District of Maryland
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
Business Owner Who Conspired with Former Baltimore City Employee to Extort Bribes from Other Business Owners Ordered to Pay $100,000 FineRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake today ordered Jerome Walter Stephens, age 48, of Baltimore, to pay a $100,000 fine, and sentenced him to serve six months in community confinement and six months in home detention as part of three years of probation, for Extortion Under Color of Official Right related to an extortion scheme. Judge Blake also ordered Stephens to perform 100 hours of community service. Stephens, the owner of a Baltimore construction and utilities company, admitted paying bribes to co-defendant Daryl Christopher Wade, age 50, of Rosedale, Maryland, a former Baltimore City Department of Transportation supervisor, and to soliciting bribes from others.
On November 9, 2018, Judge Blake sentenced Daryl Christopher Wade to 15 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for the same charge.
The sentences were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Inspector General Isabel M. Cumming of the Baltimore City Office of Inspector General.
The people of Baltimore expect and deserve integrity from their public officials. We will hold them, and those who participate in corruption, accountable,” said United States Attorney Robert K. Hur.
Wade was a City of Baltimore employee between 1988 through 2017, most recently with the Baltimore City Department of Transportation (DOT) as a Construction Project Supervisor II within the DOT’s Street Cut Unit. The DOT Street Cut Unit helps to monitor and administer fines associated with street cuts and street cut permits. According to the criminal information and the plea agreement, Wade used his official position at DOT to claim that he could void street cut fines in return for payments.
According to their plea agreements, Wade accepted multiple cash payments, including from Stephens, in exchange for claiming that he could erase Baltimore DOT street cut fines. Baltimore City street cut permits are required for companies who need to impede into a public street, alley, sidewalk, or other right-of-way for purposes of construction. The street cut permits are valid for 120 days before they expire, and DOT will assess a fine of $50 per day for each street cut not repaired past the expiration date.
Stephens and Wade admitted that they either attempted to or actually did extort other business owners throughout Baltimore. In one such instance, Person A was the Vice President of a Virginia-based company that provided all phases of underground utility construction and sewer rehabilitation throughout the East Coast and had approximately $55 million in contracts with the City of Baltimore to restore and/or replace water and sewer lines in the City. In order to complete those contracts, Person A's company conducted street cuts to reach, restore, and/or replace water and sewer lines in Baltimore.
In January 2016, Person A met with Stephens at one of Person A’s offices, in Prince George’s County, Maryland. Stephens told Person A that Person A’s company would be receiving $1.3 million in street cut fines from the street cuts unit in the near future. This was the first that Person A had learned of the $1.3 million in prospective fines. Stephens told Person A that he had a connection in the street cuts unit that could reduce the $1.3 million in fines by 80%, to $260,000, if Person A paid 20%, a $52,000 bribe, to Stephens’s connection. Stephens also stated something to the effect of: if you want to play, you got to pay. Person A made clear that he was not interested in paying the $52,000 bribe and would sue the City of Baltimore over the fines if necessary.
In another instance to which both Stephens and Wade admitted in their respective plea agreements, in February 2016, Person B, a local Baltimore business owner, began renovations on a restaurant in Baltimore, Maryland. Person B hired Stephens to overhaul the water lines into Person B’s business. In July 2016, Stephens informed Person B that he (Stephens) would have to cut into the road. Stephens informed Person B that the complete repaving, from curb to curb, had an estimated additional cost to Person B of between approximately $10,000 to approximately $12,000 but said he had a connection "downtown" in the City of Baltimore who could save Person B on the costs associated with completely repaving if Person B was willing to pay a bribe. Due to Person B's limited budget, and the fact that the street had already been cut, Person B agreed to pay a bribe to repave the smaller sections of the road. Stephens and Wade discussed how much Wade would accept and Wade agreed to a $2,200 bribe. Person B gave Stephens $2,200 in cash, which Stephens then gave to Wade.
Finally, according to Wade’s plea agreement, he also took a bribe from Person C, who ran a plumbing and drain construction business in Baltimore, Maryland. Person C was previously fined approximately $17,000 for street cuts in Baltimore City. In March 2016, Person C attended a Baltimore City street cut appeal hearing regarding the fine. Wade stopped the hearing and requested to speak with Person C outside the hearing. Once outside the hearing, Wade explained to Person C that if Person C helped Wade that he would help Person C.
In early September 2016, Wade met in-person with Person C and agreed to accept $5,000 to remove the fine. On September 22, 2016, Person C paid Wade the first $3,000 in cash. Wade arrived at the meeting driving a Baltimore City issued government vehicle. At the direction of Wade, Person C threw the $3,000 into Wade’s Baltimore City government vehicle. After the money was in his Baltimore City government vehicle, Wade stated “you good for life with me. . . .” and later laughed and further stated to Person C, “we in cahoots now. . . .”
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the FBI and Baltimore City Office of Inspector General for their work in the investigation. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Leo Wise, who prosecuted the case.
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Baltimore Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Distribution, Transportation, and Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake sentenced Adam Robert Miller, age 29, of Baltimore, Maryland, today to 10 years in prison, followed by 25 years of supervised release, for possession, receipt, and distribution of child pornography. Miller also took sexually explicit images and videos of a minor female beginning when she was 15 years old. Judge Blake also ordered that, upon his release from prison, Miller will be required to register as a sex offender in the places where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Acting Special Agent in Charge Cardell T. Morant of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Chief Terrence B. Sheridan of the Baltimore County Police Department; and Baltimore County State’s Attorney Scott Shellenberger.
According to the indictment and the facts presented to the Court as part of his guilty plea, in July 2017, Homeland Security Investigations-Baltimore received information from Canadian authorities regarding a user of the KIK secure-messaging application, “amiller89,” who was distributing visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct in KIK chatrooms. Canadian authorities learned about the account in the course of a larger investigation of child pornography trafficking by KIK users. Subscriber information obtained for the IP address used to access the account was identified as belonging to Miller’s father, at the home where they both resided.
On September 13, 2017, a search warrant was executed at Miller’s residence. Miller waived his rights and spoke with law enforcement, admitting that “amiller89” was his account. Miller admitted that between May 13, 2015 and September 13, 2017, he uploaded and stored images and videos depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct in his Dropbox accounts. A search of Miller’s Dropbox accounts revealed that they contained over 300 videos of child pornography. Data stored on devices seized during the search of Miller’s residence included hundreds of videos and images of minors engaged in sexually explicit activity, including a prepubescent girl being subjected to sexual bondage.
In addition, Miller admitted taking sexually explicit images and videos of Jane Doe, whom the defendant met when Jane Doe was 14 years old. The images and videos produced by Miller were uncovered on Miller’s devices and were taken when Jane Doe was 15, 16, and 17 years old. On July 16, 2017, Miller used an encrypted chat application to communicate with another user. During those communications, Miller sent the other user three images of Jane Doe engaged in sexually explicit activity.
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 Robert K. Hur commended HSI-Baltimore, the Baltimore County Police Department, and the Baltimore County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Myers, who prosecuted the federal case.
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Three Defendants in the Federal Trial Held in the Matter of U.S. v Barronette, et al. Facing Federal Indictment for Assaulting Employees of the U.S. Marshals ServiceRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Late on December 12, 2018, a federal grand jury returned indictments charging John Lewis Harrison, a/k/a Binky, age 28; Taurus Tillman, age 29, a/k/a Tosh; and Brandon Wilson, a/k/a Ali, age 24, all of Baltimore, Maryland, on the federal charge of assaulting employees of the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) while they were detained and being transported to and from the courtroom during their trial.
The indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur and United States Marshal for the District of Maryland Johnny Hughes.
“The brave men and women of the U.S. Marshals Service are critical to our justice system and we will not tolerate assaults on them,” said United States Attorney Robert K. Hur.
According to their indictments, from September 17, 2018 through October 31, 2018, a criminal trial was held in U.S. District Court in Baltimore, in the matter of U.S. v. Barronette, et al., before U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake. Harrison, Tillman, and Wilson were all defendants in the case and were detained before and during the trial. During the trial, members of the USMS were responsible for transporting the defendants, including Harrison, Tillman, and Wilson, to and from the courtroom.
According to their indictment, on September 21, 2018, Harrison and Tillman assaulted two Deputy U.S. Marshals and a U.S. District Court Security Officer as they were being escorted from the courtroom during a break in the trial.
According to his indictment, on October 31, 2018, Wilson assaulted two officers with the Maryland Department of Correction in the Chesapeake Detention Facility as they attempted to search Wilson prior to his being transported to U.S. District Court for the continuation of his trial.
If convicted of these charges, Harrison, Tillman, and Wilson each face a maximum sentence of eight years in prison. The defendants remain detained pending an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Baltimore.
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 Robert K. Hur commended the U.S. Marshals Service for its work in the investigation. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Romano, who is prosecuting the case.
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Queen Anne’s County Couple Sentenced to Federal Prison for Multi-State Crime SpreeRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced Matthew Dale Bush, age 39, of Grasonville, Maryland, to 110 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiring to commit bank larceny, interstate transportation of stolen goods, and interstate transportation of stolen vehicles, and for bank robbery and illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition. At Bush’s sentencing on December 11, 2018, Judge Bennett noted that Bush’s conduct was “alarmingly egregious,” and that the high-speed chases “grossly endangered” the public and law enforcement. Judge Bennett particularly noted, and Bush agreed, that one of the chases extended for over 40 miles from the Chesapeake Bay Bridge to Delaware and the other occurred in the heart of Baltimore.
Judge Bennett sentenced Crystal French, a/k/a “Crystal Lynn Bush,” age 34, also of Grasonville, to 20 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiring to commit bank larceny, interstate transportation of stolen goods, and interstate transportation of stolen vehicles. Judge Bennett also ordered Bush and French to pay restitution of $10,341.38. Bush was sentenced on December 11, 2018, and French was sentenced December 12, 2018.
The sentences were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Acting Special Agent in Charge Cardell T. Morant of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Colonel William M. Pallozzi, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police; and Queen Anne’s County Sheriff Gary Hoffman.
According to their respective plea agreements, from September 2017 through October 23, 2017, Bush and French conspired to break into retail businesses in order to steal Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) and the money contained inside. The couple admitted that they used stolen vehicles to travel to and from the scenes of the crimes.
In September and October 2017, the couple stole six ATMs that contained over $38,900, and attempted to steal two other ATMs. As part of the conspiracy, the couple traveled to, and stole from, businesses in: Stevensville, Maryland; Chester, Maryland; Kent County, Delaware; Sterling, Virginia; Broadlands, Virginia; Dover, Delaware; Stevensville, Maryland; and Cambridge, Maryland. Generally, Bush entered the store wearing a mask, attached a chain or rope to the ATM, and pulled the ATM out of the store through the front glass window. Bush and French then transported the ATM and its contents to their home in Grasonville, where they hid the proceeds. Bush and French spent the proceeds of the crimes they committed on personal items, including heroin and other illegal narcotics. Bush and French married on October 14, 2017, during the crime spree.
Law enforcement obtained a state search warrant for Bush and French’s residence. On October 19, 2017, just prior to the execution of the search warrant, the police saw Bush and French leave the residence in a green Mercedes. When Bush and French saw a marked Queen Anne’s County patrol vehicle, they sped away. During the search, police recovered the following evidence: tow straps used to pull the ATM machines from the stores; sledgehammers used to break the glass at the burglaries; masks and clothing worn by the suspects in the surveillance videos at the burglaries; the license plate to one of the stolen pickup trucks, cut into pieces; packaging for “walkie-talkies” used by Bush and French during some of the ATM burglaries; and a van containing several damaged ATM machines. The police also found French’s cell phone, a loaded 12-gauge shotgun near the bed where Bush slept, and additional shotgun ammunition in the garage. Bush is prohibited from possessing a firearm due to previous felony convictions, including 2010 convictions for assault and burglary related to a number of Delaware ATM burglaries.
On October 22, 2017, Bush and French stole a pick-up truck in White Marsh, Maryland, and drove to a gas station in Harford County. Bush entered the gas station and demanded money, but the clerk refused to give Bush the cash. Bush and French then drove to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, where they left the stolen pick-up truck and stole another pick-up truck. Bush and French then drove the second stolen pick-up truck to a convenience store in Harford County, Maryland. Bush and another person, both wearing masks and hats, broke into the convenience store and stole approximately 86 packs of cigarettes. Later that morning, Bush and French drove to a bank on Bel Air Road in Perry Hall, Maryland. While French remained in the passenger seat of the truck, Bush entered the bank and displayed a note demanding money to the teller, who complied with Bush’s demands. Bush stole $4,820, fled the bank, and drove away in the stolen truck.
Officers spotted Bush and French driving away from the bank and attempted a traffic stop. Bush refused to stop. He drove away in a reckless manner, fled into Baltimore City, finally crashing into another vehicle. Bush then got out of the truck, helped French out of the passenger side, and the two ran away, followed by police officers. Bush and French were caught and arrested. The cigarettes stolen from the convenience store were found in the stolen truck.
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 Robert K. Hur commended the HSI, the Maryland State Police, the Delaware State Police, the Queen Anne’s County Sheriff’s Office, the Harford County Sheriff’s Office, the Baltimore County Police Department, and the Loudoun County, Virginia Sheriff’s Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul Budlow and Sandra Wilkinson, who prosecuted the case.
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Former Frederick Business Owner Sentenced to 17 Years in Federal Prison for Bank Fraud of More Than $49 MillionRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced Mark Ian Gaver, age 56, of Bonita Springs, Florida, and previously of Middletown, Maryland, today to 17 years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, on his conviction for eight counts of bank fraud and two counts of money laundering arising from a scheme in which he obtained over $49 million in bank financing for his company Gaver Technologies, Inc., d/b/a GTI Federal (GTI), using false and fraudulent financial statements, balance sheets, and certifications of outstanding accounts receivable. Judge Bennett also ordered Gaver to forfeit assets valued at approximately $4.2 million, and pay restitution in the amount of $48,774,308.75. A federal jury convicted Gaver on August 1, 2018. Gaver has been in custody since his arrest on November 15, 2017, when he entered the United States from Canada.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Baltimore Field Office; and Acting Special Agent in Charge Robert W. Manchak, Federal Housing Finance Agency, Office of Inspector General (FHFA-OIG), Northeast Region.
“Mark Gaver committed a massive fraud to maintain his lavish lifestyle,” said United States Attorney Robert K. Hur. “This sentence ensures that he will not profit from his crimes and will be held accountable for his years of lies.”
According to the evidence presented at his seven-day trial, in 1998 Gaver formed GTI, an information technology company based in Frederick, Maryland. Between November 2008 and December 2016, Gaver submitted materially false financial documents to a federally insured bank, including fraudulent audit reports and contract status reports, in order to establish and to obtain successive increases in the line of credit from the lender for GTI. Based upon the false documentation submitted by Gaver, the lender ultimately extended approximately $49 million in financing to GTI. The evidence showed that Gaver diverted a large portion of these fraudulently obtained funds to his own personal use.
According to the evidence presented at trial, the bank initially approved an $18.5 million line of credit for GTI in August 2009, when it took over the line of credit from another bank that had previously extended a $16.5 million line of credit to GTI. This line of credit was subsequently increased eight separate times between March 2010 and March 2016, growing from $18.5 million to a total of $50 million. On an ongoing monthly, quarterly, and annual basis, and in connection with each request by Gaver for an increase in GTI’s credit line, the bank required GTI to submit specific documentation disclosing the company’s financial performance and condition. The required documentation included audited annual financial statements, quarterly balance sheets, monthly borrowing base certificates, and monthly accounts receivable aging reports. The monthly borrowing base certificates required Gaver to certify the amount of GTI’s outstanding accounts receivable, and were used by the bank to establish a maximum borrowing amount for GTI. Under the terms of GTI’s line of credit agreement with the lender, GTI was only allowed to borrow up to 75% to 80% of the total amount of GTI’s outstanding accounts receivable, and the funds loaned by the bank were only to be used by GTI for business purposes.
The evidence proved that between August 2009 and December 2016, Gaver also submitted Quarterly Contract Status Reports to the bank, which falsely represented that GTI had secured contracts with federal government agencies, such as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), or that overstated the amount of GTI’s ongoing contracts with federal government agencies.
The evidence showed that some of the funds obtained from the lender were used by Gaver to cover regular business expenses and thereby keep GTI open, but that Gaver also diverted half of the post-2009 loan proceeds – approximately $15 million – to his own personal use. For example, Gaver used loan proceeds to pay $779,000 for the rental of private planes that he used for non-business purposes, as well as to pay for personal pleasure trips to the Bahamas, France, Germany, Mexico, Jamaica, and the Bahamas. Gaver also used the funds to purchase vacation homes, including a 4,000-square-foot condominium with a view of the Gulf of Mexico in Bonita Springs, Florida, which cost $2.275 million. Gaver also used loan proceeds to purchase a 2012 Maserati Gran Turismo; a 2011 Mercedes Benz SL Roadster; and a private membership at an exclusive golf club located in Naples, Florida that cost $285,000.
United States Attorney Robert Hur commended the FBI and the FHFA-OIG for their work on the investigation. Mr. Hur also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jefferson M. Gray and Jeffrey J. Izant, who prosecuted the case.
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Anne Arundel County Restaurant Owner Pleads Guilty to Stalking His Estranged WifeRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Khalil Ahmad, age 51, of Hanover, Maryland, pleaded guilty on December 12, 2018, to stalking his estranged wife. Ahmad admitted that he solicited another individual to have his wife killed after he violated protective orders she had obtained against him, but that he ultimately paid that individual to set her up to appear to be a terrorist and have her arrested instead. Ahmad further admitted that he paid the same individual to burn down the restaurant Ahmad owned in order for him to collect the insurance.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Anne Arundel County Police Chief Tim Altomare.
According to his plea agreement, Ahmad and the victim were married in July 2015. Before and after their marriage, the victim lived in Howard County, Maryland, and Ahmad lived separately in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. During their marriage, Ahmad threatened to kill the victim using a firearm. In April 2018, the victim informed Ahmad that she wanted a divorce.
On April 24, 2018, Ahmad threatened to kill himself. He drove to the victim’s residence, and in the presence of the victim and her children, poured gasoline over his body. Ahmad then produced a lighter and threatened to light himself on fire if the victim did not take him back.
The next day, the victim obtained a temporary protective order in Howard County against Ahmad, which was served on April 25, 2018, and was effective through May 8, 2018. Ahmad violated the order by contacting the victim by mobile phone on April 29, and May 27, 2018, in Howard County. Ahmad also violated the order on April 30, 2018, by contacting the victim by mobile phone and by following the victim’s vehicle as she drove in Prince George’s County. Criminal summonses were issued in Howard County (two counts) and in Prince George’s County (three counts) for violating a protective order.
To further harass the victim and put her in fear of her life, Ahmad also contacted the victim’s relatives, members of her religious community, and her ex-husband, and advised them that the victim was not a good person and that she was having a romantic relationship with another man; threatened to have the victim’s brother killed in Pakistan; and threatened to have the victim killed if she returned to Pakistan, causing the victim to be afraid to visit her family in Pakistan.
On May 8, 2018, the victim obtained a Final Protective Order from the Circuit Court for Howard County that remains in effect through May 7, 2019. The order directed Ahmad not to: abuse or threaten to abuse the victim; contact, attempt to contact, or harass the victim in person, in writing, or by any other means; or enter the residence of the victim. In addition, the order required Ahmad to stay away from the victim’s place of employment.
Ahmad admitted that beginning in May 2018, he solicited an individual (CW) to harass the victim. CW and Ahmad met several times, during which Ahmad expressed a desire to have his wife murdered. Ahmad subsequently decided to have the victim framed so that she would be arrested as a terrorist because she is from a Middle Eastern country. The plan was to place a ballistic vest, firearm, bottles of alcohol, and extremist jihad writings in her possession, without her knowledge, and then notify law enforcement to have her arrested.
On May 10, 2018, following several discussions with Ahmad, CW reported Ahmad’s plan to law enforcement. Thereafter, at the direction of and/or in the presence of law enforcement, CW’s calls and meetings with Ahmad were recorded. Ahmad gave CW a total of $5,000 in cash over two separate meetings, as a down payment to have the victim set up to appear to be a terrorist. Ahmad also provided CW with a photo of the victim, her address, phone numbers, and the last two digits of her Maryland license plate number. Ahmad made numerous statements to CW that he wanted the victim arrested prior to his June 21 court date in Prince George’s County for violating the protective order. If the victim were arrested, she could not testify, which would result in the court cases being dismissed.
The recorded calls and meetings reflect that Ahmad also wanted CW to commit an arson at Ahmad’s business (Allah Rakha Restaurant) so that Ahmad could collect the insurance payout from the fire. Ahmad advised CW that he recently had raised the amount of insurance on the restaurant by approximately $200,000. During one of their meetings, CW and Ahmad walked into the kitchen area of the restaurant to view the hot water heater and gas line, and discussed how CW would set the business on fire to make it look like an accident.
