District of Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS – A St. Paul man was sentenced to 100 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release for burning, looting, and damaging stores and businesses in downtown Minneapolis on August 26, 2020. Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Patrick J. Schiltz sentenced the defendant.

According to the evidence presented at trial, on the evening of August 26, 2020, Victor Devon Edwards, 32, drove to downtown Minneapolis following a city-wide curfew to join a large crowd that had gathered following false rumors regarding police involvement in the death of a man on Nicollet Mall earlier that evening. Over the course of approximately three hours, Edwards engaged in acts of riot, arson, and other property damage and destruction in downtown Minneapolis. Edwards was captured on video surveillance participating in the rioting and looting at Saks Off Fifth and entering other closed stores and businesses that evening, including Caribou Coffee, Target Headquarters, and Brit’s Pub on Nicollet Mall. Edwards was captured on video surveillance helping to break into the Target Headquarters building and adding fuel to a fire set inside the building, which ultimately caused almost a million dollars in damages to Target. Edwards was then captured on video surveillance entering the nearby Brit’s Pub, which, shortly after he went in, became engulfed in flames.

During and after his criminal activity downtown that evening, Edwards bragged about his participation in the rioting and looting. Edwards also took orders from friends for items to loot. The next morning, Edwards took a video of himself flashing a large amount of cash and saying, “On the looting side. . .” He also admitted that he got “MK purses and money” in text messages with his friends.

On August 12, 2021, Edwards was convicted by a federal jury of one count of riot and one count of arson.

This case is the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the FBI, the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, the Minneapolis Fire Department, and the Minneapolis, Bloomington, and Richfield Police Departments.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nathan H. Nelson and Chelsea A. Walcker.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – An Isanti County man has been sentenced to 288 months in prison followed by 25 years of supervised release for producing child pornography.

According to court documents, Russell James Anderson-Baldwin, 39, used Instagram, Snapchat, and other online messaging apps to communicate with a minor victim. Between December 2019 and August 2020, Anderson-Baldwin coerced the minor to create sexually explicit videos. In total, Anderson-Baldwin created approximately 286 sexually explicit videos of the minor. Investigators also found on Anderson-Baldwin’s phone approximately 140 sexually explicit images and videos of other minor victims.

On January 16, 2020, Anderson-Baldwin was convicted in Isanti County of three counts of possession of child pornography. As a result of those convictions, he was required to register as a sex offender and was on probation when he committed the production offense. Anderson-Baldwin pleaded guilty in federal court on June 22, 2021, to one count of production of child pornography.

Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Donovan W. Frank sentenced the defendant.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Evan B. Gilead.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Two men have been sentenced for illegal possession of firearms, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats.

Jarvae Josiah Somerville, 28, of White Bear Lake, and Ronald Donte Finley, Jr., 26, of Minneapolis, were both convicted on August 26, 2021, of one count each of illegal possession of a firearm, following a three-day jury trial before U.S. District Judge Paul A. Magnuson. The defendants were sentenced yesterday to 96 months and 78 months in prison, respectively. Both men were sentenced to three years of supervised release that will begin upon their release from prison.

“The staggering spike in gun violence throughout the Twin Cities must end,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office remains steadfast in our commitment to hold accountable individuals who put public safety at risk.”

According to court documents, Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) officers investigating a shooting followed Somerville and Finley to a restaurant on Lake Street in Minneapolis. While Somerville was inside the restaurant and Finley was outside in an Infinity sedan that the men were driving, officers moved in to make an arrest. When officers approached Finley, Finley ran from the Infinity sedan but was apprehended and arrested. Inside the Infiniti sedan, officers found a Sig Sauer 9mm semi-automatic pistol with an extended magazine. When officers entered the restaurant and attempted to arrest Somerville, Somerville ran inside a private bathroom in the back of the restaurant. Two officers chasing Somerville followed Somerville inside, and Somerville reached into his waistband. Concerned that Somerville was reaching for a firearm, an officer grabbed Somerville’s hands, and the three men struggled until other officers arrived to assist. After Somerville was handcuffed and taken into custody, officers recovered from the floor of the bathroom a Glock, .45 caliber semi-automatic handgun with an extended magazine.

After the arrests, officers executed a search warrant at Somerville’s residence and found a box of .45 caliber ammunition the same model of which was found in the firearm found in the bathroom.  Officers also found a gun cleaning kit. Investigators later confirmed that Finley’s fingerprints were present on the magazine of the 9mm pistol found in the Infiniti sedan.

Because Somerville has prior felony convictions in Hennepin County and Finley has prior felony convictions in Cook County, Illinois, they are prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time.

This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Minneapolis Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Calhoun-Lopez prosecuted the case.

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St. Paul, Minn. – Two Minneapolis felons were sentenced today for possessing a handgun with a large capacity magazine that could hold 50 rounds of ammunition, announced Acting United States Attorney Charles J. Kovats.

According to court records, between April 30 and May 5, 2020, Travon Lavelle Blackman, 24, and Michael Eugene Hunter, 23, were in joint possession of a Glock, model 22, .40-caliber semiautomatic pistol, with an attached 50-round drum magazine.  Both men videotaped themselves and posted several of the recordings on social media of their brandishing the firearm (as well as other firearms) while making threatening gestures and statements. Because Blackman and Hunter both have prior felony convictions, they are prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time.

U.S. District Court Judge Wilhelmina M. Wright sentenced Blackman to 70 months in prison and Hunter to 82 months in prison. Both men were sentenced to three years of supervised release that will begin upon their release from prison.

This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Minneapolis Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Bejar prosecuted the case.

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MINNEAPOLIS – A Minneapolis man was sentenced to 60 months followed by four years of supervised release for conspiring to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats.

According to court documents, on June 1, 2019, officers with the Minneapolis Police Department seized 351 counterfeit prescription pills containing fentanyl from Fowzi Abdinasir Elmi, 20. On January 21, 2020, Elmi and two other individuals drove to Arizona with the intent of buying fentanyl pills and then returning to Minnesota to distribute them. Elmi successfully purchased the pills but was stopped by law enforcement in Oklahoma. Approximately 2,100 counterfeit prescription fentanyl pills were seized from Elmi. On September 15, 2020, Elmi, along with two other individuals, got into a single vehicle car crash. When Minneapolis police officers arrived, they found Elmi in possession of 170 counterfeit prescription fentanyl pills. Elmi admitted to purchasing the pills for $15 per pill and selling them for $30-$35 per pill.

Elmi was sentenced today by Senior U.S. District Judge Ann D. Montgomery.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Minneapolis Police Department, and the State of Oklahoma District One Narcotics Task Force.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys David P. Steinkamp and Justin A. Wesley prosecuted the case.

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St. Paul, Minn. – The Justice Department announced today that Derek Chauvin, 45, pleaded guilty in federal court to two violations of a federal civil rights statute.

First, defendant Chauvin pleaded guilty to willfully depriving, while acting under color of law, George Floyd of his constitutional rights, resulting in Mr. Floyd’s bodily injury and death. Defendant Chauvin also agreed that the appropriate sentencing base offense level for this crime is second-degree murder because he used unreasonable and excessive force that resulted in Mr. Floyd’s death, and he acted willfully and in callous and wanton disregard of the consequences to Mr. Floyd’s life.

Second, defendant Chauvin pleaded guilty to willfully depriving, while acting under color of law, a then 14-year-old juvenile of his constitutional rights, resulting in the juvenile’s bodily injury.

“Defendant Chauvin has pleaded guilty to two federal civil rights violations, one of which led to the tragic loss of George Floyd’s life,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “While recognizing that nothing can repair the harm caused by such acts, the Justice Department is committed to holding accountable those who violate the Constitution, and to safeguarding the civil rights of all Americans.”

In the plea agreement, defendant Chauvin admitted that on May 25, 2020, he willfully violated Mr. Floyd’s constitutional right to be free from an officer’s use of unreasonable force. Specifically, defendant Chauvin admitted that he held his left knee across Mr. Floyd’s neck, back and shoulder and his right knee on Mr. Floyd’s back and arm. The plea agreement states that Mr. Floyd remained restrained, prone and handcuffed on the ground for approximately 10 minutes. Defendant Chauvin further admitted that he continued to use force even though he was aware that Mr. Floyd had stopped resisting, talking and moving, and even though he was aware that Mr. Floyd had lost consciousness and a pulse. Defendant Chauvin admitted that Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) policy and training requires officers to stop using force when a subject is not resisting and to move an arrestee from the prone position into a side recovery or seated position because the prone position may make it more difficult to breathe. Defendant Chauvin admitted that his willful use of unreasonable force resulted in Mr. Floyd’s bodily injury and death because his actions impaired Mr. Floyd’s ability to obtain and maintain sufficient oxygen to sustain Mr. Floyd’s life.  

