District Not Recorded
The source did not name an office we could identify. These records remain unassigned rather than guessed.
Portland Man Sentenced to 5 Years for Unlawfully Possessing FirearmsRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Maine: A Portland man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for being a felon in possession of firearms.
U.S. District Judge Nancy Torresen sentenced Abdulkadir Bile, aka “Ace,” 31, to 60 months imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release. He also received a $6,900 fine. Bile pleaded guilty on March 29, 2022.
According to court records, in October 2021, agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) executed a search warrant at Bile’s residence in Portland and recovered two firearms from a bed in which Bile was sleeping. Bile was convicted in 2013 of felony aggravated assault in Androscoggin County Superior Court and in 2017 of unlawful trafficking of Schedule W drugs in the Cumberland County Unified Criminal Docket. These convictions prohibited Bile from possessing firearms under federal law.
ATF investigated the case.
Project Safe Neighborhoods: This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. To learn more information about Project Safe Neighborhood, visit www.justice.gov/psn.
###
Lewiston Man Faces up to 10 Years Following Guilty Plea to Being a Felon in Possession of AmmunitionRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Maine: A Lewiston man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Portland to being a felon in possession of ammunition.
According to court records, in December 2021, Shaiquan Moran-Stenson, 27, fired multiple shots near Bartlett Street in Lewiston. Video cameras at two residences recorded Moran-Stenson firing shots across the street before he ran into a parked car and fired additional shots as the vehicle drove away. Investigators recovered .40 caliber shell casings from the area. At the time of the shooting, Moran-Stenson was on supervised release for a prior conviction and was prohibited from possessing ammunition.
Moran-Stenson faces up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.
The Lewiston Police Department, Portland Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation.
Project Safe Neighborhoods: This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. To learn more information about Project Safe Neighborhood, visit www.justice.gov/psn.
# # #
Former Fugitive Pleads Guilty to Laundering Money Embezzled from Kuwaiti EmbassyRead the Press Release
A Virginia man pleaded guilty today to a money laundering conspiracy involving funds embezzled from the Embassy of Kuwait’s health office in Washington, D.C.
According to court documents, from approximately January through September 2014, Ahmed El Khebki, aka Ahmed Khider El Khebki, of Lorton, conspired to launder money embezzled from the Kuwaiti Embassy. El Khebki and his co-conspirators stole money from the embassy’s health office earmarked to pay for medical care for Kuwaiti citizens who traveled to the United States to receive treatment at, among other places, Johns Hopkins Hospital and MedStar Georgetown University Hospital.
To embezzle and launder the funds, El Khebki and his co-conspirators created fake companies with names meant to mimic actual U.S. healthcare providers, including “Hopiken” and “MedStar.” The co-conspirators then submitted fraudulent invoices to the health office, claiming that they had provided medical services to real Kuwaiti citizens under the auspices of those fake companies. Employees at the health office in the embassy who were in on the scheme approved the invoices and wrote checks to El Khebki and his co-conspirators’ fake companies. During the course of the conspiracy, the health office paid more than $1.5 million in fraudulent invoices. El Khebki personally deposited hundreds of thousands of dollars of stolen funds into accounts he controlled and used the stolen funds to make numerous personal purchases.
El Khebki joins two co-conspirators, Wael Sedik and Huwida Fadl, in pleading guilty for his role in the conspiracy. El Khebki’s co-defendant and co-conspirator Hussein Fadl Osman remains at large.
El Khebki pleaded guilty to money laundering. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 24 and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Special Agent in Charge Derek W. Gordon of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C. made the announcement.
HSI investigated the case.
Senior Trial Attorney Jonathan Baum and Trial Attorney Shai D. Bronshtein of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section (MLARS) are prosecuting the case as part of the department’s Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative.
The Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative in MLARS was formed to prosecute money launderers and forfeit the proceeds of foreign official corruption and, where appropriate, to use those recovered assets to benefit the people harmed by the corruption and abuse of office. Individuals with information about possible proceeds of foreign corruption located in or laundered through the United States should contact federal law enforcement or send an email to [email protected].
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. Delivers Remarks at First Colloquium Bringing Together 20 African Countries to Collaborate on Pretrial Detention IssuesRead the Press Release
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division joined the Honorable Chief Justice of the Kenya Supreme Court Martha Koome and Kenya Director of Public Prosecutions Noordin Haji in delivering remarks today to kick off the first Africa Regional Colloquium on “Enhancing the Delivery of Justice by Addressing Pretrial Detention Challenges.” The three-day colloquium in Nairobi, Kenya, brings together representatives of 20 African governments to explore initiatives designed to strike the appropriate balance between public safety and national security and fairness and the efficient, orderly administration of justice, including by reducing pretrial detention.
Government representatives are engaging with each other on topics including the causes and consequences of excessive pretrial detention, international norms, alternatives to pretrial detention, developing plea agreement regimes to reduce pretrial detention, and the unique challenges presented by terrorism and violent extremism. They will also discuss examples of initiatives from Kenya and Senegal.
“Events like today’s provide us opportunities to learn from each other, consider new approaches, and reaffirm our shared commitment to advancing the rule of law,” said Assistant Attorney General Polite. “These opportunities reinvigorate us, equip us with more tools, and build closer partnerships to help overcome shared challenges and meet our responsibilities to our citizens and the international community.”
Chief Justice Koome delivered the keynote address.
“In the pursuit of justice, the principle of ‘innocent until proven guilty’ is sacrosanct. This principle is often put to the test in the face of pretrial detention,” said Justice Koome. “As custodians of the law, we must strive to ensure that our justice systems are both efficient and effective. We must work towards reducing case backlogs, streamline court processes, and leverage on technology to expedite court proceedings. We must embrace the view that justice is not merely punitive but is also preventive and restorative. It is a mechanism for social change or social transformation.”
Kenya Director of Public Prosecutions Haji highlighted the initiatives that Kenya has taken through the implementation of alternatives to prosecution, such as Diversion and Plea bargaining as well as the All-for-Justice Program, while reiterating the shared values of the Kenyan-U.S. prosecutorial relationship.
“This colloquium will enhance International and Regional cooperation amongst criminal justice actors to further develop frameworks and mechanisms which will incorporate human rights, socio- political, cultural and economic realities, to reduce on pretrial detention,” said Director Haji. “It is our responsibility to ensure that pretrial detention is used in a manner that upholds the rule of law, respects human rights, and fosters public trust in the criminal justice system. By doing so, we can ensure that justice is served in a manner that is fair, just, and humane.”
Kenya’s Judiciary and Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions hosted the Colloquium, which is being sponsored by several partners, including the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development Assistance and Training (OPDAT), the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Counterterrorism and Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement, the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime, the European Union-funded Anti-Money Laundering–Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML-CFT) Platform in East, South, Center of Africa and Yemen (ESCAY), the British High Commission in Kenya and the International Institute for Justice Malta. OPDAT has been working with African partners to improve their policies and practices that can lead to excessive pretrial detention of suspects, by both rediscovering their existing legal mechanisms and developing new tools to reduce excessive detention. Reductions in unnecessary detention will have cascading benefits throughout criminal justice systems by reducing overcrowding in the prisons, limiting exposure of vulnerable detainees to violent extremist rhetoric in those prisons, and reducing caseloads to permit police, prosecutors, and judges to focus on priority cases.
Government officials from the following countries participated in the Colloquium: Algeria, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Somalia, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, and Zambia.
Please visit www.justice.gov/criminal-opdat for more information about OPDAT’s capacity building efforts around the world.
Portland School Employee Sentenced to 22 Years for Sexual Exploitation of Elementary School Student in 2021Read the Press Release
PORTLAND, Maine: A Portland man was sentenced today in U.S. District in Portland for the sexual exploitation of a minor.
U.S. District Judge Nancy Torresen sentenced Benjamin Conroy, 34, to 22 years followed by 15 years of supervised release. The court deferred its decision on restitution to a later date. Conroy pleaded guilty on August 31, 2022.
According to court documents, in the fall of 2021, Conroy sexually exploited a young student at an elementary school in Portland and then sent explicit images of the abuse to a third person using a dating application. The concerned recipient notified the Portland Police Department. During the investigation, law enforcement also discovered video of the sexual exploitation on Conroy’s phone. Conroy was employed as a special education technician by the Portland School District.
“Benjamin Conroy sexually exploited a vulnerable child in a place where parents should feel confident their children are safe and protected, at school,” U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee said. “He used his position as a school employee to victimize a young child with special needs. If not for a concerned citizen who received the child sexual abuse material from Mr. Conroy, we might never have known that a crime occurred. I commend that individual for not hesitating to report this conduct as well as HSI and the Portland Police for the diligent and thorough investigation.”
Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case with assistance from the Portland Police Department.
###
Justice Department Obtains Agreement with Liberty County Sheriff’s Office Resolving Race Discrimination Complaint Filed by Delaware State UniversityRead the Press Release
The Justice Department announced today an agreement with the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) to resolve a race discrimination civil rights complaint under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In response to the complaint, LCSO worked cooperatively with the Justice Department to reach a resolution agreement that will modernize its policing operations and further its ongoing efforts to prevent and address discriminatory law enforcement practices.
In May 2022, the Justice Department received a complaint from Delaware State University (DSU), a historically Black university, alleging that LCSO discriminated against its student athletes, athletic coach, and driver when it conducted a racially discriminatory traffic stop in Georgia of a bus charted by DSU. Following the traffic stop, the University alleged that the subsequent questioning and search of the personal belongings of the primarily Black passengers, including through the use of a drug-sniffing dog, constituted unlawful race discrimination in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act (Title VI). Title VI prohibits recipients of federal financial assistance from discriminating on the basis of race, color, or national origin. LCSO is a recipient of federal funding from the Justice Department.
“Fairness and racial equity are fundamental principles for effective law enforcement, especially for those agencies that receive federal funding,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The students and staff at Delaware State University deserve policing that is racially equitable and bias-free. The agreement that we have secured with the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office will help ensure that its policing practices are free from racial bias and discrimination going forward. We will continue working to ensure that federally funded law enforcement agencies comply with our federal civil rights laws.”
“Law enforcement is most effective when it is supported by public confidence,” said U.S. Attorney Jill E. Steinberg for the Southern District of Georgia. “The agreement announced today is a step toward ensuring that policing occurs in an evenhanded manner.”
Under the agreement, LCSO will review its bias-free policing policies, make necessary updates to its policies on traffic enforcement and searches, and develop and implement data collection procedures, among other provisions.
The enforcement of Title VI is a top priority of the Civil Rights Division. Additional information about the Civil Rights Division is available on its website at www.justice.gov/crt. Members of the public may report possible civil rights violations at https://civilrights.justice.gov/report/.
Georgia Couple Charged with Labor Trafficking Conspiracy, Forced Labor and Alien SmugglingRead the Press Release
A 16-count indictment was unsealed today charging a Georgia husband and wife with conspiring to commit labor trafficking, in addition to forced labor and alien smuggling, in connection with their operation of two Mexican restaurants, Sabor A Mexico at 805 Floy Farr Parkway, Fayetteville, Georgia, and Sabor A Mexico at 7860B Ella Lane, Fairburn, Georgia.
According to the indictment, between March 2021 and October 2022, Efrain Gonzalez, 40, and Estella Gonzalez, 34, both of Peachtree City, conspired to commit labor trafficking. The indictment alleges that the couple used force, threats of force, coercion and abuse of law and legal process to compel victims to engage in forced labor. The indictment further alleges that the couple engaged in alien smuggling for commercial gain, alleging five counts of alien smuggling against Efrain Gonzalez and one count against Estella Gonzalez.
The charge of forced labor carries a maximum of 20 years in prison, up to five years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan for the Northern District of Georgia, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Travis Picknard of HSI Atlanta made the announcement.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Annalise Peters and Trial Attorney Kate Hill of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit are prosecuting the case.
Anyone who believes that they may have been a victim of this case or may have relevant information to share is asked to call the HSI tip line at 866-DHS-2423.
If you or someone you know is a victim of human trafficking, please call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Federal Court Grants Provisional Approval of $2 Million in Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Against Alabama SheriffRead the Press Release
The Justice Department announced today that the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama has provisionally approved its $2 million settlement agreement with the Sheriff of Mobile County, Alabama. The agreement, announced by the department on April 24, resolves the department’s lawsuit alleging that female corrections officers at the Mobile County Metro Jail were regularly subjected to severe and pervasive sexual harassment in the workplace by male inmates and that the sheriff’s office failed to take prompt and effective action to remedy this harassing conduct as required by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The court’s provisional approval means that the parties can begin to implement the agreement, including by providing notice to the current and former employees who have a right to request a monetary award under the agreement. Those individuals will then have an opportunity to submit comments on the settlement, which the court will consider at a fairness hearing on Aug. 25, 2023, before giving final approval to the agreement.
“The Justice Department brought this litigation to bring an end to the hostile work environment faced by women employed at the Mobile County Metro Jail,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The court’s action will help ensure that impacted female employees receive the relief that they rightly deserve.”
Under the terms of the agreement, the sheriff will pay compensatory damages to plaintiffs named in the lawsuit. The sheriff will also establish a $1.41 million settlement fund to compensate other women harmed by the discrimination alleged by the department.
- All women who have worked as corrections officers or corporals at the Mobile County Metro Jail at any time between Jan. 1, 2011, and April 21, 2023 are potentially eligible to recover monetary relief under the fund.
- Over the next several weeks, a claims administrator retained by the department will contact women who may be eligible to notify them of the fund and provide specific instructions about next steps, including when they can apply to the fund.
- People with questions about the agreement and claims process can contact the Justice Department at [email protected] or 1-800-556-1950 (option 6).
In addition to the monetary relief, the agreement also requires the sheriff to implement specific changes at the jail to reduce the instances of sexual harassment of female jail employees. These changes are based on recommendations from a corrections expert who has run jails and consulted with dozens of jails throughout the country for over three decades. None of the settlement funds will be used to implement these changes.
This lawsuit is part of the Civil Rights Division’s Sexual Harassment in the Workplace Initiative. The initiative is aimed at eradicating sexual harassment in state and local government workplaces. It focuses on litigation, outreach, and development of effective remedial measures to address and prevent future sex discrimination and harassment.
The full and fair enforcement of Title VII is a top priority of the Civil Rights Division’s Employment Litigation Section. Additional information about the Civil Rights Division and the Employment Litigation Section is available on its websites www.justice.gov/crt and www.justice.gov/crt/employment-litigation-section.
El Departamento de Justicia llega a un acuerdo con la Oficina del Sheriff del Condado de Liberty que resuelve una queja relacionada con discriminación racial presentada por la Universidad Estatal de DelawareRead the Press Release
El Departamento de Justicia anunció hoy que ha llegado a un acuerdo con la Oficina del Sheriff del Condado de Liberty (LCSO, por sus siglas en inglés) que resuelve una queja de derechos civiles relacionada con la discriminación racial, en virtud del Título VI de la ley de Derechos Civiles de 1964. Como respuesta a la demanda, la LCSO colaboró con el Departamento de Justicia para llegar a un acuerdo que modernizará sus operaciones policiales y fomentará sus esfuerzos continuos por prevenir y abordar prácticas discriminatorias de aplicación de la ley.