On June 5, 2018, investigators staged a scene involving what appeared to be Anne Arundel County Police Department (AAPD) uniformed police officers and detectives searching the victim’s vehicle on the side of a road. Photographs were taken of the victim’s vehicle and provided to CW who then went to meet with Ahmad. CW showed Ahmad the staged photographs and told Ahmad that it was done. Ahmad told CW that he would pay $2,000 that day, but would pay the remaining $7,000 once Ahmad could verify that the victim had actually been arrested. Ahmad then drove to a bank, withdrew $2,000 in cash, and handed the money to CW.
Later that same day, AAPD and FBI investigators went to Ahmad’s residence to conduct a ruse, informing Ahmad that his wife had been arrested and asking Ahmad if investigators could talk to him about his wife. Ahmad told investigators that his wife had filed a protective order against him and retrieved the file he had in his home. Ahmad said that he had overheard his wife on the phone at night taking classes about terrorism over the phone and that his wife had attended a terrorist training camp. Ahmad agreed to meet with investigators at AAPD to talk more about his wife, her activities, and her possible associates. At the meeting at AAPD, an FBI Urdu-speaking linguist was present for the interview. Ahmad was provided his Miranda warnings and the FBI linguist translated for Ahmad. Ahmad spoke to investigators at length about his wife. Investigators then confronted Ahmad with recorded video of one of his meetings with CW, during which the two discussed the plot to kill his wife, the plan to set her up to look like a terrorist, and the scheme to burn down his restaurant. Ahmad stated that he wanted CW to make things hard for his wife and to engage in a romantic relationship with her. Ahmad falsely told investigators that the plot to kill his wife, to set her up to look like a terrorist, and the plan to burn down his restaurant were all CW’s ideas.
As a result of his guilty plea to the federal stalking charge, the Anne Arundel County, Howard County, and Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Offices have agreed to dismiss their pending cases against Ahmad.
Ahmad faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison for stalking and is subject to removal from the United States upon completion of his sentence. U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett has scheduled sentencing for March 12, 2019.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the FBI and Anne Arundel County Police Department for their work in the investigation and thanked the Howard County Police Department, the Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney Wes Adams; Howard County State’s Attorney Dario Broccolino and Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy for their assistance in this prosecution. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul E. Budlow and Sandra Wilkinson, who are prosecuting the case.
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To Combat Growing Fentanyl Crisis, Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office Announces New Initiative Partnering with Local Law Enforcement in BaltimoreRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland today announced a new initiative designed to combat the growing fentanyl overdose crisis in Maryland. According to statistics for 2018, there are projected to be more than 2,000 fentanyl deaths statewide, and in Baltimore alone there are projected to be at least twice as many fatal fentanyl overdoses as homicides. Under this new initiative, every arrest involving distribution of fentanyl made by law enforcement in Baltimore will be reviewed jointly by the State’s Attorney’s Office for Baltimore City, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office to determine whether the case will be handled in the state or federal system. The U.S. Attorney’s Office will prosecute more cases involving fentanyl as a result of this new program. The use of federal resources and statutes, which carry significant terms of imprisonment, is necessary to prosecute those individuals who pose the greatest threat to public safety in distributing lethal doses of fentanyl.
The program was announced by U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; State’s Attorney for Baltimore City Marilyn Mosby; Assistant Special Agent in Charge Don A. Hibbert of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office; and Interim Commissioner Gary Tuggle of the Baltimore Police Department.
“State and federal law enforcement and prosecutors in Baltimore City are working together to arrest and prosecute those who peddle deadly fentanyl on our streets and in our neighborhoods,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur. “More and more people are dying from fentanyl overdoses in Baltimore City and throughout the state. We must do everything we can to reduce overdose deaths from this drug and from all opioids.”
Individuals charged federally under this initiative may face substantial minimum mandatory sentences, no parole and no suspended sentences, and sentences are often served in federal prisons far from home. For example, a defendant convicted in federal court of distributing 40 grams of fentanyl, enough to kill 20,000 people (just two milligrams of fentanyl can be fatal), faces at least five years in federal prison. A defendant convicted of distributing 400 grams of fentanyl faces at least 10 years in federal prison, and if the distribution of fentanyl results in death, the defendant faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
Pursuant to this new federal-state initiative to combat the fentanyl crisis in Maryland, the U.S. Attorney’s Office today unveiled three indictments charging four individuals in federal court. These three inaugural criminal cases targeting dealers of fentanyl are the first to be brought under the new program, with more prosecutions to come. The federal prosecutions are all being investigated by Special Agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration, along with officers from the Baltimore Police Department and other local law enforcement. The following defendants are charged federally with conspiracy and with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
Gari Terrell Miller, age 38, of Clinton, Maryland, faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 40 years in prison. He is detained pending trial; and
Davon Nelson, age 33, and Terrell Perry, age 34, both of Baltimore, face a maximum of 20 years in prison. They have not yet had their initial appearances in U.S. District Court, but remain detained on related state charges.
Aubrey Heckstall, age 46, of Baltimore, is charged with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. He faces a maximum of 20 years in prison and has not yet had his initial appearance in U.S. District Court.
The fentanyl program announced today is intended to augment our ongoing opioid reduction strategy. That strategy includes proactive criminal investigations to reach the sources of supply, including those outside Maryland, prosecuting doctors and pharmacists who divert and illegally distribute opioids, as well as public outreach in Maryland communities. A few noteworthy cases and activities are highlighted below.
Proactive Prosecutions Targeting Sources of Supply
On October 24, 2018, a federal grand jury indicted Nevone McCrimmon, age 47, of Edgewood, Maryland; William Elijah, age 51; and Terrance Mobley, age 50, both of Baltimore, Maryland, on the federal charge of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. According to their indictment and other court documents, the defendants are high-ranking members of a Baltimore-based drug trafficking organization that imports and distributes heroin, fentanyl, and other drugs in the Baltimore metropolitan area. The defendants allegedly obtained drugs from a Miami-based drug trafficking organization with ties to the Sinaloa and Tijuana Mexican drug cartels. To date, law enforcement has seized 20 kilograms of fentanyl and over $500,000 in U.S. currency. If convicted, the defendants each face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
On November 15, 2018, a federal grand jury indicted Derrell Dixon, age 39, of Columbia, Maryland and Teraino Johnson, age 45, of Baltimore, for conspiracy to distribute fentanyl. Dixon was also charged with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. If convicted, these defendants face a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years and a maximum of life in federal prison.
Finally, on October 23, 2018, a federal grand jury indicted Narada Michael Walls, age 38, of Salisbury, Maryland, with conspiracy to possess and to distribute fentanyl and fentanyl analogues resulting in death, possession with intent to distribute a fentanyl analogue and marijuana, and importation of a controlled substance, specifically, a fentanyl analogue, from China. Fentanyl analogues are chemical compounds designed to have effects similar to fentanyl and can be just as deadly. In the federal system, the penalties for distribution of analogues are often more severe in an effort to discourage dealers from creating and distributing them illegally. According to his indictment and other court documents, Walls used an assumed name and a fake email address to purchase methoxyacetyl fentanyl directly from suppliers in China. The indictment alleges that Walls’ distribution of the product resulted in at least one death. Walls faces a mandatory minimum of 20 years and a maximum of life in prison
Doctors and Pharmacists
Earlier this week, licensed pharmacist Richard Daniel Hiller, age 64 of Owings Mills, Maryland was sentenced to 40 months in federal prison for conspiracy and for distributing oxycodone, and was ordered to pay a $15,000 fine. Hiller admitted that from 2014 to February 2017, he illegally distributed oxycodone to three women who were addicted to the drug in exchange for sexual favors. Over the course of the conspiracy, Hiller distributed approximately 20,500 15-milligram oxycodone pills.
In another case, David Robinson, age 49, of Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty in October 2018 to a drug conspiracy involving the distribution of oxycodone and alprazolam. Robinson, a licensed pharmacist who owned and operated the Frankford Family Pharmacy, admitted that he dispensed oxycodone and alprazolam outside the scope of professional practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose. Federal search warrants executed at locations associated with Robinson resulted in the seizure of more than $292,000, a loaded 9mm pistol, an AR-15 rifle with a magazine, and several boxes of ammunition. Robinson is scheduled to be sentenced on February 25, 2019.
Public Outreach
In an effort to increase awareness of the danger of fentanyl, fentanyl analogues, and other opioids, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland and the Drug Enforcement Administration have partnered to deploy billboards in Baltimore that illustrate that even small amounts of opioids are lethal. The billboard also brings awareness to the fact that more than 2,000 Marylanders will die from opioids in 2018.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is a member of the Opioid Task Force and works with local, state, and federal agencies to make people aware of the dangers of opioid abuse and the resources available to assist recovering addicts.
U.S. Attorney Hur thanked the State’s Attorney’s Office for Baltimore City, the DEA, the Baltimore Police Department, the Maryland Transportation Authority Police, the Baltimore City Sheriff’s Office, the Baltimore County Police Department; Homeland Security Investigations; the Maryland State Police; and the Salisbury Police Department for their work on the cases highlighted above. Mr. Hur also commended the many dedicated Assistant U.S. Attorneys and Assistant State’s Attorneys who are handling these prosecutions.
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Towson Pharmacist Sentenced to 40 Months in Federal Prison for Distributing Oxycodone in Exchange for Sexual FavorsRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander today sentenced Richard Daniel Hiller, age 64, of Owings Mills, Maryland, formerly a licensed pharmacist, to 40 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute oxycodone, and for distributing oxycodone. Judge Hollander also ordered Hiller to pay a fine of $15,000.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Assistant Special Agent in Charge Don A. Hibbert of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office; and Chief Terrence B. Sheridan of the Baltimore County Police Department.
“Hiller abused his position of trust and exploited women who were addicted to oxycodone to obtain sexual favors. Those who divert pharmaceutical drugs for illegal purposes further the tragic cycle of addiction and the epidemic of opioid overdose deaths,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur.
According to his plea agreement, Hiller was a licensed pharmacist working at a pharmacy in Towson, Maryland. Hiller admitted that he filled fraudulent prescriptions for oxycodone for several women in return for sexual favors. On numerous occasions between January 2014 and February 2017, Hiller directed two of the women to come to the pharmacy where he worked prior to the opening of the pharmacy. Hiller would make them engage in sexual intercourse or perform other sexual acts in the rear area of the pharmacy prior to filling their fake prescriptions for oxycodone.
Beginning in 2014, Hiller also distributed oxycodone to a third woman. In return for distributing oxycodone to her, often without any valid prescription, Hiller would ask the woman to send him nude photos and sexual videos of herself, and allow him to grope and kiss her. This woman would sometimes use different names to simultaneously obtain oxycodone prescriptions from two doctors. Hiller would fill both prescriptions knowing they had been fraudulently obtained. When the woman rejected one of Hiller’s advances, he called the woman’s doctors to notify them that she was fraudulently obtaining prescriptions from both of them.
Hiller filled these prescriptions knowing they were fraudulent and outside the usual course of professional practice. Hiller would permit the women to fill additional prescriptions for oxycodone before the previous 30-day window had expired. In an effort to hide the conspiracy, some of the fraudulent prescriptions listed fake names and names of family members. The women were addicted to oxycodone and would resell many of the pills they obtained from Hiller to maintain their addiction. Over the course of the conspiracy, Hiller distributed approximately 20,500 15 milligram oxycodone pills.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the DEA and the Baltimore County Police Department for their work in these investigations. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Burden H. Walker, who prosecuted the case.
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Fraudster Sentenced to 57 Months in Federal Prison for Scamming Elderly Victims of Almost $400,000 Through Advance Fee SchemeRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis sentenced Onijah Crighton, age 23, of Chillum, Maryland, today to 57 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for the federal charges of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, in connection with a scheme to defraud more than 100 elderly victims through an advance fee scheme, specifically, by falsely representing that the victims had won a lottery or sweepstakes and demanding taxes or other fees before the victims could receive the prize. There is no parole in the federal system. Judge Xinis also ordered that Crighton must pay restitution in the full amount of the victims’ losses, which is $396,157.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal Division, Matthew J. DeSarno; and Postal Inspector in Charge Peter R. Rendina of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service – Washington Division.
“Criminals like Onijah Crighton target vulnerable individuals with these types of advance fee schemes,” said U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur. “Our law enforcement partners are committed to prosecuting and deterring elder fraud schemes like this one.”
According to his plea agreement, beginning in April 2013, Crighton and a co-conspirator began contacting Victim 1, an elderly man living in Virginia who suffered from Parkinson’s disease. Crighton falsely told Victim 1 that he was the second-place winner of the $10 million “grand prize draw” that Publishers Clearing House and the Better Business Bureau sponsored. Crighton fraudulently represented that the second-place prize was $2.5 million. Over the following months, Crighton and his co-conspirator contacted Victim 1 hundreds of times, convincing Victim 1 to send the conspirators 44 payments totaling approximately $112,000. Victim 1 made the payments through Western Union, by adding money to Green Dot cards controlled by Crighton and a co-conspirator, or by sending cash in the mail.
During the course of the conspiracy, Crighton e-mailed a “leads list provider” to purchase a list of names and personal identification information that Crighton could use to mass-market the lottery scam to elderly individuals across the country. Crighton and other members of the conspiracy successfully defrauded over 100 elderly victims of at least $396,157.
Crighton admitted that, beginning in 2012, he also used the personal identifying information of elderly individuals to fraudulently enroll debit cards in their names without their knowledge or consent. To conceal his involvement in the scheme, Crighton listed a number of different e-mail addresses on the debit card applications, and listed street addresses on the applications that belonged to others involved in the scheme. In this manner, Crighton enrolled or caused to be enrolled hundreds of debit cards that were applied for using the stolen identities of at least 10 elderly individuals.
The Department of Justice, through its Elder Justice Initiative, which includes the work of many Department components, is working on multiple fronts to protect older Americans from physical, emotional, and financial abuse. The Department has aggressively prosecuted mass mailing fraud schemes, such as Jamaican lottery and psychic scams, many of which target seniors and are international in nature. The Department also launched 10 regional Elder Justice Task Forces across the country, including in Maryland, to enhance the ability of federal, state, and local authorities to work together to combat elder financial fraud and to pursue those nursing homes that provide grossly substandard care to their Medicare and Medicaid residents. The Department actively supports state and local efforts to prevent and combat elder abuse in a variety of ways, including helping older victims and their families by connecting them to available resources, assistance and information on its Elder Justice website: www.elderjustice.gov.
Earlier this year, the Department of Justice and its law enforcement partners also conducted the largest coordinated sweep of elder fraud cases in history that involved more than 250 defendants and over one million American victims, most of whom were elderly.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the FBI and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service for their work in the investigation. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gregory Bernstein and Dana J. Brusca, who are prosecuting the case.
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Baltimore County Man who Enticed Children to Send him Sexually Explicit Videos of Themselves Sentenced to 27 Years in Federal Prison for Producing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow sentenced Keith Edward Taylor, age 33, of Kingsville, Maryland, today to 27 years in prison, followed by lifetime supervised release, for production of child pornography. There is no parole in the federal system. Upon his release from prison, Taylor will be required to register as a sex offender in the places where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Acting Special Agent in Charge Cardell T. Morant of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Chief Terrence B. Sheridan of the Baltimore County Police Department; and Colonel William M. Pallozzi, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police.
According to Taylor’s plea agreement, in 2017, Taylor used an instant-messaging software application to communicate with minors throughout the United States and internationally. Specifically, Taylor admitted that he engaged in sexually explicit conversations with at least five minor male victims, ranging from 12 to 15 years old, and residing in various states, including Texas, Massachusetts, Iowa, Michigan, and Colorado. During the course of his conversations with the boys, Taylor typically portrayed himself as a woman. Taylor repeatedly requested that the boys send sexually explicit photos and videos of themselves engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Taylor sent some of the boys sexually explicit photos of women, falsely claiming that they were photos of himself.
Taylor also used the messaging app to distribute and trade child pornography with adults. For example, during December 2017, Taylor traded child pornography with a user who sent Taylor a pornographic photo of a child that the user claimed was his own nine-year-old stepchild. Taylor repeatedly requested sexually explicit video of the child and discussed the other user engaging in sex acts with the child. Taylor also maintained digital collections of child pornography in multiple cloud storage accounts and electronic devices.
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 Robert K. Hur commended HSI-Baltimore, the Baltimore County Police Department, and the Maryland State Police for their work in the investigation. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew J. Maddox, who prosecuted the federal case.
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North Carolina Man Sentenced to Nine Years in Federal Prison for Traveling to Maryland to Engage in Sexual Conduct with a 15-Year-Old GirlRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III sentenced Travis Wilmoth, age 31, of Fayetteville, North Carolina today to nine years in prison, followed by 25 years of supervised release, for traveling with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor. Judge Russell also ordered that, upon his release from prison, Wilmoth 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 Robert K. Hur and Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office.
According to his plea agreement, on March 2, 2018, the FBI received a telephone call from the mother of a 15-year-old minor female. She had recently discovered that Wilmoth had been using social media to chat online with her daughter since November 2017, and those conversations had become sexual in February 2018. With the permission of the girl and her mother, FBI agents took control of the girl’s account and communicated with Wilmoth posing as the minor female. During the ensuing chats, Wilmoth repeatedly asked the girl to take “naughty” pictures and send them to him. On March 14, 2108, Wilmoth discussed traveling to Maryland to visit the girl and engaging in sexual acts with her. Between March 7 and April 11, 2018, Wilmoth sent the girl sexually explicit images and videos of himself. On May 11, 2018, Wilmoth drove from North Carolina to Maryland to meet with the girl with the intent to engage in sexual activity. The FBI agent posing as the girl had provided Wilmoth with an address in Baltimore County, Maryland. Wilmoth arrived at that location with condoms he had previously purchased and was arrested as he approached the front door.
Wilmoth served in the United States Air Force from 2007 to 2016, and at the time of his arrest was serving in the National Guard.
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 Robert K. Hur commended the FBI for its work in the investigation. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Sandra Wilkinson, who prosecuted the federal case.
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Ghanian National Who Swallowed Heroin to Distribute in the United States Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug ChargesRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – Ghanian national, Kukua Fosu, age 49, pleaded guilty today to federal charges of conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute heroin.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Acting Special Agent in Charge Cardell T. Morant of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; Interim Commissioner Gary Tuggle of the Baltimore Police Department; and Chief Henry P. Stawinski III of the Prince George’s County Police Department.
According to her plea agreement, Fosu swallowed plastic pellets containing at least 100 grams of heroin, then flew from Accra, Ghana to the United States, checking into a hotel in Beltsville, Maryland on March 8, 2018, for a four-night stay. While at the hotel, Fosu sold some of the pellets for cash. After Fosu did not respond to hotel staff on her scheduled check-out date, Fosu was found unresponsive in her room by Prince George’s County Police and Prince George’s County Fire Department personnel and transported to a local hospital.
Between March 12 and 22, 2018, medical staff observed two plastic bags in Fosu’s stool that contained an unknown substance. An x-ray was taken by hospital staff and four oblong objects were discovered in Fosu’s stomach and anal areas. Fosu was transported to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center where she had emergency surgery to remove the objects, which were confirmed to be four pellets containing heroin. A subsequent search of Fosu’s hotel room recovered five additional pellets, which lab results confirmed also contained heroin.
Fosu faces a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison for each of the two charges—conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute heroin. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis has scheduled sentencing for March 21, 2019, at 1:00 p.m.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the HSI, the Baltimore Police Department, and the Prince George’s County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Samika N. Boyd, who is prosecuting the case.
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Former Maryland Physician Agrees to Pay $400,000 to the United States to Resolve Allegations of Fraudulent Billing for Psychotherapy ServicesRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – M. Wagdi Attia, M.D., a physician who until April 1, 2018 had a medical practice in Gaithersburg, Maryland, has agreed to pay the United States $400,000 to resolve allegations that from January 1, 2013 through May 31, 2017, Dr. Attia fraudulently billed Medicare and Medicaid for services not rendered.
The settlement agreement was announced today by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur and Maureen Dixon, Special Agent in Charge of the Office of Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services.
The United States contends that during the period January 1, 2013 through May 31, 2017, Dr. Attia billed Medicare for psychotherapy services that were not rendered. Specifically, the allegation is that Dr. Attia billed Medicare and Medicaid for psychotherapy services that require certain documented amounts of face-to-face service with the patient, even though Dr. Attia’s time-stamped medical records reflected less than the required amount of time. The United States also contends that Dr. Attia’s medical records failed to reflect the provision of all elements of the psychotherapy service required, and that the use of repetitive, common language from chart to chart raised questions about the nature and extent of the services actually provided.
According to the settlement agreement, Dr. Attia has retired from the practice of medicine, has allowed his medical license to expire, has allowed his Medicare and Medicaid billing privileges to lapse, and has no intention of renewing his license or Medicare/Medicaid billing privileges.
The claims resolved by this settlement are allegations. The settlement is not an admission of liability by Dr. Attia, nor a concession by the United States that its claims are not well founded.
U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur thanked Assistant United States Attorney Allen Loucks, who handled this case.
