Southern District of Ohio
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
Former Columbus man sentenced to prison for hate crime that involved making antisemitic threats to neighbors, breaking their windowRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A former Columbus man was sentenced today in federal court to six months in prison, a $50,000 fine and one year of supervised release for criminally interfering with the right to fair housing. His charges stemmed from antisemitic threats the defendant made to his neighbors.
Douglas G. Schifer, 66, of Bucyrus, Ohio, threatened neighbors and their guests because of their religion during an outdoor gathering at the neighbors’ residence on Nov. 7, 2020.
Schifer was charged by a federal criminal complaint in March and pleaded guilty in June to interfering with the right to fair housing.
Plea documents detail that Schifer stated in part, “all you f***ing people, it’s no wonder Hitler burned you people in ovens,” “f***ing Hitler should have gassed you,” and “Jews burn, you belong in ovens.”
Court documents say that Schifer also said to the neighbors, “f***ing dog” and “I will poison your dog if it comes back to the fence.” Schifer admitted to threatening to shoot the neighbors and their dog, and to “burn to the ground” a garage the neighbors were remodeling.
Schifer shouted other antisemitic slurs, obscenities and other derogatory language about their religion at his neighbors and their guests on Nov. 7, 2020. He also broke one of their windows and spat at one of the neighbors. He also made reference to gassing Jewish people, chopping them up, and burning them in ovens.
Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; and Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Preston Deavers. Assistant United States Attorney Peter K. Glenn-Applegate, Senior Litigation Counsel Heather A. Hill, and Trial Attorney Cameron Bell of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division are representing the United States in this case.
# # #
Crossroads Hospice Agrees to Pay $5.5 Million to Settle False Claims Act LiabilityRead the Press Release
Carrefour Associates LLC; Crossroads Hospice of Cincinnati LLC; Crossroads Hospice of Cleveland LLC; Crossroads Hospice of Dayton LLC; Crossroads Hospice of Northeast Ohio LLC; and Crossroads Hospice of Tennessee LLC (Crossroads Hospice), operating in Ohio and Tennessee, have agreed to pay $5.5 million to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by submitting claims to Medicare for non-covered hospice services.
Hospice care is special, end-of-life care intended to comfort terminally ill patients. Patients admitted to hospice care generally stop receiving coverage for traditional medical care designed to cure their terminal condition and instead receive medical care focused on providing them with relief from the symptoms, pain and stress of a terminal illness. Medicare patients are considered to be terminally ill and hospice-eligible when they have a life expectancy of six months or less if their illness runs its normal course.
This settlement resolves allegations that Crossroads Hospice knowingly submitted false claims to Medicare for hospice services for patients who were not terminally ill. According to the settlement agreement, the United States alleged that from Jan. 1, 2012 to Dec. 31, 2014, Crossroads Hospice billed Medicare for hospice care for certain patients with a diagnosis of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease at its Ohio and Tennessee locations who were not terminally ill for at least a portion of the more than three years that the patients received care at these locations.
“Medicare’s hospice benefit provides critical end of life services that focus on palliative rather than curative care,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “This settlement demonstrates our continuing commitment to ensure that hospice services are provided to patients who truly need this care and that patients who are not terminally ill receive appropriate curative care.”
“This office is committed to pursuing providers who put profits ahead of patients,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Vipal J. Patel for the Southern District of Ohio. “We will continue to hold accountable those who abuse federal healthcare programs at the expense of the taxpayers.”
“The Medicare program provides older Americans with access to health,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph C. Murphy Jr. for the Western District of Tennessee. “When frauds like this are committed by serviced providers, it effectively deprives older Americans of health care resources. Our office will continue to take steps to prevent frauds like this from taking place in order to ensure that the Medicare program’s resources are used effectively.”
“The decision to provide hospice services should be prompted by a patient’s terminally ill medical diagnosis and desire for palliative care, not a hospice provider’s desire to boost its profits,” said Special Agent in Charge Lamont Pugh III of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Our agency is dedicated to safeguarding both the Medicare program and Medicare patients. This settlement reaffirms HHS-OIG’s commitment to holding accountable providers who knowingly submit false claims to Medicare.”
The civil settlement includes the resolution of claims brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act by Leanne Malone, Jackie Burns and Angela Heck, former employees of Crossroads Hospice, as well as Dr. David Weber, a home health physician in Tennessee. 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 cases are: United States ex rel. Leanne Malone et al. v. Carrefour Associates LLC et al., No. 1:15-cv-460 (S.D. Ohio) and United States ex rel. David Weber v. Crossroads Hospice of Tennessee, LLC, No. 2:16-cv-02684 (W.D. Tenn.). Under this settlement, the whistleblowers in the Malone action will receive approximately $1,045,000.
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; the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio; and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee. HHS-OIG assisted in the investigation.
The investigation and resolution of this matter illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating healthcare fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse and mismanagement can be reported to the Department of Health and Human Services at 800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).
The matter was investigated by Fraud Section Trial Attorney Jonathan Hoerner, Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Malek of the Southern District of Ohio and Assistant U.S. Attorney Eileen Kuo of the Western District of Tennessee.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
3 defendants plead guilty in dark web drug sales caseRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Three of six defendants charged this spring with selling liquid psychedelic mushrooms online to customers all over the country have pleaded guilty in federal court in Columbus.
James Verl Barlow, 44, of Las Vegas, and Matthew Taylor Barlow, 35, of Murray, Utah, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court today and Jennifer Helen Cambpell, 42, also of Murray, Utah, admitted her guilt yesterday. Each of the three defendants pleaded guilty to conspiring to possess with intent to distribute a psychedelic mushroom analogue. James Barlow also pleaded guilty to conspiring to launder the drug proceeds.
According to James Barlow’s court documents, as part of his guilty plea, he will forfeit approximately $15 million in drug proceeds and property, including millions of dollars’ worth of cryptocurrency, more than half a million dollars in cash, a 2016 Tesla Model-X Wagon, and land in Brighton, Colorado, valued at more than $1.5 million, as part of this case.
Between November 2013 and April 2021, the defendants sold liquid psychedelic mushrooms in nine milligram vials for approximately $20 each on the darknet through the monikers TRIPWITHSCIENCE and PERFECTSHROOMS. Court documents detail that at least one customer was located in Columbus.
James Barlow used individuals in Nevada, Utah and Maryland to arrange shipments of both powder and liquid mushrooms from Las Vegas, Memphis, and Gulf Breeze, Florida, to customers throughout the United States and Europe.
In total, the investigation by the Central Ohio Cyber Drug Task Force determined Barlow’s organization was responsible for distributing 315 kilograms of powder mushroom analogues and 3,200 kilograms of liquid mushrooms.
The defendants face up to 20 years in prison. Congress sets the maximum statutory sentence. Sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the Court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Bryant Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation; Keith Martin, Special Agent in Charge, DEA; Vance Callender, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Lesley C. Allison, Inspector in Charge, United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS); and Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin announced the pleas entered into before U.S. District Judge Sarah D. Morrison. Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Hunter is representing the United States in this case.
# # #
DOJ announces $139 million for community policing hiringRead the Press Release
CINCINNATI – The Department of Justice announced the Cincinnati Police Department will receive more than $6 million in grant funding for law enforcement hiring to advance community policing. Cincinnati is one of two agencies in the Southern District of Ohio to receive the grant funding.
More than $139 million was awarded through the Department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) COPS Hiring Program (CHP). The awards provide direct funding to 183 law enforcement agencies across the nation, allowing those agencies to hire 1,066 additional full-time law enforcement professionals.
Cincinnati Police Department was awarded $6.25 million to hire an additional 50 officers and the Whitehall Police Department is receiving $750,000 to hire six more officers.
The COPS Hiring Program is a competitive award program intended to reduce crime and advance public safety through community policing. Funding for the 183 agencies awarded grants this week will be used to focus on building legitimacy and trust between law enforcement and communities; seek to address high rates of gun violence and other areas of violence; and combat hate and domestic terrorism.
To learn more about CHP, please visit https://cops.usdoj.gov/chp. For additional information about the COPS Office, please visit www.cops.usdoj.gov.
# # #
Columbus man sentenced to 22 years in prison for setting up fake online sales to lure victims, steal their money & shoot themRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Columbus man who pretended to be selling a car and pretended to be an online escort in order to rob victims at gunpoint was sentenced today in federal court to 264 months in prison.
Keith Jorel Hudson, 36, brandished a firearm during the robberies and shot and struck two victims.
According to court documents, on March 5, 2020, Hudson met up with a victim who had communicated with Hudson on Facebook Messenger regarding a post stating Hudson was selling a black Honda Accord. When the victim arrived at a meetup location on Spencer Court in Columbus, Hudson brandished a firearm and demanded the victim drop his wallet and keys.
The victim complied, and as Hudson reached to pick up the wallet, the victim grabbed his own keys and attempted to flee in his car. Hudson blocked the victim from entering his car, pistol whipped the victim, and shot him in the back of the neck. The round entered and exited the victim’s neck, leaving a flesh wound and shattering the victim’s car window.
The victim was able to flag down a Columbus police officer a short distance away and was transported to Grant Hospital.
On March 20, 2020, a second victim responded to an online advertisement of Hudson’s. This post was a dating advertisement on a personals webpage.
The second victim arrived at the Hickory Creek Apartments complex to meet a female and pay her for sexual activity. Instead, Hudson approached him and pointed a handgun at him, demanding cash from him.
The victim gave Hudson the $30 he had in his possession and began to leave. The victim attempted to take a picture of Hudson’s license plate when Hudson began shooting at the victim. The victim attempted to flee and Hudson pursued the victim in his vehicle. Hudson fired his gun again near the intersection of Schrock Road and Ambleside Drive and struck the victim in his hand. The gunfire also disabled the victim’s car.
Shortly thereafter, Hudson was located by Columbus Police officers and arrested.
Hudson is was charged in March 2020 and pleaded guilty in April 2021 to robbery and discharging a firearm during robbery.
Vipal J. Patel, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Roland H. Herndon, Jr., Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); and Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Judge Sarah D. Morrison. Assistant United States Attorney Timothy Prichard is representing the United States in this case.
# # #
Local non-profit CEO sentenced to 4 years in prison for tax fraudRead the Press Release
CINCINNATI – The founder, owner, CEO and president of a Cincinnati nonprofit was sentenced today in federal court to 48 months in prison for using thousands of dollars for personal expenses instead of paying over payroll taxes to the IRS.
Hope 4 Change, a non-profit organization that provided housing and care for adults with developmental disabilities, drug addiction problems and mental disorders, employed between 120 and 180 individuals in 2013 and 2014.
Barry Rene Isaacs, the founder, owner, CEO and president of the non-profit, allegedly caused Hope 4 Change to spend thousands of dollars for clothing, massages, beauty care, travel and personal vehicles for Isaacs and his family.
According to court documents, Hope 4 Change withheld FICA taxes from its employees’ paychecks but did not pay over the employment taxes to the IRS for five quarters in late 2013 and 2014. Isaacs, 35, of Cincinnati, also fraudulently applied for an auto loan and credit card using someone else’s social security account number.
Isaacs was charged in April 2019. After fleeing the jurisdiction, Isaacs was apprehended by the United States Marshals Service in Texas in January 2020. He appeared for arraignment in federal court in Cincinnati in February 2020. On April 21, 2021, Isaacs pleaded guilty to willfully failing to pay over employment taxes and aggravated identity theft.
Teela Gilbert, 35, of Cincinnati, Hope 4 Change’s vice president, “student affairs” director and office manager has also been charged and has pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
As part of his sentence, Isaacs was also ordered to pay approximately $246,000 in restitution to a company from which the co-defendants induced payments for false invoices.
Vipal J. Patel, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Bryant Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, Cincinnati Field Office; and the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General announced the sentence imposed today by U.S District Judge Matthew W. McFarland. Assistant United States Attorney Ebunoluwa A. Taiwo is representing the United States in this case.
# # #
Steel company forfeits $6 million as part of sentence for immigration violationsRead the Press Release
DAYTON, Ohio – A steel carport business headquartered in Muncie, Indiana, is forfeiting $6 million for knowingly employing dozens of undocumented immigrants. Company executives paid to smuggle the undocumented workers from Mexico to the United States and then used them as cheap labor on construction projects throughout the country.
All Steel Carport, Inc. pleaded guilty in July 2021 to inducing undocumented immigrants to remain in the United States to generate millions of dollars of proceeds for itself.
All Steel performed several millions of dollars’ worth of work in Ohio knowingly using undocumented immigrant workers. The company also purchased trucks in Ohio for the workers, which they titled in the names of “straw owners.”
According to court documents, between 2018 and 2019, the company authorized the hiring of dozens of undocumented immigrants to process steel or install carports for the company. All Steel allowed the employees to use fictitious Social Security numbers and other identifying information. The company also provided incentives to the employees. For example, All Steel helped employees obtain driver’s licenses in other states and purchased vehicles for the employees to pay off through deductions in their paychecks.
