Eastern District of North Carolina
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
Armed Gang Member Receives 7 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
WILMINGTON — On February 27, 2020, United States District Judge Louise Flanagan sentenced CORBIN JURAN to 84 months’ imprisonment, followed by 3 years of supervised release. On October 7, 2019, JURAN pled guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute a quantity of heroin and distribution of a quantity of heroin.
In May 2019, law enforcement began an investigation of JURAN and the gang of which he was a member for the sale of narcotics and the associated violence. The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Coastal Carolina Safe Streets Task Force which includes federal task force officers from the Wilmington Police Department and New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, as well as Gang and Narcotics Detectives from the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office.
On May 1, 2019, Wilmington Police Department responded to a call at a motel in Wilmington. Officers observed JURAN and a female walking from the dumpster behind the motel. While speaking with JURAN, law enforcement confirmed that he had an active arrest warrant from Onslow County. JURAN fled as officers attempted to pat him down for weapons. Officers recovered a .22 revolver that had been in JURAN’s waistband and a small quantity of methamphetamine, which he had thrown down. JURAN told law enforcement that he was a member of the Folk Nation.
On May 13, 2019, the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office Gang and Narcotics Units made a controlled purchase of heroin from JURAN near his residence in Wilmington.
On May 24, 2019, the Sheriff’s Office Gang and Narcotics Units received information that JURAN was going to pick up heroin from a source of supply at a mini-mart in Wilmington. Law enforcement conducted surveillance on a car in which JURAN was a passenger. JURAN was observed entering the store and exiting quickly after that. New Hanover County Sheriff’s Detectives performed a traffic stop on the car and JURAN was found in possession of 500 bags containing a mixture of heroin, fentanyl and acetyl fentanyl. JURAN told detectives that he had picked up heroin from this source multiple times over the last couple of months.
This case is part of an FBI-lead Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation entitled “Tiny Toon Adventures”. This investigation focused on members of the United Blood Nation gang and the Folk Nation gang in Wilmington, North Carolina and their involvement with the distribution of heroin and fentanyl, and possession of firearms.
This case is also part of the Take Back North Carolina Initiative of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina, which emphasizes a 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.
Through the combined effort of an OCDETF operation and the Take Back North Carolina Initiative – FBI Task Force Officers from the Wilmington Police Department were able to identify members of this violent drug gang, and then partner with the FBI and United States Attorney’s Office to develop a strategy for dismantling this organization. Utilizing local intelligence, law enforcement was able to employ a breadth of federal government resources in order to help curb the criminal activity of this gang in Wilmington. The success of this case would not have been possible without these partnerships.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation Coastal Carolina Safe Streets Task Force, the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office Gang Unit and Narcotics Unit, and the Wilmington Police Department conducted the investigation of this case. Assistant United States Attorney Timothy Severo prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.
Man Arrested for Bomb Threats Against Collins Aerospace in WilsonRead the Press Release
RALEIGH – The United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Robert J. Higdon, Jr., announces that KiDARRYL T. PHILLIPS faces federal charges for Threatened Use of a Weapon of Mass Destruction.
According to publicly filed documents in federal court, PHILLIPS is alleged to have made six bomb threats targeting Collins Aerospace in Wilson, North Carolina. Phillips is a contract employee of Collins Aerospace and had his initial appearance today in front of United States Magistrate Judge James E. Gates.
If convicted, PHILLIPS would face up to a maximum term of life imprisonment, a $250,000 fine as to each count, and a term of up to five years supervised release following any term of imprisonment.
The charges and allegations contained in the criminal complaint are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
The Wilson Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are conducting the investigation of this case. Assistant United States Attorney Gabriel Diaz is prosecuting this case for the government.
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The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.
Two Aliens Indicted on Illegal Reentry ChargesRead the Press Release
Robert J. Higdon, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, announces that a federal grand jury in Wilmington has returned indictments charging OMAR LABRA-TREJO, age 50, of Mexico, and JOSE GUILLERMO LEIVA-GALVAN, age 34, of Honduras, with Illegal Reentry of a Deported Alien.
If convicted of illegal reentry, LABRA-TREJO, previously deported twice and found in Warren County, would face maximum penalties of two years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and a term of supervised release following any term of imprisonment.
LEIVA-GALVAN, previously deported and found in New Hanover County, is alleged to have been previously removed subsequent to an aggravated felony conviction (felony larceny). Therefore, if convicted, he would face a maximum imprisonment term of 20 years, a $250,000 fine, and a term of supervised release following any term of imprisonment.
The charges and allegations contained in the indictments are merely accusations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
The cases are being investigated by ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations and Homeland Security Investigations.
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The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.
Raleigh Blood Gang Member Sentenced for Illegally Possessing a FirearmRead the Press Release
NEW BERN – United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr. announced that yesterday in federal court, United States District Judge Louise W. Flanagan sentenced TAVEYON JAMOND WILLIAMS, 21, of Raleigh, NC, to 70 months’ imprisonment, followed by 3 years of supervised release.
WILLIAMS was named in an Indictment filed on June 7, 2019 charging him with one count of Felon in Possession of a Firearm on February 6, 2019. On October 9, 2019, WILLIAMS pled guilty.
On February 6, 2019, officers with the Raleigh Police Department (RPD), were on proactive patrol around Jones Street and North Tarboro Street in Raleigh, when they encountered WILLIAMS. The officers recognized WILLIAMS, a convicted felon, from previous encounters with him and were aware of multiple outstanding warrants for WILLIAMS’ arrest. As officers approached WILLIAMS to serve the outstanding warrants, WILLIAMS fled on foot. With the assistance of a police K-9 and witness identification, officers determined WILLIAMS ran into a nearby apartment.
Officers made contact with the occupants of the apartment WILLIAMS was witnessed entering. WILLIAMS was arrested at the residence without further incident. Officers conducted a search of the residence and recovered WILLIAMS’ Smith & Wesson, M&P Shield, 9mm pistol loaded with eight rounds of ammunition.
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
That effort has been implemented through the Take Back North Carolina Initiative of The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina. 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 more information about this initiative click here: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ednc/tbnc
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, and the Raleigh Police Department (RPD) conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Daniel William Smith represented the government.
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The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.
Federal Jury Convicts Lumberton Man for Drug and Gun CrimesRead the Press Release
RALEIGH – Robert J. Higdon, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, announces that in federal court this week, JAMES CALVIN BREEDEN, a 33-year-old resident of Lumberton, was convicted following a one-day trial before Senior United States District Judge James Earl Britt. The jury found BREEDEN guilty of Possession with the Intent to Distribute 28 Grams or more of Cocaine Base (Crack) and a Quantity of Cocaine, Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime, and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Sentencing is scheduled for the June 1, 2020 term of court in Raleigh. BREEDEN faces at least ten years’ and up to life imprisonment.
The evidence at trial showed that BREEDEN, who is a convicted felon, was the passenger of a vehicle stopped by officers with the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office as they were attempting to serve an outstanding warrant. When officer’s approached the vehicle, they observed BREEDEN in possession of a crown royal bag that contained approximately 80 grams of crack cocaine and 38 grams of cocaine. He also possessed loaded handgun inside of his waistband.
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. Since 2017, the United States Department of Justice has reinvigorated the PSN program and has targeted violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime.
That effort has been implemented through the Take Back North Carolina Initiative of The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina. 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.
The Robeson County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF) conducted investigation of this case. Assistant United States Attorneys Chad Rhoades and Erin Blondel handled the prosecution of this case for the government.
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The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.
Cary Man Sentenced to More Than 5 Years Imprisonment on Child Pornography ChargesRead the Press Release
RALEIGH — The United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Robert J. Higdon, Jr., announced that yesterday, Chief United States District Judge Terrence W. Boyle, sentenced CHRISTOPHER THOMAS WARD, 37, of Cary, NC to 70 months imprisonment, followed by a ten year term of supervised release. WARD pled guilty pursuant to a plea agreement on September 25, 2019 to one count of receipt of child pornography.
A 2017 investigation into a file sharing network identified WARD’s IP address as advertising known child pornography files, which were directly downloaded from WARD’s IP address on multiple dates. Law enforcement identified WARD’s residence, and a search warrant was obtained. Investigators executed the search warrant on December 15, 2017 and seized numerous electronic devices.
WARD agreed to speak with investigators and, during the interview, admitted to searching for, downloading and storing child pornography. A forensic review of the seized devices determined that WARD had amassed hundreds of thousands of files containing child pornography images and videos.
This case is 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 initiative, go to www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The Cary Police Department (CPD), Cary, North Carolina, and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) conducted the investigation of this case. Assistant United States Attorney Bryan M. Stephany represented the government.
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The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.
Apex Entrepreneur Pleads Guilty to Defrauding Water Remediation Investors and to Aggravated Identity TheftRead the Press Release
RALEIGH – United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr. announced that today in federal court, CHARLES GILBERT MURPHY, 63, of Apex, NC, pleaded guilty to Counts 10 and 13 of an indictment charging him with, among other things, Wire Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft.
The Indictment alleges that MURPHY was subject to collection efforts by the United States Government arising from a prior federal conviction for Wire Fraud in June of 1999 in this same District. As such, the Indictment alleges that MURPHY caused family members to open bank accounts for him in the name of various companies he controlled, referred to in the Indictment as the “Murphy Entities.” These entities were Toxic Solutions LLC (“Toxic Solutions”), Biological Marine Remediation LLC (“Bio-Remediation”), Bio Marine Remediation LLC (“Bio-Marine”), Bio Separation Systems, LLC (“Bio-Separation”), On-Site Solutions LLC (“On-Site Solutions”), and On-Site Technologies LLC (“On-Site Technologies”).
The Indictment further alleges that MURPHY used the Murphy Entities to obtain money from individuals and entities under false and fraudulent pretenses. According to the Indictment, MURPHY represented that the Murphy Entities performed environmental cleanup activities, such as water remediation. MURPHY purported to offer to various entrepreneurial victims the opportunity to purchase exclusive rights to perform environmental cleanup services in a given geographic area. MURPHY also purported to sell the equipment necessary to perform the cleanup services. In furtherance of the scheme, MURPHY frequently presented false documents to the entrepreneurs to make it appear that funds had been allocated for services to be performed in the geographic area where the victims had purchased the exclusive rights. In reality, the documents justifying the exclusive rights purchase were falsified, and MURPHY took the money without providing all of the equipment purchased.
In furtherance of the scheme, the Indictment further alleges that MURPHY utilized the identities of others to make it appear that his companies were good investments by creating false documents and correspondence in the names of the victims.
Mr. Higdon stated, “This case arose from our Office’s continuing efforts to obtain restitution for victims of the defendant’s prior federal conviction. In the process of doing that, we learned that the defendant was at it again, deceiving a new set of victims with the same old tricks. The defendant will now have to answer to his victims, and to the court, for his actions.”
The maximum punishment for Wire Fraud (18 U.S.C. § 1343) is up to 20 years in prison. The maximum punishment for Aggravated Identity Theft (18 U.S.C. § 1028A) is not less than, nor more than 2 years in prison consecutive to any other term of imprisonment imposed. The sentencing is tentatively scheduled for June, 2020 term of court.
The investigation of this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney William M. Gilmore represents the United States.
Heroin and Firearm Convictions Get Franklin County Man More Than 13 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
NEW BERN – United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr. announced that today in federal court, United States District Judge Louise W. Flanagan sentenced MICHAEL JERMAINE JACKSON, 35, of Spring Hope to 160 months imprisonment, followed by 5 years of supervised release.
JACKSON was named in a four-count Indictment filed on April 4, 2019, charging him with possession with intent to distribute heroin, fentanyl, cocaine base (crack), cocaine, and marijuana, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, maintaining a dwelling for the purpose of distributing a controlled substance, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. On October 15, 2019, JACKSON pled guilty to that charge.
According to the investigation, in September 2018, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) began an investigation into the drug trafficking activities of JACKSON. A confidential informant provided information that JACKSON was selling narcotics, including heroin, from his residence on Wiley Road in Spring Hope, North Carolina. After a series of controlled purchases of heroin and crack cocaine from JACKSON at his residence, FCSO executed a search warrant of JACKSON’S residence where they found quantities of heroin containing fentanyl, crack cocaine, cocaine, marijuana, drug distribution paraphernalia, a firearm, and ammunition. JACKSON had just been released from a state prison sentence six months prior to the execution of the search warrant.
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. Since 2017 the United States Department of Justice has reinvigorated the PSN program and has targeted violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
This case is also part of the Take Back North Carolina Initiative of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina. 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 violence crime rate, drug trafficking, and crimes against law enforcement.
The investigation of this matter was conducted jointly by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Robert J. Dodson prosecuted the case for the government.
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The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.
Former Labor Union Officer Sentenced for Embezzlement of Union AssetsRead the Press Release
RALEIGH – United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr. announced that today in federal court, Chief United States District Judge Terrence W. Boyle sentenced TERRY SLAUGHTER, 46, of Fayetteville, North Carolina to six months imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release. On February 19, 2019, SLAUGHTER pled guilty to Embezzlement of Labor Union Assets. On January 28, 2020, Keith Ludlum pled guilty to Conspiracy and Embezzlement of Labor Union Assets. Ludlum is scheduled to be sentenced in April.
From 2011 to 2015, SLAUGHTER served as Secretary-Treasurer of United Food and Commercial Workers (“UFCW”), Local 1208 (“Local 1208”). Ludlum served as President. Local 1208 encompasses North and South Carolina and has approximately 3600 active members.
