Southern District of Mississippi
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
Jackson Man Sentenced to over 15 Years in Prison as Armed Career CriminalRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – A Jackson man was sentenced to 188 months in prison as an Armed Career Criminal for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Bernard Caston, 54, was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Jackson.
According to court documents, Caston and Fredrick Harper, also of Jackson, stole four firearms from another individual on February 24, 2018. Caston and Harper were stopped by a JPD officer when they were driving to another location in Jackson to sell the stolen guns. Caston had numerous prior felony convictions for crimes of violence, including a federal armed bank robbery conviction, which triggered the application of the Armed Career Criminal Act.
U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee and Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives made the announcement.
The case was investigated by the ATF and the Jackson Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amber Jones and Dave Fulcher prosecuted the case.
Remarks of United States Attorney Todd Gee Regarding the Department of Justice’s Efforts in 2024 to Protect the Vote and Secure ElectionsRead the Press Release
Thank you, Assistant Special Agent in Charge Dimachkie.
It has been a long-standing priority of the Department of Justice to ensure that all qualified voters have the opportunity to cast their ballots and have their votes counted free of discrimination, intimidation, or criminal activity in the election process. The Department is also committed to ensuring that our elections are secure and free from foreign malign interference.
In order to achieve these goals, we want to share some information with the public about steps the Department is taking to protect the right to vote and prevent federal election crimes in Mississippi and throughout the nation during this year’s federal elections in November. These measures are consistent with longstanding Justice Department practices and policies.
The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, in partnership with U.S. Attorney’s Offices, is responsible for ensuring compliance with the civil provisions of federal statutes that protect the right to vote, and with federal criminal laws that prohibit discriminatory interference with that right. Throughout the election cycle, attorneys with the Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi will be available to receive and review complaints of potential violations of these laws.
Individuals with complaints related to possible violations of federal voting laws can call the Justice Department’s hotline at 1-800-253-3931, and can also submit complaints through the Department’s website at www.civilrights.justice.gov/.
Additionally, as part of the Justice Department’s efforts to secure the election, each U.S. Attorney’s office – including the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi – has partnered with the local FBI field office to respond to reports of federal election crimes, such as alleged destruction of ballots, vote-buying, multiple voting, submission of fraudulent ballots or registrations, and alteration of votes.
The FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s offices are also responsible for enforcing federal criminal law prohibiting unlawful threats to election workers. As part of these efforts, each U.S. Attorney’s Office has designated an Assistant U.S. Attorney, who is a career public servant, to serve as the District Election Officer responsible for overseeing potential election-crime matters in their districts, and for coordinating with the Department’s election-crime experts at the Public Integrity Section in Washington, D.C.
The FBI has also designated a specially trained agent in each field office as an Election Crime Coordinator who will be on duty while polls are open to receive complaints from the public. The FBI’s Election Crime Coordinator and the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s District Election Officer will also work closely with the Office of the Mississippi Secretary of State and other state and local officials regarding alleged election crimes.
Members of the public in Mississippi can report election-crime complaints to the Jackson FBI Field office at 1-800-CALL-FBI, or online at https://tips.fbi.gov/.
The Department of Justice has also launched a website with information about its efforts to secure elections and the right to vote at www.justice.gov/voting.
Protecting the right to vote, prosecuting election crimes, and securing our elections in Mississippi and throughout the nation are essential to maintaining the confidence of all Americans in our democratic system of government. The Justice Department encourages anyone with information regarding concerns in these subject areas to contact the appropriate authorities.
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Pearl River Man Pleads Guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine on the Choctaw Indian ReservationRead the Press Release
Jackson, MS – A Pearl River man pled guilty to possession of over 15 grams of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute in the Pearl River Community of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.
Bill Clemons, Jr., 37, was indicted by a federal grand jury in January 2024 for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
Clemons is scheduled to be sentenced on January 14, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of twenty years in prison. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Todd Gee, Assistant Special Agent in Charge Anessa Daniels-McCaw of the Drug Enforcement Administration, and Regional Agent in Charge Whitney Woodruff of the Bureau of Indian Affairs made the announcement.
The Choctaw Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kevin J. Payne and Brian K. Burns prosecuted the case.
Tucker Man Pleads Guilty to Burglary on Choctaw ReservationRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – A Tucker man pled guilty to the burglary of a home in the Tucker Community of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians’ Reservation.
According to court documents, in December 2021, Sherente Tubby, 22, broke into the home of another person with intent to commit assault.
Tubby is scheduled to be sentenced on January 14, 2024, and faces a minimum of three years and a maximum of twenty-five years in prison. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Todd Gee and Special Agent in Charge Robert A. Eikhoff of the Federal Bureau of Investigation made the announcement.
The case was investigated by the Choctaw Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kevin J. Payne and Brian K. Burns prosecuted the case.
Pearl River Man Sentenced to Nine Years in Prison for Possession of Approximately 400 Images of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Jackson, MS – A Pearl River man was sentenced to nine years in federal prison for possession of child pornography.
According to court documents, William Henry, 52, possessed approximately 400 pornographic images of children that were under the age of twelve. Henry was indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2020, and pled guilty in October 2023.
In addition to his term of imprisonment, Henry was ordered to pay $6,000 in restitution to victims and a $9,000 assessment pursuant to the Amy, Vicky, and Andy Child Pornography Victim Assistance Act of 2018.
U.S. Attorney Todd Gee and Special Agent in Charge Robert Eikhoff of the Federal Bureau of Investigation made the announcement.
The Choctaw Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kevin J. Payne and Brian K. Burns prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.
Justice Department Awards $900,000 to Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians to Support Victims of Domestic Violence and Sexual AssaultRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – The U.S. Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) has awarded $900,000 to the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians to support victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, announced U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee.
The grant was awarded through the OVW Tribal Governments Program, which provides funding to tribes to develop and enhance effective governmental strategies to curtail violent crimes against and increase the safety of Indian women.
The funds will support the Family Violence and Victims Program, an agency of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians Tribal Government, which provides shelter and support services for Choctaw women who are victims of domestic violence or sexual assault.
“This DOJ grant will assist the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians with reducing domestic violence and other violent crime through collaboration with community organizations, tribal law enforcement, and prosecutors,” said U.S. Attorney Gee.
“The Family Violence and Victim Services program, a vital initiative within our Department of Family & Community Services, plays a crucial role in supporting individuals during their most vulnerable moments,” said Chief Cyrus Ben of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians. “This grant will enable us to sustain and enhance our efforts in the community. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Department of Justice for this generous award, which allows us to continue our important work.”
Additional information about the Office on Violence Against Women can be found at www.justice.gov/ovw.
Jackson Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted FelonRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – A Jackson man was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
According to court documents, Marcus Allen Brown, 44, was found with a firearm after Jackson Police responded to a reported disturbance at an apartment complex. At the time, Brown already had multiple previous felony convictions spanning more than two decades, including the burglaries of homes and businesses, drug possession, and felon in possession of a firearm. Federal law prohibits a convicted felon from possessing a firearm or ammunition.
Brown pled guilty on March 19, 2024. The sentence he received, 10 years, is the statutory maximum for the offense at the time it was committed. The statutory maximum has since been changed to 15 years. He will not be eligible for parole because there is no parole in the federal system.
U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee and Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives made the announcement.
The case is being investigated by the ATF and the Jackson Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Allen is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Tennessee Man Pleads Guilty to Using Drone to Fly Marijuana into Yazoo City Federal Correctional ComplexRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – A Tennessee man pled guilty to providing marijuana to an inmate of a federal prison.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Mark Anderson, 49, of Tullahoma, Tennessee, flew a drone carrying approximately 195 grams of marijuana over the Federal Correctional Complex in Yazoo City and delivered it by releasing it from the air where an inmate would later retrieve it during the early morning hours of October 2, 2021.
Anderson pled guilty to providing contraband in a prison. He is scheduled to be sentenced on January 7, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee of the Southern District of Mississippi and Acting Special Agent in Charge Eric DeLaune of Homeland Security Investigations made the announcement.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Bert Carraway is prosecuting the case.
Remarks of United States Attorney Todd Gee Announcing the Justice Department’s Findings of Civil Rights Violations by the Lexington, Mississippi, Police Department and City of LexingtonRead the Press Release
Thank you, Assistant Attorney General Clarke. The findings we announce today are a result of an extremely productive partnership between the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi and the Civil Rights Division that has made a real difference in Mississippi over many years, going back to that successful effort in 1964 to prevent a voting rights activist in Holmes County from being imprisoned for false charges.
Lexington, Mississippi, is a small town of about 1200 residents located in Holmes County, Mississippi, one of the poorest counties in the state and in the nation. With a median household income of roughly $39,000—about half the national average—many residents are barely getting by.
Despite this poverty, our investigation found that Lexington’s police department funds its very existence by imposing and collecting fines for petty offenses allegedly committed by the City’s low-income residents and the few people passing through this small town about 15 miles from the nearest interstate.
The City and its police department raise these funds by first imposing fines at nearly every available opportunity, sometimes for minor violations. For example, one man was fined $224.25 for public profanity and had to pay $140 before the Lexington police department would release him from custody.
Then the City collects those fines through unlawful means. Specifically, without making the required assessment of whether a person has the ability to pay, Lexington police unlawfully arrest, jail, and continue to detain people until they come up with the money to pay the fines they owe.
Our investigation found one woman who came to the police station to give a statement in a murder investigation was arrested for her old fines.
Another man was arrested for trespassing. He spent five days in jail until he could pay $200 toward an old fine. That wasn’t good enough. Lexington jailed him for five more days until he paid a $50 processing fee.
In effect, Lexington has turned the jail into the kind of debtors’ prisons Charles Dickens described in his novels written in the 1800s. Only this is happening in Mississippi in 2024.
This scheme bears fruit for the City and its police force, and a bitter harvest for its residents. The police department takes up a large percentage of the City’s expenditures—almost 40% in 2022—but that is still not enough to pay for the approximately 10 officers. The police used this unconstitutional scheme to collect fines that funded almost a quarter of the department’s budget. Yet people still owe Lexington over $1.7 million in fines. That’s about $1,400 for every man, woman, and child in town.
And the Lexington police department’s unconstitutional policing does not just end with how it collects fines. Our investigation found that Lexington police use excessive force and conduct unlawful stops, searches, and arrests.
The City also arrested and fined people for using profanity, which the Supreme Court clearly held unconstitutional over 50 years ago. In one instance, Lexington police arrested a young man for profanity even after he reminded the officers that he had freedom of speech. Adding insult to injury, the arresting officer used the same profanity while making the arrest.
We even found occasions when residents were held in custody for unlawful “investigative holds” without being charged with any crime. Detaining innocent people for “investigation” is common in authoritarian regimes, but it is not legal in the United States.
In one such unconstitutional “investigative hold,” two Lexington police officers—one of them in a leadership position—held an African-American woman in jail for almost two days without filing any charge and tried to coerce her into sex in exchange for her freedom.
Worse yet, we found that unconstitutional abuses happen disproportionately to African-Americans, who make up about 75 percent of Lexington’s population. And this trend has only gotten worse in recent years. For example, our investigation found that in 2019, Black people were 2.5 times more likely to be arrested by Lexington police than white people. But by 2022, Black people were 12 times more likely to be arrested. In 2023, Black people were 17.6 times more likely to be arrested than white people.
These findings are troubling. As I said when this investigation was first launched, all of us in Mississippi and throughout the nation want to feel safe in our homes and in public. But we want that safety to be obtained fairly and legally, not through illegal force or abuse of power.
It is no excuse that Lexington is a small town and has limited funds. The Constitution applies in every place in America, no matter how small or poor. Lexington’s police force must be funded legally, and its officers must follow the law and treat people fairly.
