District of Utah
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
Undercover Operation Lands Alleged Utah Drug Trafficker Behind BarsRead the Press Release
Salt Lake City, Utah – A 25-year-old Taylorsville man has been arrested and charged in a federal criminal complaint for possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl to an undercover federal agent.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah filed the complaint Tuesday, January 31, 2022, charging the defendant, Flavio Cesar Mazariegos Covarrubias with possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute.
According to court documents, the FBI’s Wasatch Metro Drug Task Force (WMDTF) initiated a criminal investigation into Covarrubias and a drug trafficking organization that agents believe to be distributing large quantities of narcotics in Utah. Recently, an undercover agent purchased fentanyl from the defendant which led to his arrest. Agents located and seized approximately 5,000 blue-colored pills and approximately 40 brightly-colored pills which field-tested positive for fentanyl, a schedule II controlled substance. Brightly-colored fentanyl pills, like the pills seized from Covarrubias, are also referred to as the common street name “rainbow fentanyl,” or “skittles,” and look like candy to entice young people.
U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins for the District of Utah made the announcement.
Assistant U.S. Attorney, Stephen L. Nelson, for the District of Utah is prosecuting the case.
The FBI is investigating the case.
A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. Defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
FBIUtah Man Arrested and Charged with Possession of Fentanyl with the Intent to DistributeRead the Press Release
Salt Lake City, Utah – A Taylorsville man was arrested in Salt Lake County and indicted on criminal charges related to his alleged possession with the intent to distribute illicit drugs, specifically fentanyl.
According to court documents, Jesse Wood, 51, allegedly intentionally possessed with the intent to distribute forty (40) grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl, a schedule II controlled substance. Fentanyl is an incredibly dangerous synthetic opioid that is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine. The fentanyl seized during the investigation was contained in brightly colored pills, known as “rainbow fentanyl,” and may be made by drug traffickers to look like candy to entice young people. The investigation is likely the first seizure of “rainbow fentanyl” in Utah and represents a significant safety risk to the public. (Picture of the rainbow fentanyl seized during the investigation are attached).
Wood is charged by indictment with possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute. He will have a detention hearing at a later date.
U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins for the District of Utah made the announcement.
Assistant U.S. Attorney, Stephen L. Nelson, for the District of Utah is prosecuting the case.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is investigating the case.
Learn more about the danger of illicit fentanyl at https://www.dea.gov/fentanylawareness or www.dea.gov/onepill.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Drug Enforcement AdministrationUtah Doctor and Co-Defendants Charged for Running a COVID-19 Vaccine Scheme to Defraud the Government and CDCRead the Press Release
UPDATE
Upon motion of the United States, the indictment described in the press release below against Plastic Surgery Institute of Utah, Inc., Dr. Michael Kirk Moore Jr., Kari Dee Burgoyne, Kristin Jackson Andersen, and and Sandra Flores in this case was dismissed in July 2025.
Salt Lake City, Utah – A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City, Utah returned an indictment on January 11, 2023 charging a Utah plastic surgeon, his medical corporation, and three co-defendants, including his neighbor, with conspiracy to defraud the United States by issuing fake CDC COVID-19 vaccination record cards to fraudulent vaccine card seekers.
According to court documents, Dr. Michael Kirk Moore Jr., 58, of Salt Lake County, Utah and his co-defendants, listed below including his neighbor, ran a scheme out of Plastic Surgery Institute of Utah Inc. to defraud the United States and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The defendants allegedly destroyed at least $28,028.50 worth of government-provided COVID-19 vaccines, and distributed at least 1,937 doses’ worth of fraudulently completed vaccination record cards to others in exchange for either direct cash payments or required “donations” to a specified charitable organization, without administering a COVID-19 vaccine to the card recipient. As charged in court documents, defendants also administered saline shots to minors – at the request of their parents – so children would think they were receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.
"By allegedly falsifying vaccine cards and administering saline shots to children instead of COVID-19 vaccines, not only did this provider endanger the health and well-being of a vulnerable population, but also undermined public trust and the integrity of federal health care programs,” said Curt L. Muller, Special Agent in Charge with the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General. "HHS-OIG remains committed to working with our law enforcement partners to hold accountable bad actors who attempt to illegally profit from the pandemic.”
“This defendant allegedly used his medical profession to administer bogus vaccines to unsuspecting people, to include children falsifying a sense of security,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Chris Miller, HSI Las Vegas. “HSI remains committed to working with our partners to bring those who seek to take advantage of the pandemic to deliberately harm and deceive others for their own profit to justice.”
Plastic Surgery Institute of Utah, Inc., Michael Kirk Moore Jr., Kari Dee Burgoyne, 52, Kristin Jackson Andersen, 59, and Sandra Flores, 31, are charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States; conspiracy to convert, sell, convey, and dispose of government property; and conversion, sale, conveyance, and disposal of government property and aiding and abetting. The defendants are scheduled for their initial appearance January 26, 2023, at 2 P.M. in courtroom 8.4.
U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins for the District of Utah made the announcement.
The Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS-OIG), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys, Todd C. Bouton, Jacob Strain, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Sachiko Jepson, for the District of Utah are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Utah Man Who Coerced and Enticed Minors Across the United States via the Internet was Sentenced to 300 Months ImprisonmentRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A Woods Cross, Utah man was sentenced to 25 years in prison after pleading guilty to coercion and enticement of a minor and attempted sexual exploitation via production of child pornography.
Landon Germaine, 34, was also placed on supervised release for life, in addition to his term of imprisonment.
According to court documents, Germain pleaded guilty to coercion and enticement of a minor. He admitted to knowingly persuading, inducing, enticing and coercing the minor victims to engage in sexual activity for which any person could be charged with a criminal offense. Germaine also pleaded guilty to attempted sexual exploitation via production of child pornography. He admitted to knowingly persuading, inducing, enticing and coercing a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct to produce a visual depiction, and the images were produced using materials that had been mailed or shipped or transported in interstate commerce.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys' Carol Dain for the District of Utah and Carly Marshall for the Western District of Arkansas prosecuted this case along with Trial Attorney Kaylynn Foulon with the U.S. Department of Justice Criminal Division Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section.
The FBI investigated the cases in Utah and Arkansas.
Utah Tax Preparer Sentenced to Prison for Tax Scheme and Obstructing IRSRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A Utah professional tax preparer was sentenced yesterday to 37 months in prison for tax evasion, conspiring to defraud the United States and obstructing the IRS’s efforts to collect his tax debt, which exceeded $1.1 million.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Sergio Sosa, of Orem, owned and operated Sergio Central Latino, a tax preparation business. From approximately 2004 to 2020, Sosa conspired to defraud the United States by concealing his assets and income from the IRS. From 2003 through 2017, Sosa also did not timely file his own tax returns or pay the taxes he owed for these years. After the IRS audited Sosa and began efforts to collect his tax debt – which at the time amounted to more than $750,000 – he obstructed those efforts by using nominees to open business bank accounts, renaming his business and placing it in his children’s names, and making false statements to the IRS. Sosa also directed one of his children to make mortgage payments on his personal residence using funds he provided.
In addition to the term of imprisonment, U.S. District Judge David Sam ordered Sosa to serve 36 months of supervised release and to pay $1,104,737 in restitution to the United States.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins for the District of Utah made the announcement.
IRS-Criminal Investigation investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Ahmed Almudallal of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ruth Hackford-Peer for the District of Utah prosecuted the case.
U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah Collects More than $10 Million in Civil and Criminal Actions in Fiscal Year 2022Read the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins announced today that the District of Utah collected $10,690,252.06 in criminal and civil actions in Fiscal Year 2022. Of this amount, $5,550,041.48 was collected in criminal actions and $5,140,210.58 was collected in civil actions.
Additionally, the District of Utah worked with other U.S. Attorney’s Offices and components of the Department of Justice to collect an additional $1,863,335.61 in cases pursued jointly by these offices. Of this amount, $11,775.00 was collected in criminal actions and $1,851,560.61 was collected in civil actions.
For example, in February 2022, the District of Utah recovered $265,455.45 as part of the settlement in the U.S.A v. Ryan Richard West case where West and his co-defendant Gary Alan Gygi were sentenced separately for defrauding numerous individuals in business venture investment schemes. For more information on this case, see original press release https://www.justice.gov/usao-ut/pr/logan-man-sentenced-five-years-federal-prison-defrauding-investors-his-fraudulent
“The United States Attorney’s Office is committed to the prosecution of crimes involving financial fraud and seeking recovery for victims in these cases,” said U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins for the District of Utah.
The U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, along with the department’s litigating divisions, are responsible for enforcing and collecting civil and criminal debts owed to the U.S. and criminal debts owed to federal crime victims. The law requires defendants to pay restitution to victims of certain federal crimes who have suffered a physical injury or financial loss. While restitution is paid to the victim, criminal fines and felony assessments are paid to the department’s Crime Victims Fund, which distributes the funds collected to federal and state victim compensation and victim assistance programs.
Eight Utah Residents Charged with $100 Million Worth of Fraud and Money Laundering Schemes Involving the Sale of Dietary SupplementsRead the Press Release
UPDATE
Upon Motion of the United States, the indictment described in the press release below against Barbara Jo Jackson, in this case was dismissed on May 28, 2025.
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Multiple people were indicted by a federal grand jury in the District of Utah for their participation in a fraudulent online scheme through which they obtained more than $100 million of credit and debit card processing from financial institutions and payment processors.
As charged in the indictment, the defendants allegedly committed 18 counts of criminal activity, including Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud, Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering, Wire Fraud, Aggravated Identity Theft and Money Laundering Aiding and Abetting.
According to the indictment, from at least January 2016 through April 2022, April Gren Bawden, 36, of Salt Lake County; Chad Austin Bawden, 43, of Salt Lake County; Makaio Lyman Crisler, 39, of Utah County; Phillip Gannuscia, 52, of Salt Lake County and Puerto Rico; Dustin Garr, 44, of Washington County; Barbara Jo Jackson, 69, of Utah County; Brent Goldburn Knudson, 42, of Utah County; Robert McKinley, 45, of Spokane, Washington; and Richard Scott Nemrow, 42, of Utah County, knowingly devised and executed a scheme and artifice to defraud, obtain money and property by means of materially false and fraudulent pretenses, representations and promises, and omissions of material facts. The scheme involved the sale of dietary supplements that were sold to consumers using misleading and fraudulent practices. In order to effectuate their scheme, the defendants recruited and paid “straw owners” for use of their personal information to create sham LLCs to obtain merchant processing accounts for defendants to process the sales of the products. The proceeds of the scheme were transferred to the defendants, who then purchased items such as a Lamborghini Urus, a 2020 Porsche 911 convertible, and a 2021 Nautique Paragon boat.
U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins of the District of Utah and IRS Criminal Investigation made the announcement.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys, Jamie Thomas, Jennifer Muyskens, and Cy Castle from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah are prosecuting the case. Special Agents from IRS Criminal Investigations and FDA Office of Criminal Investigations are conducting the investigation.
Indictments are not findings of guilt. Defendants charged in indictments are presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty in court.
Foreign National Sentenced to 36 Months and Ordered to Pay over $199,000 in Restitution for Gas Skimming Scheme in Utah and IdahoRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A foreign national was sentenced to three years in a U.S. federal prison after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft in a gas skimming scheme that took place in Utah and Idaho.
Yofre Napoleon Almonte, 49, a Salt Lake City resident was ordered to pay $199,122.18 in restitution, jointly and severally with his co-defendants by a United States District Court Judge.