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Owings Mills Woman Pleads Guilty to Obtaining over $4.3 Million in an Advance Fee Fraud Scheme and to Evading Taxes on that IncomeRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Late on November 29, 2018—a few days before she was scheduled to go to trial—Lauren Montillo, age 47, of Owings Mills, Maryland, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and to tax evasion. According to her plea agreement, from 2010 through 2015, Montillo and her co-conspirators sought at least $8.7 million in advance fees from foreign and United States victims, purporting to offer access to exotic bank financial instruments. Victims paid $4,342,540 in advance fees into Hong Kong bank accounts or attorney escrow accounts and received nothing in return. For tax years 2012 through 2014, Montillo reported no income other than $100, evading a substantial amount of income taxes.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Kelly R. Jackson of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, Washington, D.C. Field Office.
Montillo and her co-conspirators created shell companies, with associated websites, email addresses, and bank accounts, which they used to perpetrate the fraud. Specifically, in February 2010, Montillo opened an account with GoDaddy, which provides web-hosting services. From 2010 to 2015, Montillo and other co-conspirators used GoDaddy to host websites for shell companies such as MLL Holdings, The Bussola Group, Worldwide Escrow Holdings, Ltd., International Insurance of Nebraska, Atlas Investment Bancorp, Entirety Capital, GPF Global, and Atlas-Gayle Trust. Each of these shell companies had associated email addresses, which Montillo and her co-conspirators opened and used.
Also in 2010, Montillo's father incorporated "Worldwide Escrow Holdings Limited" ("Worldwide Escrow") in Hong Kong and opened a bank account for Worldwide Escrow at the Hong Kong Shanghai Bank (HSBC), Hong Kong with Montillo as a signatory. Montillo’s father resigned from the company in April 2011. In March 2011, Montillo and a co-conspirator opened two more bank accounts in Hong Kong, the MLL Holdings and the Skywall bank accounts, also at HSBC. Montillo and her co-conspirators had on-line access to the Hong Kong bank accounts so that they could conduct banking transactions over the internet. In 2012, Montillo’s father also opened an escrow account in the name of his mother-in-law, a licensed attorney in Maryland who had stopped practicing law in approximately 2007. She was not aware that the escrow account had been opened in her name. The conspirators directed victims to wire-transfer their advance fees into the HSBC, Hong Kong bank accounts or the attorney escrow account.
Montillo’s co-conspirator, Eric Becker, was her former fiancé. Becker developed, and Montillo edited, websites for the various phony businesses, which purported to offer access to financial instruments, such as standby letters of credit, bank guarantees, bonds, or private placement trading platforms. Montillo and her co-conspirators had no access to any financial instruments. For example, Montillo and several co-conspirators obtained advance fee payments from a victim that would purportedly gain access to a private placement trading platform. The co-conspirators persuaded the victim, through several broker intermediaries, to send $1.7 million to a BB&T bank account in Florida. BB&T returned the funds to the victim. The victim, a Mexican national, was told that the funds were returned because the window had closed on the investment opportunity. Co-conspirators, including Montillo, then informed the victim, through his broker, that they could offer him a private placement trading platform in which he would receive profits and a charitable organization would use its portion of the profits to invest in its projects. The conspirators directed the victim to send his money to the Worldwide Escrow account at HSBC, Hong Kong. On May 8, 2012, the victim used his own and his family's funds to send $3,099,990 to the Worldwide Escrow Holdings account. The conspirators, including Montillo, moved over $2 million of the funds to a bank account opened at Choice Bank in Belize.
To conceal the fraud and to reassure the victim and his brokers, co-conspirators including Montillo, created an insurance policy for a non-existent insurance company called International Insurance of Nebraska, which was back-stopped with a website hosted through Montillo's GoDaddy account. The insurance policy purported to show that the victim's investment funds would not be at risk because they were fully insured. In addition, co-conspirators, including Montillo, used her GoDaddy account to host the website wweholdingsltd.com to add an air of legitimacy to Worldwide Escrow Both the insurance company and the private placement trading platform were bogus.
Over the next several years, Montillo and her co-conspirators continued with the advance fee scheme. The scheme had both foreign and U.S. victims. To protect her identity, Montillo frequently used the name “Kati Conti” in the frauds and used a “burner phone” so that after the scam was concluded, she could “go dark” and stop communicating with the victims. In all, the scheme sought at least $8.7 million from victims, and actually obtained $4,342,540.
For tax years 2012 through 2014, Montillo filed personal tax returns showing no income or $100 in income, and thus no income tax was owed. Montillo admitted that she was the signatory on bank accounts in the names of limited liability corporations into which victims' funds were wire transferred from Hong Kong, Choice Bank in Belize, the attorney escrow account, and other accounts controlled by co-conspirators. Montillo used the victim funds transferred to the limited liability accounts for living expenses. Montillo had no accounts in her own name. Montillo admitted that by failing to report her income for 2012 through 2014 to the Internal Revenue Service, she evaded a substantial amount of income taxes.
As part of her plea agreement, Montillo will be required to forfeit a money judgment in the amount of $849,993.12 and to pay restitution in the full amount of the loss, which is at least $4,342,540.
Montillo faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for the wire fraud conspiracy and 5 years in prison for tax evasion. U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett has scheduled sentencing for April 12, 2019 at 10 a.m.
Three defendants were charged in a related case in the Western District of Texas, James Edward Cox, Kelly Ray Coronado, and Gordon Richard Moscowitz. They have pled guilty to wire fraud conspiracy (Cox and Coronado) and money-laundering conspiracy (Moskowitz) and are scheduled for sentencing on February 6, 2019. Becker was indicted with Montillo but has since died. Montillo’s father died in 2016.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the FBI and IRS-CI for their work in the investigation. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joyce K. McDonald and Sean Delaney, who are prosecuting the case.
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Fraudsters Sentenced to Federal Prison and Ordered to Pay Restitution of More Than $491,000 after a Jury Convicted Them of Federal Charges Related to Foreclosure Prevention Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – On December 3, 2018, U.S. District Judge Roger W. Titus sentenced Michelle Sylethia Jordan, a/k/a Michelle Harris and Michelle Welsh, age 49; and her husband, Michael Paul Anthony Welsh, a/k/a Michael A. Welsh and Michael Paul S. Welsh, age 45, both of Laurel, Maryland, to 57 months and 46 months in federal prison, respectively, each followed by three years of supervise release, on conspiracy and wire fraud charges in connection with a foreclosure prevention fraud scheme. Judge Titus sentenced co-conspirator, Carrol Antonio Jackson, a/k/a Jack Jackson, age 48, of Hinesville, Georgia, to time served, followed by nine months of home detention as part of three years of supervised release. Finally, Judge Titus ordered that each defendant pay restitution of $491,036.87. A federal jury convicted the three co-conspirators on June 20, 2018. After the verdict was announced, Judge Titus ordered that Jordan and Welsh be detained pending sentencing and they were immediately taken into custody.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Acting Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Richard Parker of the Federal Housing Finance Agency Office of Inspector General (FHFA-OIG); Special Agent in Charge Bertrand Nelson of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Inspector General (HUD-OIG); Postal Inspector in Charge Peter Rendina of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service - Washington Division; Chief Henry P. Stawinski of the Prince George’s County Police Department; Chief J. Thomas Manger of the Montgomery County Police Department; Sheriff Steve Sikes of the Liberty County, Georgia, Sheriff’s Office; and Vernon M. Keenan, Director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
According to the evidence presented at their eight-day trial, Jordan was chief executive officer and director of MJ Loan Auditor Group, LLC (MJLAG), a limited liability company registered and doing business in Maryland. Welsh was president and chief executive officer of MJLAG. Jackson was the owner and manager of CJ Maxx Group LLC, a limited liability company doing business in Maryland, Virginia, and Georgia.
Trial evidence proved that from August 2012 until February 2017, Jordan and Welsh falsely told victim homeowners that, for a fee, MJLAG could help these homeowners modify their mortgage loans and prevent foreclosure of their homes. Jordan and Welsh falsely represented that MJLAG could help the homeowners get “free and clear” title to their homes, with no debt or liens against the property, and that MJLAG could obtain money from the homeowners’ lenders, typically by suing the lenders. Jordan and Welsh told homeowners that they needed to purchase one or more “audits” of the homeowners’ mortgage loans in order to uncover fraud and alleged illegal acts committed by the lenders, and that these “audits” could be used as evidence in lawsuits against the lenders and in negotiating for a loan modification.
Witnesses testified that as part of the scheme, Jordan and Welsh had homeowners sign a “contract fee agreement” setting out what fees would be charged for the “audit.” The contract fee agreement contained the seal of the National Association of Mortgage Underwriters (NAMU), even though the defendants and their companies had no current affiliation with NAMU. Jordan advised clients to submit baseless complaints about their lender to state and federal agencies, file frivolous lawsuits in local courts, and to stop paying their mortgages. Jordan further advised MJLAG clients whose homes already were in foreclosure proceedings to file for bankruptcy in order to delay the foreclosure proceedings and as part of the process to prevent foreclosure of the clients’ homes. Jordan assisted MJLAG clients in filing for bankruptcy, by preparing bankruptcy petitions and related documents and court filings.
The evidence proved that Jordan and Welsh paid Jackson to prepare fraudulent documents purporting to be “Forensic Audit Reports” and “Real Estate Securitization Audits” relating to loans for properties owned by MJLAG clients. The victim homeowners paid money to MJLAG with the expectation of receiving assistance with modifying their mortgage loans and preventing foreclosure of their homes.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the FHFA-OIG, HUD-OIG, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Prince George’s County and Montgomery County Police Departments, Liberty County Sheriff’s Office SWAT Team, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation for their work in the investigation, and recognized the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulations for its assistance. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kristi N. O’Malley and Nicolas A. Mitchell, and Special Assistant United States Attorney Elizabeth Boison, who prosecuted the case.
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Felon Convicted After Federal Trial of Committing Three Armed Robberies in Less Than One HourRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – A federal jury convicted James Lorenzo Thomas, Jr., age 32, of Oxon Hill, Maryland, for three counts of armed commercial robbery, three counts of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. The jury’s verdict was returned on December 3, 2018.
The conviction was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Chief Henry P. Stawinski III of the Prince George’s County Police Department.
According to evidence presented at his four-day trial, in less than one hour on April 6, 2017, Thomas and a co-defendant robbed businesses in Camp Springs, Clinton, and District Heights, Maryland. In each robbery the defendants brandished a firearm. In the first two robberies Thomas and his co-defendant stole cash from the business, and in one robbery also took a victim’s cell phone. At the location of their last robbery, a game store, Thomas and his co-defendant stole PS4s, virtual reality headsets, and an Xbox – one of which had a GPS tracker that led the police to the robbers less than 20 minutes after they left the store. The police found Thomas and his co-defendant in the getaway car, surrounded by game consoles and dividing up the cash from the robberies. The gun used in the robberies was also recovered.
During the trial, Thomas also attempted to intimidate a witness to prevent the witness from testifying at trial. As a result, the witness initially would not answer the prosecutor’s questions. After a short recess, the witness did testify. A Deputy U.S. Marshal, who heard the attempted intimidation, subsequently testified at the trial as to what the defendant said to the witness.
Thomas faces a maximum of 20 years in prison for each of the three counts of robbery. He also faces a maximum of life in prison and a minimum mandatory sentence of seven years in prison for the first count, and 25 years in prison for each of the two additional counts of brandishing a firearm in relation to a crime of violence, all consecutive to any other sentence imposed. Finally, Thomas faces a maximum of 10 years in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis has scheduled sentencing for February 28, 2019, at 1:00 p.m.
Co-defendant Nathan Sergio Latimore, age 33, of Camp Springs, Maryland, previously pleaded guilty to five robberies, including the three he committed with Thomas. Judge Xinis has scheduled sentencing for Latimore on December 10, 2018, at 10:00 a.m.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The U.S. Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of its renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the FBI Cross Border Task Force and the Prince George’s County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Timothy F. Hagan, Jr. and Elizabeth G. Wright, who are prosecuting the case.
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Maryland Man Sentenced to 57 Months in Federal Prison and Ordered to Forfeit at Least $5.665 Million s a Result of His Conviction on Charges Relating to Dark Web Drug Distribution and Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake sentenced Ryan Farace, age 34, of Reisterstown, Maryland, today to 57 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for drug distribution and money laundering conspiracies. The charges arose from a scheme to manufacture and distribute alprazolam tablets, which are typically sold under the brand name “Xanax,” through sales on the dark web in exchange for Bitcoin. Farace and his co-conspirator, Robert Swain, laundered the drug proceeds through financial transactions designed to conceal the source and ownership of the illegal funds. Judge Blake ordered that Farace must forfeit a money judgment equal to $5,665,000 and 4,000 Bitcoin. Farace was also ordered to forfeit assets seized by law enforcement during the execution of search warrants on January 16, 2018, at locations associated with the conspiracies, including approximately $1.5 million in cash, 1.100 bitcoin and approximately $2.5 million in computer equipment. Robert Swain, age 34, of Freeland, Maryland, previously pleaded guilty to the money laundering conspiracy and faces a maximum of 20 years in prison at his sentencing on January 25, 2019.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Assistant Special Agent in Charge Don Hibbert of the Drug Enforcement Administration - Washington; Acting Special Agent in Charge Cardell T. Morant of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Postal Inspector in Charge Peter R. Rendina of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service – Washington Division; Special Agent in Charge Kelly R. Jackson of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) – Criminal Investigation; U.S. Marshal for the District of Maryland Johnny Hughes; Chief Terrence B. Sheridan of the Baltimore County Police Department; Interim Commissioner Gary Tuggle of the Baltimore Police Department; Chief Gary Gardner of the Howard County Police Department; and Anne Arundel County Police Chief Tim Altomare.
“Federal law enforcement and our international partners are working together to find and prosecute those who use the dark web to sell drugs and launder the proceeds of their drug dealing,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur. “The sentence imposed today demonstrates that committing crimes through the dark web does not protect you from prosecution. We will find you and we will prosecute you.”
"Those that are facilitating the abuse of controlled dangerous substances are negatively impacting our entire community and will be held accountable,” said Kelly R. Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Washington, D.C. Field Office. “Today’s sentencing is a reminder that IRS-CI will remain vigilant in our investigation of these crimes and will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to combat this type of criminal conduct.”
According to his plea agreement, from November 2013 through June 2017, Farace purchased narcotics manufacturing equipment, including pill presses and counterfeit “Xanax” pill molds, which he used to press loose alprazolam powder into tablet or pill form, to resemble genuine Xanax pills. Farace solicited orders for the alprazolam pills on dark web marketplaces and sold alprazolam pills directly to buyers in exchange for Bitcoin.
The dark web is the part of the World Wide Web that requires specific software, configurations or authorization to access, allowing users and website operators to remain anonymous. Dark web marketplaces typically use Bitcoin or other digital currency as the means of payment for their transactions.
Bitcoin is a form of digital currency that does not exist in any physical form. It is not issued or controlled by any government, bank, or company, but is generated and controlled automatically through computer software operating on a decentralized peer-to-peer network. Bitcoin can be exchanged for conventional currency, with the exchange rate determined on the open market.
Farace admitted that he communicated with his customers through encrypted electronic messages and shipped the completed pill orders through the U.S. mail. Farace admitted that the postage for these packages was usually paid using pre-paid debit cards that Farace obtained in the names of, and with the personal identifying information of, other people. Law enforcement also recovered fake driver’s licenses in the names of those individuals, one bearing Farace’s photograph when they executed a federal search warrant at Farace’s home on January 16, 2018. Based on data recovered from dark web marketplaces seized by law enforcement, Farace distributed more than 920,000 alprazolam pills between December 2013 and March 2017.
From at least July 2015 until February 2017, Farace and Swain conspired with others to launder the proceeds of the illegal drug sales by conducting financial transactions designed to conceal and disguise the nature, source, ownership and control of the illegal drug proceeds. Specifically, Farace used pseudonyms to contact a co-conspirator through dark web marketplaces and encrypted messages in order to exchange Bitcoin he received from his drug trafficking for cash. The co-conspirator would then mail or ship packages of U.S. currency equivalent to the value of the Bitcoin received, less a fee, to mailing addresses provided by Farace. To conceal the fact that he was receiving cash, Farace, and later Swain, opened post office boxes at U.S. Post Offices and private rental mailboxes in fake names. Swain knew that Farace was receiving cash and drugs at these mailboxes and that the cash was the proceeds of Farace’s drug trafficking. During the course of the conspiracy, Farace received cash totaling more than $5 million, through the mails, which he had exchanged for Bitcoin earned from drug trafficking. In addition, Farace and Swain drove to New Jersey so that Swain could collect $200,000 in cash that Farace had exchanged for Bitcoin. During the in-person meeting on February 16, 2017, Swain provided a fictitious name to the individual he met and falsely stated that the Bitcoin and cash were his own. Farace and Swain later tried unsuccessfully to exchange Bitcoin for $400,000 in cash with the same individual.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the DEA, HSI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the IRS-Criminal Investigation; the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Baltimore County, Baltimore City, Howard, and Anne Arundel County Police Departments for their work in the investigation. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dana J. Brusca and Zachary B. Stendig, who are prosecuting this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force case.
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Leader of Old York Money Gang Convicted of Federal Charges Related to his Gang Activities, Including Racketeering Murder, Drug Conspiracy, Drug Dealing, and Gun CrimesRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – A federal jury today convicted Trevon Beasley, a/k/a Tre, age 24, of Baltimore, of federal racketeering charges related to his gang crimes, including murders committed by Beasley, related to his membership in the Old York Money Gang (OYMG); a federal drug distribution conspiracy; conspiracy to use and carry a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence and drug trafficking crime; and eight counts of distribution and possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine, powder cocaine, and/or heroin. OYMG dealt drugs and committed murders in the Waverly neighborhood of Baltimore and sustained itself in part through drug sales, including crack cocaine, as well as through murder and other violent crimes.
The conviction was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Rob Cekada of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; and Interim Commissioner Gary Tuggle of the Baltimore Police Department.
According to the evidence presented at his 12 day trial and other court documents, from January 2013 to April 2017, Beasley was a member of the OYMG, a violent drug trafficking organization operating in the Waverly neighborhood in the northeastern district of Baltimore. OYMG is involved in criminal activity including murder, robbery, extortion, burglary, and narcotics trafficking in and around Baltimore. OYMG is a neighborhood gang, limiting its membership to persons that originate from or live in the Waverly neighborhood, and generally excluding “outsiders.” The gang extensively and frequently endorsed and promoted its existence through social media accounts and rap music videos, whereby members would display their association and advertise membership and activities of the gang. The evidence elicited at trial showed that Trevon Beasley occupied a leadership role in the gang, which obtained its revenue from murder for hire and drug distribution. Witnesses testified that OYMG accepted money for contract killings as part of its business, and that Beasley specifically accepted and executed the contract murder of Tyrone Servance on November 15, 2016. Witnesses testified that after the homicide, associates of the victim engaged in a war with OYMG over the next weeks, culminating in two additional attempted murders perpetrated by Beasley.
According to the evidence presented at trial, Beasley and other OYMG members regularly carried firearms to defend the gang’s territory and violently expelled OYMG rivals or antagonists.
Beasley faces a maximum sentence of life in prison for the racketeering conspiracy; a maximum of life in prison for the drug conspiracy; a maximum of 10 years in prison for the gun conspiracy; and 20 years in prison for each of the eight drug distribution counts. U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III has scheduled sentencing for March 29, 2019, at 2:00 p.m.
Ten other defendants charged in the case previously pleaded guilty to racketeering and/or drug conspiracy charges. Darrin Mosley, age 25, of Baltimore, pleaded guilty on November 5, 2018, just before trial was scheduled to begin. Mosley is scheduled to be sentenced on February 15, 2019, at 9:30 a.m.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The U.S. Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of its renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the ATF and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Metcalf and Michael C. Hanlon, who are prosecuting the case.
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As Part of Maryland’s Project Safe Neighborhood Program, Law Enforcement Officers Honored for Their Work on Federal Violent Crime CasesRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland today honored 40 police officers and federal agents for outstanding work in the Maryland Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN) program that resulted in significant federal violent crime prosecutions. Recipients included police officers from Anne Arundel County, Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Frederick, Greenbelt, Maryland National Capital Park Police, Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, Montgomery County, Prince George’s County, St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office; and federal agents from ATF, FBI, and HSI.
“Local, state and federal police and prosecutors are working together to combat violent crime in Maryland. The hard work of these law enforcement officers and prosecutors led to dozens of convictions of dangerous criminals,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur. “I am grateful to the dedicated and professional staff of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and to our federal, state, and local partners for the challenging work that they do every day to make Maryland more safe and secure.”
The honorees participated in the investigation and prosecution of more than 17 violent crime cases involving more than 101 defendants, including armed robbers, carjackers, violent gang members, and drug dealers. A majority of the defendants have previous felony convictions and many are career offenders and/or armed career criminals, which reflects how the PSN program focuses federal resources on the more violent criminals plaguing our communities.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended all the honorees for their work on these violent crime investigations. Mr. Hur thanked the Assistant United States Attorneys who prosecuted the cases and nominated their agents for these awards. A list of awardees is attached to this press release.
The Maryland PSN Program is a joint effort by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Maryland, and local prosecutors to identify, investigate and prosecute the individuals or organizations driving violent crime. The program has three primary components: (1) proactive investigations and prosecutions; (2) reactive prosecutions; and (3) training and outreach.
