband cell phone to call Jefferson.  Mann told Jefferson that he had just paid a bribe to Green to have Green transport him to a building where Butler was working by herself so that Mann and Butler could have sex.  According to the indictment, Mann complained to Jefferson that after he arrived at the building, Butler was reluctant to have sex because she was afraid of being caught.  Mann allegedly complained to Jefferson that the aborted rendezvous was a wasted opportunity.  The indictment alleges that approximately three week later, during a call on August 19, 2020, Mann instructed Jefferson to purchase an engagement ring for Butler at a store in Columbia Mall.  Two days later, Mann allegedly wired $1,650 via Cash App to Jefferson to cover the cost of the ring.

According to the indictment, on several occasions in September 2020, Mann called Butler on a contraband cell phone to discuss sending contraband, specifically paper soaked in liquid K2, through the mail. During one conversation, Butler allegedly suggested sending the paper to another detainee to solicit the detainee’s feedback as to whether the K2 was sufficiently potent.  The indictment alleges that in another conversation Butler noted that the paper looked “glossy” and suggested that printing a picture on it would make it less noticeable to law enforcement.  Mann allegedly instructed Butler to print a picture depicting “white people” on the paper and to mail the paper to a specific white detainee at MTC.  The indictment alleges that Butler subsequently notified Mann that she had sent the K2 soaked paper to the white detainee, using the alias “Tiffany Baker” in the return address.

The indictment alleges that during the same time frame, Mann suggested to Jefferson that his father was concerned that law enforcement officers were aware of his criminal activity.  Mann allegedly told Jefferson, “My father acting like the goddam federal agents are coming to get me.”  Jefferson allegedly responded, “No, ain’t nobody coming to get nobody.” 

On October 2, 2020, law enforcement executed search warrants at residences belonging to Butler and Jefferson.  Law enforcement seized K2, as well as drug paraphernalia, from Jefferson’s residence.  At Butler’s residence, investigators seized K2, $3,020 in cash, and the engagement ring Jefferson had given to Butler on Mann’s behalf. 

If convicted, each defendant faces 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. 

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.

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.    

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI and DPSCS for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Peter J. Martinez and Aaron S.J. Zelinsky, 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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Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced Troy Lee Neal, age 42, of Elkton, Maryland, to eight years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and possession with the intent to distribute cocaine.

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; Superintendent Colonel Woodrow W. Jones III of the Maryland State Police; and Cecil County Sheriff Scott Adams.

According to his guilty plea, investigators identified Neal as well as co-defendants Mark Williams and Kevin Johnson as suppliers of cocaine after an extended investigation dating back to 2019. The conspiracy members distributed crack cocaine to multiple customers in Elkton, Maryland.

Law enforcement also intercepted at least eight instances in which Neal, or his co-conspirators, conversed in coded conversations about drug activity. For example, on May 27, 2020, after a series of calls between a co-conspirator and a customer, police observed Neal and a co-conspirator visit a customer’s residence. Shortly after their arrival, two male customers entered the co-conspirator’s residence. After one of the two male customers left the residence, police conducted a traffic stop of this customer and seized 3.6 grams of crack cocaine. At that time, Williams, Neal, and Johnson were arrested.

As stated in his plea agreement, on June 13, 2020 law enforcement covertly observed Neal, Williams, and Johnson depart from Neal’s residence and travel to the Bronx in New York, where investigators believe that the conspiracy members obtained cocaine.  The next day, on June 14, 2020, law enforcement observed the three men travel back to Neal’s residence.  Law enforcement executed a search warrant at Neal’s residence and recovered 497 grams of compressed suspected cocaine, several bags of suspected marijuana, a digital scale, and several cell phones.

Co-defendant Mark Williams was sentenced to seven years in federal prison on September 23, 2021 for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and possession with the intent to distribute cocaine. Co-defendant Kevin Johnson was sentenced to eight years in federal prison for the same charges on August 23, 2021.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron praised the HSI, the Maryland State Police Department, and the Cecil County Sheriff’s Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sandra Wilkinson and Kim Y. Oldham, who prosecuted the case.

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Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis sentenced Glenda Hodges, age 72, of Clinton, Maryland, yesterday to two years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, after Hodges pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud, in connection with the misuse of federal funds, and other fraud related to non-profit and for-profit entities that Hodges operated, and additional fraud committed while Hodges was on pretrial release for the wire fraud charges.  Judge Xinis also ordered Hodges to forfeit $268,573.41 through a money judgment and to pay restitution in the full amount of the victims’ losses, which is $295,060.48.

The guilty plea and sentence were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge D. Nichole Fleming of the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Inspector General, Fraud Detection Office; Maryland State Prosecutor Charlton T. Howard III; and Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office.

“Glenda Hodges not only defrauded the government and taxpayers, she also abused the trust of elderly victims, taking their money to pay her personal expenses and leaving them in debt,” said United States Attorney Erek L. Barron.  “Perpetrators of this type of egregious fraud will be prosecuted to fullest extent of the law.”

According to Hodges’ plea agreement, Hodges owned and was the Chief Executive Officer of Still I Rise Incorporated, a non-profit entity which purported to provide services and resources to minority survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking; Still I Rise Comprehensive Support & Training Services LLC (“CSST”), a for-profit entity; and the Women’s Wellness Center (WWC), a for-profit medical weight loss clinic operated under the umbrella of CSST. Between 2010 and 2017, Hodges was awarded more than $2 million in grants from the United States Department of Justice’s (“DOJ”) Office of Violence Against Women (“OVW”) and Prince George’s County to implement a violence against women program through Still I Rise.

As detailed in her plea agreement, the three grants that DOJ OVW awarded Hodges and Still I Rise were authorized only for the stated purpose of implementing Still I Rise’s non-profit program to address violence against women; specifically, to provide community services related to violence against women, including crisis intervention, support groups, financial and employment counseling, material assistance, job training, advocacy, court and medical accompaniment, language services, and transportation, and to provide a $12,000 stipend each year to Hodges as the Director of Still I Rise. 

Hodges admitted that she converted funding from the grant awards to her personal benefit and to pay WWC payroll and other WWC expenses.  By 2016, Hodges had exhausted the grant funding and her companies were financially distressed.  Hodges then used fraudulent means to inject additional funding into WWC and Still I Rise.

Specifically, Hodges admitted that on October 9, 2015, she caused $134,800 to be stolen from Victim 1—a mutual fund in Pennsylvania—and wired into a bank account associated with Still I Rise, and then used the stolen funds for expenditures at WWC and for her personal benefit.  In addition, on April 8, 2016, Hodges deposited a $72,938 altered business check related to a federal cancer research grant that was stolen from Victim 2, a prominent university in Texas, into a different bank account opened in the name of Still I Rise and over which Hodges was the sole authorized signer. 

Further, between March 10 and August 26, 2016, Hodges fraudulently opened credit accounts at two financial institutions using the identifying information of Victim 3, an elderly volunteer at Still I Rise, without the victim’s knowledge or permission, accumulating at least $40,000 in debt.  Hodges admitted that, to secure one of the lines of credit, she had Victim 3 medically transported to a nearby bank. When Victim 3 was brought to the bank, Victim 3 was in pain and in a wheelchair, and had an antibiotic catheter line running to her heart.  When the loan for which Hodges transported Victim 3 was not approved, Hodges used Victim 3’s personal information to acquire a credit card in Victim 3’s name, maxed out the $25,000 limit on the card and failed to make any payments on the debt.  Hodges used the funds to pay for expenses such as Hodges’ homeowners’ insurance, internet service, Medicare services, and car repairs.

Finally, Hodges admitted that between October 9, 2020 and October 21, 2020, after her initial indictment and while she was on pretrial release, Hodges defrauded a fourth victim by claiming she would monitor the victim’s finances while the victim prepared to move out of state. Hodges assured the victim that she would return the funds once the victim was settled in her new location. Hodges drove the victim to her financial institution and procured a check for $71,731.85, which Hodges deposited into her own bank account. Hodges spent the victim’s money on personal expenditures, without the victim’s authorization, and failed to repay the victim.

Hodges admitted that the actual loss to OVW and Victims 1, 2, 3, and 4 was at least $295,060.48.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the Department of Justice Office of Inspector General, the Office of the Maryland State Prosecutor, and the FBI for its work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kelly O. Hayes and Caitlin R. Cottingham, who prosecuted the case.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help elderly victims, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/elder-justice-initiative.

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Baltimore, Maryland – William Terrell Hudson, age 41, of Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty yesterday to possession with the intent to distribute crack cocaine.    

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron and Special Agent in Charge Timothy Jones of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division.

According to his guilty plea, in January 2021, during proactive enforcement efforts in the area of Greenmount Avenue, Baltimore, Maryland, ATF investigators identified a social media post by “byrdman4711” that was consistent with advertising the sale of crack cocaine. Investigators later determined that the account belonged to Hudson and asked a confidential informant to message Hudson’s “brydman4711” account to arrange the purchase of crack cocaine.

As a result of ATF’s investigation, Hudson distributed crack cocaine in exchange for cash on eight occasions between February 9, 2021 and April 7, 2021. Hudson agrees that he distributed more than 28 grams but less than 112 grams of cocaine base.

Hudson faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison followed by up to a lifetime of supervised release for possession with intent to distribute cocaine base.   U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar has scheduled sentencing for January 14, 2022 at 10 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.  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 ATF for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zachary Stendig and Lindsey McCulley, and Special Assistant United States Attorney Lindsay DeFrancesco, 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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Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury today returned an indictment charging William R. Johnson, Jr., age 32, of Baltimore, Maryland, for a federal charge of honest services wire fraud, for allegedly seeking and accepting bribes and kickback to falsely certify that applicants for Maryland handgun qualifying licenses (HQL) and wear and carry permits (CCW) had completed the required training.  Johnson is expected to have an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Baltimore tomorrow, October 27, 2021 at 3:45 p.m.

The indictment 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.

Johnson, who joined the Baltimore County Police Department in August 2008, became a narcotics detective on February 18, 2014.  Johnson obtained a qualified handgun instructor certificate (QHIC) from the Maryland State Police on April 29, 2019.  In order to purchase, rent, or receive a handgun in Maryland, residents must have a handgun qualification license (HQL).  To obtain an HQL, the applicant must be at least 21 years old and complete four hours of instruction by a qualified handgun instructor, including classroom training, a firearms orientation, and a “live fire” exercise in which the applicant safely shoots the weapon. Similarly, to obtain a license to wear and carry a firearm (referred to as a wear and carry permit or “CCW”) residents must have completed the Maryland State Police (MSP) firearms training course within two years of submitting a new or renewal application.  In addition, the applicant must undergo a minimum of 16 hours of instruction for an initial CCW application, and a minimum of eight hours of instruction for a renewal CCW application which is administered by a qualified handgun instructor.  Part of the training course for obtaining a CCW is a firearms qualification exercise in which the applicant must shoot a specific course, scoring at least 70 percent accuracy, to demonstrate their proficiency and use of the firearm.

According to the six-count indictment, from May 2019 through September 2021, Johnson solicited and accepted bribes and kickbacks, paid through interstate electronic funds transfer services like Venmo, CashApp and Zelle, from applicants seeking HQLs and CCWs in exchange for Johnson falsely certifying to the Maryland State Police that the applicant had completed the training required by law. 

As detailed in the indictment, Johnson communicated with applicants and arranged the payments using a messaging application.  Johnson allegedly charged approximately $100 for an HQL certification and between $150 and $200 for a CCW certification.  In conversations with the applicants, Johnson allegedly made clear that once they paid the money, Johnson would send them the required documentation and they did not need to attend the required classes.  The indictment alleges that, after receiving payment from the applicants, Johnson sent the applicants a “Certified Qualification Score Sheet” falsely certifying that the applicant completed the required training.  The indictment alleges that the applicants then submitted those falsified forms as part of their application.  Based on the falsified documentation provided by Johnson and submitted by the applicants, the applicants received an HQL or CCW from MSP.  The indictment alleges that Johnson received six payments from five individuals seeking to obtain an HQL, a CCW, or both an HQL and CCW.

According to the indictment, since April 29, 2019, Johnson has certified at least 100 applicants for handgun qualification licenses and at least 45 for wear and carry permits.

If convicted, Johnson faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for each of six-counts of honest services wire 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 FBI and the Baltimore County Police Department for their work in the investigation and thanked Homeland Security Investigations Baltimore, the Maryland State Police, and the Food and Drug Administration - Office of Investigations for their assistance.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Leo J. Wise and Christine Goo, 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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Baltimore, Maryland – On October 22, 2021, U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake sentenced Gibran Nelson-Smith, age 41, of Pikesville, Maryland, to 19 years in federal prison, followed by four years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute kilogram quantities of heroin, and crack cocaine, as well as quantities of cocaine and fentanyl.  

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; Chief Lisa Meyers of the Howard County Police Department; Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department; Chief Amal E. Awad of the Anne Arundel County Police Department; and Chief Melissa R. Hyatt of the Baltimore County Police Department.

According to his plea agreement, from at least 2015 through March 2019, Nelson-Smith conspired with others to distribute large quantities of heroin and crack cocaine, as well as cocaine and fentanyl, in and around Baltimore. Nelson-Smith exercised a supervisory role in the conspiracy, meeting with co-conspirators to provide the narcotics and resupplying the narcotics throughout the day.  Nelson-Smith also collected the drug proceeds from the distributors.

On at least one occasion between November 2018 and February 2019, law enforcement conducted several controlled purchases from Nelson-Smith.  On at least one occasion, law enforcement thought Nelson-Smith was selling heroin, but the lab results indicated that the drugs were a combination of heroin and fentanyl. 

As part of his plea agreement, Nelson-Smith admitted that he endorsed the use of firearms by members of the organization to maintain security in the areas where drugs were being sold, and also endorsed the use or threatened use of violence by members of the organization to protect the drug sales activities of the organization.  In January 2019, law enforcement received surveillance footage dated May 25, 2018, in which Nelson-Smith appears to brandish a firearm in the alley next to the “White House” located in the 3900 block of Dorchester Road in Baltimore, where Nelson-Smith operated.

Law enforcement executed a search warrant at Nelson-Smith’s residence on April 4, 2019, and recovered a .40-caliber pistol; a magazine for the pistol; at least 75 rounds of various caliber ammunition; cash; approximately 11 grams of a mixture containing heroin and fentanyl; approximately 46 grams of crack cocaine; approximately 251 grams of cocaine; and drug paraphernalia, including packaging material and digital scales; eight cellular phones; two tablet computers; and a laptop.

Nelson-Smith agrees that over the course of the conspiracy, he and his conspirators distributed at least a kilogram of heroin, at least a kilogram of crack cocaine, at least 250 grams of cocaine, and at least 10 grams of fentanyl. 

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 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 HSI, the Howard County Police Department, the Baltimore Police Department, the Anne Arundel County Police Department, and the Baltimore County Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joan C. Mathias and Patrick G. Selwood, 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, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander today sentenced Matthew Curtis and Tyler Curtis, ages 24, both of Hampstead, Maryland, each to 10 years in federal prison, followed by 18 years and 17 years of supervised release, respectively, for possession of child pornography. Judge Hollander ordered that, upon their release from prison, the defendants must continue to register as sex offenders in the places where they reside, where they are employees, and where they are students, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). 

The twin brothers were previously convicted of child pornography-related charges in 2017 within the Circuit Court of Carroll County. Specifically, Tyler Curtis was previously convicted of the promotion and distribution of child pornography and was subsequently required to register as a sex offender. Matthew Curtis was convicted of possession of child pornography and was sentenced to one year and six months in prison and three years’ probation. He then was required to register as a sex offender.

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; Colonel Woodrow W. Jones III, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police; Carroll County Sheriff James DeWees, and Frederick County Sheriff Charles A. “Chuck” Jenkins.

“Thankfully, the Curtis brothers will spend the next decade in federal prison for their extensive and disturbing conduct.” stated United States Attorney for the District of Maryland, Erek L. Barron. “This office will continue to aggressively protect our children and relentlessly prosecute those who perpetuate child exploitation.”

According to their plea agreements, from 2019 to 2020, Tyler and Matthew Curtis downloaded, possessed, and distributed child pornography while on state probation for their previous convictions for child pornography related charges.  Furthermore, Matthew Curtis used an internet-based messaging application to repeatedly share depictions of prepubescent minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct with other users of the application.

On March 5, 2020, the cloud-based service submitted a CyberTip to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Specifically, the service reported that a user account had uploaded 22 files of suspected child pornography. Images included the sexual abuse of prepubescent children. The IP address used to login to the cloud-based application was assigned to the defendants’ Hampstead residence and the email address was an address used by Matthew Curtis.