Let me add that as the Department has conducted this investigation, we have heard troubling accounts that many of the unlawful policing practices used in Lexington may also be applied in other small towns in Mississippi. I urge every police chief, mayor, sheriff, and public official involved in law enforcement in Mississippi—and indeed in this nation—to read the Department’s report. Gone are the days when rural isolation and remoteness could conceal the injustice of unconstitutional policing. Make changes now if your agency is policing in these same unlawful ways.
The City of Lexington cooperated in the Department’s investigation, and we hope that same cooperation continues as we move to the next step of negotiating ways the City can bring its policing practices into compliance with the law. Good police work is done legally and fairly every day in many places in America and in Mississippi. The residents of small towns in Mississippi, like Lexington, deserve the same.
Thank you.
Justice Department Finds Civil Rights Violations by the City of Lexington, Mississippi, and the Lexington Police DepartmentRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Following a comprehensive investigation, the Justice Department announced today that the City of Lexington, Mississippi (City), and Lexington Police Department (LPD) engage in a pattern or practice of conduct that deprives people of their rights under the U.S. Constitution and federal law. Lexington is a town of approximately 1,200 people, located about an hour outside of Jackson, Mississippi.
Specifically, the Justice Department finds that LPD unlawfully
- Arrests, jails and detains people who cannot pay fines or fees, without assessing their ability to pay;
- Uses excessive force;
- Conducts stops, searches and arrests without probable cause, including jailing people on illegal “investigative holds” and arresting people solely because they owe outstanding fines;
- Imposes money bail without justification or assessment of ability to pay;
- Jails people without prompt access to court;
- Violates the rights of people engaged in free speech and expression, including by retaliating against people who criticize the police;
- Discriminates against Black people; and
- Operates under an unconstitutional conflict of interest because LPD’s funding depends on the money it raises through its enforcement.
“Today’s findings show that the Lexington Police Department abandoned its sacred position of trust in the community by routinely violating the constitutional rights of those it was sworn to protect,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The Justice Department’s investigation uncovered that Lexington police officers have engaged in a pattern or practice of discriminating against the city’s Black residents, used excessive force, and retaliated against those who criticize them. Additionally, Lexington’s approach to fines and fees — including unlawfully arresting, jailing, and detaining people based on their failure to pay money without assessing if they can afford to do so — has been devastating for its residents. Being poor is not a crime, but practices like these amount to punishing people for poverty. People in that community deserve better, and the Justice Department is committed to working with them, the City, and the Police Department to make the City safer for all its citizens.”
“Public safety depends on public confidence in our justice system,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. “The Lexington Police Department’s incarceration of individuals because they could not afford to pay fines — as detailed in today’s findings report — undermined that confidence and violated the civil rights of Lexington residents. I’m grateful to the Civil Rights Division for its thorough investigation and continued work to address these findings.”
“Lexington is a small, rural community but its police department has had a heavy hand in people’s lives, wreaking havoc through use of excessive force, racially discriminatory policing, retaliation, and more. In every corner of our country, police officers must respect people’s constitutional rights and treat people with dignity,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “After an extensive review, we found that police officers in Lexington routinely make illegal arrests, use brutal and unnecessary force, and punish people for their poverty — including by jailing people who cannot afford to pay fines or money bail. For too long, the Lexington Police Department has been playing by its own rules and operating with impunity — it’s time for this to end. Our findings report furthers the Justice Department’s commitment to ensuring fairness and the rule of law.”
“Police have the authority to enforce the law, not to act as debt collectors for the City, extracting payments from the poor with threats of jail,” said U.S. Attorney Todd Gee for the Southern District of Mississippi. “No matter how large or small, every police department has an obligation to follow the Constitution.”
Based on the department’s investigation, over the past two years, LPD has made nearly one arrest for every four people in town, primarily for low-level offenses and traffic violations. That is more than 10 times the per capita arrest rate for Mississippi as a whole. Many of these arrests were for non-criminal conduct, like owing outstanding fines and using profanity. Most of those arrested are Black people. In 2023, Black people were 17.6 times more likely to be arrested by LPD than white people were.
When making low-level arrests, LPD uses tactics normally reserved for serious offenses. For example, LPD officers broke down a Black man’s door to arrest him for swearing at a public official. In another case, while attempting to arrest a man for having a tinted windshield, officers followed the man’s car to his house, forced their way into his home, and tased him for 15 seconds. On the same day the Justice Department opened the investigation, LPD officers chased a man accused only of disturbing a business and tased him nine times.
LPD’s enforcement strategy has put hundreds of people in debt to the police department. In a town of about 1,200 people, the total sum of outstanding fines owed to LPD is more than $1.7 million.
The department also found that LPD lacks any meaningful accountability system and that people experiencing poverty who are accused of crimes in Lexington regularly lack access to counsel, both of which allow LPD’s misconduct to continue unchecked.
The Justice Department opened its investigation on Nov. 8, 2023. Career attorneys and staff in the Civil Rights Division’s Special Litigation Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi conducted the investigation. The team was assisted in this investigation by experts in law enforcement practices. The team conducted an extensive review of LPD’s records, including hundreds of arrest reports and municipal court records and hundreds of hours of body-worn camera footage. The team also interviewed City and LPD leadership and line officers, accompanied officers on ride-alongs, observed the Lexington Municipal Court, and met with dozens of community members.
In February, while the investigation was ongoing, the department issued a letter to the City of Lexington raising significant concerns regarding their practice of jailing people for unpaid fines without first assessing whether they can afford to pay them.
The City and LPD cooperated fully with the investigation. The City and LPD have committed to working cooperatively with the department to address the violations identified in the department’s findings.
The department conducted this investigation pursuant to 34 U.S.C. § 12601 (Section 12601), which prohibits law enforcement officers from engaging in a pattern or practice of conduct that deprives people of rights protected by the Constitution or federal law. Section 12601 authorizes the Attorney General to file a lawsuit in federal court seeking court-ordered remedies to eliminate a pattern or practice of unlawful conduct.
This investigation reflects the Justice Department’s efforts to ensure constitutional policing and to combat unlawful practices with respect to fines and fees. The department previously addressed policing for profit in its findings on the Ferguson Police Department in Missouri in 2015. The consent decree that followed has resulted in the dismissal of about 63,000 citations and a reduction of over $1 million in fines and fees. In July 2022, the department filed a Statement of Interest in Coleman v. Brookside, explaining that judges, prosecutors, and police violate the Constitution when they are motivated by profit rather than justice. And in April 2023, the department issued a Dear Colleague Letter containing updated guidance on fines and fees for state and local courts.
The department will be conducting outreach to members of the Lexington community for input on remedies to address the department’s findings. Individuals may submit recommendations to [email protected].
The Justice Department will hold a public community meeting on Sept. 26 at 6:00 p.m. CT at St. Paul C.O.G.I.C. Fellowship Hall, 17214 Highway 17 South, Lexington, MS 39095. Members of the public are encouraged to attend.
Additional information about the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division is available on its website at www.justice.gov/crt. Additional information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi is available at www.justice.gov/usao-sdms. Information specific to the Civil Rights Division’s Police Reform Work can be found at www.justice.gov/crt/file/922421/download.
Justice Department Finds Civil Rights Violations by the City of Lexington, Mississippi, and the Lexington Police DepartmentRead the Press Release
Note: View the findings report here.
Following a comprehensive investigation, the Justice Department announced today that the City of Lexington, Mississippi (City), and Lexington Police Department (LPD) engage in a pattern or practice of conduct that deprives people of their rights under the U.S. Constitution and federal law. Lexington is a town of approximately 1,200 people, located about an hour outside of Jackson, Mississippi.
Specifically, the Justice Department finds that LPD unlawfully
- Arrests, jails and detains people who cannot pay fines or fees, without assessing their ability to pay;
- Uses excessive force;
- Conducts stops, searches and arrests without probable cause, including jailing people on illegal “investigative holds” and arresting people solely because they owe outstanding fines;
- Imposes money bail without justification or assessment of ability to pay;
- Jails people without prompt access to court;
- Violates the rights of people engaged in free speech and expression, including by retaliating against people who criticize the police;
- Discriminates against Black people; and
- Operates under an unconstitutional conflict of interest because LPD’s funding depends on the money it raises through its enforcement.
“Today’s findings show that the Lexington Police Department abandoned its sacred position of trust in the community by routinely violating the constitutional rights of those it was sworn to protect,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The Justice Department’s investigation uncovered that Lexington police officers have engaged in a pattern or practice of discriminating against the city’s Black residents, used excessive force, and retaliated against those who criticize them. Additionally, Lexington’s approach to fines and fees — including unlawfully arresting, jailing, and detaining people based on their failure to pay money without assessing if they can afford to do so — has been devastating for its residents. Being poor is not a crime, but practices like these amount to punishing people for poverty. People in that community deserve better, and the Justice Department is committed to working with them, the City, and the Police Department to make the City safer for all its citizens.”
“Public safety depends on public confidence in our justice system,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. “The Lexington Police Department’s incarceration of individuals because they could not afford to pay fines — as detailed in today’s findings report — undermined that confidence and violated the civil rights of Lexington residents. I’m grateful to the Civil Rights Division for its thorough investigation and continued work to address these findings.”
“Lexington is a small, rural community but its police department has had a heavy hand in people’s lives, wreaking havoc through use of excessive force, racially discriminatory policing, retaliation, and more. In every corner of our country, police officers must respect people’s constitutional rights and treat people with dignity,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “After an extensive review, we found that police officers in Lexington routinely make illegal arrests, use brutal and unnecessary force, and punish people for their poverty — including by jailing people who cannot afford to pay fines or money bail. For too long, the Lexington Police Department has been playing by its own rules and operating with impunity — it’s time for this to end. Our findings report furthers the Justice Department’s commitment to ensuring fairness and the rule of law.”
“Police have the authority to enforce the law, not to act as debt collectors for the City, extracting payments from the poor with threats of jail,” said U.S. Attorney Todd Gee for the Southern District of Mississippi. “No matter how large or small, every police department has an obligation to follow the Constitution.”
Based on the department’s investigation, over the past two years, LPD has made nearly one arrest for every four people in town, primarily for low-level offenses and traffic violations. That is more than 10 times the per capita arrest rate for Mississippi as a whole. Many of these arrests were for non-criminal conduct, like owing outstanding fines and using profanity. Most of those arrested are Black people. In 2023, Black people were 17.6 times more likely to be arrested by LPD than white people were.
When making low-level arrests, LPD uses tactics normally reserved for serious offenses. For example, LPD officers broke down a Black man’s door to arrest him for swearing at a public official. In another case, while attempting to arrest a man for having a tinted windshield, officers followed the man’s car to his house, forced their way into his home, and tased him for 15 seconds. On the same day the Justice Department opened the investigation, LPD officers chased a man accused only of disturbing a business and tased him nine times.
LPD’s enforcement strategy has put hundreds of people in debt to the police department. In a town of about 1,200 people, the total sum of outstanding fines owed to LPD is more than $1.7 million.
The department also found that LPD lacks any meaningful accountability system and that people experiencing poverty who are accused of crimes in Lexington regularly lack access to counsel, both of which allow LPD’s misconduct to continue unchecked.
The Justice Department opened its investigation on Nov. 8, 2023. Career attorneys and staff in the Civil Rights Division’s Special Litigation Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi conducted the investigation. The team was assisted in this investigation by experts in law enforcement practices. The team conducted an extensive review of LPD’s records, including hundreds of arrest reports and municipal court records and hundreds of hours of body-worn camera footage. The team also interviewed City and LPD leadership and line officers, accompanied officers on ride-alongs, observed the Lexington Municipal Court, and met with dozens of community members.