In the plea agreement, defendant Chauvin also admitted that he willfully violated Mr. Floyd’s constitutional right not to be deprived of liberty without due process of law, which includes an arrestee’s right to be free from a police officer’s deliberate indifference to his serious medical needs. Specifically, defendant Chauvin admitted that he failed to render medical aid to Mr. Floyd, although he saw that Mr. Floyd was lying on the ground, in serious medical need, and although he was aware that MPD policy required him to provide emergency medical aid, including CPR, to an arrestee who needs it. Defendant Chauvin admitted that his failure to render medical aid resulted in Mr. Floyd’s bodily injury and death.

Additionally, according to the plea agreement, defendant Chauvin admitted that on Sept. 4, 2017, he willfully violated a then 14-year-old juvenile’s constitutional right to be free from an officer’s use of unreasonable force. Specifically, defendant Chauvin admitted that he held the juvenile by the throat and struck the juvenile multiple times in the head with a flashlight, resulting in the juvenile’s bodily injury. In the plea agreement, defendant Chauvin also admitted that he held his knee on the juvenile’s neck, shoulders and upper back for between 15 and 16 minutes, even though the juvenile was face-down on the floor, handcuffed and not resisting. Defendant Chauvin admitted that these actions resulted in the juvenile’s bodily injury.

Defendant Chauvin pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Court Senior Judge Paul A. Magnuson. Defendant Chauvin will be sentenced at a hearing to be scheduled at a later date. According to the plea agreement, defendant Chauvin faces a sentence of between 20- and 25-years imprisonment. Under the terms of the plea agreement, defendant Chauvin will serve his sentence in federal custody and will not be eligible to work in any law enforcement capacity following his release.

This case was investigated by the FBI and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and is being prosecuted by Special Litigation Counsel Samantha Trepel and Trial Attorney Tara Allison of the Civil Rights Division, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Samantha Bates, LeeAnn Bell, W. Anders Folk, Evan Gilead, Manda Sertich and Allen Slaughter of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota.  

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MINNEAPOLIS – A St. Paul man was sentenced to 60 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release for illegally possessing a firearm as a felon, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats.

According to court documents, on February 5, 2019, officers with the St. Paul Police Department observed Michael Antonio Miller, 38, and his girlfriend leave a residence and drive away together in a vehicle. At the time, there was an active Domestic Abuse No Contact Order in place between Miller and his girlfriend. The officers initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle. As officers approached the driver’s side of the vehicle where the girlfriend was seated, she opened the center console and moved some papers out of the way to reveal a loaded Smith and Wesson, .40 caliber pistol. In an interview following his arrest, Miller admitted that the firearm was his. Because of his prior felony convictions in Ransey and Hennepin Counties, Miller is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition at any time.

Miller was sentenced today by Senior U.S. District Judge Michael J. Davis, Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats made the announcement after he was sentenced.

This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

This case is the result of investigations conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the St. Paul Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Samantha H. Bates and Ruth S. Shnider prosecuted the case.

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ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Minneapolis man was sentenced today to 60 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for cyberstalking, announced Acting United States Attorney Charles J. Kovats.

According to court documents, from 2014 through 2021, Jeffrey Colin Purdy, 30 harassed, intimidated, and threatened Victim A after she declined his romantic advances and asked him to stop contacting her. Specifically, on September 15, 2017, the Mankato Department of Public Safety received a complaint from an individual stating that she had been receiving harassing emails from Purdy, a former classmate from Minnesota State University, Mankato (“Mankato State”). While attending Mankato State, the victim declined repeated romantic advances from Purdy and eventually blocked Purdy from her cellular telephone and social media accounts. From August 30, 2017, through February 21, 2020, Purdy used Mankato State’s Silent Witness Report, an anonymous incident reporting tool, to make frequent and violent threats against the victim. An IP address used to make one of the Silent Witness Reports was traced back to Purdy.

Purdy pleaded guilty on August 24, 2020, to one count of cyberstalking. He was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Susan Richard Nelson.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI and the Mankato Department of Public Safety, with assistance from the Blue Earth County Attorney’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily A. Polachek prosecuted the case.

 

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Minneapolis – A Canadian man was sentenced to 68 months in prison for aiding and abetting unlawful possession of firearms, announced Acting United States Attorney Charles J. Kovats.

According to court documents, on January 10, 2021, Muzamil Aden Addow, 30, and co-defendant Dayne Adrian Sitladeen, 29, were stopped by a Minnesota State Patrol Trooper near Fergus Falls, Minnesota. The defendants were traveling between 95-100 miles per hour in a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck with Texas license plates. When the Trooper approached the vehicle, Muzamil Aden Addow, the driver, provided an Ontario, Canada, driver’s license with a false name.

According to court documents, after detecting the odor of marijuana in the vehicle and receiving suspicious and inconsistent statements from Addow and Sitladeen, the Trooper searched the vehicle. As a result of the search, law enforcement officers recovered a total of 67 firearms and numerous pistol magazines, including 15 high-capacity pistol magazines, from four bags in the truck—one pistol magazine was partially loaded with live ammunition rounds.

Addow, who pleaded guilty on July 27, 2021, to one count of aiding and abetting firearm possession by aliens unlawfully in the United States, was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Nancy E. Brasel. On December 8, 2021, his co-defendant Dayne Adrian Sitladeen was sentenced to 78 months in prison.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Minnesota State Patrol.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Samantha Bates.

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MINNEAPOLIS – Two women have been arrested and charged with one count of second-degree murder, one count of assault with a dangerous weapon, and one count of assault resulting in serious bodily injury, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Charles Kovats.

According to court documents, on August 12, 2019, Alexia Gah Gi Gay Mary Cutbank, 20, and Mia Faye Sumner, 20, while aided and abetted by others, murdered victim “D.A.J.” Additionally, Cutbank and Sumner shot and injured victim “T.B.S.”

Cutbank and Sumner both made their initial appearances today before Magistrate Judge Katherine M. Menendez. Cutbank and Sumner were ordered detained pending a formal detention hearing scheduled for 10:00 am on December 15, 2021.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Red Lake Tribal Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the FBI Headwaters Safe Trails Task Force, the Duluth Police Department, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA), and the Minnesota Department of Corrections, in collaboration with the United States Attorney’s Office Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Initiative.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Deidre Y. Aanstad is prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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St. Paul, Minn. – A Minneapolis man pleaded guilty today to a Hobbs Act robbery that resulted in the shooting death of a store clerk, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats.

According to court documents, on April 27, 2021, Marlow Ramsey Carson, 30, robbed Blue Sky Wireless and West Bend Furniture located in Minneapolis. During the robbery the defendant stuck a handgun under a barrier on the counter and demanded money from the store clerk. Carson shot the store clerk in the chest before running out of the store and entering the passenger side of his vehicle, which quickly sped away. The store clerk was transported by ambulance to the emergency room where he was later pronounced dead.

Carson plead guilty today before U.S. District Court Judge Donovan W. Frank to one count of interference with commerce by robbery and one count of possession of ammunition as a felon. Carson has prior felony convictions and is therefore prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time. Sentencing will be scheduled at a later time.  

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Minneapolis Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Harry M. Jacobs and Samantha H. Bates are prosecuting the case.

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St. Paul – The Department of Justice announced today that it has awarded more than $17.5 million in grants to support the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program. Funding will support efforts across the country to address violent crime, including the gun violence that is often at its core. The Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s Office of Justice Programs was awarded $233,742 to continue to administer PSN grant funds in Minnesota.

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), part of the department’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP), will administer the 88 grant awards, which are being made to designated fiscal agents to support local PSN projects that work in partnership with U.S. Attorneys’ Offices.