The investigation revealed that within messaging chatrooms, Matthew Curtis frequently posed as the mother of an infant or toddler and discussed the sexual abuse of his purported children. Matthew Curtis also distributed images documenting the sexual abuse of what he claimed were his children. Matthew Curtis and other online users frequently discussed their sexual abuse of children and their desire to abuse Curtis’s purported children.

As stated in their plea agreements, on May 28, 2020, law enforcement executed a search warrant at the Curtis’s residence and seized electronic devices, including two of Matthew Curtis’s cell phones. A forensic review of Matthew’s cell phones revealed a total of 429 images and 129 videos of child pornography. Some of the images and videos depicted prepubescent minors and sado-masochistic conduct.

During an interview with law enforcement, Tyler Curtis falsely informed investigators that he had not viewed child pornography since his 2017 conviction and that he did not have a cell phone in his possession. As a result of the search warrant, law enforcement seized a cell phone that was hidden in the bottom of Tyler Curtis’s bedroom dresser. 

A forensic review of Tyler Curtis’s hidden cell phone revealed artifacts associated with at least 13 different email addresses. Investigators also discovered 115 images and 137 videos of child pornography on Curtis’s cell phone. The sexually abusive material contained sado-masochistic content as well as images of prepubescent females engaged in sexual acts with adult men, including at least two videos that depicted the sexual abuse of an infant or toddler. A forensic review of Tyler Curtis’s file storage and hosting service account revealed that he uploaded 185 images and 10 videos of child pornography to the service.

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, the Maryland State Police, the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office and the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul A. Riley, who prosecuted 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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Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel sentenced Barry Thomas Goldsborough, age 53, of Laurel, Maryland to 195 months in federal prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, for receipt of child pornography and for violating his federal supervised release. Goldsborough was on supervised release for two previous federal sex offense convictions for attempting to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity and for possession of child pornography.

As part of his sentence, Goldsborough acknowledged that he will be required to continue to register as a sex offender in the places where he resides, is an employee, and is a student, pursuant to the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA), and the laws of his state of residence. Goldsborough will also be required to pay $9,000 in restitution.

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; Colonel Woodrow W. Jones III, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police; and Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department.

  According his plea agreement, in April 2019, an internet search engine and internet portal sent a CyberTipline Report to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) that reported an email account associated with Goldsborough had uploaded 181 files of suspected child pornography to his user account. Law enforcement subsequently reviewed the 181 files and determined that approximately 70 of the 181 files were considered child pornography. 

On November 19, 2019, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Goldsborough’s Laurel, Maryland residence and seized several electronic devices. A review of one of the devices revealed one image of child pornography. Law enforcement subsequently obtained a search warrant for Goldsborough’s email address, which revealed that Goldsborough sent and received multiple images of child pornography. For example, on January 27, 2018, Goldsborough received an image of child pornography from another email address. Goldsborough responded to the sender, indicating that he liked young girls between eight and 14 years old. Goldsborough also claimed to have had sex with an 11-year-old girl. 

As a result of an executed search warrant of Goldsborough’s Internet storage account, law enforcement located approximately 26 videos documenting the sexual abuse of children.

Goldsborough has two prior federal sex offense convictions involving minor children. Specifically, a prior conviction for attempted enticement of a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee and a prior conviction for possession of child pornography in the United States District Court for the District of Maryland. Goldsborough was serving a 72-month term of federal supervised release from those two prior federal convictions at the time he committed the instant offense.  Prior to those convictions, Goldsborough was convicted in the District Court for Baltimore County in 2005 for Possession of Child Pornography and sentenced to a sentence of one year, suspended, with two years of supervised probation. Goldsborough was also convicted in the District Court for Howard County in 2015 with Failing to Register as a Sex Offender and sentenced to a two-day period of incarceration. 

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.         

For information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office’s priorities regarding Project Safe Childhood, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-childhood.  For more USAO-MD information about internet safety for children, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended HSI, Maryland State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, 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 federal case.

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Baltimore, Maryland – Robert Allen Valladares, age 37, of Elkton, Maryland, pleaded guilty yesterday to distribution of fentanyl, and two counts of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.    

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Colonel Woodrow W. Jones III, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police; Cecil County State’s Attorney James A. Dellmyer; Cecil County Sheriff Scott Adams; and Chief Carolyn Rogers of the Elkton Police Department.

According to his guilty plea, in December 2019, the Cecil County Drug Task Force received information from a confidential informant that identified Valladares as a Cecil County controlled substances dealer acting under the alias of “Rob Valley” and provided his cell phone number.

On February 8, 2020, the Elkton Police Department was dispatched to a residence in reference to an overdose death. Upon arrival, an officer made contact with the victim’s father who stated that his son was deceased in his bedroom from, what he believed to be, an overdose. Emergency medical services arrived and pronounced the victim deceased shortly after.

Within the victim’s bedroom, officers located two empty wax bags stamped “Facetime” laying on the victim’s bed, an uncapped syringe that appeared to contain blood in it, and four cell phones. According to the victim’s family, the victim was recently discharged from a recovery house and appeared to be recovering well.

The victim’s father then informed officers that the night before the victim’s death, the victim asked his father to take him to his friend “Rob’s” house to obtain suboxone strips. The victim’s father knew Valladares and had meet him previously. Once the victim’s father drove him to Valladares’ residence, the victim went inside for approximately two minutes and returned to his father’s vehicle.

An autopsy performed on the victim’s body revealed the cause of death to be a mixed drug intoxication of acyrl fentanyl, fentanyl, desproprionyl fentanyl, methamphetamine and xylazine.

A subsequent forensic data extraction of the victim’s four cell phones revealed that the victim had called Valladares one day before his death and texted Valladares that his father was bringing him to his residence, and that they had to “keep it on the low”.

As stated in his plea agreement, on February 13, 2020, investigators executed a search warrant on Valladares’ residence. As a result of the search warrant, investigators seized prescription alprazolam pills, a digital scale, mail addressed to Valladares, five blue wax bags stamped “Facetime” containing suspected fentanyl, additional empty blue wax bags stamped “Facetime,” and a cell phone. Analysis of three of the blue wax bags stamped “Facetime” revealed the substance to be fentanyl.

A subsequent forensic data extraction of Valladares’ cell phone revealed that it contained over 80,000 text messages and messages consistent with the distribution and sale of controlled substances.

On May 4, 2020, a traffic stop was conducted on a vehicle leaving the Valladares residence. A K-9 scan resulted in the discovery of baggies containing fentanyl in the car. The driver advised that he had been purchasing drugs from Valladares for the past three to four months. Analysis of the substance within the bags seized from the car was confirmed to be fentanyl.

On May 19, 2020, a search warrant was executed at Valladares’ Elkton, Maryland residence. Valladares was detained at the front door of the residence. A search of the house yielded 38 bags of fentanyl. Valladares admits that he possessed the fentanyl with the intent to distribute it.

Valladares and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Valladares will be sentenced to between 132 months and 168 months in federal prison.  U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander has scheduled sentencing for January 7, 2022 at 2 p.m. 

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the Maryland State Police, Office of the State’s Attorney for Cecil County, Cecil County Sheriff’s Office, and the Elkton Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kim Y. Oldham and Mary W. Setzer, who are prosecuting the case.

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Greenbelt, Maryland – After a five-day trial, a federal jury yesterday convicted Francis Arthur, age 35, of Silver Spring, Maryland, for a money laundering conspiracy and for money laundering in connection with a scheme to defraud victim account holders at a credit union. The jury acquitted Arthur of a wire fraud conspiracy charge.   

The verdict was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron and Special Agent in Charge Matthew R. Stohler of the U.S. Secret Service Washington Field Office and Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Department of Police.

According to the evidence presented at Arthur’s trial, from October 2016 through April 2017, Arthur and his co-conspirators engaged in financial transactions designed to conceal the nature, source and ownership of the proceeds of a fraud scheme to obtain cash from victim account holders at a Maryland credit union.  Specifically, the evidence showed that the conspirators transferred, withdrew cash, and caused cashiers’ checks to be issued from the proceeds of a fraud scheme.  Arthur and his co-conspirators then used the funds to purchase motor vehicles to conceal that the funds were derived from a fraud scheme. 

Arthur faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for the money laundering conspiracy and for each of five counts of money laundering.   U.S. District Judge Paul W. Grimm has not yet scheduled sentencing.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the U.S. Secret Service and the Montgomery County Department of Police for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin B. Pulice and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Christian Nauvel, 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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Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Joshua Olatokunbo Shonubi, a/k/a Olatokunbo Joshua Shonubi, age 50, of Bowie, Maryland, for a federal charge of conspiracy to commit marriage fraud and visa fraud and for presenting false documents to a federal government agency, in connection with a scheme to fraudulently obtain permanent resident status for foreign nationals by arranging marriages to U.S. citizens.  The indictment was returned on October 20, 2021 and unsealed today upon the defendant’s arrest. 

Shonubi is expected have an initial appearance today at 2:15 p.m., in U.S. District Court in Baltimore before U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Mark Coulson.

The indictment 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 District Director Gregory L. Collett of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

According to the seven-count indictment, from at least January 2014 through January 2021, Shonubi, pastor of NewLife City Church, Inc. in Hyattsville, Maryland, engaged in a conspiracy to fraudulently obtain immigration benefits for foreign nationals by arranging their marriage to United States citizens who served as their sponsors for permanent residence in the United States.  The indictment alleges that Shonubi received thousands of dollars from foreign nationals in exchange for connecting them with U.S. citizen sponsors and facilitating their marriages.

The indictment alleges that Shonubi, often utilizing his role as pastor of NewLife, directly or through others, recruited and groomed U.S. citizens, including economically disadvantaged citizens, with payments and promises of money in exchange for marrying foreign nationals, then sponsoring the foreign nationals for permanent residence in the United States through USCIS.  Shonubi also allegedly officiated some of the fraudulent marriages or arranged for a civil marriage ceremony to be performed in Virginia.  Further, the indictment alleges that Shonubi created and signed at least 38 reference letters on NewLife letterhead in support of foreign nationals’ applications for permanent residence falsely stating: his relation to the parties; the nature of the marriage; his role in providing spiritual guidance or counseling; and his belief as to the romantic nature of the marriage.  On at least 34 occasions, Shonubi also allegedly created false rental leases, listing Jaypro, a corporation he formed in 2015, as landlord, to provide proof that the foreign national and U.S. citizen were living together, when in fact, they were living separately.  The false documents created by Shonubi and others were allegedly submitted to USCIS as part of the foreign nationals’ applications for permanent residence.  The indictment alleges that Shonubi and his co-conspirators submitted at least 60 application packets to USCIS, each documenting a marriage between a U.S. citizen and a foreign national, for the purpose of obtaining permanent residence for the foreign national.

If convicted, Shonubi faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit visa fraud and marriage fraud and a maximum of five years in federal prison for each of six counts of presenting false documents to a federal government agency.  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 HSI and USCIS for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason X. Hamilton and Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew J. Maddox, 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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Baltimore, Maryland – United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron and Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Washington Division are teaming up to publicize the Drug Enforcement Administration’s 20th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day being held in Maryland and across the country on Saturday, October 23, 2021.  The service is free and anonymous. Maryland has approximately 100 available sites. The public can find a nearby collection site at www.DEATakeBack.com or by calling 800-882-9539.  The nationwide event aims to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs and educating the general public about the potential for abuse of medications.

Maryland U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron will be participating with DEA and other federal, state, and local law enforcement officials at the Wilde Lake Village Center event in Columbia, Maryland, sponsored by HC DrugFree and the Howard County Police Department.  The event runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

“Over the pandemic we have seen a sharp increase in overdose deaths, and the path to opioid abuse can begin in the home with unused prescription drugs,” said U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron.  “I encourage all Marylanders to get rid of the unused and unneeded prescription drugs in their homes by participating in DEA’s Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday or by visiting https://takebackday.dea.gov/ to find a collection site near them to take advantage of this free and anonymous service.  Proper disposal of unused and unneeded  prescription drugs will help prevent drug abuse and opioid addiction.”

“This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue in our area,” said Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge of DEA Washington Division. “Our Take Back Day events highlight the problems associated with prescription drug abuse and give area residents an opportunity to contribute to the solution. With these efforts and the efforts from our incredible partners across Maryland, Virginia, and Washington D.C., we are helping to combat the opioid and overdose epidemics and keeping our area families safe.”

Rates of prescription drug abuse in the United States are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet.

Collection sites will adhere to local COVID-19 guidelines and regulations in order to maintain the safety of all participants and local law enforcement.

Given the ongoing COVID-19 public health emergency, DEA wants to ensure that the public is aware of other ways they can dispose of unwanted prescription drugs without having to leave their homes. Both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency have tips on how to safely dispose of drugs at home.  Go to https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/where-and-how-dispose-unused-medicines or https://www.epa.gov/hwgenerators/collecting-and-disposing-unwanted-medicines

In addition to DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, prescription drugs can be disposed of at any of the 11,000 DEA authorized collectors at any time throughout the year, and at many local law enforcement agency sites.

DEA and our state and local partners throughout the area will collect tablets, capsules, patches, and other solid forms. DEA will also accept vape pens or other e-cigarette devices from individual consumers, only after the batteries are removed from the devices. If the battery cannot be removed, individual consumers can check with large electronic chain stores who may accept the vape pen or e-cigarette devices for proper disposal. Liquids, including intravenous solutions, syringes and other sharps, and illegal drugs cannot be dropped off. This service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

Recent Federal Prosecution of Opioid Cases

United States v. Jacob Leister:  On December 3, 2020, Jacob Leister was sentenced to 51 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, after Leister pleaded guilty to distribution of fentanyl and Alprazolam.  Leister was also ordered to forfeit $15,400 in the form of a money judgment, which represents the net proceeds of his sale of drugs to an undercover officer.  According to his guilty plea, from December 2018 through September 2019, Leister sold purported prescription pills, including Oxycodone and Alprazolam, to an undercover law enforcement officer on several occasions. Subsequent lab testing found that the purported Oxycodone contained at least 56 grams of a mixture containing fentanyl, 708 pills contained Alprazolam, and 600 pills contained a substance similar to Alprazolam, but that is not a controlled substance. Law enforcement executed a search warrant on Leister’s residence on November 21, 2019 and recovered a number of computers, three firearms and ammunition and magazines for the firearms. Searches of the computers revealed, among other things, information and photographs about bitcoin, cryptocurrency, and cryptocurrency exchanges and information about dark web marketplaces, where individuals can purchase drugs. 

United States v. Joyce Edwards et al: On March 3, 2021, a federal grand jury indicted the owner and operator of a purported pain management clinic, as well as two nurse practitioners who were employed at the clinic, on the federal charges for conspiracy to distribute and dispense oxycodone and for distribution and dispensing of oxycodone.  Charged in the indictment are: Joyce Shawanda Edwards, Justina Aburime, and Thomas Charles Johnson, Jr.  Edwards owned and operated Personal Touch Medical Spa, LLP (“PTMS”), formerly known as Holistic Health and Wellness Medical Spa LLP, a purported “pain management” clinic located in Largo, Maryland, which the indictment alleges was, in reality, a “pill mill.”   A pill mill is a health care provider’s office, clinic, or health care facility that routinely prescribes and dispenses controlled substances outside the scope of professional practice and without a legitimate medical purpose.  Aburime and Johnson were nurse practitioners who worked at PTMS and both were authorized to prescribe controlled substances for legitimate medical purposes.  The indictment alleges that Edwards, Aburime, and Johnson distributed and dispensed oxycodone that was not prescribed for a medical purpose or in the usual course of professional practice.  The indictment alleges that Aburime and Johnson pre-signed blank prescriptions, allowing Edwards to issue prescriptions for oxycodone under their names, even though she was not authorized to issue prescriptions.  Further, the indictment alleges that, to create the false appearance that PTMS provided other treatment options to controlled substances, PTMS directed customers to physical therapy and provided massages.  The indictment also seeks the forfeiture of approximately $278,951.72, seized on July 11, 2019, after the execution of seizure warrants on bank accounts held in the name of Personal Touch Medical Spa, LLP.

United States v. David Robinson:  On March 4, 2021, David Robinson was sentenced to 171 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for the federal charges of conspiracy to distribute oxycodone and alprazolam and for murder for hire.  Robinson, formerly a licensed pharmacist who owned and operated the Frankford Family Pharmacy, located in the 5400 block of Sinclair Lane in Baltimore pleaded guilty on October 10, 2018, to a federal drug conspiracy involving the distribution of oxycodone and alprazolam outside the scope of professional practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose.  On December 17, 2020, Robinson pleaded guilty to a federal charge of murder for hire, admitting that he ordered a “hit” on the person he believed had cooperated with law enforcement that led to his indictment on those charges.  Robinson’s pharmacist license was suspended on August 7, 2017.