En mayo del 2022, el Departamento de Justicia recibió una queja de la Universidad Estatal de Delaware (DSU, por sus siglas en inglés), una universidad tradicionalmente negra, que alegó que la LCSO discriminó a sus atletas estudiantes, entrenador y conductor cuando realizó una parada de tránsito racista en Georgia de un autobús fletado por la DSU. Después de la parada de tránsito, la Universidad alegó que la posterior interrogación y el registro de las pertenencias personales de los pasajeros, que eran principalmente negros –lo que incluyó el uso de un perro detector de drogas– constituyó discriminación racista ilícita, en contra del Título VI de la ley de Derechos Civiles (Título VI). El Título VI prohíbe la discriminación por motivos de raza, color de piel y nacionalidad de origen por parte de beneficiarios de fondos federales. La LCSO es un beneficiario de fondos federales provenientes del Departamento de Justicia.
«La justicia y la equidad racial son principios fundamentales en la aplicación eficaz de la ley, sobre todo para aquellas agencias que son beneficiarios de fondos federales». comentó Kristen Clarke, la Fiscal General Auxiliar de la División de Derechos Civiles del Departamento de Justicia. «Los estudiantes y personal de la Universidad Estatal de Delaware merecen una vigilancia policial que sea equitativa a nivel racial y libre de sesgos. El acuerdo que hemos alcanzado con la Oficina del Sheriff del Condado de Liberty ayudará a garantizar que, en el futuro, sus prácticas de vigilancia policial sean libres de discriminación y sesgos raciales. Seguiremos trabajando para asegurar que las agencias de aplicación de la ley que se beneficien de fondos federales cumplan con nuestras leyes federales de derechos civiles».
«La aplicación de la ley es lo más eficaz cuando viene acompañada de la confianza pública», afirmó Jill E. Steinberg, la Fiscal Federal para el Distrito Sur de Georgia. «El acuerdo que se ha anunciado hoy representa un paso hacia garantizar una vigilancia policial equitativa».
Conforme el acuerdo, la LCSO revisará sus políticas de vigilancia policial libre de sesgos, actualizará sus políticas para los registros de tránsito y la aplicación de las leyes de tránsito, según sea necesario, y desarrollará e implementará procedimientos de recopilación de datos, entre otras disposiciones.
La ejecución del Título VI representa una de las prioridades principales de la División de Derechos Civiles. Para más información sobre la División de Derechos Civiles, visite su sitio web en www.justice.gov/crt-espanol. Miembros del público también pueden informar de posibles vulneraciones de derechos civiles en https://civilrights.justice.gov/report/.
Agreement.pdfUnited States Files Complaint Against Telecommunications Service Provider for Assisting and Facilitating Illegal RobocallsRead the Press Release
The Department of Justice, together with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), today announced a civil enforcement action against XCast Labs, Inc. for allegedly violating the Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR) by assisting and facilitating illegal telemarketing campaigns.
According to a complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, XCast Labs, Inc., provided voice over internet protocol (VoIP) services that transmitted billions of illegal robocalls to American consumers, including scam calls that fraudulently claimed to be from government agencies. These robocalls delivered prerecorded marketing messages, and many of them were delivered to numbers listed on the National Do Not Call Registry, failed to truthfully identify the seller of the services being marketed, falsely claimed affiliations with government entities, contained other false or misleading statements to induce purchases, or were transmitted with “spoofed” caller ID information. The complaint alleges that XCast Labs continued to allow its services to transmit these calls even after being alerted to their illegality.
The complaint seeks monetary civil penalties and a permanent injunction to prohibit the defendant from future violations.
“The Department of Justice is committed to stopping telecommunications providers from enabling unscrupulous telemarketers to bombard American consumers with illegal robocalls,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “We will continue to work with the FTC to enforce the Telemarketing Sales Rule.”
“XCast Labs played a key role in helping telemarketers flood homes with unlawful robocalls, including robocalls impersonating the Social Security Administration,” said Director Samuel Levine of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “VoIP providers like XCast Labs that bury their heads in the sand when their customers use their services to break the law can expect to hear from the FTC.”
A complaint is merely a set of allegations that, if the case were to proceed to trial, the government would need to prove by a preponderance of the evidence.
The case is being handled by attorneys in the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch, including Trial Attorney Zachary A. Dietert, in conjunction with staff at the FTC’s Division of Marketing Practices.
For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts, visit its website at www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. For more information about the FTC, visit its website at https://www.FTC.gov.
GCI Communications Corp. to Pay More than $40 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations Related to FCC’s Rural Health Care ProgramRead the Press Release
GCI Communications Corp. (GCI), located in Anchorage, Alaska, has agreed to pay $40,242,546 to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by knowingly inflating its prices and violating Federal Communications Commission (FCC) competitive bidding regulations in connection with GCI’s participation in the FCC’s Rural Health Care Program. The program provides more than $570 million each year to assist rural health care providers with their telecommunications needs.
Under the Rural Health Care Program, the FCC pays a subsidy equal to the difference between the more expensive cost for a telecommunication service in a rural area and the less expensive cost for the same service in an urban area in the same state. FCC regulations also require contracts for these subsidized services be awarded through a competitive bidding process. The United States alleged that, between 2013 and 2020, GCI failed to comply with FCC regulations that governed how telecommunications companies must calculate their prices for purposes of claiming subsidy payments, and as a result GCI received greater subsidy payments than it was entitled to. The United States further alleged that GCI caused Eastern Aleutian Tribes Inc., a rural health care provider in Alaska, to agree to inflated prices after the relevant contract was competitively bid. As a result, GCI knowingly received higher payments under the program, from 2015 through 2018, in connection with its contract with Eastern Aleutian Tribes, Inc.
“Telecommunications providers that seek to participate in important FCC programs like the Rural Health Care Program must comply with applicable rules, including those governing how they competitively bid on contracts and set their prices,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “Today’s settlement demonstrates our continuing commitment to preventing the misuse of taxpayer funds.”
“Providing health care services in rural areas, especially to Indigenous people in remote areas of Alaska, is vital and must be protected,” said U.S. Attorney Nick Brown for the Western District of Washington. “This $40 million settlement should deter other companies from attempting to improperly enrich themselves by overcharging the government for important healthcare-related telecommunications services.”
“Service providers who utilize the Rural Health Care Program to provide necessary services to health care providers in rural areas, such as GCI provides to Alaska health care providers, cannot disregard FCC’s rules that require specific processes to ensure fair reimbursement for services,” said Acting FCC Inspector General Sharon Diskin. “The Rural Health Care Program has limited funds and we continue to ensure that those funds are not subject to fraud, waste or abuse.”
“Compliance with the Universal Service Fund’s Rural Health Care Program rules is a critical component in making sure that medical providers have access to the types of communications equipment and services needed to enhance medical options and care in rural communities,” said FCC Enforcement Bureau Chief Loyaan Egal. “This global settlement reflects our strong partnership with the Department of Justice in protecting the USF, and we thank them for their efforts in this particular case.”
Contemporaneous with the civil settlement, GCI has agreed to enter into a corporate compliance agreement with the FCC. GCI will also resolve an FCC administrative investigation and an FCC proceeding arising from GCI’s participation in the Rural Health Care Program.
The civil settlement includes the resolution of claims brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act by Robert Taylor, GCI’s former Director of Business Administration. Under those provisions, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery. The qui tam case is captioned U.S. ex rel. Taylor v. GCI Liberty, et al., Case No. 19-cv-2029 (W.D. Wash.). The whistleblower will receive $6.4 million as his share of the recovery.
The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington, with assistance from the FCC’s Office of the Inspector General and the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau.
The matter was handled by Trial Attorney David M. Sobotkin and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kayla Stahman for the Western District of Washington.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
Four Men Sentenced for Engaging in a Child Exploitation EnterpriseRead the Press Release
Four men were sentenced for their participation in a website dedicated to child sexual exploitation.
Kyle William Leishear, 43, of Bayonet Point, Florida, was sentenced yesterday to 20 years in prison. On April 25, Leishear’s three co-defendants were sentenced for their roles in a child exploitation enterprise: Christopher William Kuehner, 38, of Bremerton, Washington, was sentenced to 20 years in prison; Jacob Royce Mullins, 20, of South Webster, Ohio, was sentenced to seven years in prison; and Matthew Martin, 25, of Lancaster, Wisconsin, was sentenced to six years and eight months in prison.
“We cannot and will not tolerate websites like Rapey.su that invite and encourage members to congregate, discuss, and engage in the sexual exploitation of children and young women, to memorialize this exploitation, and to distribute illegal sexually explicit images of the victims,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The Department of Justice is committed to rooting out these websites and bringing to justice those who join them for the purpose of perpetuating the victimization of some of the most vulnerable members of society.”
According to court documents, Leishear, Kuehner, Mullins, and Martin were prominent members of the “Rapey.su” website, which was dedicated to, among other things, child sexual exploitation. After becoming a member of the website, Leishear enticed multiple minor victims, including one as young 12-years-old, to produce and share sexually explicit images. Kuehner also repeatedly induced minor victims to produce and post sexually explicit images and videos to the site. Additionally, Leishear attempted to distribute child sexual abuse material on the website. Mullins and Martin both repeatedly distributed child sexual abuse material images on the website, and Mullins enticed another website user to produce and share sexually explicit images of a minor victim.
“I am grateful for the hard work of our agents and prosecutors to seek justice in this horrific case. These defendants caused immeasurable trauma on their victims, amplified by the group’s online sharing of their abuse,” said U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia. “This case shows that internet anonymity will not protect offenders from facing full accountability for their illegal online conduct.”
“The actions of the four individuals in this case were nothing short of reprehensible,” said Special Agent in Charge Derek W. Gordon of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C. “They shamefully targeted the most vulnerable members of our community for their own perverse desires. HSI Washington, D.C. remains committed to protecting children from abuse and holding accountable those individuals who would victimize minors. HSI remains vigilant in watching for indicators of child exploitation throughout our communities.”
HSI investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Whitney Kramer of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth Schlessinger for the Eastern District of Virginia prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Former U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Assistant Inspector General Sentenced for Falsifying Financial Disclosure FormsRead the Press Release
A former Assistant Inspector General for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) was sentenced today to one year and one day in prison for engaging in a scheme to conceal his financial indebtedness to a government contractor and personal friend to whom he steered tens of millions of dollars in government business.
According to court documents, Eghbal “Eddie” Saffarinia, 63, of Front Royal, Virginia, engaged in a scheme to conceal material facts, including the nature and extent of his financial relationship with a personal friend who was the owner and chief executive officer of an information technology company. During a period in which Saffarinia received payments and loans from his friend totaling $80,000, Saffarinia disclosed confidential internal government information to his friend and steered government contracts and provided competitive advantages and preferential treatment to his friend’s company. Saffarinia also failed to disclose this financial relationship and another large promissory note on his public financial disclosure forms.
In September 2022, Saffarinia was convicted after trial of one count of concealing material facts, three counts of making false statements, and three counts of falsifying a record or document.
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Assistant Director in Charge David Sundberg of the FBI Washington Field Office, and Inspector General Thomas A. Monheim of the Intelligence Community made the announcement.
The FBI Washington Field Office and the Office of the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community investigated the case.
Senior Litigation Counsel Edward P. Sullivan and Trial Attorneys Rosaleen T. O’Gara and John P. Taddei of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section prosecuted the case.
Federal Court Permanently Enjoins Tax Return Preparer in Texas and Orders Disgorgement of Tax Prep FeesRead the Press Release
A federal court in the Southern District of Texas has permanently enjoined a Houston-area tax return preparer from preparing federal tax returns for others and from owning, operating, or franchising any tax return preparation business in the future.
In its order, the court found that Hollins Ray Alexander engaged in conduct that substantially interferes with the proper administration of the tax laws, warranting a permanent bar on acting as a tax return preparer for others. As alleged in the complaint, Alexander prepared tax returns for others in which he overstated customers’ refunds by fabricating deductions or falsely claiming credits to which customers were not entitled. Although Alexander failed to respond to the government’s motion for an injunction, the court found that the record and applicable law warrant the entry of the injunction. The terms of the injunction require that Alexander send notices of the injunction to each person for whom he prepared federal tax returns and to post the injunctions in places where he conducts business, including social media accounts and websites. The injunction permits the United States to conduct post-judgment discovery to monitor Alexander’s compliance. The court also required Alexander to disgorge the sum of $165,940 to the United States in tax preparation fees.
Deputy Assistant Attorney General David A. Hubbert of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement.
Shady tax return preparers remain a concern of the IRS, which recently warned taxpayers about unscrupulous tax return preparers are part of the IRS’s Dirty Dozen series. Taxpayers seeking a return preparer should remain vigilant against unscrupulous tax preparers. The IRS has information on its website for choosing a tax return preparer and has launched a free directory of federal tax preparers. The IRS also offers 10 tips to avoid tax season fraud and ways to safeguard their personal information.
In the past decade, the Department of Justice Tax Division has obtained injunctions against hundreds of unscrupulous tax preparers. Information about these cases is available on the Justice Department’s website. An alphabetical listing of persons enjoined from preparing returns and promoting tax schemes can be found on this page. If you believe that one of the enjoined persons or businesses may be violating an injunction, please contact the Tax Division with details.
Court Enjoins Alabama Seafood Processor from Distributing Adulterated Seafood ProductsRead the Press Release
A federal court today enjoined an Irvington, Alabama, company and several of its operators from distributing adulterated seafood products in violation of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA).
In a civil complaint for permanent injunction filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama on April 25, the United States alleged that Irvington Seafood, Inc., and its owner, Kevin S. Sakprasit, and company officers Helene Nou and Kammie C. Richardson, violated the FDCA by distributing adulterated ready-to-eat crabmeat products. According to the complaint, the defendants process the products at their Alabama facility and then sell and distribute them to businesses and consumers throughout the country.
The complaint alleges that between 2006 and 2022, multiple Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspections of the defendants’ facility revealed that the defendants prepared, packaged, and held crabmeat products under insanitary conditions and failed to comply with required current good manufacturing practices and seafood hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP) regulations. According to the complaint, during inspections of the defendants’ facility FDA inspectors found, among other things: the presence of maggots, flies, and roaches; the presence of the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes on food contact and non-food contact surfaces of equipment; and that employees were failing to properly wash their hands and aprons. Food contaminated with L. mono can cause serious illness and even death in vulnerable groups, such as newborns and people with impaired immune systems. The complaint alleges that the defendants failed to take necessary corrective actions after repeated FDA warnings.