Proactive PSN investigations use federally-led task forces to investigate gangs, drug trafficking organizations, and robbery crews that have been identified as being connected to past or present acts of violence. Prosecutors then use federal racketeering, drug, firearms, and robbery statutes to prosecute those groups. As a part of the reactive firearms and violent crime prosecutions, certain firearm, commercial robbery, bank robbery, and carjacking cases are screened to determine whether federal prosecution is warranted. The last component of the PSN program involves training and outreach. In conjunction with state prosecutors, the USAO provides training to local law enforcement on a variety of issues.
The USAO is also seeking creative ways to reach out to the community in an effort to deter violent crime. PSN partners reach out directly to ex-offenders to prevent recidivism through “call-ins,” making ex-offenders aware of services available to assist them and of the consequences if they re-offend. In an effort to deter individuals from using firearms to commit crimes, the USAO has also recently sponsored billboards in the Baltimore area that state “Gun Crime = Fed Time, No Parole – Ever.” The billboards should be up for the next few months.
Since 2017, our partnerships have achieved extraordinary results. In 2017, a total of 334 defendants were charged in PSN cases. For 2018, as of November 1, our office has already charged a total of 328 PSN defendants. The following are just a few examples the extraordinary work our PSN team is doing:
In June 2017, two more members of the Murdaland Mafia Piru Bloods (“MMP Bloods”) gang were charged with racketeering conspiracy. This gang plagued their territory in Northwest Baltimore. The recent new charges brought to 26 the number of alleged MMP gang members and associates charged with murders, assaults, abduction, witness tampering, and with selling heroin, cocaine, and fentanyl. Nineteen of 26 defendants have pleaded guilty and 15 of those have been sentenced to between 71 months and 30 years in prison. A trial date for the remaining defendants is scheduled for March 18, 2019.
In January 2018, three members of the Black Guerilla Family (“BGF”) gang were convicted of federal crimes related to their drug-trafficking activities, including murders, shootings, and armed robberies. Their sales of cocaine, heroin, ecstasy, marijuana, and oxycodone plagued the Barclay neighborhood of East Baltimore. The leader (Gerald Johnson) and the chief enforcer (Kenneth Jones) were each sentenced to life in prison. Six other defendants received between 90 and 378 months in prison. The last defendant will be sentenced in January 2019.
In June 2018, the ninth member of the Up Da Hill gang in South Baltimore’s Cherry Hill was convicted of charges relating to the gang’s activities, including murder, robberies, and selling cocaine and heroin. This was one of a series of four gang prosecutions in the Cherry Hill neighborhood; a total of 49 defendants have been charged in these RICO and VICAR cases.
On August 13, 2018, a member of Normandie clique of MS-13 was sentenced to life imprisonment resulting from his conviction at trial of participating in a RICO conspiracy that included three murders and four attempted murders in Prince George’s and Frederick Counties. The RICO charges included a total of eight members and associates of the Normandie clique. Sentences for the defendants ranged from twelve years to life in prison.
In September 2018, the leader of West Baltimore’s violent Pedestal Gardens gang was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison, and the manager of a related drug organization was sentenced to 12 years in prison, for conspiring to sell heroin and fentanyl. Members of the organization murdered two suspected rivals and the group brought wholesale quantities of heroin and fentanyl into Baltimore. A total of 14 individuals were charged in the conspiracy. Thirteen pleaded guilty and one was convicted after trial.
On September 7, 2018, the leader of the MS-13 Maryland Program and Park View clique pleaded guilty to a violent racketeering conspiracy that included attempted murder. The RICO charges involve seven members of MS-13 who committed multiple murders, extortion, robbery, assaults, threats of violence, distribution of controlled substances. Five of the charged defendants, including the former leader of the Weedoms MS-13 clique and members and associates of the Cabanas clique, have pleaded guilty. Two remaining defendants, the former leader of the Cabanas clique and a member of the Sailors clique, are scheduled for trial in January 2019.
On October 23, 2018, a defendant who committed a string of ten armed robberies with multiple co-conspirators was sentenced to eleven years in federal prison. In his guilty plea, the defendant admitted to robberies of convenience stores in Gaithersburg, Derwood, Hyattsville, Gambrills, Kettering, Rockville, Glen Burnie, Millersville, and Morningside, Maryland. In the course of each of the robberies the defendant brandished a firearm and ordered the victims, convenience store cashiers, to empty the cash registers. On co-conspirator was sentenced to 9 years in prison, while the other two conspirators have yet to be sentenced.
On October 31, 2018, after 24 days of trial, a federal jury convicted eight members of Trained To Go (TTG), a violent criminal organization which operated in the Sandtown neighborhood of West Baltimore, whose members engaged in drug distribution and acts of violence including murder, armed robbery, and witness intimidation. Their leader, Montana Barronette, was found personally responsible for seven murders, and in all, the jury found the defendants responsible for a total of nine murders in Baltimore.
On November 2, 2018, we brought to justice the killer of three-year-old McKenzie Elliott, who was shot to death as she stood on her front porch, when she was struck by an errant bullet during a gang dispute. Terrell Plummer admitted that he killed McKenzie Elliott, and Tyrone Jamison admitted that he supplied the gun used in the shooting. Both men were members of the Old York Money Gang, a violent gang that operated in the Waverly neighborhood and sustained itself largely through the distribution and sale of drugs, as well as through murder and other violent crimes.
In addition to U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur, agency representatives who participated in today’s awards ceremony included: ATF Special Agent in Charge Rob Cekada of the Baltimore Field Office; ATF Special Agent in Charge Thomas Chittum III of the Washington Field Division; FBI Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson; DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge Don Hibbert; ICE Homeland Security Investigations Assistant Special Agent in Charge Freddie Taylor; Interim Baltimore Police Commissioner Gary Tuggle; Baltimore City Assistant State’s Attorney Gerald Collins, Chief of the Major Crimes Unit; Baltimore County Police Lieutenant William Vaserlaros; Prince George’s County Police Deputy Chief Jackie Rafterry; Anne Arundel County Police Chief Timothy Altomare; Greenbelt Police Chief Richard Bowers; Maryland National Capital Park Police Chief Stanley Johnson; Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services Dave Reitz of the Intelligence Investigative Divisions; Montgomery County Police Chief J. Thomas Manger; and St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office Captain Eric Sweeney.
All the PSN partners—including the U.S. Attorney’s Office, ATF, DEA, FBI, HSI, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Baltimore Police Department, the Prince George’s County Police Department, the State’s Attorney’s Office for Baltimore City, and the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office—are utterly committed to working together to reduce violent crime in Maryland. We identify and target the most dangerous offenders for federal prosecution, bringing to bear the full range of federal investigative resources to make our state’s residents safer. We are grateful for the partnerships that make these results possible will continue to work tirelessly for the good of the citizens of Maryland.
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USAO PSN AWARDS RECIPIENTS 2018
Anne Arundel County Police Department
Det. Daniel DeLorenzo, FBI TFO
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives
SA David Collier
SA Lisa Christy
SA Michael Eldredge
SA Daniel Giblin
SA John Messick
SA Rebecca TomlinsonBaltimore Police Department
Det. David Azur, ATF TFO
Det. James Bradley, DEA TFO
Det. Christopher Faller, ATF TFO
Det. Jonathan Hayden, ATF TFO
Det. Craig Jester, DEA TFO
Det. John Jendrick, DEA TFOBaltimore County Police Department
Cpl. Shane Sammons, FBI TFO
Federal Bureau of Investigation
SA Autumn Brown
SA Sean ReganFrederick Police Department
Det. Jorge Garcia
Det. Steven PetruzzelloGreenbelt Police Department
Det. Daniel Aguilar
Hyattsville Police Department
Det. Sgt. Zachary Nemser
Homeland Security Investigations
SA Francisco Gerardo
SA Aaron Klein
SA Austin Shaver
SA Joseph Simms
SA Jeffrey WiedenhaftMaryland National Capital Park Police
Officer Miguel Ureña, ATF TFO
Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services
Captain Robert S. Dean
Montgomery County Police Department
Det. Diana Cobo, HSI TFO
Det. Christopher Bush, DEA TFO
Det. Ryan Street, DEA TFOPrince George's County Police Department
Cpl. Paul A. Dougherty
Sgt. Kenneth E. Doyle
Det. Shane Goudreau, ATF TFO
Lt. Patrick Hampson
Det. Nicole McGowen, ATF TFO
Sgt. Denise L. Shapiro
Det. Wayne Tracey, ATF TFO
Det. Mike Trader, HSI TFO
Sgt. William E. WattsSt. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office
Det. Cpl. Mark Howard, DEA TFO
Army Sergeant Sentenced to Life in Federal Prison After Federal Trial Conviction for Domestic Violence Resulting in the Murder of His WifeRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III sentenced Army Sergeant Maliek Kearney, age 37, of San Antonio, Texas, today to life in federal prison, without the possibility of parole, for traveling to Maryland from South Carolina to murder his wife as part of an elaborate plan that involved the help of his girlfriend. Judge Russell also ordered Kearney to pay $492,800 in restitution to the family of Karlyn Ramirez. Kearney was convicted on August 8, 2018, after an 11-day trial of the federal charges of interstate travel to commit domestic violence resulting in the death of Karlyn Ramirez, and using a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence. Kearney remains detained. Kearney’s girlfriend, Delores Delgado, previously pleaded guilty in federal court for interstate travel to commit domestic violence resulting in death, in connection with the death of Karlyn Ramirez, and testified against Kearney at his trial.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Commanding General David P. Glaser of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command; and Anne Arundel County Police Chief Tim Altomare.
U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur said, “Maliek Kearney cold-heartedly planned the murder of his wife and placed his four-month-old baby in her dead arms after shooting her several times at close range. The investigators and prosecutors painstakingly put this case together so that Kearney did not escape justice. This sentence ensures that Kearney will not be able to harm any other women. Hopefully, it will also bring the family of Karlyn Ramirez some peace that Kearney has been brought to justice.”
“On the first day the FBI joined this investigation, we committed to bringing the full weight of the Bureau to find who was responsible for Karylan’s death and to serve justice,” said FBI Baltimore Special Agent in Charge Gordon Johnson. “We followed all logical leads here in Maryland and several other states, provided specialized expertise, and collectively with the Anne Arundel County Police Department and the U.S. Army CID, we were able to keep our promise. The citizens of Maryland have the FBI’s commitment that we will work with our local, state, and federal partners to remove violent criminals from their neighborhoods.”
“I greatly appreciate the extremely hard work and dedication shown by our detectives, Army CID, The FBI and the U.S. Attorney's Office. From the moment we found Ms. Ramirez and her daughter, nothing has been easy with this case. This investigation is a case study in teamwork and tenacity! We are so gratified to be able to bring Ms. Ramirez justice,” said Anne Arundel County Police Chief Timothy Altomare.
"We are extremely pleased with today's sentencing and sincerely hope in some small way today's outcome helps to give the Ramirez family a bit of closure," said Christopher Grey, spokesman for Army CID. "Our agents, in concert with our other law enforcement partners, worked tirelessly to solve this case and bring the guilty to justice for this despicable crime. It clearly demonstrates no matter how cunning a criminal may think they are, we will uncover the truth,” Grey said.
According to the evidence presented at Kearney’s 11-day trial, Kearney was married to Karlyn Ramirez, an active-duty soldier of the United States Army assigned to Fort Meade, Maryland, and they had a four-month-old daughter together. Ramirez was found shot to death in her off-post residence on the morning of August 25, 2015. The baby, who was still alive, had been placed in the arms of Kearney’s deceased wife. Based on the evidence, the likely time of death was estimated to be the late evening hours of August 24, 2015.
Witnesses testified that at the time of Ramirez’s death, the couple had recently separated and Ramirez had obtained a protective order through the Army prohibiting all contact between her and Kearney.
The evidence presented at trial established that Kearney was stationed at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. On August 24, 2015, Kearney finished work in the early afternoon and traveled from South Carolina to Severn, Maryland. Kearney entered Ramirez’s townhouse using his key and brandished a Taurus .357-caliber revolver. Ramirez attempted to calm her husband but she reiterated that she did not want to reconcile with him. Kearney then shot Ramirez three times at close range, killing her. According to the evidence presented, Kearney then took off her pants and pulled down her underwear in an attempt to make it look like a sexual assault. He also placed their four-month-old daughter in Ramirez’s arms.
Kearney’s girlfriend, Delores Delgado, testified at trial that she provided the firearm that killed Ramirez and allowed Kearney to drive her car from South Carolina to Maryland to commit the murder. The evidence at trial proved that Delgado also purchased large gas cans for Kearney to take with him, so that he would not have to stop for gas and risk being seen. According to witness testimony, during the murder, Kearney’s girlfriend, who lived in Florida at the time, stayed at Kearney’s apartment in South Carolina with his phone and vehicle to create his alibi, so that it would later appear to law enforcement that Kearney had been in South Carolina at the time of the murder. After the murder, Delgado and a third party went to a waterway in Florida and disposed of the firearm, shell casings, Kearney’s clothing worn during the murder, and the key he used to enter the townhouse. Delgado, at Kearney’s direction, also dismantled the revolver and took steps to obliterate the serial number. The firearm was subsequently recovered by law enforcement divers and forensic testing determined that it was indeed the gun used by Kearney to shoot Karlyn Ramirez to death.
On September 7, 2018, Judge Russell, taking into account her cooperation, sentenced Dolores Delgado, age 33, of San Antonio, Texas, to 204 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
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. The U.S. Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of its renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the FBI Baltimore, Army CID, and Anne Arundel County Police Department for their work in the investigation, and thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas and FBI San Antonio for their assistance. Mr. Hur also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys James G. Warwick and Kenneth S. Clark, who prosecuted the case.
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Member of U.S. Air Force Pleads Guilty to Abusive Sexual Contact with a ChildRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – Mitchell Oren Smith, age 28, an Airman in the U.S. Air Force, pleaded guilty today to abusive sexual contact with a child, which occurred while he resided at Joint Base Andrews in Prince George’s County, Maryland.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Adanto D'Amore, Air Force Office of Special Investigations, Joint Base Andrews.
According to his plea agreement, from at least July 22, 2017 and continuing for several months, Smith engaged in sexually explicit conduct with a child victim who was under 10 years of age. In the course of his abuse of the child, Smith also admitted that he photographed the abuse. Investigators recovered a digital photograph from Smith’s cellular phone documenting his abuse of the victim. All of these events occurred while Smith resided at Joint Base Andrews.
As part of his plea agreement, Smith will be required to register as a sex offender in the places where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).
Smith and the government have agreed that if the Court accepts the plea agreement Smith will be sentenced to between 240 and 448 months in prison. U.S. District Judge Paul W. Grimm has scheduled sentencing for February 15, 2019, at 2:00 p.m.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc and click on the "Resources" tab on the left of the page.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the FBI and the Air Force Office of Special Investigations for their work in the investigation. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph R. Baldwin and Jennifer R. Sykes, who are prosecuting the federal case.
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Member of the Violent “Murdaland Mafia Piru” Bloods Gang Sentenced to 30 Years in Federal Prison for Racketeering and Drug ConspiraciesRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland - U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake sentenced Dontray Johnson, a/k/a “Gambino,” “Bino,” and “Tray,” age 33, of Baltimore, Maryland, on November 27, 2018, to 30 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for racketeering and drug conspiracies related to his participation in the gang activities of the Murdaland Mafia Piru (MMP), a subset of the Bloods gang. As part of his gang activities, Johnson admitted committing two murders, and to conspiring to distribute controlled substances.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Rob Cekada of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; Interim Commissioner Gary Tuggle of the Baltimore Police Department; Chief Terrence B. Sheridan of the Baltimore County Police Department; Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby; and Baltimore County State’s Attorney Scott Shellenberger.
“Federal authorities worked with the Baltimore City and Baltimore County Police Departments and State’s Attorney’s Offices to dismantle a criminal organization that dealt drugs and despair in Northwest Baltimore and Baltimore County,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur. “This sentence demonstrates that we are committed to removing from our communities the violent gang members that terrorize them.”
“Dontray Johnson supported The Murdaland Mafia Piru gang through murder, acts of violence, and by pushing drugs onto the streets of Baltimore,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Cekada. “He and this gang willfully wreaked havoc on the community and have irreparably damaged the families of their victims. We are glad to see justice served today.
According to Johnson’s plea agreement and court documents, MMP, also known as the “Mob” or “Mobsters,” is a violent subset of the Bloods gang that operates in Maryland and elsewhere. MMP was modeled after the Italian Mafia, and was organized hierarchically, with “the Don” at the top and various “Bosses,” “Underbosses,” “Capos,” “Lieutenants,” and “Mobsters” underneath. For many years, MMP has controlled the drug trade in large swaths of Northwest Baltimore City and neighboring Baltimore County, including Forest Park, Windsor Mill, Gwynn Oak, Howard Park, Woodlawn, and Walbrook Junction. The gang’s drug shop in the 5200 block of Windsor Mill Road was particularly lucrative due to its close proximity to Interstate 70, and it frequently attracted drug customers driving from Western Maryland and neighboring states. MMP’s members enriched themselves through drug trafficking and other criminal activities, and using violence and threats of violence to intimidate or retaliate against witnesses, protect the gang’s territories, enforce debts, and eliminate rivals.
Johnson admits that he was a member of MMP and participated in the gang’s affairs through a pattern of racketeering activities, including murder, extortion, robbery, witness tampering and retaliation, money laundering, and drug distribution.
Specifically, Johnson admits that on November 22, 2012, he murdered MMP member Antoine Ellis, a/k/a Poopy, in the 200 block of North Forest Park Avenue, because he had shown disloyalty to MMP. Earlier that day, Johnson had posted a comment to his Facebook account saying “198 n risen,” a reference to that year’s murder tally in Baltimore City. On September 29, 2015, Johnson murdered MMP member Brian Johnson, a/k/a Nutty B, because he refused to pay gang dues that Johnson was collecting for an MMP member.
As detailed in his plea agreement, on November 1, 2013, Johnson was featured in two rap videos that were posted to a social media website. The first video, “Boy You Lying,” was posted to enhance the gang’s status, intimidate rivals, and discourage anyone from selling drugs in MMP territory without paying its members. The second video, “Str8 Mobbin,” was posted to assert the gang’s dominance over its drug territories. It features Johnson with other MMP members, as well as footage of various MMP drug locations. Johnson brandishes a firearm in the video.
On July 31, 2015, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Johnson’s residence in Owings Mills and recovered 28 grams of heroin, 70 rounds of .22-caliber ammunition, a bulletproof vest, $1,480 in cash, and an “owe sheet” with a tally of drug debts owed by MMP members and associates.
Finally, Johnson admits that he conspired with other MMP members to distribute at least one kilogram of heroin and 280 grams of crack cocaine, and that he knew that during the conspiracy between one and three kilograms of heroin and between 280 and 840 grams of crack cocaine would be distributed.
In addition to Johnson, eighteen of twenty-six defendants have pleaded guilty in the case. Trial is scheduled for the remaining members on March 18, 2019.
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. The U.S. Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of its renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur praised the ATF, the Baltimore City and Baltimore County Police Departments, and the Baltimore City and Baltimore County State’s Attorney’s Offices for their work in the investigation and prosecution. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Christina Hoffman and Lauren E. Perry, who are prosecuting the case.
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Three Armed Bank Robbers Sentenced to at Least Seven Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow sentenced bank robbers Donald Marcel Rivers, Jr., age 30; Ashley Nicole Collier, age 31; and Timothy Mclain, age 29; all of Hagerstown, Maryland, to 14 years, 90 months, and 84 months and one day in prison, respectively, each followed by five years, five years, and three years of supervised release, for armed bank robbery and related firearms charges. Collier and Mclain were sentenced today and Rivers was sentenced on November 19, 2018.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office, Chief Paul J. Kifer of the Hagerstown Police Department; and Washington County Sheriff Douglas W. Mullendore.
According to their plea agreements, Rivers and his girlfriend, Collier, planned to rob a bank and enlisted Collier’s brother, Mclain. Specifically, on January 9, 2018, the conspirators robbed a bank located in the 1300 block of Salem Avenue in Hagerstown. The three arrived at the bank in a gray Jeep Cherokee. Rivers and Mclain, both wearing black face masks, entered the bank while Collier remained in the Jeep as the getaway driver. Rivers was armed with a loaded 9mm handgun, which he pointed at bank employees and customers inside the bank. Both men yelled and demanded “hundreds and fifties” from the tellers. Mclain held a duffle bag for the tellers to put the cash in, while Rivers approached several bank employees and a customer and pointed the firearm at them. After the tellers put the cash in Mclain’s duffle bag, the two men ran from the bank and jumped into the back seat of the Jeep while Collier sped away. The robbers stole approximately $6,567 from the bank.
Approximately 20 minutes later, police saw the gray Jeep near the road that runs along the Maryland and Pennsylvania state line. As the police attempted to stop the Jeep, the passenger side door swung open while the Jeep was in motion. As the Jeep came to a stop, Rivers jumped out and fled into a nearby cornfield, while the Jeep sped away. Police caught Rivers, who had $2,860.00 in his pocket.