In 2014, the UFCW initiated an audit of the Local after receiving complaints from union members regarding the theft and misuse of union funds by Ludlum and SLAUGHTER. The audit and a subsequent criminal investigation revealed that between January 2012 and March 2015, SLAUGHTER and Ludlum embezzled and misused more than $200,000 in union funds by issuing unauthorized checks to themselves and others, and by making unauthorized purchases with their union debit cards.
Mr. Higdon stated: “This defendant was entrusted to act in the best interests of thousands of Smithfield Foods plant employees who contributed a portion of their hard-earned wages as union dues. Instead, he betrayed their trust by converting union funds to his own personal use. We will continue to investigate these crimes and aggressively pursue the appropriate legal remedies on behalf of Eastern North Carolina workers.”
“Safeguarding financial integrity and combatting financial malfeasance in labor unions is a very high priority for OLMS. The financial malfeasance was discovered by the local union and report to OLMS. OLMS and the U. S. Attorney’s Office were able to fully investigate and bring about justice. This sentencing sends a clear message that OLMS and the U. S. Attorney’s Office will fully investigate and seek justice when anyone attempts to use their union position for personal financial gain at the expense of union members.” Joel Belinc Del-Gregorio, Criminal Investigator, OLMS.
SLAUGHTER was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $63,315.18.
The United States Department of Labor, Office of Labor Management Standards conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Toby Lathan represented the government.
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The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.
Raeford Men Sentenced for Drug Trafficking and Illegal Gun PossessionRead the Press Release
NEW BERN – The United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Robert J. Higdon, Jr., announces that United States District Judge Louise W. Flanagan sentenced ANTONIO DWAYNE EVANS, 33, of Raeford, NC to 158 months imprisonment followed by 4 years of supervised release.
EVANS and his brother, Sammy Durane Evans, Jr., were named in a six-count Indictment on July 18, 2018. On June 19, 2019, ANTONIO EVANS pled guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess With Intent to Distribute 28 Grams or More of Cocaine Base (Crack), a Quantity of Cocaine, a Quantity of Marijuana, and a Quantity of Heroin; Possession With Intent to Distribute 28 Grams or More of Cocaine Base (Crack), a Quantity of Cocaine, a Quantity of Marijuana, and a Quantity of Heroin, and Aiding and Abetting; and Possession of a Firearm by a Felon.
From January 2018 to May 2, 2018, the Fayetteville Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted an investigation into the drug trafficking activities of brothers Sammy Durane Evans, Jr., and ANTONIO DWAYNE EVANS.
During the course of the investigation, law enforcement received information that Sammy Evans and ANTONIO EVANS regularly sold crack cocaine, cocaine, and marijuana from two parked vehicles in the driveway of a residence located on Amanda Circle in Fayetteville. It was also beloved that the Evans brothers stored their drugs and weapons in the vehicles while selling at the residence.
On May 2, 2018, physical surveillance was established on the Amanda Circle residence, where investigators observed vehicles parked in front of the residence. Surveillance verified several individuals coming and going from the residence and vehicles.
ANTONIO EVANS was seen meeting with various individuals, and going back and forth between two parked vehicles. After one transaction, officers stopped a vehicle leaving the residence and subsequently recovered marijuana. The driver admitted that the marijuana had been purchased from the residence.
Following the traffic stop, law enforcement officials executed a search warrant at the Amanda Circle residence. As officers approached the property, an individual fled the residence, but was apprehended after a brief foot chase.
Officers recovered a bag containing cocaine and marijuana in the surrounding area. The individual stated that he lived at the house, and when officers searched his room, they located 2.9 grams of cocaine, 14.7 grams of marijuana, a rifle magazine, 13 rounds of 7.62 ammunition, sandwich bags, 2 cell phones, and $4,992 in U.S. currency.
Sammy Evans and ANTONIO EVANS were then located outside the residence. Sammy Evans also attempted to run, but he was apprehended after a short foot pursuit.
Officers recovered a high capacity magazine, a loaded 9mm firearm, and 17 rounds of 9mm ammunition from Sammy Evans’s vehicle; ANTONIO EVANS possessed a key to that vehicle.
Also recovered from the Evans brothers, including from their vehicles and the immediate area, were 2 gun holsters, 49.2 grams of crack cocaine, 285.8 grams of cocaine, 6.3 grams of heroin, 100.7 grams of marijuana, 236 dosage units of opiates (2.48 grams of oxycodone), 71 dosage units of Alprazolam (a Schedule IV drug), 12.5 grams of MDMA, and a total of $2,708 in U.S. currency.
Based on the investigation, ANTONIO EVANS was held responsible for 6.3 grams of heroin, 12.5 grams of MDMA, 71 dosage units of Alprazolam (Schedule IV drug), 89.85 grams of crack cocaine, 2.48 grams of oxycodone, 1,062.98 grams of cocaine, and 101.2 grams of marijuana.
Additionally, he is a convicted felon, possessed a firearm in connection with his drug-trafficking activities, and maintained a premise for the purpose of manufacturing or distributing a controlled substance.
Previously, on April 11, 2019, Sammy Evans was sentenced to 63 months imprisonment and 5 years of supervised release for Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute 500 Grams or More of Cocaine, 28 Grams or More of Cocaine Base (Crack), a Quantity of Marijuana, and a Quantity of Heroin and Possession with Intent to Distribute 28 Grams or More of Cocaine Base (Crack), a Quantity of Cocaine, a Quantity of Marijuana, and a Quantity of Heroin and Aiding and Abetting.
This prosecution is part of an extensive investigation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). OCDETF is a joint federal, state, and local cooperative approach to combat drug trafficking and is the nation’s primary tool for disrupting and dismantling major drug trafficking organizations, targeting national and regional level drug trafficking organizations, and coordinating the necessary law enforcement entities and resources to disrupt or dismantle the targeted criminal organization and seize their assets.
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.
The Fayetteville Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney Scott A. Lemmon prosecuted this case for the government.
Hope Mills Man Sentenced to 34 Years for Armed Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
RALEIGH — The United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Robert J. Higdon, Jr., announced that, United States District Judge James C. Dever III sentenced FrANKLIN ANTONIO RIOS, 49, of Hope Mills, North Carolina to 408 months’ imprisonment, followed by 4 years of supervised release. On August 7, 2018, RIOS pled guilty to one count of Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute 100 Grams or More of Heroin and two counts of Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime.
Additionally, KAYLA NICOLE HOSKINS, 24, of Fayetteville, North Carolina pled guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute a Quantity of Heroin and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime and Aiding and Abetting on July 23, 2018. On May 30, 2019, Judge Dever sentenced her to 54 months’ imprisonment followed by 3 years of supervised release.
The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) began investigating a heroin distribution network that had been operating in the Fayetteville area since early 2014. RIOS, the target of the investigation, had been receiving shipments of heroin from his source of supply (SOS). The SOS received regularly-scheduled shipments of heroin from the New Jersey area. Between October 20, 2015, and May 2, 2016, an undercover law enforcement officer, along with a confidential source, conducted 12 undercover purchases of heroin and firearms from RIOS. On one occasion, RIOS was assisted by HOSKINS. All of the controlled transactions took place at RIOS’s residence in Hope Mills, North Carolina, with the exception of February 25, 2016, which took place at a convenience store in Hope Mills.
During a transaction on February 10, 2016, the undercover officer purchased a .45 caliber firearm with two magazines, 105 rounds of ammunition and a magazine holder from RIOS. The firearm was later determined to have been stolen from Johnston County. On February 25, 2016, the undercover officer purchased a 30/30 rifle and a 20 gauge shotgun, both with defaced serial numbers, from RIOS. On May 2, 2016, heroin and an 88 model shotgun were purchased from RIOS and HOSKINS. The shotgun was later determined to have been stolen out of Fayetteville.
Following the controlled purchase in May 2016, a search was executed at RIOS’s residence. The following was found either in the residence, an outdoor building on the property, or RIOS’s Chevrolet Camaro: heroin, Adderall XR pills, Clonazepam pills, Amphetamine/Dextroamphetamine pills, a .38 caliber revolver, a 14 gauge shotgun with no serial number, digital scales, recorded cash from the previous undercover drug transactions, and an additional $1,011 currency.
Based upon the investigation, at sentencing, RIOS was held accountable for a total of 610.24 grams of heroin, 22.62 grams of actual amphetamine, and 233 Clonazepam pills, for a total of 1,062.65 kilograms of converted drug weight. RIOS was also found to have maintained a premises for the purpose of manufacturing or distributing a controlled substance, and several of RIOS’s customers overdosed from the heroin RIOS provided.
This prosecution is part of an extensive investigation by the United States Attorney’s Office’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). OCDETF is a joint federal, state, and local cooperative approach to combat drug trafficking and is the nation’s primary tool for disrupting and dismantling major drug trafficking organizations, targeting national and regional level drug trafficking organizations, and coordinating the necessary law enforcement entities and resources to disrupt or dismantle the targeted criminal organization and seize their assets.
That effort has been implemented through the Take Back North Carolina Initiative of The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina. 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.
The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) conducted the investigation in this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Scott A. Lemmon represented the government.
Taurean Edward Farrior Sentenced to 12 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
WILMINGTON – United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr. announced that in federal court, United States District Judge James C. Dever III sentenced TAUREAN EDWARD FARRIOR, 35, of Wilmington to 144 months imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release.
FARRIOR was named in an Indictment filed on April 4, 2019 charging him with possession with the intent to distribute a quantity of cocaine base (crack); two counts of distribution of a quantity of heroin; distribution of a quantity of fentanyl; and possession with the intent to distribute a quantity of cocaine and a quantity of heroin. On September 24, 2019, FARRIOR pled guilty to distribution of a quantity of heroin and possession with the intent to distribute a quantity of cocaine and a quantity of heroin.
According to the investigation, on May 19, 2017, investigators in Wayne County detected the odor of marijuana emanating from a vehicle parked at a gas station in Goldsboro. The vehicle belonged to FARRIOR. A subsequent search of the vehicle revealed almost one ounce of crack cocaine, a quantity of marijuana, and approximately $1,300.00 cash. The Brunswick County Sheriff’s Department conducted four (4) controlled purchases of heroin/fentanyl mixtures from FARRIOR between August 2018 and December 2018. On January 10, 2019, law enforcement stopped FARRIOR for a traffic violation on Highway 74 in Leland, NC and investigators found him in possession of cocaine and marijuana. A subsequent search of FARRIOR’s residence in Wilmington, NC located multiple bindles of a heroin/fentanyl mixture. At sentencing, FARRIOR was found to be accountable for the distribution of approximately 4.5 kilograms of cocaine, as well as quantities of crack cocaine and a heroin/fentanyl mixture between January 2016 and January 2019.
This case is part of the Take Back North Carolina Initiative of The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina. 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.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, Brunswick County Sheriff’s Department, and Wayne County Sheriff’s Department participated in the investigation. Special Assistant United States Attorney Murphy Averitt represented the government.
Federal Jury Convicts Four Oaks Man of Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted FelonRead the Press Release
RALEIGH — United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr., announced that yesterday in federal court, LAMONT TURRENTINE, 40, a resident of Four Oaks, North Carolina, was convicted in a one-day jury trial before Chief United States District Judge Terrence W. Boyle. The jury found TURRENTINE guilty of each of Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon.
The evidence showed that TURRENTINE, who is a multi-convicted felon and has previously been, convicted of felon in possession of a firearm along with multiple felony convictions for the sale of cocaine. During the trial, the government presented evidence showing TURRENTINE engaged in a shoot-out with Wayne County Deputies who attempted to arrest him following an attempted burglary. During a chase, TURRENTINE fired his weapon at Officers and the Officers returned fire. TURRENTINE was arrested a short time later. Officers retraced the path where TURRENTINE fled and found a firearm. A ballistics expert matched the firearm found on the path to the casings that were found where the shoot-out took place.
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. Since 2017, the United States Department of Justice has reinvigorated the PSN program and has targeted violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
That effort has been implemented through the Take Back North Carolina Initiative of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina. This initiative emphasizes the regional assignment of federal prosecutors to work with law enforcement and District Attorney’s Offices in those communities on a sustained basis to reduce the violent crime rate, drug trafficking, and crimes against law enforcement.
The Wayne County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Donald R. Pender represented the government.
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The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.
Corporate President of Kronsys, Inc., Cygtec, Inc., and Arkstek, Inc. Sentenced for Conspiracy to Commit Visa FraudRead the Press Release
RALEIGH – Robert J. Higdon, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina announces that sairam yeruva, age 45, a resident of Cary, North Carolina, and a naturalized United States citizen from India, was sentenced today in federal court to 12 months and 1 day imprisonment, along with 1 year supervised release and a $50,000 fine.
On January 7, 2019, YERUVA pled guilty to conspiracy to commit visa fraud as charged in a Criminal Information. As part of the plea, YERUVA agreed to forfeit $2,600,000 of the criminal proceeds to the U.S. government.
The Criminal Information alleges that YERUVA, and others, conspired to submit false and misleading information to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services in support of at least one hundred eighty-three (183) initial H-1B petitions and at least one-hundred (100) H-1B extension petitions that were filed on behalf of KRONSYS, INC., CYGTEC, INC., and ARKSTEK, INC. During the course of the conspiracy, YERUVA served as the corporate president of each of these three companies.
According to the charging document, YERUVA, and others, declared in their initial petitions that their H-1B nonimmigrant foreign workers would be employed by the companies at specific work locations in or near Raleigh, North Carolina or Aurora, Colorado for the sole purpose of developing internal, or “in-house”, information technology projects. The petitions also declared that the H-1B workers would be paid the prevailing wage throughout the entirety of their H-1B status with the companies.