United States v. Monica Raynette Clark et al:  On May 17, 2021, a criminal complaint was filed charging the manager of a pain clinic, her boyfriend, and several customers with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, including oxycodone and oxymorphone. The defendants charged in the criminal complaint are: Monica Raynette Clark; Michael Tyrone Scott III; Larry Nathaniel Waller; Mildred Taylor; Jason James Johnson; and Lisa Ann Lewis.  According to the affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, law enforcement obtained evidence that drug trafficking was occurring at two pain clinics—Memorial Care Center, located in Woodbridge, Virginia (“Memorial Care”) and Washington DC Spine Center (“WDC Spine”), which closed in August 2019.  Clark was employed as the office manager of Memorial Care and was previously the office manager of WDC Spine.  Clark was not a physician and did not have a Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) registration number.  The criminal complaint alleges that Clark forged prescriptions for opioids using prescription pads from the clinics’ doctors, then illegally sold the forged opioid prescriptions to opioid users and diverters, including customers who live in Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia, such as Waller, Taylor, Johnson, and Lewis.  Clark is allegedly in a romantic relationship with Scott, who assists Clark in selling the forged prescriptions.  To evade scrutiny by law enforcement, Clark allegedly used several different phones to sell prescriptions and instructed customers to use specific pharmacies to fill prescriptions.  The criminal complaint further alleges that Clark instructed an undercover agent to claim a fictious work injury in order to receive a professional recommendation for opioid use and that Clark later arranged to sell forged prescriptions to the undercover agent.

United States v. Howard Hoffberg:  On June 9, 2021, Howard Hoffberg, M.D., pleaded guilty to the federal charge of conspiracy to violate the anti-kickback statutes, in connection with a scheme to accept payments from a pharmaceutical company in exchange for prescribing a drug the company marketed for breakthrough pain in cancer patients for off-label purposes. 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”).  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 Transmucosal Immediate Release Fentanyl (“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. 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.  

United States v. William Soyke:  On August 26, 2021, William Soyke, was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute and dispense oxycodone, fentanyl, methadone, and alprazolam outside the scope of professional practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose.  Sokye was employed as a physician assistant with Drs. Rosen and Hoffberg from 2011 to 2018, where he treated patients during follow-up doctor appointments. As a physician assistant, Soyke had privileges to prescribe controlled substance medications but was required to operate under a delegation agreement between himself and the Rosen Hoffberg owners.  Sokye was aware that many of the patients presenting to Rosen Hoffberg did not have a legitimate medical need for the oxycodone, fentanyl, alprazolam, and methadone they were being prescribed.  Nevertheless, Soyke issued prescriptions for these drugs to patients without a legitimate medical need and outside the bounds of acceptable medical practice.  Soyke also admitted that in several instances he engaged in sexual, physical contact with female patients who were attempting to get prescriptions. Specifically, Soyke asked some female customers to engage in a range of motion test, and while they were bending over, he would position himself behind them such that his genitalia would rub against the customers’ buttocks through their clothes. These patients often acceded to this sexual abuse for fear of not getting the medications to which they were addicted. 

Federal Grant Funding

In 2020, over $2.3 million in federal grant funding was awarded to the state of Maryland to assist efforts to combat opioid abuse. 

The Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) for State Prisoners Program assists states and local governments to develop and implement substance abuse treatment programs in state and local correctional and detention facilities and to create and maintain community-based aftercare services for offenders. The goal of the RSAT Program is to break the cycle of drugs and violence by reducing the demand for, use, and trafficking of illegal drugs. RSAT enhances the capability of states and units of local government to provide residential substance abuse treatment for incarcerated inmates; prepares offenders for their reintegration into the communities from which they came by incorporating reentry planning activities into treatment programs; and assists offenders and their communities through the reentry process through the delivery of community-based treatment and other broad-based aftercare services.

The Harold Rogers Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) enhances the capacity of regulatory and law enforcement agencies and public health officials to collect and analyze controlled substance prescription data and other scheduled chemical products. The PDMP helps Maryland and its local governments to detect and prevent the diversion and abuse of opioids and other prescription drugs.

For more information on DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, and to find a collection site in Maryland, visit www.deatakeback.com.

For more information on opioid abuse and where you can find help, please visit /media/1138691/dl?inline.

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Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel sentenced Sean Levan Henson, age 28, of Suitland, Maryland to 10 years in federal prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release, for coercion and enticement of a minor. Judge Hazel also ordered that, upon his release from prison, Henson 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; Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha N. Braveboy, Chief Russell E. Hamill III of the Laurel Police Department; and Chief Eric L. Reiley of the Woodstock Virginia Police Department.

  According to his guilty plea, in February 2019, Henson used various social media platforms to communicate sexual messages with a 14-year-old female victim residing in Shenandoah County, Virginia. For example, on February 15, 2019 Henson sent a message stating “I’m gonna take my time and appreciate you and make love to that body.”

As detailed in his plea agreement, on February 22, 2019, Henson traveled to Shenandoah County, Virginia where he picked up the victim for the purpose of transporting her to Maryland and engaging in sexual activity.  On February 23, 2019, Henson engaged in sexual intercourse with the victim in Laurel, Maryland.  Henson subsequently paid for a ride-sharing service to transport the female victim back to Shenandoah County, Virginia.  The victim’s parents reported the victim as a missing person and gave a statement to law enforcement.

On March 6, 2019, law enforcement communicated with Henson by telephone.  At that time Henson admitted he was aware the victim was 14 years old and that he had been communicating with the victim for two months with the intention of a romantic relationship.  Henson also informed law enforcement he picked up the victim at a Virginia gas station before he proceeded to Maryland where he engaged in sexual intercourse with the victim in Maryland.

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, the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office, the Laurel Police Department, and the Woodstock Virginia 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 www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-childhood and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Baltimore, Maryland – Two Correctional Officers, Darren Parker, age 45, of Baltimore, and Talaia Youngblood, age 35, of Randallstown, Maryland, have pleaded guilty to their roles in a racketeering conspiracy at the Chesapeake Detention Facility (CDF), in Baltimore, admitting that they accepted bribes to smuggle contraband, including narcotics, tobacco, and cell phones, into the jail.  Parker entered his guilty plea yesterday and Youngblood pleaded guilty on October 13, 2021.

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 (FBI), Baltimore Field Office; and Secretary Robert Green of the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS).

“These corrupt correctional officers endangered the lives of their co-workers and of the detainees entrusted to their care and supervision,” said United States Attorney Erek L. Barron.  “The United States Attorney’s Office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to root out prison corruption and prosecute correctional officers who abuse their positions of trust to facilitate and engage in criminal behavior.”

“Even one unethical person or contraband transaction endangers everyone,” said DPSCS Secretary Robert Green. “Our honest employees, and the detainees and inmates we care for, cannot be put in danger.”

According to court documents, CDF is run by the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS) pursuant to a contract with the United States Marshals Service (USMS) and used solely for the housing of federal pretrial detainees.  CDF is a maximum-security prison that houses approximately 500 male and female detainees.  There are six housing areas, or “pods” in CDF.

As detailed in their plea agreements, Parker and Youngblood, along with other employees, detainees and associates of CDF, knowingly participated in a conspiracy to smuggle contraband into CDF, including narcotics, cell phones, and tobacco.  Parker and Youngblood admitted that they abused their positions of trust as sworn officers of DPSCS by engaging in illegal activities to enrich themselves.

Specifically, Youngblood admitted that beginning in at least November 2017, she smuggled contraband into CDF for multiple detainees, including BB with whom she had a romantic relationship.  At the direction of BB and other detainees, Youngblood met with outside facilitators to collect contraband and receive bribe payments, including a cellular telephone that she used to communicate with BB, who was in turn using a contraband cell phone inside CDF.  On April 3, 2020, federal investigators executed a search warrant at Youngblood’s residence and recovered 35 grams of marijuana, packaged for distribution, a digital scale, a grinder, and $3,581 in cash.  Investigators also recovered a handwritten note from BB, two cell phones, photographs of CDF detainees, including BB, and three handwritten birthday cards from detainees at CDF. 

According to Parker’s plea agreement, he admitted that beginning no later than 2018 he smuggled contraband into CDF on behalf of detainee JH.  Parker admitted that on February 18, 2019, he smuggled liquor into CDF, which he hid inside a water bottle and delivered to JH as a birthday present.  On four separate occasions in early 2019, Parker received bribe payments totaling $1,980 from JH’s outside facilitator via Cash App.  On March 10, 2019, Parker met with the outside facilitator near the intersection of North Front and Low Streets in Baltimore and received a black plastic bag containing a cell phone, charger, Suboxone, and tobacco, to be smuggled into CDF and provided to JH.  The next day, Parker brought the black bag containing the contraband to work and was interdicted by officers in the CDF parking lot.  Parker subsequently admitted to the officers that he intended to deliver the contraband to JH.

The defendants each face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for the racketeering conspiracy.  U.S. District Judge George L. Russell III has scheduled Youngblood’s sentencing for December 21, 2021 and scheduled Parker’s sentencing for January 14, 2022, both at 9:30 a.m.

The U.S. Attorney expressed appreciation to the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, whose staff initiated the CDF investigation and have been full partners in this investigation. 

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI and DPSCS for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Peter J. Martinez 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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Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake sentenced Joseph Kukta, age 45 of Laurel, Delaware, to 42 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for interstate transportation of stolen goods and tax evasion, in connection with his theft and resale of merchandise being shipped through a commercial mail service. Judge Blake has also ordered Kukta to pay $1,101,743.91 in restitution and forfeiture of $1,880,000.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Acting Special Agent in Charge Darrell J. Waldon of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, Washington, D.C. Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge James R. Mancuso of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore.

According to his plea agreement, from 2007 through July 2019, Kukta worked as a Senior Manager at the FedEx facility located in Seaford, Delaware where he oversaw all operational aspects of the facility, supervised over 100 employees and contractors, and earned an annual salary of more than $92,000. The facility handled all the FedEx Ground and FedEx Home Delivery packages passing through the Delmarva Peninsula. 

Kukta admitted that he stole packages shipped via FedEx and resold the items to co-defendant Saurabh Chawla, at approximately 50% of the item’s retail price from 2009 to June 2019. Kukta then transported the stolen items, using his vehicles and trailers, to a relative of Chawla who resided in Maryland. From about 2009 to 2019, Kukta received more than $1,880,000 in illegal proceeds for selling stolen goods that were worth at least $3,250,000. 

As detailed in his plea agreement, Kukta stole packages that contained bulk retail goods and merchandise shipped by suppliers including Apple and other high-end manufactured products intended for delivery to a Walmart Distribution Center in Smyrna, Delaware. Beginning in 2012, Kukta’s theft of packages became frequent and consistent, occurring on a weekly basis in certain months. Kukta identified packages he would steal by accessing FedEx computer systems and reviewing packages that had been loaded onto a FedEx trailer awaiting delivery to the Walmart Distribution Center. Kukta selected specific packages which he believed, based on the shippers of the packages, contained high-end electronics or other merchandise of value that could be easily resold. 

In 2018, Kukta began to also steal packages from FedEx trailers that were loaded for delivery to a retail Store in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

Kukta went to the FedEx facility on Sundays, holidays, or other times when employees were not at the facility, and removed the packages he previously identified from the FedEx trailers. Kukta attempted to avoid detection by turning off the lights at the facility and blocking certain surveillance cameras with cardboard boxes and other objects.  Kukta loaded the stolen packages into his truck or into vehicles operated by FedEx contractors and parked at the facility, then drove the vehicles to his rented storage unit in Seaford, where he unloaded and stored the items.

As stated in his plea agreement, on June 5, 2019, Kukta learned that law enforcement had subpoenaed surveillance footage from the FedEx facility in Seaford. Approximately two weeks later, Kukta went to the storage unit and retrieved the remaining stolen items. Kukta sold that merchandise at an auction house in Lincoln, Delaware.

Kukta also admitted that he evaded paying income taxes on the proceeds of the scheme by failing to report that income on his annual joint federal income tax returns, causing a tax loss to the United States totaling $660,439. To conceal the income, Kukta provided false information to two banks when they questioned why he was receiving money from Company A (which was controlled by Chawla). As to each bank, Kukta falsely told bank representatives that he had been selling items from his father’s estate, which he knew was false. Kukta also provided false information to the IRS during a correspondence audit, claiming that the items he had sold on eBay during 2014 were from his father’s estate, not the sale of stolen goods.

Co-conspirator Saurabh Chawla, age 36, of Aurora, Colorado, was previously sentenced to 66 months in federal prison for federal charges of conspiracy, interstate transportation of stolen goods, and tax evasion.  Chawla was also ordered to pay restitution to the Internal Revenue Service in the amount of $713,619, and ordered to forfeit a 2013 Tesla Model S and $2,308,062.61 from accounts held in his name and the sale of property in Aurora, Colorado.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron praised the IRS-CI and HSI for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Harry M. Gruber and Paul A. Riley, who prosecuted the case.

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Baltimore, Maryland – Kyell Bryan, age 20, of Kingston, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty today to aggravated identity theft in connection with his involvement in a “SIM swap” and cryptocurrency theft scheme.

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 Melissa R. Hyatt of the Baltimore County Police Department (BCPD).

According to his guilty plea, in June 2019, Bryan conspired with others, including co-defendant Jordan K. Milleson, to carry out a scheme to steal cryptocurrency from others. At the beginning of the conspiracy, Bryan knew Milleson only by an online alias and did not know Milleson’s real name.

The scheme to defraud was carried out by fraudulently obtaining the login credentials of wireless service provider or affiliate employees, using the stolen credentials of these employees to access the service providers’ computer networks. Upon accessing the computer networks of the wireless service providers, Bryan and his co-conspirators conducted unauthorized “SIM swaps.” “SIM swapping” refers to a method of unauthorized takeover of a person’s wireless account, effectively allowing malicious actors to divert phone and data traffic intended for one device, e.g., a cell phone, to another device controlled by the malicious actors. The conspirators then used their unauthorized access to victims’ cellular telephone accounts to illegally gain access to victims’ email and financial accounts, enabling them to transfer the victims’ cryptocurrency from the victims’ accounts.

Specifically, in June 2019, Milleson used several phishing websites he created to steal the login credentials of Victim 2, who worked for a specific wireless provider or its affiliate. On June 25, 2019, Bryan and Milleson used Victim 2’s credentials to gain unauthorized access to the wireless provider’s computer network and execute “SIM swaps”.

After gaining access to the wireless provider’s network, Milleson and Bryan intentionally used the stolen login credentials to redirect phone and text message traffic intended for a mobile device used by the owner of a digital currency investment company, Victim 3, to a device controlled by them.

After conducting a successful “SIM swap” of Victim 3’s phone account, Bryan and his co-conspirators unlawfully gained access to Victim 3’s online accounts, including their email account, and an account containing digital currency. Bryan then instructed and directed Milleson to transfer Victim 3’s cryptocurrency out of Victim 3’s account. At the time of the transfer, Victim 3’s cryptocurrency was valued at approximately $16,847.47.

Soon after the theft, Bryan and his co-conspirators began to suspect that Milleson cheated Bryan and the other accomplices out of their share of the stolen proceeds. Bryan and other accomplices then began to threaten Milleson; one accomplice stated that if Milleson did not share the proceeds, they would burn down Milleson’s house and ruin Milleson’s life.

Bryan and his co-conspirators then attempted to uncover Milleson’s true identity by messaging other individuals for Milleson’s real name, address, and contact information. During a conversation with a co-conspirator, Bryan learned that Milleson went by the alias of “Chikri”. Later on, Bryan stated that the conspiracy would find Milleson’s identifying information and “swat” him. “Swatting” refers to a criminal harassment tactic in which a person makes a false report to law enforcement such as a bomb threat, murder, or hostage situation in order to trigger police or SWAT response to a specific address and place the target in a real life-threatening situation.

Shortly after Bryan asked other individuals for Milleson’s real information and learned that “Chikri” also identifies himself under the alias “Jordy”, the BCPD received a call from an unknown male claiming to have shot his father and was threatening to shoot himself. The male caller stated he was at Milleson’s home address and advised that he was armed with a handgun. During the call, the unknown male threatened to shoot if police confronted him.

The BCPD dispatched patrol officers and subsequently learned there was not a real emergency situation at the Milleson residence. However, a relative of Milleson informed authorities that an unknown person called the residence and said that Milleson had stolen $20,000.

Bryan agrees that he and his accomplices carried out the swatting attack to target Milleson because Milleson initially refused to share the proceeds stolen from Victim 3. Byran also agrees that he knowingly possessed and illegally used the identification of a real person during and in relation to wire fraud, unauthorized access of a protected computer in furtherance of fraud, and intentional damage of a protected computer.