In February, while the investigation was ongoing, the department issued a letter to the City of Lexington raising significant concerns regarding their practice of jailing people for unpaid fines without first assessing whether they can afford to pay them.
The City and LPD cooperated fully with the investigation. The City and LPD have committed to working cooperatively with the department to address the violations identified in the department’s findings.
The department conducted this investigation pursuant to 34 U.S.C. § 12601 (Section 12601), which prohibits law enforcement officers from engaging in a pattern or practice of conduct that deprives people of rights protected by the Constitution or federal law. Section 12601 authorizes the Attorney General to file a lawsuit in federal court seeking court-ordered remedies to eliminate a pattern or practice of unlawful conduct.
This investigation reflects the Justice Department’s efforts to ensure constitutional policing and to combat unlawful practices with respect to fines and fees. The department previously addressed policing for profit in its findings on the Ferguson Police Department in Missouri in 2015. The consent decree that followed has resulted in the dismissal of about 63,000 citations and a reduction of over $1 million in fines and fees. In July 2022, the department filed a Statement of Interest in Coleman v. Brookside, explaining that judges, prosecutors, and police violate the Constitution when they are motivated by profit rather than justice. And in April 2023, the department issued a Dear Colleague Letter containing updated guidance on fines and fees for state and local courts.
The department will be conducting outreach to members of the Lexington community for input on remedies to address the department’s findings. Individuals may submit recommendations to [email protected].
The Justice Department will hold a public community meeting on Sept. 26 at 6:00 p.m. CT at St. Paul C.O.G.I.C. Fellowship Hall, 17214 Highway 17 South, Lexington, MS 39095. Members of the public are encouraged to attend.
Additional information about the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division is available on its website at www.justice.gov/crt. Additional information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi is available at www.justice.gov/usao-sdms. Information specific to the Civil Rights Division’s Police Reform Work can be found at www.justice.gov/crt/file/922421/download.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke Delivers Remarks Announcing the Justice Department Findings of Civil Rights Violations by the Lexington, Mississippi Police Department and City of LexingtonRead the Press Release
Remarks as Prepared for Delivery
Good afternoon. My name is Kristen Clarke, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division at the U.S. Justice Department. Joining me is Todd W. Gee, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi.
We are here today to announce the findings from our pattern or practice investigation into the City of Lexington, Mississippi, and the Lexington Police Department.
We find reasonable cause to believe that the Lexington Police Department and the City of Lexington engage in a pattern or practice of conduct that violates the First, Fourth and 14th Amendments of the Constitution, Safe Streets Act and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Specifically, we find that the Lexington police use excessive force; unlawfully stop, search and arrest people — including by jailing people on illegal “investigative holds” — unlawfully jail people without affording prompt access to court; violate the rights of people engaged in free speech and expression, including by retaliating against critics of the police; and unlawfully discriminate against Black people.
The department also unlawfully arrests, jails and detains people based on their failure to pay money without assessing their ability to pay; unlawfully arrests people just because they owe outstanding fines; and imposes money bail without justification and, again, without assessing ability to pay. The fact that fines and fees fund the department drives its law enforcement, resulting in a crude policing-for-profit scheme. The Lexington Police Department operates under an unconstitutional financial conflict of interest.
Lexington’s focus on revenue and its overly aggressive form of policing leaves the people of Lexington harassed, feeling helpless and hopeless. For example, on the day we opened our investigation, Lexington officers chased a man down and tased him until he foamed at the mouth. In the previous months, police officers had repeatedly arrested the man for minor offenses most police departments would have handled with a ticket. For stealing sugar packets from a gas station, the man spent 13 days in jail. He spent four days in jail for taking a second cup of coffee after paying for the first. Each time, the Lexington police kept him in jail because he could not afford to pay the fines or the $50 processing fee Lexington charges for every arrest. Especially for a person in poverty, these fines are no small thing. Even though he has no money, the man owes the Lexington Police Department over $7,500. At no point did the police or city assess his ability to pay those fines.
In America, being poor is not a crime, but in Lexington, their practices punish people for poverty. On Feb. 29, we provided official notice to Lexington city officials and the police department about our concerns regarding illegal arrests and detentions that penalize people for lacking resources. Lexington has made some changes in response to our notice. But, as today’s findings show, more meaningful reform is necessary.
Lexington’s fines and fees have been absolutely devastating for the people who live there. Although Lexington is in one of the poorest counties in America, people owe the police department $1.7 million in outstanding fines. The Lexington municipal court has issued bench warrants for over 650 people based on unpaid fines — equivalent to roughly half of Lexington’s population. Based on these warrants, police officers have unlawfully arrested and jailed people, using the leverage of incarceration to extract more money from them.
Other times, the Lexington police send people to jail for days or weeks for minor offenses. These people wait in jail until they can go before a judge or they can get enough money together to pay their fines. This, too, violates people’s civil rights. For example, the Lexington police arrested a Black man for allegedly taking $15 worth of gas. The police told him his fine was $300. He couldn’t pay it. The police sent him to jail until the next scheduled court date — two weeks later.
Unjustly enforcing fines and fees creates a two-tiered system of justice that can perpetuate a cycle of poverty. It also fuels a financial conflict of interest for the police department. The police must enforce the law even-handedly, not based on generating revenue. Lexington, though, focused its law enforcement on strategies that generated income, even at times linking officers’ paychecks to the number of arrests they made. Over the past two years, Lexington has made nearly one arrest for every four people in town — more than 10 times the per capita arrest rate for Mississippi.
The Lexington police also illegally arrest people for using profanity, and they retaliate against people who film officers or criticize the police. The First Amendment protects swearing, yet the Lexington police broke down a man’s back door and arrested him for swearing in a public place. The First Amendment also protects the right to film or criticize officers. But when a man filmed officers approaching his suicidal brother with their guns raised, a police officer batted the man’s phone out of his hand, pushed him to the ground and arrested him.
While making arrests, the Lexington police frequently use excessive force. We found instances in which officers used a taser like a cattle prod to punish people or to make them comply more quickly with officers’ orders. For example, officers used a taser to shock a Black man 18 times until he was covered in his own vomit and unable to speak or walk. Officers punch, hit or kick people who are unarmed and handcuffed. One officer kicked a Black man in the groin so hard that he wet himself. Another used his gun to repeatedly hit a Black man already in handcuffs. An officer knocked an elderly Black man unconscious. Nor are children spared from attack. An officer grabbed a Black child by the neck and shoved him into a patrol car, banging the child’s head against the door frame.
Black people bear the brunt of the Lexington Police Department’s illegal conduct. Lexington’s former police chief, Sam Dobbins, who regularly spoke disrespectfully to Black men, set in motion the aggressive enforcement of low-level violations. Dobbins left the department when recordings of him using other racial slurs were released. Officials told us that with Dobbins gone, so too was the problem. We found, however, that the discriminatory practices he initiated continue unabated. Lexington officers frequently tase, punch and beat Black people without justification, while we identified no such use of force on white people. Low-level traffic violations that resulted in arrest for Black people yielded only warnings or citations for white people. The result? 98% of people arrested for traffic offenses are Black. This pattern of racial discrimination not only violates the law. It also erodes the community’s trust in law enforcement, the judicial system, and the government more broadly.
According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, half of America’s police departments have 10 officers or fewer. Every person in the United States enjoys certain fundamental civil rights, regardless of the size of their town, the contents of their bank account or the color of their skin. Residents of rural and underserved communities have the same rights and deserve the same protection as people who live major cities. The Justice Department is committed to providing that protection. Police misconduct in smaller communities may not always garner national attention, but rest assured, the Justice Department is watching. No city, no town, no law enforcement agency is too large or too small to evade our efforts to safeguard the constitutional rights that every American enjoys. Small and mid-sized police departments must not be allowed to violate people’s civil rights with impunity.
To the people of Lexington, I want you to know that we heard you. We listened carefully to your testimonies. We thank you for having the courage to speak out.
The Lexington Police Department and the City of Lexington have agreed to cooperate with the Justice Department to address the challenges we outline today. As we begin the hard, essential work of rebuilding trust and restoring equal justice under law, we need to continue to hear from the Lexington community in the coming days and weeks.
We stand with the people of Lexington to extend justice to all its residents, rich and poor, regardless of their race.
I’ll now welcome U.S. Attorney Todd Gee.
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland Delivers Remarks at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of MississippiRead the Press Release
Remarks as Delivered
Thanks, Todd, and thanks for the warm welcome.
I am very happy to be here in Mississippi.
In just a few moments, Todd and I will meet with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to talk about the work that everyone is doing to keep Mississippi safe.
I am grateful that I have the chance to meet with our law enforcement partners here today. You do the work, the most dangerous work, protecting people in Mississippi. You are indispensable partners for us.
I am very happy to hear that the sheriff’s investigator is okay, and that the perpetrators have been arrested. Just another piece of evidence about how dangerous the work that local law enforcement does, and we are grateful for everything that you do to protect the citizens of these communities and to work with our law enforcement and our U.S. Attorney’s Office on the same mission. Thank you.
I am also grateful to have the chance to recognize the extraordinary public servants of this office for their extraordinary work and their extraordinary hard work.
This U.S. Attorney’s Office is the face of the Justice Department here in the Southern District of Mississippi. When people in this District look to see what the Justice Department stands for, they look to this U.S. Attorney’s Office. I have been consistently impressed with the work that you guys do.
That work, and the work of our state and local law enforcement partners, is making a difference.
Three-and-a-half years ago, the Justice Department launched an ambitious strategy to combat violent crime. That strategy is rooted in exactly the kinds of partnerships we see around this table. Today, we are seeing results.
Just earlier this week, the FBI released a report noting an 11.6% drop in homicides last year and one of the lowest violent crime rates nationwide in 50 years.
And newly released data indicates that this trend is continuing. Earlier this month, the Justice Department’s Violent Crime Reduction Steering Committee announced data from across 88 cities that indicates that violent crime has continued to decline considerably in 2024. That included a further 16.9% drop in homicides.
But we know that progress in many communities is still uneven. And, of course, there is no acceptable level of violent crime.
That is why the Justice Department is continuing to work with our partners here in Mississippi and across the country to combat violent crime, and drug trafficking, and gun trafficking.
Last month, working with the DEA, this office secured a guilty plea from a member of a drug-trafficking organization in California that sent packages of narcotics to Mississippi. During the investigation, we seized more than 5,700 grams of methamphetamine, 236 grams of fentanyl, and 84 grams of cocaine.
In July – following a joint operation with ATF, DEA, and other federal agencies – this office secured guilty pleas from five men who participated in a scheme to purchase firearms, machinegun conversion devices, and explosives for delivery to Mexico. Three of the men sought to barter the weapons in exchange for cocaine.
In March – working with the ATF and the Clinton Police Department – this office secured a 10-year sentence for a man who illegally possessed a firearm and fired a weapon at a law enforcement officer during a high-speed chase in Jackson.
As we work together to reduce violent crime, we know that building and maintaining public trust is essential to public safety. That is why the Justice Department has taken action when that trust has been violated.
Earlier this year, the Department worked to secure [10 to 40-year] sentences against six law enforcement officers in Rankin County who violated the civil rights of Black men.
The officers kicked in the door of a home where the men were residing; handcuffed and arrested them without probable cause; called them racial slurs; and punched, kicked, tased, and assaulted them. After one of the officers fired his gun in the mouth of a victim, the group went outside to come up with a cover story.
Those actions were a betrayal of the community the officers were sworn to protect, a betrayal of their profession, and a betrayal of their fellow officers.
To help the community rebuild trust, the Justice Department launched a civil pattern or practice investigation to examine allegations that the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department systematically violates people’s constitutional rights. We are committed to working with local officials, deputies, and the community to conduct a comprehensive investigation.