According to court documents, Almonte, participated in a scheme to defraud gas station customers and their banks using skimming equipment to surreptitiously steal the customers’ credit card information. Unlike traditional “skimming” operations that use an “overlay” type of molding placed on top of the ATM or gas pump targeted for “skimming,” Almonte and his alleged co-defendants used a Bluetooth wireless device that is installed onto the computer motherboard of the internal computer that controls the ATM/gas pump. The defendants could then initiate a wireless Bluetooth connection and download all the digital credit card/ATM card information sored by the device. Almonte and others then created cloned cards with stolen information and used those cards to fraudulently purchase over $200,000 worth of gasoline and other items.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys, Aaron Clark and Ruth Hackford-Peer, for the District of Utah prosecuted the case. The case was investigated by the FBI Salt Lake City Field Division.
Utah Man Pleads Guilty to Nine Counts of ExtortionRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Leallen Blackhair, 45, of Fort Duchesne, Utah, pleaded guilty Monday Dec. 5, 2022 to nine counts of Extortion Under Color of Official Right as set forth in the indictment.
Blackhair waived his right to a trial and admitted to the facts of his criminal behavior, which interfered with or affected interstate commerce.
According to the Statement in Advance of Plea of Guilty, Mr. Blackhair was the Compliance Coordinator of the Energy and Minerals Department of the Ute Indian Tribe. Blackhair’s position included issuing fines to oil and gas businesses working on the Uintah and Ouray Reservation who were found in violation of their access permits and business licenses by his employer. Blackhair used his position to induce and attempt to induce multiple companies to pay him personally by offering to reduce a fine that would otherwise be assessed against them. Blackhair extorted sixty-six payments totaling $110,000, paid directly to and for the benefit of the defendant between August 2010 and May 2013.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Cy H. Castle for the District of Utah and investigated by the FBI’s Salt Lake City Field Office. Sentencing is scheduled for March 29, 2023.
Utah Man Charged with Assault with Dangerous Weapon on a JetBlue Flight from New York to Salt Lake CityRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A 41-year-old Syracuse, Utah man has been arrested and charged in a federal criminal complaint for carrying and using a straight edge razor blade during a flight Monday, November 21, 2022.
The United States Attorney’s Office filed the complaint Tuesday, November 22, 2022, charging the defendant, Merrill Darrell Fackrell with Carrying a Weapon on an Aircraft and Assault with a Dangerous Weapon in the Special Aircraft Jurisdiction of the United States.
According to the allegations contained in the complaint and law enforcement affidavit, on November 21, 2022, Fackrell departed on JetBlue Flight #871 from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York en route to Salt Lake City International Airport in Utah. Fackrell was seated in a window seat next to married passengers. During the flight, Fackrell placed his hand in front of the woman’s screen and told her to pause her movie. According to the complaint, the woman took off her headphones and realized Fackrell had his hand clutched with what appeared to her as a knife, inches from her skin at her throat/neck area. The woman’s husband went to the front of the aircraft to get assistance from the flight attendant. The woman lunged for the aisle to escape and Fackrell reached and tried to stop her by grabbing her shoulder. The object was secured and later identified as a Facon wood-handled straight edge razor with a one-to-two-inch blade.
Assistant United States Attorney Michael Kennedy from the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah is prosecuting the case. The case is being investigated by Salt Lake City Police Department and an FBI Task Force Officer.
A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. Defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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Investiture Ceremony Held for United States Attorney Trina A. HigginsRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Today, an investiture ceremony was held for the Honorable Trina A. Higgins, the United States Attorney for the District of Utah.
Held at the United States Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City, Chief Judge Robert J. Shelby administered the formal ceremonial oath of office.
“I am deeply honored to serve in this position and to have the opportunity to continue the important work of the Department of Justice and the United States Attorney’s Office,” said United States Attorney Trina A. Higgins during the ceremony. “I will work to build confidence in our justice institutions, to protect civil rights, to uphold the Rule of Law, and to protect the citizens of Utah.”
During the ceremony, U.S. Attorney Higgins reinstated her commitment to continue building partnerships with federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies and community partners to protect our citizens and build public trust.
A career prosecutor, U.S. Attorney Higgins has 27 years legal experience and since 2002, has served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Utah, holding several leadership positions, including Senior Litigation Counsel and Violent Crime Section Chief. Prior to joining the Department of Justice, she served as a Salt Lake County Deputy District Attorney.
Attended by family, friends, judges, members of the law enforcement, and legal community, U.S. Attorney Higgins is the first woman to be presidentially appointed to the position and sworn into office and is the 38th United States Attorney to serve in the District of Utah. She was nominated by President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. on January 31, 2022 and confirmed by the United States Senate on April 27, 2022. Judge Shelby previously administered the official oath of office on May 4, 2022.
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Investiture Ceremony for United States Attorney Trina A. Higgins District of UtahRead the Press Release
***MEDIA ADVISORY***
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – At the request of the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah, members of the media are invited to attend the ceremonial oath of office for the Honorable Trina A. Higgins, the first woman in Utah to be presidentially appointed to serve as United States Attorney.
WHEN: THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, at 2:00 p.m. MST
WHERE: United States Courthouse, 351 South West Temple, SLC, UT 84111
Courtroom 3.100
WHO: Trina A. Higgins, U.S. Attorney for the District of Utah
NOTE: One member of the media per news organization. RSVP appreciated. Media access will begin promptly at 1:30 p.m. Camera, audio and video are not permitted. All media will be subject to security screening. The ceremony will begin promptly, so please allow sufficient timing to take your seat, and consider parking. Pictures and a press release will be issued following the investiture.
Navajo Nation Women Sentenced to Prison for Child AbuseRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY – Teresa Red Bird, 52, and her daughter, Ocianna Red Bird, 23, both of Montezuma Creek, and enrolled members of the Navajo Nation living within the boundaries of the Navajo Nation, were sentenced to federal prison after pleading guilty to felony child abuse within Indian Country. Teresa Red Bird was sentenced to 10 months in federal prison followed by 36 months of supervised release. Ocianna Red Bird was sentenced to six months in federal prison followed by 24 months of supervised release.
According to the information contained in the plea agreements, Teresa Red Bird admitted that on numerous occasions, she knowingly and intentionally hit a 14-year-old victim who was living with her and who was under her care; that she failed to ensure that the victim ate properly; and that she caused serious physical injury to the victim. Ocianna Red Bird admitted to knowingly and intentionally hitting, confining, and withholding food, from the same 14-year-old victim who was living in her mother’s home. Ocianna Red Bird also admitted that she was aware that her conduct caused serious physical injury to the victim.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Tad May from the District of Utah and was investigated by the Navajo Nation Police and the FBI.
Three Charged with Robbery of Postal Service Letter CarrierRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY – Nathan Suaste, 19, of West Valley City, Exodus Matua, 18, and Lorenzo Saavedra, 18, both of Saratoga Springs, have been indicted by a federal grand jury in the District of Utah for the robbery of a United States Postal Service (“USPS”) letter carrier. All three defendants have been charged with robbery of property of the United States; using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence; and theft of a USPS arrow key.
Suaste, Matua, and Saavedra were arrested on October 19, 2022, by U.S. Postal Inspectors and a federal criminal complaint was later filed on October 19, 2022, which charged them with the robbery of a USPS letter carrier in Salt Lake City.
According to the allegations contained in the complaint and law enforcement affidavit, on or about August 19, 2022, Matua and Saavedra, both armed with handguns, approached a USPS letter carrier in the parking lot of a church in Salt Lake City. The two, while brandishing the handguns, demanded that the letter carrier hand over his arrow key, a universal key used by USPS employees who deliver and pick up mail from locked mail collection boxes, outdoor parcel lockers, cluster box units, and apartment panels. While detaching the key, the letter carrier was punched in the face by at least one of the defendants. After taking the key, Matua and Saavedra ran to a Dodge Charger driven by Suaste and the three defendants left the area.
Assistant United States Attorney Mark Hirata from the District of Utah is prosecuting the case. The case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service with assistance from the ATF, the Saratoga Springs Police Department, the Salt Lake City Police Department, and the Utah County Major Crimes.
Allegations contained in charging documents are formal accusations of criminal conduct, not evidence. Defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Jury Finds Ivins Man Guilty of Distribution of MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
SAINT GEORGE – On October 19, 2022, a federal jury in the District of Utah found Stanley Beckstrom, 56, of Ivins, guilty of distribution of methamphetamine.
At trial, prosecutors presented evidence that Beckstrom traveled to California to obtain methamphetamine. On July 21, 2021, Beckstrom delivered methamphetamine to a local restaurant in downtown St. George. The methamphetamine was tested in a drug lab. It was 100% pure and weighed one pound. The court scheduled Beckstrom’s sentencing for January 6, 2023.
The Washington County Drug Task Force investigated Beckstrom and others involved in the drug trafficking-organization. A federal grand jury charged Beckstrom and three others with crimes related to methamphetamine trafficking. On January 24, 2022, Dail Brady, 55, of St. George, pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and is scheduled to be sentenced on November 17, 2022. On April 5, 2022, Christopher Brugada, 51, of Phoenix, Arizona, pleaded guilty to distribution of methamphetamine and is scheduled to be sentenced on November 16, 2022. Jonathon Antonio Chairez is currently scheduled for a jury trial to begin on November 21, 2022.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen P. Dent and Jay T. Winward of the St. George Branch Office of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah represented the United States at Beckstrom’s trial. Narcotics detectives from the Washington County Drug Task Force conducted the investigation into the drug-trafficking organization.
Guidance Relating to the November 2022 General ElectionRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY- United States Attorney Trina A. Higgins announced today that Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) Aaron Clark will lead the efforts of her Office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 8, 2022, general election. AUSA Clark has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) for the District of Utah, and in that capacity is responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of election day complaints of voting rights concerns, threats of violence to election officials or staff, and election fraud, in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.
United States Attorney Higgins said, “In Utah, every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted in a fair and free election. Similarly, election officials and staff must be able to serve without being subject to unlawful threats of violence. The Department of Justice will always work tirelessly to protect the integrity of the election process.”
The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring and combatting discrimination and intimidation at the polls, threats of violence directed at election officials and poll workers, and election fraud. The Department will address these violations wherever they occur. The Department’s longstanding Election Day Program furthers these goals and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the electoral process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible federal election law violations.
Federal law protects against such crimes as threatening violence against election officials or staff, intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from interference, including intimidation, and other acts designed to prevent or discourage people from voting or voting for the candidate of their choice. The Voting Rights Act protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or inability to read or write in English).
United States Attorney Higgins said, “The franchise is the cornerstone of American democracy. We all must ensure that those who are entitled to the franchise can exercise it if they choose, and that those who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice. In order to respond to complaints of voting rights concerns and election fraud during the upcoming election, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, AUSA/DEO Clark will be on duty in this District while the polls are open. He can be reached by the public at the following telephone number: 801-325-1405.”
In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day. The local FBI field office can be reached by the public at: 801-579-1400.
Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC by phone at 800-253-3931 or by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/ .
United States Attorney Higgins said, “Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the assistance of the American electorate. It is important that those who have specific information about voting rights concerns or election fraud make that information available to the Department of Justice.”
Please note, however, in the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency.
Spanish Fork Man and His Two Businesses Charged with Wire Fraud and Money Laundering Offenses.Read the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY – James Wolfgramm, aka Semisi Niu, aka James Vaka Niu, 43, of Spanish Fork, and two of his businesses, Bitex LLC (Bitex), and Ohana Capital Financial, Inc. (OCF), have been charged by a federal grand jury in the District of Utah with seven felony counts in connection with multiple financial fraud schemes. In the indictment, Wolfgramm is charged with five counts of wire fraud and two counts of money laundering. Bitex is named in two wire fraud counts. OCF is named in two wire fraud counts, as well as the two money laundering counts.
