Eastern District of North Carolina
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
Convicted Felon Sentenced for Possessing Loaded RevolverRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – A Wilson man was sentenced today to 30 months in prison and three years of supervised release for possessing a firearm as a felon. On August 26, 2021, Quarmaine Devonta Daniels pled guilty to the charges.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, Daniels, 26, was found in possession of a loaded .38 caliber revolver during a traffic stop in Wilson, North Carolina. Daniels had previously been convicted of possessing a firearm as a felon in federal court in 2016.
G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle. The Wilson Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert Dodson and John Parris prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:21-CR-228-BO.
Media AdvisoryRead the Press Release
MEDIA ADVISORY
WHEN: Friday, November 12, 2021 at 11:00 AM
WHERE: New Hanover County Historic Courthouse
Commissioners Assembly Room 301
24 North 3rd Street
Wilmington, NC 28401
Re: Operation Tiny Toons
RALEIGH – The United States Attorney’s Office announces a press conference to discuss the sentencing of multiple gang members in a multi-year heroin/fentanyl conspiracy investigation in Wilmington and New Hanover County. We will also highlight the important partnerships between all levels of law enforcement and the partnership between the United States Attorney’s and the District Attorney’s Offices in this and other investigations during the preceding year. The Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF), Federal Bureau of Investigation, Wilmington Police Department, New Hanover Sheriff’s Office, Holly Ridge Police Department, and Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office investigated these cases.
In addition to Acting United States Attorney G. Norman Acker, III, representatives from the ATF, FBI, Wilmington Police Department, New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, and the Holly Ridge Police Department are expected to be present at this event.
Credentialed members of the media are invited to attend. For additional information, please e-mail Don Connelly at [email protected]. Please RSVP your intentions to attend the event.
25 Individuals Charged in Rocky Mount Cigarette Smuggling and Money Laundering OperationRead the Press Release
RALEIGH – G. Norman Acker III, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina announced today that on October 20, 2021, a federal grand jury sitting in the Eastern District of North Carolina returned a sealed, twelve-count indictment charging 24 individuals with a scheme to defraud the federal government, the State of North Carolina, the State of New York, the State of New Jersey, and the Commonwealth of Virginia, of millions of dollars in tax revenues from the sale of cigarettes.
This investigation is an effort to end large scale tax fraud and to hold these defendants accountable for the millions in lost tax revenue as the result of their illegal scheme. The individuals charged are:
- Bahjet Shaher Ahmed Dari, 58
- Shaher Bahjat Dari, a/k/a “Boo”, 32
- Hashem Faraj Hatu, 30
- Tamara Delilah Richardson, 27
- Bismillah Barak, 38
- Khalid Naser Hizan, 23
- Jymonica Arnez Gorham, 29
- Adam Husam Salem, 21
- Husam Khaled Salem, 60
- Shelton Dewain Tenor, a/k/a “DC”, 50
- Sierra Nicole Strickland, 28
- Noe De Jesus Vega, 45
- Jermaine Tyrell Underhill, 28
- Sameer Mohammad Dari, 53
- Ali Osama Dari, 22
- Anastasia Chante Harrison, 29
- Leandro Alberto De Los Angeles-Perez, 43
- Amer Mohammed Zughbi, a/k/a “Amer Mohammad Zughbi”, 21
- Toribio Antonio Perez, 55
- Francisco Odalis Perez, 37
- Jason Peralta, 22
- Ahmad Awni Said Marzouq, 35
- Abdulla Mohamed Aezah, 30
- Alicia Walker, a/k/a “Alicia Mendez,” 44
The defendants were arrested yesterday and will be presented before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert T. Numbers today. U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III presides over the case.
In Count One, the grand jury alleges that the 24 individuals listed in the indictment, had been engaged in a conspiracy, beginning in May of 2021 and continuing until at least the time the indictment was returned, to ship, transport, receive, possess, sell, distribute and purchase cigarettes, in quantities exceeding 10,000 cigarettes (as required by the relevant statute), which bore no evidence of the payment of applicable State or local cigarette taxes in the state and locality where they were found. The object of the conspiracy was to profit from the purchase of cigarettes with cash in North Carolina, drive those cigarettes to the northeast, and sell them without paying the applicable sales tax. This is all alleged to be in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2342 (a) (which prohibits the trafficking in contraband cigarettes and smokeless tobacco) and Title 18, United States Code, Section 371, the general conspiracy statute.
It is alleged in the indictment that members of the conspiracy would repeatedly purchase large quantities of cigarettes from wholesale cigarette outlets in Rocky Mount and Wilson, and then transport those quantities of cigarettes to storage locations for future shipment to Virginia, New Jersey, and New York. After purchasing the cigarettes from the wholesalers, members of the conspiracy would then prepare for transporting the cigarettes to the northeast by using large vehicles and cross into the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Counts Two through Eight allege seven specific instances where the individual(s) named in those counts (and who were part of the conspiracy charged in Count One) knowingly shipped, transported, received, possessed, or aided and abetted contraband cigarettes (in amounts greater than 10,000) which bore no evidence of the payment of applicable state cigarette taxes in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Each of these instances is alleged to be in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2342(a), as well.
Count Nine alleges that all 24 defendants were engaged in a conspiracy to launder money in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1956(h). In this count, the grand jury alleges that members of the conspiracy (a) conducted and attempted to conduct financial transaction affecting interstate commerce which involved the proceeds of specified unlawful activity, that is, cigarette trafficking, with the intent to further the goals of that crime, and that they knew that the property involved in the crime was in fact the proceeds of some form of unlawful activity; and (b) that while they conducted or attempted to conduct the specified unlawful activity – again, cigarette trafficking –the transactions were designed in whole or in part to conceal and disguise the nature, location, source, ownership and control of the proceeds of the unlawful activity. So, in sum, the money laundering conspiracy count alleges that the members of the conspiracy were trying to either further the goals of the crime or to conceal the crime by using the proceeds of the crime in some way or do both those things.
Count Ten alleges that Shaher Bahjat Dari, a/k/a “Boo Boo,” an alien illegally and unlawfully in the United States, possessed a firearm and ammunition.
Count Eleven alleges that Shaher Bahjat Dari, a/k/a “Boo Boo,” possessed with intent to distribute more than fifty (50) kilograms of marijuana.
Count Twelve alleges that Tamara Delilah Richardson possessed with intent to distribute a quantity of marijuana.
If convicted of Count One, the general conspiracy to traffic in contraband cigarettes, each defendant faces up to five years in federal prison and fines of up to $250,000 or both. If convicted of Counts Two through Eight, each defendant named therein faces up to five years in federal prison and fines of up to $250,000. If the defendants are convicted of money laundering as alleged in Count Nine, they each face up to 20 years imprisonment, a $500,000 fine or twice the value of the property involved in the transaction, whichever is greater, or both. In Count Ten, the defendant faces up to 10 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine or both. In Count Eleven, the defendant faces up to 20 years imprisonment, $250,000 fine or both. In Count Twelve, the defendant faces up to 5 years imprisonment, $250,000 fine or both.
In addition, the grand jury included a forfeiture notice in the indictment. That section of the indictment provides notice to each defendant that the items of property listed in that notice, and any other property which is the proceeds of or involved in the crime, is forfeitable to the United States. The forfeiture notice includes approximately 10,000 cartons of cigarettes, $440,000 in U.S. currency and vehicles that were seized during the investigation.
Further, on November 5, 2021, Wasim Bahgat Dari, 30, will be presented for an initial appearance based on a criminal complaint filed today charging him with trafficking in contraband cigarettes, conspiracy to traffic in contraband cigarettes and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina said “North Carolina continues to be a target for cigarette trafficking organizations to take advantage of North Carolina as a source of supply of untaxed cigarettes. Any criminal activity that primarily conducts its illicit business with bulk cash, is susceptible to violent crimes occurring in those communities, can attract sophisticated and organized criminal groups, and could be a source of funding for terrorists. This office will continue to aggressively prosecute those organizations that are travelling to or are operating in the Eastern District.”
“Dari’s scheme to launder money and sell contraband cigarettes has gone up in smoke and he will have to answer for his crimes,” said Special Agent In Charge Ronnie Martinez, who oversees Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) operations in North Carolina and South Carolina. “Disrupting and dismantling criminal organizations is a priority for HSI and we will continue to find, arrest and prosecute these criminals.”
“Yesterday morning, Deputy United States Marshals from the Eastern District of North Carolina, and the Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force assisted Homeland Security Investigators, Nash County Sheriff’s Office Detectives and other state and local law enforcement officers in the simultaneous arrest of 22 individuals on federal charges. The coordinated arrests occurred in Nash County and surrounding areas, as well as in NY, FL & PA,” commented United States Marshal Michael East. “The arrests were the culmination of extensive investigative work by HSI, the Nash County Sheriff’s Office and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina. The United States Marshals Service is always willing to assist our federal, state and local partners in the apprehension of criminal suspects and fugitives.”
Nash County Sheriff Keith Stone stated, “This is a perfect example of well-trained law enforcement officers partnering with federal authorities for safer communities. With this case, it’s more than drug cigarette smuggling, it includes acts of violence. This is just another example of organized crime.”
"Edgecombe County Sheriff's Office prides itself on working with federal, state and, local partnerships to ensure our county and surrounding areas are safe and we will continue that relationship," commented Sheriff Clee Atkinson.
This case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, Nash County Sheriff’s Office, Edgecombe County Sheriff’s Office, United States Marshals Service, and the Henrico County, Virginia Sheriff’s Office.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:21-CR-394.
An indictment is merely an accusation. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Whiteville Man Sentenced to 17 Years in Drug and Gun CaseRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – A Whiteville man was sentenced today by Judge James C. Dever to a total of 204 months for Possession of a Firearm by a Felon, Possession with Intent to Distribute a Quantity of Cocaine and Possessing a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime. On June 24, 2021, Samuel Arnett Jr., 43, pled guilty to the charges.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, the Columbus County Sheriff’s Office engaged in a four-month long narcotics investigation into Arnett. During the summer of 2019, investigators purchased crack cocaine and firearms from Arnett utilizing a confidential source of information. On five separate occasions, Arnett sold quantities of crack cocaine. On two other occasions, Arnett sold firearms to the confidential source and on two additional occasions, Arnett sold both firearms and crack cocaine to the source of information. Based on that investigation, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Arnett’s house in Whiteville. Law enforcement found additional cocaine, drug paraphernalia indicative of the sale of narcotics, two other firearms, ammunition and United States currency.
Arnett was found to be a Career Offender, having two or more convictions for violent felonies. In 2003 Arnett was convicted of two separate Robbery with a Dangerous Weapon charges and in 2005 he was convicted again of Robbery with a Dangerous Weapon.
G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after the sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Columbus County Sheriff’s office investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Charity Wilson prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 7:20-cr-00141-D-1.
Washington D.C. Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Armed Robbery, Shooting, and Failing to Register as a Sex OffenderRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – A Washington D.C. man was sentenced on November 3, 2021 to 180 months in prison for brandishing a firearm in connection to a crime of violence, possession of firearm by a convicted felon, and failure to register as a sex offender. On May 6, 2021, Joshua Wendell Clark, 25, pled guilty to the charges.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, investigators with the Edgecombe County Sheriff’s Office responded to a robbery call in Tarboro, North Carolina on August 24, 2020. Detectives learned that earlier that day, Clark robbed a Pizza Hut delivery man at gunpoint. When the delivery man arrived to drop off an order, Clark drew a handgun and pointed it at the victim’s head and demanded his money. Clark ultimately took $116 in U.S. currency from the delivery man. Later that same day, officers with the Tarboro Police Department responded to a shots-fired call at the 1100 block of Chapel Street, Tarboro. There they encountered multiple eyewitnesses, including the victim in that case, who advised that Clark attempted to shoot him while the victim sat in his vehicle. When Clark drew his handgun, a physical struggle ensued between the two individuals, and Clark discharged his firearm sending a round through the roof of the victim’s car. Clark then pulled the trigger multiple times after the first round, but the gun did not discharge and appeared to have jammed. Clark then ran away from the scene on foot. While on scene, officers observed a suspicious vehicle that continued to circle the area of the shooting. When officers stopped the car, they observed Clark lying down in the back seat. In Clark’s possession, officers recovered a loaded Springfield XD-40 pistol with a spent shell casing jammed in the chamber.