“This latest Project Safe Neighborhoods grant is critical to addressing the violent crime threatening cities and towns all across our country,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco. “Ensuring the safety of all Americans is the highest priority for the Department of Justice, but when it comes to violent crime, there is not a one-size-fits-all solution. We have to work closely with local public safety agencies as well as community organizations to craft individual strategies unique to each community’s needs. Programs like Project Safe Neighborhoods and the funding it provides allow us to do just that.”

“Communities throughout the state have been plagued by increasing levels of gun violence, particularly among teenagers and young adults. Reducing it requires a collaborative approach between law enforcement and the people we serve,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Charles Kovats. “Project Safe Neighborhood funds in the District of Minnesota will be invested in community-based efforts to address local violent crime issues throughout the state, with a special emphasis on programs aimed at providing at-risk youth and young adults with the supports and assistance necessary to prevent them from becoming involved in - or victimized by - violent crime.”

Grant funds will support violence prevention and reduction strategies that are rooted in addressing the needs of communities throughout the Twin Cities metro and in Indian Country. With approval from BJA, the Department of Public Safety’s Office of Justice Programs will begin the process of making subawards for PSN grant projects.

“Investing in our communities, supporting victims and building a justice system that both keeps people safe and earns their trust – these are mutually reinforcing goals that stand at the heart of Project Safe Neighborhoods,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Amy L. Solomon for OJP. “The Office of Justice Programs is pleased to join with our U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, and with jurisdictions across the country, as we work together to meet the challenges of crime and violence and achieve our shared aspirations of public safety and community trust.”

In May 2021, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland announced a new effort to reduce violent crime, including the gun violence that is often at its core. Integral to that effort was the reinvigoration of PSN, a two-decade old evidence-based and community-oriented program focused on reducing violent crime. The updated PSN approach, outlined in the department’s Comprehensive Strategy for Reducing Violent Crime issued by Deputy Attorney General Monaco, is guided by four key principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities and measuring the results of our efforts. The fundamental goal is to reduce violent crime, not simply to increase the number of arrests or prosecutions.

This fall, U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the country have enhanced their violent crime reduction efforts to ensure alignment with the department’s comprehensive violent crime reduction strategy. U.S. Attorneys’ Offices have engaged in outreach to law enforcement and other agencies and organizations serving communities to identify the most significant drivers of violence in their districts. Working together with a broad coalition of stakeholders, the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices are addressing the most pressing violent crime issues in their district to make our neighborhoods safer for all.

PSN Programs are led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices in collaboration with local public safety agencies, community stakeholders and other agencies and organizations that work to reduce violent crime. 

For a list of all grantees, please visit: FY21-Project-Safe-Neighborhoods-Awards.pdf (ojp.gov)

The Office of Justice Programs provides federal leadership, grants, training, technical assistance and other resources to improve the nation’s capacity to prevent and reduce crime, advance racial equity in the administration of justice, assist victims and enhance the rule of law. More information about OJP and its components can be found at  www.ojp.gov.

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ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Rochester man was sentenced to 180 months in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release for distribution of methamphetamine, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats.

According to court documents, from February 2020, through March 2020, Tyler Benjamin Batson, 36, was a part of a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in Rochester and surrounding southeastern Minnesotan communities. On March 4, 2020, a Minnesota State Trooper stopped Batson and his passenger who were traveling in a rented vehicle back to Rochester. Batson was returning from the Twin Cities area after meeting with his source of methamphetamine supply. After a canine sniff of the vehicle, officers found a small black bag on the rear passenger side floorboard. Inside the bag, the State Trooper recovered approximately two pounds of methamphetamine. Agents arrested both Batson and his passenger. On September 18, 2020, Batson pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Baston was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Donovan W. Frank

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the Minnesota State Patrol, the Rochester Police Department, the Southeast Drug and Violent Crime Task Force, and the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Allen A. Slaughter Jr.

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ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Canadian man was sentenced to 78 months for possessing a firearm as an alien unlawfully in the United States, announced Acting United States Attorney Charles J. Kovats.

According to court documents, on January 10, 2021, Dayne Adrian Sitladeen, 29, and co-defendant Muzamil Aden Addow, 29, were stopped by a Minnesota State Patrol Trooper near Fergus Falls, Minnesota. The defendants were traveling between 95-100 miles per hour in a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck with Texas license plates. When the Trooper approached the vehicle, Muzamil Aden Addow, the driver, provided an Ontario, Canada, driver’s license with a false name.

According to court documents, after detecting the odor of marijuana in the vehicle and receiving suspicious and inconsistent statements from Sitladeen, the Trooper searched the vehicle. As a result of the search, law enforcement officers recovered a total of 67 firearms and numerous magazines, including 15 high-capacity magazines, from four bags in the truck—one magazine was partially loaded with live ammunition rounds. Law enforcement later discovered a provisional federal arrest warrant from the United States Marshals Service for Sitladeen, which was based on a 2019 Canadian arrest warrant for first degree homicide, fentanyl distribution, and possession of proceeds of crime.

Sitladeen, who pleaded guilty on June 23, 2021 to one count of aiding and abetting firearm possession by aliens unlawfully in the United States, was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Nancy E. Brasel.

Co-defendant, Muzamil Aden Addow, is scheduled to be sentenced on December 14, 2021 at 10:00 am.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Minnesota State Patrol.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Samantha Bates.

 

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ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Brooklyn Park man was sentenced today to 96 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for illegal possession of a firearm.

According to court records, on March 6, 2020, Tyaireon Martez West-Porter, 24, was found to be in possession of a .40 caliber Glock 22 Gen 4 semi-automatic pistol. Because West-Porter has prior felony convictions in Hennepin County, he is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time.

Acting United States Attorney Charles Kovats made the announcement after West-Porter was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Susan Richard Nelson.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Minneapolis Police Department and the FBI.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin A. Wesley prosecuted the case.

 

 

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MINNEAPOLIS – A Minneapolis man pleaded guilty to illegal possession of an unregistered firearm announced Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats.

According to court documents, in July 2021, law enforcement officers obtained a search warrant for a Minneapolis residence associated with Nicholas Robert Briski-Smith, 25, who had “probable cause pickup” warrants for two recent alleged felony assaults, one of which involved a shooting, and multiple outstanding warrants. While conducting surveillance in preparation for the execution of the search warrant, officers observed Briski-Smith exit his residence and drive away in a vehicle. Officers followed Briski-Smith to a nearby corner store where they took him into custody. Following the arrest, officers recovered a loaded Stevens Arms 12-gauge short-barreled shotgun that was concealed and affixed to Briski-Smith's chest. The short-barreled shotgun was modified with a cut stock and barrel, both covered with electrical tape.  During the search of Briski-Smith’s residence, officers located a Marlin, semiautomatic, .22-caliber rifle, an empty magazine for a semiautomatic firearm, a .45-caliber muzzle loader, and 17 rounds of various ammunition. 

Briski-Smith pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Nancy E. Brasel to one count of unlawfully possessing an unregistered firearm. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled for a later date.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Minneapolis Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Bejar is prosecuting the case.

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MINNEAPOLIS – Acting United States Attorney Charles J. Kovats today announced the recipients of the third annual U.S. Attorney’s Office “Excellence in the Pursuit of Justice” Awards. Law enforcement officials from five agencies are being honored for their outstanding work and exceptional contributions in the pursuit of truth and justice.

“I am honored to present the “Excellence in the Pursuit of Justice” awards in recognition of the exceptional work, courage, and character demonstrated by these professionals. As we continue to navigate through unprecedented challenges of this past year, these partners remain unwavering in their dedication to the pursuit of justice,” said Acting United States Attorney Charles J. Kovats. “On behalf of the entire office, I extend my sincere gratitude and commendation on a job well done.”

The honorees at today’s virtual ceremony are members of the following agencies:

• U.S. Department of Agriculture – Office of the Inspector General
• Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) – St. Paul Field Division
• Chisago County Sheriff’s Office
• Federal Bureau of Investigation
• U.S. Food and Drug Administration - Office of Criminal Investigations

MINNEAPOLIS – A Bois Forte man was sentenced today to 30 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release for violently assaulting a man on the Bois Forte Reservation.