According to the allegations contained in the indictment, since at least 2018, Wolfgramm represented himself on social media and in private communications as a multimillionaire who made his fortune in cryptocurrency. To gain trust with victims and attract them to his businesses, Wolfgramm used images of cryptocurrency wallets holding millions of dollars’ worth of cryptocurrency, a suitcase full of cash, and social media posts of expensive sports cars Wolfgramm claimed to own. However, some of these images were believed to have been taken from websites and social media feeds of others
The indictment further alleges that Wolfgramm and Bitex collected nearly $1.7 million from two victims by purporting to sell a high-powered cryptocurrency mining machine – the “Bitex Blockbuster” – that did not actually exist. According to the indictment, Wolfgramm and Bitex displayed one of these purported machines in Bitex’s office space, connected to a monitor that appeared to display the machine’s real-time mining operations. In reality, the machine was fake, and the monitor displayed a pre-recorded loop that simply gave the appearance of mining activity.
The indictment also alleges that Wolfgramm and OCF marketed the business with the motto “Banking the Unbankable” and purported to offer financial services to entities ineligible for traditional bank accounts. According to the indictment, OCF’s websites falsely claimed to have a Board of Advisors and falsely promised that OCF customer funds were bonded. Under these pretenses, OCF received millions of dollars from customers who believed their money would be kept on deposit until the customers directed the release of their funds. Instead, Wolfgramm and OCF spent these funds on unrelated business expenses, including in one instance, providing a refund to a prior, unrelated depositor.
In the final scheme alleged in the indictment, Wolfgramm fraudulently agreed to purchase the Sports City complex and land in Draper for $15 million in 2021. Wolfgramm took possession of the property and took over billing for all Sports City customers – collecting close to $160,000 – without ever paying any utilities or expenses on the property and without making any of the promised payments to the seller on the sales contract. As part of the fraud, Wolfgramm gave the victims a $1 million check that bounced. Wolfgramm later claimed to have paid more than $255,000 in taxes for the property. According to the indictment, however, that payment failed, and Wolfgramm knew the account from which it was purportedly drawn had insufficient funds.
Wolfgramm, Bitex, and OCF are set to be arraigned in federal court on these charges.
If you believe you have been a victim of this crime, please call the FBI at (801) 579-1400.
Assistant United States Attorneys Aaron Clark and Stewart Young are prosecuting the case, and special agents from the FBI are conducting the investigation.
Allegations are not findings of guilt, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty at trial.
West Valley City Man Charged with Possessing 50 Pounds of Methamphetamine, 33 Pounds of Heroin, 13 Pounds of Cocaine, 5,000 Fentanyl Pills, and 19 FirearmsRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY – Innocente Ramirez, 38, of West Valley City, was charged by federal criminal complaint with the possession of methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, and fentanyl, with the intent to distribute, and with the possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
According to the allegations contained in the criminal complaint and law enforcement affidavit, in August of 2022, special agents from Homeland Security Investigations and task force officers from the Utah County Major Crimes Task Force began the investigation into Ramirez’s drug trafficking operation. During this time, law enforcement officers obtained delivery of one pound of methamphetamine from Ramirez and located Ramirez’s residence and the storage unit where Ramirez stored his narcotics. Law enforcement then obtained search warrants for Ramirez’s Salt Lake City storage unit and West Valley City home. During the execution of the search warrant on Ramirez’s storage unit, law enforcement officers seized 50 pounds of methamphetamine, 33 pounds of heroin, 13 pounds of cocaine, 5,000 fentanyl pills, and 17 firearms, two of which were stolen. During the search of Ramirez’s home, law enforcement seized two firearms, drug packaging material, and drug paraphernalia.
Assistant United States Attorneys from the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah are prosecuting the case. Special agents from Homeland Security Investigations and task force officers from the Utah County Major Crimes Task Force are conducting the investigation.
A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. Defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Logan Man Convicted of Securities FraudRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY- On August 30, 2022, after a three-day trial, a federal jury in the District of Utah found Thomas Fairbanks, 69, of Logan, guilty of securities fraud as a result of his fraudulent activities as the CEO and founder of SupplyLine Partners, located in Logan.
At trial, federal prosecutors presented evidence that Fairbanks fraudulently represented to investors that Supplyline Partners’ purpose was to work as a cooperative in funding the financial needs of local businesses, and then leveraging those businesses’ assets to generate cash flow, which would benefit the local community. SupplyLine was not registered as a business with the State of Utah and neither SupplyLine nor Fairbanks were ever licensed to sell securities. In order to induce victims into investing in his scheme, Fairbanks promised investors that they would receive a six percent annual return on their investments; that investors would receive an accounting on their investments; that investors could liquidate their investment at any time; that invested funds would go towards funding SupplyLine’s lending capital; and that SupplyLine’s investments were collateralized by assets of other businesses. However, none of these representations were true.
Fairbanks offered and sold investment opportunities in SupplyLine to at least two Utah residents and collected money from them, some of which he used to fund his own business enterprises and to make loans to a realty company where he worked as a real estate agent. In total, victims lost more than $600,000.
Assistant United States Attorneys Ruth Hackford-Peer and Kevin Sundwall tried the case against the defendant. Investigators from the Utah Division of Securities conducted the investigation with assistance from the FBI.
Woman Sentenced for Stealing over $100,000 from Social SecurityRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY – Melody Jean Styszko, 54, now of Eldridge, Missouri, was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Utah to 60 months of probation for continuing to accept and spend $104,314 dollars in Social Security Retirement Insurance payments from the United States Social Security Administration that were meant for her late father. Styszko was also ordered to pay $104,314 in restitution back to the Social Security Administration as a condition of her sentence.
According to sentencing documents filed by federal prosecutors, Styszko maintained a joint checking account with her late father before his death. After her father died, Styszko continued to accept her father’s Social Security Retirement Insurance benefits as they were deposited into the same joint account for more than ten years. Over the course of those years, Styszko ultimately spent over $104,314 of those benefits on herself. Styszko spent the benefits even though she admitted that “based on the facts known to [her], [she] was conscious and aware of the high probability that [she] was not entitled to this money.”
This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys from the District of Utah and was investigated by the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General.
Woods Cross Man Pleads Guilty to Sexual Exploitation of MinorsRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY- Yesterday, August 24, 2022, in the U.S. District Court, District of Utah, Landon Germaine, 24, of Woods Cross, pled guilty in two federal child exploitation cases arising out of the District of Utah and the Western District of Arkansas. In the District of Utah case, Germaine pled guilty to felony interstate coercion and enticement of a minor. In the Western District of Arkansas case, Germaine pled guilty to attempted sexual exploitation via production of child pornography.
According to the criminal complaint and law enforcement affidavit filed by federal prosecutors, Germaine utilized social media and cellular applications such as Kik, Telegram, periscope, snapchat, and text messaging, to solicit graphic sexual photos and videos from minor children. A review of Germaine’s electronic devices contained evidence of chats on various applications with numerous female children under eighteen years of age, and some chats with children as young as eleven years old. In these chats, Germaine provided specific instructions on what the minors should depict in the photos and videos and Germaine repeatedly offered to pay the minors money for sending him sexually explicit videos.
The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys from the District of Utah, the Western District of Arkansas, and Attorneys from the Department of Justice’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section. The cases were investigated by Special Agents from the FBI and officers and detectives from the Woods Cross Police Department, the Bentonville Police Department, the Rogers Police Department, and law enforcement officials from 14 additional U.S. judicial districts.
Sentencing in these matters is set for January 5, 2023.
Syracuse Man Convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine and Heroin and Firearms ViolationsRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY- on August 3, 2022, after a two-week trial, a federal jury in the District of Utah found Christopher Flynn, 38, of Syracuse, guilty of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, conspiracy to distribute heroin, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession of a firearm as a convicted felon.
At trial, federal prosecutors presented evidence that Flynn worked with others to sell $720,000 dollars’ worth of methamphetamine and heroin along the Wasatch Front. Evidence was also presented that Flynn traded 16 firearms, 6 of which were stolen, to his supplier as payment for narcotics.
The jury found Flynn guilty of conspiring with his co-defendants to distribute heroin and methamphetamine. Flynn was also convicted of the possession of a handgun which he used in furtherance of the distribution of methamphetamine and heroin. Because Flynn had previously been convicted of a felony, it was also illegal for Flynn to possess a firearm at any time. Flynn’s co-defendants previously pleaded guilty to similar charges.
Assistant United States Attorney Aaron Flater and Special Assistant United States Attorney Michael Gadd tried the case against the defendant. Special Agents from the ATF, DEA, and the Davis Metro Narcotics Strike Force conducted the investigation.
Sentencing in this matter is currently set for November 10, 2022.
Orem Man Convicted of Possession of Firearms as a Convicted Felon and Possession of Stolen FirearmsRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY- On July 31, 2022, after a four-day trial, a federal jury in the District of Utah found James D. Brunson, 25, of Orem, guilty of possession of firearms and ammunition as a convicted felon and possession of stolen firearms.
At trial, federal prosecutors presented evidence that Brunson stole a duffle bag containing nine firearms from a residence in Orem. The duffle bag contained two shotguns; three handguns; one revolver; two .22 caliber rifles; an AR-15 rifle; and three boxes containing ammunition for the weapons. After obtaining search warrants, law enforcement officers tracked Brunson to an apartment complex in West Jordan. Prior to his arrest, officers witnessed Brunson remove a stolen 9mm handgun from his waistband and discard it in a nearby grassy area. Officers then arrested Brunson and recovered the discarded stolen handgun and six of the other stolen firearms from a nearby vehicle. Two of the firearms stolen by Brunson have not been located, and officers established that Brunson attempted to sell the firearms for cash to others prior to his arrest.
Brunson was convicted of possessing the 9mm handgun located inside of his waistband and the remaining firearms recovered from the vehicle as a convicted felon. Because the firearms were stolen, Brunson was also convicted of possessing stolen firearms.
Assistant United States Attorneys Angie Clifford and Samuel Pead tried the case against the defendant. Special Agents from the FBI and the Utah County Major Crimes Task force, including law enforcement officers from Orem Police Department and the Utah County Sheriff’s Office, conducted the investigation.
Sentencing in this matter is currently set for January 31, 2023.
Navajo Nation Man Charged with MurderRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY – Randy Lansing, 38, of Aneth, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation Indian Tribe, was charged by a federal grand jury in the District of Utah with second degree murder within Indian Country for unlawfully killing a member of the Navajo Nation on April 23, 2022, while on Tribal lands.
Lansing has pleaded not guilty to the charges contained in the indictment and his trial is currently scheduled for September 6, 2022.
Assistant United States Attorneys from the United States Attorney’s Office are prosecuting the case. Special Agents from the FBI, along with Patrol Officers and Investigators from the Navajo Nation, are conducting the investigation.
An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. Defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Salt Lake City Man Charged in $1.8 Million CARES Act Loan Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY- Giuseppe Mirenda, 27, of Salt Lake City, was charged by a federal grand jury in the District of Utah with fraudulently obtaining more than $1.8 million in Economic Injury Disaster Loans (“EIDL”) authorized by Congress under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act ("CARES Act").