“Food manufacturers and distributors must operate in strict compliance with the law,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The department is committed to working hand in hand with the FDA to help ensure the safety of the nation’s food supply.”
The defendants agreed to settle the suit and be bound by a consent decree of permanent injunction. The order entered by the federal court permanently enjoins the defendants from violating the FDCA and requires that they destroy all raw ingredients and food products currently in their possession. Before processing or distributing any food in the future, the defendants must notify the FDA in advance, comply with specific remedial measures set forth in the injunction, and permit the FDA to inspect their facilities and procedures.
Senior Trial Attorney Arturo DeCastro of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch is handling the case with the assistance of Associate Chief Counsel Kyrsten L. Melander of the FDA’s Office of the General Counsel.
Additional information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts may be found at http://www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch.
The claims resolved by the resolution announced today are only allegations. There has been no determination of liability.
Charleston Man Faces up to 20 Years for Role in Penobscot and Aroostook County Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
BANGOR, Maine: A Charleston man pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Bangor today to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl.
According to court records, between January 2018 and December 2021, Thomas Hammond, 24, conspired with others to traffic methamphetamine and fentanyl in Penobscot and Aroostook counties. Hammond knowingly and intentionally joined and participated in the conspiracy.
Hammond is the ninth defendant to plead guilty in this case; four other participants in the conspiracy were sentenced in prior related cases. Hammond faces up to 20 years imprisonment and up to a lifetime of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, investigated the case. Assistance was provided by police departments in Orono, Bangor, Brewer, Caribou, Presque Isle and Houlton. U.S. Attorney McElwee also recognized the cooperation and coordination provided by the Maine State Attorney General’s Office and the Aroostook County District Attorney’s Office.
Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces: This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
# # #
Justice Department Files Statement of Interest in Religious Land Use Case Involving Faith-Based Group That Feeds Homeless People in CaliforniaRead the Press Release
The Justice Department filed a statement of interest in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California explaining that the act of distributing food and drinks to people who are homeless by Micah’s Way, a faith-based organization that helps people in need, could be religious exercise under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000 (RLUIPA).
The statement of interest was filed in Micah’s Way v. the City of Santa Ana, a lawsuit alleging that Santa Ana imposed a substantial burden on Micah’s Way’s religious exercise. At issue is the city’s denial of an occupancy certificate to Micah’s Way on the grounds that it was providing food and drinks to people who are homeless in violation of the city’s zoning ordinance. According to its complaint, Micah’s Way has a religious duty to help people in need, including by providing food and drink to someone who is hungry. After denying the occupancy certificate, the city informed Micah’s Way that it could not feed people who are homeless at its resource center under any circumstances and that if it continued to do so, Micah’s Way would be subject to fines and potential criminal prosecution.
The city filed a motion to dismiss the complaint, arguing in part that providing food and drinks to people who are homeless is not religious exercise and that its denial of an occupancy certificate did not substantially burden Micah’s Way’s religious exercise. The department’s statement of interest argues that feeding people who are homeless may be religious exercise protected by RLUIPA and that the city’s denial of an occupancy certificate and complete prohibition on feeding people who are homeless may have imposed a substantial burden on Micah’s Way’s religious exercise, in violation of RLUIPA.
“Discriminatory barriers and land use restrictions against faith-based organizations is unlawful,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Many faith-based organizations across the country are on the front lines serving the needs of people experiencing homelessness. The Justice Department is committed to enforcing federal civil rights laws to ensure that all religious groups can freely exercise their religious beliefs.”
“The free exercise of religion is a bedrock principle of our nation,” said U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada for the Central District of California. “Religious groups should be entitled to exercise their religion by providing charitable services based in their religious beliefs. Our office firmly opposes actions that block religious groups from carrying out their spiritual mission to help others in need.”
RLUIPA is a federal law that protects religious institutions from unduly burdensome or discriminatory land use regulations. In June 2018, the Justice Department announced its Place to Worship Initiative, which focuses on RLUIPA’s provisions that protect the rights of houses of worship and other religious institutions to worship on their land. More information is available at www.justice.gov/crt/placetoworship.
Individuals who believe they have been subjected to discrimination in land use or zoning decisions may contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office Civil Division’s Civil Rights Section at (213) 894-2879 or the Civil Rights Division Housing and Civil Enforcement Section at (833) 591-0291, or may submit a complaint through the complaint portal on the Place to Worship Initiative website. More information about RLUIPA, including questions and answers about the law and other documents, may be found at www.justice.gov/crt/about/hce/rluipaexplain.php.
Former Louisville Metro Police Department Officer Pleads Guilty to Using Excessive Force During 2020 ProtestRead the Press Release
A former Louisville Metro Police Department officer pleaded guilty to violating an individual’s rights by using excessive force while acting as a police officer.
During the plea hearing, Richard Ross Wiedo, 37, admitted that on or about May 30, 2020, while working as a police officer with the Louisville Metro Police Department, he deployed a foam round from his 40mm direct impact munition into a crowd of protestors after a bottle was thrown from the back of the crowd. The foam round struck an individual at the front of the crowd in the face. Wiedo admitted he had not identified who had thrown the bottle and was not deploying his 40mm direct impact munition at anyone who was being actively aggressive.
Wiedo pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of using unreasonable force. Wiedo’s guilty plea carries a maximum fine of $100,000. As part of the plea agreement, if it is accepted by the court, Wiedo will forfeit his Kentucky law enforcement certification and agree not to seek any future law enforcement employment.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett for the Western District of Kentucky and Special Agent in Charge Jodi Cohen of the FBI Louisville Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI Louisville Field Office and the Louisville Metro Police Department’s Public Integrity Unit investigated the case through the Louisville Public Corruption Civil Rights Task Force.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda E. Gregory for the Western District of Kentucky and Trial Attorney Anita Channapati of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section prosecuted the case.
Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Pleads Guilty to Unlawful Distribution of Controlled Substances and Health Care FraudRead the Press Release
A Tennessee woman pleaded guilty today to unlawfully distributing controlled substances and health care fraud.
According to court documents, Kelly McCallum, 41, of Dyersburg, was an advance practice registered nurse who operated Convenient Care Clinic and held a registration from the DEA, which allowed her to prescribe controlled substances. From January 2017 until early 2021, McCallum had sexual relationships with two patients for whom she was their medical provider. She was aware that another patient fatally overdosed after she prescribed them controlled substances but nevertheless continued to prescribe controlled substances outside the usual course of professional practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose. McCallum also billed Medicare and Medicaid for examinations and other services that she did not personally render, resulting in Medicare and Medicaid paying her approximately $16,234 for services she did not provide.
McCallum pleaded guilty to two counts of unlawful distribution of controlled substances and one count of health care fraud. She is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 3 and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on each controlled substance count, and a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on the health care fraud count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
In June 2021, the Tennessee Board of Nursing summarily suspended McCallum’s registered nurse license and advance practice registered nurse certificate and ordered her to cease and desist from practicing in the state of Tennessee.
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Kevin G. Ritz for the Western District of Tennessee, Special Agent in Charge Chris Ramage of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s Medicaid Fraud Control Division for West Tennessee, Special Agent in Charge Tamala Miles of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG), Acting Special Agent in Charge Douglas S. DePodesta of the FBI Memphis Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge J. Todd Scott of the DEA Louisville Division made the announcement.
The HHS-OIG, FBI, DEA, and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation are investigating the case.
Assistant Chief Jillian Willis and Trial Attorney Kathryn Furtado of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Christie Hopper for the Western District of Tennessee are prosecuting the case.
Since its inception in late 2018, the Appalachian Regional Prescription Opioid (ARPO) Strike Force has partnered with federal and state law enforcement agencies and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices throughout Appalachia to prosecute medical professionals and others involved in the illegal prescription and distribution of opioids. Over the past four years, ARPO has charged over 115 defendants, collectively responsible for issuing prescriptions for over 115 million controlled substance dosage units. As a result, to date, more than 70 defendants have been convicted. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.
Information about available treatment programs is available as follows:
Tennessee patients receiving care from this practice that wish to obtain information on how to find treatment for mental and substance use disorders, where to access naloxone and other harm reduction services, and information about crisis helplines can utilize these Tennessee resources:
- Search for substance use treatment facilities at www.findtreatment.gov/.
- Call 855-CRISIS-1 (855) 274-7471 or Text “TN” to 741-741, a crisis service and suicide prevention hotline.
- The Tennessee REDLINE is the 24/7/365 resource for substance abuse treatment referrals. Anyone can call or text (800) 889-9789 for confidential referrals.
- Naloxone Public Overdose Response Programs in Tennessee supply naloxone and may be found using this list.
Visit www.tn.gov/behavioral-health/substance-abuse-services/prevention/rops.html to see a locator map. Naloxone may also be found in your local pharmacy and billed to insurance and Medicaid.
In addition, those needing access to opioid treatment service can contact the Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration 24/7 National Helpline for referrals to treatment services at 1-800-662-4359.
Medications obtained illicitly are very dangerous as they are often not what they appear, and frequently contain contaminants and extremely potent substances such as fentanyl that greatly increase the risk of overdose and death.
Justice Department Seeks to Shut Down Nine Florida Tax PreparersRead the Press Release
The United States filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida seeking to bar nine Florida tax return preparers and their associated business from assisting in the preparing of federal income tax returns for others.
The complaint alleges that Richard Louis, Teddy Davis, James Merrill, Daniel Ouku, Demetrius Knowles, Harold Bornelus, Joseph Garrett, Marlyne Wah and Romeo Davis prepared and filed thousands of federal income tax returns for customers through or in connection with the unincorporated entity known as Taxman. According to the complaint, one scheme used by the defendants was to claim fraudulent Residential Energy Credits on their customers’ tax returns. Louis and Taxman also allegedly falsified and overstated business and itemized deductions on their customers’ tax returns and prepared tax returns for customers claiming the incorrect filing status. As alleged in the complaint, defendants’ pattern of preparing returns that understate their customers’ taxes or that overstate their customers’ refunds has resulted in defendants’ customers receiving refunds to which they are not entitled. As further alleged in the complaint, based on the returns it has examined, the IRS estimates that the United States has lost millions of dollars in tax revenue as a result of defendants’ actions.
Deputy Assistant Attorney General David A. Hubbert of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement.
Taxpayers seeking a return preparer should remain vigilant against unscrupulous tax preparers. The IRS offers tips on how to accurately file returns and how to choose a tax return preparer, as well as steps taxpayers can take to get a jumpstart on filing.
Taxpayers seeking assistance can access the IRS’s free directory of federal tax preparers. The IRS also has programs offering free basic return preparation for qualifying seniors and individuals with low to moderate income). In addition, IRS Free File, a public-private partnership, offers free online tax preparation and filing options on IRS partner websites for individuals whose adjusted gross income is under $72,000. For individuals whose income is over that threshold, IRS Free File offers electronical federal tax forms that can be filled out and filed online for free.
In the past decade, the Department of Justice Tax Division has obtained injunctions against hundreds of unscrupulous tax preparers. Information about these cases is available on the Justice Department’s website. An alphabetical listing of persons enjoined from preparing returns and promoting tax schemes can be found on this page. If you believe that one of the enjoined persons or businesses may be violating an injunction, please contact the Tax Division with details.
Minnesota Man Indicted for Mosque ArsonRead the Press Release
A Minnesota man was indicted on one count of arson and one count of damage to religious property, for setting fire to a mosque.
According to court documents, on April 23, at approximately 7:00 p.m., Jackie Rahm Little, 36, started a fire in the bathroom of the Masjid Omar Islamic Center. On April 24, just before 7:00 p.m., Little was captured on surveillance video entering the Masjid Al-Rahma. Shortly thereafter, a fire broke out on the third floor of the mosque, and the building was evacuated.
Little, who was arrested in Mankato on April 29, was arraigned Thursday morning in U.S. District Court before Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Cowan Wright. He was ordered to remain in detention pending further court proceedings.
The FBI, the ATF, the Minneapolis Police Department and the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case, with assistance from the Justice Department’s Civil Rights and National Security Divisions, the Blue Earth County Sheriff’s Office and the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney Andrew W. Lugar for the District of Minnesota made the announcement.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Manda M. Sertich for the District of Minnesota, Trial Attorney Justin Sher of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section and Special Litigation Counsel Samantha Trepel of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Justice Department Reaches Settlement in Suit to Block ASSA ABLOY’s Proposed Acquisition of Spectrum Brands’ Hardware and Home Improvement DivisionRead the Press Release
The Department of Justice announced today that it has reached a settlement in its litigation regarding ASSA ABLOY AB’s (ASSA ABLOY) proposed $4.3 billion acquisition of Spectrum Brand Holding Inc.’s Hardware and Home Improvement division. The proposed settlement requires ASSA ABLOY to divest assets as a condition of finalizing ASSA ABLOY’s transaction with Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc.
Under the terms of the proposed settlement, which is subject to court approval, ASSA ABLOY must divest assets to Fortune Brands Innovations, Inc. that are designed to allow Fortune to compete in the markets for premium mechanical door hardware and smart locks used in residential and multifamily buildings. These assets include ASSA ABLOY’s EMTEK and Schaub premium mechanical door hardware businesses, its Yale and August residential smart lock businesses in the United States and Canada, and other assets for multifamily smart lock applications in the United States and Canada. Additional terms of the settlement include: expanding Fortune’s intellectual property and commercialization rights in smart locks, inclusion of additional residential mechanical lock assets, the appointment of a monitoring trustee, a penalty provision for delayed transfer of a manufacturing facility, and the ability, under certain circumstances, for the Department to seek additional relief later if the divestiture fails to maintain the intensity of competition that existed before the merger for smart locks used for residential and multifamily buildings.
ASSA ABLOY AB is a publicly traded Swedish stock company headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. It sells its residential door hardware products in the United States under the August, EMTEK, and Yale brands.
Spectrum Brands Holdings Inc. is a publicly traded Delaware corporation headquartered in Middleton, Wisconsin. It sells its residential hardware products in the United States under the Baldwin and Kwikset brands.
Fortune Brands Innovation, Inc. is a publicly traded Delaware corporation headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois. It sells various products for the home under the Moen, Fiberon, and MasterLock brands, among others.
As required by the Tunney Act, the proposed settlement, along with a competitive impact statement, will be published in the Federal Register. Any person may submit written comments concerning the proposed settlement during a 60-day comment period to Chief, Defense, Industrials, and Aerospace Section, Antitrust Division, U.S. Department of Justice, 450 Fifth Street NW, Suite 8700, Washington, D.C. 20530. At the conclusion of the 60-day comment period, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia may enter the final judgment upon finding it is in the public interest.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
Justice Department Looks Back on First Year of Comprehensive Environmental Justice Enforcement Strategy and Office of Environmental JusticeRead the Press Release
Today marks the one-year anniversary of the Justice Department’s Comprehensive Environmental Justice Enforcement Strategy and Office of Environmental Justice. To mark the anniversary, the Department has issued a fact sheet highlighting its progress in its work advancing environmental justice.