Rather than developing the “in-house” projects, the H-1B workers provided IT consulting services to end clients throughout the United States, thereby earning KRONSYS, INC., CYGTEC, INC., and ARKSTEK, INC. at least $26,225,000. Many of the H-1B workers were “benched” while they waited for their initial end client assignment to begin or while they were in between end client assignments. “Benching” refers to the practice of placing H-1B foreign workers in nonproductive status without pay while they search for new end client assignments.
“The fraud and misuse of visa programs such as the H-1B program subverts the legitimate immigration process, and denies qualified and capable United States citizens and those legally in the United States from obtaining positions requiring specialized skills. I am committed to holding those that seek to circumvent the process accountable,” said United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr.
“Each year, thousands of nonimmigrants with specialized skills try to obtain H-1B visas,” said Ronnie Martinez, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations Charlotte. “When criminals exploit the U.S. visa system for personal gain, no one wins. Workers are sidelined without pay, and legitimate U.S. businesses lose the opportunity to hire needed employees.”
The H-1B program is intended to assist employers who cannot otherwise obtain needed business skills and abilities from the United States workforce. The H-1B program authorizes these employers to temporarily employ foreign workers as nonimmigrants in specialty occupations. Speculative employment is not permitted under the H-1B program, as the program is not intended as a vehicle for foreign workers to engage in a job search, or for employers to bring in foreign workers to meet possible workforce needs.
A Criminal Information is a formal written accusation filed by the United States Attorney. YERUVA faces maximum penalties of five years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and a term of supervised release following any term of imprisonment.
The Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force (DBFTF) is investigating the case. Homeland Security Investigations led the investigation with the assistance of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Maxton Woman Sentenced for Gun ChargeRead the Press Release
RALEIGH – United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr. announced that today in federal court, United States District Judge James C. Dever III sentenced CRYSTAL LYNN CLARK, 41, of Maxton, North Carolina to 36 months’ imprisonment, followed by 3 years’ of supervised release.
CLARK was named in an Indictment filed on July 10, 2019, charging her with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. On November 15, 2019, CLARK pled guilty to that charge.
According to the investigation, on December 8, 2018, CLARK pawned a 9mm rifle at Universal Pawn in Maxton, North Carolina. On December 12, 2018, CLARK returned to the pawnshop and attempted to retrieve the firearm. However, she was unable to retrieve the firearm because of her status as a convicted felon. The National Instant Background Check Service (NICS) denial triggered an Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigation which led to her arrest and prosecution.
This case is part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. For more information about Project Guardian, please see: https://www.justice.gov/projectguardian.
This case is also 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.
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The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF) conducted investigation of this case. Assistant United States Attorney Chad Rhoades handled the prosecution of this case for the government.
Fayetteville Gang Member Sentenced for Gun ChargeRead the Press Release
RALEIGH – United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr. announced that today in federal court, United States District Judge James C. Dever III sentenced DESMOND EDWARDS, 21, of Fayetteville, North Carolina to 120 months’ imprisonment, followed by 3 years’ of supervised release.
EDWARDS was named in a Criminal Information filed on October 25, 2019, charging him with possession of a stolen firearm and ammunition. On November 15, 2019, EDWARDS pled guilty to that charge.
According to the investigation, on May 1, 2018, the Fayetteville Police Department conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle with a broken windshield suspected of being involved in an earlier reported accident. When the officer approached the driver’s side of the vehicle, he made contact with EDWARDS. The officer could smell the odor of marijuana coming from within the vehicle, and removed the occupants. The officer then deployed his K-9 around the vehicle, and the dog alerted for the presence of contraband. Officers searched the vehicle and recovered a loaded, .25 caliber handgun underneath the driver’s seat and .25 caliber ammunition in the rear pocket of the passenger seat. EDWARDS later admitted to possessing the firearm and ammunition and that he had reason to believe the firearm and ammunition were stolen. EDWARDS is a validated member of the Nine-Trey Bloods street gang.
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
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.
Investigation of this case was conducted by the Fayetteville Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF). Assistant United States Attorney Chad Rhoades handled the prosecution of this case for the government.
Sixteen Foreign Nationals Arrested in Ice OperationRead the Press Release
RALEIGH – Robert J. Higdon, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, announces the results of a recently completed enforcement operation in Wake County by Department of Homeland Security’s Bureau of Immigration Custom Enforcement (ICE).
ICE began a targeted enforcement operation on February 8 and concluded today. However, it should be noted that ICE conducts targeted enforcement activities on a daily basis, and will continue to do so. This most recent operation targeted at-large criminal aliens who have been identified based on encounters – that is, criminal arrests – with local law enforcement.
The Raleigh area ICE Team made sixteen arrests of foreign nationals with a variety of criminal arrests and convictions, including: Driving While Intoxicated; Burglary; Assault; Assault on Child; Robbery; Drug Possession; and, Resisting a Public Officer. One individual has been confirmed to be a member of the transnational criminal street gang Sureño 13 (SUR 13).
Of those arrested by ICE, eight were previously deported and are now pending federal prosecution for violations of Title 8, United States Code, Section 1326 (Reentry of a Removed Alien). Seven of those eight have been charged here in the Eastern District; one has been charged in the Middle District of North Carolina.
Additionally, four of the individuals arrested were identified while in the custody of the Wake County Sheriff’s Office. One individual was released despite a detainer having been placed on that subject and in spite of charges involving the assault of two young children. Three individuals were released before ICE could respond.
Names of individuals pending federal charges in the Eastern District:
MONTIEL, Jose Isaias
CONTRERAS VILLAVERDE, Francisco Javier
AGUILAR SOTO, Luis Gerardo
BENLES-OCAMPOS, Marden Giovanny
CHAPOL-AMBROS, Victor
REYES-MORENO, Manuel Antonio
CRUZ-AQUINO, Nelson
The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations and Homeland Security Investigations are investigating the cases.
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The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.
Robeson County Man Sentenced to Four Years for Pembroke, NC Post Office BurglaryRead the Press Release
RALEIGH – United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr. announced that yesterday in federal court, United States District Judge James C. Dever III sentenced BRITT ALLEN JACOBS, 46, of Robeson County to 48 months’ imprisonment, followed by 3 years of supervised release. JACOBS was also ordered to pay more than $1,300 of restitution.
JACOBS was named in an Indictment filed on May 16, 2019 charging him with one count of mail theft in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1708, and one count of burglary of a post office in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2115. On October 31, 2019, JACOBS pled guilty to Count 2, pursuant to a plea agreement.
According to the investigation, in the early morning hours of December 27, 2018, JACOBS broke a glass entry door to force entry into the U.S. Postal Service post office in Pembroke, NC. Officers from the Pembroke Police Department responded to the location following an alarm notification and observed JACOBS attempting to flee. The officers pursued JACOBS, deployed a police K9, and apprehended JACOBS following a brief chase. Items stolen by JACOBS included an electronic dog collar, credit cards, a purse, a cell phone, and prescription medication.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Pembroke, NC Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Bryan Stephany represented the government.
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The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.
Henderson Man Sentenced to 26 Years Imprisonment for Heroin and Firearm ViolationsRead the Press Release
RALEIGH – United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr. announced that yesterday in federal court, United States District Judge James C. Dever III sentenced JONATHAN ANTWAN MITCHELL, 34, of Henderson, North Carolina to 312 months imprisonment, followed by 5 years of supervised release.
MITCHELL was named in an Indictment filed on December 4, 2018, charging him with conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin, possess with the intent to distribute a quantity of heroin, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. On July 22, 2019, MITCHELL pled guilty to that charge.
According to the investigation, in August of 2018, agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted a controlled purchase of heroin from MITCHELL. This purchase occurred in Henderson, North Carolina.
A few days later, a trooper with the North Carolina State Highway Patrol attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a car that MITCHELL was driving. MITCHELL sped away, reaching speeds of up to approximately 80 mph in a 45 mph zone. After a couple of miles, MITCHELL lost control and wrecked the car in a ditch. MITCHELL ran from the car and after a struggle with the trooper, was ultimately placed under arrest. Agents from the Vance County Sheriff’s Office and the State Bureau of Investigation arrived at the scene to assist. As a result of the arrest and a search of the car, agents recovered over 1,200 dosage units of heroin, approximately $31,000 in US currency, a semiautomatic pistol, and a 50-round extended magazine. MITCHELL later admitted to agents that he had been dealing heroin in the Henderson and Vance County area since 2014.
Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Homeland Security Investigations; the State Bureau of Investigation; the Vance County Sheriff’s Office; and the North Carolina State Highway Patrol conducted the investigation in this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Nick J. Miller represented the government.
This case is part of the Take Back North Carolina Initiative of The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina. 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 more information about this initiative click here: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ednc/tbnc
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The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.
Duplin County Man Sentenced to Thirty Years for Decades-Long Drug Trafficking CareerRead the Press Release
RALEIGH – Robert J. Higdon, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, announces that in Federal court, BRANDON DUDLEY, a 34-year-old resident of Duplin County, North Carolina, received a thirty (30) year sentence following his conviction before Chief United States District Judge Terrence W. Boyle. After a three-day trial, a jury found DUDLEY guilty of all counts reflecting his extensive drug trafficking activities throughout Eastern North Carolina. During trial, the prosecution presented evidence of multiple narcotics sales involving DUDLEY, as well as the testimony of individuals who assisted DUDLEY’s operation back to the 1990’s.
Despite serving prison time on various occasions in the North Carolina Department of Corrections, DUDLEY, and those with whom he worked, have continued to distribute large quantities of methamphetamine and other drugs since 2015. Upon final calculation, the Court held DUDLEY “conservatively responsible” for the following quantities of drugs:
- 20 KG of Crystal Methamphetamine;
- 41 KG of Marijuana;
- 31 KG of Cocaine;
- 15 KG of Crack Cocaine.
In addition to the evidence presented regarding drug trafficking, the Court received extensive testimony that tied DUDLEY to the use of firearms while running the Drug Trafficking Organization. DUDLEY has been linked to multiple, ongoing investigations that involve violence and criminal activity centered on the use, possession and trafficking of firearms.
Mr. Higdon commented: “Brandon Dudley’s sentence represents a just conclusion to a long, thorough investigation into a committed, prolific drug dealer. The Dudley case is part of the Take Back North Carolina Initiative, which targets the most dangerous criminals in our communities throughout Eastern North Carolina. With the focused, interconnected efforts of federal, state, and local law enforcement, the Dudley drug trafficking organization has been successfully identified, investigated, and is now fully dismantled. Given Brandon Dudley’s years of committed criminal activity and the countless lives affected throughout North Carolina by the drugs and accompanying violence dispensed by his organization, incapacitating Dudley will make all of Eastern North Carolina safer.”
This prosecution is part of an extensive investigation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). OCDETF is a joint federal, state, and local cooperative approach to combat drug trafficking and is the nation’s primary tool for disrupting and dismantling major drug trafficking organizations, targeting national and regional level drug trafficking organizations, and coordinating the necessary law enforcement entities and resources to disrupt or dismantle the targeted criminal organization and seize their assets.
The DUDLEY prosecution was a part of the “Fall of the House of Usher” OCDETF Operation that has resulted in the prosecution of dozens of high level drug traffickers, gang and cartel-linked criminals, and the seizure of hundreds of kilograms of controlled substances throughout Eastern North Carolina and beyond.
The Duplin County Sheriff’s Office and the United States Drug Enforcement Administration investigated this matter. J. Frank Bradsher and J. Bradford Knott prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
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The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.
Vance County Man Sentenced to More Than Six Years Imprisonment on Drug and Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
RALEIGH — United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr., announced that today in federal court, United States District Judge James C. Dever, III, sentenced PRESTON OBRYAN MILES, 35, of Kittrell to 78 months’ imprisonment, followed by 3 years of supervised release. MILES was named in a two-count Indictment on July 10, 2019, charging him with possession with intent to distribute heroin and cocaine and possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. On November 1, 2019, he pled guilty to the Indictment.
According to the investigation, on Saturday, July 21, 2018, a Franklinton Police Department officer was on patrol near NC 56 in Franklinton, North Carolina, when he saw a black Toyota Camry with heavily tinted windows. As he began following the Camry, he could smell marijuana, and he noticed that the smell diminished when he switched lanes away from the car. The officer ran the tag and also found that the registered owner had an expired license.
The officer initiated a traffic stop and made contact with the driver, who was identified as MILES. The smell of marijuana was strong, and the officer spotted several partially smoked marijuana cigarettes inside the car. Backup arrived and officers searched the car. They noticed that the carpet liner in the trunk was not attached on the edges. In the space between the carpet liner and the frame of the car, officers found a plastic bag containing a cardboard box, which itself contained two bricks of heroin—approximately 100 single-dose bags. The box also contained two loose bindles of 10 bags each, a plastic baggie of approximately 3 grams of raw heroin, and tools of the drug trade, including a wooden stamp with a Mercedes symbol, a bag of small rubber bands, and scotch tape. Further back between the carpet liner and side of the car, officers found a black FN 5.7x28mm pistol.
Officers later reviewed communications from jail, in which Miles, in discussing his car, directed a woman to get items out of “the head” and stated that that “I got a brick in the head.” On July 26, 2018, law enforcement obtained a search warrant to re-search the car. They found a digital scale hidden in a hole in the bottom of the passenger seat headrest, and behind the scale, they found a brick of heroin and a plastic bag of cocaine. Using a camera to search deeper into the area between the carper liner and the passenger side of the car, officers located a second handgun, a Smith & Wesson revolver.