Co-defendant Jordan Milleson was sentenced to two years in federal prison on May 5, 2021 by Chief U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar. Chief Judge Bredar also ordered Milleson to pay restitution of $34, 329.01.

Bryan faces a statutorily required sentence of two years in federal prison followed by one year of supervised release for aggravated identity theft. As part of his plea agreement, Bryan will be ordered to pay $16,847.47 in restitution. Chief U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar has scheduled sentencing for January 31, 2022 at 10 a.m.

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 the HSI and BCPD for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher M. Rigali, who is prosecuting the case.

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Greenbelt, Maryland – A federal jury convicted Eunice Nkongho, a/k/a “Eunice Bisong,” age 40 of California, on October 15, 2021, after a seven day trial, for conspiracy to commit money laundering and money laundering, related to a scheme to fraudulently obtain goods using what appeared to be a military e-mail address, but was actually a registered Yahoo e-mail address. 

The guilty verdict was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Christopher Dillard of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service - Mid-Atlantic Field Office; Special Agent in Charge James R. Mancuso of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; and Special Agent in Charge Nasir Khan of the U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Export Enforcement's Washington Field Office.

According to testimony at the seven-day trial and court documents, a co-conspirator of Nkongho’s established and used what was purported to be a U.S. Navy e-mail address, authentic forms, titles, addresses and other indicia to pose as a U.S. government contracting agent and fraudulently obtain merchandise, including large-screen televisions, specialized communications equipment, iPhones and iPads.  Much of the fraud scheme was conducted from outside the United States, including from Nigeria.  Three victim companies—one that provided wireless voice and data services that was headquartered in Washington State, one that was a wholesale audio-video distributor and manufacturer’s representative located in Virginia, and a defense contractor that designed, manufactured, and marketed communications equipment that was headquartered in Maryland—shipped merchandise, without prior payment, to East Coast co-conspirators.  Those individuals then shipped the stolen items to other co-conspirators on the West Coast, where they were sold.

Specifically, the evidence at trial proved that after twice receiving bags of cash from a co-conspirator in a gas station parking lot in Los Angeles, which was proceeds from the sale of the fraudulently obtained Apple products, Nkongho laundered the money two separate series of complex transactions involving at least five bank accounts and, in doing so, both promoted the ongoing criminal activity and concealed the illegal source of the funds.  After multiple transactions, Nkongho wired some of this money to a co-conspirator in Nigeria in a way that would avoid transaction reporting requirements.Similarly, the evidence at trial proved that Nkongho engaged in other transactions to conceal the nature and ownership of proceeds from the sale of the fraudulently obtained televisions.

Of the nine defendants charged in this case, Nkongho has now been convicted after trial and seven others have pleaded guilty to their roles in the fraud scheme.  One defendant, Eunice Nkongho’s husband, Peter Unakalu, is a fugitive.

Nkongho faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison for the conspiracy and for money laundering.  U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel has scheduled sentencing for February 17, 2022, at 10:00 a.m.                   

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron praised the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Department of Commerce’s Office of Export Enforcement for their work in the investigation, and thanked the FBI Washington Field Office and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service for their assistance.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph R. Baldwin and Adam K. Ake, who are prosecuting the case.

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Baltimore, Maryland – Chief U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar today sentenced MS-13 leader Jorge Guerra-Castillo, a/k/a “Pelon”, age 40, of Silver Spring, Maryland, to 45 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for his role in a racketeering conspiracy, including three violent murders and two attempted murders, leaving one of the victims without the use of his hand, which was nearly severed during the murder attempt. 

At today’s sentencing hearing, the government presented testimony detailing Guerra-Castillo’s leadership of the gang, which continued while he lived in Florida and while he was in prison.  The testimony included details about Guerra-Castillo exhorting MS-13 gang members to find and kill more rivals, to sell more drugs, extort more victims to obtain money, and to recruit more members.  There was also testimony that Guerra-Castillo raped and kidnapped a 14-year-old girl, who he took to live with him in Florida.  Guerra-Castillo was 33 years old at the time of the kidnapping.

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 James R. Mancuso of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; Chief Jason Lando of the City of Frederick Police Department; Frederick County Sheriff Charles A. “Chuck” Jenkins; Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department and Anne Arundel County Police Chief Amal E. Awad.

“As a leader in MS-13, Guerra-Castillo directed and approved the violent murders of individuals thought to be rival gang members,” said U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron. “Guerra-Castillo will now serve practically a life sentence for his crimes.  The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland and our partners are committed to stopping violent gangs like MS-13 to ensure that citizens can live peacefully and without fear in their communities.”

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.  According to his guilty plea, beginning some time before January 2015, Guerra-Castillo was a member of the Fulton Locos Salvatruchas (“FLS”) clique of MS-13 and agreed with other MS-13 members to conduct and participate in gang activities through a pattern of racketeering activity that included conspiracy to commit murder, extortion, and drug distribution.

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. 

According to Guerra-Castillo’s plea agreement, on April 7, 2015, MS-13 members murdered Victim 1, a suspected rival gang member, for the purpose of maintaining and increasing rank in MS-13. Prior to the murder, gang leadership in Maryland sought and received approval from Guerra-Castillo to kill Victim 1. Guerra-Castillo also arranged for another gang member to participate in the murder of Victim 1. As part of the scheme to murder Victim 1, MS-13 members lured Victim 1 to a wooded area in Frederick, Maryland where members repeatedly struck Victim 1 with a machete and a knife until he was dead.  The day after the murder, MS-13 members buried Victim 1 in a wooded area where Victim 1’s body was ultimately recovered. 

Prior to May 10, 2015, at the direction of Guerra- Castillo, MS-13 gang members forced Victim 2 to make regular extortion payments to the gang.  On May 10, 2015, Guerra-Castillo directed other MS-13 members and associates to kidnap and kill Victim 2, who had stopped making the extortion payments to the gang.  Gang members held Victim 2 at gunpoint while Victim 2 was forced into a vehicle and taken to a wooded area.  Once Victim 2 agreed to pay the gang, Guerra-Castillo and other leadership approved the release of Victim 2, despite their original order directing MS-13 members to murder Victim 2 for lack of payment. 

As stated in his plea agreement, in August 2015, MS-13 members and associates sought and received approval from Guerra-Castillo to murder Victim 3, whom they believed to be a rival gang member.  Several days prior to August 28, 2015, MS-13 gang members surveilled Victim 3 and his girlfriend, Victim 4 to determine when Victim 3 would be home. On the morning of August 28, 2015, gang members went to the apartment and waited inside for Victim 3 and Victim 4 to return.  When they arrived, three gang members attacked Victim 3 and Victim 4 with a machete and knives.  Although both victims survived the attack, Victim 3 was left with severe wounds to the face and both hands nearly severed.  As a result of the attack, Victim 3 has lost all function of one hand and still has only limited use of the other. 

Guerra-Castillo also admitted that he approved and assisted in the planning of the murder of a suspected associate of a rival gang, identified as Victim 18.  On June 24, 2017, Guerra-Castillo’s girlfriend lured Victim 18 to a location so MS-13 members could kidnap and kill the victim.  Once the victim was in the car, MS-13 members transported the victim to a secluded area in Crownsville, Maryland, where other MS-13 members had dug a grave and gathered weapons.  When the victim arrived, MS-13 gang members attacked Victim 18 with a machete and knives, until the victim was dead. Victim 18’s body was then dismembered and buried in the grave.  The murder of Victim 18 was 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.    

Anyone with information about MS-13 is encouraged to call the FBI’s nationwide tipline, 1-866-STP-MS13 (1-866-787-6713).  The FBI tipline allows individuals to provide information about MS-13’s criminal activities to a central location and the FBI will then disseminate the information to the appropriate law enforcement authorities for investigation.  Your identity will be protected.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI; HSI; the Frederick Police Department; the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office; the Anne Arundel, Montgomery, and Prince George’s County Police Departments; and the Anne Arundel, Frederick, Montgomery, and Prince George’s County State’s Attorneys for their work in the investigation, and the Baltimore County Police Department for its assistance.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kenneth S. Clark, Zachary Stendig, and Anatoly Smolkin, who are 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 https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Baltimore, Maryland – Chief U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar today sentenced Charvez Deonte Brooks, age 32, of Gwynn Oak, Maryland, to 124 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to commit a commercial robbery in connection with the robbery of a gas station owner.  Brooks was convicted of that charge on August 20, 2020, after a five-day trial.  Brooks has been detained since his arrest. 

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Charlie Patterson of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Washington Field Division; and Chief Melissa R. Hyatt of the Baltimore County Police Department.

According to testimony at trial and court documents, Brooks and two others conspired to rob a gas station owner.  According to court documents, one of the co-conspirators, Jesse James Elder, was a frequent customer of the gas station, located in the 10000 block of Reisterstown Road in Owings Mills, Maryland, and was friendly with the employees, including the owner.  On January 16, 2018, video surveillance showed that the owner was already at the gas station when Elder pulled into the parking lot.  Elder went inside the gas station to play the lottery, then left the store and waited in his car in the parking lot.  Shortly thereafter, the owner placed approximately $17,000 in gas station proceeds into a bank bag and left the store.  As the owner walked out, he stopped next to Elder’s vehicle and began talking to Elder.  While the owner and Elder were talking, Brooks and co-conspirator Levon Verian Butts approached from a neighboring parking lot and hid behind other parked cars.  When the owner walked away from Elder’s vehicle, Butts and Brooks charged the owner, pushed him to the ground, and grabbed the bank bag from his hand.

Witnesses testified that as Brooks and Butts tried to run back to the adjacent parking lot, a bystander who had seen the incident gave chase and tripped Butts, causing him to run out of his shoes, which Butts left in the parking lot.  Brooks also dropped some of the money as he was running away.  Brooks and Butts made it back to the adjacent parking lot, got into Brooks’ silver Infiniti, and fled the area.  According to trial evidence, the bystander followed the vehicle and took two photographs of the car as it fled from the parking lot.  Meanwhile, Elder drove around the owner, who was lying motionless in the parking lot, and left the gas station.  The evidence presented at trial showed that while Brooks was attempting to get away, he crashed into another car that was waiting at a red light and  continued driving to an area near Liberty Road, where he left the Infiniti.

As a result of being pushed to the ground, the owner of the gas station hit his head on the pavement and was knocked unconscious.  He was transported to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with multiple skull fractures, a cerebral hemorrhage, and remained in critical condition for several weeks.  He suffered a traumatic brain injury and has not returned to normal function.

Baltimore County Police officers responded to the gas station and recovered the money that had been dropped by Brooks along with Butts’ shoes from the gas station parking lot.  They also recovered surveillance video from the gas station, a .22-caliber handgun, and additional money in the parking lot near where the Infiniti had been parked.  Officers spoke with several witnesses, including the bystander who had taken photos of Brooks’ vehicle, as well as Elder, who provided a false statement.  The photograph taken by the bystander of Brooks’ vehicle showed that it had a fraudulent New York license plate and was missing the insignia from the rear of the car.  Subsequent testing of the shoes recovered from the robbery found that DNA from the shoes matched Butts’ DNA.

According to court documents and witness testimony, while at the crime scene, Elder remained in contact with Brooks and Butts, via Butts’ cell phone.  Brooks, Butts and Elder met later at Reisterstown Plaza, discussed the robbery, the evidence that was, and divided the proceeds from the robbery.

Several months later, Butts and Elder were charged with the robbery.  Elder was arrested on May 10, 2018. Five days later Brooks spoke to Elder over a jail phone, which records all inmate calls.  During the recorded call, Brooks used coded language to tell Elder not to tell police that Brooks was involved in the robbery.

Investigators later identified Brooks as the third participant in the robbery and he was subsequently charged federally.  During the investigation, law enforcement learned that Brooks drove a silver Infiniti with the same unique markings as the getaway vehicle, and that he had access to fraudulent license plates.  For example, when Brooks was stopped by Baltimore County police officers for a traffic violation a few months before the robbery, he was driving a silver Infiniti with a missing insignia on the back of the car and a fraudulent temporary Florida license tag.  On the day of the robbery, Brooks and Butts were seen arriving at Elder’s house, where Brooks took off his license plate and attached a fraudulent New York tag. 

Levon Verian Butts, age 30, of Baltimore, Maryland pleaded guilty to his role in the robbery and was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison.  Elder, age 46, of Owings Mills, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit a commercial robbery and faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.  U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander has scheduled sentencing for Elder on December 17, 2021 at 10:30 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.  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 ATF and the Baltimore County Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren E. Perry and Anatoly Smolkin, 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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Baltimore, Maryland – A federal criminal complaint charges William Rich, age 41, of Windsor Mill, Maryland, for allegedly fraudulently obtaining a total of more than $1 million dollars in Veterans disability benefits and Social Security Administration disability benefits by falsely claiming that he was a paraplegic. The criminal complaint filed on October 12, 2021, and was unsealed yesterday upon Rich’s arrest. 

The federal charges were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Inspector General Kim R. Lampkins, Special Agent in Charge, Mid Atlantic Field Office, Washington, DC of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA); and Special Agent in Charge Michael McGill of the Social Security Administration - Office of Inspector General, Philadelphia Field Division (SSA).

The criminal complaint alleges that Rich misrepresented his physical condition in VA disability compensation claims, in communications with the VA and during medical examinations in pursuit of VA disability benefits, purporting that he is paralyzed and unable to walk. As a result, Rich has allegedly received more than approximately $800,000 in VA benefits to which he was not entitled, including disability compensation, special monetary and caregiver assistance compensation, as well as medical care and subsidies for medical equipment. In addition, the criminal complaint alleges that Rich received more than $240,000 in Social Security Administration (SSA) Disability Insurance Benefit payments.

According to the criminal complaint, Rich served in the United States Army from on or about September 22, 1998 to February 27, 2007, sustaining injuries on August 23, 2005, while serving in Baqubah, Iraq. As a result of those injuries, in 2007 the VA rated Rich one hundred percent disabled due to the “loss of use of both lower extremities…” The VA disability compensation program provides tax-free monetary benefits paid to veterans with disabilities that are the result of a disease or injury incurred or aggravated during active military service. The amount of disability compensation a veteran receives is commensurate with their service-connected disability rating. Rich was also awarded special monthly compensation for paraplegia and given allowances for a caregiver. Rich also received SSA Disability Insurance Benefit payments.

As detailed in the criminal complaint, approximately six weeks after Rich’s injuries, he had begun to make substantial progress toward recovery, and was no longer paralyzed. In particular, a report from Rich’s annual physical examination dated October 7, 2005 stated that an MRI on August 24, 2005 revealed “no [spinal] cord impingement” or “[spinal] cord abnormalities” and noted that Rich’s “…paralysis has resolved somewhat and at present he is able to move his lower extremities.”  A subsequent report, dated December 5, 2006, indicated Rich was able to perform certain essential daily activities with “complete independence” or “modified independence” such as using the bathroom and “locomotion.”

However, according to the affidavit, later records documenting a subsequent exam conducted on October 11, 2007 stated, “Since his accident, he has been paralyzed in both lower extremities; has been confined to a wheelchair….”  The examining physician, who noted that he did not have access to Rich’s complete claims file, and so did not review Rich’s medical history or observe the earlier report, also did not order an x-ray, stating he “did not feel that it was worth the trauma to him of manipulating him around.” Based on this examination, Rich was granted permanent disability from VA.

In 2018, the VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducted an audit of certain claims and learned of conduct by Rich inconsistent with his purported condition. VA OIG opened an investigation into possible fraud in Rich’s claim for VA benefits. According to the affidavit, over the next two years, VA OIG Special Agents (SAs) conducted surveillance and observed of Rich walking, going up and down stairs, entering and exiting vehicles, lifting, bending, and carrying items—all without visible limitation or assistance of a medical device, including a wheelchair.

The affidavit further alleges that throughout the course of their surveillance, the only time agents observed Rich use a wheelchair was in connection with VA medical appointments. In particular, on five occasions between March 2019 and February 2021, VA OIG SAs allegedly observed Rich either loading his wheelchair into the trunk of his car before or after a VA medical appointment, using a wheelchair at VA appointments, or wheeling himself from a VA medical appointment to his car, and then loading his wheelchair into the car.

According to the affidavit, a review of Rich’s publicly available social media accounts revealed multiple images of Rich standing, with no indication that he is bound to a wheelchair, as well as an image Rich took of himself standing in front of a mirror at a gym, as well as videos of Rich lifting weights.

In addition to monthly benefits Rich received from the VA, according to the affidavit, Rich also received grants from the VA for “Automobile and Adaptive Equipment,” and “Specially Adapted Housing.” In particular, the affidavit alleges that Rich used the funds intended for the purchase of a specially adapted vehicle to buy a BMW 645ci luxury sports coupe.