According to court documents, on May 31, 2020, Marshall Wayne Boshey, 20, assaulted a man outside of the defendant’s residence by repeatedly hitting him with a baseball bat on the top of his head and across his upper body. Boshey also cut the man with a small pocket knife. The victim was hospitalized for his injuries and required 11 staples to his scalp, 20 sutures on his left ear, 3 sutures on his left elbow, and 6 sutures on his left hand.

On July 9, 2021, Boshey pleaded guilty to one count of assault with a dangerous weapon.

Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Patrick J. Schiltz sentenced the defendant.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chelsea A. Walcker and Deidre Y. Aanstad.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Pequot Lakes felon has pleaded guilty to illegally possessing firearms, ammunition, and over 400 grams of methamphetamine, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats.

According to court documents, in the spring of 2019, the FBI learned that Nicholas Ronald Wynn, 35, was purchasing large quantities of firearms parts and accessories, body armor and other tactical gear, and chemicals and lab equipment used to manufacture narcotics, explosives, and firearms. On May 9, 2019, a team of law enforcement agents executed a search warrant at Wynn’s residence and discovered numerous parts and tools designed for building semiautomatic rifles and handguns; firearms accessories, multiple high-capacity magazines; several boxes of ammunition; and tactical gear, including a bullet-proof vest, ballistic plates, a bullet-proof helmet, and a bullet-proof facemask. The agents also located large amounts of methamphetamine and cocaine, packaging materials for selling drugs, recipes and chemicals for manufacturing methamphetamine, and more than 400 grams of methamphetamine. Wynn admitted at the sentencing hearing that he possessed the methamphetamine with the intent to distribute it.

According to court documents, after agents took Wynn into custody, he admitted that he had multiple firearms and ammunition stored in an off-site storage unit in Brainerd. Agents obtained a warrant for the storage facility and recovered five firearms, including semiautomatic handguns and an assault rifle, and multiple boxes and magazines of ammunition. Agents also searched Wynn’s rental property in Brainerd, which was occupied by renters. The renters advised the agents that they had been renting the house for approximately 10 months but did not have access to the garage. The renters indicated that Wynn accessed the garage multiple times a week, typically in the middle of the night, and had observed Wynn loading and unloading boxes to and from his truck into the garage. Agents executed a search warrant on the garage and recovered two segments of PVC pipe, capped on both ends in the manner used to make pipe bombs.

Because Wynn has multiple prior felony convictions in Crow Wing County, he is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time.

Wynn, who was scheduled to go to trial on December 1, 2021, pleaded guilty earlier today before U.S. District Judge Wilhelmina M. Wright to one count of possessing a firearm as a felon, one count of possessing ammunition as a felon, and one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled for a later date.

This case is the result of investigations conducted by the FBI and the Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Timothy C. Rank and Emily A. Polachek are prosecuting the case.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Minneapolis man was sentenced today to 70 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for possessing a firearm as a felon.

According to court documents, on March 2, 2021, Minneapolis police officers, who had a warrant for Theoplus Richmond, 34, conducted a traffic stop on Richmond’s vehicle. Officers recovered from the vehicle a loaded Glock model 19, pistol from a bag in the trunk of the vehicle. The firearm had been converted from a semiautomatic pistol into a fully automatic firearm with a device commonly referred to as a “glock switch,” or an “auto-sear.”

On July 20, 2021, Richmond pleaded guilty to one count of possessing a firearm as a felon. Because he has prior felony convictions in Hennepin County and Washington County (Mississippi), Richmond is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time.

Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Eric C. Tostrud sentenced the defendant.

This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Minneapolis Police Department.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Samantha H. Bates and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey S. Paulsen.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Minneapolis man was sentenced today to 42 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for possessing ammunition as a felon during a shooting at a Minneapolis gas station.

According to court documents, on August 5, 2019, Minneapolis police officers responded to a shots-fired call at a gas station near Lowry Avenue and Logan Avenue North in Minneapolis. Upon arrival, officers found 11 discharged cartridge casings on the street in front of the gas station. Video surveillance footage showed Cortez Lamon Shipp, 40, interacting with codefendant Johnnie Lamar Haynes, 33, outside the gas station following a prior confrontation Haynes had with two other men. Minutes later, the two other men involved in the confrontation circled the block in their vehicle and returned to the gas station. The footage showed Shipp pass an object to Haynes just before Haynes began shooting at the vehicle as it drove off. A nearby business was in the line of Haynes’s gunfire and was struck by multiple rounds. Surveillance video footage from the business captured the bullets entering the building, causing employees to duck and take shelter.

On January 8, 2020, Shipp pleaded guilty to one count of possessing ammunition as a felon. Because he has prior felony convictions in Hennepin County, Shipp is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time. On August 3, 2021, a federal jury convicted Haynes of possessing a firearm and ammunition as a felon. Haynes is scheduled to be sentenced on January 28, 2022.

Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Wilhelmina M. Wright sentenced the defendant.

This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Minneapolis Police Department.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Calhoun-Lopez.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Becker man was sentenced to pay $1,403,578.40 in restitution, serve three years’ probation, and 150 hours of community service for converting collateral that secured loans from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

According to court documents, in 2017 and 2018, Robert Waldon John Anderson, 67, used false and fraudulent statements to obtain five Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) loans through a federal farm loan program administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). As part of the loan terms, Anderson pledged to maintain bushels of corn as collateral, agreeing not to move or dispose of them without prior approval of the CCC.

According to court documents, in late 2018, the FSA conducted a spot check and discovered that the bins of corn Anderson pledged as collateral for three of the loans were almost empty. Anderson had sold the corn under a family member’s name to avoid detection by the CCC. The FSA also learned that Anderson orchestrated two fraudulent loans in the names of family members for which collateral grain never actually existed. In total, Anderson defrauded the USDA of $1,425,718.36.

On May 6, 2021, Anderson pleaded guilty to one count of conversion of CCC security.

Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Nancy E. Brasel sentenced the defendant.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Office of Inspector General.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah E. Hudleston.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Texas doctor was sentenced to two years in prison and ordered to pay $857,127.24 in restitution for failing to pay income taxes for 10 years.

According to court documents, Mark B. Reimer, 69, is a physician who operated his own medical practice in Texas from 2003 through 2007 and then, from 2007 through 2015, worked as a physician for a private employer in Minnesota. From 2003 through 2012, Reimer earned an annual salary of more than $440,000. Reimer and his wife, Ana C. Reimer, 69, filed joint tax returns admitting that he had earned more than $4.3 million during that 10-year period, and that he owed more than $1.2 million in federal income taxes. In addition, Reimer owed a $20,000 personal penalty because he had failed to pay employment taxes arising out of his Texas medical practice between 2005 and 2007.

According to court documents, despite having the ability to pay them in full, Mark and Ana Reimer willfully evaded the payment of their tax liabilities. The defendants withdrew more than $337,000 in cash from bank accounts they controlled for the express purpose of preventing the IRS from collecting it. Instead of paying their tax liabilities, Mark and Ana Reimer transferred more than $353,000 to their four adult children and spent more than $251,000 on airline, furniture, and other retail purchases. In 2013 and again in 2015, the defendants jointly filed for bankruptcy for the sole purpose of evading the IRS. During the bankruptcy proceedings, the defendants falsely testified under oath that they had made no monetary transfers or gifts to their children prior to filing for bankruptcy, when, in fact, they had.

On January 13, 2021, the defendants each pleaded guilty to one count of tax evasion. Mark Reimer was sentenced to 24 months in prison, followed by one year of supervised release. Ana Reimer was sentenced to 24 months of probation. The defendants were jointly ordered to pay $857,127.24 in restitution.

Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge Paul A. Magnuson sentenced the defendant.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the IRS Criminal Investigation Division.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. MacLaughlin.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Chisago County man was sentenced today to 175 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for unlawfully possessing a firearm as a felon and for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

According to court documents, on July 12, 2020, Derrick Russell Hoff, 36, was involved in a road rage incident. Hoff, who was driving a pickup truck, ran another vehicle off the road, fired multiple shots at the two occupants, and rammed the vehicle on the side of the road before abandoning his pickup truck on a nearby residential driveway. Chisago County Sheriff’s deputies recovered from Hoff’s abandoned pickup truck spent shell casings and live ammunition, a loaded 9mm magazine, four plastic gallon-size bags containing over 167 grams of actual methamphetamine in crystal shard form, digital scales, baggies, and other drug-sale paraphernalia. Near the truck, buried by some trees, deputies later found a 9mm semiautomatic firearm, loaded with 11 rounds matching those found inside Hoff’s truck.