As part of the CARES Act, Congress authorized the U.S. Small Business Association ("SBA") to provide EIDL loans of up to $2 million to eligible small businesses experiencing substantial financial disruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the terms of the EIDL program, proceeds of the loans could only be used as working capital for the businesses to alleviate economic injury caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to allegations contained in the federal indictment, Giuseppe Mirenda is the partial owner of five Utah restaurants known generally as “Sicilia Mia,” in addition to being a partial owner of a business known as Sicilia Restaurant Management. According to the indictment, Mirenda submitted six fraudulent EIDL loan applications to the SBA between March 30, 2020, and June 24, 2020, and obtained $1,889,400 dollars in EIDL loan proceeds. The first four loan applications required that Mirenda list all owners of the applicant businesses and whether they were U.S. citizens. The second two loan applications required Mirenda to list all persons who owned 20% or more of the applicant business and whether they were U.S. citizens. In these 2020 EIDL loan applications, Mirenda falsely represented that he was the 100% owner of each of the applicant businesses knowing that two of his family members, who lived in the U.S. without legal immigration status, each owned at least 33% of each of the applicant businesses. By omitting these business partners from the applications, Mirenda avoided having to disclose that these family members were living in the U.S. illegally. Under the terms of the EIDL loan program, the fact that his business partners were living in the U.S. illegally would have disqualified each of the businesses from receiving EIDL proceeds.
The indictment further alleges, that in addition to fraudulently obtaining the EIDL loans, Mirenda used the proceeds from these loans for approximately $1.2 million in unlawful purposes, including the purchase of a $610,204.85 home in West Jordan; a $518,346.46 house in Las Vegas; a Jaguar F-Pace SUV purchased for $16,058; a BMW-M3 luxury car purchased for $26,723; and $39,000 in cryptocurrency purchased from Robinhood and Coinbase.
An initial appearance is scheduled for this matter on August 23, 2022, in U.S. District Court in Salt Lake City.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Todd Bouton from the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah. This case was investigated by the SBA-Office of Inspector General (“OIG”) and the FBI’s Salt Lake City Field Office.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866 720 5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
An Indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Turkish Businessman Extradited from Austria to Face Money Laundering and Wire Fraud ChargesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A Turkish businessman was extradited from Austria to face money laundering, wire fraud and obstruction charges.
Sezgin Baran Korkmaz arrived today in Utah in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. Korkmaz was indicted in Salt Lake City, Utah, with laundering more than $133 million in illegal proceeds through bank accounts he controlled in Turkey and Luxembourg. According to an April 2021 superseding indictment, the proceeds relate to a scheme orchestrated in Plymouth, Utah, by Jacob Kingston, Isaiah Kingston and Levon Termendzhyan to defraud the U.S. Treasury by filing false claims for more than $1 billion in tax credits allegedly for the production and sale of biodiesel by their company, Washakie Renewable Energy LLC.
Korkmaz and his co-conspirators allegedly used the biofuel fraud proceeds to acquire luxury homes and assets, as well as businesses such as Biofarma, the Turkish airline Borajet, a yacht named the Queen Anne, a hotel in Turkey and a villa and apartment on the Bosporus river in Istanbul. In coordination with authorities in Lebanon, the U.S. Marshals Service took the Queen Anne yacht into custody in July 2021 and sold it earlier this year for $10.11 million pursuant to an October 2021 order of U.S. District Judge Jill Parrish of the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah, who is presiding over the Korkmaz case. Other assets of Korkmaz-related companies in Turkey and Europe are the subject of forfeiture claims by the United States and Turkey.
According to the superseding indictment, Korkmaz also devised a scheme to defraud Jacob Kingston and Isaiah Kingston in early 2018 by falsely representing he could provide them with protection, through unnamed government officials, from a federal grand jury investigation and civil lawsuits. In exchange, the Kingstons sent him $6 million over several months.
Additionally, Korkmaz allegedly made false statements to federal agents in an attempt to obstruct the pending criminal trial against Kingston and Termendzhyan. Among other misstatements, Korkmaz allegedly lied about $38 million in wire transfers sent to a bank account controlled by Termendzhyan.
“The successful apprehension and extradition of Baran Korkmaz demonstrates the department’s commitment to working with our international partners to pursue, capture and return those who seek to defraud the American people,” said Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division. “Thanks to our law enforcement partners and their counterparts in Austria and Lebanon, we are now able to bring Korkmaz to trial on the pending charges, and have recovered significant forfeiture proceeds.”
“We commend our partners from the Tax Division and the Department of Justice for pursuing Sezgin Baran Korkmaz on behalf of the American taxpayers and ensuring his return to Utah to face justice in U.S. District Court,” said U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins for the District of Utah. “We are also thankful for the efforts of our foreign partners in Lebanon and Austria, and in particular, the Austrian Bundeskriminalamt Fugitive Active Search Team, for locating Korkmaz overseas.”
In July 2019 Jacob and Isaiah Kingston both pleaded guilty to federal charges, and in 2020 both men testified at the trial of Levon Termendzhyan in Utah. The federal jury convicted Termendzhyan of all charges. The Kingstons and Termendzhyan all await sentencing.
If convicted, Korkmaz faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each count of money laundering conspiracy, wire fraud, and obstruction of an official proceeding. A district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
IRS-Criminal Investigation, the Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division and the Department of Defense DCIS are investigating the case.
The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and FBI Legal Attaché in Vienna, Austria played key roles in securing the arrest and successful extradition of Korkmaz. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cy Castle for the District of Utah, Senior Policy Advisor Darrin L. McCullough of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, and the U.S. Marshals Service provided significant assistance in the seizure of the Queen Anne yacht and its subsequent sale.
Trial Attorney Richard Rolwing and Senior Litigation Counsel John Sullivan of the Tax Division are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Las Vegas Man Charged with Theft of Firearms from St. George Firearms DealerRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY – Brett Clinton Combs, 41, of Las Vegas, was charged by a federal grand jury in the District of Utah with theft of firearms from a federally licensed firearms dealer and being a restricted person in possession of firearms.
According to the allegations in the criminal complaint and law enforcement affidavit filed by federal prosecutors, Combs used a rock to break into the Dixie Fish and Gun store in St. George during the early morning hours of March 4, 2022. After a “glass break” alarm alerted law enforcement to the incident, St. George police officers responded to find the front glass door of the business shattered and several cases containing firearms damaged. Video surveillance from the business showed a single suspect breaking the front glass door with a rock to enter the business. Continued surveillance footage showed the same suspect breaking several display cases, removing several firearms from the display cases, and then placing the firearms in a duffle bag, before exiting the business. A subsequent inventory of the firearms at the business revealed that 17 firearms, all 9mm semi-automatic pistols, were missing. During the investigation, responding officers discovered a substance resembling blood on broken glass from one of the display cases and submitted the substance to the Utah State Bureau of Forensic Services (UBFS) for analysis. Using the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) for comparison, investigators determined that the blood discovered on the broken glass was a DNA profile match with Brett Clinton Combs of Las Vegas. Additionally, one of the stolen firearms was recovered in conjunction with a separate crime in Las Vegas.
Assistant United States Attorneys from the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah are prosecuting the case. Special Agents from the ATF, along with officers from the St. George Police Department, are conducting the investigation.
An Indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. Defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Two Sentenced for Scheme to Steal and Sell Vaccination CardsRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY – Dino A. Rende, 19, of Los Angeles, California, and Francis J. Rende II, 29, of La Mesa, California, were both sentenced to 36 months of probation and ordered to pay $500 dollars in restitution after pleading guilty to misdemeanor conspiracy to steal or convert government property charges stemming from the theft of Centers for Disease Control (CDC) COVID-19 Vaccination Record Cards.
In the plea agreement, both defendants admitted that between March 2021 and August 2021, they conspired to defraud the Centers for Disease Control by agreeing to sell stolen CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Record Cards to others for $50 each. Both defendants also admitted that defendant Francis Rende II stole at least 20 CDC Vaccination Record Cards in March of 2021, that he sent his brother, Defendant Dino Rende, some of the stolen vaccination record cards, and that they agreed to use them and sell them to others for $50. Both brothers admitted that they had agreed to sell the CDC Vaccination Record Cards to several buyers for $50 each.
Assistant United States Attorney Todd Bouton from the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case. Special Agents from the Utah Department of Public Safety State Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation.
Salt Lake City Man Sentenced to 180 Months in Prison for Producing and Transporting Child Exploitation MaterialsRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY – Joel Lehi Organista, 29, of Salt Lake City, was sentenced by a U.S. District Court Judge to 180 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to two felony counts related to the production and transportation of child pornography. The court ordered the federal prison sentence to run concurrently with a sentence ordered by the State of Utah arising from the same investigation. Organista was also ordered to serve 15 years of supervised release and will be required to register as a sex offender.
In the plea agreement, Organista admitted to owning a Dropbox account which was used for downloading between 10 and 150 child exploitation images depicting prepubescent minors. In addition, Organista admitted to using Snapchat to contact minor children and soliciting them to perform sexual acts for him via video chat, including an incident which occurred between Organista and a 13 year-old victim, where the victim performed sexual acts for Organista via video chat.
The case originated in January of 2021, after law enforcement received multiple tips that devices and accounts attributed to Organista were receiving and downloading images containing child pornography. A search warrant was executed at Organista’s residence in June of 2021, and Organista has been in custody since that time.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys from the Utah Attorney General’s Office and Assistant U.S. Attorneys from the United States Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. Special Agents from the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force conducted the investigation.
Goulding Man Sentenced to 46 Months in Federal Prison for Taking Eagles without a Permit and Possessing a Firearm after being Convicted of a FelonyRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY – Michael Earl Yellow, 56, of Goulding, Utah was sentenced to serve 46 months in federal prison by a U.S. District Court Judge for violating the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, and for possessing a firearm after being convicted of a felony offense. Yellow was also ordered to forfeit a .22 caliber rifle and rifle scope, ammunition, four golden eagle carcasses, and other golden and bald eagle remains and feathers, which were found on the property where he lived. The court noted that Yellow killed approximately 80 eagles and hawks, and did so for pecuniary gain.
According to court documents, Yellow pleaded guilty to the unauthorized taking of bald or golden eagles and to one count of possessing a firearm after being convicted of a felony. Yellow admitted that between August of 2014 and August of 2015, he killed approximately 10 bald or golden eagles knowing that taking or possessing bald or golden eagles or their parts without a permit was unlawful, and that he did not have a valid permit to take or posses bald or golden eagles as required by law.
Under the federal Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, at 16 U.S.C. § 668(a), it is illegal to take or possess bald or golden eagles, or their parts, dead or alive, without a permit. In addition, under 18 U.S.C.§ 922(g)(1), it is illegal to possess a firearm after being convicted of a felony.
Assistant United States Attorneys from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case and officers from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducted the investigation.
Woods Cross Man Charged with Torturing Animals and Distributing Videos OnlineRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY – Samuel J. Webster, 18, of Woods Cross, was charged by a federal grand jury in Salt Lake City with 23 felony counts related to the alleged torture of four guinea pigs obtained from pet supply stores across the Wasatch Front. Webster was charged with 18 felony counts of distributing animal crush videos on YouTube, one felony count of creating an animal crush video, and four felony counts of animal crushing.
The term “animal crush video” as defined under federal law, makes it illegal to depict, via photograph, motion-picture film, video, digital recording or electronic image, actual conduct in which one or more living non-human mammals, birds, reptiles, or amphibians is intentionally crushed, burned, drowned, suffocated, impaled or otherwise subjected to serious bodily injury, and is obscene.