If convicted, Rich faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for wire fraud and a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison for theft of government property. 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. On October 13, 2021, Rich had an initial appearance in United States District Court in Baltimore and was ordered to be released pending trial.

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. 

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the VA OIG and SSA Office of Inspector General for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Special Assistant United States 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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Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III sentenced Delando Lee Brown, age 39, of Randallstown, Maryland to eight years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute, and possession with intent to distribute more than 300 grams of fentanyl.  According to the Drug Enforcement Administration .02 milligrams is a lethal dose of fentanyl.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron and Special Agent in Charge Timothy Jones 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 Baltimore City Sheriff John Anderson.

According to his plea agreement, on May 19, 2019, Brown went to a Middle River, Maryland gun range where he possessed and used several firearms including a 9mm handgun, a .22 caliber handgun, 50 rounds of 9mm ammunition, and 50 rounds of .22 caliber ammunition. Brown knew that he was prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition as a result of a previous felony conviction.  Brown was subsequently indicted federally for illegal possession of firearms and ammunition and was detained pending trial.

In April 2020 Brown was released from pretrial detention pending trial.  However, while on pretrial release, Brown engaged in a conspiracy to traffic fentanyl. Specifically, on multiple occasions in October 2020, law enforcement observed Brown leaving a Baltimore apartment where narcotics were stored and traveling to drug shops to supply his customers with narcotics.  On October 16, 2020, law enforcement executed a search warrant at the stash location. Upon entering the apartment, law enforcement found Brown and another individual inside the apartment preparing drugs for bulk sale. In total, law enforcement seized 310 grams of fentanyl and $3,190 in drug proceeds.

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, the DEA, the Baltimore City Sheriff’s Office, the Baltimore Police Department, and the Baltimore County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jason D. Medinger, Patricia C. McLane, and Lindsey McCulley, who prosecuted the case.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and programs to combat gun crime, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile.

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Baltimore, Maryland – Jason Lawrence Green, age 40, of Salisbury, Maryland, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute heroin, which he sold on the dark web (a part of the internet that is only accessible by using specific software the disguises the true location and identity of computers using the software to communicate). The guilty plea was entered on October 12, 2021.

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; Postal Inspector in Charge Daniel A. Adame of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service - Washington Division; 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.  The next day, law enforcement surveilled Green as he drove a white BMW from his home to the post office 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 Service 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.

Green and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Green will be sentenced to five years in federal prison.  U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake has scheduled sentencing for February 11, 2022 at 2:00 p.m. 

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 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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Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang sentenced Arsenio Cleckley, a/k/a “Bund”, age 39, of Accokeek, Maryland to eight years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.

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; Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department; Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) - Washington Division; and Charles County Sheriff Troy Berry.  

According to Cleckley’s guilty plea, from at least in or about January 2017 through June 2018, Cleckley and his co-conspirators—James Belt, Alphonso Black, Terri Bordeaux, Diamante Hailey, Christina Marshall, Thomas Parker III, Devin Simmons, Williams Stuart, and others—conspired to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute, heroin, fentanyl, cocaine, and crack to drug users and other narcotics distributers in Maryland and Washington D.C.

Cleckley also admitted that he acted as a distributor of heroin, fentanyl, cocaine and crack in the Maryland-Washington D.C. area.  For example, on or about May 28, 2018, Cleckley and a co-conspirator purchased more than 200 grams of heroin and fentanyl from a supplier. After the purchase, members of law enforcement intercepted telephone calls revealing that Cleckley and the co-conspirator intended to distribute the heroin and fentanyl.

Cleckley and his co-conspirators also possessed firearms in furtherance of their drug trafficking.  Specifically, on or about March 14, 2018, after Cleckley crashed his vehicle and fled the scene, officers located a loaded .45 caliber handgun and more than 40 grams of fentanyl in the vehicle.  As part of his guilty plea, Cleckley admitted that he possessed the .45 caliber handgun to protect his drug supply and drug proceeds and increase his reputation as a drug trafficker.

Additionally, in or about June 2018, after one of his associates was murdered in the Barry Farms area of Southeast, Washington, D.C., Cleckley planned a retaliatory shooting and purchased a AK-47 assault rifle and .40 caliber handgun.  Cleckley also recruited accomplices for the retaliatory shooting. During a subsequent phone call, Cleckley made clear to a co-conspirator that the AK-47 assault rifle was not purchased “for show” and that the firearm needed to “put in work.” In another conversation about his intended targets, Cleckley stated, “I’m going to walk, I’m a stop in the middle of his street, and chase my victims down.”

As stated in his plea agreement, law enforcement arrested Cleckley in a Waldorf, Maryland hotel room where Cleckley had been selling fentanyl. From Cleckley’s hotel room, law enforcement recovered a stolen 9mm handgun with a 32-round extended magazine.

Co-defendants Diamante Lacelle Hailey, a/k/a Tay, age 27 of Clinton, Maryland; James Belt, a/k/a JB, age 32, of Lanham, Maryland; Alphonso Leroy Anthony Black, a/k/a Kobe, age 25 of Temple Hills, Maryland; Terri Bordeaux, a/k/a CeCe and Auntie, age 50, of Washington, D.C.; Christina Marshall, a/k/a Chrissy, age 32, of Accokeek, Maryland; Devin Simmons, age 42, of Marbury, Maryland; and William Stewart, a/k/a Lil’ Will, age 24, also of Marbury, all previously pleaded guilty. Simmons, Belt, Hailey, Stewart, and Black were previously sentenced to periods ranging from time-served to five years in federal prison, each followed by three years of supervised release.  On July 15, 2021, U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang sentenced co-defendant Thomas Parker III to 90 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release.  Bordeaux and Marshall are currently scheduled to be sentenced on October 20, 2021 and October 29, 2021, respectively.

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.    

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron praised HSI, the Prince George’s County Police Department, the DEA, and the Charles County Sheriff’s Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Erin B. Pulice and Jennifer L. Wine, who prosecuted the case.

 

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Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Scott Eli Harris, age 51, of Aubrey, Texas for the federal charges of 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 indictment was returned on September 29, 2021, and unsealed today upon Harris’ arrest.  Scott has an initial appearance scheduled on Wednesday, October 13, 2021, at 10:00 a.m., in U.S. District Court in Plano, Texas.

The indictment 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; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office.

“We take seriously threats and intimidation, and this charge makes clear that such conduct will be prosecuted federally,” said United States Attorney Erek L. Barron.  “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute those making such threats.”

The one-count indictment alleges that, on July 12, 2020, Harris sent a threat from his cell phone to the Maryland doctor who had been a vocal advocate of the Covid-19 vaccine. Harris’ alleged threats 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.”

If convicted, Harris faces a maximum sentence of five years 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.  Harris is expected to have an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Baltimore at a later date.

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 for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron 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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Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake sentenced James Dorsey, age 36, of Baltimore, to 90 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. 

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Timothy Jones 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 plea agreement, on April 23, 2020, a Baltimore Police Department detective observed a vehicle with a Texas One Trip permit, which allows for the temporary movement of a vehicle subject to Texas registration laws and is valid for a period of 15 days from the effective date. The detective knew that these tags were often used fraudulently and confirmed that this one was invalid. After initiating a traffic stop, the detective noted the order of marijuana emanating from the vehicle. Dorsey was identified as the driver of the vehicle.  Dorsey did not possess a driver’s license and had an outstanding warrant for his arrest.

The detectives searched Dorsey’s person incident to his arrest and discovered several items including a tube and a small ziplock bag containing suspected marijuana. A search of the vehicle Dorsey was driving revealed a black plastic bag filled with empty vials, three cell phones, and two vials containing white rock-like substance that tested positive for cocaine. Officers also located 45 gel caps that were subsequently determined to contain fentanyl and tramadol, a burnt cigar containing suspected marijuana, and a .38 caliber semi-automatic pistol loaded with three rounds of ammunition.

After being advised of his Miranda rights, Dorsey admitted to being in the area of the marijuana and knowing that the gun was a .38 caliber firearm. Later, Dorsey made several inculpatory jail calls in which he stated that as he was being pulled over he “hurried up” and put “that stuff” in the glove compartment, so that he could “beat” the criminal charges.

The BPD Drug Analysis Unit tested the substances within all the recovered gelcaps and determined that the gelcaps contained fentanyl and tramadol. Further, the rock-like substance contained in the vials tested positive for cocaine.

Also as part of his plea Dorsey admitted that the control substances located in the vehicle were intended to be sold and distributed and that he knowingly possessed the firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.

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 Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Gallena, who prosecuted the case.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and programs to combat gun crime, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile.

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Baltimore, Maryland – Chief United States District Judge James K. Bredar today swore in Erek L. Barron as the 49th United States Attorney for the District of Maryland.

As the United States Attorney, Mr. Barron is the chief federal law enforcement officer in the District of Maryland. Mr. Barron oversees the investigation and litigation of all criminal and civil cases brought on behalf of the United States in the District of Maryland. He supervises an office of approximately 98 Assistant U.S. Attorneys and 73 support personnel, who handle a high volume of cases including domestic and international terrorism, narcotics trafficking, organized crime, gang violence, public corruption, cybercrime, financial and healthcare fraud and civil rights violations.

Before taking office as the United States Attorney, Mr. Barron was a partner in a law firm in Maryland, with a focus on complex business and criminal litigation. Mr. Barron was also a member of the Maryland House of Delegates where he served as a member of the Maryland Justice Reinvestment Coordinating Council and co-authored bipartisan legislation designed to enhance public safety, reduce corrections spending, and reinvest savings in evidence-based strategies to decrease crime and recidivism. Mr. Barron was also responsible for numerous legislative measures addressing criminal justice and behavioral health, including bills curbing opioid abuse and mandating treatment for opioid addiction and services for mentally ill individuals. Mr. Barron previously served as President-Elect of the Maryland State Bar Association and President of the J. Franklyn Bourne Bar Association.

Mr. Barron began his career as an Assistant State’s Attorney for Prince George’s County and then Baltimore City, working primarily as a violent crime prosecutor. He continued his public service as a Trial Attorney in the United States Department of Justice’s Criminal Division, where he handled regional and national gang and organized crime investigations and prosecutions. He then served as Counsel and Policy Advisor to then-Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr. on the United States Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs, where he focused on law enforcement, crime policy and oversight of the United States Department of Justice.

Mr. Barron received his B.A. degree from the University of Maryland, College Park in 1996 and received his law degree from George Washington University Law School in 1999. In 2007, Mr. Barron earned an advanced law degree, focused on International and National Security Law, from Georgetown University Law Center.

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Baltimore, Maryland – Douglas Vines, age 50, of Owings Mills, Maryland pleaded guilty today to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake sentenced Vines to 78 months in federal prison followed by four years of supervised release.

The guilty plea was announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Jonathan F. Lenzner; Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of the Drug Enforcement Administration - Washington Division; and Postal Inspector in Charge Daniel A. Adame of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service - Washington Division (USPIS).

According to his guilty plea, as a result of an ongoing investigation into drug trafficking in the Baltimore area, the USPIS and DEA linked Vines with Baltimore-area properties that received mail parcels believed to contain controlled substances.

On February 10, 2021, investigators recovered a USPS parcel sent by Vines to an associate. Approximately 2.8 grams of fentanyl were retrieved from the box along with Vines’ fingerprints from the interior of the parcel. On March 19, 2021, Vines mailed 83.5 grams of fentanyl in exchange for $5,000.

In addition, on April 28, 2021, law enforcement observed Vines mailing a parcel to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvaniaand executed a search warrant on Vines’ parcel, recovering 90 grams of cocaine and 30 grams of fentanyl.

As stated in his plea agreement, on June 16, 2021, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Vines’ residence and at a relative’s residence. As a result of the search warrants, officers recovered 101.58 grams of fentanyl, 0.76 grams of heroin, 27.62 grams of cocaine, $20,000 in U.S. currency, as well as various packaging and weighing materials.

On June 21, 2021, Vines asked an associate to help him acquire new identity documents in order for Vines to “set up shop” elsewhere. During the week of July 17, 2021, Vines “ordered” a false photo ID, social security card, passport, and sent a picture of himself to an associate to acquire the false identification papers.

Acting United States Attorney Jonathan F. Lenzner commended the USPIS and DEA for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Lenzner thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason X. Hamilton and Assistant U.S. Attorney James G. Warwick who prosecuted the case.

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Greenbelt, Maryland – Alicia Marie Walls, age 28, of Bowie, Maryland; and Andrew Joseph Trimmer, age 32, of Bowie, Maryland pleaded guilty on October 4, 2021 to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and, possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. Trimmer also pled guilty to assault on a federal officer.   

The guilty pleas were announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Jonathan F. Lenzner; Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of the Drug Enforcement Administration - Washington Division (DEA); and Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department (PGPD).

According to their guilty pleas, between May 2018 to September 2020, Walls and Trimmer conspired with others to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl.

Specifically, on May 28, 2018, in Bowie, Maryland, Trimmer sold fentanyl to Victim A. During the narcotics transaction, Victim A and Victim A’s friends ingested the heroin that Trimmer distributed. Shortly after ingestion, Victim A overdosed and lost consciousness. After receiving life support treatment, Victim A survived the overdose, which constituted a serious bodily injury.

Prior to the overdose on May 28, 2018, Trimmer distributed at least one gram of heroin and fentanyl to Victim A approximately two times per week for two years. Trimmer and Walls had numerous narcotics customers in the Bowie area, including two other victims, Victim B and Victim C. In partnership, Walls and Trimmer distributed at least 240 grams of heroin/fentanyl to Victims B and Victim C.

Occasionally, Trimmer and Walls sold narcotics in the presence of their minor child who was under the age of three years old.

On July 16, 2019, while caring for a minor child, Walls ingested narcotics and fell asleep. While asleep, the nine-month-old child obtained narcotics from Wall’s belongings, ingested the narcotics, and subsequently overdosed. Walls and Trimmer transported the child to a nearby hospital where healthcare workers revived the child. After receiving additional lifesaving measures, the child survived.

Following the child’s overdose, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Walls and Trimmer’s hotel room on September 25, 2020. As agents announced themselves, Trimmer yelled “Alicia! I’m not going back!” and attempted to flee on foot. After disregarding law enforcement’s commands to stop, Officer A attempted to physically stop Trimmer from fleeing. Trimmer then proceeded to grab the officers body armor and began to physically assault Officer A. Eventually, Trimmer was apprehended. Officer A sustained a torn meniscus as a result of the assault.

After searching Trimmer’s person, law enforcement recovered approximately 30 grams of fentanyl, two cell phones and $1,143 from Trimmer’s jacket. Trimmer and Walls agreed that the $1,143 recovered were proceeds of narcotics sales. Subsequent lab results confirmed that the narcotics in Trimmer’s jacket was fentanyl mixed with diphenhydramine and etizolam. From Trimmer’s car, officers seized four digital scales, plastic sandwich bags, and razor blades. Officers also seized numerous luxurious items including a Louis Vuitton Josh backpack, a men’s diamond 14kt yellow gold cross pendant and chain, a woman’s diamond 14kt rose gold cross pendant, a Louis Vuitton flower hobo purse, a Louis Vuitton NeoNoe Azur handbag, and a 2015 Audi A-4 sedan.

As stated in their plea agreements, after Trimmer was taken into custody on September 25, 2020, Walls continued to sell heroin and fentanyl in the southern Maryland area. In October 2020, two narcotics customers, Victim B and Victim C obtained fentanyl and heroin from Walls and then subsequently overdosed from the narcotics. Both Victims were treated for advanced life support and ultimately survived.

Walls was arrested on February 4, 2021. During her arrest officers recovered approximately $16,024 of drug proceeds. The drug proceeds were funds that had been previously buried in the woods. In total, Walls and Trimmer agreed that it is reasonably foreseeable that the conspiracy distributed at least 240 grams of heroin/fentanyl.

Walls and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Walls will be sentenced to between 71 months and 87 months in federal prison.  U.S. District Judge Paul W. Grimm has scheduled sentencing for January 20, 2022 at 1 p.m.

Trimmer and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Trimmer will be sentenced to between 114 months and 132 months in federal prison.  U.S. District Judge Paul W. Grimm has scheduled sentencing for Trimmer for November 22, 2021 at 1 p.m.

Acting United States Attorney Jonathan F. Lenzner commended the DEA and PGPD for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Lenzner thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin B. Pulice, who is prosecuting the case.

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Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury today returned an indictment charging Delmarcus Branford, a/k/a “Baydo,” age 31, of Elkridge, Maryland, for the federal charges of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances—specifically, fentanyl, cocaine, and marijuana; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; and for being a felon in possession of a firearm.  According to court documents, Branford allegedly committed these crimes while on federal supervised release.