As part of this case, All Steel has also forfeited three vehicles – 2020 Chevy Silverados and Ford F-350s and a 2020 Audi R8 – valued collectively at more than $300,000.
Besides forfeiting $6 million and the vehicles, All Steel was sentenced to three years of probation, a $25,000 fine, and was ordered to provide community outreach with Homeland Security Investigations concerning employment practices. All Steel is ordered to obtain IMAGE certification with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement within one year.
Vipal J. Patel, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Vance Callender, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, announced the sentence imposed today by Senior U.S. District Judge Walter H. Rice. Patel and Callender acknowledged the cooperation of law enforcement in Oklahoma, Texas and Indiana, as well as the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana. Deputy Criminal Chief Brent G. Tabacchi and Assistant United States Attorney Dwight K. Keller are representing the United States in the case.
# # #
Hilliard man lies to avoid taxes on $1 million in lottery winnings; pleads guilty to tax fraudRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, OHIO – Mustafa Shalash, of Hillard, Ohio, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to one count of filing a false tax return with the IRS. Shalash was charged by bill of information on October 22, 2021.
According to court documents, in 2015 Shalash won $1,000,000 on a single lottery ticket. He received $710,000, and $290,000 was withheld in taxes. On his 2015 tax return, Shalash reported gambling winnings of $1,069,100 and falsely claimed gambling losses of $1,069,100. Shalash knew that his actual gambling losses were no more than $300,000. To conceal his gambling winnings, Shalash wired $690,000 abroad, including $440,000 to a bank account under his control in Jordan.
From 2014 through 2019, Shalash had as much as 409,000–645,803 Dinar, or approximately $576,077–$909,614, in a foreign bank account in Jordan. In addition to wiring lottery winnings abroad, Shalash accumulated money in foreign bank accounts by transporting more than $10,000 in funds across the U.S. border on multiple occasions. On July 8, 2015, Shalash purchased a $19,000 cashier’s check and then flew to Jordan, where he deposited the check into his Jordanian bank account. In April 2016, Shalash purchased two cashier’s checks for $15,000 and $25,000, then flew to Jordan, where he deposited them in his Jordanian bank account. In none of the cases did Shalash file the required Form 105, Report of International Transportation of Currency or Monetary Instruments. Before he knew he was being investigated, Shalash never filed, as required, a FinCen Form 114, Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR).
On his 2015 tax return, Shalash also failed to disclose that he had a foreign bank account. Shalash reported to his return preparer that he did not have a foreign bank account. As a result of his overstating his gambling losses on his 2015 tax return, Shalash caused a tax loss of $255,967 to the IRS.
“Concealing bank accounts overseas and inflating losses on a tax return is a recipe for criminal tax prosecution,” said Bryant Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, IRS, Criminal Investigation, Cincinnati Field Office. “IRS CI will continue to apply substantial resources towards and vigorously investigate criminal tax fraud.”
Filing a false income tax return carries a maximum penalty of 3 years in prison and a fine not to exceed $100,000.
Vipal J. Patel, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Bryant Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Cincinnati Field Office, announced the plea entered before U.S. District Judge Sarah D. Morrison.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David J. Twombly and Peter K. Glenn-Applegate and was investigated by special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation.
# # #
Cincinnati woman sentenced to prison for misusing SSN, lying to court about military service & address before failing to appearRead the Press Release
CINCINNATI – A Cincinnati woman who applied for and was denied bankruptcy seven times was sentenced in federal court to 17 months in prison for misusing another person’s Social Security number. After pleading guilty to using another person’s SSN to apply an eighth time for bankruptcy, the defendant lied to the probation office about being a veteran and provided a false address before failing to appear at her originally scheduled sentencing hearing.
Nicole Ball, 49, was arrested in October 2021 by United States Marshals after failing to appear in court.
According to court documents, from 2013 to 2016, Ball filed for bankruptcy in the Southern District of Ohio using her true SSN. Each case was dismissed, and in February 2017, the bankruptcy court ordered the defendant not to file again for at least three years.
In March 2019, Ball illegally used another person’s SSN to file again for bankruptcy.
She pleaded guilty in March 2021 to misusing the SSN.
After her guilty plea, Ball provided false information to the federal probation office, including claiming that she had served in the United States military when she had not, and providing the office with an address on a street that does not exist.
Ball also used the names Nicole Whitaker, Nicole Woodell, Nicole Spivey and Nicole Whitaker-Spivey.
Vipal J. Patel, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, commended the investigation by the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General, U.S. Marshals, Department of Defense Office of Inspector General and Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General. Special Assistant United States Attorney Timothy Landry is representing the United States in this case.
# # #
Shelby County man sentenced to 27 years in prison for sending money to Filipino mothers in exchange for child pornographyRead the Press Release
DAYTON, Ohio – A Sidney, Ohio, man was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 27 years in prison for attempting to produce child pornography and for violating his supervised release while registered as a sex offender from a previous conviction.
Charles Lee Frazier, 42, admitted during his guilty plea in March 2021 that he solicited child pornography from impoverished mothers in the Philippines.
According to court documents, Frazier used Filipino dating sites to connect with women in poverty. In subsequent Skype chats with the women, he obtained sexually explicit pictures of their children in exchange for money. Specifically, Frazier’s conversations included requests for pornography of naked minor children engaging in sexual conduct with other children or with their mothers. Frazier distributed child pornography to several women, as examples of what images he wanted them to create with their children, or with instructions to show the images to their children to convince them to engage in that behavior. The defendant also had discussions about committing violent acts against children. For example, he discussed killing infants during sexual assaults.
From April through July 2019, Frazier sent money via MoneyGram from a Sidney, Ohio, store to women in the Philippines in exchange for child pornography. Frazier sent approximately $800 to one individual in exchange for nude images of a seven-year-old girl. One of the women in the online chats stated she needed the money from Frazier for food.
Frazier was a registered sex offender at the time of the offense. He was convicted in a 2011 federal case for receiving child pornography. He was sentenced to 84 months in prison for that conviction.
Vipal J. Patel, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; and Sidney Police Chief William Balling announced the judgment entry filed Nov. 4. Frazier was sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge Walter H. Rice. The FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force investigated this case and Assistant United States Attorney Christina E. Mahy represented the United States.
# # #
Jury convicts Chinese official of espionage crimes, attempting to steal trade secrets from Cincinnati companyRead the Press Release
CINCINNATI – The first Chinese intelligence agent ever to be extradited to the United States to stand trial was convicted today by a federal jury in Cincinnati.
Yanjun Xu was found guilty on all counts, including conspiring to and attempting to commit economic espionage and stealing trade secrets.
The verdict was announced today following a trial that began on Oct. 19 before U.S. District Judge Timothy S. Black. Closing arguments concluded Wednesday.
“The jury, by its guilty verdict here today, held Xu accountable for his classic spy techniques,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Vipal J. Patel. “Xu conspired to commit economic espionage on behalf of the Chinese government, and he tried to steal the valuable innovation and trade secrets of industry-leading American aviation technology companies. This Office will continue to seek to protect American innovation and hold accountable those who attempt to steal our nation’s science and technology, regardless of status or affiliation, whether civilian, military, or spy.”
“Investigating, arresting, and successfully prosecuting an intelligence officer from the Chinese Ministry of State Security is a victory for the American people and the U.S. intelligence community,” stated FBI Cincinnati Special Agent in Charge J. William Rivers. “The Chinese Communist government, which tasked Xu, is continuing to operate other spies, hackers, and intelligence officers who are intent on stealing advanced technologies and exploiting U.S. businesses innovations. Government and private industry must strengthen our partnerships to protect our advancements and our national security.”
Xu is a deputy division director at the Chinese Ministry of State Security (MSS), which is the intelligence and security agency for China.
According to court documents and trial testimony, beginning in at least December 2013, Xu targeted specific companies in the United States and abroad that are recognized as leaders in the field of aviation. He identified individuals who worked for the companies and recruited them to travel to China, often initially under the guise that they were traveling to give a presentation at a university. Xu and others paid the individuals stipends on top of covering travel costs.
According to today’s conviction, Xu attempted to steal technology related to GE Aviation’s exclusive composite aircraft engine fan – which no other company in the world has been able to duplicate – to benefit the Chinese state.
In March 2017, a GE Aviation employee in Cincinnati was solicited to give a report at a university in China. The employee traveled to China two months later to present at the university and was introduced to Xu. Xu and others paid the employee’s travel expenses and a stipend.
In January 2018, Xu requested “system specification, design process” information from the employee and – with the cooperation of the company, who was working with the FBI – the employee emailed a two-page document from the company that included a label that warned about the disclosure of proprietary information.
In February 2018, Xu began discussing with the employee the possibility of meeting in Europe during one of the employee’s business trips and asked the employee to send a copy of the file directory for his company-issued computer.
Xu traveled to Belgium on April 1, 2018 to meet with the employee and was arrested at that time.
The Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs secured Xu’s extradition to the United States, with valuable assistance provided by the government of Belgium, as well as the Belgian Federal Police.
Economic espionage is punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $5 million. Theft of trade secrets carries a potential maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
Vipal J. Patel, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Matthew G. Olsen, Assistant Attorney General of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division; and J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; announced today’s guilty verdict. Assistant Deputy Criminal Chief Timothy S. Mangan, Deputy Criminal Chief Emily N. Glatfelter, and Trial Attorney Matthew J. McKenzie from the Department of Justice’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section represented the United States in this case. Acting U.S. Attorney Patel commended the integral cooperation of GE Aviation throughout the investigation and subsequent prosecution.
# # #
Jury Convicts Chinese Intelligence Officer of Espionage Crimes, Attempting to Steal Trade SecretsRead the Press Release
A federal jury today convicted Yanjun Xu, a Chinese national and Deputy Division Director of the Sixth Bureau of the Jiangsu Province Ministry of State Security, of conspiring to and attempting to commit economic espionage and theft of trade secrets. The defendant is the first Chinese intelligence officer to be extradited to the United States to stand trial.
“This conviction of a card-carrying intelligence officer for economic espionage underscores that trade secret theft is integral to the PRC government’s plans to modernize its industries,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “But this conviction also serves notice that the United States will not sit by as China, or any other nation-state, attempts to steal instead of researching and developing key technology. Instead, and with the support of our allies, we will continue to investigate, prosecute, and hold accountable those who try to take the fruits of American ingenuity illegally.”
“The jury, by its guilty verdict here today, held Xu accountable for his classic spy techniques,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Vipal J. Patel for the Southern District of Ohio. “Xu conspired to commit economic espionage on behalf of the Chinese government, and he tried to steal the valuable innovation and trade secrets of industry-leading American aviation technology companies. This office will continue to seek to protect American innovation and hold accountable those who attempt to steal our nation’s science and technology, regardless of status or affiliation, whether civilian, military or spy.”
“This was state-sponsored economic espionage by the PRC designed to steal American technology and put Americans out of work,” said Assistant Director Alan E. Kohler Jr. of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division. “For those who doubt the real goals of the PRC, this should be a wakeup call; they are stealing American technology to benefit their economy and military. The FBI is partnering with over 50 U.S. Government agencies to share information and investigative resources to stop the PRC’s illegal activities.”
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, beginning in at least December 2013, Xu used multiple aliases to target specific companies in the United States and abroad that are recognized as leaders in the field of aviation. He identified experts who worked for the companies and recruited them to travel to China, often initially under the guise that they were traveling to give a presentation at a university. Xu and others paid the experts stipends on top of covering travel costs. According to today’s conviction, Xu attempted to steal technology related to GE Aviation’s exclusive composite aircraft engine fan – which no other company in the world has been able to duplicate – to benefit the Chinese state.
In March 2017, a GE Aviation employee in Cincinnati, Ohio, was solicited to give a report at a university in China. The employee traveled to China two months later to present at the university and was introduced to Xu. Xu and others paid the employee’s travel expenses and a stipend.
In January 2018, Xu requested “system specification, design process” information from the employee and – with the cooperation of the company, who was working with the FBI – the employee emailed a two-page document from the company that included a label that warned about the disclosure of proprietary information.
In February 2018, Xu began discussing with the employee the possibility of meeting in Europe during one of the employee’s business trips and asked the employee to send a copy of the file directory for his company-issued computer.
Xu traveled to Belgium on April 1, 2018, to meet with the employee and was arrested at that time.
Xu was convicted of two counts of conspiring and attempting to commit economic espionage, which carries a maximum statutory penalty of 15 years in prison for each count and a fine of up to $5 million. Xu was also convicted of conspiracy to commit trade secret theft and two counts of attempted theft of trade secrets, which carries a maximum statutory sentence of 10 years in prison for each count and a $250,000 fine. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI investigated the case.