According to allegations in the Indictment, Webster obtained the four guinea pigs from pet supply stores in Farmington, Salt Lake City, and West Jordan, in October of 2021. Shortly thereafter, it is alleged that Webster posted 23 videos of himself torturing the guinea pigs and posted the videos to multiple YouTube accounts. It is alleged that Webster posted the videos with graphic titles including “Guinea Pig Torture” and “Torture is Fun.” After posting the videos on YouTube, Webster allegedly posted comments to his own videos reinforcing his desires about killing and torturing guinea pigs.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah are prosecuting the case. FBI Special Agents are conducting the investigation.
An Indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence.
Odyssey International Inc. and Former Officer of Company Convicted of Fraudulent Scheme to Obtain $99 Million-Dollar U.S. Government ContractRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY – On June 1, 2022, a federal jury found both Odyssey International, Inc. and its president and owner, Whitney McBride, 41, of Queen Creek, Arizona, guilty of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and major fraud after a trial in Salt Lake City on June 1, 2022. In addition, the jury found McBride guilty of making a false statement to federal law enforcement and making a false declaration to the Court. The charges arise out of fraudulently claiming special status under a Small Business Administration (“SBA”) program in order to obtain the proceeds of a $99 million contract.
McBride and Odyssey were both charged in August of 2020 by a federal grand jury in Utah with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and major contract fraud in relation to submitting fraudulent applications for a $99 million-dollar federal government contract in Fort Drum, New York. McBride was charged with additional felony counts related to perjury and making false statements during the criminal investigation and prosecution of her and Odyssey’s fraudulent business ventures.
McBride and Odyssey were charged with federal felony violations after investigators discovered, that in 2011, Odyssey fraudulently bid on a $99 million contract for work at the Fort Drum military base in New York. The contract had been set aside for qualified businesses operating in historically underutilized business zones (“HUBzones”) under an SBA program. Areas are qualified as HUBzones based upon historical unemployment and poverty levels, and also include areas such as Indian reservations and military base closure areas. To qualify for a HUBzone contract through the SBA, two requirements are that at least 35% of the business’s employees must reside in a HUBzone and the business must be a small business. Odyssey bid upon the contract knowing that it did not qualify for HUBzone contracts through the SBA because 35% of its employees did not reside in a HUBzone and because Odyssey was not a small business.
In pursuing the $99 million dollar Fort Drum contract, Odyssey’s officers and employees falsified information about who was working for Odyssey and where they worked. These efforts included recruiting employees to falsify their addresses on their driver’s licenses and voter’s registrations, temporarily placing HUBzone residents who did not actually work for the company on payroll in order to falsely claim them as employees and using a shell company to pay employees who did not reside in HUBzones off of Odyssey’s books in order to conceal them from the SBA.
It was further alleged at trial that Odyssey had also fraudulently gained admission to the SBA’s 8(a) program. That program is designed to provide contract opportunities to businesses owned by individuals who have personally experienced discrimination. The Defendants conceded at trial that Odyssey’s application to this program was fraudulent but claimed Odyssey’s CFO was solely responsible for the application. Over a period of about nine years, Odyssey obtained more than $200 million in contracts through this program.
Sentencing is currently set for September 1, 2022. The maximum penalties for the counts of conviction are twenty years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to twice the amount gained from the fraud.
The investigation also resulted in Odyssey’s former chief operating officer Michael Tingey and chief financial officer Paul Lee both previously entering guilty pleas to wire fraud, and the seizure of more than $7 million in assets.
This case was investigated by Special Agents from the FBI, the United States Army Criminal Investigations Division, United States Air Force Office of Special Investigations, IRS Criminal Investigation, and the Small Business Administration. Additional assistance was provided by other government agencies including the General Services Administration and the Department of the Interior. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Carl LeSueur and Assistant United States Attorney Aaron Clark.
Washington Man Sentenced to 33 Months in Prison and Ordered to Pay $3.2 Million Dollars for Kickback SchemeRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY – Nan Ma, 39, of Washington, Utah, was sentenced by a U.S. District Court Judge in St. George, Utah, to serve 33 months in federal prison for failing to file financial reports with the United States Treasury after bringing currency in excess of $10,000 back into the United States from China. Ma was also ordered to pay $2,563,337 million dollars in restitution to Sound Vision Technology (“SVT”), which is a high-end audio business in Hurricane, Utah, and ordered to pay $777,879 dollars in restitution to the IRS for outstanding federal tax obligations.
Ma was accused by federal prosecutors of using his position and authority as the officer in charge of production at SVT to solicit and obtain kickbacks for his personal benefit from Chinese companies. In exchange for the kickbacks, Ma was alleged to have awarded lucrative contracts to these companies to manufacture and sell products to his employer. Over the course of his scheme, Ma caused SVT to overpay for its products by approximately $2,563,337.09.
Ma, who is a Chinese citizen with legal permanent resident status in the U.S., took this money for himself and purchased a series of larger and larger homes, expensive vehicles, and townhomes in the St. George area. He also had significant amounts of cash tucked away in various bank accounts. These assets have been forfeited and it is anticipated that the proceeds from the forfeiture will be applied to pay restitution to SVT.
Ma concealed the source of the funds he was getting through the alleged kickbacks by making false representations to his employer about the origin of his new-found wealth.
In the plea agreement, Ma agreed to forfeit any ill-gotten gains, and admitted that in September of 2019, he travelled to China and obtained Chinese Yuen currency worth $47,934 in U.S. Dollars and that he brought this money from China into the United States without filing a report with the United States Treasury. In so doing, Ma violated a federal law requiring that anyone who brings more than $10,000 of foreign currency into the U.S. to file a report with the U.S. Treasury.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tyler Murray from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case. Special agents of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and IRS-Criminal Investigation investigated the case.
U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins Recognizes Police Week in the District of UtahRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY— In honor of National Police Week, United States Attorney Trina A. Higgins recognizes the service and sacrifice of federal, state, local, and Tribal law enforcement. This year, the week is observed Wednesday, May 11 through Tuesday, May 17, 2022.
“This week, we gather to pay tribute to the law enforcement officers who sacrificed their lives in service to our country,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “We remember the courage with which they worked and lived. And we recommit ourselves to the mission to which they dedicated their lives. On behalf of a grateful Justice Department and a grateful nation, I extend my sincerest thanks and gratitude to the entire law enforcement community.”
“During National Police Week, we pay tribute to the bravery and selflessness displayed by law enforcement officers who sacrificed their lives serving our country and our communities,” said United States Attorney Trina A. Higgins. “We honor the memory of these brave officers, and the service of all law enforcement officers, by continuing to uphold the laws of the United States in a fair and impartial manner. On behalf of the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah, I am honored to extend my gratitude to all law enforcement officers for their service to our country.”
In 1962, President Kennedy issued the first proclamation for Peace Officers Memorial Day and National Police Week to remember and honor law enforcement officers for their service and sacrifices. Peace Officers Memorial Day, which every year falls on May 15, specifically honors law enforcement officers killed or disabled in the line of duty. Based on data submitted to and analyzed by the National Law Enforcement Officer Memorial Fund (NLEOMF), 472 law enforcement officers died nationwide in the line of duty in 2021. Of that number, 319 succumbed to COVID-19.
Additionally, according to 2021 statistics reported by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) through the Law Enforcement Officer Killed and Assaulted (LEOKA) Program, 73 law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty in 2021 were killed as a result of felonious acts, whereas 56 died in accidents. Deaths resulting from felonious acts increased in 2021, rising more than 58 percent from the previous year. In 2021, unprovoked attacks[1] were the cause of 24 deaths significantly outpacing all other line of duty deaths resulting from felony acts and reaching the highest annual total in over 30 years of reporting. Additional LEOKA statistics can be found on FBI’s Crime Data Explorer website for the LEOKA program.
The names of the 619 fallen officers added this year to the wall at the National Law Enforcement Officer Memorial will be read on Friday, May 13, 2022, during a Candlelight Vigil in Washington, D.C., starting at 8:00 PM EDT. Those who wish to view the vigil live online, can watch on the NLEOMF YouTube channel found at https://www.youtube.com/TheNLEOMF. The schedule of National Police Week events is available on NLEOMF’s website.
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Reference to any specific organization or service(s) offered by an organization is for the information and convenience of the public, and does not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Department of Justice.
[1] An unprovoked attack is defined as an attack on an officer not prompted by official contact at the time of the incident between the officer and the offender. Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) through the Law Enforcement Officer Killed and Assaulted (LEOKA) Program.
Orem Man Sentenced to 63 Months in Prison and Ordered to Pay $8.4 Million in Restitution for Romance and Money Laundering SchemeRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY- Jeffersonking Anyanwu, 34, of Orem, was sentenced to 63 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering in connection with facilitating a romance scheme involving more than 350 victims. Anyanwu was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $8.4 million in restitution to the victims of his crimes.
Anyanwu was one of eight defendants who were charged in an indictment for their role in facilitating romance scams and laundering the money received from those scams. He and his codefendants allegedly took more than $8.4 million from more than 350 victims, many of them elderly. Anyanwu worked with coconspirators in the United States and in Nigeria, and used social media to create online personas to use in “romance scams.” Romance scams involve creating fake online personas to ensnare victims susceptible to online friendships.
The fake personas were usually males in the 55–65-year-old range, and appeared to target widows, divorcees, or women in troubled marriages. Victims were apparently targeted through social media sites, dating sites, and online games such as word searches or word puzzle games. Anyanwu allegedly used more than 20 accounts to facilitate the scheme.
Several kinds of imposter personas were employed. Often, they employed the identities of real U.S. generals. The imposters convinced the women that they were stationed overseas, intended to marry the women, and had significant assets overseas. They also convinced the women that they could not access their assets or leave the foreign station unless the women advanced them funds to be used to release their assets and obtain secure travel.
The romance scams in the scheme also included imposters posing as businessmen located abroad on oil rig platforms or constructing pipelines. The imposters would convince the women that the imposters were romantically interested in the women, but they could not leave until they finished the pending project. They would then convince the women to help advance funds to help complete the project, assuring the women that it was a safe and secure investment that would be returned to them.
The romance scams also involved efforts to impersonate celebrities. The imposters would encourage women to advance funds for a celebrity-meet-and-greet, a celebrity’s charity, or to help the celebrity while funds were tied up in a divorce.
To collect money from the victims, the imposters (largely overseas) turned to coconspirators whose location would not trigger suspicion. These coconspirators would provide U.S. bank accounts and addresses to be relayed to the victims to help convince them to send money.
In addition to Anyanwu, five other defendants have pleaded guilty and received sentences. Defendant Onoriode Kenneth Adigbolo was sentenced to 36 months’ imprisonment. Defendant Daniel Negedu and Defendant Richard Bassey Ukorebi were each sentenced to 51 months’ imprisonment. Defendant David Maduagu was sentenced to 26 months’ imprisonment. These Defendants have been ordered jointly and severally liable for $8.4 million in restitution. Defendant Adriana Sotelo was sentenced to 12 months’ home confinement. The case remains pending against two other defendants.
Assistant United States Attorneys Carl LeSueur and Aaron Clark from the District of Utah prosecuted the case. Special Agents from the FBI conducted the investigation.
The indictment in this case was one of several resulting from an investigation by the FBI’s Provo, Utah office into romance scam and money laundering activities.
For more information about romance scams please visit the FBI’s informational website here.
Salt Lake City Estate Planning Attorney Sentenced to 97 Months in Prison and Ordered to Pay over $12.7 Million Dollars to 26 VictimsRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY – Attorney Calvin Curtis, 61, of Salt Lake City, was sentenced to serve 97 months in federal prison by a U.S. District Court Judge today. Curtis was ordered to pay $12,779,496 in restitution to the 26 victims of his crimes and sentenced to an additional three years of supervised release upon his release from federal prison.