The indictment was announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Jonathan F. Lenzner; 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; Chief Amal E. Awad of the Anne Arundel County Police Department; Chief Edward Jackson of the Annapolis Police Department; Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department; and State’s Attorney for Baltimore City Marilyn Mosby.

The three-count indictment and other court documents allege that during 2020 Branford conducted drug transactions, including selling crack cocaine to undercover law enforcement officers on several occasions.  Branford was subsequently indicted under seal in Baltimore City Circuit Court and a federal arrest warrant was issued base on a notice of violation of supervised release.  Court documents further allege that Branford continued selling drugs, posting several photos of himself with large amounts of cash, luxury vehicles and high-end clothing and other items on social media, as a symbol of his success in his illicit business.

As detailed in court documents, Branford was arrested on August 19, 2021 on the federal warrant for violation of his supervised release.  Simultaneously, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Branford’s residence, seizing approximately $38,854 in cash, cell phones, and other electronic devices.  A search warrant was also obtained for the Maserati that law enforcement had observed Branford driving, after a trained controlled substance-detecting K-9 positively alerted to the presence of drugs.  Court documents alleges that during the search of the Maserati, law enforcement recovered a semi-automatic firearm; a black trash bag and a gray bag both containing controlled substances; and a digital scale with drug residue.  From the vehicle, law enforcement allegedly recovered a total of approximately 499.46 grams of cocaine; 25.66 grams of fentanyl; and a large quantity of marijuana.

Search warrants were subsequently obtained for cell phones used by Branford that were seized during the August 19, 2021 search.  The phones allegedly contain evidence of drug trafficking, including videos and photos of drugs, and shrink-wrapped bundles of cash.

If convicted, Branford faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute controlled substances; a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to life in federal prison for possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; and a maximum of 10 years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm.  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.  Branford is expected to have an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt, at a later date.  Branford has been detained since his arrest on the federal warrant for violating his supervised release and a federal criminal complaint filed on September 28, 2021.

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. 

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.

Acting United States Attorney Jonathan F. Lenzner commended the FBI, the DEA, the Anne Arundel County, Annapolis, and Baltimore Police Departments, and the Office of the State’s Attorney for Baltimore City for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Lenzner thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas P. Windom and LaRai Everett, who are prosecuting the case.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and programs to combat gun crime, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile.

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Baltimore, Maryland – Fernando Cristancho, age 65, of Bel Air, Maryland, pleaded guilty yesterday to coercion and enticement of a minor who he met through the church to engage in illegal sexual activity.  Cristancho also admitted that he produced nude images of four other minor victims.

The guilty plea was announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Jonathan F. Lenzner; Special Agent in Charge James R. Mancuso of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; 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 his guilty plea, Cristancho was ordained as a Roman Catholic priest in Colombia, South America, in 1985 and moved to Alexandria, Virginia, where he worked as an assistant priest from 1994 to 1997.  In approximately 1999, Cristancho was granted faculties to work as a priest in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, and worked as a priest in Baltimore County, and then at St. Ignatius Catholic Church in Harford County.  In 2002, the Archdiocese of Baltimore revoked Cristancho’s faculties to work as a priest in the Archdiocese. 

John Doe was 11, 12, and 13 years old at the time of the offenses against him. John Doe’s family were members of St. Ignatius.  Not long after Cristancho arrived at St. Ignatius in 1999, he began to spend time with John Doe’s family outside of church, including meals at restaurants and the family’s home, and at family gatherings.  John Doe also became a lector at the church, with Cristancho working with him and coaching him in that process. 

Beginning when John Doe was 11, Cristancho would complain of a bad back and ask John Doe for back rubs; offered John Doe alcohol; took John Doe to dinner, kissed John Doe, acted as if they were in a romantic relationship, and told him that he loved him.  Cristancho also showed John Doe pornography including movies of sex acts between males and suggesting they do the same sexual activities. 

After Cristancho was no longer working at the church, he arranged to hold religious services in the home of a parishioner, with John Doe performing as a lector or altar server.  In the summer of 2002, Cristancho invited himself to attend John Doe’s family’s camping trip and arranged to sleep next to John Doe in a tent.  Following the camping trip, Cristancho arranged for John Doe to assist around Cristancho’s house, including with his infant children.  Eventually, Cristancho arranged to have John Doe spend the weekend, which John Doe did on a regular basis well into 2003.  It was during these weekends that Cristancho sexually abused John Doe.  Cristancho sexually abused John Doe from 2002 through at least Fall 2003.

In September 2017, Cristancho went to a retail pharmacy to use the store’s photo printing equipment. While assisting Cristancho, a store employee observed some of the images on Cristancho’s iPhone, including several photos of naked children and an image of what appeared to be a bite mark on a young boy’s buttocks.  The employee made a report to police.  Law enforcement initiated an investigation, and a search warrant was executed at Cristancho’s residence on September 19, 2017.  During the search warrant, investigators seized various digital devices, including an iPhone 6s.  A subsequent forensic examination of the phone recovered nude photos and videos of four other minor victims, with most of the images being recorded when the victims were less than five years old.

Cristancho and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Cristancho will be sentenced to between 10 years and 25 years in federal prison.  U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander has scheduled sentencing for December 20, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. As part of his plea agreement, upon his release from prison, Cristancho 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).  

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.       

Acting United States Attorney Jonathan F. Lenzner commended HSI, 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 and thanked the Harford County Child Advocacy Center for its assistance.  Mr. Lenzner thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul E. Budlow and Colleen E. McGuinn, 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/project-safe-childhood and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Baltimore, Maryland – As a result of a collaborative investigation, today a federal grand jury returned an indictment, and a state criminal information has been filed, charging Roy C. McGrath, age 52, of Naples, Florida, for allegedly fraudulently obtaining funds from Maryland Environmental Service corporation. The criminal information also alleges that McGrath illegally recorded private conversations with senior Maryland state officials. 

McGrath is expected to have an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Baltimore and a state court appearance in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court, but no dates have been set for those hearings.

The federal and state charges were announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Jonathan F. Lenzner; Maryland State Prosecutor Charlton Howard III; and Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office.

“It is an honor and privilege to serve one’s community, and public officials are entrusted to place the interests of citizens above their own,” said Acting United States Attorney Jonathan F. Lenzner.  “Our federal and state law enforcement team in Maryland will always hold accountable public officials who betray the public trust for their personal gain.  Maryland residents should always demand honesty and integrity from those in government, and hopefully this indictment offers the public some level of confidence that we are committed to prosecuting those who violate that trust.”

“Our office will seek to hold accountable any public official who abuses the privileges of their office for corrupt reasons or illicit personal gain. The Office of the State Prosecutor will continue to work collaboratively with our partners to ensure the public’s interests are protected,” said Maryland State Prosecutor Charlton Howard.

“According to this indictment, Roy McGrath misappropriated public money for his own benefit. From personal travel to even obtaining a certificate from one of the most prestigious universities in the nation, McGrath’s alleged actions were self-serving and ultimately self-sabotaging,” said Thomas J. Sobocinski, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Baltimore Field Office. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners are committed to rooting out public corruption and holding officials like him accountable.”

According to the six-count federal indictment filed today in U.S. District Court and the 27-count criminal information filed in the Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County, on December 27, 2016, McGrath was appointed by the Governor of Maryland to serve as Executive Director of Maryland Environmental Service (MES), a corporation owned by the State of Maryland to provide environmental services such as water and wastewater management, solid waste management, composting, recycling, dredged material management and other services to state and local government agencies, federal government entities, and private clients. MES, which was headquartered in Millersville, Maryland, generated its operating funds from fees charged to governmental and private clients for its services, as well as from federal grants and funding from federal agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of the Interior, and the U.S. Department of Transportation.  MES functioned as an independent state corporation which did not pay its employees according to the state government pay scale, but did require its employees to comply with state travel regulations, annual leave policies, and policies regarding compensatory leave, and time and attendance reporting. McGrath resigned from MES as of May 31, 2020, to become the Governor’s Chief of Staff effective as of June 1, 2020.

The federal and state charges allege that from March 2019 through December 2020, McGrath personally enriched himself by using his positions of trust as the Executive Director of MES and the chief of staff for the Governor of Maryland to cause MES to make payments to McGrath, or on his behalf, to which he was not entitled. 

Specifically, the federal indictment and state criminal information allege: that McGrath caused MES funds to be paid to a museum where he was a member of the Board of Directors instead of using his personal funds to pay his pledge to the museum; that McGrath caused the MES Board of Directors to approve paying McGrath a $233,647.23 severance payment—equal to one year’s salary—upon his departure from MES by falsely telling them that the Governor was aware of and approved the payment; that McGrath caused MES to pay tuition benefits for McGrath after he left MES by personally approving reimbursements for payments made by Subordinate Employee #1 on McGrath's behalf; and that McGrath falsified his time sheets, reporting that he was at work while on two separate vacations in 2019. 

The state criminal information also alleges that, during his tenure at MES and later as the Governor’s Chief of Staff, McGrath illegally recorded private conversations involving senior state officials without their permission,

The indictment alleges that to conceal the payments and circumstances surrounding the payments from the Governor of Maryland and the MES Board of Directors, McGrath falsely told the MES Board that the Governor was aware of and consented to the severance payment.  As detailed in the indictment, when the Governor learned about the severance package and questioned McGrath about it, McGrath falsely stated that the MES Board of Directors had offered him the severance payment in accordance with their usual practice.  McGrath also attempted to delete or caused to be deleted from the public minutes of the MES Board of Directors meeting, any mention of compensation of McGrath or the Executive Director of MES, or the amount $233,647.23, or the description of the compensation as a “year’s salary.”

If convicted of the federal charges, McGrath faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for each of four counts of wire fraud; and a maximum of 10 years in federal prison for each of two counts of embezzling funds from an organization receiving more than $10,000 in federal benefits. 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. 

In the state case, McGrath faces a maximum penalty of any sentence that is not cruel or unusual for Misconduct by a Public Official, and a maximum of five years in prison for Felony Theft, Felony Theft Scheme, Misappropriation, and for each violation of the Maryland Wiretap Statute. 

Criminal charges are not a finding of guilt.  An individual charged by indictment or criminal information is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings. 

Acting United States Attorney Jonathan F. Lenzner and State Prosecutor Charlton Howard commended the FBI and Special Agent Daniel Bralove at the Office of the State Prosecutor for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Lenzner and Mr. Howard thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Joyce K. McDonald and Deputy State Prosecutor Sarah R. David, who are prosecuting the federal and state cases, respectively. 

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, Maryland – Today, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland announced convictions in six federal cases involving firearms and fentanyl that are being prosecuted in U.S. District Court in Baltimore.  These six cases were brought pursuant to initiatives of the U.S. Attorney’s Office designed to reduce gun violence and to stop the sale of fentanyl in Baltimore.

“The successful prosecutions and convictions in these six firearms and fentanyl cases demonstrates the United States Attorney’s Office’s commitment to addressing gun violence and the trafficking of fentanyl,” said Acting United States Attorney Jonathan F. Lenzner.  “Our strategy to reduce violent crime in Baltimore relies on enforcement efforts to prosecute those individuals who are driving the violence and importing deadly drugs, as well as community outreach and prevention efforts to help potential offenders make better choices for themselves and their families and communities.  I would like to thank all of the prosecutors, investigators and community outreach specialists for their dedication to making our communities safer places to live for all residents.  All of us in Baltimore are in this fight against violent crime together.”

The six project safe neighborhood convictions from this week include:  

United States v. Sedrick Sutton: On September 17, 2021, U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander sentenced Sutton to five years in federal prison for being possessing a stolen firearm. As a result of an altercation observed on a city watch camera, law enforcement identified Sutton as an individual that was present at the altercation. At the time of the altercation, Sutton possessed a handgun in his waistband. Officers arrived at the scene and located Sutton. As a result of a search of Sutton’s persons, officers recovered a loaded handgun from his waistband.

United States v. Daiquan Mayo: On September 29, 2021, U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander sentenced Mayo to 50 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Mayo was apprehended for his participation in a non-fatal West Baltimore shooting near Edmonson Village. Mayo was a passenger in a vehicle involved in the shooting. As law enforcement officers stopped the vehicle, Mayo fled on foot and threw a loaded .40 caliber pistol off of his persons. Ballistics analysis concluded that the firearm Mayo threw matched the gun used in the shooting minutes earlier.

United States v. Damien Parker: On September 28, 2021, U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced Parker to 60 months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. The sentencing comes as a result of officers observing Parker conducting a suspected drug transactions Baltimore, Maryland. Officers also observed the Parker conducting "security checks" which is a characteristic of an armed individual. Patrol officers responded to the block and arrested Parker. As a result of a search, officers recovered a loaded firearm, 43 jugs of suspected cocaine packaged for distribution.

United States v. Jeffrey Keyser: On September 28, 2021, U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced Keyser to 44 months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. The sentencing comes as a result of a traffic stop on a vehicle that Keyser was operating. As officers approached Keyser’s vehicle, Kesyer sped away and crashed into another car. When pulling Keyser out of the vehicle, police found a firearm on the floor by the driver-side front door. Swabs from non-bloodied portions of the gun returned a match for Keyser's DNA. Keyser also made incriminating statements over jail calls.

United States v. George Graham: Today, Graham is scheduled to be sentenced before U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher for possession of a firearm as a prohibited person. The sentencing comes as a result of officers using real time investigations, and conducting a traffic stop of Graham’s vehicle for illegal tint and a cracked windshield. During the stop, officers noted the order of marijuana coming from the vehicle and asked the Graham to step out of the vehicle. Graham admitted to having marijuana on his person. As officers searched the vehicle, Graham attempted to flee the scene. As a result of the search, officers recovered a loaded firearm from the center console.

United States v. Qarier Lovelace: Today, Lovelace is expected to enter a guilty plea for being a felon in possession of a firearm before U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher. The plea comes as a result of officers responding to a hospital alter for an non-fatal shooting victim. Upon responding, officers spoke with a male who advised he had been shot while present at a dispute between his girlfriend and another woman. While present at the scene, a male walked through the parking lot before approaching the group, advising the women to resolve their dispute, and shooting the male in the leg. Upon reviewing a photo, a victim identified Lovelace as the shooter. Based on this, officers obtained and executed a search warrant associated with Lovelace. As a result of the search warrant, Officers recovered a safe with two loaded firearms, ammunition, two knotted bags of white powder, and paperwork bearing Lovelace’s name. One of these firearms was reported stolen from a federal firearm license in 2017. Lovelace’s fingerprints were located on the firearm. Officers also recovered parts of a revolver, ammunition, bags of white and brown powders, drug paraphernalia, and a digital scale. CDS analysis showed the presence of heroin and cocaine. During a post-Miranda interview, the defendant admitted to living at the residence, ownership of the drugs, and ownership of the safe.

The continued success of the firearm reduction initiative in Baltimore is in part due to the work of the Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys (SAUSAs) who work in the U.S. Attorney’s Office and are employed by the Maryland Attorney General’s Office and the Office of the State’s Attorney for Baltimore City and funded through grants from the Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention, Youth & Victim Services. 

In the effort to positively influence and encourage previous offenders to pursue a crime-free lifestyle, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland supports and often participates in previous offender re-entry efforts. On October 13, 2021, the USAO-MD is supporting a re-entry resource fair hosted by the Bridge Center at Adam’s House, the Prince George’s County Reentry Advisory Board, the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Office, and the Prince George’s County Department of Corrections at the Palmer Park Community Center from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The re-entry event will connect past offenders with employment opportunities as well as educational, financial, health resources, and more. For more information on the re-entry event, please visit https://twitter.com/USAO_MD/status/1444010091896836130.

These cases are 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.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Project Safe Neighborhoods program (PSN), a unified and comprehensive strategy to combat gun crime that combines local, state and federal law enforcement efforts; community outreach; and public awareness, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile.

 

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Greenbelt, Maryland – A federal grand jury has returned a second superseding indictment charging Scott Anthony Williams, age 45, of Laurel, Maryland and Taeyan Raymond Williams, age 26, of Morgantown, West Virginia with various federal charges arising out of the robbery, extortion, and kidnapping resulting in death of Victim 1, as well as related drug trafficking and firearms charges.  Scott Williams is further charged with conspiracy to destroy and conceal evidence related to these crimes.