Assistant Deputy Criminal Chief Timothy S. Mangan and Deputy Criminal Chief Emily Glatfelter for the Southern District of Ohio and Trial Attorney Matthew J. McKenzie of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.
The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs secured Xu’s extradition to the United States, with valuable assistance provided by the government of Belgium and the Belgian Federal Police.
11 Central Ohio men convicted of conspiring to illegally smuggle hundreds of guns to Canada for profitRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Eleven defendants have been convicted and sentenced in a conspiracy to smuggle at least 200 firearms from Ohio to Canada for tens of thousands of dollars.
Abdulwahab Sharif Mohamed Hassan, 30, of Columbus, Ohio, was sentenced in federal court today to 72 months in prison.
A federal grand jury charged the co-conspirators in indictments returned on Aug. 19, 2020, and Nov. 19, 2020. Defendants were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 12 months and 1 day to 72 months of imprisonment.
The defendants acquired firearms both legally and illegally, stockpiled the firearms, and smuggled them to Canada to re-sell them for a profit.
The group bought guns both through private sales and through straw purchases at gun shows.
For example, in April 2019, co-conspirators caused two individuals to conduct straw purchases of four firearms at the C&E Gun Show at the Ohio Expo Center in Columbus.
Defendants recruited female drivers to smuggle firearms across the border or to bring money back from Canada through promises of a free trip to Canada, payment, and access to drugs and alcohol.
In July 2018, more than $11,000 was seized by law enforcement from two of the defendants on one trip back to Ohio from Canada. Two months later, more than $25,000 in cash was seized from two other defendants at the John Glenn International Airport. For his part, Abdulwahab Hassan reported during the sentencing process that he had approximately $88,000 in cash on hand, despite not having a job during time periods relevant to the firearms-trafficking conspiracy.
On various occasions in 2019, individuals related to the conspiracy attempted to travel to Canada and were stopped by law enforcement. During each incident, multiple firearms were discovered in the vehicles.
In total, the defendants conspired to smuggle more than 200 guns from Ohio to Canada from approximately July of 2018 through about the middle of 2019. To date, at least 10 of those guns have been directly traced to crimes in Canada.
Those convicted in the conspiracy include:
Name
Also Known As
Age
City of Residence
Abdulwahab Sharif Mohamed Hassan
China
30
Columbus, Ohio
Omar Sharif Mohamed Hassan
O-Bandz
26
Columbus, Ohio
Jamil Jamal Abdalla
22
Columbus, Ohio
Mohamed Abdulkadir Mohamud
Bash
23
Columbus, Ohio
Mohamed Abdi Hirad
Mo Trippin’, Trippin’
21
Columbus, Ohio
Abdirahim Mahmoud Dualeh
A.D.
25
Columbus, Ohio
Shamarke Igal
Marke
25
Columbus, Ohio
Ahmed Ahmed
Seven
22
Columbus, Ohio
Abdiaziz Said Ahmed
Breezy
26
Columbus, Ohio
Ibrahim Ali
Ebey
25
Columbus, Ohio
Mohamed Sharif Ali Mohamed
MoMo
23
Columbus, Ohio
Vipal J. Patel, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Roland Herndon, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant; United States Marshal Pete Tobin; Ohio Highway Patrol Superintendent Lt. Col. Richard Fambro; and Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin announced the sentences imposed. Assistant United States Attorneys S. Courter Shimeall and Kelly A. Norris represented the United States in this case.
# # #
Dayton psychiatric hospital and owner agree to pay $425,000 to resolve claims for unnecessary diagnostic testingRead the Press Release
DAYTON, Ohio – Access Hospital Dayton, LLC and its owner, Dr. John Johnson, have agreed to pay the United States $374,780 to resolve False Claims Act allegations that they knowingly caused the submission of false claims to Medicare and Medicaid for diagnostic testing. Access Dayton and Johnson have also agreed to pay the State of Ohio approximately $50,219 to resolve State of Ohio Medicaid claims.
The government alleged that, between January 2014 and December 2019, Access Dayton and Johnson knowingly caused the submission of false claims to Medicare and Ohio Medicaid for diagnostic laboratory testing (prolactin and ammonia) that was (1) performed during patients’ inpatient stays at Access Dayton, (2) not used in the management of the patients’ condition, and (3) not medically necessary.
Prolactin testing measures the level of prolactin in a person’s blood, which providers use to diagnose pituitary tumors or to determine causes for conditions unrelated to psychosis or substance abuse. Providers use ammonia testing to diagnose liver dysfunctions or hyperammonemia.
Medicare pays for diagnostic testing ordered by the physician who uses the results in the management of the beneficiary’s specific medical problem. Medicare and Ohio Medicaid generally prohibit separate payment for diagnostic testing performed during an inpatient admission.
“It is crucial that every public dollar available go to treat the drug-addicted and mentally ill,” Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said. “I am proud of the work by my Health Care Fraud Section and our federal partners to claw back the money to help us continue this fight.”
False Claims Act tips and complaints about potential fraud, waste, abuse and mismanagement can be reported to the Department of Health and Human Services at 800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).
The resolutions obtained in this matter were the result of a coordinated effort between the Department of Justice Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. Trial Attorney Christopher Wilson of the Department of Justice’s Civil Division and Andrew Malek, Deputy Civil Chief of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, are representing the United States in this matter.
The claims asserted against these defendants are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.
# # #
Ohio Man Pleads Guilty to Attempting to Provide Material Support to a Foreign Terrorist OrganizationRead the Press Release
An Ohio man, who was scheduled to start jury trial today, pleaded guilty Friday evening to one count of attempting to provide material support – himself, as personnel – to foreign terrorist organizations, namely ISIS and ISIS Wilayat Khorasan (ISIS-K).
According to court documents, Naser Almadaoji, 22, an Iraqi-born U.S. citizen of Beavercreek, purchased a plane ticket for travel on Oct. 24, 2018, and was arrested at John Glenn International Airport after checking in and obtaining his boarding pass.
The defendant intended to travel to Astana, Kazahkstan, where he planned to be smuggled into Afghanistan so that he could join and receive military training from ISIS-K in support of both that terrorist group and ISIS. Almadaoji explained to an individual whom he believed to be an ISIS supporter that he wanted “weapons experts training, planning and executing, hit and run, capturing high value targets, ways to break into homes and avoid security guards. That type of training.” He began making travel plans in September 2018.
Prior to that, between Feb. 16 and 24, 2018, Almadaoji traveled to Egypt and Jordan for the purpose of joining ISIS’s affiliate in the Sinai Peninsula, ISIS Wilayat Sinai, another designated foreign terrorist organization, but he ultimately was unsuccessful.
Almadaoji told an individual posing as an ISIS supporter online about his proposed plot to start a conflict in the United States between the federal government and anti-government militias. He asked the purported ISIS supporter for a guide on how to make a car bomb.
In August 2018, Almadaoji also told the purported ISIS supporter that he was “always willing” to assist with “projects” in the United States.
Almadaoji recorded and sent a video of himself wearing a headscarf and pledging allegiance to the leader of ISIS.
In addition, Almadaoji translated a purported ISIS document from Arabic to English, and he told his contact, whom Almadaoji believed to be part of ISIS, “Don’t thank me . . . it’s my duty.”
Almadaoji pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support and resources to a foreign terrorist organization. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 31, 2022, and faces a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Mark J. Lesko of the Justice Department’s National Security Division; Acting U.S. Attorney Vipal J. Patel for the Southern District of Ohio; Assistant Director Timothy Langan of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division; Special Agent in Charge J. William Rivers of the FBI’s Cincinnati Field Office; Director Alan J. Hill of Oakwood Public Safety; and Green County Sheriff Gene Fischer made the announcement.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dominick S. Gerace and Nicholas A. Dingeldein for the Southern District of Ohio, and Trial Attorney Justin Sher of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case.
Beavercreek man pleads guilty to attempting to travel overseas to join ISIS-KRead the Press Release
DAYTON, Ohio – A Beavercreek man who was arrested by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force at John Glenn International Airport in 2018 while trying to travel to Afghanistan to join ISIS Wilayat Khorasan (ISIS-K) has pleaded guilty in federal court.
Naser Almadaoji, 22, an Iraqi-born United States citizen, was scheduled to start jury trial today. He pleaded guilty Friday evening to one count of attempting to provide material support – himself, as personnel – to foreign terrorist organizations, namely ISIS and ISIS-K.
“This is now the second person from the Dayton area held accountable in recent times for trying to join ISIS,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Vipal J. Patel. “Whatever grievances might exist with our government, our country, or our way of life, violence is not the answer. Providing material support in whatever form – personnel, services, funding, or otherwise – to designated foreign terrorist groups simply begets more terror, and every effort will be made to hold accountable those who provide such support.”
According to court documents, Almadaoji purchased a plane ticket for travel on October 24, 2018, and was arrested after checking in and obtaining his boarding pass.
The defendant intended to travel to Astana, Kazahkstan, where he planned to be smuggled into Afghanistan so that he could join and receive military training from ISIS-K in support of both that terrorist group and ISIS. Almadaoji explained to an individual whom he believed to be an ISIS supporter that he wanted “weapons experts training, planning and executing, hit and run, capturing high value targets, ways to break into homes and avoid security guards. That type of training.” He began making travel plans in September 2018.
Prior to that, between February 16 and 24, 2018, Almadaoji traveled to Egypt and Jordan for the purpose of joining ISIS’s affiliate in the Sinai Peninsula, ISIS Wilayat Sinai, another designated foreign terrorist organization, but he ultimately was unsuccessful.
Almadaoji told an individual posing as an ISIS supporter online about his proposed plot to start a conflict in the United States between the federal government and anti-government militias. He asked the purported ISIS supporter for a guide on how to make a car bomb.
In August 2018, Almadaoji also told the purported ISIS supporter that he was “always willing” to assist with “projects” in the United States.
Almadaoji recorded and sent a video of himself wearing a headscarf and pledging allegiance to the leader of ISIS.
In addition, Almadaoji translated a purported ISIS document from Arabic to English, and he told his contact—whom Almadaoji believed to be part of ISIS—“Don’t thank me . . . it’s my duty.”
Attempting to provide material support and resources to a foreign terrorist organization is a federal crime punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Congress sets the maximum statutory sentence. Sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the Court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
“This case is another example of how the agents and officers of the Joint Terrorism Task Force continue to work each day to protect the community and disrupt those intent on aiding and supporting terrorist groups,” stated FBI Cincinnati Special Agent in Charge J. William Rivers. “The task force brings together federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to expertly investigate developing threats and those who may be focused on violence.”
Vipal J. Patel, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge of the Cincinnati Division of the FBI; Alan J. Hill, Oakwood Public Safety Director; and Greene County Sheriff Gene Fischer announced the plea entered into before Senior U.S. District Judge Walter H. Rice. Assistant United States Attorneys Dominick S. Gerace and Nicholas A. Dingeldein and Trial Attorney Justin Sher of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are representing the United States in this case.
# # #
Madison County man sentenced to prison for making online threats to kill individuals connected with abortion services non-profitRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A London, Ohio, man was sentenced in federal court today to 20 months in prison and five years of supervised release for making online threats to individuals connected with a non-profit organization whose mission is to help people access safe abortions.
James David Hampton, 41, was charged by a federal grand jury in April 2021 and pleaded guilty in June 2021.
According to court documents, on Aug. 26, 2020, Hampton searched “Abortion Support Network” on Facebook and commented on the ASN page, in part, “we kill scum like you…we follow you…we stalk you…then we kill you” and “there will be no pity when I myself stand over your cowering body as you beg and weep for your own life…just before I cut your throat.”
Hampton added, “we know where you live..your routines..we kidnap your kind…we torture you for information.”
He went into graphic detail about how he would cause pain and suffering to his victims before their death, telling one victim: “100 beatings with a hot chain ... then ... I will bury you alive in a whole with bleach water to drink (if you choose to) .. oh, and the earth above your body will be set on fire as well .. consider it a trial run for your time in hell ..”
In total, Hampton made more than a dozen threats to at least 10 victims.
In addition to the electronic communications, Hampton posted several public Facebook live videos to his profile on Aug. 26, 2020.
Hampton is clearly identified in the videos and stated, “My name is James David Hampton and I kill baby murderers.” He warned that a “great and ferocious wrath” was coming and spoke about burning down clinics and executing the doctors in the streets, as well as people who fund abortion clinics.
Vipal J. Patel, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; and J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr. Assistant Deputy Criminal Chief Jessica W. Knight is representing the United States in this case.
# # #
U.S. Attorney announces partnership with DOJ’s Combatting Redlining InitiativeRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio announced its partnership with the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division as it launches the department’s new Combatting Redlining Initiative.
Redlining is an illegal practice in which lenders avoid providing services to individuals living in communities of color because of the race or national origin of the people who live in those communities. The new Initiative represents the department’s most aggressive and coordinated enforcement effort to address redlining, which is prohibited by the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act.