Curtis previously pleaded guilty in November of 2021, to embezzling millions of dollars from clients of his estate planning law firm based in Salt Lake City, known as Calvin Curtis Attorney at Law PLLC, and Curtiselderlaw.com. By the time of his sentencing, it had been discovered that Curtis had embezzled over $12 million dollars from his former clients who prosecutors say are elderly, incapacitated, or disabled individuals.
In the plea agreement, Curtis admitted that he is an attorney who specialized in special needs trusts and that beginning in January 2008, he began a fraudulent scheme to defraud a client known as “G.M.” out of money. Curtis admitted that due to his role, he had access to millions of dollars in two different trust accounts belonging to victim G.M., and that he transferred at least $9,500,000 intended for the care of G.M. into his own accounts, and then used this money for his own personal use. Curtis admitted that he also created fake financial statements and submitted these to the court ordered conservator of G.M. to conceal the fraud.
In pleading guilty to the wire fraud charge, Curtis admitted that on January 25, 2018, that he caused a wire communication from a Schwab Investment Account to his own Wells Fargo account, resulting in a transfer of $1,485,000. Curtis admitted that he used the money for his own personal benefit to make mortgage payments on his combined home and office located on South Temple Street in Salt Lake City, Utah; to support a lavish lifestyle with frequent travel; to purchase tickets to basketball and football games; to give lavish gifts to others; and to support the operations of his law firm.
In pleading guilty to the money laundering count, Curtis admitted that he fraudulently caused $135,000 to be transferred online from G.M. to his own Wells Fargo account, and that he used these funds to wire $95,000 to The Fechtel Company for the remodel of his home in Tampa, Florida. Curtis admitted that he knew these transactions were illegal at the time they occurred, and that the money was not used for the benefit of G.M.
Assistant United States Attorneys prosecuted the cases against Curtis and Special Agents from the FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation.
Trina A. Higgins Sworn in as United States Attorney for the District of UtahRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY- On Wednesday, May 4, 2022, Trina A. Higgins was sworn in as United States Attorney for the District of Utah by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Robert J. Shelby. President Biden nominated Higgins on January 31, 2022, and she was confirmed by the United States Senate on April 27, 2022.
As United States Attorney, Higgins will serve as the top-ranking federal law enforcement official in Utah. She is the first woman to be presidentially appointed to the position. Higgins leads all federal criminal prosecutions and civil litigation within the District of Utah.
“It is both my honor and privilege to serve as the United States Attorney for the District of Utah. I look forward to working with the dedicated public servants in the U.S. Attorney’s Office. And I am eager to work collaboratively with our federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and community partners in pursuit of justice and equity.”
Since 2002, Higgins has served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Utah, holding several leadership positions, including Senior Litigation Counsel and Violent Crime Section Chief. She recently returned to Utah from a detail as the Mediterranean Legal Advisor for the Department of Justice Office of Overseas Prosecution Development and Training at the U.S. Embassy in Valletta, Malta. Prior to joining the Department of Justice, Higgins served as a Salt Lake County Deputy District Attorney.
Higgins served as an Adjunct Professor at the S.J. Quinney College of Law for ten years. She is a past President of the Salt Lake County Bar Association and a current Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers, where she has served as the state Vice Chair and Diversity Coordinator. Higgins earned a B.A. from Weber State University and a J.D. from the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law.
A formal investiture ceremony will be scheduled at a future date.
Ogden Business Owner Sentenced to a Year in Prison for Tax CrimesRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY- Daniel Fry, 46, of Ogden, was sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison after pleading guilty to failing to pay and account for trust fund taxes related to his four healthcare related businesses in the Ogden area.
According to the plea agreement, Fry owned and operated four businesses in the Ogden area. These businesses were Burch Creek Homecare and Hospice LLC, which closed in 2015, Scrub World, which closed in 2018, Medical Billing Advantage LLC, and Country Niche LLC, both of which closed in 2020. Fry was responsible for handling the payroll for the businesses, including issuing paychecks to employees and withholding Federal Insurance Contribution Act (FICA) employment taxes. As a responsible party for each of these companies, Fry was required to collect, account for, and pay over the “trust fund taxes” to the Internal Revenue Service on a quarterly basis. Fry was also responsible for paying over the employer portion of these trust fund taxes to the IRS.
From January 2013 to December 2016, Fry withheld from employee paychecks and collected the trust fund taxes for the businesses, as required. He also reported the trust fund tax withholdings of his businesses to the IRS. At the same time, however, he failed to pay over any of the trust fund taxes that the businesses owed to the IRS. Fry further failed to pay to the IRS the employer portion of the trust fund taxes owed by his businesses. In total, from January 2013 to December 2016, fry owed and willfully failed to pay over to the IRS $568,590 owed by the businesses.
“Failure to pay taxes is a serious crime,” said United States Attorney Andrea T. Martinez. “This case is proof that we will hold business owners accountable if they violate their duty to pay employment taxes to the United States Government.”
“This investigation and prosecution demonstrates the toll that willful violations of the United States tax laws takes on not only the system, but on the average taxpayer,” stated Albert Childress, Special Agent in Charge, IRS-Criminal Investigation. “Mr. Fry’s actions hurt the taxpayers from whom he took withholdings but never paid over, he also harmed competing businesses who followed the law. The mission of IRS-Criminal Investigation is to enforce the tax laws of this country to instill confidence in and maintain a fair tax system for all.”
U.S. Attorney Andrea T. Martinez for the District of Utah made the announcement. The case prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys from the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah. The case was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation.
Salt Lake City Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Attempting to Provide Material Support to ISISRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY – Murat Suljovic, 24, of Salt Lake City, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison followed by 20 years of supervised release by a U.S. District Court Judge in Utah on Thursday for attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq (ISIS) which is a designated foreign terrorist organization.
According to the plea agreement, Suljovic admitted that, in January 2019, he used an online persona to pretend to be an ISIS leader and provide would-be attackers advice about potential terrorist attack targets and plans. Suljovic admitted he used this persona to provide a bomb-making tutorial video to someone he believed to be an ISIS supporter with the understanding that it was to train and assist in carrying out an attack for ISIS.
Suljovic admitted that, by providing the bomb tutorial, he knowingly attempted to provide material support to ISIS, knowing that ISIS has engaged in terrorism.
“Suljovic provided advice on potential targets, along with providing a bomb-making tutorial video and advice on how to plan an attack, to people he believed were motivated to carry out a terrorist attack on behalf of ISIS,” said United States Attorney Andrea Martinez. “The fact that Suljovic carried out these actions while living in Salt Lake City shows the global reach of terrorist networks and should remind us to stay vigilant against the ongoing fight against terrorist organizations.”
“This case should serve as a reminder that the threat of terrorism is very real, and one we cannot underestimate,” said Special Agent in Charge Dennis Rice of the Salt Lake City FBI. “The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force works around the clock to protect our communities from those intent on causing grave harm.”
The case was investigated by the FBI and members of its Joint Terrorism Task Force and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carl D. LeSueur and Tyler L. Murray of the Utah U.S. Attorney’s Office with the assistance of National Security Division Counterterrorism Section Trial Attorney Michael Dittoe.
Justice Department Honors Fifth Annual Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service in Community PolicingRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – The Justice Department today announced the recipients of the Fifth Annual Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service in Community Policing. This year’s awards recognize the exceptional work of 18 law enforcement officers and deputies from 12 jurisdictions across the country.
Attorney General Garland announced the award recipients in Atlanta, Georgia. Later, he attended a ceremony for three award recipients from the DeKalb County Police Department.
“The work of law enforcement has always been difficult—but perhaps no more so than in the recent past, as officers have faced a host of significant challenges. The officers and deputies receiving this year’s awards demonstrate how so many go above and beyond, even in the midst of trying circumstances,” he said. “Every day, thousands of people who work in law enforcement forge and maintain strong community ties that are essential for ensuring public safety. The recipients of this award represent quintessential examples of such critical efforts. It is an honor to recognize them.”
“We are pleased to announce that the U.S. Department of Justice has honored Unified Police Department Detective Ben Pender with an Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service in Community Policing,” said United States Attorney Andrea T. Martinez. “Detective Pender is a shining example of the success of community policing programs in our nation. Detective Pender has worked closely with the refugee population in Utah for over a decade and has run a cold-case homicide task force which works closely with the families of the victims of cold case homicides. We congratulate Detective Pender on being one of 18 law enforcement officers honored by the U.S. Attorney General for their efforts in the field of community policing.”
The Attorney General’s Award recognizes individual state, local, Tribal, and territorial police officers, deputies, and troopers for exceptional efforts in community policing. The awarded officers and deputies have demonstrated active engagement with the community in one of three areas: innovations in community policing, criminal investigations, or field operations. This year, the Department received 185 nominations from 145 agencies, recognizing a total of 347 individual officers, deputies, and troopers. There were 39 states represented in the nomination pool, covering state, local, campus, sheriff, and other agency types.
The work being honored this year reflects numerous examples of law enforcement officers working closely with the community to build trust, solve problems, reduce crime, and improve public safety.
The Department of Justice works closely with national law enforcement stakeholder groups during the award review period, taking advantage of their expertise and experience to determine the recipients in a competitive nomination process. The Department also works closely with its components, utilizing the breadth of knowledge within the Department to ensure a successful program that honors the exceptional service of our nation’s law enforcement officers and deputies.
Complete information on the Fifth Annual Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service in Community Policing can be found at https://www.justice.gov/ag/policing-award.
Attorney General Awards for Distinguished Service in Community Policing 2021
INNOVATIONS IN COMMUNITY POLICING
Detective Latosha Prather, Detective Khary Ricketts, and Detective Dan-nae Webber, DeKalb County (GA) Police Department
Detective Latosha Prather, Detective Khary Ricketts, and Detective Dan-nae Webber’s work for the Police Athletic League (PAL) has taken their outreach efforts to new heights and helped many children stay connected in the process. This was especially true during the summer of 2020, when the pandemic threatened to leave at-risk youth with no summer programs. The detectives implemented a Virtual Summer Academy that connected participants via Zoom, Instagram, and Facebook, focusing on mentorship, education, and athletics. Community leaders, teachers, coaches, business leaders, entrepreneurs, and other nonprofits partnered with the PAL to make this innovative event happen. The program reached a total of 1,018 children and adults. When the summer ended, the unit launched its Back to School Backpack Giveaway, providing supplies to students who otherwise would have had trouble getting them. Next was the second annual virtual “Gaming with a Cop” event, to keep students busy while they were out of school for the Presidents’ Day holiday. The event allowed kids to bond with DeKalb County police officers while competing against them in live video games.
When officers began noticing children selling bottled water on interstate ramps, they knew this was both a safety hazard and a potential breeding ground for other crimes. The detectives of the DeKalb County PAL once again put their heads together and implemented a Career Development Program—a four-month life skills program to provide students with personal growth opportunities and to prepare them for future careers. PAL partnered with Georgia Piedmont Technical College, local entrepreneurs, youth mentors, volunteers, and other police department support units. After the first session, eight of the nine participants were helped through the interview process and are now employed, with the remaining participant enrolling in the Georgia Piedmont College dual enrollment program.
Deputy Joseph Angelico, Martin County (FL) Sheriff’s Office
Since joining the Community Oriented Policing Unit in 2005, Deputy Joseph Angelico has established excellent relationships with the community and earned the trust of community members, who often provide him with critical information. A recent example occurred in May 2021, when a local restaurant fire was declared a case of arson. Within days, Angelico had identified the suspect.