“In the year since I announced the creation of the Justice Department’s first Office of Environmental Justice, the Department has taken important actions across the country to advance environmental justice for all Americans – including working to improve access to safe drinking water in Jackson, Mississippi; curbing harmful pollution in Louisiana’s ‘Cancer Alley’; and securing convictions for mismanagement of industrial waste in West Virginia,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “Although violations of our environmental laws can happen anywhere, communities of color, indigenous communities, and low-income communities often bear the brunt of the harm caused by environmental crime, pollution, and climate change. We will continue to seek justice for and protect communities that are disproportionately burdened by environmental harms.”
“Our accomplishments over the past year confirm that advancing environmental justice is core to the Justice Department’s mission,” said Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta. “All Americans, no matter where they live or work, deserve the protection of federal laws protecting clean air, clean water, worker safety, and quality of life.”
“I am proud of the progress we have made this year,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “I look forward to deepening our partnership with EPA and other federal agencies as we strive to bring relief to overburdened communities, and to ensure that every American has clean water to drink and clean air to breathe.”
“Black communities and other communities of color are far too often disproportionately impacted by unsafe drinking water, illegal dumping, and other environmental hazards and injustices,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Department’s Civil Rights Division. “As our recent agreement in Lowndes County makes clear, we are committed to using our federal civil rights laws to address environmental injustices that have plagued our most vulnerable communities for generations.”
“As we take this opportunity to reflect on the Department’s ongoing efforts to advance environmental justice, we know there is more work to do,” said Director Cynthia Ferguson of the Justice Department’s Office of Environmental Justice. “It is a privilege and an honor to engage with communities across America as we work towards a healthier, safer world for all.”
The May 5, 2022 Department press release announcing the Office of Environmental Justice and the Comprehensive Environmental Justice Enforcement Strategy may be found here. The Strategy may be found here.
Founder and Former CEO of Sustainable Fuel Company Charged in Multimillion-Dollar Embezzlement SchemeRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., returned an indictment yesterday charging the founder and former CEO of a sustainable fuel company with embezzling at least $5.9 million from the company.
According to court documents, Bryan Sherbacow, 54, of Charleston, South Carolina, and Washington, D.C., allegedly engaged in a scheme to defraud the company he founded by fraudulently transferring company funds to a personal bank account and making unauthorized personal expenditures from a company bank account. Sherbacow allegedly attempted to conceal his embezzlement by, among other things, emailing altered bank statements and other falsified financial records to a company accountant and members of the company’s board. Sherbacow allegedly used embezzled funds to pay for such personal items as a vintage Mercedes-Benz sports car, a Range Rover sport utility vehicle, a down payment on a condo, payments to an art auction operator, personal tax liens, personal credit card payments, rent payments on personal residences, payment to a beach club, and the installation of an audio-visual system at a personal residence.
Sherbacow is charged with three counts of wire fraud and two counts of engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity. If convicted, Sherbacow faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on the top counts of the indictment.
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Special Agent in Charge Wayne Jacobs of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division made the announcement.
The FBI Washington Field Office and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Charleston Resident Agency are investigating the case.
Trial Attorney Kyle Crawford of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section is prosecuting the case.
If you believe you are a victim in this case, please contact the Fraud Section’s Victim Witness Unit toll-free at (888) 549-3945 or by email at [email protected].
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
FACT SHEET: Justice Department Strengthens Efforts to Address the Crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous PersonsRead the Press Release
“The Justice Department is marshalling the full strength of its resources to confront the crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons, which has devastated the lives of victims, their families, and entire Tribal communities. Addressing this crisis requires a whole-of-government approach, and we are grateful for the partnership of Tribal and other law enforcement agencies across the nation that are working alongside the Justice Department to help reduce crime and support victims in American Indian and Alaska Native communities.”
– Attorney General Merrick B. Garland
“Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day calls on our nation to pause and honor the loved ones who have gone missing or who have been the victims of violent crime. Acknowledging the many American Indian and Alaska Native people who have suffered, and continue to suffer, from the pain of a missing loved one or of violent crime serves as an important reminder of the urgency and importance of the department’s work to respond to the crisis of missing or murdered indigenous persons. The Justice Department—including our dedicated agents, analysts, and prosecutors—remains steadfast in our pledge to work as partners with Tribal governments in preventing and responding to the violence that has disproportionately harmed Tribal communities.”
– Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco
“The Justice Department is committed to using every resource at its disposal to combat the Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons Crisis. In addition to our core law-enforcement work, we are providing grant funding and guidance to help Tribes develop response plans for missing-persons cases, partner effectively with local law enforcement, and provide resources for victims of crime.”
– Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta
The Justice Department joins its partners across the federal government, as well as people throughout American Indian and Alaska Native communities, in recognizing May 5 as National Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day. Responding to the unacceptable levels of violence that have led to the crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) is a priority of the Department of Justice every day.
The Department’s work to respond to the MMIP crisis is a whole-of-department effort that takes many forms. One year ago today, Deputy Attorney General Monaco joined Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland to launch the Not Invisible Act Commission, a joint Commission established by the Not Invisible Act with an essential mission — to reduce violence against American Indians and Alaska Natives. In February, they welcomed the first in-person plenary meeting of the Not Invisible Act Commission. Since then, the Department’s representatives on the commission — who are Department leaders and subject matter experts — have participated in the Commission’s field hearings, which will continue through the summer. Later this year, the Commission will deliver recommendations for addressing the MMIP crisis to the Attorney General and the Secretary. In addition to supporting the Not Invisible Act Commission, the Department remains steadfast in its commitment to addressing the MMIP crisis.
Department Prioritization of MMIP Cases
In July 2022, Deputy Attorney General Monaco issued a memorandum reiterating that it is a priority of the Department of Justice to address the disproportionately high rates of violence experienced by American Indians and Alaska Natives, and relatedly, the high rates of indigenous persons reported missing. The memorandum directed each U.S. Attorney with Indian country jurisdiction — along with their law enforcement partners at the Justice Department — to update and develop new plans for addressing public safety in Indian country.
Publication of Updated Attorney General Guidelines for Victim and Witness Assistance
In October 2022, Attorney General Garland issued revised Attorney General Guidelines for Victim and Witness Assistance. The revised guidelines, which was updated for the first time in a decade, address when and how Department employees work with victims and witnesses of crime to ensure that their voices are heard and that they are protected during criminal justice proceedings. For the first time the guidelines include cultural and linguistic considerations for victims from American Indian and Alaska Native communities.
National Native American Outreach Services Liaison
Last year, the Department announced the creation of a new National Native American Outreach Services Liaison. Since that announcement, the Liaison has begun to help amplify the voice of crime victims in Indian country and their families across the Department as they navigate the federal criminal justice system. In the coming months, the Liaison will meet with survivors and family members of MMIP to learn more about the current challenges in MMIP cases and to make recommendations about the Department’s continued response.
Federal Law Enforcement Strategy to Prevent and Respond to the MMIP Crisis
In July 2022, the Department of Justice and the Department of the Interior submitted a report pursuant to Sections 2 and 4(a) of Executive Order 14053, which called for “coordinated and comprehensive Federal law enforcement strategy to prevent and respond to violence against Native Americans, including to address missing or murdered indigenous people where the federal government has jurisdiction.” The report was published late last year and is available on the department website here.
Guide for Tribal Community Response Plans for Missing Persons Cases
In December 2022, the Department published a Guide to Developing a Tribal Community Response Plan for Missing Persons Cases. This Guide is a resource for Tribes interested in developing a plan to respond to missing person cases that is tailored to the specific needs, resources, and culture of Tribal communities.
Launch of the COPS Office Tribal MOU/MOA Resource Library
On Monday of this week, the Department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) published its Tribal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)/Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) Sample Resource Library. This library provides users with the resources to research and successfully draft agreements that will help agencies develop and solidify partnerships to address missing or murdered Indigenous persons cases.
Expanded Scope of the Tribal Victim Services Set-Aside Grant Program
The department’s Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) expanded the scope of allowable activities under its Tribal Victim Services Set-Aside (TVSSA) grant program to permit Tribal communities to pay for costs related to generating awareness of individual missing persons cases involving American Indians and Alaska Native persons, supporting private search efforts for missing American Indians and Alaska Native persons in certain circumstances, and supporting efforts to coordinate the Tribal, state, and federal response to MMIP cases.
Government-to-Government Tribal Consultation on Violence Against Women
In September 2022, the Department’s Office of Violence Against Women (OVW) held the 17th Annual OVW Government-to Government Tribal Consultation on Violence Against Women in Anchorage, Alaska. OVW is responsible for conducting annual government-to-government consultations with the leaders of all federally recognized Indian Tribal governments on behalf of the Attorney General. The 2022 Tribal consultation report is available here.
National Institute of Justice Study of MMIP Cases in New Mexico
Last year, the Department’s National Institute of Justice (NIJ) funded a study that will provide vital information regarding the prevalence and context of cases of MMIP in New Mexico and, importantly, will inform long-term data collection, analysis, and reporting strategies on MMIP cases. These improvements will support data-driven decision-making regarding MMIP in New Mexico moving forward.
Additional Department of Justice Resources
For additional information about the Department of Justice’s efforts to address the MMIP crisis, please visit the Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons section of the Tribal Safety and Justice website.
Click here for more information about reporting or identifying missing persons.
DEA Operation Last Mile Disrupts Fentanyl Trafficking Fueled by the Sinaloa and Jalisco CartelsRead the Press Release
The Drug Enforcement Administration announced today the results of a year-long national operation, “Operation Last Mile,” targeting the trafficking of fentanyl and methamphetamine within the United States driven by the Sinaloa and Jalisco Cartels.
“The results of this operation – over 3,000 arrests and the seizure of almost 44 million fentanyl pills – demonstrate the Justice Department’s unrelenting commitment to working with our state and local partners to keep fentanyl out of our communities and save American lives,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland.
“The Sinaloa and Jalisco Cartels use multi-city distribution networks, violent local street gangs, and individual dealers across the United States to flood American communities with fentanyl and methamphetamine, drive addiction, fuel violence, and kill Americans,” said DEA Administrator Milgram. “What is also alarming — American social media platforms are the means by which they do so. The Cartels use social media and encrypted platforms to run their operations and reach out to victims, and when their product kills Americans, they simply move on to try to victimize the millions of other Americans who are social media users.”
Operation Last Mile comprised 1,436 investigations conducted from May 1, 2022, through May 1, 2023, in collaboration with federal, state and local law enforcement partners, and resulted in 3,337 arrests and the seizure of nearly 44 million fentanyl pills, more than 6,500 pounds of fentanyl powder, more than 91,000 pounds of methamphetamine, 8,497 firearms, and more than $100 million. The fentanyl powder and pill seizures equate to nearly 193 million deadly doses of fentanyl removed from communities across the United States, which have prevented countless potential drug poisoning deaths.
Among these investigations, more than 1,100 cases involved social media applications and encrypted communications platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, Wire, and Wickr.
Warren County man sentenced to 12 years in prison for trafficking methamphetamineRead the Press Release
AUGUSTA, GA: A Warren County man was sentenced to federal prison after pleading guilty to trafficking methamphetamine into the Southern District.
Michael Shane Jenkins, 44, of Warrenton, Ga., was sentenced to 144 months in prison after pleading guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Judge Dudley H. Bowen also fined Jenkins $2,000 and ordered him to serve five years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
“Methamphetamine and other illegal and highly addictive drugs are a scourge to our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “With the help of our law enforcement partners, we will hold accountable those who bring these deadly substances into the Southern District of Georgia.”
As described in court documents and testimony, Jenkins came to the attention of the FBI in November 2021 when investigators learned that Jenkins was distributing methamphetamine in Warren and McDuffie counties, making frequent trips to the Atlanta area to resupply. In March 2022, Jenkins was arrested during a traffic stop while returning from one of those trips when Georgia State Patrol troopers found a quantity of methamphetamine in his vehicle that later tested at a high level or “ice” purity.
During a subsequent search of Jenkins’ residence, investigators found more methamphetamine, along with multiple firearms, ammunition, and high-capacity magazines.
“The FBI is dedicated to protecting the people of Georgia from the dangers of drug trafficking and the related crimes that result from it,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “This lengthy sentence demonstrates how seriously we take drug trafficking, and that we will do everything in our power to hold accountable those who are delivering dangerous drugs into our neighborhoods.”
The case was investigated by the FBI, with assistance from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Georgia State Patrol, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremiah L. Johnson.
Podiatrist Sentenced for Fraudulently Billing Medicare Nearly $2M Under False IdentityRead the Press Release
A Michigan podiatrist was sentenced today to seven years in prison for orchestrating a health care fraud conspiracy that resulted in almost $2 million in false and fraudulent claims being submitted to Medicare, as well as for falsifying records and identity theft.
According to court documents, Dr. Kenneth Mitchell, 61, of Wayne County, owned and operated a podiatry practice in Michigan specializing in on-site foot care provided to adult foster home residents. Mitchell had previously been suspended by Medicare for suspicious billing practices, banning him from receiving any Medicare funds while the suspension remained in place.
After his own Medicare suspension went into effect, Mitchell created a new entity called Urban Health Care Group PLLC (Urban). Mitchell then convinced another doctor – one who was not subject to suspension and therefore could bill Medicare – to enroll in the Medicare program and place her name on corporate and banking documents relating to Urban. Under this arrangement, Mitchell submitted bills to Medicare falsely stating that the other doctor provided the services to patients. Mitchell’s deception enabled him to bill Medicare through Urban for nearly $2 million in services that were false or fraudulent.
After Mitchell was indicted, Medicare suspended Urban’s billing privileges. Mitchell then created false statements, even going so far as to forge at least one signature on a fraudulent letter sent to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), to impede the government’s ongoing investigation and contradict the government’s case against him.
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Christian J. Schrank of the HHS Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG) made the announcement.
HHS-OIG investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Kathleen Cooperstein and Shankar Ramamurthy of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted the case.
The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, comprised of 15 strike forces operating in 25 federal districts, has charged more than 5,000 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $24 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at https://www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.
Justice Department Seeks to Shut Down Florida Tax Return PreparerRead the Press Release
The United States has filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida against Tyrone Johnson and TJ Professional Services, LLC. The civil complaint seeks to enjoin the defendants from preparing federal income tax returns for others. The complaint also requests that the court require Johnson and the business he controls to disgorge the fees they obtained by preparing federal tax returns that make grossly incompetent, negligent, reckless, and/or fraudulent claims.