“Redlining is not only harmful in our communities of color, but it is also illegal,” said Acting United States Attorney Vipal J. Patel. “I want to assure those living in the Southern District of Ohio that we will investigate and hold accountable those who are redlining our communities.”
Redlining, a practice institutionalized by the federal government during the New Deal era and implemented then and now by private lenders, has had a lasting negative impact. For American families, homeownership remains the principal means of building wealth, and the deprivation of investment in and access to mortgage lending services for communities of color have contributed to families of color persistently lagging behind in homeownership rates and net worth compared to white families. The gap in homeownership rates between white and Black families is larger today than it was in 1960, before the passage of the Fair Housing Act of 1968.
This Initiative, which will be led by the Civil Rights Division’s Housing and Civil Enforcement Section in partnership with U.S. Attorney’s Offices, will build on the longstanding work by the Division that seeks to make mortgage credit and homeownership accessible to all Americans on the same terms, regardless of race or national origin and regardless of the neighborhood where they live.
The initiative will:
- Use U.S. Attorneys’ Offices as force multipliers to ensure that fair lending enforcement is informed by local expertise on housing markets and the credit needs of local communities of color.
- Expand the department’s analyses of potential redlining to both depository and non-depository institutions. Non-depository lenders are not traditional banks and do not provide typical banking services, but engage in mortgage lending and now make the majority of mortgages in this country.
- Strengthen our partnership with financial regulatory agencies such as to ensure the identification and referrals of fair lending violations to the Department of Justice.
- Increase coordination with State Attorneys General on potential fair lending violations.
Individuals may report lending discrimination by calling the Justice Department’s Housing Discrimination Tip Line at 1-833-591-0291, or submitting a report online.
# # #
Repeat sex offender sentenced to 20 years in prison for attempting to coerce minors to engage in online sexual conductRead the Press Release
DAYTON, Ohio – Sean T. Porter, 56, of Moraine, Ohio, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 240 months in prison and a lifetime of supervised release for attempting to solicit nude photos from teenage girls while registered as a sex offender.
According to court documents, from October 2020 through January 2021, Porter created seven accounts with the profile names “Sean” and “Mike” on a dating app. In that time, Porter communicated with approximately 52 individuals who identified themselves as minors as young as 11 years old and sent pornographic images of himself to at least 26 suspected minors. He also solicited sexual content from the minors. One of the minors Porter communicated with was an FBI undercover officer who was using two personas of minor females.
Porter made a number of requests for the undercover officer to send nude images. Porter also sent images of himself in an exposed state. On Valentine’s Day 2021, Porter sent a video of himself engaging in sexual conduct to the agent purporting to be a teenager.
Porter committed these acts while on federal supervision after serving 10 years in federal prison for his last offense.
Vipal J. Patel, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the sentence imposed by Senior U.S. District Court Judge Thomas M. Rose. Assistant Deputy Criminal Chief Laura I. Clemmens and Assistant United States Attorney Rob Painter are representing the United States in this case.
# # #
Cincinnati man sentenced to more than 10 years in prison for robbing restaurantRead the Press Release
CINCINNATI – The lead of four defendants convicted of robbing an area chicken wings restaurant at gunpoint was sentenced in federal court to 126 months in prison.
Jammell Johnson, 28, of Cincinnati, received a sentence at the top of the federal sentencing guidelines for his role in the armed robbery conspiracy.
According to court documents, on July 28, 2019, Johnson and three others – including the restaurant’s manager Michael Jointer – robbed the WingStop on Galbraith Road in Springfield Township.
Johnson’s plea documents detail that he and the co-defendants had planned to place a carryout food order around closing time, which WingStop would honor after the restaurant had closed. According to their plan, Johnson and co-conspirator Martez Brown would rob the restaurant and manager Jointer would lead them to the safe. Jointer chose the date based on when the safe would contain the most cash.
Springfield Township police officers became aware of the plan and initiated surveillance.
A fourth defendant, Dwayne Palmore, purchased clothing items and gloves for use during the robbery and acted as a lookout on scene at WingStop.
Johnson and Brown brandished firearms and stole approximately $2,600 in cash from the restaurant.
Law enforcement officials used physical and aerial surveillance prior to, during, and after the robbery. Co-conspirators were arrested following vehicle and foot pursuits. Officers deployed nearby K-9 units to help apprehend the defendants.
Jointer, Brown and Palmore have each pleaded guilty and await sentencing.
Vipal J. Patel, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Springfield Township Police Chief Rick Bley; and Roland Herndon, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), announced the sentence imposed by Senior U.S. District Court Judge Susan J. Dlott. Assistant United States Attorney Ashley N. Brucato is representing the United States in this case.
# # #
Columbus man charged in narcotics conspiracy also accused of forcing addicts into prostitution through violenceRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Six additional defendants and new charges involving sex trafficking have been added to a case pending against a Columbus man who allegedly provided individuals cocaine and fentanyl in exchange for criminal acts.
Court documents allege Ricco Lamonte Maye, 39, of Columbus, was the head of a loose organization of individuals engaged in various types of criminal activity, including drug trafficking, sex trafficking, and mail and wire fraud. Maye allegedly used threats, violence and manipulation of drug dependencies to ensure individuals continued to carry out his criminal schemes.
A federal grand jury has now charged 10 total defendants with crimes related to distributing bulk quantities of fentanyl, crack, cocaine and methamphetamine; a mail and wire fraud conspiracy involving fraudulent Pandemic Unemployment Assistance; a conspiracy to threaten potential witnesses; and an alleged conspiracy in which women were sex trafficked to earn drug money.
Maye was originally charged by indictment in November 2020 and has remained in federal custody since. A second superseding indictment was unsealed today.
According to the second superseding indictment, beginning in at least 2018, Maye’s drug trafficking organization primarily distributed narcotics to addicts in street-level quantities. It is alleged he regularly purchased narcotics from supply sources both inside and outside of Ohio and used addicts to transport the drugs back to Columbus for resale.
Court documents say Maye would accept stolen goods, gift cards, Social Security numbers and other items in addition to cash as payment for the drugs.
The indictments detail that Maye and other defendants filed for and received more than $30,000 in fraudulent Pandemic Unemployment Assistance. Maye allegedly kept all or a portion of the others’ benefits.
It is alleged that Maye initially gave drugs to women for free and later required them to earn drug money through prostitution. The second superseding indictment details that Maye provided the means for the women to engage in prostitution – frequently obtaining hotel rooms, having the women driven to the hotels, providing cell phones, and directing Internet prostitution ads. Maye allegedly collected the prostitution proceeds, enforced specific rules on the women and punished the women through physical violence.
Finally, it is alleged that, after his initial arrest on federal charges in November 2020, Maye attempted to obstruct the ongoing investigation into his sex trafficking and fraud activities.
Specifically, according to court documents, Maye consistently made phone calls to various co-conspirators and potential witnesses in an attempt to determine whether individuals had spoken to or otherwise cooperated with law enforcement. In these communications, he allegedly directed co-conspirators to cause physical harm to potential witnesses against him or directly threatened such potential witnesses with physical harm. Maye allegedly directed some co-defendants to use his Facebook account to reach and threaten others.
For example, in November 2020, Maye allegedly directed someone to mix rat poison into fentanyl and give it to a co-defendant he believed could be cooperating with law enforcement.
Defendants charged in this case include:
Name
Also Known As
Age
City
Ricco L. Maye
Roscoe
39
Columbus
Airrika N. Anthony
33
Columbus
Nicole L. Groves
Nikki
32
Columbus
Kevin E. Pearson
58
Columbus
Jasmine R. Weather
Jazmine, Jazmyne, Jaz
23
Columbus
Jacob M. Capan
Jake
28
Pickerington
Danielle C. Ferguson
Dani
31
Columbus
Vincent N. Morrow
V
39
Columbus
Ashleigh A. Davis
Snowflake
28
Chillicothe
Victor Blake
Slim
60
Columbus
The drug conspiracy charged in this case is punishable by a minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison. The sex trafficking by force conspiracy charged in this case is punishable by at least 15 years and up to life in prison. Conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Conspiring to tamper with a witness carries a potential penalty of up to 30 years in prison. Obstructing law enforcement is punishable by up to 25 years in prison.
Vipal J. Patel, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Roland Herndon, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost; the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General and Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin W. Kelley and Heather A. Hill are representing the United States in this case.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
# # #
Former Belmont County attorney charged with stealing more than half a million dollars from elderly victim with dementiaRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A federal grand jury has charged a former Belmont County attorney with crimes related to stealing more than half a million dollars from an elderly woman with dementia while acting as the woman’s Power of Attorney.
Mark Alan Thomas, 61, of St. Clairsville, Ohio, is charged with four counts of mail fraud, a federal crime punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
According to court documents, from 2012 through August 2019, Thomas defrauded a client while serving as her Power of Attorney. It is alleged that Thomas took the victim’s money without her knowledge or permission to use for his own benefit.
The indictment details that Thomas improperly used the victim’s Power of Attorney and his status as a lawyer – even after his law license was revoked in 2015 – to convince various entities, including banks and life insurance companies, to transfer the victim’s money for his use.
In May 2012, a family member of the victim obtained a separate Power of Attorney for the victim, and it is alleged that Thomas drafted a revocation of the family member’s Power of Attorney for the victim to sign. At the time, the victim was 85 years old, exhibiting symptoms of dementia, and living in a senior-care facility. Thomas allegedly acted as the notary to verify the victim’s signature on the revocation.
The indictment further alleges that Thomas falsely told a banker he needed $200,000 from the victim’s investment account to set up an educational fund that the victim wanted to establish. Once he received the money from the bank, Thomas allegedly transferred the money to himself instead.
In January 2014, Thomas allegedly cashed more than $290,000 of the victim’s U.S. Treasury Bonds, then subsequently transferred $200,000 into his law firm’s bank account, and eventually into his own personal bank account.
According to the indictment, in 2016, Thomas wrote letters to three life insurance companies purporting to be the victim asking to cash out the victim’s policies and direct all correspondence to Thomas.
“In total, the charging document alleges Thomas stole more than $500,000 of the victim’s funds while claiming to act in her best interests as Power of Attorney,” Acting U.S. Attorney Vipal J. Patel said.
“Having power of attorney is not a license to steal,” Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said. “I am thankful that investigators with my Health Care Fraud unit and our federal partners were able to expose this alleged abuse of trust.”
Patel, Yost and FBI Special Agent in Charge J. William Rivers announced the charges. The Ohio Attorney General’s Health Care Fraud Unit and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorneys David J. Twombly and S. Courter Shimeall are representing the United States in this case.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
# # #
Trenton man sentenced to 5 years in prison for aiding illegal purchase of firearms connected to the killing of Dayton DEA task force officerRead the Press Release
DAYTON – Arland Mills, 43, of Trenton, Ohio, was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 60 months in prison for hiring a man to illegally purchase firearms for him.
Mills pleaded guilty in federal court in November 2020. He admitted that as part of his scheme, Mills obtained multiple firearms, three of which were later recovered during the execution of a search warrant on Ruskin Road in Dayton where Dayton Police Detective and DEA Task Force Officer Jorge Del Rio was shot on Nov. 4, 2019.
“Decisions carry consequences, and here, the consequences of Mills’ illegal gun purchases and sales were dire,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Vipal J. Patel.
Delano Wells, 50, also of Trenton, purchased the firearms at a licensed firearms dealer in Middletown on behalf of Mills. Wells was charged by criminal complaint on Nov. 5, 2019, with making false statements on a federal firearms form. Wells lied on ATF Form 4473 by indicating “yes” he was purchasing the firearm for himself and not for anyone else.
Once Wells purchased the firearms, he would provide them to Mills. Mills then either paid Wells a stipend in addition to the cost of the gun, or he forgave a portion of the debt owed to him by Wells.
Wells purchased more than eight firearms in this manner on behalf of Mills, along with several firearm lower receivers. Wells was sentenced to six months of home detention and three years of supervised release.
As part of today’s conviction, Mills will forfeit the 28 firearms that the government seized in this case. He was also ordered to pay a $20,000 fine.
Vipal J. Patel, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Roland Herndon, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); Interim Dayton Police Chief Matt Carper; Keith Martin, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); J. William Rivers, Special in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; and Montgomery County Prosecutor Mathias H. Heck, Jr. announced the sentence imposed today by Senior U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Rose. Assistant United States Attorney Amy M. Smith is representing the United States in this case.
# # #
Columbus police officers charged with crimes related to distributing at least 7 kilograms of fentanylRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Federal agents arrested two officers with the Columbus Division of Police’s drug cartel unit.