On June 17, 2021, Hoff pleaded guilty to one count of possessing a firearm as a felon and one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Because he has prior felony convictions in Anoka, Chisago, and Isanti Counties, Hoff is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time.

Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson sentenced the defendant.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Chisago County Sheriff’s Office.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Bejar.

MINNEAPOLIS – An Eden Prairie man has been arrested and charged for fraudulently applying for more than $2.1 million in COVID-19 relief funds, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats.

According to court documents, Harold Bennie Kaeding, 72, applied for at least $2,182,625 in loans through the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Program between April and December 2020. Kaeding used the name of close family members to submit the loan applications in the name of four Minnesota entities, Harbor Holdings Corporation; Harbor Corp; AutoPay Inc.; and Voyager Shipping Company. These entities filed no tax returns and did not report the payment of wages to a single employee for calendar years 2019 and 2020. Kaeding submitted false and fraudulent applications to various lenders that included fabricated supporting records, false statements about the number of employees and the amount of payroll expenses, and false statements about the intended use of the loan proceeds. As a result of his material falsehoods and omissions, Kaeding received approximately $658,490 in fraud proceeds, which he transferred to bank accounts that he controlled and for his personal use, including home mortgage payments and wire transfers to family and friends. Kaeding then fled to Colombia in an apparent attempt to evade prosecution.

Kaeding is charged with one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. Kaeding was deported from Colombia on November 12, 2021, and ultimately arrested on November 14, 2021 in Miami, Florida. He made his initial appearance today before Magistrate Judge Alicia Otazo-Reyes in U.S. District Court in the Southern District of Florida.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI and IRS.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jordan L. Sing is prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A federal criminal complaint has been filed against a Chinese national living in Los Angeles for harassing and cyberstalking a Minnesota college student, announced Acting United States Attorney Charles J. Kovats.

According to court documents, since January 4, 2020, continuing through the present, Ki Cheung Yau, 27, created multiple online accounts on various websites, including social media platforms, dating websites, and pornography websites, using the name, photos, and personally identifying information of the victim. Yau, posing as the victim, used the accounts to communicate with others, seek sexual relationships, and advertise invitations for violent sexual encounters.

According to court documents, on two separate occasions in January 2021, a man went to the victim’s residence and asked for the victim by name, presumably because he believed he was meeting the victim for a sexual encounter. In February 2021, the victim discovered that multiple social media profiles had been created using her name and her likeness, including accounts on Instagram, Facebook, and other dating, and sexually-focused websites. As a result of Yau’s stalking and harassment, the victim has received numerous contacts from men she does not know and has been forced to move to a new residence and change her phone number.

Yau has been charged by complaint in the District of Minnesota with one count of cyberstalking. Yau made his initial appearance yesterday afternoon before Magistrate Judge Gail J. Standish in the Central District of California, who ordered that Yau be detained and removed to Minnesota, where he will make his initial appearance at a later date.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI and the St. Paul Police Department.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Hillary A. Taylor is prosecuting the case.

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Minneapolis man pleaded guilty to multiple armed robberies, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats.

According to court documents, on February 4, 2018, Richard Alonzo Woods, 38, and two accomplices entered Project SoZo, an apparel store in Minneapolis, wielding guns and threatening customers and employees. Woods and his accomplices stole jewelry, money, and cell phones from the customers, and approximately $600 in cash from the register and other store merchandise, including $1,900 Nike Air Jordan shoes.

According to court documents, on February 22, 2018, Woods and two accomplices entered Lake Area Bank in White Bear Lake brandishing guns and demanding money from the tellers. Surveillance video footage from the bank showed Woods jump over a counter and take cash from the teller’s drawer. Woods and his accomplices stole approximately $9,816 in cash from the bank.

According to court documents, on May 4, 2018, Woods and an accomplice entered Bremer Bank in Brooklyn Center brandishing guns and demanding money from the tellers. A third accomplice was waiting in a getaway car. Woods and his accomplices stole approximately $88,618 in cash from the bank.

Woods pleaded guilty yesterday before U.S. District Judge Wilhelmina M. Wright to one count of interference with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act), two counts of armed bank robbery, two counts of carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, and one count of conspiracy to commit armed bank robbery. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later time.

This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

This case is the result of investigations conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the United States Marshals Service, the Minneapolis Police Department, the White Bear Lake Police Department, and the Brooklyn Center Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Samantha H. Bates and former Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk prosecuted the case.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Ham Lake man pleaded guilty to illegally possessing multiple firearms and possession with intent to distribute cocaine, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats.

According to court documents, on September 13, 2019, officers with the St. Paul Police Department executed a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by Steven Michael Lincoln, 34. After observing a large bag of marijuana on the front passenger seat, officers asked Lincoln to exit the vehicle. Officers searched the vehicle and recovered a small baggie containing cocaine, a loaded Ruger .380-caliber pistol, a loaded Kimber .45-caliber pistol, multiple sandwich bags of prepackaged marijuana, a digital scale, $986 in cash, 10 vials containing varying amounts of cocaine, and two additional baggies of cocaine each containing about 3.5 grams.

According to court documents, on January 4, 2020, officers with the St. Paul Police Department observed Lincoln asleep in the driver’s seat of a pickup truck parked in an alleyway. After asking Lincoln to exit the vehicle, officers located under the driver’s seat a loaded Brugger and Thomet, TP9 9mm firearm, with a sling, an attached vertical foregrip, a red-dot attached sight, an inserted 30-round magazine, and one round in the chamber. A further search of the vehicle revealed a bulletproof vest, three Glock 9mm magazines, two loaded TP9 high-capacity magazines, 18 rounds of loose 9mm ammunition, and a .40-caliber barrel for a Glock 23.

Because he has prior felony convictions in Ramsey County, Lincoln is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time.

Lincoln pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Wilhelmina M. Wright to possessing a firearm as a felon, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, and possession of an unregistered firearm. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later time.

This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

This case is the result of investigations conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the St. Paul Police Department, and the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Benjamin Bejar and Chelsea A. Walcker are prosecuting the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – Charles J. Kovats has been named as the Acting United States Attorney for the District of Minnesota following the departure of former Acting United States Attorney W. Anders Folk. Mr. Kovats previously served as the office’s Criminal Division Chief since 2018.

Acting United States Attorney Kovats has served the citizens of the District of Minnesota as a prosecutor since 2010 when he joined the United States Attorney’s Office as the National Security Section Chief. In 2012, Mr. Kovats was selected by former Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta to serve on the Defense Legal Policy Board in Washington, D.C., which was tasked with reviewing the application of military justice in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Prior to moving to the District of Minnesota, Mr. Kovats served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Central District of California from 2005 until 2010.

A veteran, Mr. Kovats served for seven years in the United States Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps. Mr. Kovats received his B.A. from Santa Clara University in 1992 and, in 1996, earned his law degree from the University of San Francisco School of Law.

Former Acting United States Attorney W. Anders Folk stepped down to take a position with the Office of the Deputy Attorney General, in Washington D.C.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A St. Louis County man was sentenced today to 192 months in prison followed by twenty years of supervised release for distribution of child pornography.

According to court documents, Michael Patrick Bushey, 32, admitted to the September 20, 2015 distribution of child sexual abuse images. Bushey further admitted that more than 3,900 images and at least 16 videos depicting children engaged in sexually explicit conduct, including images of prepubescent minors under the age of 12, were discovered in the cell phone and accounts he possessed.]

Bushey has previous State of Minnesota child pornography convictions and was on probation for those convictions when he committed the distribution offense.  He served 33 months for violation of probation on those convictions before being taken into federal custody.  Bushey pleaded guilty on June 14, 2021, to one count of distribution of child pornography.

Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk for the District of Minnesota made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Eric C. Tostrud sentenced the defendant.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Manda M. Sertich.

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ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Red Lake man pleaded guilty today to assault resulting in substantial bodily injury, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.

According to court documents, Chad Joseph Sumner, Sr., 42, admitted to assaulting victim “Jane Doe,” at her home on June 30, 2019. As a result of the assault, Jane Doe had a laceration above her right eye and blood on her shirt.