A short time later, police saw the Jeep again parked in a nearby church parking lot. About 100 yards away, police saw Mclain and Collier walking on the road and arrested both of them. Mclain had $2,660.00 and a black face mask in his pocket. Collier had a 9mm handgun loaded with nine live 9mm rounds of ammunition and $1,070 in her purse. The 9mm handgun was the same handgun used in the bank robbery, and had previously been reported stolen from the owner in West Virginia.
A search warrant was authorized for the gray Jeep, which was registered to Rivers’ mother. Inside the Jeep, police located clothing worn by the robbers during the robbery, a black ski mask worn by Rivers during the robbery, a black duffle bag, and plastic cards belonging to Rivers and Collier, including a shooting range badge with Rivers’ name and photograph printed on the front of the card.
According to witnesses and records from the shooting range, on November 6, 2017, Rivers was in possession of firearms and ammunition at the shooting range. Rivers had a previous felony conviction and was therefore prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.
Donald Rivers’ mother, Dianne Rivers, pled guilty to felony obstruction of justice after she destroyed a phone her son used after the robbery. The grand jury had subpoenaed the phone during the robbery investigation. On November 9, 2018, Judge Chasanow sentenced Dianne Rivers to 3 months in prison.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur praised the FBI – Frederick, the Hagerstown Police Department, and the Washington County’s Sheriff’s Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christine Duey and Sandra Wilkinson, who prosecuted the case.
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Rockville Man Who Posed as a Modeling Agent to Obtain Sexually Explicit Images of Minor Female Victims Pleads Guilty to Federal Child Pornography ChargesRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – Stephen McGrath, age 44, of Rockville, Maryland, pleaded guilty on November 20, 2018, to federal charges of coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity in order to produce child pornography, and possession of child pornography.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Acting Special Agent in Charge Cardell T. Morant of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); and Colonel William M. Pallozzi, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police.
According to McGrath’s plea agreement, between June 16 and October 9, 2017, McGrath used Internet-based chat applications “MeetMe” and “KIK” to communicate with six minor female victims, ranging in age from 12 to 16 years old. In his communications with the victims, McGrath, posing as a female modeling agent, confirmed the ages of the victims and requested photographs, including nude and sexually explicit images, which the victims then sent to McGrath as part of their “modeling evaluation.” McGrath also admitted that he distributed sexually explicit images of Victim 6, a 14-year-old girl, to two of her male friends, whose account information he had requested from Victim 6.
Subscriber information for the accounts used to communicate with Victim 1 showed that the user connected to each account through the same IP address, which was assigned to McGrath in Rockville. Law enforcement agents executed a federal search warrant at McGrath’s residence on October 13, 2017, and seized his cellular phone. The phone had an application for password-protected digital storage. McGrath supplied the password, which revealed folders within the application labeled with female names and containing pictures and videos constituting more than 600 images of child pornography, including images of the victims described above. The KIK application was also found on the phone as well as numerous chat conversations with minor females.
As a result of his guilty plea, McGrath will be required to register as a sex offender in the places where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).
McGrath faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life in prison for enticement of a minor in order to produce child pornography; and a maximum of 10 years in prison for possession of child pornography. U.S. District Judge Paul W. Grimm has scheduled sentencing for March 29, 2019, at 1:00 p.m.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc and click on the "Resources" tab on the left of the page.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended HSI-Baltimore and the Maryland State Police for their work in the investigation and thanked the Montgomery County Police Department for its assistance. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph R. Baldwin, who is prosecuting the federal case.
Former U.S. Postal Service Letter Carrier Sentenced to Four Years in Federal Prison for A Drug ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel sentenced former U.S. Postal Service (USPS) letter carrier James Thomas Woodland, age 49, of Temple Hills, Maryland, to four years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine. The sentence was imposed on November 19, 2018.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Postal Inspector in Charge Peter R. Rendina of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) - Washington Division; Special Agent in Charge Paul L. Bowman of the U.S. Postal Service, Office of Inspector General; and Chief J. Thomas Manger of the Montgomery County Police Department.
According to his plea agreement, from at least September 2016 through April 25, 2017, Woodland delivered drug-laden parcels coming from Nevada and California through the U.S. Mail, to his co-conspirators. On April 21, 2017, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service identified several USPS Priority Mail parcels which were suspected to contain illegal narcotics. On April 24, 2017, after a drug-detection canine positively alerted to the parcels, Inspectors obtained a warrant to search them.
Five of the parcels were addressed to five separate locations in Bethesda, Maryland, that were on the postal route assigned to Woodland. None of the names listed on the parcels were associated with the addresses on the parcels. Upon execution of the search warrant, Inspectors discovered that each of the parcels contained approximately one kilogram of cocaine. Each parcel was packaged the same, including a light-blue wax covering with a candle wick and the word “King’s” or the shape of a shamrock stamped into the vacuum-sealed cocaine brick. The estimated street value of the cocaine was $187,600.
As detailed in Woodland’s plea agreement, postal records confirm that the drug parcels Woodland intercepted often had the same or similar characteristics as the parcels that were interdicted on April 21, 2017. To alert Woodland that parcels were being sent, Woodland’s co-conspirators typically sent Woodland a text message containing (in whole or part) the address on Woodland’s route and/or a fictional name (i.e., a name not associated with the address on Woodland’s route). Woodland admitted that when the parcel(s) arrived at the Bethesda Post Office for delivery, he retrieved the parcel(s), notified his co-conspirators by call or text message that he had the parcel(s), marked the parcel(s) as “delivered” using his USPS scanner, and then redirected the parcel(s) to his co-conspirators.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur praised the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Postal Service, Office of Inspector General, and the Montgomery County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ray D. McKenzie and Timothy F. Hagan, who prosecuted the case.
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MS-13 Member Sentenced to 90 Months in Prison for Racketeeting Related ChargesRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis sentenced Jeffrey Rodriguez, aka Jefry Francisco Portillo Corvera, or “Hyper,” 22, a citizen of El Salvador illegally residing in Hyattsville, Maryland, today to 90 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for his participation in the racketeering enterprise known as La Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13.
The sentencing was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur, Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski for the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting Special Agent in Charge Scott Hoernke of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Washington Field Division, Acting Special Agent in Charge Cardell T. Morant of the U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore Field Office, Chief J. Thomas Manger of the Montgomery County Police Department, Chief Henry P. Stawinski III of the Prince George’s County Police Department, Interim Chief Amal Awad of the Hyattsville Police Department, Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Angela D. Alsobrooks, and Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy.
According to the plea agreement, MS-13 is a gang composed primarily of immigrants or descendants of immigrants from El Salvador, with members operating in the State of Maryland, including Montgomery County, Prince George’s County, and Frederick County, and throughout the United States. Branches or “cliques” of MS-13 often work together cooperatively to engage in criminal activity and to assist one another in avoiding detection by law enforcement. MS-13 members and associates are required to commit acts of violence within the gang and against rival gangs. One of the principal rules of MS-13 is that its members must attack and kill rivals, known as “chavalas,” whenever possible.
As detailed in his plea agreement, Rodriguez admitted that from about August 2016, he was a member and associate of the Sailors clique of MS-13. Rodriguez admitted that on August 9, 2016, he and other MS-13 members and associates planned and conspired to rob two individuals of a pound of marijuana, the sale of which would be used to benefit the Sailors clique.
Specifically, Rodriguez admitted that on August 9, 2016, Rodriguez and an MS-13 co-conspirator entered a vehicle occupied by the two victims under the guise that they were going to purchase a pound of marijuana from the victims. Rodriguez and his co-conspirator were armed with a firearm and a knife. Upon attempting to rob the victims, and displaying the firearm, Rodriguez and his co-conspirator became engaged in a violent struggle with the victims, who sustained serious injuries, including gunshot and stab wounds. Rodriguez and his co-conspirator also sustained gunshot wounds. After being shot, Rodriguez and his co-conspirator ran from the victims’ vehicle, got into another vehicle in which another MS-13 member was waiting and drove to a local hospital, where Rodriguez was admitted for treatment.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur and Assistant Attorney General Brian Benczkowski praised HSI Baltimore, FBI Washington Field Office, DEA Washington Field Office, the Prince George’s County Police Department, the Montgomery County Police Department, the Hyattsville Police Department, the Prince George’s State’s Attorney’s Office, and the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Hur and Mr. Benczkowski thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys William D. Moomau, Catherine K. Dick, and Daniel C. Gardner, and Trial Attorney Francesca Liquori of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section, who are prosecuting this case.
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MS-13 Gang Member Sentenced to 90 Months in Federal Prison for Gang-Related CrimesRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis sentenced Jeffrey Rodriguez, a/k/a Jefry Francisco Portillo Corvera, or “Hyper,” age 22, a citizen of El Salvador residing in Hyattsville, Maryland, today to 90 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for his participation in the racketeering enterprise known as La Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13. Rodriguez is expected to be deported following completion of his federal prison sentence.
The sentencing was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur, Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski for the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting Special Agent in Charge Scott Hoernke of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Washington Field Division, Acting Special Agent in Charge Cardell T. Morant of the U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore Field Office, Chief J. Thomas Manger of the Montgomery County Police Department, Chief Henry P. Stawinski III of the Prince George’s County Police Department, Interim Chief Amal Awad of the City of Hyattsville Police Department, Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Angela D. Alsobrooks, and Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy.
According to the plea agreement, MS-13 is a gang composed primarily of immigrants or descendants of immigrants from El Salvador, with members operating in the State of Maryland, including Montgomery County, Prince George’s County, and Frederick County, and throughout the United States. Branches or “cliques” of MS-13 often work together cooperatively to engage in criminal activity and to assist one another in avoiding detection by law enforcement. MS-13 members and associates are required to commit acts of violence within the gang and against rival gangs. One of the principal rules of MS-13 is that its members must attack and kill rivals, known as “chavalas,” whenever possible.
As detailed in his plea agreement, Rodriguez admitted that from about August 2016, he was a member and associate of the Sailors clique of MS-13. Rodriguez admitted that on August 9, 2016, he and other MS-13 members and associates planned and conspired to rob two individuals of a pound of marijuana, the sale of which would be used to benefit the Sailors clique.
Specifically, Rodriguez admitted that on August 9, 2016, Rodriguez and an MS-13 co-conspirator entered a vehicle occupied by the two victims under the guise that they were going to purchase a pound of marijuana from the victims. Rodriguez and his co-conspirator were armed with a firearm and a knife. Upon attempting to rob the victims, and displaying the firearm, Rodriguez and his co-conspirator became engaged in a violent struggle with the victims, who sustained serious injuries, including gunshot and stab wounds. Rodriguez and his co-conspirator also sustained gunshot wounds. After being shot, Rodriguez and his co-conspirator ran from the victims’ vehicle, got into another vehicle in which another MS-13 member was waiting and drove to a local hospital, where Rodriguez was admitted for treatment.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur and Assistant Attorney General Brian Benczkowski praised HSI Baltimore, FBI Washington Field Office, DEA Washington Field Office, the Prince George’s County Police Department, the Montgomery County Police Department, the City of Hyattsville Police Department, the Prince George’s State’s Attorney’s Office, and the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Hur and Mr. Benczkowski thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys William D. Moomau, Catherine K. Dick, and Daniel C. Gardner, and Trial Attorney Francesca Liquori of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section, who are prosecuting this case.
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Two Men Plead Guilty to Defrauding the United States Regarding the Immigration, Visa, and Employment LawsRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Asher Sharvit, age 29, formerly of New York, New York, and Oren Sharvit, age 28, formerly of Dover, Delaware, pleaded guilty yesterday to recruiting and hiring aliens for their Maryland business for purposes of profit. U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow sentenced Asher Sharvit to 36 months and Oren Sharvit to 18 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for the offense.
Rona Zhfani, who was indicted with them, has pleaded not guilty.
The guilty pleas were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Edwin Guard of U.S. Department of State’s (DOS) Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), Washington Field Office; Acting Special Agent in Charge Cardell T. Morant of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; and Special Agent in Charge Robin Blake of Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG), Washington, D.C. Regional Office.
According to the defendants’ plea agreements, Asher Sharvit, Oren Sharvit, and Rona Zhfani operated multiple businesses in Maryland and elsewhere, including Unlimited Treasures. Inc. Unlimited 13 Corp., Deja Vu Cosmetics, and BH Distribution Group LLC (collectively ''Unlimited''). Deja Vu sold wholesale cosmetics with an emphasis on products originating from the Dead Sea region of Israel. Unlimited purchased product for resale from Deja Vu. The Defendants' Companies often used the trade names Deja Vu and BioXage when opening stores and selling products.
They knowingly agreed to recruit, hire, employ, house, and transport aliens who did not have lawful authority to work in the United States.
The defendants understood that the United States required foreign citizens desiring to work in the United States to obtain specific authorization and provide truthful information in support of their requests. Nevertheless, they intentionally hired aliens lacking lawful authority and assisted some of them in obtaining visitor visas and visitor visa extensions.
Pursuant to their plea agreements, the defendants admitted that the conspiracy lasted from approximately 2008 to 2017, and was motivated by commercial gain, i.e. maximizing the revenue and profit of Unlimited. The co-conspirators recruited aliens overseas to travel to the United States on visitor visas to work, caused the employees to work in the United States without lawful authority, and encouraged and assisted some of the aliens in making materially false statements in visa applications, visa extensions and other documents required by the immigration laws. The co-conspirators paid the aliens on a commission basis, with no deductions for taxes, social security and other required employee deductions.
The defendants admitted that the conspiracy involved the unlawful employment of more than 100 aliens who lacked the authority to work in the United States and involved the transportation or harboring of a minor. Asher Sharvit further admitted that he obstructed justice in February 2017 by participating in the destruction of Unlimited documents. In an effort to destroy evidence of the conspiracy, Asher Sharvit sent messages with another Unlimited employee and co-conspirator, resulting in the destruction of more than 25 boxes of materials at a commercial shredding location.
The court has set a trial date for Rona Zhfani in March 2019.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the DSS, HSI, and DOL-OIG for their work in the investigation. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Harry Gruber, and Michael Cunningham, who are prosecuting the federal case.
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Former COO of Montgomery County Department of Economic Development Pleads Guilty to Federal Wire Fraud and Tax Charges for Embezzling More Than $6.7 Million in County FundsRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – Byung Il Bang, a/k/a Peter Bang, age 59, of Germantown, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to wire fraud and making false statements on his tax returns, in connection with a scheme in which he embezzled more than $6.7 million from the Montgomery County government and failed to report the money as income on his tax returns.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Kelly R. Jackson of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, Washington, D.C. Field Office; and Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy.
According to his plea agreement, from 2010 through July 2016, Bang was the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Department of Economic Development for Montgomery County, Maryland (MC-DED). In 2016, the MC-DED was privatized and Bang’s position was moved to the Montgomery County Department of Finance, where he was employed until May 2017.
The MC-DED established business incubator and/or innovation centers throughout the County with different areas of focus, such as computer technology, biological technology, and small minority - and women-owned businesses, to help small businesses by giving them below-market rent, placing them in an environment with other small businesses, and providing education on how to run a business. As MC-DED COO, Bang oversaw budgets for these incubators and was authorized to request disbursement of County funds to the incubators. Bang’s position also enabled him to authorize and direct the disbursement of money from County partners, including the Maryland Economic Development Corporation (MEDCO), and the Maryland Conference & Visitors Bureau, without any significant oversight or approval.
In 2010, Montgomery County and the Chungcheongbuk-Do province of South Korea entered into an agreement to develop an incubator fund. On July 20, 2010, Bang caused a company called Chungbuk Incubator Fund LLC to be incorporated in the State of Maryland and opened four bank accounts in the name of the company, listing his home address as the address of the LLC. Bang used this entity and the bank accounts to facilitate his fraud.
Bang admitted that between 2010 and 2016, he fraudulently authorized the disbursement of $6,705,669.37 from the Montgomery County government to the bank accounts of the fraudulent entities that Bang created and controlled. Specifically, between 2010 and 2016, Bang caused the Montgomery County Department of Finance to issue checks and direct deposits totaling $5,447,964; caused MEDCO to send a total of $1,213,987.63 to bank accounts controlled by Bang; and caused the Maryland Conference & Visitors Bureau to send a total of $43,717.74 to the Chungbuk LLC accounts. Bang did not report the money he embezzled as income on his individual tax returns. His failure to report those funds as income resulted in $2,335,913 in taxes due and owing to the IRS.
Bang also admitted that he lied on his County financial disclosure statements for the years 2012 through 2016, by failing to disclose his interest in the Chungbuk entities, including: property holdings; his relationship with an income source; and the type and amount of income he received.
As part of his plea agreement, Bang is required to pay restitution in the full amount of the victims’ losses, and to plead guilty in the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, to the state charges of theft scheme over $100,000, and misconduct in office.
Bang faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for wire fraud, and three years in prison for making false statements on his tax returns. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis has scheduled sentencing for February 22, 2019 at 1:00 p.m.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the IRS-CI and the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas M. Sullivan and Erin B. Pulice who are prosecuting the case.
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Chevy Chase Man Who Secretly Videotaped Children in His Home Pleads Guilty to Federal Charges of Production and Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – Jonathan Mark Oldale, age 55, of Chevy Chase, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to federal charges of production and possession of child pornography, arising from Oldale secretly filming children using hidden cameras in the bathrooms of his home.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Chief J. Thomas Manger of the Montgomery County Police Department; and Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy.
According to Oldale’s plea agreement, on May 5, 2017, the Montgomery County Police Department received a complaint from an employee at a children’s gymnastics facility that Oldale had placed a backpack containing a camera disguised to look like an automobile key fob in a bathroom at the facility. The employee also told officers about a prior incident in which Oldale had left a backpack in the same bathroom. A search of Oldale’s residence on May 9, 2017, recovered electronic media, including three laptop computers. A subsequent forensic review of the computers revealed that two of the computers had installations of browsers used to access the “dark web,” and some of the files accessed had titles consistent with child pornography. The dark web is the part of the World Wide Web that requires specific software, configurations or authorization to access, allowing users and website operators to remain anonymous. One of the laptops had previously connected to a dark web site used to exchange child pornography. The third computer contained image and video files of children with exposed genitalia, including in public bathrooms.
On July 5, 2017, Montgomery County Police officers executed a second search warrant at Oldale’s residence and seized a cell phone, three “spy cameras,” six MicroSD cards (small memory cards used in cameras and phones to store information), and six USB drives. All of the removable media, except one MicroSD card, contained videos created using surreptitious “spy” camera that had been placed by Oldale in bathrooms in his residence.
Videos recorded in the bathrooms show that the cameras were placed at waist height or lower, for example under the sink and in a basket in the shower, and that multiple cameras were placed in a bathroom. The videos show that Oldale would enter the bathroom to adjust the cameras just before children entered the bathrooms and just after the children left. Between May and July 2017, Oldale recorded more than 1,000 videos using the hidden cameras in his bathrooms. The videos depict minor children changing into and out of bathing suits, taking showers, and using the toilet.
Children were invited to “splash parties” at Oldale’s residence in June and July 2017, including by e-mailed invitations sent to their parents. Children would become covered with grass while playing on an inflatable structure in the back yard. Oldale encouraged the children to change clothes or take showers before they went home. Of the approximately 84 children who appear in the videos taken in the bathroom, approximately 60 are depicted nude at some point in the videos.
Forensic analysis of the USB drives revealed that Oldale stored videos in a nested file folder structure. Subfolders were named for the month and within those folders were additional subfolders with event names, like party or camp. On two of the USB drives there were subfolder that included lists of children’s names followed by a description of the swimsuit worn by the child. In all, there were nine subfolders with names indicative of events and containing videos of children in the bathrooms at Oldale’s residence.
As part of his plea agreement, Oldale must register as a sex offender in the place where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). In addition, Oldale has agreed to the entry of a $400,000 money judgment in lieu of forfeiture of Oldale’s interest in his residence, which Oldale used to facilitate his crimes.
Oldale and the government have agreed that if the Court accepts the plea agreement Oldale will be sentenced to between 15 and 25 years in prison. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis has scheduled sentencing for April 1, 2019 at 10 a.m.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc and click on the "Resources" tab on the left of the page.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the FBI, the Montgomery County Police Department, and the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph R. Baldwin and Timothy F. Hagan, Jr., who are prosecuting the federal case.
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Career Offender Sentenced to 14 Years in Federal Prison on Federal Drug Trafficking ChargesRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake sentenced Tony Washington, age 33, of Baltimore, today to 14 years in prison, followed by eight years of supervised release, for combining, conspiring, confederating, and agreeing to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin.
In July 2018, Washington was convicted on the sole charge of possession with intent to distribute heroin after a two-week trial.
Between July 2015 and April 2016, the defendant, and co-defendants, Jamal Carter, DeAndre Smith, Dymir Rhodes, and others managed a drug trafficking operation in and around an apartment complex in Baltimore known as “Pedestal Gardens.” Washington acted as a distributor for the organization and routinely distributed “packs” of heroin to customers. Typically, each “pack” contained approximately 50 gel capsules of the drug, or approximately 5 grams. Washington was one of thirteen defendants indicted in the case. Twelve of the defendants, including DeAndre Smith, pled guilty prior to trial.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Interim Commissioner Gary Tuggle of the Baltimore Police Department; Anne Arundel County Police Chief Tim Altomare; and Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby.