Marco R. Merino, 44, of Columbus, and John J. Kotchkoski, 33, of Marengo, Ohio, were allegedly involved in the distribution of approximately seven and a half kilograms of fentanyl. Merino also allegedly accepted bribes to protect the transportation of cocaine.
According to an affidavit filed in support of a criminal complaint, Merino allegedly tried to recruit a confidential informant to traffic drugs with him. Merino allegedly promised law enforcement protection to the individual and said he could intervene if other law enforcement agencies attempted to investigate the confidential informant.
Court documents detail that Merino intended to gain citizenship in Mexico as part of a plan to launder their drug proceeds. Merino allegedly planned to buy properties in Mexico to run as Airbnb properties and traveled to Mexico in July.
Specifically, it is alleged that, in March, April, May, August and September 2021, Merino accepted a total of $44,000 in cash in exchange for protecting the safe transport of at least 27 kilograms of cocaine. Unbeknownst to Merino, there was no actual cocaine and each of the transactions was controlled by federal law enforcement.
During the transports of the purported cocaine, it is alleged Kotchkoski made himself available by radio to make any calls that Merino might need, including to other law enforcement officials, to protect the safe transportation of the cocaine. According to an affidavit, cell phone data places Kotchkoski near Merino during the transports.
In June and August 2021, Merino allegedly distributed approximately seven and a half kilograms of fentanyl that Kotchkoski provided to him. It is alleged that Merino would make between $60,000 and $80,000 for the sale of the fentanyl.
Possessing with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl is a federal crime punishable by 10 years and up to life in prison. Federal Program Bribery is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Vipal J. Patel, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorney Peter K. Glenn-Applegate is representing the United States in this case.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
# # #
Former Air Force contractor sentenced to prison for illegally taking 2,500 pages of classified informationRead the Press Release
DAYTON – A former contractor with the United States Air Force was sentenced in U.S. District Court to one year and one day in prison for illegally taking approximately 2,500 pages of classified documents.
Izaak Vincent Kemp, 36, of Fairborn, was charged on Jan. 25 by a Bill of Information. He pleaded guilty in federal court on Feb. 25.
According to court documents, Kemp was employed as a contractor at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) from July 2016 to May 2019, and later as a contractor at the U.S. Air Force National Air and Space Intelligence Center (NASIC). While working at AFRL and NASIC – both located on Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Fairborn – Kemp had Top Secret security clearance.
Despite having training on various occasions on how to safeguard classified material, Kemp took 112 classified documents and retained them at his home.
Law enforcement discovered the more than 100 documents, which contained approximately 2,500 pages of material classified at the SECRET level, while executing a search warrant at Kemp’s home on May 25, 2019.
Vipal J. Patel, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Mark J. Lesko, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the National Security Division of the Department of Justice; J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; the Air Force Office of Special Investigations; and Fairborn Police Chief Terry Bennington announced the sentence imposed yesterday evening by Senior U.S. District Judge Walter H. Rice. Assistant United States Attorney Dominick S. Gerace and Trial Attorney Matthew J. McKenzie with the Department of Justice’s National Security Division are representing the United States in this case.
# # #
Columbus man charged with threatening local reproductive health services facilityRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A federal grand jury has charged a Columbus man with threatening a reproductive health services facility.
Carlos Manuel Rodriguez Brime, 25, was arrested yesterday. He is scheduled for arraignment on Sept. 23. Brime allegedly made two separate telephone threats on April 11 to a local reproductive health care clinic in which he made a death threat and a bomb threat.
Specifically, Brime is charged with violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, which makes it a federal crime to threaten the use of force to intimidate anyone receiving or providing reproductive health services. Brime is also charged with making threatening statements through interstate communications and with making a bomb threat.
If convicted of the offenses, Brime faces up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.
Vipal J. Patel, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Kristen Clarke, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice; J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; and Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorney Emily Czerniejewski and Civil Rights Division Trial Attorney Sanjay Patel are representing the United States in this case.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
# # #
Washington County man charged with crimes related to bringing minor across state lines to engage in sex actsRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Lower Salem, Ohio, man was arrested today on federal charges that he produced child pornography and brought a West Virginian minor to his cabin in Washington County to engage in illicit sex acts.
James A. Sabolick, 56, appeared in federal court in Columbus this afternoon.
According to court documents, Marietta police officers conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle that Sabolick was driving on July 24, 2021. It is alleged that Sabolick was attempting to conceal a person in his vehicle during that traffic stop when he initially indicated to law enforcement that he was alone. Officers then discovered a minor in the back seat of Sabolick’s vehicle.
An affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint details that Sabolick allegedly drove the minor from West Virginia to a cabin near his residence in Washington County, Ohio, for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual conduct.
Further investigation conducted by the Southeastern Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force at the Washington County Sheriff’s Office alleges Sabolick engaged in various sex acts with the minor. Those included acts involving abuse such as needle pokes, lighter burns, restraints, strangulation, and urination. Items recovered from Sabolick’s hunting cabin and vehicle included panty hose, lubricant, and a box of t-pins.
It is also alleged that during the course of these sex acts and acts of abuse, the defendant photographed the minor victim. Agents allegedly discovered images of child pornography depicting the minor victim on Sabolick’s cell phone. In addition, numerous images of child exploitation material were also recovered when conducting federal search warrants and forensic analysis on his electronic device.
Sabolick is charged in the federal criminal complaint with traveling interstate to engage in illicit sexual conduct (punishable by up to 30 years in prison), producing child pornography (which carries a sentencing range of 15 to 30 years in prison) and possessing child pornography (a federal crime punishable up to 10 years in prison).
Vipal J. Patel, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Vance Callender, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Washington County Sheriff Larry Mincks and Marietta Police Chief Aaron Nedeff announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorney Emily Czerniejewski is representing the United States in this case.
The case was investigated by both the Southeastern Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force and the Central Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force, which are operated under Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
# # #
Acting U.S. Attorney announces almost half-million-dollar grant to serve victims of Oregon District shootingRead the Press Release
DAYTON, Ohio – Acting U.S. Attorney Vipal J. Patel today announced that the U.S. Department of Justice Office for Victims of Crime has awarded the State of Ohio $488,054 to serve victims and survivors of the August 4, 2019 shooting in Dayton, Ohio’s Oregon District.
“This money will support necessary and ongoing trauma-informed, evidence-based healing and resiliency services to direct and indirect victims of the shooting,” Acting U.S. Attorney Patel said. “Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s office will coordinate and administer the grant that will help pay for four additional mental health counselors and related costs at two mental health facilities to help those affected by the shooting.”
Nine people were killed and dozens were wounded in the 2019 mass shooting. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio federally charged a friend of the shooter, who has been sentenced in U.S. District Court to 32 months in prison on firearms violations.
Patel also announced almost $2.2 million in grants from the Justice Department’s Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) for the following agencies in the 48-county Southern District of Ohio:
- Legal Assistance for Victims (LAV) grants of $600,000 to the Legal Aid Society of Cincinnati and $600,000 to the Ohio Domestic Violence Network to support increases in the availability of legal assistance for adult and youth victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking by providing funds for comprehensive direct legal services to victims in legal matters relating to or arising out of that abuse or violence.
- $449,999 from the Outreach and Services to Underserved Population program to Equitas Health to develop and implement outreach strategies targeted at adult or youth victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking in underserved populations, and to provide victim services to meet the needs of such populations, and
- $549,998 to Fairfield County from the Grants to Support Families in the Justice System program which is designed to improve the response of the civil and criminal justice system to families with a history of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking or in cases involving allegations of child sexual abuse.
“I want to thank all of these important agencies for the ongoing work they do to help victims in our community and also congratulate them on successfully earning these grants,” Patel said.
The Office on Violence Against Women provides leadership in developing the nation’s capacity to reduce violence through the implementation of the Violence Against Women Act and subsequent legislation. Created in 1995, OVW administers financial and technical assistance to communities across the country that are developing programs, policies and practices aimed at ending domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking. In addition to overseeing federal grant programs, OVW undertakes initiatives in response to special needs identified by communities facing acute challenges. Learn more at www.justice.gov/ovw.
# # #
Delaware man sentenced to 130 months in prison for distributing heroin and cocaine laced with fentanyl that resulted in series of overdosesRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Darnell Reeves, 34, of Delaware, Ohio, was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 130 months in prison for distributing heroin and cocaine laced with fentanyl that resulted in a series of overdoses.
According to court documents, investigators traced fentanyl, heroin and crack cocaine back to Reeves (also known as Bookie), after they responded to the scene of an overdose death in Ostrander, Ohio on Feb. 28, 2018. The victim was found on a couch in a shed, slumped forward with a used syringe under him.
Further investigation tied Reeves’s trafficking activity to an overdose death on Jan. 22, 2018, a nonfatal overdose on Feb.12, 2018, and a fatal overdose on March 2, 2018.
Reeves was arrested in June 2018 on a federal criminal complaint and has remained in custody since.
“Reeves’ narcotics trafficking posed a deadly threat to his victims and brought dangerous and highly addictive drugs into our country and community,” said Special Agent in Charge Vance Callender of HSI Detroit. “HSI brings its national and international network of offices and partnerships to bear against local traffickers to build out international conspiracy cases and hold the leader organizers accountable. We remain deeply committed to working with our local law enforcement partners by providing federal resources, assistance and a global reach.”
“This is once again an example of the Delaware County Drug Task Force working in collaboration with our Federal, State, and local partners to remove a dangerous person from our community, as well as hold him responsible for the devastating results of his drug trafficking,” said Delaware County Sheriff Russell Martin. “Reeves’ actions have contributed to loss of life and the near death of several others. It is the continued mission of the Delaware County Drug Task Force to reduce the availability of drugs throughout our communities.”
“Almost 11 years in federal prison for causing overdoses is a step in the right direction,” said Delaware County Prosecutor Melissa Schiffel. “The more we prosecute the drug supplier, the more impact we have in saving citizens from a life of addiction. I applaud the efforts of my predecessor and all the law enforcement agencies involved who helped achieve this lengthy and just resolution.”
Vipal J. Patel, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Vance Callender, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Delaware County Prosecutor Melissa Schiffel (and former prosecutor Carol O’Brien), Delaware County Sheriff Russell L. Martin, Delaware Police Chief Bruce Pijanowski and other members of the Delaware County Drug Task Force announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Court Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr. Assistant United States Attorneys Michael J. Hunter and Kelly A. Norris are representing the United States in this case.
# # #
Pittsburgh man offers guilty plea to bank fraud, fabricating letter from former Secretary of State in his favorRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Pittsburgh man pleaded guilty in federal court today to crimes related to stealing customers’ information and money from the banks at which he was employed. The defendant also submitted a fake letter to the Court purportedly from former Secretary of State and retired four-star general Colin Powell in support of a lenient sentence for the defendant.
Keith D. O’Kelly, 51, offered a guilty plea in U.S. District Court today to bank fraud and using a false document.
According to his plea document, in 2017 and 2018, O’Kelly gained employment at various banks and used the Social Security number of another individual while applying for employment.
Once employed at the banks, O’Kelly accessed and obtained the banking information of multiple customers to initiate unauthorized payments and transactions for his own financial benefit. For example, in December 2017, while employed as a bank manager, O’Kelly used the information of two bank customers to pay $10,000 toward his own personal credit account.
In January 2020, while on pretrial release, O’Kelly applied for employment at another bank and once again falsely represented a Social Security number as his own.
In March 2021, O’Kelly submitted a fraudulent letter to the Court in relation to a contemplated sentence for his bank fraud conduct. The letter was purportedly from former Secretary of State Colin Powell and recounted a personal story and support in favor of a lenient sentence for O’Kelly. When the United States asked for a point of contact to authenticate the letter, O’Kelly purchased a new phone and provided the number to the government. The government called the number and received a call back from a person claiming to be Powell’s personal assistant of 12 years. The caller said Powell dictated the letter for him to send to O’Kelly. O’Kelly admitted to fabricating the letter and being the caller.
Bank fraud is a federal crime punishable by up to 30 years in prison. Using a false document carries a potential sentence of up to five years in prison. Congress sets the minimum and maximum statutory sentences. Sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the Court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
Vipal J. Patel, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Dan Leeper, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the plea offered today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Norah McCann King. Assistant United States Attorney Brenda S. Shoemaker and Special Assistant United States Attorney Christopher N. St. Pierre are representing the United States in this case.
# # #
Five local men charged federally with crimes connected to 3 murdersRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A federal grand jury has charged five Columbus men with crimes related to three murders. An alleged narcotics conspiracy in 2018 to rob a local marijuana dealer of drugs and cash in his residence allegedly resulted in the shooting death of another resident within that house. To cover up for this murder, it is alleged one defendant murdered a man and a woman with knowledge of the first murder.
The indictment was returned yesterday and unsealed today. Those charged include:
Name
AKA
Age
Crimes Charged
Larry J. Williams, Jr.