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. Since 2017, the United States Department of Justice has reinvigorated the PSN program and has targeted violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
That effort has been implemented through the Take Back North Carolina Initiative of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina. This initiative emphasizes the regional assignment of federal prosecutors to work with law enforcement and District Attorney’s Offices in those communities on a sustained basis to reduce the violent crime rate, drug trafficking, and crimes against law enforcement.
The Franklinton Police Department, State Bureau of Investigation, and Department of Homeland Security conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Jake D. Pugh represented the government.
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The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.
Media AdvisoryRead the Press Release
WHEN: Friday, February 14, 2020 at 2:00 PM
WHERE: United States Attorney’s Office
150 Fayetteville Street
Suite 2100
Raleigh, NC 27601
Re: Results of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Wake County Targeted Enforcement Operation
RALEIGH – The United States Attorney’s Office announces a press conference to discuss the results of a recently completed enforcement operation in Wake County by Immigration Custom Enforcement (ICE) officers targeting those illegal aliens who were previously arrested by local authorities and then a federal detainer was not honored by the local sheriff.
In addition to United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr., officers with ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) 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.
Raleigh Bank Robber Sentenced to More Than 12 Years ImprisonmentRead the Press Release
GREENVILLE – United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr. announced that today in federal court, Senior United States District Judge Malcolm J. Howard sentenced JIMMY EARL GODFREY, 47, of Raleigh, NC, to 151 months’ imprisonment, followed by 3 years of supervised release.
GODFREY was named in an Indictment filed on July 25, 2018 charging him with three counts of Bank Robbery on February 9, 2018, February 15, 2018, and February 19, 2018. On March 11, 2019, with a written plea agreement, GODGREY pled guilty.
According to an investigation conducted by the Raleigh Police Department, on February 9, 2018, JIMMY EARL GODFREY, JR., entered Capital Bank on Six Forks Road in Raleigh, and presented a note to a teller that stated, “Give me the cash in large bills with no dye packs or trackers.” GODFREY then told the teller to, “Stay calm and do not hit the panic alarm.” The teller provided GODFREY with $1,950 in United States (U.S.) currency, which GODREY took and then fled the bank.
On February 15, 2018, GODFREY entered the BB&T Bank on Falls of Neuse Road in Raleigh, and presented a teller with a demand note that stated, “Give me the cash in large bills with no dye packs or trackers.” GODFREY advised the teller, “This is a robbery, don’t hit the alarm and don’t make it worse than it has to be, and stay calm.” The teller provided GODFREY with $2,650 in U.S. currency, and he fled the bank with the demand note.
On February 19, 2018, GODFREY entered the State Employees’ Credit Union (SECU) on Bridgeport Drive in Raleigh, and handed the teller a note that stated, “Place the money in the bag.” GODFREY set down a bank bag on the counter and stated, “No dye packs.” The teller provided GODFREY with $8,503 in U.S. currency, and GODFREY fled the bank with the note.
On March 5, 2018, GODFREY was located and arrested at a hotel in Hillsborough, NC. GODFREY confessed to committing the aforementioned bank robberies to law enforcement.
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.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, and the Raleigh Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Daniel William Smith represented the government.
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The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.
Beaufort County Man Sentenced to Eight Years Imprisonment on Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
RALEIGH – United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr. announced that in federal court, Chief United States District Judge Terrence W. Boyle sentenced DAVON DONNELL REID, 38, of Chocowinity to 96 months imprisonment, followed by 3 years of supervised release.
REID was named in a Criminal Information filed on November 27, 2018 charging him with possession of firearms by a felon. On November 28, 2018, REID pled guilty to that charge.
According to the investigation, between January and June of 2018, REID possessed 24 firearms after organizing straw purchases of the firearms in and around Greenville, North Carolina. On July 26, 2018, REID was arrested in Washington, North Carolina after law enforcement executed a search warrant for the residence where REID was staying. In the front bedroom, law enforcement found a 12-gauge shotgun and a .223 caliber rifle. REID was prohibited from possessing firearms due to a prior federal felony conviction for conspiring to distribute 224 grams of cocaine base (crack).
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. Since 2017, the United States Department of Justice has reinvigorated the PSN program and has targeted violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
That effort has been implemented through the Take Back North Carolina Initiative of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina. This initiative emphasizes the regional assignment of federal prosecutors to work with law enforcement and District Attorney’s Offices in those communities on a sustained basis to reduce the violent crime rate, drug trafficking, and crimes against law enforcement.
The Onslow County Sheriff’s Office, Pitt County Sheriff’s Office, Washington Police Department, Greenville Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation in this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Aakash Singh represented the government.
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The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.
Halifax County Man Sentenced to Six Years’ Imprisonment on Drug and Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
GREENVILLE — United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr., announced that today in federal court, Senior United States District Judge Malcolm J. Howard, sentenced MICHAEL DELINDA STANSBURY, 47, of Littleton to 72 months’ imprisonment, followed by 5 years of supervised release. STANSBURY was named in a seven-count Indictment on July 10, 2019, charging him with two counts each of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and crack cocaine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession of a firearm by a felon, as well as one count of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine. On October 15, 2019, he pled guilty to three counts: possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, possession of a firearm by a felon, and possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine.
According to the investigation, in January of 2017, members of the Halifax County Sheriff’s Office conducted two controlled buys from STANSBURY. The buys were for crack cocaine and took place at STANSBURY’s residence in Littleton, North Carolina, in Halifax County.
Law enforcement obtained a search warrant for the house, which they executed on January 20, 2017. In STANSBURY'S master bathroom, officers found a plastic bag containing smaller bags of powder and crack cocaine. In the bathroom closet, they found a Mossberg 12 gauge shotgun, and in the master bedroom, they found a .22 caliber AR rifle hidden behind a dresser and two handguns in an air vent. Elsewhere in the house, they recovered a digital scale and additional amounts of crack and powder cocaine. Seven more firearms were recovered from a room above the garage. In total, officers seized over 20 grams of crack cocaine, 8 grams of powder cocaine, and 11 firearms. STANSBURY was prohibited from possessing firearms due to a prior state felony conviction for maintaining a vehicle, dwelling, or place for controlled substances.
STANSBURY had a separate encounter with law enforcement on March 9, 2018. That day, a Halifax County Sheriff’s Office deputy stopped a white Dodge Ram for failing to signal, after also finding that the registered owner had a suspended license. He identified the driver as STANSBURY. A second officer arrived, and as they prepared to write a warning for the violation, STANSBURY sped away in the car. He fled at around 70 mph in a 45 mph zone, as officers pursued. After driving a short distance, he quickly took a turn, almost losing control. He then moved to the left side of the road and threw an object out of the window. After a couple of additional turns, the defendant parked in a driveway and was arrested without further incident. One of the pursuing officers stopped where STANSBURY had been seen throwing the object and recovered a bag of white powder, which was later confirmed to be 506 grams of cocaine.
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. Since 2017, the United States Department of Justice has reinvigorated the PSN program and has targeted violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
That effort has been implemented through the Take Back North Carolina Initiative of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina. This initiative emphasizes the regional assignment of federal prosecutors to work with law enforcement and District Attorney’s Offices in those communities on a sustained basis to reduce the violent crime rate, drug trafficking, and crimes against law enforcement.
The Halifax County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Jake D. Pugh represented the government.
Former Raleigh Officer Sentenced to 10 Years in Connection with Multi-Million Dollar Investment Fraud SchemesRead the Press Release
GREENVILLE – United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr. announced that today in federal court, Senior United States District Judge Malcolm J. Howard sentenced GREGORY ANTHONY CHRISTOS, 62, of Raleigh to 120 months imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release. The Court also ordered CHRISTOS to pay $3,760,890 in restitution to various individual and corporate victims, as well as the Internal Revenue Service.
CHRISTOS was named in a Superseding Indictment filed on October 18, 2017 charging him with wire fraud, money laundering, and failure to file federal income tax returns. On January 7, 2019, CHRISTOS pled guilty to two counts of wire fraud, one count of money laundering, and one count of failure to file tax returns.
According to the charging instrument, statements made in court, and other public information, CHRISTOS started his career as a law enforcement for the Raleigh Police Department and Wake County Sheriff’s Office and later became the self-described managing partner of Cambridge Global Consultancy (“CGC”), a purported consulting firm through which CHRISTOS fraudulently marketed and sold various investment schemes to victims.
As part of one scheme, CHRISTOS defrauded multiple victims through his affiliation with Green Energy Corporation (“Green Energy”), a software company with prior operations in Raleigh. For example, CHRISTOS solicited one victim to invest $200,000 into Green Energy. CHRISTOS forwarded $100,000 of the victim’s funds to Green Energy and used the remaining $100,000 to pay for personal expenses. Later, CHRISTOS convinced a local engineering firm to invest $2 million into a purported startup business associated with Green Energy. CHRISTOS used $1.4 million of the victim’s funds to purchase a luxury residence in an upscale development in Youngsville, NC. As part of another scheme, CHRISTOS sold Green Energy shares owned by victims to pay approximately $194,000 in criminal restitution; the restitution was ordered following CHRISTOS’s felony conviction in Wake County for embezzling from a former employer while serving as chief operating officer.
Additionally, CHRISTOS worked as a purported consultant for a victim business based in eastern North Carolina and used his position to defraud the business out of more than $200,000. CHRISTOS induced the business to provide his sham consulting firm with funds that CHRISTOS falsely and fraudulently represented would be used to provide interest-bearing loans to distressed companies in need. In truth, CHRISTOS converted the victim’s funds for his own use, including for the purchase of a $28,000 show horse.
“The defendant’s greed knew no limits. His investment schemes targeted both individuals and companies throughout this district, all in order to line his pockets and fund his lifestyle;” stated U.S. Attorney Higdon. “Meanwhile, the victims of his fraud were left with nothing but his empty promises. Given his background as an officer, the defendant should have known better than anyone that the reach of the law is long, and the day would come when he would have to answer for his crimes. Prosecuting those who peddle fraudulent investments to our citizens will always remain a top priority of this office.”
Although CHRISTOS grossed millions of dollars throughout the offense period, he willfully failed to file federal income tax returns. According to the investigation, CHRISTOS has not filed tax returns since 2002.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation in this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Adam F. Hulbig represented the government.
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The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.
Fayetteville Man Sentenced to 30 Months Imprisonment for Failing to Register as a Sex OffenderRead the Press Release
GREENVILLE — United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr., announced that today in federal court, Senior United States District Judge Malcolm J. Howard, sentenced LAQUAVIS DESHAWN ARCHER, 32, of Fayetteville to 30 months’ imprisonment, followed by 5 years of supervised release. ARCHER was named in a single-count Indictment on April 17, 2019, charging him with failing to register as a sex offender. On July 8, 2019, he pled guilty to the Indictment.
According to the investigation, on July 13, 2007, ARCHER was convicted of three counts of child molestation and one count of incest in Cobb County, GA. ARCHER was sentenced to 3 years’ incarceration and required to register as a sex offender for his lifetime. ARCHER first registered as a sex offender on July 2, 2009. On April 28, 2015, ARCHER was convicted in Georgia state court of failure to register as a sex offender. At that time, ARCHER again signed a form acknowledging his responsibility to register as a sex offender and to keep law enforcement informed of his residence if he were to move. In September of 2017, however, the Fulton County Sheriff's Office in Georgia found that ARCHER had absconded and obtained an arrest warrant for state sex offender registry violations.
The investigation revealed that ARCHER had relocated to North Carolina. Law enforcement obtained employment records showing that ARCHER had taken up residence in Fayetteville, NC, in August of 2017, and resided there until the time of his state arrest on July 10, 2018. During a post-arrest interview, ARCHER admitted that he had traveled to North Carolina during the summer of 2017 and had remained there as a resident. ARCHER had not registered as a sex offender in North Carolina, as required under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).
This case is 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 initiative, go to www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The U.S. Marshals Service conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Jake D. Pugh represented the government.
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The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.
Snow Hill Man Sentenced to 20 Years’ Imprisonment on Child Pornography ChargesRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr., announced that today in federal court, United States District Judge James C. Dever, III, sentenced JEREMY DWIGHT LANE, 38, of Raleigh to 240 months’ imprisonment, followed by 10 years of supervised release. LANE was named in an 11-count Indictment on August 14, 2019, charging him with 10 counts of receipt of child pornography, and one count of possession of child pornography. On November 7, 2019, he pled guilty to one count of receipt of child pornography.
According to the investigation, beginning in April 2017, local law enforcement in South Carolina identified an IP address engaged in the downloading and sharing of child exploitation material on a peer to peer network. After the IP address was traced to LANE at an address in La Grange, North Carolina, South Carolina law enforcement referred the case to North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (NCSBI).
On June 12, 2017, the NCSBI and Greene County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at the address. LANE agreed to be interviewed and admitted that he had been downloading child pornography from the internet for about a year. LANE, also admitted to having previously molested two students who had been under his care. A forensic examination of LANE’S laptop and other electronic devices uncovered over 50 images and 100 videos that he had collected from the internet depicting the sexual abuse of minors.
This case is 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 initiative, go to www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (NCSBI) conducted the investigation, with assistance from the Greene County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Jake D. Pugh represented the government.
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The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.