The civil complaint alleges that since at least 2016, defendants prepared returns that claim fictitious businesses and fabricated business losses. As a result, the complaint alleges, defendants decreased the amount of taxable income reported to make it appear that their customers were entitled to a larger refund than they were in fact entitled to receive. The complaint further alleges that defendants do not identify themselves as paid preparers on their customer’s returns, but instead operate as “ghost preparers” that file returns using six-digit PINs affiliated with individual customers. According to the complaint, the defendants’ schemes have cost the Treasury millions of dollars in lost tax revenue.
Deputy Assistant Attorney General David A. Hubbert of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement.
Taxpayers seeking a return preparer should remain vigilant against unscrupulous tax preparers. The IRS offers tips on how to accurately file returns and how to choose a tax return preparer, as well as steps taxpayers can take to get a jumpstart on filing.
Taxpayers seeking assistance can access the IRS’s free directory of federal tax preparers. The IRS also has programs offering free basic return preparation for qualifying seniors and individuals with low to moderate income). In addition, IRS Free File, a public-private partnership, offers free online tax preparation and filing options on IRS partner websites for individuals whose adjusted gross income is under $72,000. For individuals whose income is over that threshold, IRS Free File offers electronical federal tax forms that can be filled out and filed online for free.
In the past decade, the Department of Justice Tax Division has obtained injunctions against hundreds of unscrupulous tax preparers. Information about these cases is available on the Justice Department’s website. An alphabetical listing of persons enjoined from preparing returns and promoting tax schemes can be found on this page. If you believe that one of the enjoined persons or businesses may be violating an injunction, please contact the Tax Division with details.
Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services Announce Interim Resolution Agreement in Environmental Justice Investigation of Alabama Department of Public HealthRead the Press Release
The Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services (HHS) announced today an interim resolution agreement in their environmental justice investigation into the Alabama Department of Public Health and the Lowndes County Health Department (collectively ADPH) in Lowndes County, Alabama. ADPH cooperated throughout the investigation and agreed to the interim resolution agreement that puts ADPH on a path forward towards ensuring the development of equitable and safe wastewater disposal and management systems in Lowndes County.
In November 2021, Justice Department and HHS launched an investigation into whether ADPH’s conduct violates Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI) and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (Section 1557). Title VI prohibits recipients of federal funds from discriminating on the basis of race, color or national origin in their federally funded programs and activities. Section 1557 provides that an individual shall not be excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of or subjected to discrimination under, any health program or activity, any part of which is receiving federal financial assistance, based on the grounds prohibited under Title VI.
The nearly eighteen-month investigation revealed areas of concern in ADPH’s operations and compliance with Title VI and Section 1557. Specifically, the investigation revealed that ADPH’s enforcement of sanitation laws threatened residents of Lowndes County with criminal penalties and even potential property loss for sanitation conditions they did not have the capacity to alleviate. The investigation also revealed that ADPH engaged in a consistent pattern of inaction and/or neglect concerning the health risks associated with raw sewage. The investigation revealed that despite ADPH’s awareness of the issues and the disproportionate burden and impact placed on Black residents in Lowndes County, it failed to take meaningful actions to remedy these conditions.
“Today starts a new chapter for Black residents of Lowndes County, Alabama, who have endured health dangers, indignities and racial injustice for far too long,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Our agreement puts Lowndes County on a path to long overdue reform as the state now takes steps necessary to provide access to basic sanitation services, end exposure to raw sewage and improve health outcomes for marginalized communities. This agreement marks the first environmental justice settlement ever secured by the Justice Department under our civil rights laws. Our work in Lowndes County should send a strong message regarding our firm commitment to advancing environmental justice, promoting accountability and confronting the array of barriers that deny Black communities and communities of color access to clean air, clean water and equitable infrastructure across our nation.”
“Environmental justice is a public health issue, and where you live should not determine whether you get sick from basic environmental hazards not faced in other affluent and white communities,” said Director Melanie Fontes Rainer of the HHS Office for Civil Rights. “We are pleased that Alabama’s Public Health Department has committed to take immediate and long-term steps to protect the health of Lowndes County residents. This community has long been at the heart of the civil rights struggle, and today’s resolution is yet another testament to the ongoing work that is the pursuit of racial justice.”
“This agreement creates a path towards sustainable sanitation solutions,” U.S Attorney Sandra J. Stewart for the Middle District of Alabama. “The measures required in the agreement will improve public health and the environment for the residents of Lowndes County. My office is proud to support the community and the parties in reaching these important goals.”
Under the agreement, ADPH has agreed to take a number of actions to address public health in Lowndes County including:
- Suspending Criminal Penalties and Liens: ADPH will suspend enforcement of sanitation laws that could result in criminal charges, fines, jail time and potential property loss for residents in Lowndes County who lack the means to purchase functioning septic systems. ADPH will ensure that Lowndes County residents are informed about the suspension of the criminal penalties and liens.
- Examining Public Health Risks within Lowndes County: ADPH will coordinate with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to measure the level of health risks different populations experience from raw sewage exposure. ADPH agrees to work collaboratively with the CDC and adopt any public health recommendations provided by the CDC.
- Launching a Public Health Awareness Campaign: ADPH will develop a public health awareness campaign using radio, print ads, flyers, mailers, door-to-door outreach and other appropriate ways to ensure residents receive critical health and safety information related to raw sewage exposure.
- Providing Public Health Educational Materials for Lowndes County Health Care Providers: ADPH will create or supplement education materials for health care providers for Lowndes County residents, including school-based health centers and community-based organizations, to provide more information on symptoms and illness related to raw sewage exposure.
- Conducting Assessment to Determine Appropriate Septic and Wastewater Management Systems: ADPH will conduct a comprehensive assessment to determine the appropriate septic and wastewater management systems for homes within Lowndes County and use that information to prioritize properties to receive systems based on risk of exposure to raw sewage. ADPH cannot use this information for criminal penalties or liens.
- Creating a Sustainable and Equitable Public Health and Infrastructure Improvement Plan: Within one year, ADPH will create a plan to improve access to adequate sanitation systems and address public health risks associated with raw sewage exposure.
- Consistently Engaging with the Community: In carrying out each aspect of the interim resolution agreement, ADPH will consistently engage with community residents, local government officials, experts in wastewater, infrastructure, soil and engineering and environmental justice advocates. ADPH must also engage with community stakeholders on at least a quarterly basis regarding its progress in creating and implementing the final Public Health and Infrastructure Improvement Plan.
As a result of ADPH’s decision to enter into this interim voluntary resolution agreement, the departments have agreed to suspend their investigation. Under Title VI, the Justice Department is required to informally resolve an investigation that indicates noncompliance. If ADPH does not comply with the agreement, the departments will reopen their investigation.
Addressing discriminatory environmental and health impacts through enforcement of the nation’s civil rights laws is a top priority of both the Justice Department and HHS. Today’s announcement comes one day prior to the one-year anniversary of the Justice Department’s launch of its Office on Environmental Justice and its Comprehensive Environmental Justice Enforcement Strategy.
The Civil Rights Division’s Federal Coordination and Compliance Section and the HHS Office for Civil Rights conducted this investigation jointly with the support of the U.S. Attorney’s office in the Middle District of Alabama.
Individuals who believe their civil rights have been violated can file a complaint with the Civil Rights Division at www.civilrights.justice.gov/report/. Additional information about the Office for Civil Rights is available on its website at www.hhs.gov/ocr. If you believe that you have been discriminated against in programs or activities that HHS directly operates or to which HHS provides federal financial assistance, you may file a complaint for yourself or someone else at: www.hhs.gov/civil-rights/filing-a-complaint/index.html.
Colorado Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Hate Crime for Church ArsonRead the Press Release
A Colorado man pleaded guilty today to a hate crime charge in connection with a fire he set to a church in Loveland, Colorado.
According to court documents and admissions during the plea hearing, Darion Ray Sexton, 22, intentionally set fire to the church in the evening hours of Jan. 19. Sexton admitted that he set this fire by throwing two Molotov cocktails at the church – one at the front door and the other at the basement. Sexton further admitted that he was motivated to set this fire due to the religious character of the church and that he intended to destroy the church.
“Protecting religious freedom and observance is a top priority for the Department of Justice,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “We will continue to vigorously prosecute those who attack houses of worship and target religious communities.”
“We all have a right to feel safe and secure in our houses of worship – no matter our religion or belief,” said U.S. Attorney Cole Finegan for the District of Colorado. “An act of violence in one of our sacred places is especially serious, and we will work with our law enforcement partners to vigorously prosecute all such offenses.”
“The FBI treats hate crimes as the highest priority of our civil rights program because everyone deserves to feel safe to exercise their religion without fear of violence from others,” said Special Agent in Charge Mark Michalek of the FBI Denver Field Office. “FBI Denver is committed to protecting those rights, and we will continue to aggressively work with our law enforcement partners to bring justice to all communities that have been targeted.”
The sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 21. Sexton faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The FBI, ATF and the Loveland Police and Fire Departments investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan D. Fields for the District of Colorado and Trial Attorney Maura White of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section are prosecuting the case.
Network of Transnational Fraudsters Indicted for Racketeering in Scheme to Steal Millions from American Consumers’ Bank AccountsRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury in Los Angeles has returned an indictment charging 14 defendants for their participation in a years-long scheme to steal millions of dollars from American consumers’ bank accounts, the Justice Department announced today.
According to court documents, Edward Courdy, 73, of Hawaiian Gardens, California; Linden Fellerman, 67, of Las Vegas; Guy Benoit, 68, of Cyprus; Steven Kennedy, 54, of Canada; Sayyid Quadri, of Canada; Ahmad Shoaib, 63, of Canada; John Beebe, 52, of Honolulu; Michael Young, 41, of Hollywood, Florida; Lance Johnson, 52, of Laveen, Arizona; Jenny Sullivan, 46, of Denver; Veronica Crosswell, 35, of Long Beach, California; Eric Bauer, 65, of Huntington Beach, California; Randy Grabeel, 71, of Pittsburg, California; and Debra Vogel, 68, of Las Vegas, were members and associates of a racketeering enterprise that unlawfully debited money from the bank accounts of unknowing U.S. consumer-victims.
Through various members and associates, the enterprise obtained identifying and banking information for victims, and created shell entities that claimed to offer products or services, such as cloud storage. The enterprise then executed unauthorized debits against victims’ bank accounts, which it falsely represented to banks were authorized by the victims. Some of the unauthorized debits resulted in returned transactions, which generated high return rates. To both conceal and continue conducting unauthorized debits, the enterprise’s shell entities also generated “micro debits” against other bank accounts controlled and funded by or for the enterprise. The micro debits artificially lowered shell entities’ return rates to levels that conspirators believed would reduce bank scrutiny and lessen potential negative impact on the enterprise’s banking relations.
Co-conspirator Harold Sobel was previously convicted for his role in the scheme in Las Vegas federal court and sentenced to 42 months in prison. In a related civil case also filed in Los Angeles federal court, injunctive relief and settlements totaling nearly $5 million were obtained against various persons, including several who are charged in this criminal indictment.
“The scheme alleged in the indictment involved an elaborate plot to reach into consumers’ bank accounts and steal their hard-earned savings,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The Department of Justice will use all of the tools at its disposal to prosecute such schemes.”
“This sophisticated scheme allegedly generated millions of dollars in revenue by stealing consumers’ personal information and then using that information to fraudulently reach straight into the bank accounts of thousands of Americans,” said U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada for the Central District of California. “The indictment alleges that an international network of fraudsters engaged in a wide-ranging ring which sought to victimize consumers while concealing their activities from banks and law enforcement authorities. Thanks to law enforcement, the defendants’ alleged efforts to continue this scheme have failed.”
“The U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) is committed to protecting the U.S. Postal Service and its customers, the American people,” said Inspector in Charge Eric Shen of the USPIS Criminal Investigations Group. “This case is illustrative of our efforts to protect American consumers from a sophisticated fraud scheme that cost American consumers millions of dollars. Postal Inspectors are proud to partner with the Department of Justice to put a stop to these types of schemes.”
Courdy, Fellerman, Benoit, Kennedy, Quadri, Shoaib, Beebe, Young, Johnson, Sullivan, Crosswell, and Bauer are charged with racketeering conspiracy and wire fraud; Grabeel and Vogel are charged with racketeering conspiracy. Some defendants made their initial court appearances yesterday. If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for racketeering conspiracy and, if applicable, 30 years in prison for each count of wire fraud. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The department urges individuals to be on the lookout for unauthorized debits to their accounts. Regularly check your bank, credit card, and other financial statements and contact your financial institution if you see a charge you do not recognize. Report any fraudulent debit you identify to law enforcement. Reports may be filed with the FTC at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov or at 877-FTC-HELP.
The USPIS is investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Wei Xiang, Meredith Healy, and Amy Kaplan of the Justice Department’s Consumer Protection Branch and Assistant U.S. Attorney Monica Tait for the Central District of California are prosecuting the case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas provided substantial assistance.
The Consumer Protection Branch, in conjunction with the USPIS, is pursing wrongdoers who disguise the unlawful nature of business activities by, among other methods, artificially lowering financial account return rates. These tactics are designed to deceive banks, resulting in bank accounts remaining open and facilitating fraud schemes and other illegal activities, including schemes that debit consumers’ bank accounts without authorization, tech support scams, and subscription traps.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Justice Department’s Office on Violence Against Women Publishes Regulation Governing Special Tribal Criminal Jurisdiction Reimbursement ProgramRead the Press Release
The Justice Department’s Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) published a regulation governing the Special Tribal Criminal Jurisdiction (STCJ) Reimbursement Program, a new program authorized under the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act of 2022 (VAWA 2022) to reimburse Tribal governments for expenses incurred in exercising STCJ over non-Native individuals who commit certain covered crimes on Tribal lands. VAWA 2013 included a historic provision recognizing Tribes’ authority to exercise STCJ over non-Indian offenders who committed domestic violence or dating violence or violated certain protection orders in Indian country. Last year’s VAWA reauthorization built on the success of VAWA 2013 by expanding the covered crimes under STCJ, enabling Tribes to hold accountable non-Native perpetrators of sexual violence, sex trafficking, stalking, child violence, assault of Tribal justice personnel and obstruction of justice.
“Tribes know best what their communities need, so I encourage tribal leaders, community members, and survivors to review this regulation for the Tribal Jurisdiction Reimbursement Program – it is critical that programs serving Tribal communities are informed by tribal voices,” said OVW Acting Director Allison Randall. “We are dedicated to removing barriers to access, and it is a victory that VAWA 2022 allows us to continue the Tribal Jurisdiction Program as well as reimburse expenses incurred as a result of implementation.”
OVW published the regulation on April 11. The regulation is available at Regulations.gov and the public is able to review the rule and submit comments no later than June 12. This regulation is an interim final rule, which means that it takes effect on the day of publication. OVW will take into consideration the comments received during the 60-day comment period as well as Tribes’ reaction to the implementation of the first year of the program before issuing a final rule.