The Justice Department is also committed to providing resources necessary to support public safety here in Mississippi.
Earlier this year, the Justice Department added Jackson to its Violent Crime Initiative. That initiative surges law enforcement tools and resources to target gangs and other violent groups that threaten our communities. In particular, it directs prosecutors from the Justice Department’s headquarters Criminal Division to partner with our prosecutors here on the ground in Jackson to target the individuals who are most responsible for the violence.
In addition to using our investigative and prosecutorial resources, we are also committed to using our grantmaking capabilities to invest in public safety.
For example, today, the Justice Department awarded nearly $300,000 to enhance the City of Jackson’s forensic science capabilities. We also awarded nearly $900,000 under our Coordinated Tribal Assistance Program, which funds Tribes’ efforts to develop comprehensive and coordinated approaches to public safety.
These grants are part of the more than $29 million that the Justice Department is awarding to organizations and government agencies in Mississippi this month to support law enforcement activities and community initiatives.
These funds will, among other things, help law enforcement agencies in Mississippi hire more officers, prevent and combat violent crime and drug trafficking, and improve services for survivors of domestic and dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, and other crimes.
We remain committed to providing our law enforcement and community partners with the resources they need to protect their communities.
The examples I have shared today are just a snapshot of the extraordinary work that this office is doing every day to protect people in the District, and to fulfill the Justice Department’s mission to ensure the rule of law, to keep our communities safe, and to protect civil rights.
I am very proud of the public servants who make up this office. And I am equally proud of the relationships that they have built with the law enforcement agencies around this table. Those partnerships are the essence of the way in which we combat violent crime and protect our communities.
I thank you. I am looking forward to our meeting now.
Remarks of United States Attorney Todd Gee Announcing a Pattern or Practice Investigation of the Rankin County, Mississippi Sheriff’s Department and Rankin CountyRead the Press Release
Thank you, Assistant Attorney General Clarke for your leadership. The Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division has a long history of helping to bring change to Mississippi and this nation, and you have continued that tradition with the work we announce today.
In January of last year, five white deputies from the Rankin County, Mississippi Sheriff’s Department, some of whom were part of a unit that described itself as the “Goon Squad,” entered a home without a warrant, and then handcuffed, kicked, tased, and sexually assaulted two African-American men, Michael Jenkins and Eddie Parker, while taunting them with racial slurs. They told the victims, who both resided in Rankin County, to “go back” to Jackson or to “their side” of the Pearl River—areas with a higher concentration of African-American residents. A deputy eventually shot one of the victims in the mouth during a mock execution, and then the group tried to frame them both for crimes they did not commit. The Department of Justice obtained criminal convictions of those five deputies, along with another local officer who joined in the assault, and they were sentenced to terms in prison ranging from 10 to 40 years.
But for several reasons, this may not simply be written-off as an isolated incident in Rankin County. First, three of these same deputies pleaded guilty to participating in another brutal attack just a month earlier, in December 2022, when they punched, kicked, and tased a white victim and then fired a gun near him to try to scare him.
Second, publicly reported text communications between the members of the Goon Squad, including officers who were not present for the January 2023 assault, indicate that deputies routinely discussed extreme, unnecessary uses of force and other ways to dehumanize residents of Rankin County. For example, deputies shared a video of an officer defecating in the home of a Rankin County resident.
Third, brave residents of Rankin County have come forward to report abuse by members of the Rankin County Sheriff’s Office. Journalists have compiled harrowing accounts of beatings, taser use, and other extreme uses of force. In a listening session my office held in Rankin County, I heard first-hand accounts of alleged abuse. The accounts came from men and women, old and young alike.
Together this information indicates that there may be a pattern or practice of civil rights violations by the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department and Rankin County. The investigation we announce today will examine those alleged pattern or practices in great detail. And if the Department of Justice’s investigation determines that such a pattern or practice of discrimination has occurred, we will seek remedies that bring real change to all the residents of Rankin County.
I want to make clear that there are good law enforcement officers in Rankin County and throughout Mississippi that go to work every day and do the right thing. They answer the call when people are in need, and they treat those they encounter fairly. But the information we have learned to date about the conduct of some members of the Rankin County Sheriff’s office calls back to some of the worst periods of Mississippi’s history.
This year is the sixtieth anniversary of the “Mississippi Burning” murders of three civil rights workers that this office prosecuted. There, too, law enforcement played a role in the violence. We all want to hope that Mississippi and our nation have moved past a time when such crimes can occur, but the allegations involving the Goon Squad and others in Rankin County echo back to 1964 in ways that we must confront.
Simply put, the events in Rankin County appear to be a continuation of the violence and intimidation that for too long has defined how many African-Americans experience the justice system in Mississippi. We do not have to accept the old hatreds and abuse of the past. And we do not have to accept the false claim that safety comes at the price of illegal force and abuse of power. In Mississippi and throughout the nation we have learned over and over that real change in civil rights sometimes requires us to dig up the past, tell painful facts, and offer new ways of doing things. We intend for this investigation to do that same work in Rankin County.
Let me close by reminding anyone who has information about alleged civil rights abuses in Rankin County that they can make a report through email at [email protected] or on a telephone hotline at 888-392-8557.
Thank you all for joining us today for this important announcement.
Justice Department Announces Civil Rights Investigation of Rankin County, Mississippi, and Rankin County Sheriff’s DepartmentRead the Press Release
The Justice Department announced today that it has opened a civil pattern or practice investigation into Rankin County, Mississippi, and the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD). Rankin is the state’s fourth most populous county, with a population of approximately 160,000. It is located about 30 minutes east of the state capital, Jackson, Mississippi.
The investigation will seek to determine whether RCSD engages in patterns or practices that violate the Constitution and federal law. The investigation will evaluate all types of force used by RCSD officers, including deadly force. It will also assess whether RCSD engages in unlawful stops, searches, and arrests in violation of the Fourth Amendment and whether RCSD conducts discriminatory policing in violation of the 14th Amendment, Title VI, and Safe Streets Act.
“The public is now well aware of the heinous attack inflicted on two Black men by Rankin County deputies who called themselves the ‘Goon Squad,’” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “Those officers have since been convicted and sentenced, but we are launching this civil pattern or practice investigation to examine serious allegations that the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department systematically violates people’s constitutional rights through excessive use of force; unlawful stops, searches, and arrests; and discriminatory policing. These include allegations that Rankin County deputies have overused tasers, entered homes unlawfully, used racial slurs, and deployed dangerous, cruel tactics to assault people in their custody. We are committed to working with local officials, deputies, and the community to conduct a comprehensive investigation.”
“The violent, unlawful and racially charged actions of the so-called Goon Squad left lasting and damaging effects on the community,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Since the Goon Squad’s sickening acts came to light, we have received reports of other instances where Rankin deputies overused tasers, entered homes unlawfully, bandied about shocking racial slurs, and deployed dangerous, cruel tactics to assault people in their custody. Based on an extensive review of publicly available information as well as complaints provided to us, we have grounds to open a pattern or practice investigation into the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department now. The Justice Department will conduct a comprehensive and fair investigation into allegations of racially discriminatory policing of Black communities, the use of excessive force, and violations of the Fourth Amendment.”
“The information we have learned to date about the conduct of some members of the Rankin County Sheriff’s office calls back to some of the worst periods of Mississippi’s history,” said U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee for the Southern District of Mississippi. “We do not have to accept the old hatreds and abuse of the past. And we do not have to accept the false claim that safety comes at the price of illegal force and abuse of power. We will conduct an impartial and thorough review of the Rankin County Sheriff’s Office, and if we find violations, we will take necessary action to address them.”
This civil investigation is separate and independent from the federal criminal civil rights prosecutions of RCSD deputies related to the violent assaults of two Black men, Michael Jenkins and Eddie Parker, at the hands of five white deputies.
The investigation will include a comprehensive review of RCSD policies, training, and supervision. The investigation will also examine RCSD’s systems of accountability. The Justice Department will reach out to community groups and members of the public to learn about their experiences with RCSD. The Justice Department will also speak with RCSD deputies and leadership to hear their perspectives.
Before this announcement, the Justice Department notified Rankin County officials, who have pledged to cooperate with the investigation.
The investigation is being conducted pursuant to the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, which prohibits state and local governments from engaging in a pattern or practice of conduct by law enforcement officers that deprives individuals of rights protected by the Constitution or federal law. The Act allows the Justice Department to remedy such misconduct through civil litigation.
The Civil Rights Division’s Special Litigation Section and U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi will jointly conduct this investigation.
Individuals with relevant information are encouraged to contact the Justice Department via email at [email protected] or by toll free phone at (888) 392-8557. Individuals can also report civil rights violations regarding this or other matters using the Civil Rights Division’s new reporting portal, available at civilrights.justice.gov/. Individuals can also report civil rights violations to the U.S. Attorney’s Office at [email protected] or (601) 973-2825.
Today’s announcement marks the 12th pattern or practice investigation into law enforcement misconduct opened by the Justice Department during this administration. The Justice Department recently completed an investigation of the Phoenix Police Department.
Information specific to the Civil Rights Division’s police reform work can be found here.
Justice Department Announces Civil Rights Investigation of Rankin County, Mississippi, and Rankin County Sheriff’s DepartmentRead the Press Release
The Justice Department announced today that it has opened a civil pattern or practice investigation into Rankin County, Mississippi, and the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD). Rankin is the state’s fourth most populous county, with a population of approximately 160,000. It is located about 30 minutes east of the state capital, Jackson, Mississippi.
The investigation will seek to determine whether RCSD engages in patterns or practices that violate the Constitution and federal law. The investigation will evaluate all types of force used by RCSD officers, including deadly force. It will also assess whether RCSD engages in unlawful stops, searches, and arrests in violation of the Fourth Amendment and whether RCSD conducts discriminatory policing in violation of the 14th Amendment, Title VI, and Safe Streets Act.
“The public is now well aware of the heinous attack inflicted on two Black men by Rankin County deputies who called themselves the ‘Goon Squad,’” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “Those officers have since been convicted and sentenced, but we are launching this civil pattern or practice investigation to examine serious allegations that the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department systematically violates people’s constitutional rights through excessive use of force; unlawful stops, searches, and arrests; and discriminatory policing. These include allegations that Rankin County deputies have overused tasers, entered homes unlawfully, used racial slurs, and deployed dangerous, cruel tactics to assault people in their custody. We are committed to working with local officials, deputies, and the community to conduct a comprehensive investigation.”
“The violent, unlawful and racially charged actions of the so-called Goon Squad left lasting and damaging effects on the community,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Since the Goon Squad’s sickening acts came to light, we have received reports of other instances where Rankin deputies overused tasers, entered homes unlawfully, bandied about shocking racial slurs, and deployed dangerous, cruel tactics to assault people in their custody. Based on an extensive review of publicly available information as well as complaints provided to us, we have grounds to open a pattern or practice investigation into the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department now. The Justice Department will conduct a comprehensive and fair investigation into allegations of racially discriminatory policing of Black communities, the use of excessive force, and violations of the Fourth Amendment.”
“The information we have learned to date about the conduct of some members of the Rankin County Sheriff’s office calls back to some of the worst periods of Mississippi’s history,” said U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee for the Southern District of Mississippi. “We do not have to accept the old hatreds and abuse of the past. And we do not have to accept the false claim that safety comes at the price of illegal force and abuse of power. We will conduct an impartial and thorough review of the Rankin County Sheriff’s Office, and if we find violations, we will take necessary action to address them.”
This civil investigation is separate and independent from the federal criminal civil rights prosecutions of RCSD deputies related to the violent assaults of two Black men, Michael Jenkins and Eddie Parker, at the hands of five white deputies.