Prior to the events of August 24, 2020, Clark had a prior felony conviction for second degree child sex abuse from Washington, D.C. As a result, Clark was required to register as a sex offender but never did.
G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. The Tarboro Police Department, the Edgecombe County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Aakash Singh prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:21-CR-15-D.
Rocky Mount Man Sentenced to 71 Months for Second Federal Firearm ConvictionRead the Press Release
WILMINGTON, N.C. – A Rocky Mount man was sentenced on November 3, 2021 to 48 months in prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, to be served consecutive to a term of 23 months for violating supervised release on his prior federal conviction for the same offense. On August 8, 2021, Tyree Leron Stewart, 29, pled guilty to the charge.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, on September 16, 2020, officers with the Rocky Mount Police Department responded to a shot-spotter alert in the area of Henna Street, Rocky Mount, North Carolina. There, officers observed Stewart standing beside a vehicle parked in the driveway of his residence. When officers approached to ask Stewart if he had observed anything, Stewart began acting nervous and positioned his body away from the officers as if he were attempting to conceal something. Officers asked Stewart to show his hands, but Stewart did not raise his right hand. When Stewart ultimately raised his right hand, officers heard a loud thud on the ground. Officers observed a sawed-off shotgun on the ground and ordered Stewart to step away. Before officers could detain Stewart, he fled on foot throughout the area before ultimately returning to his house. Stewart then exited the residence and surrendered to police. Officers secured a search warrant for Stewart’s residence and recovered twenty-two 12-gauge shotgun shells. The firearm was identified as a sawed-off 12-gauge shotgun with a 13-inch barrel. At the time, Stewart had accrued three prior felony convictions for the same offense, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and was serving an active term of federal supervised release.
G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II. The Rocky Mount Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Aakash Singh prosecuted the case.
On August 18, 2021, U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan sentenced Stewart to a term of 23 months imprisonment for violating his federal supervised release.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case Nos. 5:21-CR-194-M and 5:18-CR-168-FL.
Armed Brunswick County Drug Trafficker Sentenced to 20 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – A Supply, North Carolina man was sentenced today to 240 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute 280 grams or more of cocaine base (crack) and a quantity of cocaine; possession with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base (crack) and aiding and abetting; and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
According to court documents, Shawn Deontae Hewett, 37, was named in an Indictment filed on October 8, 2020. On August 2, 2021, Hewett entered a plea of guilty.
In May 2019, agents learned that the defendant was selling large amounts of cocaine base (crack) from his residence in Supply, North Carolina.
On July 24, 2019, agents executed a search warrant at the defendant’s residence and seized cocaine, MDMA pills, currency, a 9mm firearm loaded with 27 rounds of ammunition, and a .38 caliber revolver. Hewett admitted he had been distributing cocaine base since approximately 2015.
On November 5, 2020, agents returned to the residence to arrest Hewett on federal warrants. In the residence, agents seized marijuana and cocaine base. In a baby bassinette, agents seized 4.5 grams of psilocybin mushrooms, 10 MDMA tablets, and a plastic bag that contained 0.8 grams of methamphetamine.
G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement. The Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) investigated the cases and Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott A. Lemmon prosecuted the case.
Valuable assistance was also provided by the District Attorney’s office for Brunswick, Columbus, and Bladen counties.
Operation Hell Swamp is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. 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.
This case is also part of the United States Attorney’s Office’s Take Back North Carolina Initiative. This initiative emphasizes the regional assignment of federal prosecutors to work with law enforcement and District Attorney’s Offices on a sustained basis in those communities to reduce the violent crime rate, drug trafficking, and crimes against law enforcement. For additional information about this initiative, click here https://www.justice.gov/usao-ednc/tbnc.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for case number 7:20-CR-00162-D-1.
Fight in Rocky Mount Hotel Leads to Drugs, Gun, and a 16 Year Sentence for Prior Federal FelonRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – On Friday, October 22, 2021, a Scotland Neck man was sentenced to 192 months in prison for narcotics and firearm violations while on post-release supervision for a prior federal felony. On April 2021, Gerard Roderkus Fenner, 40, pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute heroin, fentanyl, marijuana, and methamphetamine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession of a firearm by a felon.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, on November 26, 2019, Rocky Mount Police Officers responded to the Days Inn after receiving a 911 call about a fight involving a firearm. The caller said the fight was over drugs.
Officers responded to the hotel room in question and found the door locked. The occupant, eventually identified as Fenner, refused to open the door. Concerned Fenner was tossing evidence out the third-story window, officers went to the outside window just in time to find Fenner jumping. Landing hard on the ground after the thirty-foot jump, Fenner was immediately arrested.
Officers found over $4,000 cash stuffed in Fenner’s underwear. Back in the hotel room, officers discovered heroin and fentanyl mixtures, marijuana, over eight hundred methamphetamine pills, and a loaded firearm. At the time of the incident, Fenner was serving a term of post-release supervision stemming from a federal firearm charge in 2013.
In issuing a 168-month sentence for the conviction and a 24-month consecutive sentence for the revocation of supervision, the Court noted the danger posed by the narcotics and firearm involved in Fenner’s trafficking.
“Our mission here at the Rocky Mount Police Department is to improve the quality of life in the city of Rocky Mount by building partnerships to reduce crime. We value our partnership with our Federal Law Enforcement agencies, who assist us in creating a safe environment for all citizens who reside and visit Rocky Mount, North Carolina. The Rocky Mount Police Department will continue to work with Federal, State, and Local law enforcement agencies while providing the highest level of police services,” said the Rocky Mount Chief of Police Robert Hassell.
G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. Rocky Mount Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:12-CR-115 and 5:20-CR-85-D.
Online Pastor and Former Real Estate Agent Among Those Sentenced to Prison for Bank Fraud in Ongoing Identity Fraud ProsecutionRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – Numerous defendants were sentenced in connection with charges contained in a 50-count, 2nd Superseding Indictment alleging various forms of Bank Fraud, Wire Fraud, Conspiracy, and Perjury.
The indictment charges that defendant Michael Griffin (“MGriffin”), operating from his business location in Raleigh and home in Knightdale, accepted fees from clients for alleged credit repair services. The indictment alleges that, in reality, Griffin was creating fictitious credit profiles and fraudulently altering client credit data through the use of fictitious police reports.
The indictment further charges that various defendants, many of whom were family, conspired with MGriffin to defraud Synchrony Bank, a Lowe’s credit card provider, by opening credit accounts in the name of fraudulent identities, cashing out the accounts through prepaid card purchases, and then defaulting on the credit accounts. The indictment also charges various defendants with similar frauds against other banks, including Capital One and Discover.
Regina Griffin (MGriffin’s sister), 49, of Raleigh, North Carolina, and former real estate agent; pled guilty to Count 29 of the 2nd Superseding Indictment, which charged False Statement to Influence a Bank on a Loan, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1014. The offense occurred between February 11, 2019 and March 19, 2019, and involved Alcova Mortgage, LLC. On Wednesday, October 20, 2021, the Court sentenced Regina Griffin to 14 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release. She was also ordered to make restitution of $70,606.72.
Sharon Annita Edmond (MGriffin’s sister), 57, of Raleigh, North Carolina, and an online pastor; pled guilty to Count 25 of the 2nd Superseding Indictment, which charged Wire Fraud and Aiding and Abetting, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1343 and 2. The offense occurred on or about April 16, 2018 and involved Strategic Funding Partners, doing business as Merchant Cash Group. On Wednesday, October 20, 2021, the Court sentenced Sharon Edmond to 12 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release. She was also ordered to make restitution of $36,204.00.
Creshun Alexandria Griffin (MGriffin’s daughter), 27, of Knightdale, North Carolina; pled guilty to Count 16 of the 2nd Superseding Indictment, which charged Bank Fraud and Aiding and Abetting, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1344 and 2. The offense occurred between August 11, 2017 and December 31, 2018 and involved Capital One Bank. On Wednesday, October 20, 2021, the Court sentenced Creshun Griffin to 30 day in custody, followed by 2 years of supervised release, and 200 hours of community service. She was also ordered to make restitution of $8,406.51.
Katina Griffin Perry (MGriffin’s sister), 48, of Raleigh, North Carolina; pled guilty to Count 27 of the 2nd Superseding Indictment, which charged Wire Fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343. The offense occurred between August 21, 2017 and September 19, 2017 and involved Kia Motor Finance. On Wednesday, October 20, 2021, the Court sentenced Katina Perry to 2 years of probation and 50 hours of community service.
Harvey Griffin (MGriffin’s brother) 47, of Raleigh, North Carolina; pled guilty to Count 11 of the 2nd Superseding Indictment, which charged Bank Fraud and Aiding and Abetting, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1344 and 2. The offense occurred between October of 2017 and January of 2018 and involved Synchrony Bank. On Wednesday, October 20, 2021, the Court sentenced Harvey Griffin to Time Served, plus 3 years of supervised release. He was also ordered to make restitution of $7,609.75.
Angela Griffin (MGriffin’s wife), 53, of Knightdale, North Carolina; pled guilty to Count 13 of the 2nd Superseding Indictment, which charged Bank Fraud and Aiding and Abetting, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1344 and 2. The offense occurred between November 21, 2017 and December 21, 2017 and involved Synchrony Bank. Today, the Court sentenced Angela Griffin to 12 months confinement and five years of supervised release. She was also ordered to make restitution of $9,614.31.
Melvin Griffin (MGriffin’s brother), 45, of Knightdale, North Carolina; pled guilty to Count 18 of the 2nd Superseding Indictment, which charged Bank Fraud and Aiding and Abetting, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1344 and 2. The offense occurred between October 5, 2017 and August 31, 2018 and involved Discover Bank. Today, the Court sentenced Melvin Griffin to six months confinement plus three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to make restitution of $42,861.98.
Jasmine Mariah Davis, 29, of Lakeland, Florida; pled guilty to Count 11 of the 2nd Superseding Indictment, which charged Bank Fraud and Aiding and Abetting, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1344 and 2. The offense occurred between October of 2017 and February of 2018 and involved Synchrony Bank. Today, the Court sentenced Jasmine Davis to three months confinement plus three years of supervised release. She was also ordered to make restitution of $69,502.71.
Tyrone Edmonds, 47 of Weldon, North Carolina, pled guilty on February 8, 2021 to Count 6, which charged Bank Fraud and Aiding and Abetting, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1344 and 2. The offense occurred between July of 2017 and August of 2021, and involved Synchrony Bank. Today, the Court sentenced Tyrone Edmonds to time served and three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to make restitution of $12,407.86.
In January of this year, Shawn Allen Farmer, 52, of Cary, North Carolina, also named in the Second Superseding Indictment, pled guilty to Bank Fraud and Aiding and Abetting, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1344 and 2, and Making False Claims, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 287. In May of 2021 the Court sentenced Shawn Farmer to 15 months in prison and ordered to pay $42,783 in restitution.