Federally recognized Tribes that exercise STCJ are eligible for reimbursement funding under the STCJ Reimbursement Program. For Fiscal Year 2023, the combined appropriation for this program and the STCJ Grant Program is $11 million. Of that amount, OVW may allocate up to $4.4 million for the STCJ Reimbursement Program. Through this program, and as outlined in the interim final rule, Tribes may receive reimbursement for costs that are associated with exercising STCJ, such as law enforcement expenses, incarceration expenses, offender medical and dental expenses not otherwise covered by insurance, prosecution expenses, and defense counsel expenses. During the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2024, OVW plans to post a Notice of Reimbursement Opportunity on justice.gov/ovw with instructions on how to apply for the maximum allowable reimbursement. Later in calendar year 2024, OVW plans to provide instructions on how to apply for waivers of the annual maximum.
OVW administers grant programs designed to develop the nation’s capacity to reduce sexual assault, domestic and dating violence, and stalking, and tribal entities are generally eligible to apply for any OVW grant program where a comparable non-Tribal entity is eligible. OVW’s Tribal Affairs Division manages grant programs that are specifically targeted to Native American populations and tribes including the aforementioned STCJ Grant Program, Tribal Governments Program, Tribal Coalitions Program and Tribal Sexual Assault Services Program.
Recently, OVW announced that the 18th Annual Government-to-Government Violence Against Women Tribal Consultation will be held Aug. 8-10, 2023, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to solicit recommendations from Tribal leaders on: administering Tribal funds and programs; enhancing the safety of Indian women from domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, homicide, stalking, and sex trafficking; strengthening the federal response to such crimes; and improving access to local, regional, state, and federal crime information databases and criminal justice information systems. Additional information is available at www.ovwconsultation.org. A report of proceedings from last year’s consultation is available on OVW’s website.
Justice Department Resolves Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Against Massachusetts LandlordRead the Press Release
The Justice Department announced today that it has secured a $450,000 settlement resolving allegations that Salazar Dos Santos, a Chicopee, Massachusetts, landlord, violated the Fair Housing Act by sexually harassing female tenants for at least 11 years. The settlement also resolves claims against the Trusts of Salazar Dos Santos and America Dos Santos, which held the properties where the harassment occurred.
The Justice Department’s lawsuit, filed in 2019, alleged that from at least 2008, Dos Santos subjected multiple female tenants to unwelcome sexual contact, which included coercing them to engage in sex acts, physically sexually assaulting them, exposing himself and locking them in his office to sexually assault them. The lawsuit asserted that Dos Santos implicitly offered to provide relief from rental payment obligations in exchange for engaging in sexual acts with him and threatened tenants who resisted or objected to his unwelcome sexual harassment. It is further alleged that some victims were sexually harassed dozens of times for months (one tenant on more than 40 occasions), and that Dos Santos evicted some tenants after they refused his advances.
“Coercing tenants to engage in sex acts and retaliating against those who resist are among the most egregious forms of sexual harassment that we see today,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department remains committed to combating sexual harassment in housing, and securing relief for those whose lives have been upended by such dehumanizing and unlawful conduct.”
“Sexual harassment and the conduct alleged here is repugnant and completely unacceptable. Stable and safe housing is fundamental for positive outcomes in life. Insidiously, sexual harassment and violations in the context of housing often target vulnerable tenants who fear eviction and homelessness,” said U.S. Attorney Rachael S. Rollins for the District of Massachusetts. “Although not present in this case, there are also times that immigration status is the manipulation utilized to target and victimize vulnerable tenants. Under the Fair Housing Act, the federal government has the authority to investigate and hold to account predatory landlords and property managers who engage in this despicable conduct. The District of Massachusetts is committed to actively and aggressively investigating these types of cases. Last, but certainly not least, I want to commend the brave women who came forward in this matter.”
Under the proposed consent decree agreed upon by all parties, subject to approval by the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, the defendants are required to pay a total of $425,000 to compensate individuals harmed by the harassment and a $25,000 civil penalty. The consent decree also bars future discrimination and retaliation, requires that property management responsibilities be turned over to an independent manager, mandates the implementation of a sexual harassment policy, complaint procedure, and Fair Housing Act training and requires detailed reporting regarding property management activities and compliance with the terms of the consent decree. The consent decree permanently bars Dos Santos from participating in any property management responsibilities at any residential rental property.
The Justice Department’s Sexual Harassment in Housing Initiative is led by the Civil Rights Division, in coordination with U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the country. The goal of the department’s initiative is to address and raise awareness about sexual harassment by landlords, property managers, maintenance workers, loan officers or other people who have control over housing. Since launching the initiative in October 2017, the department has filed 30 lawsuits alleging sexual harassment in housing and recovered over $10 million for victims of such harassment.
The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division enforces the Fair Housing Act, which prohibits discrimination in housing based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability and familial status. The Civil Rights Division is committed to protecting people from sexual misconduct. More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at justice.gov/crt. Individuals may report sexual harassment or other forms of housing discrimination by calling the Justice Department’s Housing Discrimination Tip Line at 1-833-591-0291, or submitting a report online. Individuals may also report such discrimination by contacting HUD at 1-800-669-9777 or by filing a complaint online.
Former Alabama Deputy Sheriff Pleads Guilty to Sexually Assaulting Woman in His CustodyRead the Press Release
A former deputy sheriff with the Dallas County, Alabama, Sheriff’s Office pleaded guilty today in the Southern District of Alabama for sexually assaulting a woman while he was on duty.
According to the superseding information and plea documents, on Jan. 30, 2020, Joshua Davidson, 32, while on duty as a Dallas County Deputy Sheriff, placed the victim in custody and drove her down a dark road to a desolate location where the victim performed oral sex on him against her will. The victim, who reported the assault immediately, was in fear that Davidson would shoot her if she did not cooperate.
“Law enforcement officials who sexually assault women and those in their custody will and must be held accountable,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department will continue to take allegations of sexual assault seriously, and vigorously prosecute those who violate the civil rights of people in their custody and prey on vulnerable victims.”
“The people of Dallas County and the Southern District of Alabama deserve better than to have their rights violated by someone sworn to protect them,” said U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello for the Southern District of Alabama. “Working with our federal, state and local partners, we will continue to bring to justice law enforcement officers who become criminals themselves.”
“All law enforcement personnel who take an oath to protect and serve the American people must be held to a higher standard,” said Special Agent in Charge Paul Brown of the FBI Mobile Field Office. “FBI Mobile remains committed to holding those who do not meet this standard accountable for their actions, especially those who wear the badge.”
Sentencing is set for Aug. 25.
The FBI Mobile Field Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Arrington for the Southern District of Alabama and Trial Attorneys Maura White and MarLa Duncan of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section are prosecuting the case.
New Jersey Accountant Pleads Guilty to Tax Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
A New Jersey certified public accountant (“CPA”) pleaded guilty today to conspiring to defraud the United States by promoting fraudulent tax shelters to high-income clients.
According to court documents and statements made in court, James H. Benkoil of Avon-by-the-Sea, New Jersey, promoted fraudulent syndicated conservation easements in which several investors form a partnership or company to purchase or invest in land, then donate the property for a charitable deduction. The scheme facilitated false claims of inflated charitable contribution tax deductions in connection with the “donation” of the conservation easement over land, allowing Benkoil’s high-income clients to buy deductions to illegally shelter their income from taxation.
Between 2009 and 2020, while working as a CPA, Benkoil and others, promoted such fraudulent syndicated conservation easement tax shelters by obtaining falsely inflated land appraisals to achieve the desired amount of tax deductions. As a part of his guilty plea, Benkoil admitted his conduct resulted in a tax loss to the IRS of nearly $2.5 million and has agreed to pay full restitution.
Benkoil faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, as well as a period of supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement.
IRS-Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Christopher Magnani and Richard Rolwing of the Justice Department’s Tax Division are prosecuting the case.
Former Mississippi Tax Return Preparer Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Defraud the United StatesRead the Press Release
A former Mississippi tax preparer pleaded guilty today to conspiring to defraud the United States by preparing false tax returns.
According to court documents and statements made in court, from 2015 through 2017, John Wells, Jr. worked at Sunbelt Tax Services, a return preparation business with a primary office located in Jackson, Mississippi. Wells conspired with others at Sunbelt Tax Services to claim fraudulently inflated tax refunds for clients by reporting false education credits, itemized deductions, and business profits or losses.
Wells is scheduled to be sentenced on September 20, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart Goldberg of the Justice Department's Tax Division made the announcement.
Trial Attorneys Casey Smith, Patrick Elwell, and Mary Frances Richardson of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Bert Carraway of the Southern District of Mississippi are prosecuting the case.
Guam Drug Trafficker Sentenced to 78 Months in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Hagatña, Guam – SHAWN N. ANDERSON, United States Attorney for the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, announced that defendant Vhavna Kumari Damai, age 29, from Dededo, Guam, was sentenced to 78 months imprisonment by the District Court of Guam. Damai was convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute Fifty or More Grams of Methamphetamine Hydrochloride, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 846 and 841(a)(1). The Court also ordered three years of supervised release, in addition to the forfeiture of $32,531.00 and a 2013 Infiniti G37 coupe. Defendants convicted of a federal drug offense may no longer qualify for certain federal benefits.
Between January 1, 2019, and July 5, 2020, the Damai conspired with others to purchase and distribute 839 grams of methamphetamine in Guam. She was found with the drugs, in addition to morphine tablets, following a vehicle crash in Mangilao on July 5, 2020. Agents later executed search warrants on Damai’s residence and car. At the residence, investigators found scales and a drug ledger, indicating quantities sold by and money owed to Damai. Her car was seized as proceeds of illegal drug distribution. The DEA Southwest Laboratory later determined that the methamphetamine was 100% pure.
“As this case demonstrates, drug traffickers face substantial time in prison and the loss of any property used in their illicit trade,” stated United States Attorney Anderson. “I applaud the efforts of DEA in pursuing this investigation following the report by GPD. Working together, our law enforcement partners make Guam a safer place to live.”
This investigation was conducted by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration and Guam Police Department. The matter was prosecuted by Rosetta L. San Nicolas, Assistant United States Attorney in the District of Guam.
Drug Trafficker Sentenced to 57 Months in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Hagatña, Guam – SHAWN N. ANDERSON, United States Attorney for the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, announced that defendant Matthew J.V. Salas, age 29, from Agana Heights, Guam, was sentenced to 57 months imprisonment by the District Court of Guam. Salas was convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute Fifty or More Grams of Methamphetamine Hydrochloride, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 846 and 841(a)(1). The Court also ordered three years of supervised release and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee. In addition, defendants convicted of a federal drug offense may no longer qualify for certain federal benefits.
On May 17, 2022, a United States Postal Service package was intercepted by law enforcement. The package contained 112 grams of methamphetamine with a purity of 99 percent. Salas claimed the package at the Barrigada Post Office two days later. Following his arrest, he admitted receiving drug packages mailed to him from Arizona for further distribution in Guam. He received two other packages, each containing about two ounces of methamphetamine, the previous month. Salas re-packaged the drugs into 10-gram and 5-gram bags for further distribution.
“The Postal Inspection Service and Guam law enforcement agencies continue to target drug traffickers who use the mail system in furtherance of illegal activity,” stated United States Attorney Anderson. “Their frequent seizures of methamphetamine demonstrate that this conduct does not go undetected. Those associated with this activity will be held accountable.”
“This sentence is a statement that Postal Inspectors will not allow the U.S. Mail to be used to distribute harmful narcotics in our communities in Guam or anywhere else. I would like to thank the Guam Customs and Quarantine Agency, and the Guam Police Department for their tireless work to keep dangerous substances out of the mail and out of the community,” said U.S. Postal Inspection Service San Francisco Division Inspector in Charge Rafael Nuñez.
This was a multi-agency investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration Los Angeles Field Division – Guam Resident Office, United States Postal Inspection Service, and Guam Customs and Quarantine Agency. The case was prosecuted by Marivic P. David, Assistant United States Attorney in the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.
CNMI Inmate Sentenced to 27 Months in Federal Prison for Assaulting Corrections Officer and Possessing ContrabandRead the Press Release
Saipan, MP – SHAWN N. ANDERSON, United States Attorney for the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, announced that defendant Derik Jonathan Camacho Reyes, age 41, from Saipan, was sentenced to 27 months imprisonment by the District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands. Reyes was convicted of Assault on a Federal Officer or Employee, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 111(b), and Possessing Contraband in Prison, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1791(a)(2). The Court ordered three years of supervised release, 100 hours of community service, and a mandatory $200 special assessment fee. This federal sentence will run consecutive to the sentence Reyes is currently serving by prior order of the Superior Court for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI).
On February 15, 2022, Reyes was an inmate at the CNMI Department of Corrections in Susupe Village on Saipan. He was held in a maximum-security section with 22 other inmates, including three federal inmates. CNMI corrections officers attempted to seize a drug pipe from Reyes after observing suspicious behavior in his cell. Reyes resisted and attempted to flush the pipe and a small baggie containing methamphetamine down a toilet. During the struggle, one of the officers hit his head on the corner of Reyes’s cell doorway. The officer was treated at a local hospital for a contusion on his head, and minor chemical burns on his hand from methamphetamine and contaminant residue.
Given there is no federal detention facility in the CNMI, the United States Marshals Service contracts with the CNMI for federal prisoners to be housed at the CNMI jail. As a result, CNMI corrections officers perform a federal function and serve in the capacity of federal employees when the corrections officers care for federal inmates.
“Acts of violence toward detention facility employees will not be tolerated,” stated United States Attorney Anderson. “The Court’s sentencing order is a strong measure of accountability. We will continue to pursue cases that improve the safety of these facilities.”
This investigation was led by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration in partnership with the CNMI Department of Corrections, and prosecuted by Albert S. Flores, Jr., Assistant United States Attorney in the District of the Northern Mariana Islands.
Wisconsin Owner of Consulting Firm Pleads Guilty to Tax SchemeRead the Press Release
A Wisconsin businessman who helped secure international business deals for his clients pleaded guilty today to willfully filing a false tax return.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Qasim Khan of Milwaukee owned and operated Global Focus Partners LLC, a consulting business through which he successfully brokered contracts between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and other businesses located in the United States and abroad. For 2015 to 2017, Khan reported his income from U.S.-based businesses, but did not report over $350,000 in payments received from foreign companies in the United Kingdom and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In total, Khan’s multi-year scheme to omit foreign-source income from his tax returns caused a tax loss to the IRS of approximately $127,306.
Khan is scheduled to be sentenced on August 15, 2023, and faces a maximum sentence of three years in prison. He also faces a period of supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement.
IRS-Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Assistant Chief Matthew J. Kluge and Trial Attorney Amanda R. Scott of the Justice Department’s Tax Division are prosecuting the case.