The indictment was announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Jonathan F. Lenzner; Assistant Special Agent in Charge Orville O. Greene of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office; 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 the nine-count indictment, from approximately October 2017 until Victim 1’s murder on April 6, 2018, Scott Williams, and his son, Taeyan Williams, allegedly participated in the exchange and sale of marijuana and cocaine. Victim 1 allegedly sold and distributed marijuana and marijuana products to the defendants, which the defendants then allegedly sold to other distributors and drug customers. Victim 1 also allegedly purchased and received cocaine from the defendants and sold that cocaine to other distributors. 

As alleged in the indictment, in April 2018, Victim 1 planned to meet the defendants to discuss a debt that the defendants owed to Victim 1, and to provide the defendants with marijuana and marijuana products.

On April 5, 2018, and April 6, 2018, Victim 1 retrieved controlled substances from his storage unit in Jessup, Maryland and stayed at a short-term rental property in Baltimore, Maryland.

On the afternoon of April 6, Victim 1 traveled from Baltimore to Laurel, Maryland, where Scott Williams had a home.  Location data reflects that at 1:32 p.m., Victim 1 was approximately 1.5 miles from the defendants’ residence.

On April 6, 2018, at approximately 1:52 p.m., Victim 1 saved a note to his email account in which it is alleged Victim-1 maintained a ledger and accounting of controlled substances that Victim 1 sold to Taeyan Williams and monies paid or owed from him.

As alleged in the indictment, Scott and Taeyan Williams thereafter kidnapped, robbed, extorted and murdered Victim 1 and disposed of Victim 1’s body.  In particular, the indictment alleges that the defendants took by force and the threat of force Victim-1’s marijuana and marijuana products, Victim-1’s PIN number for the Jessup storage unit, Victim-1’s rental vehicle, and the marijuana, marijuana products, cash and other property stored in Victim-1’s storage unit.

Specifically, the indictment alleges that on April 7, 2018, Scott Williams and other conspirators drove Victim 1’s vehicle to a Baltimore parking lot where they parked the vehicle, wiped it down with a rag, and then entered Scott Williams’s car before driving away. As stated in the indictment, Victim 1’s DNA and blood were later recovered from the rear bumper, lift gate, passenger side door frame, and trunk carpeting of Victim 1’s abandoned vehicle.

The indictment further alleges that between April 6, 2018 and June 6, 2018, the defendants hid Victim-1’s narcotics throughout their home. When searched on June 6, 2018, the home contained large quantities of marijuana, cocaine, and methamphetamine as well as four firearms: a 9mm handgun, 7.62 caliber-rifle, .38 caliber handgun, and .25 caliber handgun. 

The last count of the indictment alleges that between June 6, 2018 and his initial appearance on federal charges in January 2019, Scott Williams sought to conceal and destroy evidence related to the ongoing investigation including by asking a conspirator to “wipe” his electronic storage account and phone.   

If convicted, Scott and Tayean Williams face a maximum sentence of life in federal prison or death for kidnapping resulting in death; a maximum of 20 years in federal prison for conspiracy to interfere with interstate commerce by robbery and extortion and interference with interstate commerce by robbery and extortion; a maximum of 20 years in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances; and, a mandatory minimum of 7 years in federal prison for the possession, use, and brandishing of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and a drug trafficking crime. In addition, Scott Williams faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years imprisonment for possessing with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine; a mandatory consecutive sentence of 5 years imprisonment for possession and use of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; and a maximum of 20 years imprisonment for conspiracy to conceal and destroy evidence. 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.  Both defendants have been detained pending trial, which is set to begin March 7, 2022.

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. 

Acting United States Attorney Jonathan F. Lenzner commended the DEA, HSI, and the Maryland State Police for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Lenzner thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys William D. Moomau, Dana J. Brusca, and Dwight J. Draughon 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/community-outreach.

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Baltimore, Maryland – Darnell Gerald Gaither, Jr., age 27, of Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to affecting commerce by robbery and brandishing a firearm in relation to a violent crime, specifically in relation to 35 armed robberies committed throughout Baltimore County, Maryland.    

The guilty plea was announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Jonathan F. Lenzner; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Chief Melissa R. Hyatt of the Baltimore County Police Department, and Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore City Police Department.  

According to his guilty plea, from December 2018 to November 24, 2019, Gaither committed at least 35 robberies throughout Maryland. In at least one robbery, Gaither brandished a firearm and in least five occasions, he robbed the stores while partially revealing a handgun. In all other robberies, Gaither passed notes to an employee that stated he possessed a gun.

Specifically, on October 25, 2019, Gaither robbed a Baltimore, Maryland smoothie franchise by entering the store and handing the cashier a note that read “I have a gun give me all the cash”. When the cashier refused to open the register, Gaither produced a handgun. The victim reported that Gaither stated that he would kill the victim if she did not open the register. The cashier opened the register and Gaither then ordered the cashier and two other employees to the floor while he removed the cash from the register. Gaither then proceeded to order three employees to open the safe in a back area and hand him additional cash. Gaither took funds from the franchise and fled the store.

Five days later on October 30, 2019, Gaither robbed a Baltimore, Maryland general store by posing as a customer. After approaching the register with a bag of candy, Gaither handed the cashier a note that stated, “You know what it is”, while displaying what appeared to be a handgun inside his waistband. The cashier believed that Gaither possessed a real firearm and feared for her safety. The cashier handed $197 in U.S. currency to Gaither, who then fled the store.

The stores Gaither robbed included fast-food restaurants, general stores, cell phone stores, gaming stores, a gym, and chain pharmacies.  Gaither robbed a number of the stores on more than one occasion.

The tellers, fearing for their personal safety, often provided Gaither with cash from their registers, ranging from a couple hundred dollars to $1,900.

Gaither faces a maximum of 20 years in prison for affecting commerce by robbery and a minimum seven years in federal prison for brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a violent crime followed by five years of supervised release. U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow has scheduled sentencing for December 6, 2021 at 9:30 a.m.

Acting United States Attorney Jonathan F. Lenzner commended the FBI, Baltimore County Police Department and the Baltimore City Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Lenzner thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul E. Budlow, who is prosecuting the case.

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Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury has returned a superseding indictment today charging Ethan Glover, age 49, of Baltimore, Maryland, for the federal charges of false statements to law enforcement. Glover joined the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) on February 19, 2003.  He became a federal task force officer (TFO) with the Drug Enforcement Administration in 2013. 

The superseding indictment was announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Jonathan F. Lenzner and Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office.

The superseding indictment alleges that Glover stole $1,000 in informant funds from the Baltimore Police Department.

Allegedly, in August 2018, Glover offered to pay a witness for information regarding a Baltimore City, Maryland vehicular homicide. Glover allegedly contacted the witness to arrange a date, time, and location to meet and exchange the information for a $1,000 payment. Once the witness signed paperwork provided by Glover and another individual, Glover paid the witness $1,000 sourced from the Baltimore Police Department Fiscal Section.

After the meeting with Glover, the witness ultimately decided not to serve as a BPD informant and wanted to return the $1,000 payment to Glover. The witness then returned the payment to Glover. Allegedly, Glover subsequently kept the $1,000 for himself and did not return it to BPD.

The original two-count indictment alleges, on April 8, 2016 Glover participated in the execution of a search warrant on John Avenue as a member of DEA Group 51.  Law enforcement recovered three duffel bags containing large amounts of cash and a handwritten document with currency totals stating there was $2,428,900 in the house.  Glover transported the cash from the residence to another location where a search warrant had been executed, and then to the DEA Baltimore Office, alone in his vehicle the entire time.  The indictment alleges that during the drive from John Avenue to the DEA Baltimore Office, Glover stole a portion of the cash seized at the John Avenue residence.  Ultimately, Glover took the seized cash to a professional counting service due to the large amount.  The counting service found that the amount of cash seized, inclusive of any suspected counterfeit bills, totaled $2,419,125, which is $9,775 less than what was actually seized at the John Avenue residence, according to the handwritten document recovered within the home. 

The indictment further alleges that Glover went to his then-girlfriend’s apartment with what he described to her as $10,000 in cash.  Glover allegedly hid the funds in her bathroom.  During conversations about the money, Glover told his girlfriend that he was followed by another law enforcement while driving the cash from the search warrant site and that the money came from a “big case” that had been recently featured on the news.  Approximately one week later, Glover allegedly moved the money from his girlfriend’s apartment to his home. 

On April 23, 2016, Glover allegedly used some of the cash stolen from the John Avenue search to buy his then-girlfriend a pair of shoes valued at $295 from a mall in Pennsylvania.  According to the indictment, in June 2016, his then-girlfriend moved into his home and saw a large sum of money hidden behind Glover’s refrigerator.

As detailed in the indictment and superseding indictment, on February 28, 2020, Glover participated in a voluntary interview with the FBI about a seizure that had occurred with the officer-in-charge of BPD’s Gun Trace Task Force.  Before being questioned, Glover confirmed that he understood that it was a crime to lie to the FBI agents interviewing him.  When questioned, Glover asked the interviewing agent how much the arrestee “is saying is missing?  Is it money or drugs?  How much did he say he had?  A million?” or words to that effect.  Glover told investigators that he did not witness any officer steal money during this seizure.  Glover also stated that he did not steal money from this particular seizure or any other case, saying, “I’ve never stolen anything in my life.  Never money or drugs.”

If convicted, Glover faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison for theft of government property and five years in federal prison for making false statements to federal law enforcement.  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.  No court appearance is currently scheduled for Glover. 

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. 

Acting United States Attorney Jonathan F. Lenzner commended the FBI for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Lenzner thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Leo J. Wise and Christine Goo, who are prosecuting this case.

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Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang sentenced David Laufer, age 64, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, formerly of Bethesda, Maryland, today to eight months in federal prison, followed by one year of supervised release, four months of which is to be served in home confinement, for acceptance of gratuities by a public official.  Judge Chuang also ordered Laufer, the former Chief of the Prosthetics and Orthotics Department at Walter Reed Medical Center, to pay restitution in the amount of $7,890.62.

The sentence was announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Jonathan F. Lenzner; Special Agent in Charge Christopher Dillard of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service; Special Agent in Charge Maureen Dixon, Office of Investigations, Office of Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services; and Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office.

According to his plea agreement, from 2009 until May 2019, Laufer worked as the Chief of the Prosthetics and Orthotics Department at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, the largest joint military medical center in the United States.  Walter Reed is located in Bethesda and provides medical services, including orthotic and prosthetic services to U.S. service members and their dependents, including wounded soldiers.  Bruce Thomas lived in Montgomery County and owned, operated, and controlled Pinnacle Orthopedic Services (Pinnacle), located in Germantown, Maryland.  Pinnacle provided prosthetics and orthotics materials to Walter Reed in return for payments from the government. 

“David Laufer accepted thousands of dollars in cash and other gifts from a company to which he steered government business worth millions in taxpayer funds,” said Acting United States Attorney Jonathan F. Lenzner.  “Laufer’s illegal acts not only unfairly helped Pinnacle Orthopedic Services, his actions also hurt other businesses and caused the U.S. government to pay more for goods and services than it should have.  We are committed to holding accountable public officials like David Laufer who undermine the market and abuse their positions in government to benefit themselves at the expense of the taxpayers.”

“Attempting to defraud the government is a losing proposition,” said Frank Robey, director of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division's Major Procurement Fraud Unit. “This sentencing is yet another example of the great cooperation among federal law enforcement agencies to put a stop to fraud within the contracting community.”

As detailed in the plea agreement, from 2010 until May 2019, the Walter Reed Prosthetics and Orthotics department used Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPAs) to order and purchase prosthetics and orthotics materials.  This allowed the department to obligate funds to purchase materials that employees could order without charging a credit card each time or engaging in a formal contract for each purchase.  Thomas regularly interacted with Laufer about Pinnacle’s business with Walter Reed, including the award of BPAs, future BPA funding, orders charged against the BPAs, and fulfillment of orders.  Walter Reed awarded multiple BPAs to Pinnacle, which the Prosthetics and Orthotics department used to order and purchase prosthetics and orthotics materials from Pinnacle. 

According to court documents, between 2012 and 2016, Laufer and his wife received things of value, that is the airlines travel, lodging and entertainment tickets, as well as direct cash payments, for and because of Laufer’s official acts as the Chief of the Prosthetics and Orthotics department and Laufer’s official acts in connection with the purchase of prosthetics and orthotics materials from Pinnacle.  Laufer admitted that he undertook official acts in connection with the gratuities, including seeking renewal of BPAs with Pinnacle, sending multiple purchase requests obligating millions of dollars to Pinnacle for prosthetics and orthotics materials, and causing the repeated ordering of supplies from Pinnacle.

Laufer admitted that he restricted the availability of BPAs to some of the manufacturers and distributors from whom Pinnacle purchased products, thereby inhibiting those companies from doing business directly with Walter Reed, and actively encouraged and directed those companies to sell to Walter Reed through Pinnacle, knowing that it would result in a higher price to the government.  At the same time that he was funneling business through Pinnacle, Laufer was personally involved in ordering materials and causing materials to be ordered from Pinnacle, as well as taking official acts that impacted Pinnacle. 

According to the plea agreement, Laufer’s job required him to complete annual Confidential Financial Disclosure forms which required him to report: all sources of outside income greater than $200; any business outside the U.S. Government in which Laufer or his spouse was an employee or consultant, whether or not compensated; any agreements or arrangements concerning past, current, and future employment; and travel-related reimbursement or other gifts totaling more than $350 from any one source during the reporting period.  Laufer’s financial disclosure filings from 2014 to 2019 failed to disclose the financial benefits received from Pinnacle. 

Furthermore, when interviewed by federal agents as part of a corruption investigation at Walter Reed, Laufer denied receiving any financial benefits from Pinnacle.  Laufer also was interviewed by federal agents several times between 2017 and 2019 concerning unexplained cash deposits.  On each occasion, Laufer lied to the agents, initially stating that he earned extra money from the purchase and sale of bicycles and small collectibles at swap meets, then falsely stating that he earned cash by working for Person C and Company C, and finally stating that the unexplained cash came from moonshine and liquor sales.

On September 9, 2021, Judge Chuang sentenced Thomas, to eight months in federal prison, followed by one year of supervised release, with four months of that to be served in home confinement, for paying gratuities to a public official in exchange for official acts.  Judge Chuang also ordered Thomas to pay a fine of $50,0000 and forfeit and pay restitution in the amount of $27,890.62.

In a related case, another employee of the Walter Reed Prosthetics and Orthotics Department, Timothy Hamilton, age 60, of Columbia, Maryland, is expected to be sentenced in November 2021.  Hamilton previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and to acts affecting a financial interest.  Hamilton admitted that beginning in 2009, he allowed Person A to use his orthotist certification for Person A’s business, Company A.  Hamilton was aware that Company A used his certification to obtain national accreditation and as part of its documentation for Medicare credentialing, which allowed Company A to bill insurers for medical treatment that required the involvement of a certified orthotist, even though Hamilton was not providing those services in the vast majority of cases.  Hamilton admitted that he received monthly financial payments from Company A from 2009 until October 2015, totaling more than $45,000.  From 2011 to 2015, Company A used Hamilton’s credentials to submit more than 225 fraudulent insurance claims of more than $150,000.

Further, Hamilton admitted receiving more than $15,000 in gift cards, checks, and other benefits such as tickets and lodging, from Bruce Thomas and Pinnacle.  During the time that Hamilton was receiving payments from Company A and Pinnacle, Hamilton ordered products on behalf of Walter Reed from both companies.

Acting United States Attorney Jonathan F. Lenzner commended the DCIS, HHS OIG, and the FBI for their work in the investigation and thanked the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division’s Major Procurement Fraud Unit, the Office of Personnel Management Office of Inspector General, DOD Cyber Crimes Center Defense Cyber Forensics Laboratory, and the Defense Contract Audit Agency for their assistance.  Mr. Lenzner thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Harry M. Gruber and Dana Brusca, who are prosecuting the case.

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Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Lloyd Linwood Comer, age 59, of Brandywine, Maryland, and Doreen Gilmore, age 54, of Brandywine, Maryland for the federal charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud, the substantive charge of bank fraud, false statement in a passport application, and aggravated identity theft. 

The indictment was announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Jonathan F. Lenzner; Chief of the Criminal Investigations Division of the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) Jessica Moore; and Special Agent in Charge Michael McGill of the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General, Philadelphia Field Division.

According to the four-count indictment, from January 2019, from January 2021, Comer and Gilmore conspired with others to finance the purchase of vehicles by using the stolen identities of real persons, fraudulent checks, and misappropriated bank account numbers. Allegedly, in at least one occasion, the defendants did not make payments on fraudulently obtained loans and retained the vehicles for themselves.

Specifically, the indictment alleges that the defendants fraudulently obtained the vehicles by inserting false loan application information with misappropriated names, dates of birth, social security numbers, and fraudulent proof of identity submitted to lenders. Lenders then approved financing for vehicle loans based on the false applications.