The investigation will include a comprehensive review of RCSD policies, training, and supervision. The investigation will also examine RCSD’s systems of accountability. The Justice Department will reach out to community groups and members of the public to learn about their experiences with RCSD. The Justice Department will also speak with RCSD deputies and leadership to hear their perspectives.
Before this announcement, the Justice Department notified Rankin County officials, who have pledged to cooperate with the investigation.
The investigation is being conducted pursuant to the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, which prohibits state and local governments from engaging in a pattern or practice of conduct by law enforcement officers that deprives individuals of rights protected by the Constitution or federal law. The Act allows the Justice Department to remedy such misconduct through civil litigation.
The Civil Rights Division’s Special Litigation Section and U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi will jointly conduct this investigation.
Individuals with relevant information are encouraged to contact the Justice Department via email at [email protected] or by toll free phone at (888) 392-8557. Individuals can also report civil rights violations regarding this or other matters using the Civil Rights Division’s new reporting portal, available at civilrights.justice.gov/. Individuals can also report civil rights violations to the U.S. Attorney’s Office at [email protected] or (601) 973-2825.
Today’s announcement marks the 12th pattern or practice investigation into law enforcement misconduct opened by the Justice Department during this administration. The Justice Department recently completed an investigation of the Phoenix Police Department.
Information specific to the Civil Rights Division’s police reform work can be found here.
Justice Department Awards over $3 Million in Community Project Grants to Strengthen Law Enforcement and Public Safety in the Southern District of MississippiRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – The U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs has awarded three grants totaling more than $3 million for community projects that strengthen law enforcement and public safety in the Southern District of Mississippi, announced U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee.
The University of Southern Mississippi received $3 million to implement a rural digital forensics initiative to address the digital forensics needs of rural communities, the provision of forensic services, and creation of social media educational tools to assist with line law enforcement officer training in digital forensic investigations.
The University of Mississippi Medical Center received $380,000 to enhance UMMC’s security infrastructure through comprehensive upgrades of its existing CCTV system.
Copiah-Lincoln Community College received $20,000 to fund training for new and existing law enforcement officers.
The grants are part of the 2024 Office of Justice Programs Byrne Discretionary Community Project Grants. The Byrne Grants are named in honor of New York City Police Officer Edward R. Byrne, who was killed in the line of duty on February 26, 1988. Officer Byrne was just 22 years old.
Additional information about the Office of Justice Programs can be found at www.ojp.gov.
U.S. Attorney's Office to Work with Local Partners to Reduce Domestic ViolenceRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – Attorney General Merrick B. Garland has approved an initial set of 78 communities across 47 states, territories, and the District of Columbia for designation under Section 1103 of the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act of 2022.
In the Southern District of Mississippi, Jackson has been designated.
The Justice Department - through its United States Attorney’s offices (USAOs) and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Field Divisions - will partner with each designated jurisdiction to develop a plan to reduce intimate partner firearm violence and to prioritize prosecutions of domestic violence offenders prohibited under 18 U.S. Code Section 922(g) from owning firearms.
“Domestic violence offenders are dangerous persons whose access to firearms can lead to tragic consequences,” said U.S. Attorney Todd Gee of the Southern District of Mississippi. “We look forward to working with our law enforcement partners in the Jackson area to prosecute these offenders when they have illegal access to firearms, such as after any felony conviction or a misdemeanor domestic violence conviction.”
Communities have been designated in close coordination with community stakeholders. They include rural areas, suburban areas, urban areas, and Tribal communities. The Justice Department used data to identify communities that could benefit from increased focus on intimate partner violence resources and where the local jurisdiction is committed to partnering with the Department to increase the use of federal tools to prosecute offenders under 18 U.S.C. 922(g). The designation represents the partnership and coordination between the department and the local jurisdiction to ensure federal resources are being leveraged effectively to address intimate partner firearm violence.
The Justice Department anticipates additional jurisdictions to be designated as USAOs continue coordination with their local stakeholders. All USAOs, with or without specific community designations under Section 1103, will continue to combat intimate partner firearm violence and prioritize prosecutions of domestic violence offenders as part of their Project Safe Neighborhoods strategy and in support of the Department’s Comprehensive Strategy for Reducing Violent Crime.
Jackson Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted FelonRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – A Jackson man pled guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
According to court documents, Joshua Hart, 42, was found in possession of a firearm following a traffic stop in Jackson on a vehicle being driven erratically and suspiciously. Hart, a passenger in the vehicle, had a previous felony conviction for aggravated robbery out of the state of Texas and an outstanding warrant at the time of the stop. Ammunition was found in Hart’s pant pocket, and the other two passengers in the vehicle informed law enforcement that Hart passed a firearm to the middle seat passenger when the officer initiated the stop. As a convicted felon, it is contrary to federal law for Hart to possess ammunition or any firearm.
Hart will be sentenced on December 12, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee of the Southern District of Mississippi and Special Agent in Charge Robert Eikhoff of the Federal Bureau of Investigation made the announcement.
The FBI and the Jackson Police Department are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Allen is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Convicted Felon Indicted for Possessing a FirearmRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON - A federal grand jury returned an indictment today charging a Mississippi man with being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The indictment charges that, on or about June 28, Marquez Dante Scott, 21, of Jackson, knowingly possessed a firearm after he was previously convicted of a crime punishable for a term exceeding one year.
If convicted, Scott faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, and U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee for the Southern District of Mississippi made the announcement.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case, with assistance from the Capitol Police Department.
Trial Attorney Lakeita F. Rox-Love of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Allen for the Southern District of Mississippi are prosecuting the case.
This case is brought as part of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime Initiative to prosecute violent crimes in Jackson and the surrounding areas. The Criminal Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi have partnered, along with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, to address violent crimes committed by gang members and associates through the enforcement of federal laws and use of federal resources to prosecute the violent offenders and prevent further violence.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Ocean Springs Man Pleads Guilty to Illegally Taking Smalltooth Sawfish, an Endangered SpeciesRead the Press Release
Gulfport, Miss. – An Ocean Springs man pled guilty to violating the Endangered Species Act by severing the rostrum of a smalltooth sawfish, an endangered species, while on board a shrimp boat off the Florida Keys.
Hong Thanh Nguyen, 62, pled guilty in U.S. District Court in Gulfport and was sentenced to one year of probation. Nguyen’s guilty plea followed the transfer of the charge filed in the Southern District of Florida to the Southern District of Mississippi.
According to court documents, in February 2022, Nguyen was aboard a commercial vessel, the Miss Theresa, near Key West in Monroe County, Florida, when the smalltooth sawfish became entangled in the boat’s fishing net. Nguyen severed the rostrum of the sawfish from its body with a knife, which he knew to be unlawful.
U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee of the Southern District of Mississippi made the announcement.
The case was investigated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of Law Enforcement, which is part of NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Gaines Cleveland prosecuted the case in the Southern District of Mississippi.
Former Lauderdale County Teacher Arrested for Online Threats to School Officials and Former StudentsRead the Press Release
MERIDIAN, MS – A Meridian man, who is a former teacher in Lauderdale County, Mississippi, was charged today with federal offenses related to his alleged online threats against school officials and former students.
According to court documents, Daniel Christian Johnson, 36, made online threats over social media, including threats to kill named victims and commit other acts of violence using firearms and explosives. Additionally, law enforcement officers conducted a search of Johnson’s home last week and discovered what are alleged to be components of explosive devices or materials used for the manufacturing of explosives.
Johnson is charged by federal criminal complaint with Interstate Communications with Threat to Kidnap or Injure and Willfully Making a Threat involving Explosive Materials. If convicted, Johnson faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. Johnson has also been charged with Mississippi state offenses by the Office of the District Attorney for the 10th Circuit Court District, and he is presently in custody.
U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee of the Southern District of Mississippi and Special Agent in Charge Robert A. Eikhoff of the Federal Bureau of Investigation made the announcement.
The FBI and the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Department are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Samuel Goff and Brett Grantham are prosecuting the case.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Carrollton Man Sentenced to over 15 Years in Prison for Conspiracy to Commit Bank FraudRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – A Carrollton, Mississippi man was sentenced to 189 months in federal prison for conspiracy to commit bank fraud.
According to court documents and facts stated in open court, Robert Earl Givens, Jr., 50, participated in a scheme to defraud multiple banks by obtaining fraudulent heavy equipment loans. Givens, who organized the scheme that spanned the State of Mississippi, has numerous convictions for embezzlement, fraud, felony bad check, uttering a forgery, and possession of stolen property. The bank fraud scheme involved the use of forged signatures, falsified documents, and fraudulent representations to bank employees. Givens frequently used the proceeds from fraudulent loans to pay off previous fraudulent loans, but also spent large sums gambling in various casinos.
Givens pled guilty on August 22, 2023 to conspiracy to commit bank fraud.
U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee of the Southern District of Mississippi and Special Agent in Charge Robert A. Eikhoff of the Federal Bureau of Investigation made the announcement.
The case was investigated by the FBI.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles W. Kirkham prosecuted the case.
Picayune Man Sentenced to over 12 Years in Prison for Possession with Intent to Distribute 13 Grams of FentanylRead the Press Release
Gulfport, MS – A Picayune man was sentenced to 151 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute 13 grams of fentanyl.
Brandon Lamont Myers, 41, was sentenced as a career offender as he has now been convicted of three drug trafficking offenses over the past decade. Myers was on parole with the Mississippi Department of Corrections for his last controlled substance conviction at the time of this offense.
According to court records, on August 14, 2023, law enforcement officers seized $61,276 and 13 grams of fentanyl from Myers’ residence in Pearl River County, Mississippi. Agents also seized a box of clear plastic bags and several digital scales.
According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, fentanyl is approximately 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin. The DEA reports that two milligrams of fentanyl can be lethal, and one kilogram of fentanyl has the potential to kill 500,000 people. More facts on fentanyl can be found at https://www.dea.gov/resources/facts-about-fentanyl and https://www.dea.gov/resources/facts-about-fentanyl.
Myers was indicted by a federal grand jury on February 21, 2024, and pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance on April 24, 2024.
U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee, Assistant Special Agent in Charge Anessa Daniels-McCaw of the Drug Enforcement Administration, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Eric DeLaune of Homeland Security Investigations made the announcement.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations and the Picayune Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Jones is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor- led, intelligence driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Ocean Springs Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute over 6,000 Grams of MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
Gulfport, Miss. – An Ocean Springs man pled guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 6,208 grams of methamphetamine.
According to court documents, Eric Donte Pittman, 51, traveled to California with a co-conspirator to pick up a package of methamphetamine to bring back to Jackson County, Mississippi. When returning to Mississippi on August 28, 2023, Pittman and his co-conspirator encountered a Rankin County Sheriff’s Deputy during a traffic stop on Highway 49. The Deputy observed a strong odor of marijuana coming from inside the vehicle. A subsequent search of the vehicle revealed two small bags of marijuana and a black garbage bag containing several packages of methamphetamine. The total amount of methamphetamine was 6,208 grams with 98 percent purity.
Pittman is scheduled to be sentenced on December 4, 2024, and faces up to twenty years in prison. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee of the Southern District of Mississippi and Assistant Special Agent in Charge Anessa Daniels-McCaw of the Drug Enforcement Administration made the announcement.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the South Mississippi Metro Enforcement Team, Rankin and Jackson County Sheriff’s Departments, and the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Jones is prosecuting the case.
As Kids Return to School, U.S. Attorney Releases New Public Service Announcement Warning About Child Predators on InternetRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – As kids return to school, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi launched an on-line video public service announcement (PSA) designed to raise awareness about the increasing number of child predators seeking to exploit children on the internet.