Deputy Angelico views problems as challenges, and his goal is looking for solutions. For example, Angelico sought a proactive solution to the problem of crime in the summer, when the beach community is flooded with tourists. He coordinated countless hours of all-terrain vehicle beach patrols and bicycle parking lot patrols, giving out Criminal Opportunity Reports to visitors to educate them and enlist them in crime prevention efforts.
Deputy Angelico has also established a strong working relationship with the local Department of Human Services to work on helping the homeless population. One homeless Navy veteran, who consistently refused services and shelter, now has both housing and a new outlook on life because of Angelico’s compassion and tireless work.
Deputy Angelico especially made his skills work for the community during the pandemic, when he spearheaded many small operations. He used a substation facility at the local mall to meet with community members, answering their questions and giving them information. During the summer of 2020, he also worked hard to allow protesters to voice their concerns while preventing violence and ensuring public safety. His professionalism and dedication are unparalleled, and his knowledge and experience in community policing have established him as a leader and mentor to others in the office.
Officer Tom Hart, Walpole (MA) Police Department
Officer Tom Hart’s community policing efforts have gone a long way toward building relationships between law enforcement and the community in Walpole, and his efforts have had an impact well beyond the city limits. Hart joined the department in 2013 after a career as a special education teacher. He quickly became involved in many community policing initiatives involving Walpole’s youth. He initially served as a mentor to Walpole schools, with a focus on positive interactions with children who suffer from developmental disabilities. Hart’s efforts include a “positive ticket” campaign to reward “kids caught doing right”; a basketball-cop program, where officers play sports with area youth; and a ride to school program, where each month a student is given a full police escort from his or her home to school. Hart also serves as a leader in the Student Police Advisory Council, and he leads a community-based crisis intervention team that assists with finding resources for those with mental illness.
Officer Hart’s efforts to bridge the gap between Walpole’s youth and the police department resulted in him being named a school resource officer in 2017. He hit the ground running and established the Walpole Junior Police Academy, where middle school students spend a week learning about discipline, physical fitness, and police functions. He also took students with learning disabilities on a field trip to visit an organization called Golden Opportunities for Independence (GOFI), which trains service dogs for a variety of needs.
The visit was so well received that Officer Hart began discussing the idea of police using service dogs as an ice breaker, as well as to assist individuals when responding to traumatic incidents. Hart received approval from town officials, and GOFI donated a golden retriever named “Rebel” to the police. The program has proved such a success that a number of other departments in the state now have a service dog assigned to them, and the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office announced that they would be funding a grant to purchase service dogs for other jurisdictions. Other states have also expressed an interest in replicating the program. Hart’s innovative ideas have proved invaluable in furthering the department’s community policing efforts (and Rebel, the service dog, has now become the face of the Walpole Police Department).
Officer Danielle St. Peter, Barnstable (MA) Police Department
Officer Danielle St. Peter’s commitment to the Barnstable Police Community Impact Unit (CIU) has dramatically benefited local residents. The CIU works with partner agencies to bring medical care, substance abuse treatment, mental health counseling, and housing services to homeless and disadvantaged populations. St. Peter routinely assumes the role of case manager, counselor, and problem solver by using an individualized approach to de-escalate tense situations and connect people with services tailored to their needs.
In the fall of 2020, the CIU received information about a mother with mental illness living with her baby in a homeless camp. Officer St. Peter forged a relationship with the young mother, building trust with her over a period of time, and addressing her fear of criminal enforcement. She connected her with the appropriate services and eventually was able to move the mother and child into more suitable housing, watching as their quality of life improved dramatically.
Recently, Officer St. Peter skillfully managed a tense situation, as police officers tried to persuade a mentally ill woman who was living in her car to leave her vehicle for a psychiatric committal. Using compassion and skills honed over time, St. Peter provided comfort to the scared woman and de-escalated the situation. She ultimately oversaw her transfer to a care facility and reconnected with her after treatment, helping her to secure temporary housing and get the mental health treatment she needed. Because of St. Peter’s compassion, care, and philosophy of community policing, the woman remains stabilized and they communicate regularly. St. Peter’s upbeat attitude, conflict resolution skills, patience, and work ethic are part of her extreme effectiveness and a true demonstration of community policing.
CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS
Sergeant Kurt Berardino and Sergeant Christopher Perez, Miami-Dade (FL) Police Department
In July 2020, a ShotSpotter alert showed that 21 shots had been fired on a Miami street. The aftermath left a seven-year-old dead and another child and two adults injured. The investigation revealed that the victims were returning home from shopping and were fired on as they were getting out of their car. Detectives Kurt Berardino and Christopher Perez (now both sergeants) immersed themselves in the subsequent investigation, poring over multiple Crime Stoppers tips, reviewing hours of surveillance footage, and questioning potential witnesses. As Berardino and Perez developed the case, they established a rapport with two of the survivors, and those survivors provided a positive identification of the subjects involved in the shooting. This positive identification was key in furthering other leads that were gathered. Evidence collected was crucial in solidifying victim statements and the timeline of the events. Arrest warrants were eventually issued, and in September 2020 the detectives traveled to Georgia, where one suspect was taken into custody and later confessed; a second suspect was also arrested. It was the tenacity, persistence, and determination of Detectives Berardino and Perez that closed this case and brought justice to the families of the victims and to the community.
Detective Victor Powell and Detective Jonathan Smith, Norfolk (VA) Police Department
In September 1980, a woman was brutally murdered in her Norfolk apartment. No solid leads into the case were developed until Cold Case Detectives Victor Powell and Jonathan Smith took on the case 38 years later and pursued a DNA analysis. The results showed a potential suspect in Michigan. Powell and Smith conducted numerous witness interviews, on the basis of which they obtained a warrant and arrested the suspect. The suspect was extradited to Norfolk and eventually confessed to the 1980 murder. He also admitted to previously unresolved, uncharged sexual assaults between 1976 and 1977 in San Diego, California. In the summer of 2020, the defendant pled guilty to first-degree murder, rape, and burglary arising from the brutal attack on the victim in 1980. The court sentenced the defendant to a life term of imprisonment on both the first-degree murder and the rape convictions and a term of 20 years in prison on the burglary conviction. Also, as a result of the resolution of the case in Norfolk, the state of Michigan was able to return the defendant to the state to stand trial for pending charges related to the 1989 death of his adopted daughter. Smith and Powell’s dedication to this investigation brought great credit to the Norfolk Police Department from across the United States and brought peace to a family who fought for justice for 40 years.
†Detective Powell, a 31-year veteran of the Norfolk Police Department, passed away May 21, 2020; he is remembered for his outstanding service to the department.
Detective Ben Pender, Unified Police Department of Greater Salt Lake (UT)
In November 2010, a woman was found brutally murdered in her South Salt Lake, Utah bookstore. The scene was processed and fingerprints, a palm print, and DNA were recovered, which later provided a profile of an unknown male suspect. In 2018, cold case Detective Ben Pender worked with a genetic genealogist and was eventually given more than 300 names for target testing. Pender researched their names and addresses and sent letters to those individuals across the country, requesting voluntary participation in the investigation. He ultimately traveled to eight states and was able to foster relationships with 50 target test subjects, who provided swabs for DNA testing. In the fall of 2020, Pender was provided a close genetic match with the DNA left at the crime scene.
After more research and questioning potential relatives, Detective Pender identified the name of a suspect. Pender worked with detectives from the Major Investigations Unit to conduct surveillance on the suspect and collect a DNA sample, which turned out to be a match with the DNA collected at the murder scene. Pender arrested the suspect, who admitted to the murder and provided critical details. If not for Pender’s tenacious efforts, this homicide might never have been solved and a grieving family might still not have found justice. Pender has closed several unresolved homicides and missing persons cases and worked homicides for other agencies. In addition, in 2018 he organized the first annual Hope Conference for families of unresolved homicide victims, during which participants learned that every open unresolved case would be examined no less often than every 18 months.
Detective-Sergeant Jeffrey Araujo and Major Christopher Reed, Central Falls (RI) Police Department
In July 2007, a cab driver was shot in his cab and died by the time he was transported to the hospital. Witnesses reported seeing three young men run from the scene, some tossing their baseball caps as they ran. When processing the scene, Detective (now Detective-Sergeant) Jeffrey Araujo and Detective (now Major) Christopher Reed discovered two baseball caps in the vicinity of the shooting. The detectives later spoke with the victim’s wife, who said she was on the phone with her husband just before the shooting. She said her husband had called to say he was not comfortable with the three men in his taxi and wanted to keep her on the phone in case something went wrong. Shortly after, his wife heard a struggle and the phone disconnected.
Detectives Araujo and Reed were later contacted by a confidential informant, who identified a man he said had shot the driver. The detectives also received information about the other two men in the car. The detectives continued to pursue the investigation over the years but lacked hard evidence. Through their continued efforts, however, in May 2017 the detectives spoke with a subject who wanted to talk about the taxi driver’s murder and provided information on the suspects who were involved. At the same time, the detectives spoke with another individual who reported the suspects had talked about the murder the day after it happened. Araujo and Reed then resubmitted both baseball hats and requested they be tested against the profiles of the three suspects. There was a match, and thanks to this match and other evidence, the detectives secured an indictment. After a trial, the suspect was convicted and sentenced. Although the victim’s wife had passed away in the interim, because of the detectives’ tenacious work, the victim’s children and family were able to see that justice was finally served.
FIELD OPERATIONS
Deputy Sarah Merriman, Richland County (SC) Sheriff’s Department
When Deputy Sarah Merriman was dispatched to a call for a domestic dispute in progress, she was told in advance that the suspect had a firearm and had already assaulted a woman. Upon her arrival outside of the residence, she saw a very agitated man with a shotgun in his hand, and one of several women on the scene was bleeding profusely from her head. Merriman had to decide instantly whether to draw her weapon; recognizing the subject’s state of mind, she chose to talk to him. She pleaded with him to drop the weapon—and once additional patrol deputies arrived and aimed their guns at him, she encouraged him to focus on talking to her. The suspect taunted Merriman for several minutes, yelling at her to pull her weapon and shoot him. Finally, Merriman was able to calm him down and he lowered the shotgun; she then took him into custody.
Deputy Merriman’s actions exemplify what it is to be a guardian. Her ability to recognize the individual’s state of mind—and her realization that drawing her weapon would escalate the situation—prevented a tragic outcome and saved at least one life that day.
Officer Kristen Schmidt, Portland (OR) Police Bureau
Officer Kristen Schmidt is part of the Enhanced Crisis Intervention Team at the Portland Police Bureau. She responded to a call from the local Humane Society, where a woman trying to recover her cats from the shelter had become belligerent. Schmidt did not know at the time that the woman was in the midst of an extended period of psychosis; the sudden appearance of several uniformed officers, an ambulance, and staff from a community health agency exacerbated her condition.
In an effort to calm the situation, Officer Schmidt sat with the woman and patiently explained the need to go to the hospital. When the ambulance driver told the woman to get on the gurney and her agitation returned, Schmidt then drove the woman to the hospital herself. She talked to her during the drive; the woman reported, “She treated me with dignity and respect and looked for ways to connect with me.”
Officer Schmidt kept in touch with the woman during her three-week hospitalization, picked her up when she was released, and drove her to the shelter to retrieve her dog, who had also been left there. The woman said she felt treated with “compassion and humanity.” A year after the incident, the woman met Schmidt at the precinct to express her gratitude and share how differently she felt that day could have gone if Schmidt had not been the officer on the scene. She believes that Schmidt is a powerful role model for sensitive and compassionate police work for people in vulnerable situations.