Additional defendants Michael Griffin and Jasper Deonta Goodman have also pled guilty but have not yet been sentenced. The maximum punishment for committing Bank Fraud and Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud, violations of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1344 and 1349, is not more than 30 years in prison. The maximum punishment for Wire Fraud, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343, is not more than 20 years imprisonment. The maximum punishment for Making a False Statement to a Bank on a Loan is not more than 30 years in prison.
G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement. The investigation was conducted by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation with the assistance of the United States Marshals Service and the United States Postal Inspection Service. Assistant United States Attorney William M. Gilmore represents the United States.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:20-CR-245-1D(2).
Duplin County Man Receives More Than 12 Years in Federal Prison for Methamphetamine Trafficking and Possession of Sawed-Off ShotgunsRead the Press Release
WILMINGTON, N.C. – Alexander Hawes, 36, of Duplin County, North Carolina, was sentenced yesterday to 145 months in prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of 50 grams or more of a substance containing methamphetamine, possession with intent distribute a quantity of methamphetamine, two counts of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and two counts of possession of a sawed-off shotgun.
According to court documents, evidence presented in court, and other documents, on July 17, 2020 and again on August 4, 2020 the Duplin County Sheriff’s Office made controlled purchases of methamphetamine from Hawes in Rose Hill. Hawes had a handgun during each of these deals.
On August 29, 2020, the Duplin County Narcotics Unit served a search warrant at Hawes’ residence in Rose Hill. Law enforcement recovered a fully automatic rifle with a high-capacity magazine, a small amount of methamphetamine, and a sawed-off shotgun. Law enforcement also found “buy money” from a controlled purchase that Duplin County had made from Hawes two days earlier.
The Duplin County Narcotics Unit working with the Drug Enforcement Administration arrested Hawes at his residence in Rose Hill on December 9, 2020. Hawes had a loaded handgun and rifle on his person. Law enforcement searched his residence and found another fully automatic weapon with a high-capacity magazine, 43 grams of methamphetamine, and another sawed-off shotgun.
During the course of the investigation, law enforcement was able to determine that Hawes was responsible for possessing with the intent to distribute and distributing almost a kilogram of methamphetamine.
This is part of operation “Fighting Jelly Fish” which is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launders, 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.
G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Duplin County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Severo prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 21-CR-00048-M.
Greenville Man Sentenced to over 14 Years for Armed Robbery and ShootingRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – A Greenville man was sentenced today to 171 months in prison for Interference with Commerce by Robbery and Discharging a Firearm in Connection to a Crime of Violence. On July 16, 2021, Tyv Vaaron Lemark Jones pled guilty to the charges.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, Jones, 20, and another unidentified individual committed an armed robbery and shooting at the JIA Sweepstakes located in Greenville, North Carolina on January 15, 2020. Surveillance video footage from inside the business shows Jones and a masked individual brandishing a revolver and an AK-47 style rifle as they rushed through the front door. Jones and his associate are seen corralling the customers into a bathroom towards the rear of the business. Jones is then seen shooting through the bathroom door at least once. Video then shows Jones and his associate attempting to break into the business office. Despite firing multiple rounds through the office door, the door did not open. Jones then broke down the door using his body. At that point, Jones and his associate grabbed the female clerk, who was hiding underneath the office desk, assaulted her, held her at gunpoint and demanded the money. Ultimately, the pair stole approximately $3,000 in U.S. currency and two cellular phones before fleeing the scene. Jones fled to Hampton, Virginia, where he was arrested on January 22, 2020. A federal grand jury indicted Jones on February 10, 2021, and he was transferred to federal custody on February 23, 2021.
G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle. The Pitt County Sheriff’s Office, the Greenville Police Department’s Violent Criminal Apprehension Team, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation’s Fugitive Task Force, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Aakash Singh prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:21-CR-10-BO.
Elizabeth City Felon Sentenced to More Than 5 Years for Possessing Firearm After Domestic Disturbance CallRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – Jaylen Nashawn Spivey, of Elizabeth City, was sentenced today to 64 months in prison for possession of a firearm by a felon. On April 28, 2021, Spivey pled guilty to the charge.
According to court documents and statements made during hearings, on the afternoon of Thursday, September 17, 2020, the Elizabeth City Police Department responded to a 911 call for a domestic disturbance. The caller reported that a man had been yelling at a woman and was leaving the scene in a white Dodge Charger. As officers arrived, the caller advised that the suspect was at the end of the adjacent street.
An officer went to that location and found the defendant Jaylen Spivey sitting alone in the driver’s seat of a car. Officers approached to ask Spivey about the situation, and when Spivey rolled down his car window, they could smell marijuana. They noted that Spivey’s clothing matched what the 911 caller had described.
After detaining Spivey, the officers searched the car. They recovered a scale and amounts of heroin and marijuana. On the driver’s side floorboard, partially covered with clothing, officers found a black Ruger 9mm handgun. In a later interview, Spivey admitted he had purchased the Ruger a couple months before his arrest for his own protection while selling drugs. Spivey, who has a prior felony conviction for heroin, is a known associate of the Elizabeth City G-Shine Bloods street gang.
G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle. The Elizabeth City Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jake D. Pugh prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:20-cr-0044-BO.
Cary Man Sentenced in Child Pornography CaseRead the Press Release
WILMINGTON, N.C. – A Cary man was sentenced today by Chief Judge Richard E. Myers II to a total of 165 months for Receipt of Child Pornography. On February 19, 2021, Randall Womble Smith, 66, pled guilty to the charges.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, the Cary Police Department conducted a proactive investigation attempting to identify individuals using dark web websites and programs to distribute and collect child pornography. Based upon their investigation, detectives received a search warrant for Plastic Tooling Corporation to search for child sexual abuse material. They requested assistance from the Department of Homeland Security for the execution of the search warrant and the remainder of the investigation.
Smith, owner of the company was present when law enforcement arrived. Smith admitted to downloading and possessing child pornography. He admitted he had been looking at child pornography for a decade. When his digital devices were seized, investigators found nearly 9,000 images and videos of child pornography.
G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after the sentencing by Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II. The Cary Police Department and the Department of Homeland Security investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Charity Wilson prosecuted the case.
This case was part of the Project Safe Childhood initiative, a national program aimed at ensuring that criminals exploiting children are effectively prosecuted by making full use of all available law enforcement resources at every level. For more information about this important national project, Project Safe Childhood, go to www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:20-cr-00438-M-1.
Jacksonville Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Federal Prison for Drug and Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – A Jacksonville man was sentenced today to 144 months in prison for distributing crack cocaine, possessing with intent to distribute cocaine and crack cocaine, and possession of a firearm by a felon. On June 14, 2021, Robert Lee Henderson was convicted by a jury of those charges.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Robert Lee Henderson, 45, would drive from Jacksonville to New Bern, NC, in order to sell crack cocaine. After selling crack cocaine to an informant in April 2019, detectives with the New Bern Police Department attempted to conduct a traffic stop on Henderson while he was traveling into town. Henderson fled, driving through a crowded intersection. He was arrested a short distance later, after he attempted to flee on foot behind a store. Nearby, officers located additional amounts of crack cocaine and cocaine belonging to Henderson. Detectives with the Jacksonville Police Department then executed a search warrant at Henderson’s residence and located four loaded firearms, over 80 grams of cocaine, smaller quantities of cocaine and crack cocaine, and over $36,000 in cash.
Henderson had previously been convicted in 2007 in federal court for possessing a firearm as a felon. He also has repeated convictions in North Carolina for drug possession, assault, and accessory after the fact to second degree murder.
G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle. The New Bern Police Department, Jacksonville Police Department, and Federal Bureau of Investigation were involved in investigating the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura S. Howard prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 7:20-CR-107-BO.
Federal Jury Convicts Ahoskie Man for Robbery and Aiding and AbettingRead the Press Release
NEW BERN, N.C. – A federal jury convicted an Ahoskie man today on charges of Hobbs Act robbery and aiding and abetting.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, on February 5, 2020, Dytwan Donnelle Chamblee, 27, assisted in the robbery of the Duck-Thru convenience store in Cofield, North Carolina, located in Hertford County. Chamblee committed the robbery while on post-release supervision from a North Carolina state felony conviction. As a part of his supervision, Chamblee was subject to electronic monitoring in the form of an ankle monitor. His co-defendant, Ray’Quan Langford, was also wearing an ankle monitor. The evidence established that Langford robbed the store at gunpoint while brandishing a firearm and demanding money and other items from the clerk. Langford also stole cell phones from customers who were in the store at the time of the robbery. Chamblee’s ankle monitor data, which records GPS location information, established that he was the getaway driver following the robbery. Chamblee is a convicted felon, having previous convictions for possession of a weapon by a prisoner, possession of a firearm by a felon, breaking and entering, and larceny. According to the North Carolina Department of Public Safety, Chamblee is a validated member of the Bloods street gang.
Chamblee faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison when sentenced during the January 11, 2022, term of court.
G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan accepted the verdict. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Hertford County Sheriff’s Office, the Bertie County Sheriff’s Office, and the Ahoskie Police Department investigated the case. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert J. Dodson.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No.2:20-CR-51-1FL.
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Rocky Mount Gang Member Arrested on Drug and Firearm ChargesRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – A Rocky Mount man was arrested yesterday on drug trafficking and firearm charges. An indictment was handed down and an arrest warrant issued on April 7, 2021.
According to court documents, Rocky Mount Police Department found Charven Keivon Gorham, 28, in possession of marijuana and cocaine, $13,503.00, and two firearms at Gorham’s house on May 29, 2020. At the time, Gorham was a convicted felon.
Gorham is charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana, possession with intent to sell marijuana and cocaine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession of a firearm by a felon. Gorham faces a mandatory minimum of five years in prison and maximum penalty of life in prison if convicted.
G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement. Rocky Mount Police Department, Nash County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are investigating the case.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No.5:21-CR-161-D.
An indictment is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Raeford Certified Nursing Assistant Sentenced for Elder FraudRead the Press Release
Raleigh, N.C. – A Raeford, NC woman was sentenced today to 12 months and a day imprisonment and ordered to pay $90,003 in restitution for committing wire fraud involving an elderly veteran in her care. On July 6, 2021, McNeill pled guilty to the charge.
According to court documents, Tracey McNeill, 51 years old, between February 2015 and February 2017, fraudulently obtained VA and OPM benefits by executing a power of attorney (POA) over a disabled veteran, W.R., who served in the U.S. Army, and worked for the U.S. Postal Service for 41 years. The investigation revealed that McNeill arranged for the victim, who had dementia, to move into her home in February 2015, and then directed the VA and OPM to deposit W.R’s benefits into McNeill’s bank account between April, 2015, and December 2016. W.R. passed away on December 6, 2016. In total, OPM deposited $61,318, and the VA deposited $11,151 into her account. A financial analysis showed that most of the funds were spent on McNeill’s personal expenses, including rent, utilities, credit card payments, and personal purchases. Further, McNeill completed Beneficiary forms listing herself as the beneficiary of the victim’s retirement and life insurance benefits. OPM disbursed W.R.’s life insurance proceeds in the amount of $17,533 to McNeill.
G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after sentencing by United States District Judge James C. Dever, III. The Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General (VA-OIG) and the U.S. Office of Personnel Management’s Office of Inspector General (OPM-OIG) assisted in this investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ethan Ontjes is prosecuting the case.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:20-cr-000474-D.
Pamlico and Craven County Operations Continue to Target Narcotics Traffickers in the CommunityRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – Today, a New Bern man was sentenced to 144 months in prison for the distribution of controlled substances in Craven and Pamlico counties. On June 17, 2021, William Roger Swain, Jr., also known as “Swoon”, 37, pled guilty to Federal charges related to the distribution of methamphetamine, heroin, marijuana, and cocaine.