Three Nigerian Nationals Extradited from the United Kingdom and Spain to Face Fraud ChargesRead the Press Release
Three Nigerian nationals were extradited to the Southern District of Florida to face federal charges related to allegations that they operated an international fraud scheme. Kennedy Ikponmwosa was extradited from Spain and made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Edwin G. Torres on April 18. Iheanyichukwu Jonathan Abraham and Jerry Chucks Ozor were extradited from the United Kingdom today and will make their initial appearances before U.S. Magistrate Judge Eduardo I. Sanchez on Monday, May 1, in Miami.
Ikponmwosa, 51, Ezennia Peter Neboh, 48, and Prince Amos Okey Ezemma, 49, of Madrid, Spain; and Abraham, 44, Ozor, 43, and Emmanuel Samuel, 39, of London, UK, face federal charges in Miami, Florida. Neboh, Ikponmwosa, Abraham, Samuel, and Ozor were arrested in April 2022 by authorities in Madrid and London, based on an indictment filed in the Southern District of Florida, and have remained incarcerated since then. Samuel pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit mail fraud and wire fraud on March 27.
According to court documents, the defendants are charged with operating an inheritance fraud scheme. Over the course of more than five years, they allegedly sent personalized letters to elderly consumers in the United States, falsely claiming that the sender was a representative of a bank in Spain and that the recipient was entitled to receive a multimillion-dollar inheritance left for the recipient by a family member who purportedly had died years before in Spain. Victims were told that, before they could receive their purported inheritance, they were required to send money for delivery fees, taxes, and payments to avoid questioning from government authorities. Victims sent money to the defendants through a complex web of U.S.-based former victims, whom the defendants convinced to serve as money mules. According to the indictment, victims who sent money never received their purported inheritance funds.
“The Department of Justice’s Consumer Protection Branch will pursue and prosecute transnational criminals who defraud U.S. consumers, wherever they are located. I thank the Kingdom of Spain and the UK for their tireless efforts in assisting U.S. authorities to find and arrest these individuals so that they may face charges here in the United States,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The Justice Department and U.S. law enforcement will continue to work closely with law enforcement partners across the globe to bring to justice criminals who attempt to defraud U.S. victims from outside the United States.”
“The U.S. Postal Inspection Service constantly strives to protect our communities from predatory criminals seeking to abuse and exploit the most vulnerable members of our society,” said Postal Inspector in Charge Juan A. Vargas of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) Miami Division. “This case is an example of how Postal Inspectors will vigorously pursue fraudsters and ensure that they are brought to justice for the crimes they have committed.”
“These extraditions prove that by pulling law enforcement agencies together, we can best focus on investigating individuals and illicit criminal organizations associated with foreign-based fraud schemes that disproportionately affect vulnerable seniors,” Special Agent in Charge Scott Brown of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). “I want to thank everyone involved in this investigation and in the extradition process for their dedication; together we have the tools to keep our elderly from falling prey to these scams.”
The defendants are all charged with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, as well as mail fraud and wire fraud. Neboh and Samuel were both extradited earlier this year. If convicted, Ikponmwosa, Abraham, and Ozor each face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison per count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The Consumer Protection Branch, USPIS, and HSI are investigating the case.
Senior Trial Attorney Phil Toomajian and Trial Attorneys Josh Rothman and Brianna Gardner of the Justice Department’s Consumer Protection Branch are prosecuting the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, Europol, and authorities from the UK, Spain, and Portugal provided critical assistance.
The department urges individuals to be on the lookout for these types of schemes. An inheritance scam is a form of an imposter scam in which fraudsters pretend to be someone they are not, often a lawyer, banker, or foreign official. These fraudsters will try to get people excited about a large windfall and may use legitimate-looking legal documents as part of the scam. Be wary of unexpected contact from individuals offering a large inheritance. Do not send money or provide information to anyone you do not know. Seek advice from a trusted individual or an independent professional if you are in doubt.
If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has experienced financial fraud, experienced professionals are standing by at the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). This Department of Justice hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, can provide personalized support to callers by assessing the needs of the victim and identifying relevant next steps. Case managers will identify appropriate reporting agencies, provide information to callers to assist them in reporting, connect callers directly with appropriate agencies, and provide resources and referrals, on a case-by-case basis. Reporting is the first step. Reporting can help authorities identify those who commit fraud and reporting certain financial losses due to fraud as soon as possible can increase the likelihood of recovering losses. The hotline is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET. English, Spanish and other languages are available.
More information about the Department’s efforts to help American seniors is available at its Elder Justice Initiative webpage. https://www.justice.gov/elderjustice. For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts, visit its website at https://www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. Elder fraud complaints may be filed with the FTC at www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov or at 877-FTC-HELP. The Department of Justice provides a variety of resources relating to elder fraud victimization through its Office for Victims of Crime, which can be reached at https://www.ovc.gov.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Tennessee Corrections Officer Convicted of Obstructing Investigation into Allegations of Sexual Misconduct with an InmateRead the Press Release
A Tennessee man was found guilty yesterday of obstructing an investigation into allegations that he sexually abused an inmate in his custody.
James Stewart Justice, 32, of Columbia, a corrections officer with the Maury County Jail, was convicted of one count of falsification of records. According to evidence introduced at trial, the defendant, formerly known as James Stewart Thomas, wrote an official report for the jail in response to allegations that he had violated the Prison Rape Elimination Act. In his report, the defendant 1) falsely claimed that he had reported to two Maury County Jail supervisors that an inmate had made sexual advances toward him while the inmate was in his custody at a hospital; 2) falsely claimed that those two Maury County Jail supervisors both advised him not to write a report about those alleged sexual advances by the inmate; and 3) omitted that he had a sexual relationship with the inmate after the inmate’s release from the custody of the Maury County Jail.
“The defendant pledged to protect and serve but instead he abused his authority as a corrections officer to try to cover up sexual misconduct at the county jail,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This verdict sends a clear message that the Justice Department will hold accountable any official who obstructs a federal civil rights investigation.”
“Today’s verdict ensures that James Justice will be held accountable for his actions. As importantly, it ensures that he will no longer be entrusted to serve as a law enforcement officer,” said U.S Attorney Henry C. Leventis for the Middle District of Tennessee. “I commend our trial team and partners at the FBI for an excellent job of investigating and presenting this case to the jury.”
“When a correctional officer abuses his authority, it undermines the respect and reputation of all law enforcement officers," said Special Agent in Charge Douglas DePodesta of the FBI Memphis Field Office. "The FBI will vigorously investigate and bring to justice any official who violates the constitution and the trust of the people."
Justice faces maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Sentencing has been scheduled for Sept. 18.
The FBI investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Klopf for the Middle District of Tennessee and Trial Attorney Kyle Boynton of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section are prosecuting the case.
San Diego Man Sentenced to Prison for Tax Evasion, Fraud and Failing to Appear for his 2001 Sentencing HearingRead the Press Release
A California man was sentenced to 63 months in prison today for criminal conduct spanning three decades, consisting of failing to appear for sentencing, conspiracy to defraud the IRS, evading the proper assessment of income tax and wire fraud.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Robin J. McPherson, formerly of San Diego and who was apprehended in Costa Rica and returned to the United States last year, failed to appear for his sentencing in March 2001 following a December 2000 bench trial convicting him and two co-defendants of conspiring to defraud the IRS and collectively evading over $1 million in income taxes for 1993 and 1994.
McPherson also engaged in additional criminal conduct. In 1999 and 2000, he earned income from individuals whom he and a codefendant induced into investing in an internet shopping mall and attempted to evade taxes due on this income proceeds by cashing the checks he received and directing the income to a bank account he controlled in Canada. McPherson did not file income tax returns with the IRS for those years, causing a tax loss of approximately $79,367.
Later, between 2016 and 2020, McPherson, using the name Raymond James, defrauded individuals out of approximately $1.5 million by inducing them to invest in villas in Costa Rica that were never built.
In addition to the term of imprisonment, U.S. District Judge Janis L. Sammartino sentenced McPherson to three years of supervised release and ordered him to pay approximately $4.7 million in restitution to the victims of his fraud scheme and to the United States.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, U.S. Attorney Randy S. Grossman for the Southern District of California and U.S. Attorney Natalie K. Wight for the District of Oregon made the announcement.
IRS-Criminal Investigation and the FBI investigated the cases.
Trial Attorney Charles A. O’Reilly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division prosecuted the cases.
Readout of Pardon Attorney Elizabeth Oyer’s Visit to United States Penitentiary LewisburgRead the Press Release
On April 27, Pardon Attorney Elizabeth Oyer and members of her team visited United States Penitentiary (USP) Lewisburg, a medium-security Bureau of Prisons (BOP) facility, and its adjacent minimum-security satellite camp. The Pardon Attorney and her team provided an overview of the federal clemency process and answered questions from inmates and staff. The Pardon Attorney and her team met with over 300 inmates and staff in three different housing units, including the Reintegration Unit, the Camp and the Residential Drug and Alcohol Program.
The visit to USP Lewisburg was the second in a series of quarterly educational events that the Pardon Attorney is providing to inmates and staff in the BOP. The first took place at FCI Ft. Dix, a low-security institution, in January 2023. During that visit, the Pardon Attorney and her team met with over 700 inmates and staff in a day-long series of trainings throughout the facility.
The Pardon Attorney’s visit to USP Lewisburg is one of a series of outreach and education events conducted by the Office of the Pardon Attorney in recognition of Second Chance Month. Other events have included:
- An educational webinar on the pardon application process, presented in connection with the ACLU on April 26.
- An informational session on the pardon application process for D.C. residents, hosted by the Mayor’s Office on Returning Citizens Affairs.
- A Celebration of Second Chances, highlighting clemency recipients and their advocates within and outside the Department of Justice, on April 21.
These April outreach events are part of a year-round initiative by the Office of the Pardon Attorney to increase the accessibility and transparency of the clemency process through education and community engagement.
Justice Department Releases Strategic Plan for Supporting the Goals of the Federal Interagency Alternatives and Reentry CommitteeRead the Press Release
As part of an all-of-government strategy set forth in the May 2022 Executive Order on Advancing Effective, Accountable Policing and Criminal Justice Practices to Enhance Public Trust and Public Safety, the Justice Department’s newly released report, Rehabilitation, Reentry, and Reaffirming Trust: The Department of Justice Strategic Plan (Strategic Plan), represents its ongoing commitment to strengthening the safety of our communities, while advancing thoughtful, evidence-informed initiatives and reforms throughout the criminal justice system.
The Executive Order established the Federal Interagency Alternatives and Reentry Committee (ARC or Committee), chaired by the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy and comprised of the Attorney General and the secretaries of more than a dozen executive agencies. The Committee has been focused on three goals: safely reducing unnecessary criminal justice interactions, supporting rehabilitation during incarceration, and facilitating reentry into society of people with criminal records. As required by the Executive Order, the Strategic Plan outlines a department-wide vision for promoting the Committee’s goals at the federal level, as well as ways the department can support those goals in state and local justice systems through grantmaking, guidance, and technical assistance.
Safely Reducing Unnecessary Criminal Justice System Interactions: The Strategic Plan highlights a number of department initiatives aimed at safely reducing unnecessary criminal justice system interactions, including supporting community-based alternatives for addressing less serious offenses, promoting safe and effective interactions with state and local law enforcement for individuals with mental health and/or substance use conditions, supporting diversion and alternatives to incarceration where appropriate, and addressing the crack-to-powder sentencing disparity in the federal system.
Supporting Rehabilitation During Incarceration: The Strategic Plan emphasizes the myriad ways the department is supporting rehabilitation during incarceration, including by expanding access to correctional education and employment opportunities, providing treatment and other rehabilitative services in Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) facilities, launching a national training and technical assistance hub to guide jail administrators in establishing and maintaining safe and humane facilities, and encouraging access to the ballot box for eligible persons.
Facilitating Reentry Into Society of People With Criminal Records: Given the importance of preparing individuals for release after incarceration, the Strategic Plan outlines a number of department initiatives and programs designed to facilitate successful reentry, including reducing barriers to obtaining critical government-issued identification, promoting continuity of healthcare for individuals returning from incarceration to the community, identifying resources for record clearing and expungement, improving community supervision outcomes, and issuing a Dear Colleague Letter for state and local courts and juvenile justice agencies that addresses common practices around court-imposed fines and fees.
“This Strategic Plan represents the Justice Department’s comprehensive approach to strengthening public safety, advancing public trust, and promoting fairness, transparency, and accountability in our criminal justice system,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “We will continue to support our state and local partners as they undertake the critical work of safeguarding communities and strengthening the bonds of trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve.”
“Second Chance Month recognizes the promise presented by a new opportunity and a fresh start for individuals as they rejoin their communities,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco. “The Strategic Plan released today builds on the Justice Department’s commitment to ensuring a criminal justice system that is fair for all—and our obligation as federal law enforcement to lead by example—by promoting rehabilitation, reentry, and public trust.”
“Every day, the criminal justice system touches lives across the country in countless ways—from individuals who are arrested and incarcerated to police officers, victims, families, and communities,” said Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta. “This Strategic Plan sets forth the Justice Department’s priorities and vision for a better, fairer system for all stakeholders. It is a comprehensive outline of our work to advance public safety through more thoughtful approaches to criminal justice system interactions, rehabilitation and humane treatment during incarceration and detention, and ensuring the necessary supports for individuals to live healthy, productive lives despite a criminal record or past incarceration.”
The department will continue to support both the work of the Committee and the initiatives outlined in the Strategic Plan. In the months and years to come, the department will operationalize and build upon this Strategic Plan to ensure that justice systems nationwide embody the principles of equality, dignity, and justice for all.
The department’s full strategic plan is available here.
The department’s strategic plan fact sheet is available here.
Justice Department Commemorates National Crime Victims’ Rights WeekRead the Press Release
The Justice Department joined communities across the nation this week for the 52nd commemoration of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week. Department leaders and staff, victim advocates and allied professionals, and crime survivors together marked decades of progress in improving the legal standing of crime victims and expanding access to victim services.
The Office for Victims of Crime in the department’s Office of Justice Programs led the observance, which included a candlelight vigil on the National Mall and a survivor voices symposium. Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta also highlighted the department’s commitment to crime victims at an event hosted by the Office on Violence Against Women marking National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, where she featured guidance to law enforcement on responding to sexual assault and domestic violence. She also addressed a summit on environmental crimes co-hosted by the department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division and the Environmental Protection Agency, describing the update of the Attorney General’s Guidelines for Victim and Witness Assistance as a department commitment to “taking a victim-centered, trauma-informed, culturally responsive approach to advancing criminal justice” and emphasizing the need to support survivors of environmental crimes. Before her remarks, the Associate Attorney General met with three survivors of environmental offenses.
“National Crime Victims’ Rights Week is an opportunity for all of us to reflect on the importance of making the justice system work for survivors of crime,” said Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta. “We are grateful for the countless victims who have come forward to lend their voices to the vital project of reform and to creating a more just and humane society.”