J Streets, J
40
- Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances
- Murder related to drug trafficking crime
- Robbery
- Murder related to crime of violence (3 counts)
- Conspiracy to destroy evidence
- Murder of a witness (2 counts)
- Obstruction of justice
- Conspiracy to obstruct justice
- Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, methamphetamine, fentanyl, heroin
- Possession with intent to distribute cocaine, methamphetamine, fentanyl, heroin (2 counts)
- Possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime
- Possession with intent to distribute fentanyl
- Distribution of cocaine
*Kyle Castle
*Currently a fugitive
29
- Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances
- Murder related to drug trafficking crime
- Robbery
- Murder related to crime of violence
Jesse Climer
30
- Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances
- Murder related to drug trafficking crime
- Robbery
- Murder related to crime of violence
Brian Muncy
23
- Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances
- Robbery
Durone Ellis
B, BB
34
- Conspiracy to obstruct justice
- Possession with intent to distribute cocaine, methamphetamine, fentanyl, heroin
According to the 17-count second superseding indictment, Williams solicited others in the conspiracy to learn of potential drug traffickers to rob of their drugs and drug proceeds.
On June 27, 2018, defendants allegedly robbed at gunpoint a drug premises at 847 E.N. Broadway in Columbus. It is alleged the co-conspirators planned and carried out the robbery to steal one of the residents’ controlled substances and profit from the sale of the drugs.
The indictment further details that on June 27, 2018, Williams allegedly murdered Connor Reynolds, a 23-year-old from Grove City, and Castle and Climer were part of the armed robbery.
In August 2018, Williams then allegedly murdered Henry Watson, a 52-year-old from Columbus, to prevent him from providing information regarding Connor Reynolds’s murder to law enforcement.
On the same day, and immediately following the murder of Henry Watson, Williams allegedly murdered Tera Pennington, a 48-year-old from Columbus, to prevent her from serving as a witness to the previous crimes.
Williams allegedly instructed individuals to destroy a firearm and firearm barrel and to dispose of evidence from and clean the crime scene at 129 Stevens Ave. with bleach and other chemicals. Williams and Ellis are charged with conspiring to obstruct justice by concealing the bodies of Henry Watson and Tera Pennington. Williams also directed others to dismember and remove the bodies from 129 Stevens Ave. in Columbus.
Four additional defendants – Patrick Foster, Eric Linley, Phillip Trent and Charles Koon – were charged in February 2021 with their involvement with moving, dismembering, relocating and then burying the bodies of murder victims Henry Watson and Tera Pennington. Linley, Trent and Koon allegedly worked under the direction of Foster. Linley, Trent and Koon have pleaded guilty to being accessories after the murder and Foster’s case remains pending. Their cases were also unsealed today.
Finally, Williams is charged with conspiring to possess with intent to distribute, and to possessing with the intent to distribute, cocaine, methamphetamine, fentanyl and heroin.
The indictment details that Williams and others used 129 Stevens Ave. as a drug premises to sell and allow users to use narcotics. It is alleged that, on more than one occasion, users overdosed in the basement of the home and co-conspirators would provide Narcan to revive the users.
It was also part of the conspiracy, according to the indictment, that co-conspirators used apartments at 4594 Ava Point in Hilliard and 2849 Drew Heights Place #206 in Reynoldsburg to store large amounts of narcotics.
Four other defendants – Stephanie S. Bouphavong, Lashawn L. White, Jeffrey Mason Ford and Richard Rodgers – have been charged with and pleaded guilty to related narcotics crimes.
Williams could potentially face the death penalty in this case.
Vipal J. Patel, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Vance Callender, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin and Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant announced the charges. The joint investigation includes assistance from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI), Franklin County Coroner’s Office, Ohio Narcotics Intelligence Center (ONIC), U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF), the Columbus Division of Fire and the Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorneys Timothy D. Prichard and Elizabeth A. Geraghty are representing the United States in this case.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
If you have information on Kyle Castle’s whereabouts, please contact Homeland Security Investigations through the tip line at 1-866-DHS-2423.
# # #
All 19 defendants charged in T&A Crips case convicted of federal crimesRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The final of 19 defendants to be convicted in a Columbus gang-related racketeering conspiracy pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court for his part in furthering the violence of the local Crips gang. The racketeering conspiracy first charged in 2018 includes five murders, at least 26 attempted murders, and other violent and drug-trafficking crimes.
Shawn Nelms, 28, admitted in federal court on Sept. 8 to participating in the 2013 murder of William Moore. Nelms and others spotted Moore, a rival Poindexter Thug Life Bloods gang member, walking on Mount Vernon Ave. and agreed to kill the man for the purpose of maintaining and increasing their positions within T&A. According to his plea, in 2011, Nelms shot another man in the chest, and the gunshot victim survived. During a robbery in 2011, one of several rounds shot by Nelms went into a nearby house and struck a young girl, who also survived. Nelms’s plea includes a recommended sentence of 34 to 40 years in prison.
Nelms was scheduled to stand trial beginning next week and pleaded guilty at a pretrial conference yesterday evening.
The United States Attorney’s Office charged 19 total defendants in 2018 as part of the local gang T&A Crips. The gang derived its name from Trevitt and Atcheson streets in the King-Lincoln District of Columbus, where its members predominantly resided.
The criminal organization included various subgroups, including, Atcheson Crip Gangsters (ACG), Catch A Body (CAB), Kwamie Gang (KMG), Waun Gang, Family Over Everything (FOE), Go Gang, On The Family (OTF), Toe Tag and Go Crazy.
T&A identifies with the national Crips gang, adopting the traditional colors, symbols, culture, codes and enemies of the Crips gang. Its local rival Blood gangs include, but are not limited to, the Easthaven Bloods, Poindexter Thug Life (PTL) and the Milo Bloods.
T&A members marked the gang’s territory with graffiti and themselves with common tattoos. Members also produced songs to boast of the gang’s existence, communicate their violent methods and threaten non-members and rival gang members. These songs were posted on various social networking sites used by the T&A members.
T&A controlled the neighborhood through intimidation, fear and violence. Gang members were expected to retaliate with acts of violence when their members and associates were disrespected, threatened, intimidated or subjected to acts of violence.
Specifically, co-conspirators in this case have been convicted of five murders:
the murder of Franky Tention on July 1, 2012, in the area of 431 Ellison Street;
the murder of William Moore on March 15, 2013;
the murder of Marvin Ector on December 23, 2013, on East 5th Avenue;
the murder of Quincy Story on January 24, 2015; and
the murder of seven-year-old Deonte Fisher on March 4, 2016.
Additionally, from June 14, 2010 until March 15, 2017, there were at least 26 separate incidences in which T&A gang members attempted to murder more individuals by shooting at them.
Co-conspirators also threatened and/or intimidated witnesses, using violence or the threat of violence to deter them from providing information to law enforcement and to enforce a “no snitching” code.
Defendants distributed cocaine, crack cocaine, heroin, oxycodone and marijuana. They also used “trap houses” in other individuals’ names to store and sell narcotics.
T&A members used the drug proceeds to purchase firearms to use in gang wars in Columbus. They often traveled to Huntington, West Virginia, Portsmouth, Ohio, and Chillicothe, Ohio, (among other locations) to sell and purchase drugs and guns.
Seven defendants have been sentenced to at least 10 years in prison to date. They include:
Name
Also Known As
Sentence
Charles Carson
30 years in prison
Jonathan Dantzler
Jesus
30 years in prison
Eric Henderson, Sr.
Easy
15 years in prison
Michael Henderson
Bang
10 years and 9 months in prison
Steve Henderson, Jr.
Big Go, Tana
20 years in prison
Shawn Nelms
Mook
34-40 years recommended
Marcus Walton
Ox, Wax
10 years in prison
Michael Watson
Sossa
30 years in prison
Vipal J. Patel, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Roland Herndon, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); Dan Leeper, Acing Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant; and United States Marshal Pete Tobin announced the plea entered into before U.S. District Judge Michael H. Watson. Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin W. Kelley and Noah R. Litton are representing the United States in this case.
# # #
Dayton man sentenced to federal prison for fraudulently obtaining Social Security, COVID relief funding in his deceased father’s nameRead the Press Release
DAYTON, Ohio – A 55-year-old Dayton man was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 15 months in prison for fraudulently obtaining Social Security and COVID-19 relief funding in his deceased father’s name.
After a recent Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General audit caused the benefit payments to stop in summer 2020, Jon Devol, also known as John Atkins, called the SSA office pretending to be his elderly mother whom he had fraudulently named as the payee.
According to court documents, Devol impersonated his mother throughout the 30-minute, recorded phone call. During the call, Devol provided his parents’ Social Security numbers and when asked if his father was deceased, he said no. When the customer service representative reiterated that Devol’s father was listed as deceased in the SSA database, the defendant said, “That’s a mistake.”
In total, from 2015 until the 2020 audit, Devol received nearly $59,000 in Social Security benefits. Throughout those five years, Devol returned questionnaires to the SSA pretending to be his mother and stating the money was being used to care for his father’s needs.
In May 2020, Devol also received a $1,200 COVID-19 relief stimulus payment in his dead father’s name.
As part of his sentence, Devol was ordered to repay the $58,782 to Social Security and $1,200 to the IRS.
Vipal J. Patel, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, announced the sentence imposed by Senior U.S. District Court Judge Thomas M. Rose. Special Assistant United States Attorney Timothy Landry is representing the United States in this case. The SSA-OIG and United States Secret Service investigated the case.
# # #
T&A Crips member who killed rival gang member, shot at potential witness sentenced to 30 years in prisonRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – One of 19 defendants charged in a Columbus gang-related racketeering conspiracy was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 30 years in prison for his part in furthering the violence of the local Crips gang.
Jonathan Dantzler, 29, murdered a rival gang member and shot at a potential witness in 2012. He is one of 19 defendants charged in 2018 as part of the local gang T&A Crips.
T&A Crips derived its name from Trevitt and Atcheson streets in the King-Lincoln District of Columbus, where its members predominantly reside. T&A controlled the neighborhood through intimidation, fear and violence. Gang members were expected to retaliate with acts of violence when their members and associates were disrespected, threatened, intimidated or subjected to acts of violence.
Specifically, the co-conspirators in this case are charged with five murders:
the murder of Franky Tention on July 1, 2012, in the area of 431 Ellison Street;
the murder of William Moore on March 15, 2013;
the murder of Marvin Ector on December 23, 2013, on East 5th Avenue;
the murder of Quincy Story on January 24, 2015; and
the murder of Deonte Fisher on March 4, 2016.
As part of his guilty plea in May 2021, Dantzler admitted to shooting Franky Tention in 2012. According to court documents, Dantzler shot at the victim because he was a member of the rival “Milo Bloods” gang and was driving into T&A territory in a “sign of disrespect.”
Dantzler also discharged a firearm into the residence of a potential witness to intimidate her from cooperating with law enforcement authorities.
Vipal J. Patel, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Roland Herndon, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); Dan Leeper, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant; and United States Marshal Pete Tobin announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Judge Michael H. Watson. Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin W. Kelley and Noah R. Litton are representing the United States in this case.
# # #
2 men charged with murder of convenience store owner, 5 armed robberiesRead the Press Release
CINCINNATI – A federal grand jury has charged two men with a string of armed robberies and the February 2021 murder of Roop C. Gupta, the owner of Madeira Beverage.
Willie James Attaway, 30, of Cincinnati, and Lamond Johnson, 35, most recently of Cincinnati, are charged by a 14-count indictment.
According to the charging document, Attaway and Johnson conspired to commit five armed robberies on Feb. 8 and 9, 2021.
Specifically, the defendants allegedly brandished a firearm to commit robberies on the following occasions:
- February 8 – Shell on Montgomery Road in Deerfield Township,
- February 8 – Shell on Dixie Highway in Hamilton, Ohio,
- February 9 – Madeira Beverage on Kenwood Road in Madeira, Ohio,
- February 9 – Sunoco on Kenwood Road in Blue Ash, Ohio, and
- February 9 – Marathon on North Broadway in Lebanon, Ohio.
Attaway and Johnson are both charged with the Feb. 9, 2021 murder of Gupta, the owner of Madeira Beverage. Using a firearm to commit murder during a crime of violence is potentially punishable by the death penalty.
Related local charges pending against Johnson will be superseded by the federal indictment returned yesterday, and the case will proceed federally.
Attaway and Johnson appeared in federal court today at 1:30pm and the indictment was unsealed at that time.
Vipal J. Patel, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Roland Herndon, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF), announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorney Julie D. Garcia is representing the United States in this case.
The investigation was jointly conducted by ATF and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Madeira Police Department, the Warren County Sheriff’s Office, the Cincinnati, Lebanon, Blue Ash, and Hamilton police departments, and the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
# # #
Dublin man charged with enticing minors, producing child pornographyRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Dublin, Ohio, man has been charged federally with crimes related to sexually exploiting at least three minors.