The PSA video, which is available on-line, features United States Attorney Todd Gee and provides information about the importance of being aware of your child’s use of digital technologies, ways child predators are using technology to exploit children, and how to report child exploitation. The PSA highlights the risk of child predators using digital technology to engage in “sextortion,” a type of blackmail used by predators over the internet to acquire sexual content from a child. That person may use deceit, coercion, or another method to obtain a nude or sexual image of the child before blackmailing them for money or more content.
As discussed in the PSA, in the Southern District of Mississippi, the U.S. Attorney’s office is fortunate to work with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task force, a coalition of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies who specialize in hunting down these child predators.
“Back to school season is a great time to remind parents to be aware of the ways your children are connected to the internet—from cell phones to gaming systems and social media—and how child predators can use these digital technologies to exploit children,” said U.S. Attorney Gee. “I encourage parents to watch this PSA, be aware of the risks of digital technology, and report any potential sextortion or other forms of child exploitation.”
If you believe your child has been a victim of sextortion or other forms of child exploitation, preserve the evidence, take screenshots, write down names, usernames, and phone numbers, and report the information to your local FBI field office or online at https://tips.fbi.gov/home.
For additional information, please visit the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children website at https://www.missingkids.org.
The U.S. Attorney’s PSA can be found here: Internet Safety PSA and on the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s X and Facebook pages.
Madison Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Defraud the United StatesRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – A Madison man pled guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Reginald Fullwood, Jr., 59, of Madison, participated in a scheme to pay kickbacks to a marketer in exchange for completed doctors’ orders so that he could cause his durable medical equipment company, Jackson Medical Supply, to bill Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans for orthotic braces that were medically unnecessary and/or ineligible for reimbursement. When Medicare initiated an investigation of Jackson Medical Supply, Fullwood opened another entity in the name of a nominee owner and again paid kickbacks to a marketer in exchange for doctors’ orders so that the new entity could continue to bill Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans for orthotic braces. Overall, Fullwood caused these entities to bill Medicare and Medicare Advantage approximately $12,441,625.30 and the entities were reimbursed approximately $6,448,092.61 for durable medical equipment that was medically unnecessary and/or ineligible for reimbursement.
Fullwood is scheduled to be sentenced on December 4, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee of the Southern District of Mississippi, Special Agent in Charge Robert A. Eikhoff of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Special Agent in Charge Tamala Miles of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General made the announcement.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are investigating the case.
The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Sara Porter of the Gulf Coast Strike Force and Assistant United States Attorney Kimberly Purdie.
Mississippi Seafood Distributor and Managers Plead Guilty to Conspiracy and Misbranding of SeafoodRead the Press Release
A Mississippi seafood distributor and two company managers pleaded guilty today to conspiring with others to mislabel seafood and to commit wire fraud by marketing inexpensive and frozen imported substitutes as more expensive and premium local species.
Quality Poultry and Seafood Inc. (QPS), the largest seafood wholesaler on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, has agreed to pay the United States $1 million in forfeitures and a criminal fine of $150,000. QPS sales manager Todd A. Rosetti and business manager James W. Gunkel, both of Ocean Springs, Mississippi, also pleaded guilty to misbranding seafood to facilitate QPS’ fraud.
QPS admitted to participating in this fish substitution scheme from as early as 2002 and continuing through November 2019. The indictment alleges that QPS recommended and sold to its restaurant customers foreign-sourced fish that could serve as convincing substitutes for the local species the restaurants advertised on their menus. QPS also labeled the cheap imports that it sold to customers at its own retail shop and café as premium local fish.
“QPS and company officials went to great lengths in conspiring with others to perpetuate fraud for more than a decade, even after they knew they were under federal investigation,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “Mislabeling seafood harms local wholesalers and fishermen who compete to sell locally sourced, premium fish in a market unfairly flooded with less expensive fish, frozen and imported from overseas.”
“When imported substitutes are marketed as local domestic seafood, it depresses the value of authentic Gulf Coast seafood, which means that honest local fishermen and wholesalers have a harder time making a profit,” said U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee for the Southern District of Mississippi. “This kind of mislabeling fraud hurts the overall local seafood market and rips off restaurant customers who were paying extra to eat a premium local product. These convictions should serve as a warning: restaurants and wholesalers will face criminal prosecution if they are not honest with customers about what they are actually buying.”
“U.S. consumers expect their seafood to be correctly identified. When sellers purposefully substitute one fish species for another, they deceive consumers and cause potential food safety hazards to be overlooked or misidentified by processors or end users,” said Special Agent in Charge Justin Fielder of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s Office of Criminal Investigations, Miami Field Office. “We will continue to investigate and bring to justice those who put profits above public health.”
The indictment alleges that even after agents from the FDA executed a criminal search warrant at QPS to investigate its sale of mislabeled fish, QPS continued for over a year to sell frozen fish imported from Africa, South America and India for use as substitutes for local premium species.
Mary Mahoney’s, which pleaded guilty in May, admitted that between December 2013 and November 2019, it fraudulently sold, as local premium species, approximately 58,750 pounds (over 29 tons) of fish that was not the species identified on its menu. QPS supplied seafood to Mary Mahoney’s and many other restaurant restaurants and retailers.
QPS, Rosetti and Gunkel will be sentenced on Dec. 11. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations is investigating the case.
Senior Trial Attorney Jeremy F. Korzenik of the Environment and Natural Resources Division’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Jones for the Southern District of Mississippi are prosecuting the case.
Jackson Man Sentenced to over 22 Years in Prison for Brandishing a Firearm During Convenience Store RobberiesRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – A Jackson man was sentenced to 274 months in federal prison for brandishing a firearm during two convenience store robberies. He was also ordered to pay $5105 in restitution.
According to court documents and admissions during public court proceedings, Kenneth Edwards Lewis, Jr., 35, used a firearm during the commission of two convenience store robberies along with his co-defendant, Tramaine Jadell Pettaway, in January and February of 2018. One store was in Clinton and the other was in Ridgeland. The Ridgeland Police Department was able to arrest both Lewis and Pettaway after a short chase following the Ridgeland robbery.
Lewis and Pettaway, who has also pled guilty and is awaiting sentencing, have been in custody since February 2018.
U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee of the Southern District of Mississippi and Special Agent in Charge Robert Eikhoff of the Federal Bureau of Investigation made the announcement.
The Ridgeland Police Department, the Clinton Police Department, and the FBI investigated the case.
Deputy Criminal Chief Lynn Murray and Assistant United States Attorney Charles Kirkham prosecuted the case.
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.
Austal USA LLC Agrees to Settle False Claims Act Allegations Involving Navy ShipsRead the Press Release
Austal USA LLC (Austal), a Mobile, Alabama, based company, has agreed to pay $811,259 to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by knowingly supplying valves that did not meet military specifications.
Austal manufactures numerous ships for the United States, including the Independence Class Littoral Combat Ship (LCS). The United States' settlement alleges that, under a 2011 Navy contract, Austal invoiced for military grade high performance butterfly valves and triple offset butterfly valves it installed on five LCS hulls when it knew the valves had not met the testing requirements to be deemed military grade.
“It is essential to the safety and operational readiness of our Navy fleet that contractors comply with applicable military specifications,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department's Civil Division. “We will continue to hold accountable those who knowingly supply equipment to the U.S. military that fails to meet contract specifications.”
“We cannot and will not tolerate companies who cut corners and misrepresent the products they provide to our military,” said U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee for the Southern District of Mississippi. “This office is committed to protecting taxpayer dollars and will pursue fraud wherever we find it.”
“Supplying nonconforming parts to the Department of Defense (DoD) compromises military systems and potentially endangers the lives of U.S servicemembers,” said Special Agent in Charge Darrin K. Jones of DoD Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Southeast Field Office. “DCIS and our law enforcement partners are fully committed to ensure the safety of our military personnel and protecting the integrity of the DoD supply chain.”
“Product substitution risks degrading warfighter capability and wastes U.S. taxpayer dollars,” said Special Agent in Charge Greg Gross of the Navy Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) Economic Crimes Field Office. “I want to thank our investigative partners for their collaboration in working with NCIS to protect the integrity of the Department of the Navy procurement process.”
DCIS, NCIS and the Defense Contract Audit Agency's Office of Investigative Support investigated the case
Senior Trial Counsel Art J. Coulter of the Civil Division's Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Deidre Lamppin Colson for the Southern District of Mississippi handled the case.
The claims resolved by the settlements are allegations only. There has been no determination of liability.
Settlement
Pass Christian Woman Pleads Guilty to Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Gulfport, Miss.- A Pass Christian, Mississippi woman pled guilty to production of child pornography.
According to court documents, Sarah Jane Bennett, 43, was identified by law enforcement as an individual in lawful custody of a minor child who was using the child to produce visual depictions of the minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Further investigation revealed that Bennett’s cell phone contained multiple videos and images of child sexual abuse material involving the minor child.
Bennett is scheduled to be sentenced on December 10, 2024, in Gulfport, and faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee and Special Agent in Charge Robert Eikhoff of the Federal Bureau of Investigation made the announcement.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating the case, with assistance from the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office Cyber Crimes Division, the Gulfport Police Department, and the Biloxi Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Jones is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.
U.S. Attorney Warns of Increasing Threat from Machinegun Conversion Devices as Jackson Man is Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for Possessing a Machinegun and Another Jackson Man Pleads GuiltyRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi warned of the increasing threat from machinegun conversion devices, also known as “switches,” as a Jackson man was sentenced to two years in prison for illegal possession of a machinegun conversation device and another Jackson man pled guilty to that offense.
According to court documents, on Friday, February 9, 2024, Kylin Demond Russell, 22, led Capitol Police officers on a high-speed chase, reaching speeds of up to 120 mph, after failing to yield for a traffic stop. When his vehicle ultimately came to a stop, he attempted to flee on foot, was detained, and two Glock pistols with attached MCDs were found in the vehicle. Capitol Police contacted the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The vehicle driven by Russell appears to match the description of a vehicle seen in a video, taken by a citizen in Jackson and widely distributed on-line, showing a person firing a weapon from the vehicle.
Russell was indicted by a federal grand jury on February 21, 2024, and pled guilty on May 2, 2024, to possession of a machinegun. Russell was sentenced on August 9, 2024, to two years in prison. He will not be eligible for parole because there is no parole in the federal system.
In a separate case, Javarius McDonald, of Jackson, pled guilty to illegal possession of a machinegun conversion device, also known as a switch, that was attached to his Glock pistol. According to court documents, on December 4, 2023, McDonald, 19, was stopped by Ridgeland Police for a window tint violation because the windows in the vehicle he was driving appeared too tinted under state law. Officers smelled marijuana while speaking with McDonald and performed a probable cause search of the vehicle. Officers recovered a Glock with an attached machinegun conversion device underneath the driver’s seat.
McDonald is scheduled to be sentenced on November 27, 2024, and faces up to 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
“I cannot emphasize enough how dangerous ‘switches’ and other devices are that make a semi-automatic gun a fully automatic machinegun,” said U.S. Attorney Todd Gee. “They can be readily purchased on-line or printed with 3D printers, and they lead to more carnage on the streets, including a higher likelihood of bystanders being hit by gunfire. Machinegun conversion devices are illegal under federal law and Mississippi state law, and seizures of these devices have gone up exponentially across the nation in the last several years. The Department of Justice and our state and local partners are extremely focused on taking persons off the street who possess and use machinegun conversion devices.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office has seen an increase in cases involving illegal firearm conversion devices, commonly known as “switches” or “auto sears,” which convert semi-automatic handguns into fully automatic weapons (i.e., machineguns) in a matter of seconds. The rapid fire of firearms converted to machineguns presents a significant danger in our community to both the public and law enforcement. An individual found in possession of a Glock or auto-sear switch will face up to ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine under federal law.