Media AdvisoryRead the Press Release
WHEN: Monday, February 10, 2020 at 1:30 PM
WHERE: Terry Sanford Federal Building
310 New Bern Avenue
Room 158
Raleigh, NC 27601
Re: Project Guardian Gun Trafficker Guilty Plea
RALEIGH – The United States Attorney’s Office announces a press conference to discuss the implementation of the Department of Justice’s Project Guardian and the guilty plea of William John Shaw for making false statements during the purchase of firearms. Four firearms were found in Washington, D.C. and Capitol Heights, Maryland. One was recovered after an officer involved shooting in South East Washington that resulted in the death of the criminal. Prior to the shooting, the same suspect was found with a firearm purchased by Shaw. The defendant was suspected of using the firearm to rob individuals who wanted to purchase marijuana from him. Other firearms purchased by Shaw were recovered by the Metropolitan Police Department from a convicted felon and by Prince Georges County Police Department during an investigation.
In addition to United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr., Special Agents with Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF) 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.
Alien Indicted on Illegal Reentry ChargeRead the Press Release
RALEIGH – Robert J. Higdon, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, announces that a federal grand jury in Raleigh has returned an indictment charging MARCOS ALEJANDRO CASTILLO-MUNOZ, age 44, of El Salvador, with Illegal Reentry.
Therefore, if convicted, CASTILLO-MUNOZ previously deported and found in Wake County, would face a maximum imprisonment term of two years, a $250,000 fine, and a term of supervised release following any term of imprisonment.
The charges and allegations contained in the indictments are merely accusations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations and Homeland Security Investigations are investigating the cases.
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The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.
Federal Jury Convicts Roseboro Man of Carjacking and Firearm Charges After Multi-Victim Robbery SpreeRead the Press Release
RALEIGH — United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr., announced that yesterday in federal court, DEMERY BERNARD MCLYMORE, a resident of Roseboro, North Carolina, was convicted in a two-day jury trial before United States District Judge James C. Dever, III. The jury found MCLYMORE guilty of each of four charged counts: Carjacking, Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of the Carjacking, Possession of a Stolen Firearm, and Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition by a Felon.
The evidence at trial showed that beginning in the afternoon of Saturday, September 3, 2016, and running into the early morning hours of the next day, the defendant DEMERY MCLYMORE committed a series of armed robberies, involving a dozen total victims. At trial, three of the victims were able to identify MCLYMORE based on having previously met him. Those victims and several others were able to identify him in court.
The events presented at trial began at around 8:00 p.m. on that Saturday night, when MCLYMORE and another man, Ambrose Lassiter, approached a group of six boys who were in a car that had just parked at the Brantwood Court apartments in Roseboro. The boys, the oldest of which was 18, had gotten together to go to a party that evening. MCLYMORE pulled out a silver handgun and ordered them out of the car. Lassiter tried to intervene and push him away from the boys, but backed away when MCLYMORE threatened to kill everyone. MCLYMORE then proceeded to rob the boys, holding the firearm to neck of one boy, and against the torso of two more. He collected a few dollars, a cell phone, and also took one boy’s shoes. MCLYMORE then ordered the driver to drive him and Lassiter to Clinton, North Carolina. The boy did so as MCLYMORE sat in the passenger seat with the gun on his lap.
Not long after being dropped off in Clinton, MCLYMORE approached a woman who was walking down the street in an area of Clinton known as “the Block.” He showed her that he was carrying the silver handgun, and after walking with her for a few minutes, he pulled out the gun and walked her at gunpoint into an apartment where she had been headed. MCLYMORE proceeded to rob the resident of a wristwatch at gunpoint, but the woman was able to run out of the front door.
MCLYMORE next appeared about a mile away at the Spirit convenience store in Clinton. There, he encountered two young men in a truck in the parking lot, who were stopping by the store on their way out of town for a party. MCLYMORE asked for a ride to his girlfriend’s residence on the Block, and the men agreed. Once at the girlfriend’s residence, MCLYMORE claimed to have lost a pistol. As the men looked for the pistol, MCLYMORE pulled out a shotgun belonging to the driver that had been on a rack in the truck. He pointed the gun at both men and then forced the passenger, at gunpoint, to walk down the road with him.
A couple blocks down the road, MCLYMORE spotted two young boys, 13 and 16 years old, and approached them with the shotgun. He pointed the shotgun at the boys’ chin and chests, then forced the passenger of the truck to check the boys’ pockets for money. MCLYMORE then ordered the boys to strip to their underwear, before running back in the direction of his girlfriend’s house.
Clinton Police Department officers at this time were investigating the earlier residential robbery, and one officer spotted MCLYMORE walking with a shotgun behind a house. With a tip from a neighbor, law enforcement tracked MCLYMORE to the residence he had identified as his girlfriend’s house. They found him in a bedroom with a wristwatch, wadded up money, a shotgun shell, and over three dozen .380 caliber bullets in his pockets. Behind the house, officers found the stolen shotgun, loaded with three shotgun shells that matched the one found in MCLYMORE’s pocket.
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. Since 2017, the United States Department of Justice has reinvigorated the PSN program and has targeted violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
That effort has been implemented through the Take Back North Carolina Initiative of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina. This initiative emphasizes the regional assignment of federal prosecutors to work with law enforcement and District Attorney’s Offices in those communities on a sustained basis to reduce the violent crime rate, drug trafficking, and crimes against law enforcement.
The Clinton Police Department, Sampson County Sheriff’s Office, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorneys Jake D. Pugh and Aakash Singh represented the government.
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The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.
Federal Court Orders North Carolina Pharmacy and Pharmacist to Pay $600,000 and to Permanently Cease Dispensing Opioids or Other Controlled SubstancesRead the Press Release
A federal court in eastern North Carolina entered a consent judgment and permanent injunction requiring a North Carolina pharmacy, Farmville Discount Drug Inc., and its owner and pharmacist-in-charge, Robert L. Crocker, to pay $600,000 in civil penalties and to permanently cease dispensing opioids or other controlled substances, the Department of Justice announced today. Under the court’s order, Crocker will also surrender his license to practice pharmacy and never seek its renewal, and Farmville Discount Drug will permanently surrender its registration with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
The consent order resolves a complaint filed by the United States alleging that Farmville Discount Drug and Crocker repeatedly filled prescriptions for opioids and other controlled substances in violation of the Controlled Substances Act. The United States alleged that, for years, the defendants ignored well-known “red flags” of drug diversion and drug-seeking behavior when filling prescriptions for controlled substances. These prescriptions often involved well-known, highly addictive, and highly abused painkillers such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, hydromorphone, and methadone, along with other “potentiator” drugs — drugs that heighten the euphoric effects of opioids, like diazepam (i.e., Valium), alprazolam (i.e., Xanax), and zolpidem (i.e., Ambien).
“The Department of Justice has made combating the opioid crisis one of its top priorities,” said Assistant Attorney General Jody Hunt for the Department of Justice’s Civil Division. “We will work hand-in-hand with the DEA and other law enforcement partners to ensure that pharmacies that fail to uphold their obligation to dispense controlled substances lawfully will be held accountable.”
As alleged in the complaint, many prescriptions raised multiple red flags, but Crocker and Farmville Discount Drug failed to take the required steps to resolve those red flags and ensure the prescriptions’ legitimacy before filling them. The red flags allegedly ignored by Crocker and Farmville Discount Drug were numerous:
- Crocker and his pharmacy filled prescriptions for dangerous, highly abused prescription-drug cocktails for long-distance patients who saw a doctor an hour away and lived an hour away;
- The pharmacy filled hundreds of opioid prescriptions for multiple members of the same family;
- The pharmacy filled prescriptions for a prescriber that Crocker knew had been cut off from other pharmacies;
- The pharmacy filled controlled-substance prescriptions for patients who hopped from doctor to doctor or pharmacy to pharmacy.
The complaint also asserts that when other employees expressed concern to Crocker about Farmville Discount Drug’s practices, he dismissed them, allegedly saying that if a doctor wrote the prescription, the pharmacy would fill it.
The defendants have not admitted the allegations in the complaint, but the parties agreed to resolve the case without further litigation. The court adopted the parties’ agreement and entered a consent order ensuring, among other things, that Crocker and Farmville Discount Drug will never dispense opioids or other controlled substances again.
“Opioid addiction and abuse have devastated communities across our nation, and eastern North Carolina is no exception,” said Robert J. Higdon Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina. “As the last line of defense between these dangerously addictive substances and our communities, pharmacists and pharmacies play a critical role in stemming the tide of the opioid epidemic. The turn-a-blind-eye approach to pharmacy practice on display at Farmville Discount Drug did just the opposite; it made matters worse. Today’s order demonstrates our office’s unwavering commitment to hold all those who had a role to play in this crisis — from distributors, to prescribers, to the pharmacies who ultimately put the pills in patients’ hands — responsible for their actions.”
“DEA Diversion Investigators will continue to aggressively pursue the unlawful dispensing practices of healthcare providers,” said Robert J. Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “These providers should be in compliance with a set standard of rules and regulations. This civil suit and permanent injunction shows that DEA, its law enforcement partners and the U.S. Attorney’s Office are committed to making sure that healthcare providers are abiding by its mandates.”
Trial Attorney James W. Harlow of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch and Assistant U.S. Attorneys C. Michael Anderson and John E. Harris of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina represented the United States. The Greensboro Resident Office of the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case.
For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts, visit its website at http://www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. For more information about the Eastern District of North Carolina, visit its website at https://www.justice.gov/usao-ednc.
The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.
Federal Court Orders North Carolina Pharmacy and Pharmacist to Pay $600,000 and to Never Again Dispense Opioids or Other Controlled SubstancesRead the Press Release
RALEIGH – United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr. announced that today in federal court, a consent judgment and permanent injunction was entered requiring a North Carolina pharmacy, FARMVILLE DISCOUNT DRUG, INC., as well as its owner and pharmacist-in-charge, ROBERT L. CROCKER, to pay $600,000.00 in civil penalties and to never again dispense opioids or other controlled substances. Under the Court’s order, CROCKER will also surrender his license to practice pharmacy and never seek its renewal, and FARMVILLE DISCOUNT DRUG will permanently surrender its registration with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
CONSENT JUDGMENT AND PERMANENT INJUNCTIONThe consent order resolves a complaint filed by the United States alleging that FARMVILLE DISCOUNT DRUG and CROCKER repeatedly filled prescriptions for opioids and other controlled substances in violation of the Controlled Substances Act. The United States alleged that, for years, defendants ignored well-known “red flags” of drug diversion and drug-seeking behavior when filling prescriptions for controlled substances. These prescriptions often involved well-known, highly addictive, and highly abused painkillers such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, hydromorphone, and methadone, along with other “potentiator” drugs—drugs that heighten the euphoric effects of opioids, like diazepam (i.e., Valium), alprazolam (i.e., Xanax), and zolpidem (i.e., Ambien). Those potentiators also increase the risk of abuse and overdose.
As detailed in the complaint, many prescriptions raised multiple red flags, but CROCKER and FARMVILLE DISCOUNT DRUG failed to take the required steps to resolve those red flags and ensure the prescriptions’ legitimacy before filling them. The red flags ignored by CROCKER and FARMVILLE DISCOUNT DRUG were numerous:
- CROCKER and his pharmacy filled prescriptions for dangerous, highly abused prescription-drug cocktails for long-distance patients who saw a doctor an hour away and lived an hour away;
- The pharmacy filled hundreds of opioid prescriptions for multiple members of the same family;
- The pharmacy filled prescriptions for a prescriber that CROCKER knew had been cut off from other pharmacies;
- The pharmacy filled controlled-substance prescriptions for patients who hopped from doctor to doctor or pharmacy to pharmacy.
When other employees expressed concern to CROCKER about FARMVILLE DISCOUNT DRUG’s practices, he dismissed them, saying that if a doctor wrote the prescription, the pharmacy would fill it.
For example, as set forth in the complaint, FARMVILLE DISCOUNT DRUG dispensed thousands of high-strength opioid pills to Individual A, a person who lived approximately 60 miles from FARMVILLE DISCOUNT DRUG. A doctor located approximately 53 miles from the pharmacy wrote individual A’s prescriptions. Approximately 77% of the prescriptions Individual A filled at FARMVILLE DISCOUNT DRUG were for 30-mg oxycodone tablets, the highest strength immediate-release oxycodone tablet available. At one point, FARMVILLE DISCOUNT DRUG dispensed four thirty-day supplies of 30-mg oxycodone tablets (720 tablets) for Individual A in just 66 days. And to make matters worse, FARMVILLE DISCOUNT DRUG often dispensed oxycodone to Individual A in combination with other opioids (such as 5-mg or 10-mg methadone) or muscle relaxers (such as 350-mg carisoprodol), increasing the risk of abuse or overdose. For example, although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urge caution when an individual receives an opioid dosage greater than 90 morphine milligram equivalents (MME) per day, at times, FARMVILLE DISCOUNT DRUG dispensed oxycodone and methadone pills to Individual A totaling more than 300 MME per day, before adding the additional depressant effects of the muscle relaxer.
During the same period, FARMVILLE DISCOUNT DRUG also filled more than thirty prescriptions for Individual B, who shared the same last name as Individual A and who resided at the same address as Individual A for at least a portion of the time they were both filling prescriptions at FARMVILLE DISCOUNT DRUG. Notably, approximately 97% of the prescriptions that FARMVILLE DISCOUNT DRUG filled for Individual B were for 30-mg oxycodone tablets—the same drug and strength that Individual A was receiving.