Arising out of the same law enforcement operation, Kelly Jackson Gibbs, Jr. was sentenced to 120 months on September 27, 2020, for the distribution of heroin in Pamlico County.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, Swain’s and Gibb’s prosecutions are the result of an investigation, led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in conjunction with local, state, and federal authorities, into several drug traffickers operating in Pamlico and Craven counties.
In total, Investigators attributed over 4,852 grams of heroin, 1,960 grams of cocaine, 141 grams of methamphetamine, and 684 grams of marijuana distributed into the community from 2012 until 2020 by the two men.
“This is an excellent example of the continued efforts of local, state, and federal partners working together to combat the sale of heroin and other illicit drugs in our neighborhoods, with a focus on violent, repeat offenders,” said Pamlico County Sheriff Chris Davis.
G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after the sentencings by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. Pamlico County Sheriff’s Office, New Bern Police Department, Craven County Sheriff’s Office, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and the District Attorney’s Office for the Prosecutorial District 4 assisted with the investigation of the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney J.D. Koesters and Special Assistant United States Attorney John Newby prosecuted the cases.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:20-cr-00078-D.
Lumberton Man Sentenced to 16 Years for Firearm CrimesRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – A Lumberton man was sentenced today to 192 months in prison for possessing firearms as a convicted felon. On June 9, 2021, Michael Hucks pled guilty to the charges.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, from December of 2019 until January of 2020, law enforcement conducted an investigation into illegal firearm and drug trafficking occurring at 55 Van Born Drive in Lumberton, North Carolina. 55 Van Born Drive was a known drug house where armed drug dealers sold significant quantities of crack cocaine. In addition, multiple shootings were reported in and around the residence.
On December 12, 2019, a confidential informant purchased a loaded AR-15 style rifle from Michael Hucks and another target of the investigation. Less than a week later, on December 18, 2019, a confidential informant purchased another rifle from Hucks.
Prior to December 12, 2019, Hucks had previously been convicted of multiple felony offenses and was prohibited from possessing firearms. In fact, Hucks was previously convicted of three violent felony offenses and determined to be an Armed Career Criminal at his sentencing hearing.
G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Lumberton Police Department, and Robeson County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Chad Rhoades prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 7:20-CR-00184-D.
High-Ranking Member of Black Mob Gangstas Sentenced to 25 Years for Trafficking Crystal MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – A Wake Forest man was sentenced today to 276 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, and distribution of 5 grams or more of methamphetamine. He was also sentenced to 24 consecutive months in prison, for violating the terms of his federal supervised release for a prior federal conviction.
According to court documents and information presented at the sentencing hearing, Derek Louis Griffis, 33, was named in an Indictment filed on December 16, 2020. On July 7, 2021, Griffis entered a plea of guilty.
Griffis was a high-ranking member of the Black Mob Gangstas (BMG), a set of the Bloods street gang that terrorized southeast Raleigh for years under the leadership of Demetrice Regus Devine, a/k/a “Respect.”
In December 2019, members of the Raleigh Police Department determined that the Defendant was selling crystal methamphetamine while on federal supervised release for a prior conviction, possession of a firearm by a felon.
From December 2019 to January 2020, agents conducted several controlled purchases of highly pure crystal methamphetamine (“Ice”) from Griffis.
On January 31, 2020, members of the Wake Forest Police Department responded to a call regarding an armed man at the intersection of Ligon Mill Road and Burlington Mills Road in Wake Forest, North Carolina. Officers saw the Defendant, who was near a vehicle that was occupied by the Defendant’s girlfriend. The Defendant then walked to a wooded area. Officers found crystal methamphetamine and a digital scale, which the Defendant had just attempted to hide in the woods.
Officers then executed a search warrant at the residence of the Defendant’s girlfriend, and officers recovered marijuana and 26 rounds of 9mm ammunition.
A few weeks later, a loaded 9mm firearm was located near the Ligon Mill Road intersection where the Defendant had been arrested. The firearm had been purchased by the Defendant’s girlfriend.
G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. The Raleigh Police Department, Wake Forest Police Department, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott A. Lemmon prosecuted the case.
This case is part of the United States Attorney’s Office’s Take Back North Carolina Initiative. This initiative emphasizes the regional assignment of federal prosecutors to work with law enforcement and District Attorney’s Offices on a sustained basis in those communities to reduce the violent crime rate, drug trafficking, and crimes against law enforcement. For additional information about this initiative, click here https://www.justice.gov/usao-ednc/tbnc.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:20-CR-539-D-1.
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New Jersey Man Receives 10 Years for Sex TraffickingRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – An Elmwood Park, New Jersey man was sentenced today to 120 months in prison for sex trafficking. Mark Daniel Benavidez was also ordered to pay $32,800 in restitution to his victims. On March 8, 2021 Benavidez pleaded guilty to one count of transporting a victim across state lines for the purpose of prostitution.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, Benavidez, 40, was arrested in connection with an undercover prostitution sting at a hotel in Cary, North Carolina on July 21, 2017. Benavidez had rented two rooms at the hotel and was posting online prostitution ads for three different women. Benavidez had over $4,600 on his person at the time of arrest and drugs were found on one of the victims and in a bag in one of the rooms.
Investigation revealed that Benavidez began prostituting one of the victims in 2016 in New Jersey. While still in New Jersey, Benavidez recruited a second woman. Benavidez prostituted both women in New Jersey before traveling to North Carolina in early July 2017. Once in North Carolina, Benavidez recruited his third victim. Benavidez was physically violent with one of the victims, reportedly abusing her on a weekly basis. Benavidez exploited the drug addictions of the other two victims, becoming their sole supplier, worsening their addictions, and using the promise of drugs, especially heroin, to keep them prostituting for him. Benavidez controlled all aspects of their prostitution and took all the money the victims earned. The investigation also led to storage units that Benavidez rented in North Carolina and New Jersey, where investigators seized over $13,500 and $21,000, respectively.
“It is difficult to calculate the scope of damage caused by sexual exploitation and trafficking, which often leave victims with long-lasting trauma. Benavidez used fear, coercion, and violence to exploit and abuse his victims,” said Special Agent in Charge Ronnie Martinez, who oversees Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) operations in North Carolina and South Carolina. “HSI special agents, along with our law enforcement partners, are committed to pursuing those who perpetuate these horrendous crimes.”
G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge W. Earl Britt. The Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”) and the Cary Police Department investigated the case, and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Blondel and Assistant United States Attorney Bryan Stephany prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:19-CR-00337-BR.
Jury Convicts Raleigh Man of Firearms and Narcotics OffensesRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – A federal jury convicted a Raleigh man today on charges of possession with intent to distribute a quantity of cocaine, possession of firearms by a convicted felon, and possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Keith Lamont Thompson, Jr., 27, possessed two firearms and over two ounces of powder cocaine. On July 6, 2019, officers with the Raleigh Police Department received information that Thompson was in possession of cocaine and multiple firearms at his apartment in Raleigh, North Carolina. When Raleigh Police executed the search warrant, they learned that Thompson had ordered a female subject to hide his guns and drugs in her car. Officers searched the car and recovered 90 grams of cocaine and two firearms, including one that had been reported stolen. Further investigation revealed that Thompson was a convicted felon on active state probation for selling cocaine at the time of the July 6 search.
Thompson faces a mandatory minimum of 5 years and a maximum of life in prison when sentenced in January 2022. Thompson also faces enhanced sentencing penalties as a career offender due to a conviction in 2014 for Robbery with a Dangerous Weapon and Second-Degree Kidnapping, and a conviction in 2018 for Possession with Intent to Sell or Deliver Cocaine. He faces a guideline range of 360 months to life imprisonment.
G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III accepted the verdict. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the Raleigh Police Department investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Aakash Singh prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on our website. Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No.5:20-cr-00223-D-1.
Henderson Man Sentenced to Prison for 21 Years Following Shooting of a Raleigh Police OfficerRead the Press Release
NEW BERN, N.C. – A Henderson man was sentenced yesterday to 252 months in prison for carjacking and aiding and abetting, brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and possession of stolen firearms. On March 10, 2020, Cedric Jamal Kearney, 26, pled guilty to the charges.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, on January 4, 2019, Kearney and a co-defendant, Sherry Marie Richmond, robbed a Raleigh man of his car keys and cellphone at gunpoint. The crime spree continued on January 9, 2019 as Kearney and other co-defendants broke into a Holly Springs, NC apartment and stole several firearms and pairs of shoes. Finally, later that night on January 9, 2019, the Raleigh Police Department responded to a reported sighting of the stolen vehicle in the area of Shaub Drive and Teakwood Place. Upon arrival, the officers witnessed Kearney and another man attempting to get inside of the stolen vehicle. Officers gave out commands to the men and while one complied, Kearney fired shots at the officers and fled on foot. Kearney shot Raleigh Police Officer Charlie Ainsworth two times. Ainsworth had to be rushed to WakeMed hospital with life threatening injuries, but ultimately survived. Body Camera surveillance captured the harrowing incident in its entirety. Kearney was found several hours later in a shed of a nearby homeowner; still in possession of the gun used to shoot Officer Ainsworth. Kearney had one prior conviction for reckless driving out of Virginia.
“Today was a good day for both the Ainsworth family and the justice system. The Court sent a very clear message that these type of assaults on law enforcement simply will not be tolerated,” Acting U.S. Attorney Acker said of Judge Flanagan’s sentencing.
G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan. The Raleigh Police Department investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brandon Boykin and Daniel Smith prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:19-CR-382-FL.
Meth Trafficker Receives over 6 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
NEW BERN, N.C. – CiGi Potter, 37, of Pitt County North Carolina, was sentenced to 80 months in prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of 500 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing methamphetamine, and distribution of 50 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing methamphetamine.
According to court documents, evidence presented in court and other documents, Potter supplied methamphetamine distributors in Duplin, Pitt, and Onslow Counties. This included a violent white supremacist organization operating in Onslow County. Two members of the white supremist group and a third person had ordered a pound of methamphetamine from Potter. On April 12, 2019, at her residence in Farmville, NC, Potter only provided them with 8 ounces. One of the individuals produced a firearm and discharged the firearm into the ground after demanding the remainder. Potter produced an additional ounce of methamphetamine and the three left. Farmville Police had set up a license check in the area unrelated to this incident. The three drove towards the license check. One of the passengers fled from the van and hid the methamphetamine and the firearm in the woods. The methamphetamine was later retrieved and provided to a high-ranking member in the group. Two of the individuals who initially arranged the deal have been sentenced in federal court. The person to whom they ultimately provided with the methamphetamine is scheduled for sentencing in January 2022.
Prior to the above incident, on April 8, 2019, law enforcement stopped Potter for a traffic violation in Pitt County. During a search her car, law enforcement found more than 30 grams of methamphetamine and a set of digital scales. Later, on October 7, 2019, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the Drug Administration conducted a controlled purchase of 4 ounces of methamphetamine in Lenoir County from Potter. ATF and DEA conducted a second controlled purchase of 3 ounces of methamphetamine from Potter on October 23, 2019. Potter was arrested on federal charges in November 2019.
During the investigation, law enforcement was able to determine that Potter was responsible for possessing with the intent to distribute and distributing more than 6 kilograms of methamphetamine from February 2018 until November 2019.
This is part of operation Fighting Jelly Fish which is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launders, 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.
G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Duplin, Craven, Lenoir, Pitt and Onslow County Sheriff’s Offices, and the Jacksonville, New Bern and Farmville Police Departments investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Severo prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 7:19-cr-00163-FL.