According to a 2023 report by the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), there was a 570% increase in the number of machinegun conversion devices taken into ATF custody between 2017 and 2021.
“The illegal possession of handgun conversion devices is a significant threat to our communities,” said ATF New Orleans Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson. “The sentence imposed and guilty plea in these cases sends a message to anyone who possesses a switch that we will continue to focus efforts on prohibited individuals who unlawfully possess these devices, remove another violent criminal from our streets, and keep our neighborhoods safe as the top priority for ATF.”
"I am extremely proud of the efforts being made at the local, state, and federal levels to address the issue of 'switches' on firearms,” said Commissioner Sean Tindell of the Mississippi Department of Public Safety. “These devices pose a serious threat to public safety, and it's our responsibility to ensure they are removed from our streets and that those responsible are prosecuted. By working together, we can enhance the safety of our state and communities and hold accountable those who endanger them."
U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee, Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and Commissioner Sean Tindell of the Mississippi Department of Public Safety made the announcement.
The ATF and the Capitol Police investigated the Russell case. The ATF and the Ridgeland Police Department investigated the McDonald case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Allen prosecuted both cases.
The Russell case is the result of Operation Unified and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), both of which are coordinated efforts between state, local, and federal law enforcement agencies. Agencies participating in Operation Unified include the Mississippi Department of Public Safety’s Bureau of Narcotics, Capitol Police and Office of Homeland Security; the Jackson Police Department; the Hinds County District Attorney and Hinds County Sheriff’s Office; the Mississippi Department of Corrections; and the FBI, DEA, and ATF, as well as the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The McDonald case is a result of the PSN program. The PSN Program is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Jackson Man Sentenced to 41 Months in Prison for Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted FelonRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – A Jackson man was sentenced to 41 months in prison for possession of a firearm as a convicted felon.
According to court documents, Marcus Delars Branson, 27, was found in possession of a firearm by officers with the U.S. Probation Office during a visit to his home. Branson had a prior federal felony conviction for bank robbery and was on supervised release at the time. Branson was subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury for illegal possession of a firearm. He pled guilty on April 29, 2024.
Branson faces a separate sentence of two years in prison for violating the terms of his federal supervised release by possessing the weapon that was the subject of the indictment. The two-year sentence for violating the terms of his supervised release will run consecutive to his 41-month sentence. Branson will not be eligible for parole because there is no parole in the federal system.
U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee and Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) made the announcement.
The ATF investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Allen prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Gulfport Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Gulfport, Miss. -- A Gulfport man pled guilty to possession of child pornography.
According to court documents, Roy Alexander Johnson, 31, was identified by federal agents as the user of accounts which contained visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Johnson was identified after CyberTip reports from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children led to email accounts which the FBI was able to trace to Johnson. Examinations of the email accounts resulted in the findings of at least 84 videos of visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct to include minors who had not attained 12 years of age.
Johnson is scheduled to be sentenced on November 22, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee and Special Agent in Charge Robert Eikhoff of the Federal Bureau of Investigation made the announcement.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with the assistance of investigators and forensic examiners of the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Jones is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.
Former Biloxi City Councilman Sentenced to Six Years in Prison for Drug Conspiracy Involving Vape ShopsRead the Press Release
Gulfport, Mississippi – A former Biloxi City Councilman was sentenced to 72 months in prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a Schedule I controlled substance.
According to court documents and information presented to the court, in 2019, Robert Leon Deming, III, 47, founded the Candy Shop, LLC to operate Candy Shop stores in Mississippi and North Carolina. The Candy Shop stores sold CBD and vape products.
In 2020, the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics and Drug Enforcement Administration began investigating the Candy Shop. The investigation revealed that some of the vape products sold by the Candy Shops in Mississippi contained Schedule I controlled substances and controlled substance analogues. In 2022, the DEA also received complaints that some of the products at the Candy Shops were making customers ill.
During the investigation, law enforcement agents seized over $1.8 million in cash from Deming’s residence and additional cash and controlled substances from his stores. Agents learned that Deming was aware that his vape additives did not contain CBD; rather, they contained synthetic cannabinoids. This was evidenced by group chats in which Deming’s employees complained about how the additives were too strong and could hurt their customers. Despite this fact, Deming misbranded the additives as containing CBD.
In addition, through the course of the investigation, agents were able to determine that in May of 2022, Deming sent an uncharged coconspirator $2,200.00 to purchase 1 kilogram of 5F-AB-PINACA, a Schedule I controlled substance, for use in the Candy Shop’s vape additives and that, at the time Deming sent the money, he knew that 5F-AB-PINACA was a controlled substance. The investigation also revealed that Deming’s gross sales of vape additive products containing either Schedule I controlled substances or their analogues totaled over $2 million.
Deming was indicted by a federal grand jury on September 19, 2023, and he pled guilty on May 1, 2024. As part of the resolution in this case, Deming agreed to forfeit a yellow Monster Truck with oversized tires and a lift kit and over $1.9 million dollars.
“U.S. consumers are put at risk when labeling is false and misleading,” said Special Agent in Charge Justin Fielder, FDA Office of Criminal Investigations, Miami Field Office. “Labeling is designed to provide information that can help consumers make informed choices about what they purchase and consume. The FDA is committed to pursuing and bringing to justice those who unlawfully mask controlled substances as known consumer products to be sold to the American public.”
U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee, Assistant Special Agent in Charge Anessa Daniels McCaw of the Drug Enforcement Administration and Special Agent in Charge Justin Fielder of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations Miami Field Office made the announcement.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations and the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jonathan Buckner and Lee Smith.
Wiggins Man Pleads Guilty to Being a Felon in Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
Gulfport, Miss. – A Wiggins, Mississippi man pled guilty to possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.
According to court documents, Russell David Parker, 47, a convicted felon, was found in possession of a firearm during a traffic stop in Stone County on March 9, 2024.
Parker is scheduled to be sentenced on November 21, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee of the Southern District of Mississippi and Acting Special Agent in Charge Eric DeLaune of Homeland Security Investigations made the announcement.
Homeland Security Investigations and the Stone County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee Smith is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Biloxi Man Pleads Guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute 109 Grams of MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
Gulfport, Miss. – A Biloxi, Mississippi man pled guilty today to possession with intent to distribute 109 grams of methamphetamine.
According to court documents, Mark Oatis, 47, was found in possession of 109 grams of methamphetamine, a scale, and clear plastic baggies during a traffic stop in Gulfport.
Oatis is scheduled to be sentenced on November 21, 2024, and faces a mandatory minimum of five years in prison and a maximum of forty years in prison. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee of the Southern District of Mississippi and Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives made the announcement.
The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Gulfport Police Department are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee Smith is prosecuting the case.
Wiggins Man Sentenced to 7 Years in Prison for Possession with Intent to Distribute over 250 Grams of a Substance Containing FentanylRead the Press Release
Gulfport, MS – A Wiggins man was sentenced to 84 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute over 250 grams of a substance containing fentanyl.
George Tavoris Moore, Jr., 28, was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Gulfport.
According to court documents, on September 7, 2023, the Wiggins Police Department received information that Moore was expected to receive a package containing fentanyl at a Wiggins address. A subsequent investigation led to a search of the Wiggins residence and the package. The search yielded approximately 252 grams of pills containing fentanyl.
Moore was indicted by a federal grand jury on September 19, 2023. He pled guilty on February 26, 2024, to possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.
According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, fentanyl is approximately 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin. The DEA reports that two milligrams of fentanyl can be lethal, and one kilogram of fentanyl has the potential to kill 500,000 people. More facts on fentanyl can be found at https://www.dea.gov/resources/facts-about-fentanyl.
U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee of the Southern District of Mississippi and Special Agent in Charge Eric DeLaune of Homeland Security Investigations in New Orleans made the announcement.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Wiggins Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Erica Rose prosecuted the case.
Florida Man Pleads Guilty to Being a Felon in Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
Gulfport, Miss. – A Florida man pled guilty to possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.
According to court documents, Arnett Jackson Bonner, 46, a convicted felon, was found in possession of a firearm during a traffic stop in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, on November 1, 2023.
Bonner is scheduled to be sentenced on November 7, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee of the Southern District of Mississippi and Special Agent in Charge Robert Eikhoff of the Federal Bureau of Investigation made the announcement.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Border Patrol are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee Smith is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Moss Point Man Pleads Guilty to Being a Felon in Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
Gulfport, Miss. – A Moss Point man pled guilty to possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.
According to court documents, Larry Donnell Smith, 44, a convicted felon, was found in possession of a firearm by the Moss Point Police Department during a traffic stop on December 31, 2023.
Smith is scheduled to be sentenced on November 7, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee of the Southern District of Mississippi and Special Agent in Charge Robert Eikhoff of the Federal Bureau of Investigation made the announcement.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Moss Point Police Department are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee Smith is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Gulfport Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing a Firearm in Furtherance of Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
Gulfport, Miss. – A Gulfport man pled guilty today to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
According to court documents, Daunte Taylor, 21, was found in possession of two firearms and over 100 grams of methamphetamine at his residence in Gulfport.
Taylor is scheduled to be sentenced on November 8, 2024, and faces a mandatory minimum of five years in prison and a maximum of life in prison. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee of the Southern District of Mississippi and Assistant Special Agent in Charge Anessa Daniels-McCaw of the Drug Enforcement Administration made the announcement.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Gulfport Police Department are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee Smith is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Former Vicksburg National Military Park Employee Pleads Guilty to Theft of Government FundsRead the Press Release
Jackson, MS – A Vicksburg woman pled guilty to stealing park admission fees while she was employed as a Supervisory Fee Management Specialist at the Vicksburg National Military Park.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Yolanda Ward, 40, of Vicksburg, confessed to removing cash deposits from a safe and keeping the money for personal use while she was employed as a supervisor at the military park from 2017 to 2019. Ward was responsible for depositing the fees. Ward stated that she used the stolen funds to pay her bills and gamble at the local casino. Ward also provided the park’s stolen funds to her family members to gamble at the casino.
Ward pled guilty today to theft of government funds. She is scheduled to be sentenced on November 4, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee of the Southern District of Mississippi, Special Agent in Charge Katherine Balestra of the Department of Interior Office of Inspector General, and Superintendent Carrie Mardorf of the Vicksburg National Military Park made the announcement.
The Department of Interior Office of Inspector General is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam Stuart and Kimberly Purdie are prosecuting the case.
Pearl Woman Pleads Guilty to COVID-Relief FraudRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – A Pearl woman pled guilty to carrying out a scheme to defraud the COVID-19 Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).
According to court documents, Robbie Reese, 46, fraudulently claimed and received over $1.3 million in federal tax rebates and Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funds. Reese submitted false Internal Revenue Service tax forms claiming reimbursement for payments to nonexistent employees and false loan documents for PPP loans.
Reese is scheduled to be sentenced on November 7, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee of the Southern District of Mississippi, Supervisory Special Agent Louis Norvell of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, and Resident Agent in Charge Kyle Smith of the Secret Service made the announcement.
The Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation and the Secret Service are investigating the case.
Deputy Criminal Chief Lynn Murray is prosecuting the case.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866‑720‑5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
California Man Pleads Guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute 113 Grams of FentanylRead the Press Release
Gulfport, MS – A Compton, California man pled guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 113 grams of fentanyl.
According to court documents, Jayma Nettles, 46, was identified as being a member of a drug-trafficking organization in California that was sending packages of narcotics to Mississippi dating back to 2019. The overall investigation yielded 5,766 grams of pure methamphetamine, 236 grams of fentanyl, 84.2 grams of cocaine, and 7.8 kilograms of marijuana that were shipped to the Gulf Coast. Jayma Nettles was responsible for sending 113 grams of fentanyl to the Coast in October of 2022.