The claims resolved by the consent order remain allegations only, and there has been no judicial determination or admission of liability. Rather, the court adopted the parties’ agreement to resolve the case without further litigation and entered a consent order ensuring, among other things, that CROCKER and FARMVILLE DISCOUNT DRUG will never dispense opioids or other controlled substances again.
“The Department of Justice has made combating the opioid crisis one of its top priorities,” said Assistant Attorney General Jody Hunt for the Department of Justice’s Civil Division. “We will work hand-in-hand with the DEA and other law enforcement partners to ensure that pharmacies that fail to uphold their obligation to dispense controlled substances lawfully will be held accountable.”
“Opioid addiction and abuse have devastated communities across our nation, and eastern North Carolina is no exception,” said United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon. “As the last line of defense between these dangerously addictive substances and our communities, pharmacists and pharmacies play a critical role in stemming the tide of the opioid epidemic. The turn-a-blind-eye approach to pharmacy practice on display at Farmville Discount Drug did just the opposite; it made matters worse. Today’s order demonstrates our office’s unwavering commitment to hold all those who had a role to play in this crisis—from distributors, to prescribers, to the pharmacies who ultimately put the pills in patients’ hands—responsible for their actions.”
Robert J. Murphy, the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division commented on the case, “DEA Diversion Investigators will continue to aggressively pursue the unlawful dispensing practices of healthcare providers. These providers should be in compliance with a set standard of rules and regulations. This civil suit and permanent injunction shows that DEA, its law enforcement partners and the U.S. Attorney’s Office are committed to making sure that healthcare providers are abiding by its mandates.”
The investigation and prosecution of this case were a joint effort by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina, and the Consumer Protection Branch of the U.S. Department of Justice. Assistant United States Attorneys C. Michael Anderson and John E. Harris and Consumer Protection Branch Trial Attorney James W. Harlow represented the government.
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The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.
Wilmington Pair Sentenced for Drug Distribution and Firearm ChargesRead the Press Release
RALEIGH – United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr. announced that yesterday in federal court, Chief United States District Judge Terrence W. Boyle sentenced NATHANIEL JOSEY, 61, of Wilmington, North Carolina, to 84 months imprisonment, followed by 4 years of supervised release. On April 2, 2019, JOSEY pled guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, two counts of distribution of a quantity of pocaine, possession with intent to distribute a quantity of cocaine and cocaine base (crack), and possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine.
Previously, Chief United States District Judge Boyle sentenced ANTHONY WILLIAMS, 36, of Wilmington, to 168 months imprisonment and 5 years supervised release. On January 15, 2019, WILLIAMS pled guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine, possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and 28 grams or more of cocaine base (crack), and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
In May 2017, the FBI’s Coastal Carolina Criminal Enterprise Task Force, which is comprised of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, Wilmington Police Department, Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office, and North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, and the Drug Enforcement Administration, initiated an investigation into JOSEY’s drug trafficking activities.
On May 30 and June 6, 2017, the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office conducted two controlled purchases of cocaine from JOSEY, both times in the parking lot of a business on Carolina Beach Road in New Hanover County. After JOSEY completed the June 6 drug deal, detectives conducted a traffic stop on JOSEY’s car. New Hanover Sheriff’s Detectives found quantities of cocaine and cocaine base (crack) and $3,800. Detectives developed information that JOSEY lived in Brunswick County and had more cocaine at his residence.
New Hanover County Detectives provided this information to the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office. Detectives then conducted a consent search of JOSEY’s residence and found several ounces of cocaine and cocaine base (crack), more than $60,000 in drug proceeds, two loaded handguns, and numerous long guns.
During the investigation it was determined that JOSEY was being supplied by WILLIAMS and that JOSEY had recently received cocaine from WILLIAMS. New Hanover County Detectives obtained a search warrant for a residence associated with WILLIAMS. Detectives found 10 kilograms of cocaine, more than 380 grams of crack cocaine, items used to convert cocaine into crack cocaine, a loaded semi-automatic handgun, and more than $205,000 in drug proceeds.
The investigation uncovered that WILLIAMS imported and distributed approximately 60 kilograms of either cocaine and/or crack cocaine during the course of the drug conspiracy.
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.
The success of this case is the direct result of the phenomenal partnership between law enforcement agencies and the United States Attorney's Office in the Eastern District of North Carolina. There is no limit to what the FBI, the New Hanover County Sheriff's Office and the Brunswick County Sheriff's Office can accomplish when it comes to protecting the members of their communities. Assistant United States Attorney Timothy M. Severo and Special Assistant United States Attorney Murphy Averitt represented the government.
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The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.
Georgia Pair Sentenced for Methamphetamine Drug and Firearm ChargesRead the Press Release
RALEIGH – United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr. announced that in federal court, Chief United States District Judge Terrence W. Boyle sentenced CHRISTIAN TOLEDO, also known as “FLACO,” 24 of Athens, Georgia, to 180 months imprisonment and 5 years supervised release for possession with the intent to distribute fifty grams or more of methamphetamine, aiding and abetting, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. ARTURTO BAHENA, 28, also of Athens, Georgia was sentenced on December 17, 2019 to 262 months imprisonment, followed by 5 years of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute fifty grams or more of methamphetamine, aiding and abetting, and possession with intent to distribute fifty grams or more of methamphetamine, aiding and abetting.
TOLEDO and BAHENA were named in an indictment filed on January 15, 2019, charging both with conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute fifty grams or more of methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute fifty grams or more of methamphetamine, aiding and abetting. TOLEDO was also charged with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking gram. On September 23, 2019, BAHENA pled guilty to his charges.
According to the investigation, the Greenville Police Department and Drug Enforcement Administration utilized a confidential source to order five kilograms of crystal methamphetamine from a supplier in Atlanta, Georgia. After learning that the drugs had arrived in Greenville, North Carolina, officers stopped TOLEDO and BAHENA and located the five kilograms in a backpack in their car. Officers also located two handguns in the car registered to TOLEDO.
The prosecution of TOLEDO and BAHENA was a part of an Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force Operation (OCDETF) targeting drug traffickers. 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.
The Greenville Regional Drug Task Force and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) conducted the investigation of this enforcement operation. Assistant United States Attorney Dena King represented the government.
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The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.
Elizabeth City Man Sentenced to Imprisonment for Possessing Gun After Spree of Breaking and EnteringsRead the Press Release
RALEIGH — United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr., announced that today in federal court, Chief United States District Judge Terrence W. Boyle, sentenced TYRESE ANTRON COFIELD, 37, of Elizabeth City to 78 months’ imprisonment, followed by 3 years of supervised release. COFIELD was named in a single-count Indictment on May 9, 2019, charging him with possession of a firearm by a felon. On November 26, 2019, he pled guilty to a single-count Criminal Information charging the same offense.
According to the investigation, in early October 2018, the Elizabeth City Police Department was investigating a string of home and vehicle break-ins that had occurred over the previous several weeks. Detectives reviewed GPS monitoring data from defendant Tyrese COFIELD, who was subject to post-release electronic monitoring from previous breaking and entering (B&E) convictions in state court. COFIELD’s GPS data placed him at the location of numerous break-ins, including 13 open investigations of residential B&E, and seven additional vehicular B&E investigations. The GPS data showed that COFIELD often returned to his residence after visiting the locations of these break-ins.
On October 4, 2018, law enforcement executed a search warrant for COFIELD’s Elizabeth City residence. In COFIELD’s bedroom, they found numerous items that had been reported stolen, including IDs and bank cards belonging to B&E victims. Also in COFIELD’s room, officers found a Taurus 9mm handgun, loaded with one round. Having already sustained over 40 state felony convictions for property, drug, and firearm crimes, COFIELD was prohibited from possessing a firearm.
This case is part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
That effort has been implemented through the Take Back North Carolina Initiative of The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina. 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 more information about this initiative click here: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ednc/tbnc.
The Elizabeth City Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Jake D. Pugh represented the government.
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The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.
Raleigh Man Sentenced to 20 Years’ Imprisonment After Pretending to be Teenage Girl to Collect Child Pornography OnlineRead the Press Release
RALEIGH — United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr., announced that today in federal court, Chief United States District Judge Terrence W. Boyle, sentenced EZEKIAL SANDOVAL, 49, of Raleigh to 240 months’ imprisonment. SANDOVAL was named in a 12-count Indictment on May 22, 2019, charging him with one count of child exploitation and manufacturing child pornography, 10 counts of receipt of child pornography, and one count of possession of child pornography. On November 13, 2019, he pled guilty to the child exploitation and manufacturing count.
According to the investigation, on September 3, 2017, a father located in Michigan, reported to local police that his 11 year old daughter had been sexually exploited online by an unknown individual. The victim had met the individual online and believed she was communicating with a teenage female named “Cindy.” Law enforcement reviewed the conversation on the victim’s phone and saw that the person going by “Cindy” encouraged the victim to self-produce multiple explicit images and videos. At “Cindy’s” request, the victim sent her the images and videos during a week-long span in late August 2017.
Law enforcement determined that the telephone number for “Cindy” was in fact registered to a then-47 year old man, the defendant EZEKIAL SANDOVAL. After further surveillance confirmed that SANDOVAL was the phone’s user, law enforcement obtained a federal search warrant for his Raleigh home and seized a phone and other digital devices.
On SANDOVAL’s phone, law enforcement located an account for the internet chat application Kik with registered name “Cindy Baker.” FBI also recovered images that matched those sent from the Michigan victim. Forensics further revealed that SANDOVAL had accessed links that contained other child pornography online, finding over 2,000 still images and 180 videos of child pornography across his various digital devices.
This case is 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 initiative, go to www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Raleigh Police Department and the Pittsfield Township Police Department (Michigan) conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Jake D. Pugh represented the government.
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The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.
Goldsboro Brothers Sentenced for Robbery of CVS in WilmingtonRead the Press Release
RALEIGH – United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr. announced that today in federal court, Chief United States District Judge Terrence W. Boyle sentenced brothers JUSTIN and STERLING WHITAKER, 27 and 22, of Goldsboro, North Carolina. JUSTIN WHITAKER received a sentence of 147 months imprisonment, followed by 5 years of supervised release. STERLING WHITAKER was sentenced to 126 months imprisonment, followed by 5 years of supervised release.
The WHITAKERS were named in an Indictment filed on August 7, 2019 charging them with conspiracy to rob the CVS, robbery of the CVS in Wilmington and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. On November 1, 2019, JUSTIN and STERLING WHITAKER pled guilty to those charges.
On February 7, 2018, officers with the Wilmington Police Department in Wilmington, North Carolina were notified via 911 dispatch that three armed men had entered the CVS located on Market Street and stolen money from the business. Deputies from the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office interviewed the clerks. The clerks provided information that the men came in armed with firearms and demanded access to the pharmacy. Despite the clerks telling the men they did not have access to the pharmacy, the men led them at gunpoint to the safe and demanded entry. The men put the clerks in the bathroom, stole their cellular phones, and left the CVS. The clerks gave a description of a car they saw just prior to the robbery that they believed to be involved.
Officers with the Wilmington Police Department saw a car that matched the description given by the clerks and attempted a traffic stop. The car fled, refusing to stop for the officers. The car fled on Market Street at speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour. The car drove in the wrong lane into oncoming traffic, before the driver eventually lost control and crashed. Three occupants of the car ran from the car wreck. JUSTIN WHITAKER was tased and taken into custody immediately. STERLING WHITAKER was apprehened a short time later. The third individual was not apprehended. Law enforcement found three firearms and checks and cash belonging to the CVS in the car.
JUSTIN WHITAKER was taken to the sheriff’s department after his discharge from the hospital. He gave law enforcement a false name and then escaped from the interview room. He was found a short time later.
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. Since 2017 the United States Department of Justice has reinvigorated the PSN program and has targeted violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
That effort has been implemented through the Take Back North Carolina Initiative of The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina. 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 more information about this initiative click here: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ednc/tbnc
The investigation of this case was conducted by the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Department, the Wilmington Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Charity Wilson and Bryan Stephany.
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The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.
Fayetteville Man Sentenced to More Than 23 Years for Drug Dealing, Gun Possession, and Shooting SpreeRead the Press Release
RALEIGH – The United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Robert J. Higdon, Jr., announces that Chief United States District Judge Terrence W. Boyle sentenced ROBERT TYCELL LOCKHART, 30, of Fayetteville, NC, today. LOCKHART was sentenced to 277 months imprisonment followed by a lifetime of supervised release.
LOCKHART had previously been convicted in federal court in the Eastern District of North Carolina on drug and firearm offenses. He was released from the federal Bureau of Prisons in April of 2018 after serving a 70 month sentence.
Almost immediately after he was released—and while he was under federal post-release supervision—LOCKHART began committing new crimes. He tested positive for drug use, and agents determined that he was again selling drugs.
On August 10 and August 14, 2018, agents successfully purchased cocaine base (commonly known as “crack”) from LOCKHART.
On August 15, 2018, agents observed multiple individuals approaching LOCKHART’s vehicle, which was parked at a gas station. LOCKHART walked into the gas station bathroom; agents approached him, and LOCKHART was found in possession of heroin, fentanyl, cocaine, cocaine base (crack), currency, and digital scales. In his vehicle, agents found a loaded handgun.
While on state bond for those charges, LOCKHART continued committing crimes. On October 29, 2018, he fired several shots at the vehicle of a victim, disabling the vehicle.
On November 10, 2018, LOCKHART fired a handgun at a second victim, striking the victim in the leg. LOCKHART’s bullet fractured the victim’s femur. LOCKHART later spoke to the victim’s mother and admitted to the shooting.