Fayetteville Drug Trafficker Receives 7½ Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
GREENVILLE, N.C. – Miguel Marquis Hutchinson, 35, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, was sentenced yesterday to 90 months in prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession with intent to distribute marijuana and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
According to court records, evidence presented in court and other court documents, on February 3, 2019, Hutchinson, during an encounter with Fayetteville police officers, gave a false name to the officers and made a suspicious movement with his arm as he exited the car.
During the encounter at the car, officers smelled the odor of marijuana and conducted a search of the car which resulted in locating 19.33 grams of marijuana inside the center console, baggies, and a digital scale. A loaded 9mm Taurus pistol was also located positioned and ready for use under the driver’s seat on the right side pinned against the center console.
Ten months later, while on state pre-trial release for this offense, Hutchinson was a passenger in a vehicle occupied by two others and was stopped for speeding on Fort Bragg. Military Police Officers located 3 firearms in the vehicle including an AK-47 assault rifle with an extended magazine and over $16,000 in cash at Hutchinson’s feet.
Hutchinson was previously convicted of second-degree murder in North Carolina state court in 2006 in Cumberland County, North Carolina and had just been released from custody two years prior.
G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle. Homeland Security Investigations, the Fayetteville Police Department and the Fort Bragg Military Police Traffic Unit investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Gabriel J. Diaz prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No.5:19-CR-523-BO.
South Carolina Man Receives 7½ Years for Sex TraffickingRead the Press Release
NEW BERN, N.C. – A Marion, South Carolina man was sentenced today to 90 months in prison for sex trafficking. Enrique Tyreek Williams was also ordered to pay $5,600 in restitution to his victim. On June 23, 2020, Williams pleaded guilty to one count of transporting the victim across state lines for the purpose of prostitution.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, Williams, 23, offered to let a homeless 18-year-old female live with him. After the victim was isolated from family and friends, with no money, no job, and no phone, Williams revealed his plan to have her prostitute for him. Fearing physical violence and feeling she had no choice, the victim complied. In late Summer and early Fall 2018, Williams proceeded to prostitute the victim in South Carolina, Georgia, and North Carolina, including approximately 8 prostitution trips to Wilmington, NC. Williams controlled all aspects of the prostitution and took all the money the victim earned. The victim’s fears of physical violence were realized, as she reported approximately 20 instances of physical violence by Williams in their short time together. In particular, investigators obtained evidence from an October 1, 2018 incident in which Williams dragged the victim out of a house by her hair and violently attacked her in front of numerous witnesses. Williams even video-recorded the attack on his phone. Police responded and the victim was transported to the hospital and treated. Shortly after, Williams told the victim she owed him and again took her to Wilmington to prostitute. During the trip, Williams was caught in an undercover sting operation and investigators recovered the victim.
G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan. Mr. Acker commented: “This case is about the victim, who suffered at the hands of a greedy trafficker. Our community will not tolerate perpetrators like this defendant targeting vulnerable victims for their profit.” The Federal Bureau of Investigation and New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan Stephany prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 7:19-CR-00149-FL.
Fugitive Sex Offender Found in Fayetteville Sentenced for Failing to RegisterRead the Press Release
NEW BERN, N.C. – A California man who was on the run for more than twenty months before being apprehended in Fayetteville was sentenced today to 31 months in prison for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender.
According to court documents, Stephen Robert Bond, 56, was charged with one count of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2250. Bond pled guilty on November 9, 2020.
In 1993, Bond was convicted of Forcible Rape in California and his sentence included a requirement to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life. Bond failed to comply with his registration requirement at least twice previously, resulting in California felony convictions for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender in 1999 and 2013. In open court the government explained that Bond was paroled in June 2018 and placed on location monitoring but cut off his location monitoring equipment and went on the run just two months after being paroled. Bond spent approximately a year in Arizona before arriving in Fayetteville, NC in the Fall of 2019. Bond did not, as required, register as a sex offender in North Carolina but in January 2020, he applied for and began receiving food stamps. The U.S. Marshals Service (“USMS”) received the case on May 11, 2020 and a week later, on May 18, 2020, the USMS’ Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force (CRFTF) and the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office Sex Offenders Unit apprehended Bond at his residence in Fayetteville.
G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan. The U.S. Marshals Service, Eastern District of North Carolina, Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force, and Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan Stephany prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:20-CR-00360-FL.
Former Operations Supervisor at Social Security Administration Sentenced to over 5 Years for Wire Fraud and Identity TheftRead the Press Release
NEW BERN, N.C. – A Saint Pauls, North Carolina woman, Stephanie Chavis, was sentenced today to 65 months in prison and three years of supervised release for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Chavis was also ordered to pay $760,966 in restitution to the Social Security Administration. On April 16, 2019, Chavis pled guilty to the charges.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, Chavis was an Operations Supervisor at the Fayetteville offices of the Social Security Administration (SSA). SSA administers monetary aid to the public through federally funded programs, including the Supplemental Security Income program (SSI), which authorizes monthly payments to qualifying individuals who are 65 years or older, blind, or disabled, and who meet certain income and resource criteria.
In her capacity as an Operations Supervisor, Chavis had access to SSA beneficiary accounts and associated personal identifying information (PII). Between approximately August 2010 and April 2018, Chavis caused over $760,000 in SSI benefits to be electronically deposited into nine different bank accounts held in her name, and in the names of various family members, by making false and fraudulent representations to fellow SSA employees, including claims representatives and other supervisors. The investigation established that Chavis used her government-issued PIN number to query the accounts of approximately 62 program beneficiaries and used their PII to generate the fraudulent payment requests. The beneficiaries targeted by Chavis included incarcerated individuals who were not entitled to payments, individuals who had been suspended or terminated from the SSI program, and beneficiaries who were legitimately owed SSI funds.
To circumvent SSA policy requirements, Chavis provided the beneficiary PII and account information for deposit purposes to unsuspecting claims representatives and asked them to create approximately 100 fraudulent payment requests. After the requests were created, Chavis either approved them herself or asked other SSA employees to process the approvals. Thereafter, the stolen funds were deposited into the bank accounts under Chavis’s control.
“Ms. Chavis misused her official position and authority in the Social Security Administration to steal over $760,000 in taxpayer funds. I am gratified that a review by the SSA OIG audit office flagged this activity to OIG investigators as potential fraud,” said Gail S. Ennis, Inspector General for the Social Security Administration. “We will continue to identify and aggressively pursue any instances of employee fraud and hold wrongdoers to account. These efforts are critical to maintaining the public’s trust in Social Security. I want to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for its support of our investigation and efforts to bring it to a successful resolution.”
G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan. The case was investigated by Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, Atlanta Field Division, under the supervision of Special Agent in Charge Rodregas W. Owens. Former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Tamika Moses and Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam F. Hulbig prosecuted the case for the government.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:18-cr-00407-FL-1.
Fayetteville Cocaine Trafficker Sentenced to 15 YearsRead the Press Release
NEW BERN, N.C. – A Fayetteville man was sentenced today to 180 months in prison for a cocaine distribution conspiracy dating back to 2010.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, Dominique Hope, 33, was a kilogram level cocaine dealer in the Fayetteville area for almost a decade. During that time, investigators also received information indicating that Hope was involved in several shootings and robberies of other drug distributors and was not charged in these instances because the victims elected not to cooperate with law enforcement. On June 28, 2019, investigators seized cocaine, drug packaging material, and four firearms from Hope’s residence.
G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan. The Fayetteville Police Department, Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Caroline Webb prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:20-CR-140-FL.
Fayetteville Woman Pleads Guilty to Multi-Million Dollar Contract Fraud SchemesRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – A Fayetteville woman pleaded guilty in federal court yesterday to charges of wire fraud and money laundering arising out of schemes to defraud the United States Department of Defense (DoD) and businesses in the Eastern District of North Carolina.
According to court documents, from 2011 to 2020, Stephanie Dianna Elliott, aka “Stephanie Wilson,” aka “Stephanie Moore,” aka “Stephanie Russell,” aka “Stephanie Hanchett,” aka “Vicki Marsh,” aka “Monica Allen,” aka “Melissa Standford,” aka “Jennifer Taylor,” aka “Heidi Litchford,” aka “Sandy Morehead,” aka “Randy Morehead” aka “Katie Jones,” aka “Sharon Mitchell,” aka “Sharon Miller,” aka “Sarah James,” and aka “Janet Harrington,” 45, used aliases and more than a dozen business entities to obtain more than 1,000 federal defense contracts valued at more than $2.2 million. According to the allegations in the indictment, Elliott defrauded the Department of Defense by obtaining contract payments after falsely certifying that she had shipped supplies to the U.S. military, when, in fact, the goods were not shipped. It is alleged that Elliott and/or businesses under her control were debarred from federal contracting on four occasions. Elliott allegedly circumvented the terms of her debarments by using aliases and various business names to continue bidding on federal contracts.
Elliott also executed fraud schemes in connection with contracts with the State of North Carolina and other state governments. Elliott bid on contracts to supply food products and other goods. After winning the contracts, Elliott defrauded third party vendors by inducing them to deliver the goods to the state in satisfaction of Elliott’s contractual obligations. In so doing, Elliott obtained payment from state governments for these contracts but failed to pay the victim vendors.
Elliott pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering and faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison when sentenced on a date to be determined.
G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement. The Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service and the General Services Administration, Office of Inspector General are investigating the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Toby Lathan is prosecuting the case.
Chadbourn Man Sentenced in Drug and Gun CaseRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – A Chadbourn man was sentenced today by Judge James C. Dever to a total of 81 months for Possession of a Firearm by a Felon and Possessing a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime. On June 23, 2021, Lukim Lamont Pittman pled guilty to the charges.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, the Columbus County Sheriff’s Office engaged in a narcotics investigation over three months involving Pittman. In May and July 2019, officers purchased narcotics from Pittman. Then in August 2019, the Sheriff’s Office purchased a quantity of cocaine and a Glock, model 17, 9mm firearm from Pittman. Pittman had previously been convicted of felony offenses that involved firearms.
G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after the sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Columbus County Sheriff’s office investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Charity Wilson prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 7:20-cr-00140-D-1.
33-Year-Old Pedophile from Montana Civilly Committed as a Sexually Dangerous PersonRead the Press Release
RALEIGH – Acting United States Attorney G. Norman Acker, III, announced that United States District Judge James C. Dever III civilly committed Oliver Lee White, 33, to the custody of the Attorney General as a sexually dangerous person under the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006.
White was alleged to have sexually molested at least 13 young girls on the Crow Indian Reservation, Montana. The evidence at trial showed that beginning in 2007, when White was around 20 years old, until 2013, White repeatedly molested young girls, ranging from the ages of 2 to 13, at the home of his adoptive mother, Peggy White (a/k/a Well-Known Buffalo). Peggy White’s home, which is the location of The Center Pole, a non-profit organization in Garryowen, Montana, always had children around, including children being fostered by Peggy White. The layout of the facility made it easy for White to avoid supervision and detection of his predatory conduct. The evidence showed White had a persistent and common pattern of sexually offending the young girls by isolating them and then molesting them for his own sexual gratification.
As a result of his serious criminal offenses, White was criminally charged in United States District Court for the District of Montana with numerous sex crimes. Peggy White and her partner, Susan Kelly, were also criminally charged with misprision of felony for their part in enabling him and covering up White’s molestations. However, due to his mental illnesses, White was deemed incompetent to stand trial, and as a result, Peggy White and Susan Kelly were unable to be prosecuted for their alleged crimes. Ultimately though, the United States certified White as a sexually dangerous person under the Adam Walsh Act. Congress passed this Act to provide another powerful legal mechanism for protecting the public from some of the nation’s most dangerous sexual offenders. The Act allows the United States to seek civil commitment of sexually dangerous persons who, because of a serious mental illness, abnormality, or disorder, would have serious difficulty refraining from sexually violent conduct or child molestation.