During the course of the investigation, law enforcement officers obtained authorization to intercept communications over Carter’s cellular telephone, in which Washington communicated with other members of the conspiracy to coordinate the distribution of drugs.
In addition to distributing heroin, Washington and other members of the conspiracy stored and possessed firearms. Pedestal Gardens is located in close proximity to Mashburn Elementary School. During surveillance of the drug shop, law enforcement officers observed school children walking to school past Pedestal Gardens where Washington and other members of the conspiracy distributed heroin.
During a pre-trial motion’s hearing, Washington testified under oath concerning his waiver of his Miranda rights. In sentencing Washington, the Court concluded that Washington testified falsely and considered those false statements in determining Washington’s sentence.
Co-Defendants:
Deandre Smith, age 28, of Baltimore, pleaded guilty to the drug conspiracy. Sentenced to 25 years in federal prison;
Garrion McCellan, age 30, pleaded guilty to the drug conspiracy and using a firearm to murder two individuals in furtherance of the conspiracy. Sentenced to 25 years in federal prison.
Jamal Carter, age 24, of Baltimore, previously pleaded guilty to the drug conspiracy. Sentenced to 11 years in federal prison;
Dymir Rhodes, age 32, of Baltimore, pleaded guilty to the drug conspiracy. Sentenced to 10 years in federal prison.
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.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the FBI, the Baltimore Police Department, the Anne Arundel County Police Department, and the Office of the State’s Attorney for Baltimore City, for their work in the investigation. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel C. Gardner and Christopher J. Romano who are prosecuted this case.
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Laurel Man Pleads Guilty to Committing Five Armed Robberies of Pharmacies in Howard, Anne Arundel, and Prince George’s CountiesRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Arthur Raymond Prince, age 19, of Laurel Maryland, pleaded guilty today to aiding and abetting robbery involving controlled substances, and aiding and abetting the brandishing of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, in connection with the armed robberies of five pharmacies.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Chief Henry P. Stawinski III of the Prince George’s County Police Department; Annapolis Police Chief Scott Baker; Anne Arundel County Police Chief Tim Altomare; Chief J. Thomas Manger of the Montgomery County Police Department; Chief Gary Gardner of the Howard County Police Department; and Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney Wes Adams.
According to Prince’s plea agreement, between May 5, and November 29, 2017, Prince participated in five armed robberies of pharmacies. In each robbery, Prince’s co-conspirator pointed a gun at the clerk and Prince and the co-conspirator demanded opioid narcotics such as Oxycodone, OxyContin, Percocet, and Codeine. In most of the robberies, Prince and the co-conspirator also stole money from the cash register and/or robbed the clerk.
Specifically, Prince admitted that he robbed: the Howard Pharmacy in Columbia, Maryland on May 5, 2017; the Lorven Pharmacy in Laurel Maryland on June 19, 2017; the Pasadena Pharmacy in Pasadena, Maryland on August 25, 2017; and the Annapolis Professional Pharmacy in Annapolis, Maryland on November 29, 2017. Prince also attempted to rob the Pace Wellness Pharmacy in Pasadena on August 25, 2017, but was not able to steal narcotics when the clerk didn’t know where the drug were located. Instead, Prince and his co-conspirator stole $180 from the cash register and robbed the clerk of her purse, which contained $50 and credit cards, among other things.
In each robbery, cell site records showed that Prince’s phone was in the immediate area of the pharmacy at the time of the robbery, and his fingerprints were found on a stolen vehicle used as a getaway car after the Pasadena robberies. In addition, law enforcement recovered photos and images of Prince handling weapons; photos of Prince, who is unemployed, holding large amounts of money; and text messages between Prince and his co-conspirator.
Prince was arrested after the robbery on November 29, 2017, in Odenton, Maryland, not far from where law enforcement located the stolen narcotics. After his arrest and while he was detained, Prince attempted to obstruct justice. After learning that his girlfriend was scheduled to testify before a federal grand jury, Prince coached her regarding her testimony, telling her in a recorded jail call, “you don’t know nothing, nobody, OK? Get that through your fxxxing skull. Get that through your melon, OK? Nada.”
Prince faces a maximum of 25 years in prison for aiding and abetting robbery involving controlled substances; and a mandatory minimum of seven years and up to life in prison for aiding and abetting the brandishing of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Chief U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar has scheduled sentencing for April 9, 2018 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. Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the FBI, the Prince George’s County Police Department, the Annapolis Police Department, the Anne Arundel County Police Department, the Montgomery County Police Department, the Howard County Police Department, and the Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul A. Riley and Brandon K. Moore, who are prosecuting the case.
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Baltimore TTG Member Sentenced to 25 Years in Federal Prison on Federal Racketeering and Drug Conspiracy Charges, Including Three Murders, an Attempted Murder, and Drug DistributionRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake sentenced Brandon Bazemore, a/k/a Man Man, age 25, of Baltimore, today to 25 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiring to participate in a violent racketeering enterprise known as Trained To Go (TTG), including committing three murders, an attempted murder, and drug trafficking, and for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin, marijuana, and cocaine.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Interim Commissioner Gary Tuggle of the Baltimore Police Department; Special Agent in Charge Rob Cekada of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; Assistant Special Agent in Charge Don A. Hibbert of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office; Anne Arundel County Police Chief Tim Altomare; and Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby.
“Brandon Bazemore was a member of one of the most violent gangs operating in Baltimore City,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur. “Today’s sentence removes an armed, violent criminal from our neighborhoods and brings him to justice in the federal system, which has no parole—ever.”
According to his plea agreement, since 2010, Bazemore has been a member of Trained To Go (TTG), a criminal organization which operated in the Sandtown neighborhood of West Baltimore. TTG members engaged in drug distribution and acts of violence including murder, armed robbery, and witness intimidation. Members and associates of TTG sold heroin, cocaine, and marijuana, and worked to defend their exclusive right to control who sold narcotics in TTG territory.
Specifically, Bazemore admitted that he routinely sold “packs” of heroin at the direction of TTG leaders. Typically, a “pack” contained between 25 and 50 capsules of heroin, or approximately 2.5 to 5 grams of heroin. Bazemore also admitted that he participated in a murder on behalf of TTG or at the direction of TTG’s leadership. In July 2015, a member of another gang solicited members of TTG to murder LR, a member of the Black Guerilla Family gang, in exchange for $10,000. On July 7, 2015, Bazemore and other TTG members retrieved gloves, masks, and firearms and traveled by van to the 900 block of West Fayette Street where LR was located. Bazemore and the TTG members exited the van and fired dozens of rounds at LR, then returned to the van and fled. When police arrived, they discovered LR and two other victims, JP and GT, all suffering from gunshot wounds. LR was pronounced dead at the scene. JP and GT were transported to Shock Trauma, where they were also pronounced dead. Officers recovered 23 9mm casings, 29 .40-caliber casings, and one .45-caliber casing from the crime scene. A fourth victim was also shot, but survived.
Eight of Bazemore’s TTG co-defendants, including Montana Barronette, were recently convicted after a 24-day trial. All face a maximum sentence of life in prison for racketeering and drug conspiracies. Co-defendants Hisaun Chatman, age 31, and James Woodfolk, age 20, both of Baltimore, previously pleaded guilty to the drug conspiracy and were each sentenced to five years in prison, to be served concurrent to the state sentence each is currently serving.
Co-defendant Roger Taylor, of Baltimore, is still a fugitive, and the charges against him are pending. Anyone who may have information on the whereabouts of Roger Taylor is asked to contact the FBI-Baltimore Field office at (410) 265-8080.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI Baltimore Safe Streets Violent Gang Task Force, which includes FBI special agents and task force officers from the Baltimore, Baltimore County, and Anne Arundel County Police Departments. FBI Baltimore Safe Streets Violent Gang Task Force is responsible for identifying and targeting the most violent gangs in the Baltimore metropolitan area, to address gang violence and the associated homicides in Baltimore. The vision of the program is to use federal racketeering statutes to disrupt and dismantle significant violent criminal threats and criminal enterprises affecting the safety and well-being of our citizens and our communities.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. PSN was reinvigorated in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the FBI, the Baltimore Police Department, the ATF, the DEA, the Anne Arundel County Police Department, and the Office of the State’s Attorney for Baltimore City, for their work in the investigation. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel C. Gardner and Christopher J. Romano, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney John C. Hanley of the Justice Department’s Organized Crime and Gang Section, who are prosecuting this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force case.
The Last of 16 Corrupt Correctional Officers Convicted of Federal Racketeering Conspiracy at Maryland’s Eastern Correctional Institution is Sentenced to Six Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Chief U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar sentenced former correctional officer Jessica Vennie, age 28, of Crowley, Texas, today to six years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, after she was convicted at trial for racketeering at the Eastern Correctional Institution (ECI) in Westover, Maryland, as well as her role in drug and money laundering conspiracies. The scheme involved paying bribes to correctional officers to smuggle contraband, including narcotics, tobacco, and cell phones, into the prison.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Secretary Stephen T. Moyer of the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS).
“Corrupt correctional officers rip off the taxpayers, endanger their colleagues and inmates, and undermine citizens’ faith in the justice system,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur. “The sentence imposed today confirms that, working with our state and federal partners, we will root out corruption and bring those responsible to justice.”
According to the information presented at the nine-day trial, Vennie was a correctional officer at ECI, the largest state prison in Maryland, operating since 1987, in Somerset County, on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. ECI is a medium-security prison for men built as two identical compounds (East and West) on 620 acres, and housing more than 3,300 inmates. Vennie was assigned to the East Compound.
The evidence at trial showed that from about 2015, until October 5, 2016, Vennie and other correctional officers (COs) smuggled contraband into ECI, including narcotics, cell phones, pornographic DVDs, and tobacco. Vennie used her sister and others to help her execute the scheme, including packaging contraband for smuggling in feminine hygiene products, and maintaining a Pay Pal account to receive bribe payments. Vennie used a cellular phone to communicate with inmates about what they wanted to have smuggled in and to arrange meetings with the inmates’ facilitators to receive contraband and payment for smuggling it into ECI. Law enforcement intercepted text messages between Vennie and inmates and facilitators where Vennie stated what contraband she would smuggle in, how the contraband should be packaged, the amount of the bribe she demanded in return, and when she would meet with facilitators. The “going rate” for a CO to smuggle contraband into ECI was $500 per package, although some COs charged more and others less. Inmates were able to use contraband cell phones to pay COs directly using PayPal from within ECI.
The evidence showed that Vennie smuggled narcotics into ECI, including Suboxone and synthetic cannabinoids (otherwise known as “K2”), which was distributed by inmates. Once Vennie and the other COs had the smuggled contraband inside the facility, they delivered it to: inmates in their cells; clerks’ offices, which were private offices within each housing unit where an inmate clerk worked; the officers’ dining room where officers could interact with inmate servers and kitchen workers; and pre-arranged “stash” locations like staff bathrooms, storage closets, laundry rooms, and other places where contraband could be hidden and then later retrieved by inmates. An inmate testified at trial that Vennie would leave packages of contraband for him in the bathroom of the Officer’s Dining Room, or ODR.
According to trial testimony, another inmate told Vennie that a package she brought in “wasn’t right,” meaning that it did not contain the quantity or quality of contraband that they had agreed upon. The witnesses testified that Vennie told the inmate that he had to “deal with it on his end.” Ultimately, the inmate who had picked up the package from the ODR bathroom was violently assaulted, at the direction of the inmate for whom Vennie had smuggled in the contraband.
As a result of this prosecution, 77 of the 80 defendants were convicted, including 16 of the 18 correctional officers charged. All the defendants who have been sentenced to date have been ordered to serve a term of imprisonment, ranging from a year and a day in prison to 72 months in prison.
The United States Attorney expressed appreciation to Secretary Moyer, whose staff initiated the ECI investigation and who has made the full resources of the DPSCS available to assist in the three-year investigation.
United States Attorney Hur commended the FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, the Baltimore Police Department, and the Maryland State Police for their work in the investigation. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Leo J. Wise, Robert R. Harding, and Daniel C. Gardner, who prosecuted this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force case.
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MS-13 Member Sentenced to 68 Months in Federal Prison for Conspiring to Rob Two Taxi Cab DriversRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel sentenced El Salvadoran national Kevin Fernandez-Serrano, age 23, of Langley Park, Maryland, to 68 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for leading a conspiracy to rob taxi cab drivers. At his sentencing hearing on November 8, 2018, Fernandez-Serrano admitted that he is a member of the MS-13 gang.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Acting Special Agent in Charge Cardell T. Morant of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Chief J. Thomas Manger of the Montgomery County Police Department; and Chief Henry P. Stawinski III of the Prince George’s County Police Department.
According to his plea agreement, Fernandez-Serrano and his co-conspirators planned to, and did rob, drivers for taxi dispatch services operating in Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties. Fernandez-Serrano directed the co-conspirators to commit the robberies; he provided weapons, including knives and a gun, for use during the robberies; he acted as the getaway driver after the robberies; and he collected and distributed proceeds from the robberies, including using the proceeds to benefit MS-13.
Specifically, on February 10, 2017, Fernandez-Serrano drove three co-conspirators to a donut shop in Wheaton, Maryland, for the purpose of robbing a taxi cab driver. Fernandez-Serrano provided the co-conspirators with knives to use during the robbery. One of the co-conspirators called a company to request a taxi. The taxi arrived a short time later and the three co-conspirators got into the vehicle and directed the driver to a dead-end street near a park, where they robbed the driver, pressing the knives to the victim’s stomach and neck. The conspirators stole $350 in cash, the victim’s cellular phone, gold chain, watch, and credit card. The conspirators fled through the park, then entered the getaway car driven by Fernandez-Serrano. Fernandez-Serrano collected the cash and stolen items, kept some for himself, and distributed items, including the victim’s phone and watch, to his co-conspirators. Fernandez-Serrano and the co-conspirators used the victim’s credit card to make a purchase at a convenience store in Silver Spring, Maryland.
On February 17, 2017, Fernandez-Serrano drove two co-conspirators in a stolen vehicle to a dead-end street in Hyattsville, where he called a different company to request a cab. When the cab driver arrived, Fernandez-Serrano pulled his car into the road, blocking the taxi driver from leaving, and the co-conspirators approached and entered the taxi. One held a gun to the victim’s head and the other held a knife to the victim’s ribs, demanding that the victim give them everything he had. The co-conspirators stole $75 in cash, the victim’s cellular phone, and other personal items. The co-conspirators demanded the passcode for the phone and threatened to shoot the victim if the driver lied about the passcode. The co-conspirators got out of the car, threw the car keys to the side of the road, entered the stolen vehicle being driven by Fernandez-Serrano, and they all drove away.
Fernandez-Serrano was later arrested. He fled when officers attempted to apprehend him, dropping two cellular phones, including the one he used to call the taxi company on February 17th.
Co-defendants Frank Anthony Diaz-Navarro, age 22, and Carlos Alfredo Garay-Ramirez, age 19, both of Silver Spring, Maryland, and Jose Ernesto Saravia-Cubias, age 24, of Greenbelt, Maryland, previously pleaded guilty to their roles in the robbery conspiracy. Diaz-Navarro was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison. Saravia-Cubias and Garay-Ramirez are scheduled to be sentencing on November 15 and November 16, 2018, respectively. The defendants are all El Salvadoran nationals and are expected to be deported after serving their federal sentences.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. PSN was reinvigorated in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended HSI, and the Montgomery and Prince George’s County Police Departments for their work in the investigation. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy F. Hagan, Jr., who is prosecuting the case.
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MS-13 Member Pleads Guilty to Federal Charge of Conspiring to Participate in A Violent Racketeering EnterpriseRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – Kevin Alexis Hernandez-Guevara, aka “Stop,” age 22, a citizen of El Salvador illegally residing in Elizabethtown, New Jersey, pleaded guilty today to a federal charge relating to his participation in a racketeering enterprise in furtherance of the activities of the gang known as La Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski for the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Acting Special Agent in Charge Scott Hoernke of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Washington Field Division; Acting Special Agent in Charge Cardell T. Morant of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore Field Office; Chief J. Thomas Manger of the Montgomery County Police Department; Chief Henry P. Stawinski III of the Prince George’s County Police Department; Interim Chief Amal Awad of the Hyattsville Police Department; Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Angela D. Alsobrooks; and Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy.
According to the plea agreement, MS-13 is a gang composed primarily of immigrants or descendants of immigrants from El Salvador, with members operating in the State of Maryland, including Montgomery County, Prince George’s County, and Frederick County, and throughout the United States. Branches or “cliques” of MS-13 often work together cooperatively to engage in criminal activity and to assist one another in avoiding detection by law enforcement. MS-13 members and associates are required to commit acts of violence within the gang and against rival gangs. One of the principal rules of MS-13 is that its members must attack and kill rivals, known as “chavalas,” whenever possible.
Pursuant to his plea agreement, Hernandez-Guevara admitted that from at least July 2016, he was a member and associate of the Sailors Clique of MS-13. Hernandez-Guevara admitted to participating in numerous acts in furtherance of the racketeering conspiracy.
For example, according to the plea agreement, on or about July 29, 2016, Hernandez-Guevara and three other members and associates of MS-13 planned and conspired to murder Victim 2, who was believed to be a member of a rival gang. On July 29, 2016, pursuant to that plan, Hernandez-Guevara and other MS-13 members and associates lured Victim 2 to a secluded area in Hyattsville, Prince George’s County, Maryland. One of the MS-13 members and associates shot at Victim 2, and missed. Hernandez-Guevara collected the fired shell casings from the gunshots fired by Hernandez-Guevara’s co-conspirator. Multiple MS-13 members and associates then assaulted and stabbed Victim 2 with the intention of killing him. Victim 2 died as a result of injuries sustained during this attack, which included 61 sharp force injuries.
Also, according to the plea agreement, on or about Aug. 9, 2016, in Hyattsville, Hernandez-Guevara and other MS-13 members and associates planned and attempted to rob Victim 3 and Victim 4 of a pound of marijuana that Victim 3 and Victim 4 were going to sell to Hernandez-Guevara and his co-conspirators. During the attempt, Victim 3 and Victim 4 resisted. In the course of the struggle, Victim 3 and Victim 4 were shot, stabbed, and sustained serious, permanent, and life-threatening bodily injuries. Hernandez-Guevara and another co-conspirator were also shot.
Hernandez-Guevara also admitted to distributing less than one kilogram of marijuana for and on behalf of the Sailors Clique. His activities included receiving and distributing marijuana and proceeds from the sale of marijuana.
Hernandez-Guevara faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis has scheduled sentencing for Hernandez-Guevara on February 15, 2019.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur and Assistant Attorney General Brian Benczkowski commended HSI, the FBI, the DEA, the Prince George’s County Police Department, the Montgomery County Police Department, the Prince George’s State’s Attorney’s Office, the Hyattsville Police Department, and the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office for their investigation. Mr. Hur and Mr. Benczkowski thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys William D. Moomau, Catherine K. Dick, and Daniel C. Gardner, and Trial Attorney Francesca Liquori of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section, who are prosecuting this case.
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Anne Arundel County Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Charges for Sexually Abusing A Minor to Produce Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Glenn Ranger, age 56, of Glen Burnie, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to two counts of production of child pornography in connection with his sexual abuse of a young boy.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Acting Special Agent in Charge Cardell T. Morant of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Colonel William M. Pallozzi, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police; Chief David A. Spencer of the Easton Police Department; Chief Terrence B. Sheridan of the Baltimore County Police Department; and Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney Wes Adams.
According to his guilty plea, from no later than 2004, Ranger knowingly persuaded, enticed, and coerced a prepubescent male to engage in sexually explicit conduct in order to produce videos and images of that conduct. Specifically, Ranger sexually abused John Doe, an approximately 10-year-old boy, in order to record the abuse. The boy was unaware that Ranger was recording the abuse.
In July 2014, Ranger leased a storage unit in Pasadena, Maryland, but failed to pay the rent for the unit. The contents of the unit were purchased at auction by a resident of Easton, Maryland, in March 2018. After observing the nature of the contents, the individual turned them over to law enforcement. The contents of Ranger’s storage unit included computers and other digital devices, VHS tapes, framed photographs, and binders containing printed and organized images of child pornography erotica. The framed photographs included five images of child pornography, including images of John Doe produced by Ranger. The digital devices were forensically examined and were found to contain over 200 images of child pornography and more than 10,000 child exploitive/age difficult images. Two of the VHS tapes contained videos of Ranger sexually abusing John Doe on three separate occasions, and also show Ranger taking sexually explicit photographs of John Doe. The digital camera used to take the photographs and the storage card were also located among the items from Ranger’s storage unit. The files indicate the photos were produced on April 1, 2005, when John Doe was 10 years old.
Ranger was arrested on April 4, 2018. Ranger’s mobile phone was forensically examined after his arrest and revealed that Ranger had visited the social media profile of John Doe, and had made over 46,000 searches using terms such as “nude teen boys,” “nude teenager girl,” “nude teenager boy,” “pure nudist,” and “familys nude.”
Ranger faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 30 years in prison, followed by up to lifetime of supervised release, for each of the two counts of production of child pornography. The government is recommending a 50 year sentence. U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett has scheduled sentencing for January 24, 2019 at 11:00 a.m. Ranger remains detained.