According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, fentanyl is approximately 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin. The DEA reports that two milligrams of fentanyl can be lethal, and one kilogram of fentanyl has the potential to kill 500,000 people. More facts on fentanyl can be found at https://www.dea.gov/resources/facts-about-fentanyl and https://www.dea.gov/resources/facts-about-fentanyl.
Nettles pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. He is scheduled to be sentenced on November 20, 2024, and faces up to 40 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor- led, intelligence driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee of the Southern District of Mississippi and Assistant Special Agent in Anessa Daniels-McCaw of the Drug Enforcement Administration made the announcement.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Erica Rose is prosecuting the case.
Wiggins Man Pleads Guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute 96 Grams of MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
Gulfport, MS – A Wiggins man pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute 96 grams of methamphetamine.
According to court documents, on February 16, 2024, an investigation revealed that Daniel Daughdrill, 42, was selling methamphetamine from his Wiggins residence. A search of his residence yielded 96 grams of methamphetamine as well as a firearm.
Daughdrill will be sentenced on October 30, 2024 and faces up to twenty years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee of the Southern District of Mississippi and Acting Special Agent in Charge Eric DeLaune of Homeland Security Investigations made the announcement.
Homeland Security Investigations and Stone County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Erica Rose is prosecuting the case.
Five Individuals Arrested in Multi-State Investigation of a Conspiracy to Distribute Drugs in the Jackson AreaRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – Five individuals were arrested yesterday pursuant to a federal indictment filed in the Southern District of Mississippi charging defendants from Hinds, Madison, and Newton counties. The charges stem from a multi-year federal investigation of a drug trafficking operation distributing methamphetamine, cocaine, and other illegal drugs in the area of Jackson, Mississippi and elsewhere.
The indictment charges nine individuals with various drug trafficking crimes, including, but not limited, to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and conspiracy to do so. Several defendants face mandatory minimum sentences because of the significant quantities of illegal drugs. Additionally, some defendants have been charged with firearms-related crimes.
“The Department of Justice is working hard with federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to help make the Jackson area safer by conducting major investigations, like this one, that dismantle drug trafficking and violent organizations,” said U.S. Attorney Todd Gee. “Criminals in Jackson should be on notice that committing crimes as part of a large group is a one-way ticket to federal prison.”
“The Drug Enforcement Administration is committed to protecting our communities from the scourge of drugs,” said DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge Anessa Daniels-McCaw. “These arrests are the culmination of a multi-year investigation, and we will continue to aggressively pursue those who poison our communities with deadly substances.”
“Citizens throughout Mississippi deserve to live in drug free communities,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Eikhoff. “These arrests exemplify the collaborative efforts between federal, state and local law enforcement partners in thwarting illegal drug trafficking operations, as we continue to work together making our communities safer.”
“Working alongside our local, state, and federal partners demonstrates that cooperation consistently leads to successful outcomes,” said Department of Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell. “I am proud of the work done in this case to ensure that we are all united in continuing to combat drug crime and ensure safety in Mississippi.”
“I am extremely excited about the collaboration and collective efforts with our federal partners, state partners, and the U.S. Attorney," said Jackson Police Chief Joseph Wade. "U.S. Attorney Todd Gee continues his commitment to assisting JPD in our efforts to combat violent crimes. This effort exemplifies his work, along with the federal partners and the hard work of the men and women of the Jackson Police Department to improve the quality of life for the citizens of the City of Jackson.”
The following defendants were arrested yesterday:
James Naylor, 59, of Jackson; Donald Jordan, 49, of Jackson; Cedrick Barber, 48, of Jackson; Aron Brown, 53, of Madison; and Danita Wheeler, 58, of Jackson.
Initial court appearances were held this morning before U.S. Magistrate Judge LaKeysha Greer Isaac in U.S. District Court in Jackson.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee of the Southern District of Mississippi, Assistant Special Agent in Charge Anessa Daniels-McCaw of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Special Agent in Charge Robert Eikhoff of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Marshal Mark Shepherd, Mississippi Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell, Jackson Police Chief Joseph Wade and Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones.
The cases are being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, Hinds County Sheriff’s Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Jackson Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam T. Stuart is prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carla Clark assisted in the investigation. The Office of Enforcement Operations in the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division also provided assistance.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Crystal Springs Man Pleads Guilty to Brandishing a Firearm During a Carjacking in JacksonRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – A Crystal Springs man pled guilty to brandishing a firearm while carjacking a woman in front of her home in Jackson.
According to court documents, Christopher Lawrence Murray, 31, brandished a pistol during a carjacking in the Jackson area. In May of 2021, Murray and another man approached a woman sitting in her car in front of her home. Working in tandem, both men pointed pistols at the woman and demanded she hand over her cellular phone and the keys to her car. The woman, at gunpoint, complied with the demands and the men left in the woman’s car.
Murray was indicted by a federal grand jury on September 6, 2023. He pled guilty today to brandishing a firearm in relation to a crime of violence. He is scheduled to be sentenced on October 29, 2024, and faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 7 years and a maximum penalty of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
“We are working to reduce carjackings in Jackson by prosecuting offenders in federal court and bringing together federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to identify and arrest individuals and groups involved in carjacking,” said U.S. Attorney Todd Gee.
In an effort to focus resources on carjacking in Jackson, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Jackson Police Department and the Capitol Police Department formed a carjacking task force in April of 2024. In keeping with the Justice Department’s Comprehensive Strategy for Reducing Violent Crime, the task force represents a strategic enforcement priority for the department, focusing federal resources on identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the most significant drivers of violent crime.
U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee and Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives made the announcement.
The Jackson Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Bert Carraway is prosecuting the case.
Mendenhall Man Pleads Guilty to Being a Felon in Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – A Mendenhall man pled guilty today to possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.
According to court documents, Koda Tye Williamson, 39, a convicted felon, was found in possession of a firearm by the Simpson County Sheriff’s Department during the execution of a search warrant on his home for narcotics distribution and illegal firearms possession. It is a violation of federal law for a convicted felon to possess a firearm. Williamson has previous felony convictions for manslaughter and methamphetamine possession.
Williamson is scheduled to be sentenced on October 29, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee of the Southern District of Mississippi and Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives made the announcement.
The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Simpson County Sheriff’s Department are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Allen is prosecuting the case.
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Magnolia Man Sentenced to 26 Months in Prison for Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted FelonRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – A Magnolia man was sentenced to 26 months in prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
According to court documents, Edward Dewayne Cockerham, 35, was found in possession of a firearm by Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics agents and a Pike County Sheriff’s deputy during a traffic stop. Cockerham had a prior felony conviction for failing to support minor children and was on supervised probation at the time he possessed the firearm.
Cockerham was indicted by a federal grand jury for possessing the firearm as a convicted felon. He pled guilty on April 30, 2024.
U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee of the Southern District of Mississippi and Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives made the announcement.
The Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, Pike County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Bert Carraway prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Five Plead Guilty to Drug, Firearms, and Immigration Offenses after Law Enforcement Investigation into Sales of Cocaine in Mississippi to Purchase Firearms and Machine Gun Conversion Devices for Delivery to MexicoRead the Press Release
JACKSON, MS– Five individuals with ties to Mexico have pled guilty over the past month to felony offenses related to drug trafficking, firearms trafficking, and immigration offenses as a result of a law enforcement investigation involving sales of cocaine in Mississippi to purchase firearms and machine gun conversion devices for delivery to Mexico.
According to court documents, Rosendo Gonzalez Mora, 40, Jaime Bladimir Dela Cruz, 28, Oscar Gonzalez, 39, Juan Deferia Mondragon, 32, and Gabriel Guerrero Gallegos, 36, were indicted by a federal grand jury for various felony offenses as a result of a joint operation between the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Agency, Homeland Security Investigations, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General.
Jaime Bladimir Dela Cruz, an American citizen residing in Richland, MS, pleaded guilty today to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. He faces a mandatory minimum of five years in prison and a maximum of life in prison.
Rosendo Gonzalez Mora, a citizen of Mexico, pleaded guilty on June 17, 2024, to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine. He faces a mandatory minimum of five years in prison and a maximum of life in prison.
Mora and Dela Cruz’s charges stemmed from their attempts to barter an exchange of cocaine for fully automatic firearms, machinegun conversion devices, and explosives. It was the intent of Mora and Dela Cruz to source firearms and explosives from Jackson, Mississippi, and deliver them to organized crime syndicates in Mexico.
Oscar Gonzalez, an American citizen residing in Jackson, MS, pleaded guilty on June 17, 2024, to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. His charges stem from his attempt to barter an exchange of cocaine for three machinegun conversion devices. He faces a mandatory minimum of five years in prison with a maximum of life in prison.
Juan Deferia Mondragon and Gabriel Guerrero Gallegos, both citizens of Mexico, also pleaded guilty on June 17, 2024, to illegal re-entry of a previously removed alien for their unlawful return into the United States after being previously deported. Mondragon had been previously removed from the United States on three separate occasions. They each face a maximum sentence of two years in prison followed by possible deportation.
In addition to criminal prosecution, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi has seized numerous firearms, machinegun conversion devices, and over $200,000 of suspected drug trafficking proceeds as a result of this investigation. After discoveries made during the execution of various search warrants during the investigation, the Department of Justice has also initiated legal proceedings to seize over twenty acres of real property in Hinds County, Mississippi used in furtherance of the firearms and drug trafficking scheme as well as an illegal animal fighting venture involving over 200 illegally owned fighting chickens.
“These charges demonstrate how transnational criminals are reaching even into Mississippi to obtain the weapons they are using to fuel violence abroad and in the United States,” said United States Attorney Todd Gee. “I want to thank all the federal, state, and local law enforcement agents that helped investigate and dismantle this international firearms trafficking network.”
“ATF will continue to lead in investigating and disrupting firearms trafficking as we bring our expertise and resources to enhance law enforcement’s collectively ability to disrupt deadly weapons trafficking between Mississippi and Mexico,” said ATF New Orleans Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson. “The guilty pleas from these five individuals send a strong message to drug and gun traffickers that ATF will work tirelessly to protect our communities and hold accountable those who threaten our safety.”
“This case highlights the dangerous intersection of drug trafficking and firearms smuggling,” said Special Agent in Charge Steven Hofer, with the Drug Enforcement Administration New Orleans Division. “These transnational criminal organization not only fuel addiction in our communities, but they also put weapons in the hands of violent criminals, both here and abroad.”
“These individuals, who were willing to trade illicit, deadly narcotics in exchange for firearms and explosives intended for Mexican organized crime syndicates, showed complete disregard for the safety of our communities and willingness to contribute to international violent crime,” said HSI New Orleans acting Special Agent in Charge Eric DeLaune. “This case is a great example of how HSI leverages its unique transnational authorities, alongside our local, state, and federal partners, to disrupt narcotics and firearms traffickers.”
“The provisions of the Animal Welfare Act were designed to protect animals from being used in illegal fighting ventures, which often entail other forms of criminal activity involving drugs, firearms and gambling,” Special Agent-in-Charge Dax Roberson of the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Office of Inspector General said. “Together with the Department of Justice, animal fighting is an investigative priority for USDA-OIG, and we will work with our law enforcement partners to investigate and assist in the criminal prosecution of those who participate in animal fighting ventures.”
Mora, Gonzalez, Mondragon, and Gallegos are scheduled to be sentenced on September 17, 2024. Dela Cruz is scheduled to be sentenced on October 29, 2024. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, and the United States Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General are investigating the case with assistance from the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office, Mississippi Agricultural & Livestock Theft Bureau, the Jackson Police Department, and the Capitol Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Samuel Goff and Matthew Allen are prosecuting the case.