Sumner pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Eric C. Tostrud to one count of assault resulting in substantial bodily injury. A sentencing date has not been set.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Red Lake Department of Public Safety and the FBI.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Deidre Y. Aanstad is prosecuting the case.

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Minneapolis, Minn. – A federal grand jury returned an indictment against a Maplewood man for illegally possessing a firearm, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.

According to court documents, on October 12, 2021, Metro Transit Police Officers were dispatched to a report of a vehicle stuck on the light rail tracks in St. Paul. At the scene they found Deandre Lenier Neal-Hill, 34, unresponsive in the driver’s seat of a maroon Chevrolet Malibu. The vehicle, with the engine still reviving, had a flat tire and was stuck in the tracks.  Officers extracted an unresponsive Neal-Hill from the vehicle and began preforming life-saving measures until the paramedics arrived and took him to a hospital.

According to court documents, as officers extracted Neal-Hill from the vehicle, officers observed a black handgun on the floorboard on the driver’s side of the vehicle, which was later determined to be an FNH USA model 503 9mm semiautomatic pistol. The pistol had a round chambered, and carried a loaded magazine.

Because Neal-Hill has prior felony convictions, including convictions of drive-by shooting, assault, and drug sale, he is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time.

This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the ATF, the St. Paul Police Department, and the Metro Transit Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew S. Ebert and Thomas Calhoun-Lopez are prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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ST. PAUL, Minn. – Three men have been sentenced to prison for their roles in a methamphetamine distribution ring in greater Minnesota.

According to court documents, From May 2020 through September 2020, Aaron Michael Stenquist, 50, of Isanti, Gerald Allen Jensen, 58, of Brook Park, and Juan Jose Paniagua, 25, of West Covina, California, and others conspired together to sell methamphetamine in the Twin Cities as well as Pine and Kanabec Counties.

Over the summer of 2020, members of the East Central Drug and Violent Offenders Task Force (ECDVOTF) began developing information that Jensen was selling large amounts of methamphetamine out of his Brook Park residence. On July 29, 2020, Stenquist was stopped by a Minnesota State Trooper near East Bethel. During a subsequent search of Stenquist’s vehicle, the Trooper found approximately 355 grams of methamphetamine, which he had purchased from Jensen. On September 16, 2020, ECDVOTF agents searched Jensen’s home and seized approximately 3.5 kilograms of methamphetamine hidden inside PVC pipes. On September 18, 2020, Paniagua along with alleged co-conspirator Miguel Eduardo Del Real, 26, arranged for a methamphetamine delivery from the Twin Cities to Jensen at the Grand Casino in Hinkley. The attempted delivery was brought by co-defendant Ivan Lopez, 26, and was intercepted by ECDVOTF agents. The agents arrested Lopez at the scene. Paniagua and Del Real fled the scene. After a 90-minute manhunt involving police canine and thermal imaging, law enforcement found Paniagua and arrested him. Agents separately recovered approximately seven kilograms of methamphetamine in vacuum sealed bags from within the trunk of Lopez’s vehicle.

Defendants Lopez, Stenquist, Jensen, and Paniagua each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Stenquist was sentenced yesterday to 120 months in prison, Jensen was sentenced on July 14, 2021, to 112 months in prison, and Paniagua was sentenced on October 8, 2021, to 80 months in prison. Lopez is awaiting sentencing. On November 2, 2021, alleged co-conspirator Del Real was arrested in San Diego, California, pursuant to a federal warrant.

Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk for the District of Minnesota made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge Donovan W. Frank sentenced the defendants.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the FBI, the East Central Drug and Violent Offender Task Force, the Kanabec County Sheriff’s Office, the Pine County Sheriff’s Office, the St. Paul Police Department, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and the Minnesota State Patrol.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Allen A. Slaughter.

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ST. PAUL, Minn. – A federal criminal complaint has been filed against a Mexican national after TSA agents at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport found firearms and methamphetamine in his luggage, announced Acting United States Attorney W. Anders Folk.

According to court documents, on October 29, 2021, Kevin Alan Aguilar-Moreno, 20, attempted to board a Delta Airlines flight from Minneapolis to Phoenix, checking two suitcases prior to boarding. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screening determined that Aguilar-Moreno’s luggage contained approximately one kilogram of methamphetamine; a FN, Model 509 9x19 pistol; a Rock Island Armory, 1911 A1-FS pistol; an AR-15 type firearm with no serial number; and 241 rounds of .223 ammunition, of which 39 were armor piercing ammunition. Law enforcement determined that the AR-15 type firearm is a privately made firearm (PMF). These firearms are commonly known as “ghost guns” because they do not have serial numbers, which makes them difficult for law enforcement to trace.

Aguilar-Moreno is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and one count of possessing firearms while illegally present in the United States. Aguilar-Moreno made his initial appearance earlier today before Magistrate Judge Becky R. Thorson in U.S. District Court.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations, Transportation Security Administration, the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew S. Dunne is prosecuting the case.

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A former Minneapolis police officer was found guilty of stealing controlled substances and violating individuals’ civil rights through unconstitutional searches and seizures, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.

Following a nine-day trial before Senior U.S. District Judge Donovan W. Frank, Ty Raymond Jindra, 29, was convicted of three counts of acquiring a controlled substance by deception and two counts of deprivation of rights under color of law.

“Ty Jindra failed to uphold his oath as a peace officer, he failed the community he was sworn to serve, and he failed his fellow officers” said Acting United States Attorney W. Anders Folk. “This office and our law enforcement partners will not tolerate corruption and blatant abuse of authority. I am grateful to the Minneapolis Police Department for rooting out Jindra’s wrongdoing and notifying the FBI.”

“The cornerstone of the public’s trust in law enforcement relies on the expectation that each person who takes the oath to protect and serve the public will do so with integrity. Today, former Officer Jindra was convicted of violating that trust,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Michael Paul. “I’m proud of our entire investigative team of agents and analysts that worked collaboratively with the Minneapolis Police Department after it brought forth concerns regarding the former officer’s conduct. They exemplify our commitment to ensure all public servants are worthy of the public’s trust and confidence.”

As proven at trial, from September 2017 through October 2019, Jindra, a former police officer with the Minneapolis Police Department (“MPD”), abused his position in order to obtain controlled substances including methamphetamine, oxycodone, fentanyl, tramadol, and other drugs by deception and by conducting unconstitutional searches and seizures.

As part of his scheme, Jindra diverted controlled substances for his own purposes by various means in the course of his duties as a MPD officer. Jindra diverted controlled substances by not reporting, logging, placing into evidence, or informing his partner or other officers on scene about the controlled substances that he had confiscated. On some occasions, Jindra would find ways to interact with or search an individual, vehicle, or residence so that he could surreptitiously recover controlled substances without his partner’s knowledge. At times, Jindra conducted searches beyond the scope warranted under the circumstances in attempt to recover controlled substances.

Jindra faces a maximum sentence of up to four years in prison on each count of acquiring a controlled substance and a maximum of one year in prison on each civil rights count. A sentencing date has yet to be scheduled.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, with substantial assistance from the Minneapolis Police Department.

This case was tried by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amber M. Brennan and Michelle E. Jones.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Detroit Lakes man pleaded guilty to armed robbery of a convenience store on the White Earth Indian Reservation, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.

According to court documents, on November 11, 2020, Levi Brandin Jerome, 33, entered a convenience store located on the White Earth Indian Reservation carrying an American Tactical Imports, Omni Hybrid, multi-caliber rifle. Jerome pointed the rifle at the store clerk and demanded she open the cash register. Jerome stole approximately $2,250 in cash from the register and from a drawer next to the register before fleeing the store.

Jerome pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Nancy E. Brasel to one count of robbery. A sentencing date has not been set.

This case is the result of investigations conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the FBI Headwaters Safe Trails Task Force, the White Earth Police Department, the Becker County Sheriff’s Office, the Paul Bunyan Drug Task Force, and the Devils Lake (North Dakota) Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander D. Chiquoine is prosecuting the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – A St. Paul man was sentenced today to 180 months in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release for his role in a multi-drug trafficking conspiracy.