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 Robert K. Hur commended HSI-Baltimore, the Maryland State Police, the Easton Police Department, the Baltimore County Police Department, and the Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul E. Budlow, who is prosecuting the federal case.
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Three Maryland Men Indicted in Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl in Baltimore Trafficked from Sinaloa and Tijuana Drug CartelsRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury has indicted Nevone McCrimmon, age 47, of Edgewood, Maryland; William Elijah, age 51; and Terrance Mobley, age 50, both of Baltimore, Maryland, on the federal charge of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. The indictment was returned on October 24, 2018, and unsealed on October 30, 2018. McCrimmon was arrested today and is scheduled to have his initial appearance at 3:45 p.m. in U.S. District Court in Baltimore.
The indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Assistant Special Agent in Charge Don A. Hibbert of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office; Interim Commissioner Gary Tuggle of the Baltimore Police Department; Baltimore City Sheriff John Anderson; Chief Terrence B. Sheridan of the Baltimore County Police Department; and Acting Special Agent in Charge Cardell T. Morant of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore.
“Fentanyl is one of the most lethal threats facing Maryland right now. As little as two milligrams of fentanyl can be a lethal dose, and the 20 kilograms of fentanyl seized in this case to date is enough to kill 10 million people—more than one and a half times the population of Maryland,” said Maryland U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur. “We are working with our partners to attack the sources of supply, as well as the street dealers who are committing the most violence in our neighborhoods.”
According to the indictment and other court documents, the defendants are allegedly high-ranking members of a Baltimore-based drug trafficking organization that imports and distributes heroin, fentanyl, and other drugs in the Baltimore metropolitan area. The defendants allegedly obtained drugs from a Miami-based drug trafficking organization with ties to the Sinaloa and Tijuana Mexican drug cartels. The Department of Justice has declared the Sinaloa drug cartel as one of its top five priority transnational organized crime targets. The cartel uses drug trafficking and other criminal activities to obtain power, influence, and money, while protecting its activities through a pattern of violence and corruption. To combat this threat, the Department of Justice has formed a Transnational Organized Crime Task Force to coordinate and optimize the Department’s efforts to dismantle this group and other priority targets..
Beginning in the Fall of 2017, the defendants regularly met with a courier from Miami to deliver large sums of cash. In exchange for the money, the Miami-based drug trafficking organization would arrange for kilogram-quantities of narcotics to be delivered to the defendants. According to court documents, the narcotics would be delivered by the cartel to a contact in Ventura County, California, and then shipped to Maryland for delivery to the defendants.
To date, law enforcement has seized 20 kilograms of fentanyl and over $500,000 in U.S. currency.
If convicted, the defendants each face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Defendants Elijah and Mobley previously had their initial appearances in U.S. District Court in Baltimore and are detained pending trial.
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 Robert K. Hur commended the DEA, the Baltimore Police Department, the Baltimore City Sheriff’s Office, the Baltimore County Police Department; and HSI-Baltimore for their work in the investigation. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys John W. Sippel, Jr. and Lauren E. Perry, who are prosecuting this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force case.
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Maryland Treatment Centers Agrees to Pay $500,000 to Resolve Allegations That It Submitted Claims for Services That Were Undocumented or Not ProvidedRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Maryland Treatment Centers has agreed to pay the United States $500,000 to settle allegations under the False Claims Act that it submitted false claims to the United States for mental health and substance abuse services that were undocumented or not provided. Maryland Treatment Centers, including its affiliate Mountain Manor Treatment Centers, offers mental health and substance abuse services to children and adults in outpatient and inpatient locations in Maryland, including Baltimore and Rockville.
The settlement agreement was announced today by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge of the Office of Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services, Maureen Dixon; and Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh.
Maryland Treatment Centers presents claims to and is paid by health insurance plans, including Medicaid. According to the settlement agreement, from January 1, 2009 through October 31, 2013, Maryland Treatment Centers knowingly failed to comply with the Code of Maryland Regulations (“COMAR”). Specifically, Maryland Treatment Centers submitted claims for substance abuse and/or mental health services for which Maryland Treatment Centers failed to document in any way the services allegedly provided; failed to document properly the services allegedly provided to recipients by writing daily progress notes and placing them in the recipients’ charts; failed to document that recipients attended, participated and/or received the services allegedly rendered; and documented procedures on patient progress notes that were inconsistent with procedures for which Maryland Treatment Centers claimed Medicaid reimbursement, and which Medicaid paid.
The claim resolved by this settlement is an allegation. The settlement is not an admission of liability by Maryland Treatment Centers, nor a concession by the United States that its claims are not well founded.
Also as part of the settlement, Maryland Treatment Centers has agreed to enter into an expansive, three-year Integrity Agreement with the HHS Office of Inspector General that provides for procedures and reviews to be put in place to avoid and promptly detect conduct similar to that which gave rise to the settlement.
The civil settlement resolves a lawsuit filed under the whistleblower provision of the False Claims Act, which permits private parties to file suit on behalf of the United States for false claims and obtain a portion of the government's recovery. The civil lawsuit was filed in the District of Maryland and is captioned United States ex rel. Blackwell v. Maryland Treatment Centers, et al., ELH-13-3550. As part of today’s resolution, Ms. Blackwell will receive $75,000 from the settlement.
The civil settlement was reached by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland and the Office of the Attorney General Medicaid Fraud Control Unit for the State of Maryland. The Integrity Agreement was negotiated by the Office of the Counsel to the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the HHS Office of Inspector General and the Maryland Attorney General’s Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Hur also thanked Assistant United States Attorney Roann Nichols, who handled this case.
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Felon Convicted at Trial for Federal Cocaine Distribution Conspiracy and Illegal Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – A federal jury today convicted James Ronnell Davis, a/k/a Twin, Slim and Slick, age 41, of Springfield, Virginia, for a cocaine distribution conspiracy, two counts of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, and for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The conviction was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Acting Special Agent in Charge Scott Hoernke of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Washington Field Office; Chief Henry P. Stawinski III of the Prince George’s County Police Department; and St. Mary’s County Sheriff Timothy K. Cameron.
According to the evidence presented at Davis’s ten-day trial, from 2009 through at least 2017, Davis conspired with Adrian Carlos Washington, a/k/a AD; Jamila Kibibi Hargrove, a/k/a Ms. Bossy; Lonnell Staton, a/k/a Papi Chulo, and others to distribute hundreds of kilograms of cocaine. Specifically, the evidence showed that Davis ran the drug conspiracy from his solely owned business, Shades, Suds and Sounds LLC (SS&S), initially located in Temple Hills, Maryland, which relocated to Capitol Heights, Maryland. SS&S provided services including car detailing, window tinting services, and audio/alarm installations, among other things, as well as purchasing vehicles from auto auctions for resale.
The evidence showed that during the course of the conspiracy, Davis used SS&S as a front to distribute cocaine, receiving deliveries of kilograms of cocaine at the business from his source of supply, and providing that cocaine to customers at SS&S and elsewhere. Davis and his co-defendants used disposable, prepaid cellular telephones, commonly referred to as “burner phones,” and frequently switched phones in an effort to thwart law enforcement. During the investigation, law enforcement intercepted and monitored telephone calls and text messages to and from phones used by Davis and his co-conspirators.
Search warrants executed at Davis’s business and residence and those of his co-conspirators resulted in the seizure of numerous cellular telephones, over $200,000 in cash, and 40 kilograms of cocaine, as well as packaging material, digital scales, and other drug paraphernalia.
Co-defendants Adrian Carlos Washington, a/k/a AD, age 43, of Oxon Hill, Maryland; Jamila Kibibi Hargrove, a/k/a Ms. Bossy, age 42, of Washington, D.C.; and Lonnell Staton, a/k/a Papi Chulo, age 38, of Washington, D.C., previously pleaded guilty to their roles in the conspiracy. Washington is scheduled to be sentenced on November 29, 2018, at 3:00 p.m.; and Hargrove and Staton are scheduled to be sentenced on January 7, 2019, at 10:00 a.m.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the FBI, the DEA, the Prince George’s County Police Department, and the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicolas A. Mitchell and Catherine K. Dick, who are prosecuting the case.
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Two Leaders in the Black Guerilla Family Gang Plead Guilty to Federal Racketeering Conspiracy Charge, Including Authorizing MurdersRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Ricky Evans, a/k/a Dorsey, and Shawn Thomas, a/k/a Bucky, both age 38, of Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty on November 5, 2018, to the federal charge of participating in a racketeering conspiracy, as leaders in the Black Guerilla Family (BGF) gang.
The guilty pleas were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Rob Cekada of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Interim Commissioner Gary Tuggle of the Baltimore Police Department; and Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby.
According to their plea agreements, from prior to 2010 through February 22, 2018, Evans and Thomas were employed by and associated with the BGF gang. BGF is a nationwide gang operating in prisons and in cities throughout the United States, including in Baltimore. BGF is involved in criminal activity including murder, robbery, extortion, drug trafficking, obstruction of justice, and witness intimidation.
BGF organizes its members into “regimes” or “bubbles” corresponding to particular regions or neighborhoods in Baltimore City and other Maryland communities. Each bubble reports to a bush member or bushman, who controls larger swaths of territory on behalf of BGF. Bush members are elder statesman of BGF and maintain inter-bubble discipline and settle disputes among the various bubbles operating in the territory the bush member controls.
Evans and Thomas admitted that they were high-ranking members of BGF, controlling regimes in East Baltimore and the 2700 block of Greenmount Avenue, respectively. During the course of the conspiracy, Evans and Thomas obtained narcotics, including crack cocaine, which they distributed through BGF-controlled open-air drug shops in their territories.
As detailed in Evans’ plea agreement, Evans operated a murder-for-hire scheme during the time of the conspiracy, accepting payments to have violence committed against individuals, then taking other BGF members to commit those acts. In 2010, Evans authorized BGF members to kidnap, extort and/or rob Marcal Walton. During the kidnapping, BGF members shot and killed Walton as he tried to flee from his kidnappers. In that same year, Evans authorized the murder of Darel Alston, a BGF member, for his alleged cooperation with law enforcement regarding the botched kidnapping of Marcal Walton. Evans further admitted that during the period of the conspiracy, he was an employee of Safe Streets, a Baltimore-based anti-violence initiative. Evans worked at the Safe Streets office in the 2300 block of Monument Street in East Baltimore, and used that Safe Streets office to hold BGF meetings, to store and distribute drugs, and to store, and allow to be stored firearms used in other crimes. Evans admitted that he also possessed firearms for his protection and the protection of the enterprise, including a stolen and loaded .223-caliber Bushmaster model which he possessed on March 16, 2016.
As detailed in Thomas’ plea agreement, Thomas collected gang dues for BGF. On December 9, 2016, Thomas ordered another BGF member to murder Keith Ramsey, a Bloods gang member, as part of an ongoing dispute between the two gangs.
Evans and Thomas each face a maximum of life in prison for the racketeering conspiracy. Chief U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar has scheduled sentencing for February 5, 2019 at 10 a.m. for Evans and February 22, 2019 for Thomas.
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. Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the ATF, FBI, Baltimore Police Department, and the Office of the State’s Attorney for Baltimore City for their work in the investigation. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys James T. Wallner and Clinton J. Fuchs, who are prosecuting this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force case.United States Attorney Appoints District Election Officer Pursuant to Nationwide Federal Election Day ProgramRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – United States Attorney Robert K. Hur announced today that Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) Leo J. Wise has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) for Maryland in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for tomorrow’s November 6, 2018, general elections. AUSA Wise is responsible for overseeing the federal response to any complaints of election fraud and voting rights abuses in consultation with state authorities, the FBI, and Justice Department Headquarters.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur said, “Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted without it being stolen because of fraud. The Department of Justice will act promptly and aggressively to protect the integrity of the election process.”
“As part of the Justice Department’s nationwide election day program, every U.S. Attorney appoints an election officer to review specific allegations of election fraud and voting rights violations, consult with state and federal authorities where appropriate, and pursue any evidence that warrants prosecution,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur. “Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the cooperation of the American electorate. It is imperative that those who have specific information about discrimination or election fraud make that information available immediately to my Office, the FBI, or the Civil Rights Division.”
The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring election fraud and discrimination at the polls, and combating these violations whenever and wherever they occur. The Department’s long-standing Election Day Program furthers these goals, and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the integrity of the election process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible election fraud and voting rights violations while the polls are open on election day.
Federal law protects against such crimes as intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters and provides that they can vote free from acts that intimidate or harass them. For example, actions of persons designed to interrupt or intimidate voters at polling places by questioning or challenging them, or by photographing or videotaping them, under the pretext that these are actions to uncover illegal voting may violate federal voting rights law. Further, federal law protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice.
The franchise is the cornerstone of American democracy. We all must ensure that those who are entitled to the franchise exercise it if they choose, and that those who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice. In order to respond to complaints of election fraud or voting rights abuses on November 6, 2016, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, United States Attorney Hur stated that AUSA/DEO Wise will be on duty in this District while the polls are open. He can be reached by the public at 410-209-4800.
In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on Election Day. The local FBI field office can be reached by the public at 410-265-8080.
Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section in Washington, DC by phone at 1-800-253-3931 or (202) 307-2767, by fax at (202) 307-3961, by e-mail to [email protected] or by complaint form at https://www.justice.gov/crt/complaint/votintake/index.php.
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Two Members of Old York Money Gang Plead Guilty to Federal Racketeering Charges Related to Their Drug Trafficking and Violence, Including the Killing of Three-Year-Old Mckenzie ElliottRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Terrell Plummer, a/k/a Rell, age 29, and Tyrone Jamison, a/k/a Ty, age 25, both of Baltimore, pleaded guilty today to a federal racketeering conspiracy related to their membership in the Old York Money Gang (OYMG), a violent gang that sustained itself largely through the distribution and sale of controlled substances, including crack cocaine, as well as through murder and other violent crimes. The gang operated throughout the Waverly neighborhood of Baltimore. On August 1, 2014, three-year-old McKenzie Elliott was shot to death as she stood on her front porch, when she was struck by an errant bullet during an OYMG dispute. Today, Plummer admitted that he killed McKenzie Elliott, and Jamison admitted that he supplied the gun used in the shooting.
The guilty pleas were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Rob Cekada of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; and Interim Commissioner Gary Tuggle of the Baltimore Police Department.
“Disputes between gang rivals lead to many shootings and murders in Baltimore City, including innocent bystanders who are caught in the crossfire—like little McKenzie Elliott,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur. “I am grateful for the tireless efforts of the investigators and prosecutors to bring McKenzie Elliott’s killer to justice. While this guilty plea will not bring a beautiful little girl back to those who loved her, I hope her community will take some comfort from the fact that we will hold accountable the criminals who turned their neighborhood into a war zone.”
“The pursuit of justice for McKenzie Elliott has taken time, but today the person responsible for taking her life admitted to his crime. We can only hope that this brings some peace and answers to the family and community who loved McKenzie so much,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Rob Cekada. “Fear of being caught in the crossfire of a gang turf war is a terrible reality that affects too many in Baltimore. ATF is determined to identify, investigate, and incarcerate this city’s most vicious criminals so that neighborhoods can be free of violence and children can safely stand on the front porches of their homes.”
According to their plea agreements and other court documents, from 2013 to April 2017, Plummer and Jamison were members of the OYMG, a violent drug trafficking organization operating in the Waverly neighborhood in the northern district of Baltimore. OYMG is involved in criminal activity including murder, robbery, extortion, burglary, and narcotics trafficking in and around Baltimore. OYMG is a neighborhood gang, limiting its membership to persons that originate from or live in the Waverly neighborhood, and generally excluding “outsiders.” The gang extensively and frequently endorsed and promoted its existence through social media accounts and rap music videos, whereby members would display their association and advertise membership and activities of the gang.
According to court documents, beginning in October 2016, the ATF and the Baltimore City Police Department conducted undercover purchases of crack cocaine and heroin from OYMG members, who generally sold controlled substances at or around drug shops controlled and managed by the OYMG—and in coordination with co-conspirators. According to their plea agreements and other court documents, Jamison, Plummer and other OYMG members sold heroin, powder and crack cocaine, and marijuana in their territory in Waverly and elsewhere. OYMG members regularly carried firearms to defend the gang’s territory and violently expelled OYMG rivals or antagonists. Jamison admitted that he possessed firearms in furtherance of the enterprise, and supplied, maintained, and stored firearms used by OYMG in furtherance of violent crimes. Jamison also admitted that from April 26, 2017 to May 8, 2017, he tampered with evidence by conspiring with a co-conspirator to remove, conceal, and destroy firearms stored in a vehicle. This was corroborated by recorded prison calls in which Jamison instructed a co-conspirator to obtain the key to the vehicle to retrieve unspecified items therein.
As detailed in their plea agreements and court documents, in the summer of 2014, Plummer and other OYMG members became embroiled in a dispute with men from another neighborhood. On July 30, 2014, these men entered OYMG territory to support a female friend engaged in a fight with the sister of an OYMG member. Plummer and other OYMG members assaulted the men, one of whom was stabbed during the fracas (Victim #1). Two days later, the men returned to the area, driven by a female in a white 1999 Mercedes SUV, to confront Plummer and OYMG members in retaliation for the assault on July 30. OYMG members noticed the vehicle from the earlier fight and alerted one another to the presence of the vehicle. As the vehicle circled the block for the third time, Plummer fired multiple shots at the SUV, striking one of the men (Victim #1) in the forehead. Some of the errant bullets fired by Plummer missed their intended target and struck two additional victims. Victim #5 was grazed in the chin and wrist. One bullet struck three-year-old McKenzie Elliott in the head, resulting in her death. Plummer admitted that he was responsible for McKenzie Elliott’s death, although he did not intend to kill her. Jamison admitted that he supplied the gun used that Plummer used to shoot in the confrontation and in the killing of three-year-old McKenzie Elliott.
Plummer and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea, Plummer will be sentenced to 25 years in federal prison. Jamison and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea, Jamison will be sentenced to 150 months in federal prison. U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III has scheduled sentencing for Plummer on February 1, 2019, at 12:30 p.m. and for Jamison on February 9, 2019 at 3:00 p.m. There is no parole in the federal system.
Two other defendants charged in the case are scheduled to go to trial on November 5, 2018.
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. Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the ATF and Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Metcalf and Michael C. Hanlon, who are prosecuting the case.
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Statement of Maryland U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur on the Successful Resolution of Three Significant Cases in Baltimore in the Last WeekRead the Press Release
“We are facing significant challenges here in Baltimore with drug dealing and violence in our streets, but as we saw this week, with the convictions of eight members of the Barronette drug crew who were responsible for nine murders, and the guilty pleas of the corrupt police officer who worked with GTTF, and the gang member who killed three-year-old McKenzie Elliott, we can make progress. Working together as a community, with our law enforcement partners and with the many courageous law-abiding citizens of Baltimore, we must continue our efforts to stop those who bring violence and drugs to our communities.”
BACKGROUND
The Maryland U.S. Attorney’s office and our law enforcement partners have obtained positive results this week in our efforts to reduce violent crime in Baltimore through the convictions and guilty pleas of 10 violent gang members and one corrupt police officer.
On November 2, 2018, we brought to justice the killer of three-year-old McKenzie Elliott, who was shot to death as she stood on her front porch, when she was struck by an errant bullet during a gang dispute. Terrell Plummer admitted that he killed McKenzie Elliott, and Tyrone Jamison admitted that he supplied the gun used in the shooting. Both men were members of the Old York Money Gang, a violent gang that operated in the Waverly neighborhood and sustained itself largely through the distribution and sale of drugs, as well as through murder and other violent crimes.
On November 1, 2018, former Philadelphia Police officer Eric Snell, pleaded guilty to a drug distribution conspiracy, after three days of trial. Snell admitted to selling drugs seized by members of the disgraced Gun Trace Task Force (GTTF).
On October 31, 2018, after 24 days of trial, a federal jury convicted eight members of Trained To Go (TTG), a violent criminal organization which operated in the Sandtown neighborhood of West Baltimore, whose members engaged in drug distribution and acts of violence including murder, armed robbery, and witness intimidation. Their leader, Montana Barronette, was found personally responsible for seven murders, and in all, the jury found the defendants responsible for a total of nine murders in Baltimore.
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Former Philadelphia Police Officer Pleads Guilty to Conspiring with Former Baltimore Police GTTF Detective to Distribute Heroin and Other NarcoticsRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland –Former Philadelphia Police officer Eric Troy Snell, age 34, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin and cocaine. Snell admitted that he conspired with former Baltimore Police Gun Trace Task Force (GTTF) Detective Jemell Rayam and others to sell heroin and cocaine seized by GTTF members. Snell pleaded guilty on the fourth day of his trial, which began on October 29, 2018.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur and Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office.
“The community needs to know that when we have evidence of wrongdoing, we will follow that evidence and prosecute you--whether you wear a badge or not,” said Maryland U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur. “Prosecuting law enforcement officers is painful, but necessary if we are to restore the public’s trust in our justice system. No one is above the law.”
“Law enforcement officers are given incredible power to enforce the law and ensure justice. Thwarting abuse of this authority is necessary to protect the rights of our citizens and uphold confidence in law enforcement. Anyone who takes advantage of their position for personal gain or in persistence of criminal misconduct must and will be held accountable,” said Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson of the FBI Baltimore Field Office.