Timothy W. Wright, 50, was arrested yesterday afternoon at his home and appeared in federal court today. The charges initiated thus far were unsealed during his initial appearance today.
Specifically, Wright is charged with enticing a minor, producing child pornography and possessing child pornography.
According to court documents, Wright paid females under the age of 18 to send him nude photographs and videos. As stated in the affidavit filed in support of the complaint, CashApp and phone records allegedly connect the payments for these videos and images to Wright and his company, L&T Trucking, and phone records also indicate Wright allegedly coordinated dates and times to meet with the victims at his Dublin residence.
The affidavit further details that Wright allegedly paid a minor victim $300 on least five occasions in exchange for the minor lying nude on Wright’s bed while Wright engaged in sex acts.
Enticement of a minor is a federal crime punishable by at least 10 years and up to life in prison. Producing child pornography carries a penalty of at least 15 and up to 30 years in prison. Possessing child pornography is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Vipal J. Patel, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorney Emily Czerniejewski is representing the United States in this case.
The case is being cooperatively investigated by the Central Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force, which operates under Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission, and by Homeland Security Investigations, Columbus Division of Police, Dublin Police Department, Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, Delaware County Sheriff’s Office Tactical Unit, Delaware County Drug Task Force, and the United States Marshals Service.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
# # #
Cincinnati police officer charged with failing to report more than $50,000 in off-duty incomeRead the Press Release
CINCINNATI – A federal grand jury has charged a Cincinnati police officer with failing to report tens of thousands of dollars earned from off-duty jobs at area nightclubs.
Diondre Winstead, 44, of Cincinnati, is charged with three counts of filing false tax returns. He allegedly failed to report more than $58,000 earned from off-duty jobs in tax years 2015, 2016 and 2017.
Winstead was first charged by a federal criminal complaint and arrested on that complaint on August 18.
According to court documents, Winstead is charged as part of an investigation into alleged narcotics money laundering organizations operating as Cincinnati nightclubs. Promoters allegedly use drug proceeds to pay for artists and performers at the nightclubs as a way to generate revenue that would appear to be legitimate.
Winstead, a Cincinnati Police Officer of more than 16 years, worked off-duty jobs at the clubs and received cash payments from the promoters.
Vipal J. Patel, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Bryant Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation; and Cincinnati Police Chief Eliot K. Isaac announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorney Kenneth L. Parker is representing the United States in this case.
Federal, state and local law enforcement agencies with the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) are assisting with investigating this case.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
# # #
Cincinnati man sentenced to 20 years in prison for creating child pornography of minor in his care at sleepoverRead the Press Release
CINCINNATI – Scott Surgener, 43, of Cincinnati, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 240 months in prison for sexually exploiting a minor.
According to court documents, from April 2018 through July 2019, Surgener engaged in sexually explicit conduct with a minor in his home for the purpose of taking pictures and videos of the sexual abuse. The pictures and videos were taken in Surgener’s residence while the victim, who was younger than 13, was in his care at child sleepovers.
In total, the defendant produced 28 videos and images of the exploitation.
Surgener was charged by a federal criminal complaint in October 2019 and has remained in custody since. He pleaded guilty in February 2021 to producing child pornography.
Surgener was also sentenced to 10 years of supervised release following imprisonment and ordered to pay $3,000 in victim restitution.
Vipal J. Patel, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Dan Leeper, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; Hamilton County Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey and Springdale Police Chief Thomas Wells announced the sentence imposed yesterday evening by Senior U.S. District Judge Susan J. Dlott. Assistant United States Attorney Kyle J. Healey is representing the United States in this case.
# # #
Two Dayton residents plead guilty in identity & financial fraud schemeRead the Press Release
DAYTON, Ohio – Two Daytonians pleaded guilty in federal court to crimes related to a conspiracy to steal checks, credit cards, debit cards, bank account information and Social Security numbers to enrich themselves.
Myrtle Lynn “Mi Mi” Jackson, 38, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court today, and Joshua Dylan “Jo Jo” Chapman, 29, pleaded guilty on August 4, to conspiring to engage in access device fraud and to aggravated identity theft.
According to court documents, the defendants stole victims’ personal information from occupied and unoccupied residences, vehicles and mailboxes. Jackson and Chapman then used stolen credit cards, debit cards and checks to illicitly acquire cash, drugs, and other goods and services.
The co-conspirators used victims’ information to fraudulently apply for personal loans, student loans, unemployment benefits, credit cards, debit cards and checks.
Jackson and Chapman used the proceeds of their fraud scheme to buy illicit drugs and make purchases at Walmart, Dollar General, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Lees Famous Chicken. The fraudulent funds were also used to pay for motel rooms and for gambling activities at a casino in Dayton. The charged conspiracy transpired from May 28, 2019 – triggered by the tornadoes in the Greater-Dayton area – until/ May 11, 2021.
Conspiring to engage in access device fraud is a federal crime punishable by up to 90 months in prison. Aggravated identity theft carries a mandatory sentence of two years in prison in addition to any other sentence imposed.
Vipal J. Patel, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, announced the guilty pleas entered and commended the investigation of the United States Secret Service and Dayton Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Dwight K. Keller is representing the United States in this case.
# # #
Spring Valley internet entrepreneur pleads guilty to federal income tax chargesRead the Press Release
John S. Billhimer, age 40, of Spring Valley, Ohio pleaded guilty today to a one count federal information charging him with filing a false U.S. Individual Income Tax Return, Form 1040, for tax years 2014 through 2017, said Bryant Jackson, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Cincinnati Field Office.
Billhimer owned and operated various businesses which conducted internet sales of aftermarket automobile parts and accessories, and electronics, on eBay and Amazon. As the sole shareholder of these corporations, Billhimer was responsible for reporting any income that he personally received from these corporations on Schedule E of his U.S. Individual Income Tax Return, Form 1040. For tax years 2014 through 2017, Billhimer willfully filed tax returns which fraudulently understated his tax liabilities and caused a tax loss to the United States of $56,000.
“Income, from whatever source derived, is taxable and needs to be properly reported by all taxpayers,” Bryant said. “IRS-CI works everyday to ensure those who don’t pay their fair share are held accountable to the fullest extent possible under the law.”
Billhimer will be sentenced on January 6, 2022 by U.S. District Court Judge Michael J. Newman. The defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after review of the factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the criminal conduct. In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum (3 years) and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Dominick Gerace, following an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation.
Cincinnati man pleads guilty to creating fake ID documents claiming he was federal employee & agentRead the Press Release
CINCINNATI – A Cincinnati man pleaded guilty in federal court this morning to making fake IDs claiming he was a Special Agent with Homeland Security and an employee of the Defense Logistics Agency, which is the Department of Defense’s combat logistics support agency.
David Lomache, 61, was indicted by a grand jury and arrested by federal agents on April 16, 2021.
According to the court documents, Lomache fraudulently obtained a United States Federal Contractor badge in order to impersonate a civilian contractor technician for the Defense Logistics Agency.
In January of 2021, Lomache produced fake identification documents for both the Defense Logistics Agency and for Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”). He listed his titles on the fraudulent documents as “Civilian Contractor Technician” and “Homeland Security Special Agent.”
Fraud in connection with identification documents is a federal crime punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
Vipal J. Patel, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Vance Callender, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations; and Hamilton County Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey announced the plea entered into today before U.S. District Judge Matthew McFarland. Assistant United States Attorney Megan Gaffney Painter is representing the United States in this case.
Anyone who believes they may be a victim of fraud in relation to this investigation is asked to call 866-347-2423 (TTY for hearing impaired: 802-872-6196) or visit the website at https://www.ice.gov/webform/ice-tip-form.
# # #
Cincinnati man pleads guilty to using identity of deceased friend to obtain Social Security, SNAP benefitsRead the Press Release
CINCINNATI – Frank Morris, 73, of Cincinnati, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to using the identity of a deceased childhood friend to obtain more than $120,000 in Social Security and SNAP food stamp benefits. Morris also compiled a criminal record in the victim’s name over the 50-year span in which Morris used the identity.
Specifically, Morris pleaded guilty to theft of public money (punishable by up to 10 years in prison) and false representation of a Social Security number (punishable by up to five years in prison).
According to court documents, Morris assumed the identity of an individual after the individual’s death in 1966. Since at least 1973 and continuing up to present, Morris was repeatedly arrested under the victim’s identity.
In 2004, Morris began using the victim’s identity to collect Supplemental Security Income disability payments. From 2004 until 2020, Morris received more than $123,000 in disability payments.
In 2018, Morris applied for SNAP food stamp benefits using the victim’s identity and received approximately $1,600 in benefits.
The Social Security Administration’s Office of Inspector General, United States Secret Service, USDA Office of Inspector General and the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles cooperatively investigated this case.
Vipal J. Patel, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, announced the plea entered into before Senior U.S. District Judge Susan J. Dlott. Special Assistant United States Attorney Timothy Landry is representing the United States in this case.
# # #
Columbus woman pleads guilty to Social Security fraudRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Roxanne Bates, 52, of Columbus, Ohio, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court today to one count of theft of public money, acknowledging that she took her mother’s Social Security benefits for almost eight years after her mother died.
According to court documents, Bates’ mother died in January 2012. Before she died, she was receiving disability benefits from the Social Security Administration. Those benefits should have ceased when she died, but the Social Security Administration was not notified of the death and continued to pay benefits totaling $146,143.
The benefits were deposited into a bank account controlled by Bates’ mother. On a regular basis, Bates knowingly and willfully stole the money by withdrawing it from the account using a debit card with her late mother’s name on it.
An audit by the Social Security’s Office of Inspector General detected the theft. Agents interviewed Bates in August 2020 and she acknowledged that she took money out of the account after her mother died.
Theft of public money is a crime punishable by up to ten years in prison, but the court will apply federal sentencing guidelines to determine an appropriate sentence. The plea agreement requires Bates to repay the money she stole.
The Social Security Administration’s Office of Inspector General and the United States Secret Service cooperatively investigated this case.
Vipal J. Patel, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, announced the plea entered today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Norah McCann King. Special Assistant United States Attorney Timothy Landry is representing the United States in this case.
# # #
T&A Crips member sentenced to 30 years in prisonRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A 26-year-old Columbus man was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 30 years in prison for participating in a local gang’s racketeering conspiracy.
Charles Carson pleaded guilty in February 2020 and accepted responsibility for the 2015 murder of Quincy Story. Carson shot and killed Story on S. James Road in Columbus.
According to court documents, Carson and 18 other defendants were charged as members and associates of the Trevitt and Atcheson Crips gang known as T&A. The gang derived its name from Trevitt and Atcheson streets in the King-Lincoln District of Columbus, where its members predominantly reside.
The murder victim, Story, was perceived as disrespecting a fallen associate of the T&A subgroup Waun Gang.
Beginning in June 2010, T&A members and associates conspired in a racketeering enterprise and engaged in murders, attempted murders, drug trafficking, firearms trafficking, witness tampering, robbery, assault and other crimes.
The gang controlled the neighborhood through intimidation, fear and violence. Gang members were expected to retaliate with acts of violence when their members and associates were disrespected, threatened, intimidated or subjected to acts of violence.
Specifically, co-conspirators are charged with five murders:
the murder of Franky Tention on July 1, 2012, in the area of 431 Ellison Street;
the murder of William Moore on March 15, 2013;
the murder of Marvin Ector on December 23, 2013, on East 5th Avenue;
the murder of Quincy Story on January 24, 2015; and
the murder of Deaonte Fisher on March 4, 2016.
Vipal J. Patel, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Roland Herndon, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); Chris Hoffman, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant; and United States Marshal Pete Tobin announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Judge Michael H. Watson. Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin W. Kelley and Noah R. Litton are representing the United States in this case.
# # #
Kentucky woman sentenced to federal prison for aiding and abetting witness tampering in case involving murder of her ex-son-in-lawRead the Press Release
DAYTON – A Burlington, Kentucky, woman was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 70 months in prison for aiding and abetting her daughter in intimidating a witness after the murder of her ex-son-in-law.
Chandra Harmon, 57, admitted in January 2021 to aiding and abetting the intimidation of a witness after the August 2017 murder of Robert Caldwell. Harmon and her daughter, Tawnney Caldwell, attempted to prevent the witness from providing testimony to law enforcement about weapons provided to a co-defendant.
According to court documents, around 6pm on Aug. 15, 2017, Robert Caldwell and his three minor children left a counseling appointment in Riverside, Ohio. While crossing the parking lot, Robert Caldwell was shot multiple times by an assailant in front of his children and died at the scene. The assailant was later identified as co-defendant Sterling Roberts.
Tawnney Caldwell is the ex-wife of the murder victim and was the girlfriend of Sterling Roberts at the time of the incident. Chandra Harmon is Tawnney Caldwell’s mother and previous mother-in-law to Robert Caldwell.