According to court documents, Buster Travoire Gaston, 45, participated in a drug distribution conspiracy. On June 12, 2019, Gaston and his co-conspirator were traveling back to Minnesota driving a rental car that was loaded with drugs. A Minnesota State Trooper stopped them and searched the vehicle. The search yielded four kilograms of methamphetamine, one kilogram of heroin, one kilogram of cocaine, four boxes of marijuana edibles, three vacuum-sealed bags of THC wax containers, three bags of marijuana bud, and nine mason jars containing a liquid PCP mixture.

Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk for the District of Minnesota made the announcement after Chief U.S. District Judge John R. Tunheim sentenced the defendant.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office, the Ramsey County Violent Crime Enforcement Team, and the Minnesota State Patrol.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Allen A. Slaughter and Lauren O. Roso.

MINNEAPOLIS – A federal jury convicted a Minneapolis man for possessing a firearm as a felon, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.

Following a four-day trial before Judge Nancy E. Brasel, Gregory Lynn McCoy, 60, was convicted on one count of possessing a firearm as a felon. Due to his multiple prior felony convictions, McCoy qualifies for an increased penalty under the Armed Career Criminal Act. He faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 15 years in federal prison.

According to the evidence presented at trial, on October 23, 2019, the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant on McCoy’s Dodge Durango and found an MC 1911 .45 caliber semiautomatic pistol in the center console. The vehicle was registered to McCoy and McCoy’s DNA was found on one of the three magazines found adjacent to the gun. Law enforcement also found a box of MagTech .45 caliber ammunition in McCoy’s residence. Because McCoy has multiple prior felony convictions, he is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office.

This case was tried by Assistant U.S. Attorneys David J. MacLaughlin and Joseph S. Teirab.

MINNEAPOLIS – A St. Paul man pleaded guilty to illegally possessing a firearm as a felon, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.

According to court documents, on February 5, 2019, officers with the St. Paul Police Department observed Michael Antonio Miller, 38, and his girlfriend leave a residence and drive away together in a vehicle. At the time, there was an active Domestic Abuse No Contact Order in place between Miller and his girlfriend. The officers initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle. As officers approached the driver’s side of the vehicle where the girlfriend was seated, she opened the center console and moved some papers out of the way to reveal a loaded Smith and Wesson, .40 caliber pistol. In an interview following his arrest, Miller admitted that the firearm was his. Because of his prior felony convictions in Ramsey and Hennepin Counties, Miller is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition at any time.

Miller pleaded guilty yesterday before Senior U.S. District Judge Michael J. Davis to one count of possessing a firearm as a felon. A sentencing hearing has been set for December 14, 2021.

This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

This case is the result of investigations conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the St. Paul Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Samantha H. Bates and Ruth S. Shnider are prosecuting the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – RehabAuthority, LLC, a physical therapy company with operations in Minnesota, has agreed to pay $4 million to resolve allegations that it submitted false claims for payment for outpatient physical therapy services in violation of the False Claims Act.

The settlement resolves allegations that, from January 1, 2014, to December 31, 2018, RehabAuthority clinics submitted or caused to be submitted false claims for payment to the government for outpatient physical therapy. The clinics, located in Minnesota, North Dakota, Idaho, and Wyoming, improperly billed Medicare Part B, Minnesota Medicaid, TRICARE, and the Veterans Health Administration for one-on-one outpatient physical therapy, including therapeutic exercises, manual therapy, ultrasounds, therapeutic activities, and gait training. The resolution centered on allegations that the company billed the government for direct, one-one-one care with physical therapists, but did not provide it when it overbooked government beneficiaries for certain outpatient physical therapy services.

The civil settlement includes the resolution of claims brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act against RehabAuthority. Under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of the recovery. The qui tam case is captioned United States and the State of Minnesota ex rel. Cami Lane v. RehabAuthority, LLC, et al., No. 17-cv-5103 (DWF/ECW). 

The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota, the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Defense Health Agency, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the Office of the Minnesota Attorney General, and the Minnesota Department of Human Services.

Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk of the District of Minnesota made the announcement.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ann M. Bildtsen handled the matter.

The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Golden Valley man has been arrested and charged with receiving and distributing child pornography, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.

According to court documents, in January 2021, John Scott Enderlein, 59, knowingly downloaded and distributed multiple video files depicting graphic child sexual abuse. Prior to these alleged offenses, in December 1995, Enderlein was convicted in Hennepin County of second degree criminal sexual conduct and was required to register as a sex offender.

Enderlein, who was arrested this morning by the FBI, made his initial appearance today in U.S. District Court before Magistrate Judge Becky R. Thorson. Enderlein is charged with five counts of receipt of child pornography and one count of distribution of child pornography.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Evan B. Gilead is prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Maria Candelaria Zambrano Zavala, 27, and Humberto Rangel-Torres, 51, were sentenced to 144 months and 72 months in prison, respectively, for sex trafficking a minor out of a Bloomington hotel.

According to court documents, beginning in March 2019 through May 2019, Zambrano Zavala began transporting and providing a minor for commercial sex to Rangel-Torres, who was at the time a construction worker residing at a hotel in Bloomington. On multiple occasions, Rangel-Torres arranged for commercial sex acts through Zambrano Zavala and paid Zambrano Zavala or the minor in cash for each commercial sex act.

“These defendants knowingly engaged in the sexual exploitation of a child for their own selfish gains,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Anders Folk. “Criminals who victimize and abuse children in this way will be investigated, prosecuted, and imprisoned.”

In April 2021, Zambrano Zavala pleaded guilty to one count of sex trafficking of a minor, and Rangel-Torres pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a minor. In addition to the prison time, U.S. District Judge Eric C. Tostrud also sentenced Zambrano Zavala to 10 years of supervised release and Rangel-Torres to five years of supervised release.

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 U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by HSI and the Bloomington Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Manda M. Sertich and Evan B. Gilead prosecuted the case.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A federal grand jury returned an indictment against a St. Paul man for receiving and possessing child pornography, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.

According to court documents, on January 4, 2020, Drayton Dean Wilson, 28, downloaded an image containing depictions of child sexual abuse. On June 1, 2020, and October 15, 2020, Wilson was found in possession of multiple digital files containing depictions of child sexual abuse. On February 2, 2010, prior to these allegations, Wilson was convicted in Cass County of second degree criminal sexual conduct and was required to register as a sex offender.

Wilson is charged with one count of receipt of child pornography and two counts of possession of child pornography.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Evan B. Gilead is prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

MINNEAPOLIS – The Justice Department today announced that it has obtained a consent decree with Reese Pfeiffer and several other defendants to resolve allegations that Pfeiffer violated the Fair Housing Act (FHA) by subjecting 23 women to severe and repeated sexual harassment and retaliation at residential properties defendants own or manage in and around Minneapolis.

Under the consent decree, the defendants must pay a total of $736,000 in compensation to 23 victims of the alleged sexual harassment and retaliation, and a $14,000 civil penalty to the United States. Additionally, the consent decree permanently bars Reese Pfeiffer from property management and requires the retention of an independent property manager approved by the Department of Justice at specified Twin Cities properties. The defendants must also undergo education and training on the FHA, with specific emphasis on discrimination on the basis of sex and sexual harassment.

The defendants are property managers/owners Reese Pfeiffer, Jeanne Pfeiffer, Michael Fruen and Jeremy Martineau and business entities Fruen & Pfeiffer LLP (F&P) and M. Fruen Properties (MFP).

The consent decree, entered today by the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota, resolves a lawsuit that the department filed in Sept. 2020, as well as a related private lawsuit brought by Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid on behalf of three women who were subjected to Pfeiffer’s alleged sexual harassment.

“All people deserve to feel safe in their homes,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Sexual harassment in housing deprives individuals of that security. The Justice Department will not tolerate landlords who abuse their power by sexually harassing their tenants and will continue to work resolutely to hold such persons accountable and obtain relief for their victims.”

“The sexual harassment and discrimination of female tenants is unacceptable and a violation of federal law,” said Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk for the District of Minnesota. “This resolution helps restore the public safety of these female tenants. No one should be subjected to an environment of harassment, discrimination, and retaliation, especially in their own homes.”