On December 2, 2018, LOCKHART fired a handgun at a third victim, striking the victim in the leg, fracturing the fibula. The victim sped away from LOCKHART and called 911. In a Wal-Mart parking lot, police found the victim, who had lost a significant amount of blood. A tourniquet was applied to the victim’s leg. The victim’s pulse stopped, and officers performed CPR until medics arrived. Fortunately, the victim survived. The victim later identified LOCKHART as the shooter.
On November 13, 2019, LOCKHART entered a plea of guilty to distribution of a quantity of cocaine base (crack) (Counts One and Two); possession with intent to distribute quantities of cocaine base (crack), cocaine, and fentanyl (Count Four); and possession of a firearm by a felon (Count Six).
The Court imposed a sentence of 240 months on Counts One, Two, and Four, and a sentence of 120 months on Count Six, concurrent with each other. Because LOCKHART committed the offenses while on federal supervised release, the Court imposed a sentence of 37 months, consecutive, for that violation. When LOCKHART is released from prison, he will be on federal supervised release for the remainder of his life.
This prosecution is part of an extensive investigation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). OCDETF is a joint federal, state, and local cooperative approach to combat drug trafficking and is the nation’s primary tool for disrupting and dismantling major drug trafficking organizations, targeting national and regional level drug trafficking organizations, and coordinating the necessary law enforcement entities and resources to disrupt or dismantle the targeted criminal organization and seize their assets.
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.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Fayetteville Police Department, and the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney Scott A. Lemmon prosecuted this case for the government.
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The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.
Elizabeth City Man Sentenced to 10 Years Imprisonment on Child Pornography ChargesRead the Press Release
RALEIGH — The United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Robert J. Higdon, Jr., announced that today, Chief United States District Judge Terrence W. Boyle, sentenced ALAN SIGFRED ANDERSEN, 57, of Elizabeth City, NC to 120 months’ imprisonment, followed by a lifetime term of supervised release. ANDERSEN pled guilty on November 13, 2019 to one count of possession of child pornography.
In October 2017, an investigation into a file sharing network identified ANDERSEN’s IP address as advertising known child pornography files. The investigation also revealed that files containing child pornography were directly downloaded from ANDERSEN’s IP address. Following the identification of ANDERSON’s residence, law enforcement obtained a search warrant for his home. On February 28, 2018, Special Agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Pasquotank County Sheriff’s Office executed the search warrant and numerous devices were seized from ANDERSON’s house.
ANDERSEN agreed to speak with investigators and, during the interview, admitted to downloading and storing child pornography. A forensic review of the seized devices revealed multiple devices containing more than 16,000 images and videos of child pornography.
This case is 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 initiative, go to www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Homeland Security Investigations, the Cary Police Department, and Pasquotank County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation of this case. Assistant United States Attorney Bryan M. Stephany represented the government.
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The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.
Congress Must Ban Fentanyl AnaloguesRead the Press Release
In 2017, nearly 50,000 Americans died from an opioid overdose. In 2018, synthetic opioids accounted for over 28,000 overdose fatalities across the United States. Hundreds of those victims died here, in the Carolinas. They were our friends, our colleagues, our neighbors. And while we are encouraged by a recent decline in the reported death toll, the untimely loss of any life to this drug scourge is too great of a tragedy. As law enforcement leaders, this epidemic requires our continued and sustained attention.
One of the deadliest synthetic opioids is fentanyl, a drug 50 times more potent than heroin, and 100 times more powerful than morphine. Incredibly small quantities – measured like the grains of salt – can kill the average person.
Illegal fentanyl is manufactured in high-volume labs in China and Mexico, and its chemical structure is easily altered to create new drugs, called fentanyl analogues. Analogues can be created simply by alerting just a single molecule.
Prior to 2018 drug traffickers were able to run sophisticated operations and evade law enforcement and prosecution by altering the chemical composition of fentanyl just enough to skirt the law. Even more frightening, the compounding done in illicit labs varies so much that no one can be sure of the amount they are ingesting.
To address this problem, in 2018, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) used its authority to temporarily ban all fentanyl-related substances and closed a loophole used by drug traffickers to exploit our laws and profit off our people.
At the same time, it is important to note that the Trump Administration was able to persuade the Chinese government to prohibit fentanyl analogues as well.
However, the DEA’s order expires on February 6, 2020, and, unless Congress acts, many fentanyl analogues will become legal. Congress’s inaction will deliver a serious blow to our efforts to prosecute drug organizations and dealers who traffic in fentanyl. Further, it will make it more difficult to put behind bars those responsible for the deaths of our loved ones.
The United States Senate recently approved a temporary extension of the DEA’s temporary order. That is a good start. But, in order to stem this deadly epidemic, we need Congress to act decisively and permanently declare all fentanyl analogues illegal. Congress’ action will permanently arm law enforcement with the tools necessary to protect our communities from these deadly illicit drugs.
Critics of a permanent ban argue that the bill does not include a public health approach to the overdose crisis. We wholeheartedly agree that only a comprehensive approach will stem the tide of this public health crisis. Indeed, each of our U.S. Attorney’s offices collaborates with health care professionals, social services providers, and a wide range of community groups to implement comprehensive solutions to address this problem. But, strong criminal laws are a critical component of the Nation’s response to this crisis, and time is short. Mexican and Chinese drug traffickers eagerly await the expiration of the DEA’s temporary order to flood our communities with their increasingly deadly analogue poisons.
We join U.S. Attorney General William Barr and our fellow United States Attorneys across the country in calling upon Congress to permanently ban all fentanyl-related drugs. The lives of countless Carolinians depend upon swift and decisive action.
*Higdon, Martin and Murray are the United States Attorneys for the Eastern, Middle and Western Districts of North Carolina, respectively. Mr. Crick is the Acting United States Attorney for the District of South Carolina.
Former Labor Union President Pleads Guilty to Embezzlement of Union AssetsRead the Press Release
RALEIGH – United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr. announced that today in federal court, KEITH ALAN LUDLUM, 48, of Bladenboro, North Carolina pled guilty to Conspiracy and Embezzlement of Labor Union Assets. At sentencing before Chief United States District Judge Terrence W. Boyle, LUDLUM faces a combined maximum sentence of 10 years imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, a fine of $10,000, and restitution. On February 26, 2019, TERRY SLAUGHTER pled guilty to Embezzlement of Labor Union Assets. At sentencing, SLAUGHTER faces a maximum sentence 5 years imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, a $10,000 fine, and restitution.
LUDLUM was charged in an Indictment filed on April 17, 2019. According to the Indictment and information presented at the hearing, in 2011, LUDLUM was elected President of the United Food and Commercial Workers (“UFCW”), Local Union 1208. SLAUGHTER was elected Secretary/Treasurer. Local Union 1208 encompasses North and South Carolina and has approximately 3600 active members. As President, LUDLUM was the primary fiduciary officer. LUDLUM and SLAUGHTER had financial oversight of the Local’s expenditures.
In 2014, the UFCW initiated an audit of the Local after receiving complaints from union members regarding the theft and misuse of union funds by LUDLUM and SLAUGHTER. The audit and a subsequent criminal investigation revealed that between January 2012 and March 2015, LUDLUM and SLAUGHTER embezzled and misused more than $200,000 in union funds by issuing unauthorized checks and making unauthorized purchases with their assigned debit cards.
The United States Department of Labor, Office of Labor Management Standards conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Toby Lathan represented the government.
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The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.
Federal Jury Convicts Raleigh Man for Heroin Overdose Death and ConspiracyRead the Press Release
RALEIGH – Robert J. Higdon, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, announces that today in federal court, JAYSON MCNEIL, a 28-year-old resident of Raleigh, was convicted following a four-day trial before United States District Judge James C. Dever III. The jury found MCNEIL guilty of Distribution of Heroin and Fentanyl Resulting in Death of a Person, Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with the Intent to Distribute One Kilogram or More of Heroin. Sentencing is scheduled for the April 27, 2020 term of court in Raleigh. MCNEIL faces at least twenty years’ and up to life imprisonment.
The evidence at trial showed that MCNEIL operated a long-standing heroin organization in the city of Raleigh, North Carolina, distributing heroin and fentanyl to numerous individuals and which resulted in multiple overdoses. This culminated in the May 30, 2018 overdose death of a 27 year old man in the Raleigh area. A co-conspirator, Destin McLean, pled guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute one (1) kilogram of heroin before trial.
Mr. Higdon commented: “This case is one example of the danger that the distribution and use of fentanyl and heroin presents for people all across this country. We are grateful that the trial jury found our evidence persuasive and have held this defendant accountable for his drug trafficking crimes and for the pain and suffering it caused. This office will pursue those who are pouring these dangerous drugs into our streets and who are jeopardizing the health and welfare of our citizens.”
The Wake County Sheriff’s Office, the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation, United States Attorney’s Office and the United States Marshals Service conducted the investigation in this matter. Special Assistant United States Attorney Kelly L. Sandling and Assistant United States Attorney Thomas L. Crosby prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
Rocky Mount Woman Indicted on Wire Fraud and Related Charges for Financial Aid Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
RALEIGH – Robert J. Higdon, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, announces that a federal grand jury in Raleigh has returned an indictment charging JILL THOMPSON ARRINGTON, age 42, of Rocky Mount, with seven counts of wire fraud, one count of theft of government property, and one count of financial aid fraud.
According to the indictment, ARRINGTON unlawfully obtained Pell grants and federally insured loans by claiming to pursue a post-secondary education when she had no intent of doing so. Specifically, to receive the financial aid, ARRINGTON falsely certified on Free Applications for Federal Student Aid and indicated on various post-secondary institutions’ admissions application forms that she intended to pursue degrees, often online, at the institutions. After the aid was disbursed to the post-secondary institutions and ARRINGTON received her funds, she often stopped participating in the courses. During her scheme, ARRINGTON applied to thirteen post-secondary institutions and received approximately $34,471.73 in student aid refunds.
If convicted of the wire fraud counts, ARRINGTON faces a maximum penalty of twenty years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. ARRINGTON faces a maximum penalty of ten years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine if she is convicted of theft of government property. The financial aid fraud count carries a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment and a $50,000 fine if ARRINGTON is convicted. Each count requires a term of up to three years supervised release following any term of imprisonment.
The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
The case is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of the Inspector General, with assistance from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
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The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.
Three Aliens Indicted on Illegal Reentry Charges, Illegal and Unlawful Alien in Possession of a Firearm, Visa Fraud, and False Representation of a Social Security NumberRead the Press Release
RALEIGH – Robert J. Higdon, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina announces that a federal grand jury in Raleigh has returned indictments charging CARLOS ROBERTO VAZQUEZ-MORALES, age 27, of Mexico, and JOSE PARTIDA-COYT, age 51, of Mexico with Illegal Reentry of a Deported Alien.
Additionally, the grand jury returned a superseding indictment charging ESTUARDO CAMEY-GONZALEZ, age 50, of Guatemala, with illegal and unlawful alien in possession of a firearm, visa fraud and false representation of a social security number.
If convicted of illegal reentry, VAZQUEZ-MORALES, previously deported twice and found in Carteret County, would face maximum penalties of two years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and a term of supervised release following any term of imprisonment.
If convicted of illegal reentry subsequent to a felony conviction (identity theft), PARTIDA-COYT, previously deported and found in Johnston County, would face maximum penalties of ten years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and a term of supervised release following any term of imprisonment.
If convicted of illegal alien in possession of a firearm, visa fraud, and false representation of a social security number, CAMEY-GONZALEZ would face maximum penalties of 65 years imprisonment, a $1,000,000 fine, and a term of supervised release following any term of imprisonment.
The charges and allegations contained in the indictments are merely accusations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations and Homeland Security Investigations are investigating the cases.
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The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.
Operation Fall of the House of Usher Helps Dismantle Multi-State Methamphetamine Drug Trafficking OrganizationRead the Press Release
WILMINGTON – United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr. announced that over the course of the last several months in federal court, 32 defendants have been sentenced in a large-scale methamphetamine trafficking investigation.
The investigation was part of an Organized Crime Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation entitled Operation “Fall of the House of Usher,” which was undertaken in direct response to the explosion of kilogram amounts of extremely potent methamphetamine (with purities as high as 99%) being imported into Duplin, Sampson and New Hanover Counties. According to the DEA, the methamphetamine was so pure that some users reported consuming heroin to counter balance the effects. The initial focus of the investigation was WILLIAM USHER who imported multiple kilograms of methamphetamine from at least four separate Drug Trafficking Organizations in California and Georgia.
An OCDETF investigation is a joint federal, state, and local cooperative approach to combat drug trafficking and is the nation’s primary tool for disrupting and dismantling major drug trafficking organizations, targeting national and regional level drug trafficking organizations, and coordinating the necessary law enforcement entities and resources to disrupt or dismantle the targeted criminal organization and seize their assets.
This case is a classic example of the combining of an OCDETF operation with our Take Back North Carolina Initiative. DEA and FBI task force officers were able to identify members and associates of this large scale organization and then partner with the United States Attorney’s Office to develop a strategy to dismantle this organization. After being armed with local intelligence, law enforcement was able to utilize the substantial resources and tools of the federal government to help break the back of this organization. The success of this case would not have been possible without these partnerships.
The defendants’ convictions and sentencings were the culmination of an investigation that started in early 2017 focusing on the shift from local clandestine methamphetamine labs to high purity methamphetamine produced on a large scale outside North Carolina and being smuggled into Eastern North Carolina. As part of the investigation, federal and local law enforcement conducted controlled purchases of methamphetamine and heroin, executed search warrants and conducted traffic stops. Information was also used to make arrests in California and South Carolina.