Tawnney Caldwell and the murder victim had an ongoing dispute regarding the custody of their children and Tawnney Caldwell had talked to Sterling Roberts on at least two occasions (while Roberts was incarcerated in Montgomery County) about killing Robert Caldwell.
Sterling Roberts; his brothers, Chance Deakin and Christopher Roberts; Chandra Harmon (Tawnney’s mother); and James Harmon (Tawnney’s step-father) collaborated to plan, execute and cover-up the violent crime resulting in the death of Robert Caldwell.
Tawnney Caldwell was sentenced in July to 35 years in prison for interstate stalking resulting in death, and Sterling Roberts awaits trial.
Vipal J. Patel, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Chris Hoffman, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; Riverside Police Chief Frank Robinson and Sugarcreek Township Police Chief Michael Brown announced the sentence imposed today by Senior U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Rose. Assistant United States Attorneys Amy M. Smith, Sheila G. Lafferty and Kevin Koller are representing the United States in this case.
# # #
Special assistant prosecutor sworn in to continue gun crime initiativeRead the Press Release
CINCINNATI – Acting United States Attorney Vipal J. Patel and Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley announced today the designation of a special prosecutor to assist with federal gun cases.
Meagan W. Myers with the City of Cincinnati Law Department has been designated as a Special Assistant United States Attorney (SAUSA) and will continue an anti-violence initiative between the local and federal prosecutor’s offices.
“Meagan is an accomplished and respected prosecutor for the City of Cincinnati, and we look forward to continued success in her new role at the Department of Justice,” said Deputy City Solicitor Emily Smart Woerner.
The initiative includes a committed focus from federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to work collaboratively to identify those individuals who consistently use firearms to commit crimes, who habitually possess illegal firearms, and who present a clear threat to the safety of the community.
Federally, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon can result in a prison sentence of up to 10 years in prison. Defendants convicted of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense face a mandatory minimum of five years and up to life in prison. Offenders who possess a firearm after having been convicted of three violent felonies face between 15 years and life in prison.
The SAUSA position is dedicated as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
# # #
Owner of local marketing business pleads guilty to COVID relief fraudRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Columbus woman pleaded guilty in federal court here today to crimes related to COVID relief fraud.
Janet Jenison, 38, pleaded guilty to three counts of wire fraud and one count of making a false statement on a Paycheck Protection Program loan application. Jenison was charged by bill of information on May 20, 2021.
According to court documents, Jenison submitted three fraudulent applications to obtain Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, created by the CARES Act, for Janet Minton Marketing, LLC, a business registered in her maiden name. The applications collectively sought $298,719.67 in fraudulent loans.
Two of the applications were approved and a financial institution disbursed $160,247. Jenison first received $98,120 in June 2020. She filed the second successful application on Feb. 18, 2021, and received $62,127.
To date, the United States has seized and recovered $58,276.56 of the fraudulent proceeds.
In support of the three applications, Jenison created false Fifth Third Bank account statements for her business for the period Feb. 8, 2020 to March 6, 2020. The bank statements showed debits for payroll, tax withholding and business expenses. The business account at Fifth Third Bank was not opened until April 27, 2020.
Jenison also submitted false tax documents. One document claimed she elected for her marketing business to be classified as a corporation and was dated Jan. 24, 2020, but the employer identification number on the form was not created until four months later. In support of her loan applications, the defendant also submitted fabricated tax documents claiming that she had made federal employment tax deposits on behalf of employees of her business, when in fact she had not done so.
Jenison was interviewed by law enforcement in March 2021 and admitted to creating the false documents submitted in support of the applications.
Wire fraud carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Making a false statement is punishable by up to five years in prison. Each crime carries a potential fine not to exceed $250,000. Congress sets the maximum statutory sentence. Sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the Court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
Vipal J. Patel, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; officials with the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration; and Bryant Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Cincinnati Field Office announced the plea entered today before Chief U.S. District Judge Algenon L. Marbley. Assistant United States Attorney Peter K. Glenn-Applegate is representing the United States in this case.
# # #
Organizer of fraud and identity theft schemes pleads guilty to 10 federal countsRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Columbus man pleaded guilty in federal court today to a range of federal crimes, including fraud conspiracy, aggravated identity theft, money laundering, false claims to United States citizenship and firearms violations.
Nana Yaw Addo, 56, a citizen of Ghana, admitted his guilt to 10 separate counts today. He admitted to stealing an individual’s identity in order to create a fraudulent business and accompanying bank account, laundering the proceeds of “man in the middle” email scams, organizing the theft of lines of credit at furniture stores, printing and encoding fake credit cards, and illegally purchasing and possessing a firearm.
In total, the intended loss from Addo’s fraud was between half a million and $1.5 million.
According to Addo’s plea agreement, in 2018, he stole an individual’s identity and used the stolen identity to create a business called Focal Point Wireless. Addo fraudulently registered the company with an address on Cleveland Avenue in Columbus. The address matched that of Addo’s actual company, Beeps Computer Clinic.
Addo then laundered the proceeds of business email compromise scams through his American bank accounts.
For example, a co-conspirator compromised the email address of a supervisor at a separate victim company in order to initiate a wire transfer of more than $67,000 to an account Addo opened using the stolen identity.
An employee of the victim company received an email into his/her workplace email account purportedly from his/her supervisor telling the employee to initiate the wire transfer and that the supervisor would later provide an invoice. When the employee asked the supervisor about when to expect to receive the invoice, the victim company discovered the supervisor’s email had been compromised.
Bank records show Addo wired at least $20,000 of the victim company’s money into a Beeps Computer Clinic bank account and purchased $2,000 in money orders at Kroger.
Addo received and laundered the proceeds of a scam defrauding a second victim company of $80,499 in October 2018.
The next month, Addo laundered nearly $422,000 obtained by fraudsters through a “man in the middle” email scheme. In this type of scheme, the attacker impersonates a vendor or customer by mimicking email address domain names which appear to the same, but are, in reality, slightly different.
Addo admitted in his plea agreement that he served as a leader of credit card scams at furniture retailers. The defendant would send other people into retailers with victims’ stolen personal information in order to open lines of credit and order furniture. The furniture was then delivered to Addo’s business address on Cleveland Avenue. The stolen information was also used to print and encode fraudulent credit cards.
While searching his residence and business, law enforcement officials discovered more than 600 stolen credit card numbers.
Addo falsely claimed to be a United States citizen to get a driver’s license and lied on federal forms to purchase a firearm.
As part of his plea, Addo will pay nearly $214,000 in restitution.
Addo faces up to 20 years in prison for money laundering, up to 10 years in prison for each firearm crime, up to five years in prison for conspiring to commit wire fraud, up to three years in prison for falsely claiming to be a United States citizen and a mandatory term of two years in prison – to be served consecutively to any other imposed sentence – for aggravated identity theft.
Congress sets the minimum and maximum statutory sentences. Sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the Court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
Vipal J. Patel, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Yvonne DiCristoforo, Special Agent in Charge, United States Secret Service; Bryant Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Criminal Investigation; and Vance Callender, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), announced the plea entered into today before Chief U.S. District Judge Algenon L. Marbley. Assistant United States Attorneys Kelly A. Norris and Peter K. Glenn-Applegate are representing the United States in this case.
# # #
MS-13 member who committed murder as part of racketeering conspiracy sentenced to 35 years in prisonRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A defendant responsible for murder as charged in the federal case against local members and associates of MS-13 was sentenced in U.S. District Court today.
Juan Flores-Castro, 32, of Columbus, is the ninth defendant to be convicted and sentenced to at least 30 years in prison for committing murder on behalf of the transnational criminal organization. Specifically, Flores-Castro was sentenced to 35 years in prison.
The others include:
- Martin Neftali Aguilar-Rivera (“Momia”) – sentenced to life in prison without parole
- Jose Bonilla-Mejia (“Espia”) – sentenced to life in prison without parole
- Pedro Alfonso Osorio-Flores (“Smokey”) – sentenced to 40 years in prison
- Jose Manuel Romero-Parada (“Russo”) – sentenced to 40 years in prison
- Jose Salvador Gonzalez-Campos (“Danger”) – sentenced to 40 years in prison
- Juan Jose Jimenez-Montufar (“Chele Trece”) – sentenced to 35 years in prison
- Jose Daniel Gonzalez-Campos (“Flaco”) – sentenced to 30 years in prison
- Jose Mendez-Peraza (“Shadow”) – sentenced to 30 years in prison
The murders include: 1) the December 2006 murder of Jose Mendez, a suspected confidential informant, in Perry County; 2) the November 2008 murder of Ramon Ramos on Lockbourne Road in Columbus; 3) the mid-2015 murder of Carlos Serrano-Ramos, a suspected rival gang member, near Innis Road in Columbus; 4) the November 2015 murder of Wilson Villeda near Innis Road in Columbus; 5) the December 2016 murder of Salvador Martinez-Diaz, a suspected rival gang member, on Melroy Avenue in Columbus; 6) the 2016 murder of Jose Ovillio Ayala-Alas in Virginia; 7) the 2017 murder of 15-year-old Genesis Lizbeth Cornejo-Alvarado, who was believed to have dated a rival gang member, in Texas; and 8) the 2017 murder and dismemberment of Israel Anibal Mejia-Martinez in Indianapolis.
In total, 22 defendants have been convicted. The U.S. Attorney’s Office charged 23 individuals as members and associates of MS-13 in Columbus in a February 2018 second superseding indictment. Daniel Alexander Diaz-Romero (“Manchas”) remains a fugitive.
The defendants have been found guilty as part of a racketeering conspiracy, which includes eight murders as well as attempted murder, extortion, money laundering, drug trafficking, assault, obstruction of justice, witness intimidation, weapons offenses and immigration-related violations. Specifically, Flores-Castro was held responsible for his role in the murders of Wilson Villeda and Salvador Martinez-Diaz, as well as for selling drugs on behalf of the gang.
Vipal J. Patel, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Chris Hoffman, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; Rebecca Adducci, Detroit Field Office Director, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations; Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin; and Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant announced the sentence imposed this morning by U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr.
Deputy Criminal Chief Brian J. Martinez and Assistant United States Attorney Noah R. Litton are representing the United States in this case.
# # #
United States files motion claiming landlord is violating lawsuit consent decree by continuing to rent properties & harass female tenantsRead the Press Release
CINCINNATI – The United States Attorney’s Office filed a motion today requesting a federal judge to find local landlord John Klosterman in civil contempt of court for failing to meet the requirements of a negotiated federal consent decree.
The United States sued Klosterman in 2018, alleging Klosterman sexually harassed female tenants since at least 2013 at the 55 residential properties he and his wife Susan Klosterman owned in Sedamsville.
Klosterman engaged in unwanted sexual touching, offered to reduce rent and overlook or excuse late or unpaid rent in exchange for sex. He evicted or threatened to evict female tenants who objected to or refused sexual advances. Klosterman also entered the homes of female tenants without their consent and otherwise monitored their daily activities with cameras directed at their units.
In 2020, the Justice Department settled the lawsuit with Klosterman, who agreed to various terms in a consent decree. Today’s filing states Klosterman has violated these terms:
- Accurately represent and update the extent of their rental property holdings;
- Cease personally interacting with tenants or otherwise participating in rental management;
- Secure an independent property manager for any properties owned outside of a receivership created as a result of a lawsuit filed by the City of Cincinnati;
- Complete fair housing training and ensure compliance with a sexual harassment policy; and
- Pay monetary damages.
The United States argues Klosterman has failed to fully comply with the provisions of the federal court’s consent decree. For example, according to today’s motion, Klosterman continues to personally manage five rental properties, failed to secure an independent property manager, and has been accused of further improper conduct regarding female tenants.
In September and November 2020, Klosterman was charged criminally by the state of Ohio with Menacing by Stalking a female tenant victim.
“Klosterman’s repeated and ongoing refusal to comply with the consent decree justifies a finding of civil contempt in this case,” said U.S. Attorney Vipal J. Patel. “We seek to hold Klosterman accountable for his severe and pervasive sexual harassment.”
The court may remedy civil contempt by issuing fines or other relief intended to secure compliance with the federal court’s orders.
The United States’ motion asks the court to fine Klosterman $100 per day and $500 per incident until he meets various provisions of the consent decree. The United States is also asking the court to extend the duration of the decree by nine months, until July 2026.
The United States’ lawsuit was pursued jointly with the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. The 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. More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at http://www.justice.gov/crt.
Individuals can report sexual harassment or other forms of housing discrimination by calling the Justice Department’s Housing Discrimination Tip Line at 1-800-896-7743, emailing the Justice Department at [email protected], or submitting a report online.
Vipal J. Patel, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, announced the motion filed in federal court today. Civil Chief Matthew J. Horwitz is representing the United States in this case.
# # #