The United States’ lawsuit alleged that Reese Pfeiffer, property manager for numerous rental properties in Minneapolis and surrounding suburbs, subjected multiple female tenants and prospective tenants to sexual harassment. The complaint alleged that Reese Pfeiffer commented on female tenants’ looks and body parts, engaged in unwelcome touching, asked personal questions about their relationship status, made unwelcome sexual advances, discussed sexual topics without consent, entered their homes under the pretense of collecting rent to solicit sexual favors, and offered them rental benefits, such as excusing late or unpaid rent, in exchange for sexual favors. The complaint further alleged that Reese Pfeiffer’s co-defendants are vicariously liable for Pfeiffer’s discriminatory conduct because he acted as their agent when he sexually harassed tenants at properties in which they had an ownership interest.

This case is handled by the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota with the assistance of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General.

The Justice Department’s Sexual Harassment in Housing Initiative is led by the Civil Rights Division, in coordination with U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the country. The goal of the initiative is to address and raise awareness about sexual harassment by landlords, property managers, maintenance workers, loan officers, or other people who have control over housing. Since launching the Initiative in October 2017, the Department of Justice has filed 23 lawsuits alleging sexual harassment in housing and recovered over $4.8 million for victims of such harassment.

If you think you are a victim of sexual harassment by a landlord, or other forms of housing discrimination, you may contact the Justice Department by submitting a report online or contact the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota at (612) 664-5600.

Reports also may be made by contacting the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development at 1-800-669-9777 or by filing a complaint online.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Red Lake man pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a child over the course of several years, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.

According to court documents, between August 2014 and August 2020, Kory Paul Lussier, 25, knowingly and repeatedly engaged in sexual contact with a minor female who was between seven and thirteen years old at the time.

Lussier pleaded guilty yesterday before Senior U.S. District Judge Paul A. Magnuson to one count of abusive sexual contact with a child. A sentencing date has not been set.

This case is the result of investigations conducted by the Red Lake Department of Public Safety and the FBI Headwaters Safe Trails Task Force.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander D. Chiquoine is prosecuting the case.

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ST. PAUL, Minn. – A St. Paul man was sentenced today to 110 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for possessing firearms as a felon and for possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.

According to court documents, on March 22, 2021, officers with the Eagan Police Department attempted to conduct a traffic stop and arrest Joshua Cameron Hanes, 32, on an outstanding felony warrant. Hanes, driving a rented Jeep Compass, tried to flee from officers and smashed into one of the squad cars. After several minutes of disregarding officers’ verbal commands, Hanes eventually exited his vehicle and was taken into custody.  

According to court documents, officers searched the Jeep Compass and recovered two bags of methamphetamine weighing a total of 198 grams, and a loaded Springfield Armory, 9mm semiautomatic handgun that had been reported stolen in Hudson, Wisconsin. As part of his plea, Hanes also admitted to possessing a 9mm semiautomatic pistol with a high-capacity magazine. On September 14, 2021, Hanes pleaded guilty to one count of possessing a firearm as a felon and one count of possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.

Because he has prior felony convictions, Hanes is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time.

Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk for the District of Minnesota made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge Donovan W. Frank sentenced the defendant.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Eagan Police Department, and the St. Paul Police Department.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David P. Steinkamp.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Minneapolis man pleaded guilty today to impersonating a federal officer, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.

According to court documents, on July 24, 2017, Bernard Holmes, 66, pretended to be a Special Agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Holmes spoofed his telephone number to make it appear that he was calling his victim from the FBI’s Minneapolis Field Office. Holmes provided the victim with his purported name, “FBI Special Agent John Tidwell,” and alleged FBI badge number. Holmes falsely stated that he was investigating terrorism-related conduct involving the victim's household, including terrorism evidence that supposedly originated from a computer and IP address at the victim's house. In his fake capacity, Holmes asked questions of the victim in furtherance of the supposed terrorism investigation. 

Holmes pleaded guilty today to one count of impersonating a federal officer before U.S. District Judge Eric C. Tostrud. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI and the Bloomington Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew S. Ebert is prosecuting the case.

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ST. PAUL, Minn. – A federal criminal complaint has been filed against Jerome Fletcher Horton, 25, for illegally purchasing multiple firearms, one of which was used in a recent St. Paul shooting, announced Acting United States Attorney W. Anders Folk.

On October 10, 2021, gunfire erupted inside the Seventh Street Truck Park bar in St. Paul. Amid the gunfire, 14 people were injured and 27-year-old Marquisha Wiley was killed.

According to court documents, investigators with the St. Paul Police Department identified one of the suspects in the shooting. Surveillance video footage showed the suspect leave the bar holding a firearm and get into the back of a vehicle. Investigators later recovered from the vehicle a Mossberg model MC2C 9mm semiautomatic pistol. Investigators also recovered numerous 9mm discharged cartridge casings inside of the bar, which were consistent with the caliber of the firearm recovered from the vehicle.

According to court documents, a trace of the firearm revealed that it was purchased by Horton on July 31, 2021, from a Federal Firearms Licensees (FFL) in Blaine. When Horton purchased the firearm, he stated on ATF Form 4473 that he was the actual buyer of the firearm. A review of sales reports submitted by various FFLs in and around the Twin Cities metropolitan area revealed that Horton had purchased 33 firearms from June 15, 2021, through October 17, 2021. On October 19, 2021, law enforcement agents executed a search warrant at Horton’s residence and found no firearms, despite his multiple purchases.

“As recent tragedies have shown, illegal guns on the street make our communities less safe for everyone,” said Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk. “Stopping straw purchasers from putting guns in the hands of violent felons is a priority for my office and for the Department of Justice.”

Horton has been charged with making false statements during the purchase of a firearm. He made his initial appearance today before Magistrate Judge Hildy Bowbeer in U.S. District Court.

This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the St. Paul Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Calhoun-Lopez is prosecuting the case.

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Carver County man pleaded guilty to child pornography and extortion charges related to a years-long sextortion scheme, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.

According to court documents, Mitchell James Ottinger, 25, a former substitute teacher and paraprofessional, engaged in a scheme to obtain sexually explicit images and videos of minors and adults by using false online personas. Ottinger threatened to disseminate the images and videos of his victims in order to extort more images and videos. Over the course of several years Ottinger victimized more than 10 minors, some of whom he knew from the school district where he worked.

Law enforcement was alerted to the sextortion when one of the victims contacted the FBI’s National Threat Operations Center and reported the threats. Based on the evidence obtained in this investigation, authorities believe there may be additional victims of the alleged conduct. Anyone with information about this matter is encouraged to call the FBI Minneapolis Division at 763-569-8000.

Ottinger pleaded guilty yesterday before U.S. District Judge Wilhelmina M. Wright to two counts of production and attempted production of child pornography and one count of interstate communication with intent to extort. A sentencing date has not been set.

This case is the result of investigations conducted by the FBI and the Carver County Sheriff’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Miranda E. Dugi is prosecuting the case.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Ponemah man pleaded guilty today to second degree murder after violently assaulting a woman on the Red Lake Indian Reservation, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.

According to court documents, in 2019, William Jones, IV, 24, and the victim were involved in a romantic relationship and lived together at the victim’s house in Ponemah. During the evening of November 6, 2019, Jones repeatedly assaulted the victim in their residence, hitting her on the shoulders, arms, and torso, and throwing her against a wall. After the assault the victim fell to the floor and struck her head. Jones did not contact emergency personnel or attempt to render aid. The victim remained in the house unconscious for almost two days, where Jones chose not to contact emergency personnel or otherwise render any aid to the victim.

According to court documents, on November 8, 2019, Jones’s mother contacted emergency personnel after arriving at the house and observing the victim’s condition. The victim was transported to Sanford Hospital in Fargo, North Dakota, where medical personnel determined that the victim suffered a traumatic brain injury, which caused the victim to remain in a persistent vegetative state with no hope for recovery. As a result of her injuries, the victim died on November 22, 2019.

“This defendant not only perpetrated an extremely violent assault on his victim, he showed complete disregard for human life when he failed to seek medical aid,” said Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to prosecuting those who commit horrific acts of domestic violence such as this, which disproportionately plague Native American women.”

Jones pleaded guilty to one count of second degree murder before U.S. District Judge Nancy E. Brasel. A sentencing date has not been set.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Red Lake Tribal Police Department and the FBI Headwaters Safe Trails Task Force.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Evan B. Gilead and Deidre Y. Aanstad are prosecuting the case.