Forty-one defendants were charged in this investigation, forty have pled guilty in federal court, and thirty-two have been sentenced to date. One defendant, Brandon Dudley, went to trial and was convicted by a jury. He is currently pending sentencing. Of the thirty-two defendants sentenced, the combined sentence for all defendants is 3,351 months, which equates to an average sentence for this operation to 104 months. According to law enforcement, the organization was responsible for the importation and distribution of more than 50 kilograms of methamphetamine. A total of 40 firearms and more than $400,000.00 in currency and property have been seized.
Some of the defendants include:
- WILLIAM USHER, 33, of Duplin County, NC. USHER pled guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, Possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, distribution of a quantity of methamphetamine (aiding and abetting) and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. USHER was sentenced to 180 months’ imprisonment.
- KEVIN WHITE, 42, of Duplin County, NC. WHITE pled guilty to Conspiracy to Possess With Intent to Distribute 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine, Distribution of a Quantity of Methamphetamine, Possession With Intent to Distribute a Quantity of Methamphetamine and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime. WHITE was sentenced to 132 months’ imprisonment.
- KEVIN FAIRCLOTH, 38, of Duplin County, NC, pled guilty to Conspiracy to Possess With Intent to Distribute 500 Grams or More of Methamphetamine, Possession With Intent to Distribute a Quantity of Methamphetamine and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime. FAIRCLOTH was sentenced to 144 months’ imprisonment.
- ERIC HERNANDEZ, 24, of Sampson County, NC, pled guilty to Possession With Intent to Distribute a Quantity of Methamphetamine and Conspiracy to Possess With the Intent to Distribute 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine. HERNANDEZ was sentenced to 102 months’ imprisonment.
- BRIAN SHOLAR, 53, of Duplin County, NC, pled guilty to Conspiracy to Possess With Intent to Distribute 500 Grams or More of Methamphetamine and Possession With Intent to Distribute a Quantity of Methamphetamine. SHOLAR was sentenced to 120 months’ imprisonment.
- MARCUS SPANN, 19, of South Carolina, pled guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess With Intent to Distribute 28 Grams or More of Cocaine Base (Crack) and a Quantity of Heroin, Distribution and Possession With Intent to Distribute a Quantity of Heroin and Aiding and Abetting and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime. SPANN was sentenced to 48 months’ imprisonment.
- ERIC DUDLEY, 39, of Duplin County, NC, pled guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess With Intent to Distribute 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine and Possession With Intent to Distribute and Distribute a Quantity of Methamphetamine. DUDLEY was sentenced to 220 months’ imprisonment.
- HECTOR MENOCAL-RUIZ, 28, of Duplin County, NC, pled guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess With the Intent to Distribute 5 Kilograms or More of Cocaine and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime. MENOCAL-RUIZ was sentenced to 180 months’ imprisonment.
- DAVID GIGUIERE, 61, of Duplin County, NC, pled guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess With the Intent to Distribute 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine and Distribution of a Quantity of Methamphetamine and Aiding and Abetting. GIGUIERE was sentenced to 120 months’ imprisonment.
- JAVIER MERCADO, 41, of California, pled guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess With the Intent to Distribute 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine. MERCADO was sentenced to 168 months’ imprisonment.
- JESUS RIOS, 39, of California, pled guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess With Intent to Distribute More Than 50 Grams of Methamphetamine. RIOS was sentenced to 120 months’ imprisonment.
- AARON ROBICHAUX, 37, of New Hanover County, NC, pled guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess With Intent to Distribute 500 Grams or More of Methamphetamine, Possession With Intent to Distribute a Quantity of Methamphetamine and a Quantity of Cocaine and Felon in Possession of a Firearm. ROBICHUAX was sentenced to 252 months’ imprisonment.
- JULIO NAJERA, 26, of Sampson County, NC, pled guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess With Intent to Distribute 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine, Distribution of 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine and Possession With Intent to Distribute 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine. NAJERA was sentenced to 144 months’ imprisonment.
The remaining defendants are scheduled to be sentenced over the course of the next few months.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF), Duplin, New Hanover County and Sampson County Sheriffs’ Office, and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation of this case. Assistant United States Attorneys Timothy Severo, Murphy Averitt and Bradford Knott prosecuted this case on behalf of the government. This OCDETF operation was nominated and received the Eastern District of North Carolina OCDETF Operation of the Year.
The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.
Media AdvisoryRead the Press Release
WHEN: Friday, January 24, 2020 at 10:00AM
WHERE: Duplin County Sheriff’s Office Training Center
272 Landfill Road
Rose Hill, NC 28458
Re: Operation Fall of the House of Usher
RALEIGH – The United States Attorney’s Office announces a press conference to discuss the sentencing of multiple defendants in a multi-year methamphetamine conspiracy investigation in Duplin County. These defendants were responsible for the sale of narcotics in Duplin County. We will also highlight the important partnerships between all levels of law enforcement in this and other investigations during the preceding year. The Duplin County Sheriff’s Office and New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office investigated this case, along with agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration.
In addition to United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr., Duplin County Sheriff Blake Wallace, members of the Duplin County Sheriff’s Office, New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office and other law enforcement 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.
Fayetteville Man Sentenced to More Than 16 Years for Heroin DistributionRead the Press Release
NEW BERN – The United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Robert J. Higdon, Jr., announces that United States District Judge Louise W. Flanagan sentenced JOHN ELWOOD TYRONE MARTIN, 48, of Fayetteville, NC, to 198 months imprisonment followed by 5 years of supervised release.
On March 29, 2019, MARTIN was named in a one-count Criminal Information charging him with conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin. On May 3, 2019, MARTIN pled guilty to the charge.
On November 4, 2016, a task force officer (TFO) with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Fayetteville, North Carolina, was contacted by a confidential source (CS #1) regarding MARTIN. According to CS #1, MARTIN stated that he could supply the city of Fayetteville with heroin and boasted about selling kilograms of heroin for $75,000. MARTIN also provided CS #1 with 0.4 gram of heroin, which CS #1 turned over to investigators.
On May 31, 2018, at the direction of members of the Fayetteville Police Department (FPD) and FBI, a second confidential source (CS #2) arranged to purchase 200 grams of heroin from MARTIN. Shortly thereafter, MARTIN arrived at CS #2’s residence where detectives with the FPD’s Violent Criminal Apprehension Unit and Narcotics Unit were waiting in undercover surveillance vehicles.
As MARTIN pulled into the driveway of the residence, agents exited their vehicles and began to approach MARTIN’S vehicle. When MARTIN observed the approaching detectives, he placed his vehicle in drive and accelerated his vehicle in the direction of the detectives, causing them to move out of the path of the vehicle. MARTIN drove toward the rear of the residence, where his flight was halted due to trees and a fence surrounding the property.
When MARTIN’s vehicle came to a stop, MARTIN opened the driver’s side door and attempted to destroy a large quantity of heroin and fentanyl by tearing open several bags and shaking out the contents creating a cloud of the powder. As a result, several of the arresting detectives were exposed to the heroin and fentanyl and subsequently transported to Cape Fear Valley Hospital to be evaluated. MARTIN was taken into custody and transported to the FPD.
CS #2 informed law enforcement agents that he had once obtained more than 1 kilogram of heroin from MARTIN during the course of approximately six transactions.
Finally, law enforcement determined that while MARTIN was on release and pending sentencing in this case, he continued to distribute controlled substances in the Fayetteville, North Carolina area.
This prosecution is part of an extensive investigation by the United States Attorney’s Office’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) named Operation La Vida Loca. OCDETF is a joint federal, state, and local cooperative approach to combat drug trafficking and is the nation’s primary tool for disrupting and dismantling major drug trafficking organizations, targeting national and regional level drug trafficking organizations, and coordinating the necessary law enforcement entities and resources to disrupt or dismantle the targeted criminal organization and seize their assets.
That effort has been implemented through 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.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Fayetteville Police Department investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney Scott A. Lemmon prosecuted this case for the government.
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The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.
Venezuelan Man Sentenced for Aggravated Identity Theft and Access Device FraudRead the Press Release
RALEIGH – United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr. announced that United States District Judge James C. Dever III sentenced RICARDO ABDEL, of Doral, Florida, to 48 months imprisonment, followed by 3 years of supervised release and ordered them to pay $19,966.71 in restitution. ABDEL, a permanent resident alien from Venzuela, was named in a two-count Criminal Information charging Access Device Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft. ABDEL pled guilty to those charges on March 20, 2019.
In March 2018, the Wilmington Police Department (WPD) was alerted by investigators with the State Employees’ Credit Union (SECU) fraud division of ongoing fraudulent debit/credit card withdrawals being made from member accounts at various automated teller machines (ATMs) in the Wilmington area. On March 5, 2018, the United States Secret Service (USSS) was notified by the SECU and the WPD that three individuals were attempting to illegally withdraw money from an SECU ATM located on Wrightsville Avenue in Wilmington. Officers responded to that location and conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle in which ABDEL and two other persons were riding. A search of the vehicle revealed approximately $9,319 in United States currency, numerous debit/credit cards, computers, digital storage media, and two debit/credit card readers/encoders.
Investigators with the SECU’s fraud unit and the USSS determined that the fraudulent debit/credit cards were used at multiple ATM locations in the Wilmington area over a period of several days. Further, the SECU’s fraud unit confirmed that an illegal debit/credit card skimming device had been placed on a SECU ATM in Leland, North Carolina. A forensic search of the seized laptop computers and cell phones revealed 566 individual card numbers which were issued by 71 different financial institutions, including 7 card numbers which were issued by financial institution in Mexico and 1 from India. The intended loss was calculated at $283,000.
On July 3, 2018, investigators received credible information identifying co-conspirators based in Venezuela and in the Miami, Florida, area who were involved in the scheme to commit access device fraud. The conspirators downloaded credit card data from Bluetooth debit/credit card skimming devices which were secretly installed in Tritan ATMs. After obtaining the debit/credit card and personal identification numbers (PIN) from the debit/credit card skimming devices, the coconspirators used a credit card reader/writer to reencode counterfeit debit/credit cards. In March 2018, ABDEL and his conspirators used the fraudulent debit/credit cards at ATMs in the Wilmington area to withdraw funds from multiple victims’ accounts. The investigation revealed that the group was traveling to various states, including Georgia, California, and Florida, to install debit/credit card skimming devices. It is estimated that the group made $250,000 monthly as a result of the fraudulent scheme.
Additionally, investigators learned that in March 2018, ABDEL spent four or five days in the Wilmington area placing pin-hole camera skimming devices on ATMs and collecting account numbers. Those numbers were then encoded onto magnetic stripe cards and used to fraudulently withdraw funds from ATMs. ABDEL and the others also travelled to the Wilmington area two to three weeks earlier in order to recover debit/credit card skimming devices and computers which were left in a suitcase in a storage unit by another coconspirator.
The United States Secret Service, the Wilmington Police Department and the Kure Beach Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Ethan Ontjes represented the government.
Fayetteville Man Sentenced to 97 Months for Cocaine DistributionRead the Press Release
RALEIGH – United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Robert J. Higdon, Jr., announces that United States District Judge James C. Dever III sentenced WILMER LUIS MEJIAS, 44, of Fayetteville, NC, today. MEJIAS was sentenced to 97 months imprisonment followed by 3 years of supervised release.
MEJIAS was named in a 12-count Indictment filed on December 12, 2017. On February 5, 2018, he pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine from 2015 to December 12, 2017.
In 2015, the Fayetteville Police Department, the Sampson County Sheriff’s Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation identified members of a Puerto Rican drug trafficking organization (DTO) operating in Cumberland and Sampson counties. Surveillance, wire intercepts and confidential sources of information (CSIs) were used to identify multiple drug traffickers working in connection with the DTO. Specifically, the investigation identified MEJIAS as one of the members of the DTO who helped traffic cocaine into the Eastern District of North Carolina.
Agents began receiving information about the DTO from CSI #1. Specifically, CSI #1 stated that MEJIAS and others, including co-conspirator Luis Joel Robles Latorres, sentenced on June 18, 2019 to 162 months of imprisonment, would arrange large cocaine shipments from Puerto Rico. MEJIAS was also responsible for collecting drug proceeds and sending them back to the DTO in Puerto Rico.
On November 3, 2017, agents intercepted multiple calls in which Lattores arranged the purchase of 1.5 kilograms of cocaine. Surveillance units followed the source to Latorres’s residence in Fayetteville and then to a restaurant parking lot. Agents subsequently stopped the vehicle driven by an individual affiliated with the drug trafficking organization and seized a black bag containing $45,000 in U.S. currency.
The investigation established that between November 2014 and November 2017, MEJIAS was personally involved in the distribution of more than 30 kilograms of cocaine.
This prosecution is part of an extensive investigation by the United States Attorney’s Office’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) named Operation La Vida Loca. OCDETF is a joint federal, state, and local cooperative approach to combat drug trafficking and is the nation’s primary tool for disrupting and dismantling major drug trafficking organizations, targeting national and regional level drug trafficking organizations, and coordinating the necessary law enforcement entities and resources to disrupt or dismantle the targeted criminal organization and seize their assets.
That effort has been implemented through 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.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Fayetteville Police Department, Sampson County Sheriffs’ Office and the Wilmington Police Department investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney Scott A. Lemmon prosecuted this case for the government.
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The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.