“Many people think justice equals a conviction or an arrest, but for survivors, justice sometimes means being heard and believed,” said Director Kristina Rose of the Office for Victims of Crimes (OVC). “It means reading a victim impact statement in court. It means being treated with dignity and respect. Justice is about options and choices and opportunities to give voice to one’s experience. During National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, we honor those voices.”
The candlelight vigil on Wednesday night featured three speakers who recounted their experiences as crime victims, underscoring this year’s theme — “Survivor Voices: Elevate. Engage. Effect Change.” Anna Nasset, a stalking survivor who runs a victim services organization called Stand Up Resources; Jerome Brown, statewide training director of the SNUG Outreach Program at the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services; and Roberta Roper, a long-time victim rights champion who founded what is now the Maryland Crime Victims Resource Center, all gave testimony to the impact of victims’ voices. Singer-songwriter Kelly Jackson of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians sang Gaawiin Niiwii Izhaasiin (I Don't Want to Go), her tribute to tribal children and youth who were traumatized by the boarding school experience.
On Thursday, OVC Assistant Attorney General Amy L. Solomon and Director Rose convened seven survivors for a symposium on the role of survivors in advancing criminal justice reform. Participants discussed strategies for elevating victims’ voices in conversations about responses to gun violence, alternatives to incarceration and long sentences. Federal leaders, criminal justice professionals and victim advocates were on hand for the discussion.
In addition to events held this week in the nation’s capital, Director Rose participated in a commemoration organized by the Los Angeles District Attorney Bureau of Victim Services and traveled to Albuquerque for the launch of the Youth Advocacy Corps, an OVC-funded program that provides pathways to victim service and advocacy for marginalized youth. In addition, U.S. Attorneys across the country participated in commemorative activities in their districts, and other Department components, including the FBI, honored survivors and victim-serving professionals.
National Crime Victims’ Rights Week has been observed at the federal level since 1981. Through Victims of Crime Act funding, the OVC supports thousands of local victim assistance programs — which served nearly over 9.7 million new and returning crime victims in fiscal year 2022 — and victim compensation programs in every state and territory and the District of Columbia.
Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta Delivers Remarks at the EPA’s Environmental Crimes Event OVC Director Kristina Rose speaking at the NCVRW Candlelight VigilJustice Department Announces National Human Trafficking Coordinator and National Coordinator for Child Exploitation Prevention and InterdictionRead the Press Release
The Justice Department today announced the designation and appointment of a National Human Trafficking Coordinator and a National Coordinator for Child Exploitation Prevention and Interdiction.
The Attorney General has designated Hilary Axam, Director of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit (HTPU), to serve as the Department’s National Human Trafficking Coordinator, and has designated Steven J. Grocki, Chief of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), as the Department’s National Coordinator for Child Exploitation Prevention and Interdiction.
“Human trafficking and child exploitation are devastating crimes that prey on some of the most vulnerable members of society, and the Department of Justice is committed to preventing and prosecuting these cases and to vindicating the rights of victims and survivors,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “Hilary Axam and Steven Grocki bring critical experience to their roles as National Coordinators, and I am grateful for their continued dedication to the Department’s fight against these crimes and to strengthening our capacity to protect victims and hold perpetrators accountable.”
The Attorney General’s designation of the National Human Trafficking Coordinator is made pursuant to the Abolish Human Trafficking Act, while his designation of the National Coordinator for Child Exploitation Prevention and Interdiction is made pursuant to the PROTECT Our Children Act of 2008. Both Coordinators are responsible for developing and implementing Department-wide and interagency national strategies, coordinating efforts throughout the Department, and representing the Department in significant interagency and external stakeholder engagements. As widely recognized subject matter experts in their respective fields, each will play a central role in guiding Departmental-level policies, strategies, and priorities.
“Human trafficking inflicts unspeakable harm on some of the most vulnerable members of society. We must do everything in our power to combat these grave violations of victims’ civil rights and bring human traffickers to justice,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Under Hilary Axam’s leadership, the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit has been widely recognized, both nationally and globally, as leading experts in victim-centered, trauma-informed approaches to seeking justice for human trafficking survivors. Her extensive experience and specialized expertise will be critical as we continue advancing our whole-of-Department fight against human trafficking.”
“Child exploitation is one of the most reprehensible and destructive offenses confronting our nation today” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The Criminal Division’s Chief of the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Steven J. Grocki, has extensive experience in investigating and prosecuting child exploitation cases and leads our campaign to combat the sexual exploitation of children. As National Coordinator for Child Exploitation Prevention and Interdiction, he will guide Department-level policies, strategies, and priorities in this area. The National Coordinator will also draw directly upon the specialized expertise within the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section and work to ensure proper coordination with subject matter experts within and outside of the Department.”
Hilary Axam has served as the Director of the HTPU in the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division since 2009. She previously served as the Unit’s Senior Litigation Counsel. Since joining the Department as a federal prosecutor in 2001, she has prosecuted and supervised human trafficking cases of national significance involving sex trafficking, compelled farm and factory labor, domestic servitude, and forced labor in restaurants, bars, and cantinas. As HTPU’s Director, Axam serves as one of the Department’s preeminent anti-trafficking subject matter experts.
Steven Grocki was selected to serve as Chief of the Criminal Division’s CEOS in October 2015. Grocki first joined CEOS in 2004 and has since served as a Trial Attorney, Assistant Deputy Chief, Deputy Chief, and now Chief. CEOS and its High Technology Investigative Unit are the nation´s experts in prosecuting federal child exploitation cases, including online child exploitation crimes, extraterritorial offenders, and child sex trafficking. CEOS also develops national and global policy seeking to eradicate the sexual exploitation of children and builds national and global response capacity through training and outreach.
Joint Statement from 2023 US-Canada Cross Border Crime Forum (CBCF)Read the Press Release
The United States and Canada have an enduring partnership guided by a shared commitment to security, prosperity, and advancing democratic values. Today, Canada’s Minister of Public Safety Marco Mendicino and Minister of Justice and Attorney General David Lametti hosted Attorney General of the United States Merrick B. Garland and U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas in Ottawa, for the second meeting of the Canada–U.S. Cross-Border Crime Forum (CBCF) since it was reestablished by President Biden and Prime Minister Trudeau’s 2021 Roadmap for a Renewed U.S.-Canada Partnership. The meeting allowed Ministers to assess progress on collaborative efforts to counter cross-border crime, examine how to make our communities safer, and share experiences on efforts to ensure that our criminal justice systems are fair and effective.
Building on the success of the March 2022 CBCF in Washington, D.C., as well as commitments made by President Biden and Prime Minister Trudeau in Mexico in January 2023 and in Ottawa in March 2023, Ministers discussed ways to enhance collaboration in the following areas:
Fentanyl / Opioids
The opioid overdose crisis, fueled by a toxic illicit drug supply, has taken a tragic toll on communities across our countries and around the world. The United States and Canada are committed to combatting the opioid epidemic together through attacking each link of the illicit production and distribution of synthetic opioids – including by preventing the importation of illicit precursor chemicals from China and elsewhere. Efforts will build on initiatives from the U.S.-Canada Opioids Action Plan and the newly established Trilateral Fentanyl Commission. To this end, Ministers instructed their officials to expand intelligence sharing to support interdictions and investigations, counter transnational organized crime, build a global coalition against synthetic drugs, disrupt the supply chain by identifying chemical and equipment diversion, address illicit finance, and engage with Canada and U.S.-based chemical, lab equipment, and shipping companies.
They also confirmed the importance of considering all available options for reducing demand, improving health outcomes, and saving lives.
Reducing Firearms Trafficking and Violence
Both the United States and Canada share a strong commitment to combatting firearms violence. To keep our communities safe, Ministers emphasized ongoing actions to address the smuggling of firearms across our shared border. Noting recent success on coordinated firearms investigations, Ministers plan to deepen cooperation in tackling gun violence in several key areas, including timely and actionable information sharing, investigations and enforcement.
In particular, Ministers decided to continue advancing both domestic and bilateral efforts to reduce firearms violence – including through the Cross Border Firearms Task Force (CBFTF) – to trace and seize guns used in crime, disrupt cross-border firearms smuggling, and to identify and target shippers and receivers through the coordination of joint operations and investigations. Ministers also decided to advance collaborative work related to stemming the proliferation of privately manufactured firearms (“ghost guns”) and strengthen cooperation with state, provincial, Indigenous and tribal partners.
In addition, they highlighted the Memorandum of Understanding between the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), signed in March 2023; as well as a Memorandum of Understanding between the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), signed in November 2022. These arrangements will be pivotal in helping both countries interdict firearms and drugs through enhanced information sharing.
Anti–Money Laundering / Virtual Currency
Money laundering threatens the integrity and stability of the financial sector and broader economy, and harms citizens’ safety, security, and quality of life.
Ministers took note of how quickly and easily criminals can move the proceeds of serious crimes across our borders in the form of virtual currencies, and the challenges that this growing phenomenon presents to our law enforcement officials and prosecutors. Increasingly, virtual currencies are being used illicitly to fund the smuggling of fentanyl, other narcotics, human beings, and firearms, as well as to launder the proceeds of these criminal activities, as documented in a recent Financial Action Task Force report that our officials were instrumental in supporting.
Through joint efforts, the United States and Canada can provide actionable information to law enforcement, regulators, and the private sector on both sides of the border. Ministers called on officials to explore additional opportunities to collaborate on countering the criminal use of virtual currencies.
Human Smuggling
The United States and Canada share the world’s longest undefended border and are committed to maintaining its integrity. Both countries recognize that it will take a concerted, unified effort to counter the cross-border human smuggling that is occurring in both directions across our shared border and undermining both countries’ legal immigration systems. All too often, these incidents result in tragic outcomes, as individuals lose their lives attempting to cross between ports of entry in remote areas or under dangerous conditions.
Ministers called on their officials to work with other agencies and external partners, including cross-border communities, to strengthen efforts to gather and share information for the detection and investigation of organized crime groups and networks that engage in human smuggling and prey upon vulnerable individuals.
They asked officials to review recent incidents along the border to identify opportunities to improve intelligence, detection, and interdiction to disrupt cross-border smuggling and investigate and hold accountable those involved. They recognized the importance of enhancing and leveraging sensor technology, personnel, and information-related resources, with an emphasis on timely and actionable information sharing and engagement with state, provincial, Indigenous and tribal partners in support of dismantling smuggling networks.
Sex Offender Travel
Notification of intended travel by registered sex offenders is a tool that supports a country’s ability to make informed admission decisions.
Ministers discussed foreign partner notification regarding impending cross-border travel by sex offenders, including with respect to the threshold required to permit RCMP notification of intended travel by Canadian offenders. Canada noted the introduction of legislation on April 26, 2023, to strengthen reporting and notification for registered sex offenders intending to travel domestically or internationally. The United States shared that, in 2022, the Angel Watch Center, a collaboration between the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice’s U.S. Marshals Service, sent 4,527 sex-offender travel notifications to 130 countries, including 149 notifications to Canada.
Both countries re-committed to ensure law enforcement officials in both countries have the information necessary to make informed admission decisions and continue to work on other measures to ensure public safety in accordance with their respective laws.
Criminal Justice Reform / Access to Justice
Ministers discussed criminal justice reform, as well as each country’s ongoing efforts to address root causes of crime and implement effective, equitable, and inclusive approaches to promoting community safety, criminal justice, and law enforcement. They noted the importance of continuing our work regarding groups already overrepresented in the criminal justice system, to guard against reversing the strong progress made on this front.
They welcomed the outcome of the collaboration of their respective Access to Justice Offices over the past year on strategies to overcome systemic inequality and discrimination, as part of efforts to increase access to and strengthen confidence in the justice system.
They also reiterated their commitment to the United Nations 2030 Agenda and the full realization of the Sustainable Development Goal 16, promoting effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels and equal access to justice for all.
In a measure that crosscuts all these discussions, Ministers also committed to develop guidance and deliver training to support a common understanding among law enforcement personnel in both countries, of the laws and policies regarding permissible information sharing for law enforcement and investigative purposes, and to encourage all appropriate sharing in service to public safety.
Finally, Ministers also signed a Statement of Partnership to Prevent, Investigate, Prosecute, and Disrupt Cross-Border Crime.
Regular updates will be provided to evaluate progress in each of these areas.
Ministers also took stock of other priority issues, including transnational repression and foreign interference, and the situations in Ukraine and Haiti. Our countries share a strong commitment to promoting democratic resilience and will continue to bolster our information sharing to combat transnational threats to democracy, including foreign interference.
The United States and Canada firmly deplore Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. The United States and Canada will continue to collaborate with their allies and the international community to safeguard Ukrainian sovereignty, seize and freeze assets subject to sanctions, counter state-sponsored disinformation, and support accountability mechanisms for war crimes and other atrocities.
Ministers also reinforced their respective countries’ commitments to provide aid to Haiti to combat gang violence and shore up the Police Nationale d’Haïti. They shared their appreciation for the close collaboration among various departments and agencies to coordinate capacity building and equipment procurement efforts for the safety and security of citizens in Haiti. Both countries remain committed to exploring joint law enforcement actions in Haiti.
INTERPOL Washington Addresses World Border Security Congress in North MacedoniaRead the Press Release
This week, INTERPOL Washington participated in the World Border Security Conference in Skopje, North Macedonia, to highlight INTERPOL’S unique role in border security and to enhance critical law enforcement partnerships.
“The transnational criminal and terrorist threats we face today are increasingly lethal, diverse, invasive, and present in communities of all sizes across the world,” said INTERPOL Washington Director Michael A. Hughes. “Our efforts at home and abroad rely on international partnerships to dismantle the transnational criminal organizations that exploit border security vulnerabilities to commit heinous acts. At INTERPOL Washington, we are committed to working with our foreign and domestic law enforcement partners on programs that increase the security of American communities and build a safer world.”
The World Border Security Congress is a high-level, three-day forum for discussion and debate on current and future border policies, implementation issues, and other related challenges. Attendees also discuss new and developing border security technologies and share best practices. The conference provides a unique platform for sharing information and promoting cooperation among border management and security professionals from around the world. An INTERPOL Washington delegation spoke at the event, emphasizing the agency’s work in strengthening domestic and international border security.
INTERPOL Washington maintains numerous programs that strengthen border security at home and abroad. In the United States, INTERPOL Washington shares global criminal investigative data with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and more than 18,000 other domestic law enforcement agencies to ensure the frontline officers know the criminal history of foreign nationals they may encounter. Through Project Terminus, INTERPOL Washington also extends secure police communications systems to select nations, delivering solid, actionable criminal intelligence in a secure manner around the world.
A component of the U.S. Department of Justice co-managed by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, INTERPOL Washington—the U.S. National Central Bureau (USNCB)—is the designated U.S. representative to INTERPOL. It serves as the national point of contact and coordination for all INTERPOL matters, coordinating international investigative efforts among member countries and the more than 18,000 local, state, federal, tribal, and territorial law enforcement agencies.