The United States believed that White met every element of that definition and the Court agreed. On September 30, 2021, Judge Dever announced his ruling and civilly committed White to the custody of the Attorney General as a sexually dangerous person. In doing so, Judge Dever credited the “credible, consistent, and extremely persuasive” testimony of five of White’s victims, finding that White molested them. Judge Dever also found that White suffers from Pedophilic Disorder and Intellectual Disability, and as a result of these serious mental illnesses, abnormalities, or disorders White would have serious difficulty refraining from child molestation if released. In particular, Judge Dever observed that members of White’s family, including his mother, “concealed the allegations and degraded the victims.” The Court concluded that if White returned to an environment like The Center Pole with young girls around, he would molest again.
“This was a tragic and unique case,” said Acting United States Attorney G. Norman Acker, III. “Because Mr. White could not be criminally prosecuted due to his incompetency, the Government was required to prove in this civil proceeding he had committed acts of child molestation. The Government did so through the courageous, gut-wrenching testimony of his victims, who traveled across the country to face their abuser and his family members who concealed his conduct. Presenting such fragile testimony is no easy feat, and as such, I express my deep appreciation to the FBI agents, victim specialists, and forensic interview specialists in Montana for their tireless efforts in working with the victims. In particular, FBI Victim Specialist Michele Stewart was invaluable. Without her exceptional rapport with the victims and personal involvement, including traveling with the victims to North Carolina to testify, they may not have found the courage to testify. The victims’ courageous testimony will help keep others safe from Mr. White.” Mr. Acker continued, “This case is a great example of how a true team effort can help make the communities within this District and across the country safer.”
“The Judge’s decision provides some measure of justice as Oliver White will never have the opportunity to hurt another child,” said Special Agent in Charge Dennis Rice of the FBI’s Salt Lake City Field Office. “We commend the survivors of White’s abuse who demonstrated resilience in the face of adversity and acted to protect other children in a selfless display of their courage. The FBI wishes to thank the Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Justice Services for their invaluable partnership investigating this years-long case."
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina litigates all Adam Walsh Act cases for the entire country. All sexually dangerous persons who are committed to federal custody are housed in a federal facility in that district, where intensive, residential treatment is offered to them. White is the eighty-sixth sexually dangerous person committed under the Adam Walsh Act.
Assistant United States Attorney Michael Bredenberg and Special Assistant United States Attorney Genna Petre represented the government in this case with assistance from Paralegal Amy Dale and Victim Specialists Michelle Scott, Kory Williford, and Michele Stewart.
Related court documents and information from the civil lawsuit are on PACER by searching for Case No.5:17-hc-02162-D.
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Three Plead Guilty to Conspiracy to Defraud Financial Institutions and Other Credit IssuersRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – Shawn Franklin, Anthony Maryland, and Sabrina Wiggins Branch pleaded guilty today to defrauding financial institutions and other lenders by using synthetic identities to obtain credit cards and consumer loans with no intention of payment. All three individuals were living in the Eastern District during the multi-year conspiracy.
According to court documents and the government’s factual representations in open court, Franklin, age 48, began using synthetic identities in 2012. By coupling his own name and date of birth with a nine-digit number that looked like a social security number, Franklin created a new credit profile, otherwise known as a Credit Privacy Number (CPN). Individuals, like Franklin, with poor credit scores built fresh credit histories by adding a CPN as an authorized user to credit accounts belonging to other individuals with good credit scores. These “trade lines” enhanced the CPN’s creditworthiness, scamming lenders and credit card issuers into believing the CPN applicants have the ability and intent to pay-off indebtedness. Individuals using CPNs, however, lack the ability or intent to pay-off the loans and credit card balances.
Franklin had been a NC Medicaid provider. Ten of the names and SSNs he used to obtain credit belonged to actual NC Medicaid recipients. Franklin obtained fictitious NC driver’s licenses in these individuals’ names, bearing images of himself. With respect to credit cards, Franklin maximized the fraud proceeds by making bogus payments to the issuers. Such payments were immediately credited, restoring the credit limit. Before the credit issuer received notification that the payments were bogus, Franklin and others quickly made additional charges, resulting in significant losses.
Maryland, age 48, and Branch, age 39, used synthetic identities created in their own names by Franklin. Maryland obtained credit cards and consumer goods. Wiggins obtained credit cards and financed the purchase of two vehicles with CPNs.
Branch also conspired with Franklin to generate cash with the fraudulently obtained credit cards. They ran approximately $650,000 in fictitious charges through merchant accounts associated with her retail store in Wilmington’s Independence Mall. Branch paid Franklin his share of the proceeds in cash. Records showed she withdrew cash in amounts less than $10,000 to avoid the filing of currency transaction reports.
All three individuals pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Bank and Wire Fraud and faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison when sentenced. Franklin also pleaded guilty to Aggravated Identity Theft for his use of the names and personal identifiers of ten NC Medicaid recipients. He faces an additional mandatory two years in prison, consecutive to any other term imposed.
G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after Magistrate Judge James E. Gates accepted the plea. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, United States Secret Service, United States Social Security Administration, and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation are investigating the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Susan B. Menzer is prosecuting the case.
Rocky Mount Tax Return Preparer Sentenced for Conspiracy to Filing False Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
NEW BERN, N.C. – A Rocky Mount, NC woman was sentenced today to 16 months imprisonment and ordered to pay $59,268.00 in restitution for committing conspiracy to prepare and file false tax returns.
According to court documents, Bertha Battle, 40 years old, conspired with others to file false tax returns for the 2011 through 2016 tax years for clients of Community Tax Services LLC located in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. Battle and her co-conspirators filed tax returns that claimed false education credits, among other illegitimate items, in order to fraudulently generate clients’ tax refunds. According to the IRS, the three-year scam resulted in a loss of more than $2 million in tax dollars. On June 18, 2020, Battle pled guilty to the charge.
G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after sentencing by United States District Judge Louise W. Flanagan. The Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations (IRS-CI) assisted in this investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ethan Ontjes is prosecuting the case.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:19-cr-00077-FL-1.
Raleigh Woman Sentenced to More Than 5 Years Imprisonment After Helping Ex-Husband Sexually Exploit a MinorRead the Press Release
NEW BERN, N.C. – Kellie Michelle Smith, 43, of Raleigh, was sentenced today to 68 months in prison for possession of child pornography. Smith pled guilty to a single-count Criminal Information on June 22, 2020.
According to court records and statements made during hearings, in October 2018, the Cary Police Department was conducting an investigation of online peer-to-peer child pornography distribution. They identified an IP address from which they were able to download a large amount of child pornography and tracked that IP address to the Raleigh residence of Stephan Grimes.
Homeland Security, Wake County Sheriff’s Office, and US Marshals executed a search warrant on February 20, 2019. Grimes was interviewed and admitted to downloading child pornography. An on-site forensic preview of a computer also revealed multiple explicit images of a young girl. Grimes identified the girl and initially claimed that she was 18 years old. He stated that the co-defendant Kellie Smith, his girlfriend to whom he had previously been married, was also present when the photos images were produced. Agents noted wall mounted surveillance cameras in the living room and bedroom that appeared to have been used to produce the images. Agents seized a computer, hard drives, and a USB drive.
Law enforcement identified and interviewed the young girl from the images. She stated that she had met Grimes when she was 16. Grimes later made sexual advances, which eventually resulted in the illegal activity.
A full forensic examination recovered 5 videos and over 400 images of child sexual abuse material, the great majority depicting the victim when she was 17 years old. Two long videos were taken in Grimes’ and Smith’s home using the dual wall-mounted cameras, with a simultaneous view in split screen.
Evidence demonstrated that Smith was involved in some sexual encounters including the minor victim, of which photos were taken.
Co-defendant Stephan Grimes pled guilty on September 14, 2021, to one count of manufacture of child pornography. He is scheduled to be sentenced during the court’s January 11, 2022, term of court.
G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan. The Wake County Sheriff’s Office and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jake D. Pugh prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:20-cr-0019-FL.
Northampton County Felon Sentenced to More Than 5 Years Following a Shooting in Rich SquareRead the Press Release
WILMINGTON, N.C. – A Rich Square man was sentenced on August 5, 2021 to 63 months in prison for felon in possession of ammunition. On April 2, 2021, Rasean Bolden pled guilty to the charge.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, Rasean Bolden, 39, got into a verbal altercation with two men in the area of Highway 308 and Highway 258 in Rich Square. Deputies from the Northampton County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to the area following a report that one of the men had been shot and beaten. Deputies located the victim who had injuries to his head and jaw and was transported by emergency services to a local hospital where he survived. Deputies also recovered spent shell casings in the area where the shooting occurred. Bolden has several felony drug convictions and was a prior target of the Down East Drug Task Force for drug distribution in Northampton County. Bolden also has a prior conviction for conspiracy to commit robbery and many misdemeanor convictions.
G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II. The Northampton County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert J. Dodson prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:20-CR-25-M.
Wilson Man Determined to be Career Offender, Sentenced for Distributing Illegal DrugsRead the Press Release
NEW BERN, N.C. – A Wilson man was sentenced today to 151 months in prison for two counts of Distribution of Cocaine Base (Crack); one count of Distribution of Cocaine Base (Crack) and Marijuana; and two counts of Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine Base (Crack).
According to court documents, Frank Roosevelt Giggetts, Jr., pled guilty to the charges on February 5, 2020.
In March 2018, officers with the Wilson Police Department learned that Giggetts was selling cocaine base (crack) from his residence in Wilson. Officers then conducted three controlled purchases of controlled substances from Giggetts, including cocaine base (crack) and marijuana.
On August 2, 2018, officers executed a search warrant at Giggetts’s residence and seized additional cocaine base (crack).
On November 9, 2018, Giggetts was arrested on outstanding warrants and was found in possession of additional cocaine base (crack).
Giggetts has 22 prior convictions, including convictions for assault, burglary and drug trafficking. Based on his criminal history, Giggetts was determined to be a Career Offender, resulting in an enhanced recommended sentence.
G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan. The Wilson Police Department investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott A. Lemmon prosecuted the case.
This case is part of the United States Attorney’s Office’s Take Back North Carolina Initiative. This initiative emphasizes the regional assignment of federal prosecutors to work with law enforcement and District Attorney’s Offices on a sustained basis in those communities to reduce the violent crime rate, drug trafficking, and crimes against law enforcement. For additional information about this initiative, click here https://www.justice.gov/usao-ednc/tbnc.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:19-cr-00241-FL-1.
Duplin County Man Receives 116 Months for Circle K RobberyRead the Press Release
NEW BERN, N.C. – A Magnolia man was sentenced today to 116 months in prison for his role in a Wilmington convenience store robbery and car-jacking that resulted in a car crash at an elementary school.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, Cory Montan Dixon, 40, and a co-defendant donned masks in the early morning hours of August 18, 2019 and robbed the Circle K gas station on Gordon Road in Wilmington. Dixon’s co-defendant, Ronald Lee Croll (sentenced earlier this year), brandished a handgun, later determined to be a BB gun, pointed it at the head of the store clerk and demanded money. After the clerk handed over the cash drawer, the clerk was taken to a back room to retrieve the keys to the clerk’s car. The clerk was then ordered to lay on the floor and an attempt was made to zip tie the clerk’s wrists were together. The two men then took the clerk’s car and fled with the cash drawer and a number of cigarette packs. New Hanover County Sheriff’s Deputies spotted the vehicle on Market Street and gave pursuit. The car tried to elude officers by driving at a high rate of speed through a residential neighborhood, eventually going off the road before crashing into a basketball hoop at Blair Elementary School. Dixon and Croll then fled on foot before being apprehended. Officers recovered zip ties, cash, the BB gun, cigarettes, the cash drawer, and clothing worn during the robbery from the vehicle and along the flight path of the defendants.