The indictment continues to allege that Comer applied for a United States passport by falsely stating that he was Victim 1, a deceased man. In order to obtain the passport, Comer allegedly provided a fraudulently obtained identification card in Victim 1’s identity and provided Victim 1’s birth certificate as proof of identity, allegedly obtained by Gilmore. As alleged in the indictment, Comer contacted the Social Security Administration to report Victim 1’s death as erroneous and attributed the error to the fact that Victim 1’s name is the same name as Victim 1’s deceased father. Soon after obtaining the false documents, Comer allegedly traveled to Jamaica with Gilmore under Victim 1’s identity and passport. 

In addition, Comer and Gilmore allegedly submitted a mortgage application in the name of a 76-year-old woman for the purchase of a residence in Brandywine, Maryland in the amount of $541,500. As stated in the indictment, the application falsely represented the woman’s employment status as a full-time employee of two separate business entities. On the mortgage application, Comer and Gilmore allegedly listed their contact information under the woman’s contact information, submitted fraudulent financial documents, and falsely stated the woman’s income and finances. 

Further, Comer and Gilmore allegedly resided in the home instead of the 76-year-old woman and did not make any payments on the mortgage loan.

If convicted, Gilmore and Comer face a maximum of 30 years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud; a maximum of 30 years in federal prison for bank fraud; 10 years in federal prison for passport fraud; and two years in federal prison consecutive to any 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.

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. 

Acting United States Attorney Jonathan F. Lenzner commended the DSS and SSA OIG for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Lenzner thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael F. Davio and Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew J. Maddox, 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/community-outreach.  For more information on how to report fraud, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/report-fraud.

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Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake sentenced Cornelius Hendrix, age 19, of Starkville, to Maryland to 37 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for arson within special maritime and territorial jurisdiction. 

The sentence was announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Jonathan F. Lenzner; Special Agent in Charge Timothy Jones of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Fire Chief Trisha L. Wolford of the Anne Arundel County Fire Department. 

According to his guilty plea, on August 21, 2020 Hendrix poured lighter fluid in areas of his father’s and stepmother’s Fort Meade military home, including outside his parents’ bedroom door, and the front door welcome mat. The presence of an ignitable liquid was also detected at the top of the stairs near his father’s and stepmother’s bedroom.

Hendrix then ignited a fire within the home before jumping off the rear porch and injuring his leg.

As stated in his plea agreement, the fire was extinguished with minimal property damage and no physical injuries. However, Hendrix’s father and stepmother’s lives were placed in jeopardy as a result of Hendrix’s conduct. 

After being medically evaluated and cleared, Hendrix was taken to Fort Meade Military Police Department for an interview.  Hendrix knowingly and voluntarily acknowledged spreading the lighter fluid and lighting the fire.

Hendrix remains in custody pending transport to face two unrelated counts of attempted murder in Oktibbeha County, Mississippi, stemming from an alleged shooting which preceded the arson in August of 2020.   That matter is charged by criminal complaint, which 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. 

Acting United States Attorney Jonathan F. Lenzner commended the ATF, FBI, the Anne Arundel County Fire Department, the Howard County State Fire Marshal’s Office, the Fort Meade Fire Department and the Fort Meade Military Police for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Lenzner thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Judson T. Mihok who is prosecuting the case.

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Baltimore, Maryland – Michael Fisher, a.k.a. Mark Wilson, age 47, of Laurel, Maryland, pleaded guilty on September 24, 2021, to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, cocaine, and marijuana and distribution and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. 

The guilty plea was announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Jonathan F. Lenzner; Superintendent Colonel Woodrow W. Jones III of the Maryland State Police; Postal Inspector in Charge Daniel A. Adame of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service - Washington Division; and Assistant Special Agent in Charge Orville O. Greene of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office.

“Our law enforcement team here in Maryland is focused on prosecuting individuals like Michael Fisher who are importing large quantities of fentanyl and other dangerous drugs into the state,” said Acting United States Attorney Jonathan Lenzner.  “The members of this nationwide narcotics conspiracy were responsible for the distribution of hundreds of kilograms of dangerous drugs.  This investigation reflects the positive impact that law enforcement can have on our communities, not only here in Maryland but across the country.”

According to his guilty plea, since November 2019, the Maryland State Police (“MSP”), Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”), United States Postal Inspection Service (“USPIS”) were investigating a drug trafficking conspiracy involving Michael Fisher (a.k.a. Mark Wilson) who was distributing fentanyl, cocaine, and marijuana in the Baltimore/Washington Metropolitan areas.  During the investigation, investigators obtained court-authorized wiretaps of Fisher and Co-Conspirator 1 in which they discussed the distribution of fentanyl, cocaine, and marijuana with each other and with other individuals.  Investigators also conducted surveillance during which they observed drug transactions by both the Defendant and Co-Conspirator 1.

During the conspiracy, Fisher and Co-Conspirator 1 traveled to California multiple times to obtain kilograms of cocaine and fentanyl.  Once in possession of the narcotics, Fisher or Co-Conspirator 1 used the U.S. Mail to ship the narcotics back to Maryland for distribution.  

In May 2020, during drug interdiction activities at a Unite States Postal Service processing and distribution center in Capitol Heights, Maryland, postal inspectors interdicted multiple U.S. Mail parcels, including a parcel bound for a location in Laurel, Maryland that was identified as a location maintained by Fisher.  On May 22, 2020, the Honorable Charles B. Day authorized a search warrant for this parcel, and investigators recovered approximately 2 kilograms of cocaine from the parcel.

Between June 1, 2020 and June 3, 2020, investigators intercepted several telephone calls between Fisher and Co-Conspirator 2.  Based on the content of the intercepted phone calls, investigators believed that Fisher and Co-Conspirator 2 were arranging a drug transaction.  On June 3, 2020, investigators intercepted a call between Fisher and Co-Conspirator 2 during which they agreed to meet in Hanover, Maryland.  During surveillance, investigators observed Co-Conspirator 2 exit his vehicle, walk to Fisher’s vehicle, and retrieved an object from Fisher.  The object was later determined to be a heat-sealed bag containing approximately 501 grams of fentanyl.  Co-Conspirator 2 walked back to his vehicle and placed the object into the vehicle’s trunk. 

Later that day, at the request of investigators, Troopers with MSP conducted a traffic stop of Co-Conspirator 2’s vehicle and located a heat-sealed bag containing a pink powdery substance, later revealed to be fentanyl with a net weight of approximately 501.9 grams.  Fisher admits that he distributed the fentanyl to Co-Conspirator 2 during their earlier meeting that day in Hanover, Maryland.

A few months later, on August 6, 2020, USPIS received an alert that two Priority Mail parcels had been sent from the El Segundo Branch Post Office in El Segundo, CA on the previous day, August 5, 2020.  The parcels were bound for locations in Maryland associated with Fisher and the conspiracy.  These two parcels were seized by investigators in Maryland before they were delivered.  On August 13, 2020, the Honorable Thomas M. DiGirolamo authorized a search and seizure warrant for both of the parcels.  One parcel was found to contain approximately 2,086 grams of cocaine and the second parcel contained approximately 2,110 grams of fentanyl.  Investigators obtained video surveillance from the El Segundo Branch Post Office, which showed Co-Conspirator 1 at the post office at the time the parcels were mailed.

On August 4, 2020, court-authorized cell phone location data showed Co-Conspirator 1’s cell phone in the area of 3828 North Peck Rd, El Monte, California.  On August 13, 2020, investigators located Fisher driving along California Interstate 15 South, in a rented Nissan Sentra.    Investigators followed Fisher to the Northgate Market parking lot located at 3828 North Peck Rd, El Monte, California—the same location where Co-Conspirator 1’s cell phone was located several days earlier.  After circling the parking lot several times, Fisher parked.  Shortly thereafter, investigators observed a white Honda SUV with a female driver and a male passenger park next to Fisher’s vehicle.  Fisher exited his vehicle, removed a box from the trunk of his vehicle, and placed the box inside of the Honda SUV.  Fisher returned to his vehicle and departed, and the two occupants in the Honda departed in a different direction.  Investigators conducted a traffic stop of the Honda shortly thereafter and obtained consent to search the vehicle from the driver and from the passenger, Co-Conspirator 3.  After searching the vehicle, investigators located the box that Fisher had placed in the Honda.  The box contained several packages of bulk currency, totaling approximately $190,020.

Co-Conspirator 3 then gave investigators consent to search his residence.  A search of the residence revealed two duffle bags containing approximately 30 kilograms of cocaine, along with two additional duffle bags that contained narcotics proceeds.  The amount of currency located in the residence totaled approximately $193,980, not including the approximately $190,020 that the Defendant provided to Co-Conspirator 3 earlier that day.

On August 14, 2020, the Honorable Thomas M. DiGirolamo authorized search warrant for the six locations in Maryland.  On August 17, 2020, the Honorable Cam Ferenbach, United States Magistrate Judge for the District of Nevada, authorized a search warrant for a residence in Las Vegas, Nevada.  These search warrants were executed on August 17, 2020.  In addition, on September 1, 2020, investigators executed a search warrant at a house in Hanover, Maryland, which was an additional residence used by Fisher.  During the execution of the search warrants, investigators seized numerous firearms, kilogram quantities of narcotics, and large amount of U.S. Currency.

Investigators also executed search warrants on cellular telephones seized from Fisher and others.   One of Fisher’s cell phones contained photographs of a drug ledger, which was sent to Fisher from a source of supply of narcotics.  The ledger confirms that between November 2019 and May 2020, the conspiracy obtained more than 115 kilograms of cocaine and 2 kilograms of fentanyl from California and mailed it back to Maryland for distribution.  In several instances, the dates and quantities on the ledger correspond to CCTV footage of Fisher in a Los Angeles Post Office mailing packages back to Maryland.  For example, the ledger indicates that Fisher obtained 10 kilograms of cocaine on December 11, 2019, which corresponds to CCTV footage of Fisher on December 11, 2019 in a Los Angeles-area Post Office personally mailing 5 packages to Maryland.  In total, 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.  The narcotics accounted for in the drug ledger represent only 47 of those parcels.

In total, during this investigation, investigators seized 15 firearms—9 firearms from Fisher and 6 firearms from Co-Conspirator 1—along with 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 Fisher admits constituted proceeds from the sale of narcotics.

Fisher and the Government have agreed that, if the court accepts the guilty plea, Fisher will be sentenced to between 12 and 15 years in federal prison.  U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher has not scheduled a sentencing hearing at this time.

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 states 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 United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland for further information and resources on opioid awareness at /media/1138691/dl?inline.

Acting United States Attorney Jonathan F. Lenzner commended the MSP, USPIS, and DEA for their work in the investigation. Mr. Lenzner also thanked the Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles DEA, Assistant U.S. Attorney Anatoly Smolkin, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Romano, who are prosecuting the case.

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Greenbelt, Maryland – Willie R. Trimble, age 68, of Statesboro, Georgia, pleaded guilty yesterday to conspiracy to commit mail and bank fraud.    

The guilty plea was announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Jonathan F. Lenzner; Postal Inspector in Charge Daniel A. Adame of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service - Washington Division; and Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey R. Gahler.

According to his guilty plea, from 2015 to 2016, Trimble conspired with at least two other individuals to steal, alter, and cash checks written by victim businesses and individuals from U.S. Postal Service (“USPS”) mail receptacles.

In furtherance of the conspiracy, Trimble cashed a counterfeit check for $6,850 at a victim Baltimore financial institution, allowed a co-conspirator to insert his picture onto a fraudulent Georgia State driver’s license under the fake identity of “David Cleveland”, and burglarized a Mississippi U.S. Post Office in which he stole mail and USPS equipment.

Additionally, in November 2017, Trimble used the Cleveland alias and counterfeit Georgia State driver’s license to withdraw funds from a victim South Carolina bank. He also attempted to cash a stolen and altered business check under the same fraudulent identity. In the same month, surveillance footage captured Trimble attempting to cash a stolen check and disposing of stolen mail behind a convenience store.

As part of the scheme to defraud, Trimble and his co-conspirators recruited dozens of individuals to cash altered or counterfeit checks made out to them in exchange for a portion of the proceeds. At times, Trimble supervised and transported groups of cashers to victim financial institutions where the victim businesses banked. 

During Trimble’s participation in the conspiracy, the mail and bank fraud scheme resulted in the total loss of at least $119,212.50 to victim individuals, approximately 30 business victims, and 15 federally insured financial institutions within Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Georgia, South Carolina, and elsewhere.

Trimble faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison followed by five years of supervised released for conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud. U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher has not scheduled a sentencing hearing at this time.

Acting United States Attorney Jonathan F. Lenzner commended the USPIS and the Harford County Sheriff’s Office for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Lenzner thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam K. Ake and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason X. Hamilton, who are prosecuting the case.

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Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow sentenced Dwayne Douglas, age 39, of Bowie, Maryland, to eight years in federal prison followed by four years of supervised release for being a member of a conspiracy to distribute and possession with the intent to distribute five kilograms of cocaine.

The guilty plea and sentence were announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Jonathan F. Lenzner; Assistant Special Agent in Charge Orville O. Greene of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office (DEA); Special Agent in Charge James R. Mancuso of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; Postal Inspector in Charge Daniel A. Adame of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service - Washington Division (USPIS); Lieutenant Colonel Kevin M. Anderson, Chief of the Maryland Transportation Authority Police (MDTA Police); Chief Melissa R. Hyatt of the Baltimore County Police Department (BCPD); and Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD).

“Our law enforcement team here in Maryland is focusing on individuals and groups who are driving the violence and bringing large quantities of narcotics into our communities,” said Acting United States Attorney Jonathan Lenzner.  “As a large-scale narcotics dealer who also illegally possessed firearms, Dwayne Douglas endangered communities in our state.  I would like to commend and thank the local, state and federal law enforcement agencies who worked together to hold accountable Douglas and other members of the conspiracy.”

According to his guilty plea, in furtherance of the narcotics conspiracy, Douglas met with co-conspirators on several occasions. In one meeting, Douglas transferred drug proceeds directly to an individual who unbeknownst to Douglas was a confidential informant (CI). In order to conduct the transactions, the CI would call a third party to arrange the transfer and a code would be assigned. Thereafter, the CI would meet Douglas and, after Douglas received the code from the CI, Douglas would transfer the drug proceeds to the CI.

Specifically, in October 2016, Douglas delivered approximately $250,000 in narcotics to a CI in a Bowie, Maryland hotel parking lot. In March 2017, Douglas delivered approximately $149,960 to a CI in the parking lot of a College Park, Maryland restaurant.

Additionally, in November 2016, a CI received a notification and the description of a vehicle that would transfer drug proceeds and gave that description to law enforcement. Law enforcement then conducted a traffic stop of the vehicle, in the vicinity of Hyattsville, Maryland. Douglas was the driver of the vehicle. During the car stop, law enforcement observed an open box in the back passenger seat filled of U.S. Currency. Douglas informed law enforcement that there was “a lot” of money in the car. Following a positive canine sniff, law enforcement searched the vehicle and recovered a total of $158,609. 

One day later, law enforcement executed a federal search warrant in which Douglas was the target in Lanham, Maryland. As a result of the search warrant, law enforcement recovered numerous items including a scale with cocaine residue, Douglas' personal items, and a loaded semi-automatic pistol. A federal search and seizure warrant was authorized the next month for Douglas’ DNA. DNA found on the firearm was compared to Douglas’ DNA and the chances of an individual other than Douglas being the DNA contributor was one in 7.24 octillion. The DNA that matched Douglas was found on the grip and trigger of the firearm. 

As stated in his plea agreement, on July 28, 2020, investigators executed federal search and seizure warrant on Douglas’ Silver Spring, Maryland apartment. Investigators recovered a pistol loaded with 14 rounds of ammunition, 10 rounds of .45 caliber bullets, two magazines, four separate boxes of ammunition, more than 10 cellular phones, a money counter machine, a food-saver heat sealer machine, packaging materials for controlled substances, latex gloves and three digital scales. Within a safe, DEA agents recovered approximately $25,241.00. DEA agents arrested Douglas, who was inside his apartment.

In his plea agreement, Douglas agrees that it was reasonably foreseeable to him that the conspiracy distributed five kilograms or more of cocaine. Douglas further admits and agrees that he possessed the two above-described firearms even though he was prohibited from doing so due to a prior felony conviction.

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 states 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 United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland for further information and resources on opioid awareness at /media/1138691/dl?inline.

Acting United States Attorney Jonathan F. Lenzner commended the DEA, HSI, the MDTA Police, the BCP, U.S. Postal Inspectors, and the MCPD for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Lenzner thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys James Warwick and Zachary B. Stendig, who prosecuted the case.

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