According to court documents and statements at his plea hearing today, Snell is a former Baltimore Police Department (BPD) Officer, who received his training at the Baltimore Police Academy with Jemell Rayam, a former Detective with the BPD Gun Trace Task Force. Snell left the BPD in March 2008, and became an officer in the Philadelphia Police Department on September 29, 2014.
Snell admitted that from at least October 2016 through June 26, 2017, he conspired with Rayam and others to sell heroin and cocaine seized by members of the BPD in Maryland. On October 3, 2016, GTTF Sergeant Wayne Jenkins, Rayam, and other detectives, engaged in a high-speed police chase of G.H. G.H. threw nine ounces of cocaine out of the window of his vehicle before crashing near Mondawmin Mall in Baltimore. The BPD officers retrieved the cocaine and Jenkins told Rayam to sell most of the cocaine and give Jenkins the proceeds of the sale, which Rayam agreed to do.
On October 18, 2016, after learning about the cocaine from Rayam, Snell asked Rayam to give him the cocaine that was stolen from G.H. and not submitted as evidence to BPD. Rayam agreed and on October 20, 2016, traveled to Philadelphia to meet Snell at his residence. Ryam provided the cocaine to Snell, who made arrangements to meet with Snell’s brother, who would sell the cocaine for Snell and Rayam. Later that day. Snell, Rayam, and Snell’s brother met and discussed: the sale of the cocaine; the price the cocaine should be sold for; the amount of money that Snell’s brother would pay Snell after the sale of the cocaine; and the amount of money that Snell would pay Rayam after the sale of the cocaine. On October 23, 2018, Rayam and Snell agreed that Rayam would provide Snell with heroin for Snell to sell and distribute.
Snell admitted that he communicated with Rayam on October 27, 2016, to advised that Snell had received “2K” ($2,000) from the sale of illegal drugs and subsequently deposited $1,000 into Rayam’s bank account. Snell met Rayam several other times to coordinate the drug trafficking and exchange drugs and cash. Snell admitted that he paid Rayam on subsequent occasions for drug proceeds, including making a $2,500 deposit into Rayam’s bank account.
Following Rayam’s arrest on June 26, 2017, Snell spoke with Rayam on the recorded phone system in place at the jail where Rayam was detained. Snell instructed Rayam to “say less” on the recorded jail phones so that law enforcement would not detect their illegal drug trafficking.
On November 14, 2017, Snell was arrested and transported to Baltimore for his initial appearance. During the transport, Snell admitted that he lied to FBI agents when he told them that the payments he made to Rayam were for the repayment of a gambling debt, when in fact, the payments were for drugs he received from Rayam.
During a search of Snell’s residence on November 14, 2017, law enforcement recovered a box in which Snell stored items containing cocaine residue, next to a package of razor blades that were used to cut and process narcotics for distribution, as well as .40-caliber and 9 mm handgun ammunition. From the master bedroom, law enforcement recovered Snell’s Philadelphia Police Department service weapon, a 9 mm handgun, as well as a 40-caliber handgun, and two unregistered short-barrel assault rifles.
Snell admits that the amount of narcotics reasonably foreseeable to him in furtherance of the conspiracy is the equivalent of at least 100 kilograms of marijuana.
Snell faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. United States District Judge Catherine C. Blake has scheduled sentencing for January 30, 2019, at 2:15 p.m.
Jemell Lamar Rayam, age 38, of Owings Mills, Maryland, previously pleaded guilty to one count of racketeering conspiracy including multiple robberies, and overtime fraud, and is awaiting sentencing.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the FBI for its work in the investigation. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Derek E. Hines and Leo J. Wise, who prosecuted these Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force cases.
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Two Maryland Law Enforcement Teams Recognized by Attorney General Jeff Sessions for Their Service at the 66th Annual Attorney General Awards CeremonyRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Two Maryland law enforcement teams were among 280 Department of Justice employees and others recognized by Attorney General Jeff Sessions for their distinguished public service at the 66th Annual Attorney General’s Awards Ceremony held on October 24, 2018. This annual ceremony recognizes employees and other individuals who have demonstrated exceptional achievements, leadership, and service to the Department of Justice and the American people.
U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Rob Cekada of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey R. Gahler; Interim Commissioner Gary Tuggle of the Baltimore Police Department; Chief Terrence B. Sheridan of the Baltimore County Police Department; and Chief Henry P. Stawinski III of the Prince George’s County Police Department commended the members of their own offices, and all the other award recipients for their dedication and hard work that have made our communities safer.
“Service in the Department of Justice is more than a normal job; it is a calling to the highest standards of professionalism,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions said. “That is true for all of the 115,000 Department of Justice employees. But it is especially true for these award winners. And so I want to thank them and their families for their exemplary service to this Department and to the American people. They have made this Department proud.”
The Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service was presented to the team from the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, the FBI Baltimore Field Office, the Harford County Sheriff’s Office, the Baltimore Police Department, and the Baltimore County Police Department for their investigation and prosecution of corrupt police officers who were members of the Baltimore Police Gun Trace Task Force, who planted evidence, robbed citizens, protected drug dealers, sold drugs, and falsified police department records.
The William French Smith Award for Outstanding Contributions to Cooperative Law Enforcement was presented to a team from the Prince George’s County Police Department (PGPD) for the collaboration of the Prince George’s Gun Intelligence Unit working with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) to form a task force that trained PGPD officers on firearms tracing and the use of National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) intelligence, and implemented a screening process for conducting follow-up investigations on every firearm recovered in Prince George’s County, in an effort to reduce violent crime.
This year’s program honors individuals across the Department and our federal, state, local, and tribal partners for their selfless efforts, protecting our national security and our civil rights, addressing rising violent crime in our communities, and pusuing gangs and those trafficking in dangerous narcotics and human beings. The awards also honor the work of civil and environmental litigation, which enforces the rule of law and upholds our Constitution. They also recognize employees whose ideas and efforts save taxpayer dollars and help our government operate more effectively and efficiently, among other contributions to public safety and good governance.
The Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service was presented to the following recipients for Dedicated Service to Investigate Corrupt Behavior Within the Baltimore Police Department:
FBI Supervisory Special Agent Gregg C. Domroe;
FBI Supervisory Special Agent Matthew T. Walsh;
FBI Special Agent Kevin J. Bodmer;
FBI Special Agent Heather H. Grow;
FBI Special Agent Juan Carlos Guerra;
FBI Special Agent Erika Jensen;
FBI Intelligence Analyst Laura L. Schreiber;
FBI Staff Operations Specialist Amanda Kae Sackett;
Assistant U.S. Attorney Leo J. Wise;
Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek E. Hines;
Corporal David A. McDougall, Jr. of the Harford County Sheriff’s Office;
Sergeant John V. Sieracki III of the Baltimore Police Department;
Detective Matthew T. Smith of the Baltimore Police Department;
Detective Jared E. Stern of the Baltimore Police Department; and
Detective Scott D. Kilpatrick of the Baltimore County Police Department.The William French Smith Award for Outstanding Contributions to Cooperative Law Enforcement was presented to the following members of the Prince George’s County Police Department, who are also ATF Task Force Officers:
Sergeant Shane M. Goudreau;
Sergeant Jakob E. Wolford;
Detective Ché L. Atkinson;
Detective Chase M. Carter;
Detective Ryan J. Cox;
Detective Nicole M. McGowen;
Detective Christopher V. Schultz;
Detective Andre MJ Thompson;
Detective Wayne R. Tracey; and
Detective Gregory M. Travis.
Eight Baltimore TTG Members and Associates Convicted on Federal Racketeering and Drug Conspiracy Charges, Including Nine Murders and Witness IntimidationRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland –A federal jury today convicted eight Baltimore men for conspiring to participate in a violent racketeering enterprise known as Trained To Go (TTG), including nine murders, drug trafficking, and witness intimidation, as well as on conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin, marijuana, and cocaine. Several of the defendants were also convicted of related drug and firearms charges.
The defendants convicted today are:
Montana Barronette, a/k/a Tana, and Tanner, age 23;
Terrell Sivells, a/k/a Rell, age 27;
John Harrison, a/k/a Binkie, age 28;
Taurus Tillman, a/k/a Tash, age 29;
Linton Broughton, a/k/a Marty, age 25;
Dennis Pulley, a/k/a Denmo, age 31;
Brandon Wilson, a/k/a Ali, age 24; and
Timothy Floyd, a/k/a Tim Rod, age 28.The convictions were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Interim Commissioner Gary Tuggle of the Baltimore Police Department; Special Agent in Charge Rob Cekada of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; Assistant Special Agent in Charge Don A. Hibbert of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office; Anne Arundel County Police Chief Tim Altomare; and Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby.
“Federal, state and local law enforcement joined together to target the leaders and key members of one of the most violent gangs operating in Baltimore City,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur. “Today’s convictions prove our continuing commitment to removing armed, violent criminals from our neighborhoods and bringing them to justice in the federal system, which has no parole—ever.”
“For six years, Trained To Go terrorized the Sandtown neighborhood, committing murders, robberies, and other violence as they sold their poison on the streets of Baltimore,” said Assistant Attorney General Benczkowski. “Today’s convictions ensure that Montana Barronette and the other seven defendants in this vicious gang now will be held accountable for their horrible crimes.”
“This investigation represents the epitome of law enforcement agencies working together to target and dismantle violent street gangs that threaten the safety and stability of our neighborhoods,” said FBI Baltimore Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson. “The citizens of Baltimore City and Maryland have the FBI’s commitment that we will work with our local, state and federal partners to attack these dealers and remove violent criminals from their neighborhoods.”
According to the evidence presented at their 24-day trial, the defendants are all members of Trained To Go (TTG), a criminal organization which operated in the Sandtown neighborhood of West Baltimore, whose members engaged in drug distribution and acts of violence including murder, armed robbery, and witness intimidation. Members and associates of TTG sold heroin, cocaine, and marijuana, and worked to defend their exclusive right to control who sold narcotics in TTG territory. As part of the conspiracy, each defendant agreed that a conspirator would commit at least two acts of racketeering activity for TTG.
Specifically, the evidence proved that between May 20, 2010 and May 25, 2016, the defendants and other members of TTG committed acts of violence, including nine murders, shootings, armed robbery, and witness intimidation. The violent acts were intended to further the gang’s activities, protect the gang’s drug territory, and maintain and increase a member’s position within the organization. Murders were committed in retaliation for individuals robbing TTG members of drugs and drug proceeds, or while TTG members robbed others of their drugs and drug proceeds, as well as in murder-for-hire schemes. Further, the defendants engaged in witness intimidation through violence or threats of violence, to prevent individuals from cooperating with law enforcement.
The defendants all face a maximum sentence of life in prison on the racketeering and drug conspiracies. Pulley and Wilson each also face a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for being felons in possession of a firearm; and a mandatory minimum of five years, consecutive to any other sentence imposed, and up to life in prison for possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Tillman and Sivells also face up to 20 years in prison for distribution and possession with intent to distribute heroin. U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake has not yet scheduled sentencing. The defendants remain detained.
Three other TTG members, all of Baltimore, previously pleaded guilty. Brandon Bazemore, a/k/a Man Man, age 25, pleaded guilty to the racketeering conspiracy, including three murders and an attempted murder, as well as to the drug conspiracy. Bazemore and the government have agreed that if the Court accepts the plea, Bazemore will be sentenced to 25 years in federal prison at his sentencing on November 13, 2018. Co-defendants Hisaun Chatman, age 31, and James Woodfolk, age 20, pleaded guilty to the drug conspiracy and were each sentenced to five years in prison, to be served concurrent to the state sentence each is currently serving.
Co-defendant Roger Taylor, of Baltimore, is still a fugitive, and the charges against him are pending. Anyone who may have information on the whereabouts of Roger Taylor is asked to contact the FBI-Baltimore Field office at (410) 265-8080.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI Baltimore Safe Streets Violent Gang Task Force, which includes FBI special agents and task force officers from the Baltimore, Baltimore County, and Anne Arundel County Police Departments. FBI Baltimore Safe Streets Violent Gang Task Force is responsible for identifying and targeting the most violent gangs in the Baltimore metropolitan area, to address gang violence and the associated homicides in Baltimore. The vision of the program is to use federal racketeering statutes to disrupt and dismantle significant violent criminal threats and criminal enterprises affecting the safety and well-being of our citizens and our communities.
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. Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the FBI, the Baltimore Police Department, the ATF, the DEA, the Anne Arundel County Police Department, and the Office of the State’s Attorney for Baltimore City, for their work in the investigation. Mr. Hur also recognized U.S. Marshal Johnny Hughes and the U.S. Marshal’s Office for their exemplary work during the trial. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel C. Gardner and Christopher J. Romano, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney John C. Hanley of the Justice Department’s Organized Crime and Gang Section, who are prosecuting this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force case.
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Felon Indicted for Illegal Possession of Firearms, Witness Retaliation, and ArsonRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury has returned a superseding indictment charging Jason Kiser, age 40, of Taneytown, Maryland, with illegal possession of firearms, witness retaliation, use of fire in the commission of a felony, and malicious destruction of a vehicle by fire. The superseding indictment was returned late on October 24, 2018.
The indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Rob Cekada of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; Carroll County Sheriff James T. DeWees; and Maryland State Fire Marshal Brian S. Geraci.
“Witness intimidation will not be tolerated,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur. “Attempts to intimidate or retaliate against federal witnesses will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
The four-count superseding indictment adds three counts related to Kiser’s alleged witness retaliation against an individual who provided information to law enforcement concerning the possible commission of a federal crime. The indictment alleges that on July 17, 2018, Kiser set the victim’s vehicle on fire, destroying the vehicle. The original indictment charged Kiser with illegal possession of firearms by a convicted felon and that charge is also included in the superseding indictment.
If convicted, Kiser faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for being a felon in possession of firearms; a maximum of 20 years in prison for witness retaliation; a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison, consecutive to any other sentenced imposed and up to life in prison for use of fire in the commission of a felony; and a mandatory minimum of five years and a maximum of 20 years in prison for malicious destruction of a vehicle by fire. Kiser is expected to have an initial appearance on the superseding indictment on November 2, 2018, at 11:00 a.m. in U.S. District Court in Baltimore. Kiser remains detained
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. Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the ATF, the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, and the Office of the Maryland State Fire Marshal for their work in the investigation. Mr. Hur thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark V. Gurzo, who is prosecuting the case.
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Member of the Violent “Murdaland Mafia Piru” Bloods Gang Sentenced to 12 Years in Federal Prison for Racketeering and Drug ConspiraciesRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland - U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake sentenced Jacob Bowling, a/k/a “Jakey,” age 32, of Baltimore, Maryland today to 12 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release for racketeering and drug conspiracies related to his participation in the gang activities of the Murdaland Mafia Piru (MMP), a subset of the Bloods gang.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Rob Cekada of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; Interim Commissioner Gary Tuggle of the Baltimore Police Department; Chief Terrence B. Sheridan of the Baltimore County Police Department; Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby; and Baltimore County State’s Attorney Scott Shellenberger.
“Federal, state, and local law enforcement worked together to identify and dismantle this criminal organization that dealt drugs and despair in Northwest Baltimore and Baltimore County,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur. “We are committed to removing armed, violent criminals from our neighborhoods and bringing them to justice in the federal system, which has no parole—ever.”
“Investigating, arresting, and incarcerating criminals who use guns and violence to intimidate communities and commit violent crime is ATF’s focus here in Baltimore, a mission that our state and local law enforcement partners feel equally as strongly about,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Rob Cekada. “Anyone carrying guns on the streets of Baltimore to expand and defend drug territory should look to Jacob Bowling’s sentence as a lesson.”
According to Bowling’s plea agreement and court documents, MMP, also known as the “Mob” or “Mobsters,” is a violent subset of the Bloods gang that operates in Maryland and elsewhere. MMP was modeled after the Italian Mafia, and was organized hierarchically, with “the Don,” at the top and various “Bosses,” “Underbosses,” “Capos,” “Lieutenants,” and “Mobsters” underneath. For many years, MMP has controlled the drug trade in large swaths of Northwest Baltimore City and neighboring Baltimore County, including Forest Park, Windsor Mill, Gwynn Oak, Howard Park, Woodlawn, and Walbrook Junction. The gang’s drug shop in the 5200 block of Windsor Mill Road was particularly lucrative due to its close proximity to Interstate 70, and it frequently attracted drug customers driving from Western Maryland and neighboring states. MMP’s members enriched themselves through drug trafficking and other criminal activities, and by using violence and threats of violence to intimidate or retaliate against witnesses, protect the gang’s territories, enforce debts, and eliminate rivals.
Bowling was a member of MMP and participated in the gang’s affairs through a pattern of racketeering activities, including drug distribution.
Specifically, on May 9, 2016, Bowling and other MMP members attended the funeral of a murdered MMP member and draped a red banner emblazoned with the letters “MMP” over his casket. Between June and August 2016, Bowling distributed a total of 106 grams of crack cocaine to confidential informants who were wearing audio-visual recording devices. In August 2016, law enforcement obtained a wiretap for Bowling’s cell phone and overheard him discussing drug and gang business with other MMP members. During another call, an individual told Bowling that he had found Bowling’s gun in the couch and removed it to a cabinet. Bowling told the person to be careful because the firearm was loaded “with one in the nose.” In another call, Bowling received a call from a MMP member who was in prison, telling him that another incarcerated MMP member wanted an individual to “get sanctioned” because he had not put money on the incarcerated MMP member’s account, as promised. Bowling replied, “Alright, say no more. I’m gonna take care of that.”
On September 27, 2016, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Bowling’s residence and recovered a 9mm caliber magazine, small ziplock baggies, a digital scale and razor blade, and photographs of Bowling with other MMP members.
Finally, Bowling conspired with other MMP members to distribute at least one kilogram of heroin and 280 grams of crack cocaine.
In addition to Bowling, eighteen of twenty-six defendants have pleaded guilty in the case. Trial for the remaining defendants is scheduled for March 18, 2019.
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. Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur praised the ATF, the Baltimore City and Baltimore County Police Departments, and the Baltimore City and Baltimore County State’s Attorney’s Offices for their work in the investigation and prosecution. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Christina Hoffman and Lauren E. Perry, who are prosecuting the case.
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Federal Grand Jury Indicts Eleven Baltimore Men for a Heroin Trafficking Conspiracy Allegedly Operating in the Gilmor Homes Area of BaltimoreRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury has returned a superseding indictment charging 11 Baltimore men in a heroin trafficking conspiracy that operated in the Gilmor Homes area of Baltimore. Several of the defendants are also charged with conspiracy to possess a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and related gun and drug counts. The superseding indictment was returned on October 16, 2018, and was unsealed late yesterday.
The defendants charged in the superseding indictment unsealed today are:
Rodney Blue, age 28;
Tyrek Butler, age 26;
Duane Day, age 26;
Dakwan Gray, age 20;
Juan Hill, age 25;
Diamonte Jackson, age 25;
Davon Johnson, age 30;
Allen Jones, a/k/a Wax, age 23;
William Stewart, a/k/a Pimp, age 31;
Anthony Washington, age 28; and
Andrew Webb, a/k/a Geetchi, age 32.The indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Assistant Special Agent in Charge Don A. Hibbert of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office; Acting Special Agent in Charge Cardell T. Morant of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; Interim Police Commissioner Gary Tuggle of the Baltimore Police Department; Baltimore City Sheriff John W. Anderson; Chief Terrence B. Sheridan of the Baltimore County Police Department; and Colonel William M. Pallozzi, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police.
“Heroin dealers sell death and despair. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to identify and disrupt drug trafficking organizations, especially those who use guns,” said Maryland U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur. “Before picking up a gun, drug dealers should understand that there are no suspended sentences or parole in the federal system, and that they will serve their federal sentences in prisons far from home. Federal time is different. Please put down the gun.”
According to the superseding indictment and other court documents, the indictment is a result of the investigation of a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that allegedly distributes large amounts of heroin in and around the Gilmor Homes public housing development in Baltimore. Court documents allege that the group generally operates drug “shops” that sell drugs from 7:00 a.m. to as late as 2:00 a.m., in the areas of Stricker, School, and Presstmen Streets. Members of the DTO are alleged to have participated in street-level drug sales, supervised drug sales, and collected drug proceeds, and to have used firearms in the course of their drug trafficking.Each of the defendants faces a maximum of 20 years in prison for conspiracy to distribute heroin. Butler, Day, Jones, and Webb also face a maximum of 10 years in prison for conspiracy to possess a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Day and Butler each face a maximum of life in prison for possession of a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime, and 10 years in prison for possession of a firearm and ammunition by a previously convicted felon. Blue, Hill, Gray, Washington, Jackson, Johnson, and Webb also face a maximum of 20 years in prison for each count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.
The defendants are expected to have an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Baltimore. Blue, Gray, and Stewart had initial appearances today before U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Mark Coulson and were ordered to be detained pending trial.
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. Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the DEA, HSI-Baltimore, the Baltimore Police Department, the Baltimore City Sheriff’s Office, the Baltimore County Police Department, and the Maryland State Police for their work in the investigation. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew DellaBetta and Christopher Rigali, who are prosecuting this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force case.
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