G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case, the Wilmington Police Department assisted in the response, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan Stephany 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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina implements the PSN Program through its Take Back North Carolina Initiative. This initiative emphasizes the regional assignment of federal prosecutors to work with law enforcement and District Attorney’s Offices on a sustained basis in those communities to reduce the violent crime rate, drug trafficking, and crimes against law enforcement.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 7:19-CR-00092-FL.
Rocky Mount Blood Gang Member Sentenced to 14 Years for Armed RobberyRead the Press Release
WILMINGTON, N.C. – A Rocky Mount man was sentenced yesterday to 168 months in prison for armed robbery and brandishing a firearm in connection to a crime of violence. On June 16, 2021, Dexter Jamal Williams pled guilty to the charges.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, Williams, 23, and his co-defendants, Arafat Alzer and Bashar Hroub, committed an armed robbery at the Royal Eco Marketing Company in Raleigh, North Carolina, on December 4, 2019. During the robbery, the defendants duct-taped the store manager to a chair, and repeatedly pistol-whipped and assaulted him before stealing over $20,000 worth of merchandise from the business. Video surveillance from the parking lot of the business shows Williams and Alzer leaving the scene in Alzer’s Toyota Camry, and Hroub leaving in his Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck. As the defendants were leaving the scene, an employee of the business is observed firing multiple rounds from a gun at the two vehicles, striking both the Camry and the Silverado. Following the robbery, Alzer and Williams discarded Alzer’s vehicle in a parking lot in Raleigh and returned to Rocky Mount. When Raleigh Police responded to the vehicle, they recovered Alzer’s identification card and vehicle registration. Later that day, Williams checked into Nash General Hospital to receive treatment for his gunshot wound, and Alzer and Hroub traveled back to Raleigh to hide Williams’ firearm at Hroub’s girlfriend’s residence. On December 11, 2019, the Wake County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at this residence and recovered the firearm.
Arafat Alzer pled guilty to Interference With Commerce by Robbery and Brandishing a Firearm During and in Relation to a Drug Trafficking Crime or a Crime of Violence; and Aiding and Abetting on July 28, 2020 and was sentenced to 70 months imprisonment on September 3, 2021. Bashar Hroub pled guilty to Interference With Commerce by Robbery and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon on July 23, 2021 and is awaiting sentencing.
On February 11, 2020, officers with the Rocky Mount Police Department executed a search warrant at Williams’ residence, and recovered 688 grams of marijuana and a .40 caliber handgun. On May 12, 2020, Rocky Mount Police responded to a shooting at a residential location. There, they encountered Williams, who was in possession of a stolen .9mm handgun.
Acting U.S. Attorney Acker commented: “The United States Justice Department and the United States Attorney’s Office are aggressively pursuing violent offenders and gang members. This sentence is part of our efforts to “Take Back North Carolina” from those who wish to bring harm to the citizens of the Eastern District of North Carolina.”
“ATF remains committed to protecting lives and property against violent gun crime,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Vince Pallozzi. “Our federal and local law enforcement agencies put together a very comprehensive investigation and stopped a serious threat to our communities. This arrest and conviction absolutely makes our community safer.”
“Our mission here at the Rocky Mount Police Department is to improve the quality of life in the city of Rocky Mount by building partnerships to reduce crime,” commented Rocky Mount Police Chief Robert Hassell. “We value our partnership with our Federal Law Enforcement agencies, who assist us in creating a safe environment for all citizens who reside and visit Rocky Mount, NC. The Rocky Mount Police Department will continue to work with Federal, State, and Local law enforcement agencies while providing the highest level of police services.”
G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II. The Raleigh Police Department, the Rocky Mount Police Department, and the Wake County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Aakash Singh prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:20-cr-00250-M.
Wilmington Man Receives 56 Months for Bank RobberyRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – A Wilmington man was sentenced today to 56 months in prison for bank robbery. On June 9, 2021, Glenn Alin Martinoff pled guilty to the charge.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, Martinoff, 68, entered the Dogwood State Bank in Wilmington on January 10, 2021 while brandishing a large screwdriver and wearing a surgical mask, gloves, sunglasses, and baseball cap. Martinoff went behind the teller counter, stated that it was a robbery and took $6,460 before fleeing. Investigators responded and obtained surveillance video, including that of Martinoff’s getaway vehicle, and were able to determine that the car was for sale at a nearby dealership. At the dealership, investigators found the getaway vehicle and a copy of Martinoff’s license, which he had provided when he took the vehicle for a test drive earlier that day. Investigators then obtained a search warrant for Martinoff’s apartment and upon executing the same, recovered the stolen cash, along with clothing items worn by Martinoff during the robbery, and the screwdriver. Martinoff has two prior federal bank robbery convictions from 1991 and 1996.
G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Wilmington Police Department investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan Stephany 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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina implements the PSN Program through its Take Back North Carolina Initiative. This initiative emphasizes the regional assignment of federal prosecutors to work with law enforcement and District Attorney’s Offices on a sustained basis in those communities to reduce the violent crime rate, drug trafficking, and crimes against law enforcement.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 7:20-CR-00186-BO.
Federal Judge Sends Oxford Man to Prison for 7 Years Following a ShootingRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – An Oxford man was sentenced to 84 months in prison for Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition by a Convicted Felon. On June 8, 2021, S Daques Shorter pled guilty to the charges.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, on April 6, 2020, the Oxford Police Department responded to a report of gunshots at the Oxford Food Mart. Upon arrival, witnesses stated that several men, including Shorter, were engaged in an argument, and that Shorter later retrieved a firearm and shot at two men. Video surveillance captured the incident confirming the witnesses’ account. Spent shell casings were recovered on the scene and the firearm used by Shorter was recovered nearby. Shorter is a convicted felon, having prior convictions for Breaking and Entering, and Attempted Robbery With a Dangerous Weapon. He is also a validated member of the United Blood Nation street gang.
G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle. The Oxford Police Department investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert J. Dodson prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:20-CR-224-BO.
Duplin County Drug Trafficker Receives 24 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
WILMINGTON, N.C. – Jeremy Cline, 36, of Duplin County, North Carolina, was sentenced to 288 months in prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.
According to court documents, evidence presented in court, and other documents, on July 28, 2019, Cline and his girlfriend were stopped by a Sampson County Sheriff’s Deputy for a traffic violation in Clinton, North Carolina. Cline provided the deputy with a false name during the traffic stop. A records check determined that this person had an outstanding order for arrest. When questioned by law enforcement, Cline admitted that he had given a false name. Cline also had an order for arrest. A search of the car led to the discovery of more than 10 grams of methamphetamine. On October 1, 2019, a Sampson County Sheriff’s Deputy observed Cline speeding on a motorcycle and attempted to stop him. Cline did not stop and drove through a four way stop and flashing red light in the town of Roseboro. Cline lost control of his motorcycle, wrecked it, and then fled on foot. Cline was ultimately apprehended in the woods. Cline had more than $1,800 on his person. Following an interview of Cline at a later date, law enforcement found that Cline had hidden 3 ounces of methamphetamine and a .40 caliber handgun that he later retrieved. On October 16, 2019, undercover Duplin County Narcotic Detectives ordered 3 ounces of methamphetamine from Cline. Subsequently, Cline and his girlfriend were stopped and arrested in the area of Norwood Street in Wallace. Law enforcement recovered the methamphetamine on the floorboard. On June 28, 2021, while Cline was awaiting sentencing in this case, a New Hanover County Detention Officer intercepted a letter that was addressed to Cline. A test of the letter revealed that it had been soaked in LSD.
During the investigation, law enforcement was able to determine that Cline was responsible for possessing with the intent to distribute and distributing 30 kilograms of methamphetamine. Cline had prior convictions for felony burglary and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
This is part of operation Fighting Jelly Fish which is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launders, 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.
G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Duplin, New Hanover and Sampson County Sheriff’s Offices investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Severo prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 7:20-cr-00074-M-3.
United States Reaches $842,500 Settlement with Two Public Universities and the North Carolina Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service to Resolve Alleged False Claims for AmeriCorps FundsRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney G. Norman Acker, III, and AmeriCorps OIG today announced settlements with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (“UNC-CH”), East Carolina University (“ECU”), and the North Carolina Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service (“NCCV”) requiring the total payment of $842,500 to the United States for alleged false claims for AmeriCorps grant funds.
AmeriCorps’ mission is to strengthen communities through community service, and this includes providing grant funds for salaries and various school programs. AmeriCorps provided grant funds as student education awards to UNC-CH and ECU students based upon UNC-CH and ECU certifications of service hours, as well as funds directly to NCCV for salaries of certain employees who oversaw AmeriCorps programs.
In exchange for these grant funds, UNC-CH, ECU, and NCCV agreed to comply with grant requirements and regulations, including certifying hours worked for AmeriCorps programs and maintaining internal controls. UNC-CH and ECU were expressly required to provide certifications for hours worked for student education awards (including for the mentoring, tutoring, and college-bound advising programs at issue). NCCV was expressly required to provide certifications for the separate hours worked by employees paid under the AmeriCorps grants.
Based on its investigation, the United States contends that UNC-CH, ECU, and NCCV caused false certifications for service hours worked and related violations of grant requirements in connection with grant funds paid from 2014 through 2019. The United States contends that these actions constituted a misuse of grant funds and harmed AmeriCorps programs.
The United States specifically contends that UNC-CH and ECU engaged in widespread violations of grant requirements, acted with reckless disregard in causing false claims, failed to maintain proper internal controls, and systematically certified false hours for AmeriCorps Members, including taking mere seconds to electronically approve hours falsely claimed to be worked on holidays and weekends, and excessive hours claimed toward the end of school years. For example, the investigation uncovered certifications of 16-hour days, which were beyond available service site hours that were typically weekdays on school schedules, unless approved by a supervisor.
The United States further contends that NCCV acted with reckless disregard in making false claims and causing false certifications for employee salaries to administer AmeriCorps programs, failed to maintain certifications, timesheets, and documentation for the separate AmeriCorps work of NCCV employees as required, and failed to maintain proper internal controls, such as allowing one employee to work under two overlapping grant awards and another employee to not provide the required monthly certification for over two years.
UNC-CH, ECU, and NCCV agreed to pay $375,000, $140,000, and $327,500, respectively, to the United States to resolve these claims.
“These settlements demonstrate our firm commitment to protect taxpayer money and to guard the integrity of federal grant programs,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Acker. “Universities, state agencies, and all those seeking federal funds are required to make honest claims for payment. Those who do not will be held accountable. Our office will zealously pursue damages and civil penalties where warranted, and notes that cooperation was a key factor in determining an appropriate resolution in this case.”
“These AmeriCorps programs were meant to support at-risk and low-income youth academically. Instead, the universities and agency involved here ran them in a way that allowed participants to falsify their timesheets, and robbed North Carolina communities of the assistance they were supposed to receive,” said AmeriCorps Inspector General Deborah Jeffrey. “We and our partners at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina will vigorously pursue any such frauds.”
It should be noted that the civil claims resolved by settlements here are allegations only, and that there has been no judicial determination or admission of liability. UNC-CH, ECU, and NCCV deny these allegations and cooperated in resolving these claims.
Assistant United States Attorney Neal Fowler represented the United States in this civil action. The investigation was conducted by the AmeriCorps Office of Inspector General, including Counsel Stephen Ravas and Special Agents Jessica Nelson and Joy Cuffee.
Operation False Haven: Convicted Child Molester Sentenced for Naturalization Fraud and Judicially DenaturalizedRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina announced that today in federal court, Simbala Gory, 45, a naturalized citizen of the United States, born in Mali and residing in Guilford County, was sentenced by Chief United States District Judge Richard E. Myers, II to three years’ probation and six months’ home detention following a guilty plea to naturalization fraud. Moreover, Gory was judicially denaturalized as a United States citizen.
According to court records, on July 26, 2016, Gory fraudulently obtained U.S. citizenship by making materially false statements under oath regarding his naturalization application. In response to the question “Have you ever committed, assisted in committing, or attempted to commit, a crime or offense for which you were not arrested?” he answered “No.” Also, in response to the question “Were you ever involved in any way with any of the following - Forcing, or trying to force, someone to have any kind of sexual contact or relations?” he answered “No.” At the time of his guilty plea to naturalization fraud, Gory admitted the response to the first question was false, but maintained the answer to the second question was not false.
On September 28, 2020, in the Superior Court of North Carolina in Guilford County, Gory was convicted of sex offense-parental role. Gory was sentenced to a term of imprisonment of between 20 and 84 months and ordered to register as a sex offender. According to court records, Gory committed the offense on June 1, 2009. Gory’s crime resulted in the birth of a child. Gory was not arrested until after he naturalized, thus immigration officials were unaware of his crime.
G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina likewise noted, “Those engaged in such criminal conduct, or considering doing so, would do well to realize that our office is committed to pursuing these acts for prosecution, even if their conduct does not come to light until well after the crime. They should forever be worried their actions will catch up to them.”
“Gory attempted to hide his despicable crimes in order to gain citizenship and now his past has caught up to him,” said Special Agent in Charge Ronnie Martinez, who oversees Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) operations in North Carolina and South Carolina. “Removing predators that target our vulnerable children makes our communities safer and HSI will continue to search for these criminals and bring them to justice.”
Agents with ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations and Homeland Security Investigations, assigned to the Document Benefit Fraud Task Force, investigated the case as part of Operation False Haven, an ongoing initiative to identify and prosecute child molesters and other egregious felons who fraudulently obtained U.S. citizenship.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:20-cr-00503-1M(1).
Convicted Murderer Jeffrey MacDonald’s Appeal Dismissed and Consecutive Life Sentences Remain IntactRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit issued an order on Thursday, September 16 dismissing an appeal filed by convicted murderer Jeffrey MacDonald. As a result, MacDonald will continue to serve out the three consecutive life sentences he received for murdering his wife and two young daughters at Fort Bragg, North Carolina in 1970.
MacDonald has filed numerous unsuccessful challenges to his murder convictions, which have been repeatedly rejected by federal courts at every level. MacDonald’s latest appeal stemmed from a motion he filed in November 2020 requesting that the Court grant him “compassionate release” and reduce his life sentences. The United States vigorously opposed the motion in briefing and at a hearing held on March 11, 2021, arguing that MacDonald was not eligible for compassionate release and should not be let out of prison early.
On April 9, 2021, United States District Court Judge Terrence W. Boyle denied MacDonald’s motion. MacDonald initially appealed that decision. The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals has now dismissed the appeal upon MacDonald’s request and with the United States’ consent. As a result, Judge Boyle’s order will stand, and MacDonald will remain in prison.
G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after the Court of Appeals issued its order dismissing the appeal. “Jeffrey MacDonald did the unthinkable more than fifty years ago when he murdered his pregnant wife and two daughters in brutal fashion,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Acker. “MacDonald’s latest effort to get out of prison has failed just like his previous efforts failed. But today, as always, our minds turn to Colette, Kimberly, and little Kristen, and to the family and friends whose lives were devastated by their untimely deaths. Our office has sought justice on their behalf for decades. That work continues today. And that work will continue every day until MacDonald’s efforts to escape justice cease for good.”
The United States is represented in this matter by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John E. Harris and Bryan M. Stephany.
Suspended Attorney Pleads Guilty to Visa FraudRead the Press Release
NEW BERN, N.C. – A Wilmington woman pled guilty yesterday to Fraud in Connection with Visas, Permits, and other Documents.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, Roydera Hackworth, 63, was an attorney licensed to practice in North Carolina and was suspended by the North Carolina State Bar (NCSB) on June 25, 2012, from practicing law and on April 30, 2014, by the Board of Immigration Appeals from practicing in immigration matters before the Executive Office for Immigration Review (i.e. the Board of Immigration Appeals and the immigration courts) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
Hackworth primarily handled administrative cases for clients before USCIS.
In September 2019, DHS Disciplinary Counsel advised NCSB, and later the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina, that based on information DHS Disciplinary Counsel discovered in USCIS records, it appeared that Hackworth violated her suspension and continued to practice, prepare, and submit Form G-28s (Notice of Entry of Appearance as Attorney or Accredited Representative), petitions, and applications with USCIS on behalf of client petitioners and applicants for immigration benefits after she was suspended on April 30, 2014.
Based on an investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and USCIS Fraud Detection and National Security (FDNS), approximately twenty Alien Files were reviewed. Further, interviews of persons that Hackworth “represented” were conducted which revealed that Hackworth impersonated another licensed attorney, submitted various immigration related documents which she signed under penalty of perjury representing that she was the other attorney and that she was not suspended and was authorized to practice law.
The review by HSI and FDNS revealed that between 6 and 24 clients were represented by Hackworth with no knowledge that Hackworth was submitting their immigration petitions and application under the name of the other attorney.
The DHS Disciplinary Counsel said: “Hackworth’s disregard of the Board of Immigration Appeals suspension order caused harm to her clients and to the immigration system. Her unscrupulous behavior required further action to protect the public and the immigration system. We are thankful the U.S. Attorney’s Office took the information we discovered and prosecuted Hackworth.”
Complaints regarding immigration attorneys appearing before DHS can be sent to [email protected] or for attorneys appearing before the immigration courts or the Board of Immigration Appeals to [email protected].
“Hackworth not only violated the oath of her profession and the laws of the US immigration system, but she also violated her client’s trust when she fraudulently represented them,” said Special Agent in Charge Special Agent in Charge Ronnie Martinez, who oversees Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) operations in North Carolina and South Carolina. “Preventing the exploitation of people and protecting the integrity of the US immigration system are hallmarks of HSI’s mission.”
Hackworth pleaded guilty to violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1546(a) and faces a maximum penalty of 120 months in prison when sentenced. It is anticipated sentencing will be during the Court’s term in January, 2022 in front of U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan.
G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after the plea was entered by U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert B. Jones, Jr. The Department of Homeland Security Investigations, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, Fraud Detection and National Security investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Sebastian Kielmanovich prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 7:21-CR-93-FL.
Armed Drug Trafficker Receives More Than 10 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
NEW BERN, N.C. – Markel Brown, 20, of Maple Hill North Carolina, was sentenced yesterday to 126 months in prison for 1) Conspiracy to Possess with intent to distribute and distribute of 100 Grams or more of Heroin and 500 grams or more of Cocaine, 2) Possession with intent distribute 500 grams or more of Cocaine and 3) Possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.
According to court documents, evidence presented in court and other documents, on August 13, 2019 law enforcement received information that Brown was returning from Atlanta, Georgia after having obtained a large amount of narcotics to be distributed in Eastern North Carolina. On August 13th, a Robeson County Sheriff’s Officer conducted a traffic stop on a car in which Brown was a passenger. Law enforcement officers searched the car and found more than a kilogram of cocaine and a .22 caliber handgun with altered serial numbers. Brown had $8,992 on his person. During the subsequent investigation, law enforcement uncovered that Brown was providing cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl to the Maple Hill area. Brown was responsible for distributing more than one and half kilograms of cocaine, 380 grams of heroin, 79 grams of a heroin/fentanyl mixture, and 70 grams of methamphetamine between December 2018 and September 2019. On October 24, 2020, while detained, a detention officer observed Brown in possession of homemade alcohol in his cell. When the officer attempted to retrieve the contraband, Brown struck the officer several times with a closed fist in the face and head area injuring the officer.
This is part of operation Ahab’s Harpoon which is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launders, 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.
G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Jacksonville Police Department and the Roberson and Onslow County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Timothy Severo and Charity Wilson prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 7:19-cr-00191-FL-3.
Shooting in Henderson Lands Man in Federal Prison for More Than 19 YearsRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – A Henderson man was sentenced today to 235 months in prison for two counts of Felon in Possession of Ammunition. On June 10, 2021, Caleb Malik Batchelor, pled guilty to the charges.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, on October 18, 2020, Batchelor, age 23, shot a female victim multiple times at the Highland Green Apartment Complex in Henderson, North Carolina. Batchelor and the victim had been involved in a domestic dispute. The victim sustained life-threatening injuries from the shooting but survived. Law enforcement recovered spent shell casings from the scene. About a month later, on November 16, 2020, Batchelor purchased additional ammunition from a gun store in Henderson. He is a convicted felon, having previous felony drug convictions, and was on probation from those convictions when he possessed the ammunition used to shoot the victim on October 18 and when he purchased additional ammunition on November 16, 2020.
G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Henderson Police Department, and the Vance County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert J. Dodson prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:20-CR-541-D.
Jones County Man Sentenced to More Than 9 Years for ShootingRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – A Jones County man was sentenced today to 115 months in prison for unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, which he used to assault with the intent to murder a victim. On June 10, 2021, William Horton Jr. pled guilty to the charge.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, Horton, 59, used a firearm to shoot another man outside a gas station near Pollocksville, North Carolina in December 2020. The victim survived. A search of Horton’s residence discovered the firearm used to assault the victim, as well as a second unlawful firearm and assorted ammunition.
G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. The Jones County Sherriff’s Office investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney David Fitzgerald prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:21-CR-13-D.
2020 Rioter Sentenced to Federal Prison on Charges of Destruction of Government Property and Illegal Firearm PossessionRead the Press Release
NEW BERN, N.C. – Alexander Charles Pridgen, of Greenville, North Carolina, was sentenced today to 15 months in federal prison, 2 years of supervised release (including three months of home confinement) and ordered to make restitution on the charges of Destruction of Government Property, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1361, and Receipt of a Firearm While Under Felony Indictment, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(n).
According to court documents and arguments at sentencing, in May of 2020, Pridgen was serving a term of probation on a prior state felony conviction of possessing a stolen firearm. On May 31, 2020, Pridgen took part in a protest that devolved into riotous activity in Greenville, North Carolina. In connection with the riot, Pridgen threw a brick through a first-floor window of the United States Bankruptcy Courthouse causing more than $1000 in damages. Pridgen also lobbed a rock at officers with the Greenville Police Department’s Civil Disturbance Team.
After being arrested on federal charges relating to these acts, Pridgen was released on pretrial supervision on December 30, 2020. Within two weeks of release, Pridgen attended a party in Greenville and was seen, along with others, possessing a stolen firearm. The firearm accidentally discharged, striking another partygoer. After learning of these events, additional federal charges were filed against Pridgen for possessing the firearm while under indictment.
Acting United States Attorney G. Norman Acker, III stated, “Destructive rioters do not only harm innocent businesses and institutions with their actions, they also make it harder for law abiding citizens to exercise their time-honored right to peacefully protest. This case sends the important message that destruction of government property is not an act of protest – it is a crime paid for with time behind bars.”
G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan announced the sentence. The United States Marshals Service investigated the case with the assistance of the Greenville Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys William M. Gilmore and Evan Rikhye served as the prosecutors.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:20-cr-00121-FL-1.