Officer Travis Allen and Officer Brendan Fowler, Irving (TX) Police Department
In the winter of 2021, officers responded to a call of a drowning in progress. A family had ventured out onto an ice-covered canal to take photos, but the father and mother had fallen through the ice into the frigid waters. When Officer Brendan Fowler arrived on the scene, he threw a lifeline out to both, telling them to wrap it around themselves to remain above water. Officer Travis Allen arrived next and communicated with Fowler to develop a rescue plan. The fire department arrived and slid two ladders out onto the ice, but the woman was succumbing to the cold and began to go under. Allen immediately crawled out on the ladder and held the woman’s face above the water. A firefighter crawled out on the other ladder just as the ice broke under Allen, dumping him into the water. Allen and the firefighter, now exposed to the extremely cold water, worked quickly and managed to lift the woman onto a ladder. Other officers who were now on the scene made sure that everyone was attached to the ladder and pulled the ladder onto the shore. The husband was responsive, but the wife was unresponsive and showed signs of hypothermia onset. They were then transported to the hospital, where both recovered. If it were not for the quick response and heroic actions taken by Allen and Fowler, the outcome could have been very different.
Officer Cody Hubbard, Pottsville (AR) Police Department
In May 2021, Officer Cody Hubbard responded to a call of a cardiac arrest of a three-week-old child who was not breathing. Immediately upon his arrival, Hubbard began life-saving efforts and started the Heimlich maneuver for infants. The baby soon began to cry and breathe on his own. The Pope County emergency medical services team then arrived and took over the scene. Hubbard was awarded the department’s Life Saving Award for his actions. Under a very stressful situation, he was able to retain, recall, and apply the lifesaving training he had received. Officer Hubbard saved a young life and earned the respect of the community.
Aneth Man Sentenced to 108 Months in Prison for Crimes Related to Shooting at Law Enforcement AgentsRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY – Cecil T. Vijil Jr., 39, of Aneth, was sentenced to 96 months in federal prison after being convicted of assaulting an FBI Special Agent and assaulting a San Juan County Sheriff’s Deputy with a dangerous weapon within Indian Country. Vijil was sentenced to an additional 12 months in prison for escaping from federal custody during his pre-trial detention in Cache County, Utah. After his release from federal prison, Vijil has been ordered to serve five years of supervised release.
According to allegations contained in a federal complaint, Vijil opened fire on an FBI Special Agent and a San Juan County Sheriff’s Deputy with an AR-15 style semi-automatic rifle on April 30, 2020. The FBI agent and the Sheriff’s Deputy had gone to Vijil ’s home to question him about his involvement in an incident where he allegedly shot at a store in Mexican Hat earlier the same day. Upon their arrival to his home, Vijil exited his home and shot several rounds from the rifle that were directed at the vehicle being driven by the Sheriff’s Deputy and the FBI agent.
In the plea agreement, Vijil admitted that he forcibly assaulted an FBI Special Agent while the agent was engaged in the performance of her official duties by shooting at the agent with a rifle. Vijil also admitted that he shot at another victim known as “C.W.” within the geographical boundaries of Indian Country and that he intended to do harm to C.W. Vijil also admitted that he escaped from the Cache County Jail while being held in federal pre-trial custody on charges related to shooting at the FBI Special Agent and “C.W.”
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah. The case was investigated by Special Agents from the FBI and the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office.
One Individual Charged as Law Enforcement Targets Fentanyl Shipped from Las Vegas to UtahRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY – Colin Andrew Shapard, 21, of Las Vegas, Nevada, has been charged in federal court by the United States Attorney’s Office in Utah with six counts related to the distribution of fentanyl in Utah. The complaint charges Shapard with one count of distribution of fentanyl resulting in serious bodily injury and five counts of distribution of fentanyl.
United States Attorney Andrea T. Martinez, Utah Attorney General Sean D. Reyes, DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge Jay Tinkler, United States Postal Inspection Service Team Leader Jared Bingham, Park City Police Chief Wade Carpenter, and Summit County Sheriff Justin Martinez announced the charges today.
The complaint filed against Shapard alleges that, in November of 2021, DEA task force officers employed by the Park City Police Department and the Summit County Sheriff’s Office learned that illegal narcotic shipments containing opioids were being shipped from Las Vegas to Park City. The DEA officers learned that the alleged source of supply for the narcotics was Colin Shapard, and that he utilized delivery services, including the U.S. Mail, to ship opioids from Las Vegas to Utah. Officers also learned that each blue pill, stamped as fake 30 mg. oxycodone “M30,” costs between $30.00 and $45.00 per pill, and that Shapard had promised kickbacks to an individual in Park City for distributing the narcotics on his behalf.
By November of 2021, it is alleged that Shapard had shipped between 10 and 30 of the blue M30 pills every two weeks over the previous two to three months to an individual in Park City. The DEA officers learned that Shapard was allegedly using encrypted cellular applications to arrange the shipment of the fake oxycodone pills to Park City.
On December 8, 2021, U.S. Postal Inspectors took possession of a parcel which was shipped from Las Vegas to Park City. Postal Inspectors were able to obtain photographs of an individual who had allegedly shipped the parcel from the University Post Office in Las Vegas. Using these photographs, officers identified Shapard as the person who had allegedly sent the parcel. A search warrant was executed on this parcel and 35 blue M30 fake oxycodone pills were discovered with "M" imprinted on one side and "30" on the other side. The pills tested positive for fentanyl.
On December 20, 2021, Postal Inspectors took possession of a priority mail package shipped from Las Vegas to Tooele. The envelope allegedly listed the sender as Colin Shapard and the recipient was an associate of Shapard’s. Using information obtained from the package, Postal Inspectors learned that the package was sent on December 17, 2021, from the University Post Office in Las Vegas. Postal Inspectors were able to obtain photographs which allegedly showed Shapard shipping the parcel from Las Vegas. A search warrant was executed on this parcel, and DEA officers discovered a single blister pack labeled as Tapentadol 100 MG which contained ten orange pills, and a pill bottle containing a variety of pills. The pill bottle contained 25 blue pills with "M" imprinted on one side and "30" imprinted on the other side. The blue pills tested positive for fentanyl. The bottle also held 100 unknown green pills with markings similar to Xanax pills and two unknown orange and white pills which were booked into evidence.
In December of 2021, a DEA undercover agent contacted Shapard and attempted to purchase blue oxycodone 30mg tablets from him. Shapard allegedly indicated that he charged a premium for these pills but that they were legitimate pharmaceutical pills from Canada and did not contain fentanyl. Shapard also allegedly warned the undercover agent to be “careful” because “30 mg of oxycodone is still the very strong/the strongest they make….”
On January 31, 2022, post office cameras in Las Vegas allegedly showed Shapard mailing the DEA undercover agent a parcel containing the requested pills. On February 4, 2022, a package addressed to the DEA undercover agent was intercepted by a Postal Inspector in Utah. Inside the package, DEA officers discovered 15 blue M30 pills with "M" imprinted on one side and "30" imprinted on the other side. The pills tested positive for fentanyl. An additional nine yellow pills were discovered in the package which were booked into evidence.
On February 10, 2022, Park City paramedics and Summit County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a call regarding an 18-year-old male who was found unresponsive. Emergency workers resuscitated the victim using CPR and Narcan and the victim was transported to the hospital. The following day, DEA officers discovered that the victim had overdosed on blue M30 pills which were allegedly purchased from Shapard. The victim’s urinalysis report showed the presence of fentanyl and a fentanyl metabolite. The victim’s phone was searched, and it contained text messages allegedly facilitating illegal narcotics transactions between the victim and Shapard. Using shipping information Shapard had allegedly sent to the victim via text message, Postal Inspectors were able to obtain photos of Shapard allegedly shipping the parcel from the University Post Office on February 1, 2022.
The DEA undercover agent placed another order for blue 30 mg oxycodone pills from Shapard after this incident. On February 14, 2022, Shapard allegedly shipped the pills ordered by the undercover agent. Photos from the University Post Office in Las Vegas allegedly show Shapard shipping the parcel to Utah. This parcel was intercepted by postal inspectors in Utah, on February 22, 2022. DEA officers discovered 15 blue M30 pills inside of the package along with fifteen white gel capsules. The blue M30 pills tested positive for fentanyl. Shapard allegedly sent a message to the undercover agent to confirm if the undercover agent had received the package. The undercover agent’s response to the message was delayed by a weekend. After this delay, and after hearing the undercover agent received the package, Shapard allegedly wrote, “Sorry about being so worried…Just wanted to check in and make sure you weren’t dead, as [it’s] never a good sign when someone goes MIA after getting a [expletive] ton of opiates.”
In February of 2022, Shapard allegedly shipped another package containing fake blue M30 oxycodone pills to an associate in Tooele which was intercepted by postal inspectors. On February 18, 2022, a search warrant was executed on the package and 20 blue M30 pills were discovered inside which tested positive for fentanyl. Postal Inspectors again obtained photographs of Shapard allegedly shipping the parcel from the University Post Office in Las Vegas.
Assistant United States Attorneys, and Special Assistant United States Attorneys from the Utah Attorney General’s Office, are prosecuting the case against Shapard. Special Agents and Task Force Officers from the DEA, the Summit County Sheriff’s Office, the Park City Police Department, and the United States Postal Inspection Service conducted the investigation.Allegations in charging documents are not findings of guilt. Defendants charged in complaints or indictments are presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty in court.
Owner of Rust Rare Coin Sentenced to 19 Years in Prison for Running Fraudulent Silver Trading ProgramRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY – Gaylen Dean Rust, 62, of Layton, was sentenced to 19 years in federal prison by a U.S. District Court Judge on Tuesday, after being convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and securities fraud. Rust was ordered to pay over $153 million dollars to the 568 victims of his criminal scheme, and an order of forfeiture in the same amount was entered against Rust for all money and assets owned by Rust and traceable to the criminal scheme. Rust has been ordered to report to federal prison on Wednesday, March 9, 2022.
In the plea agreement with federal prosecutors, Rust admitted that he was the owner and operator of Rust Rare Coin, Inc. (RRC) in Utah, from 2002 until 2018, and that he had previously worked as the manager of the business. Rust admitted that beginning in 2008, he began a scheme to defraud investors by inducing them to invest in RRC's fraudulent “silver trading program.” However, Rust’s “silver trading program” operated as a Ponzi scheme. Rust admitted to selling investments in the fraudulent program to approximately 500 investors located throughout the United States in amounts totaling $225 million dollars. Rust admitted that he paid out money from later investors to earlier investors to create the impression that his “silver trading program” was profitable and to keep the scheme operating.
Rust carried out the fraudulent scheme by explaining to victims that RRC's silver trading program was a lucrative investment that involved the buying and selling of actual silver bullion; that 100% of investor funds would be used to buy actual silver; that all the silver bullion purchased would be stored at Brinks Global Services in Salt Lake City or Los Angeles; and, that RRC was storing almost $80 million dollars of silver bullion at Brinks.
Rust further told investors that all of the silver trades were conducted through an RRC account at HSBC Bank; that profit generated in trades would be used to repurchase a larger amount of silver at a lower price, thereby continually increasing the amount of silver for investors; and, that by using algorithms, the silver trading program had never experienced a losing month, much less a losing year, and that the worst year had generated a 12 percent return, and that the average rate of return was 20 percent to 25 percent per year.
However, Rust had little to no silver stored at Brinks; Rust had not stored silver bullion at Brinks since 2016, and no meaningful investor funds were ever used to purchase silver bullion during the scheme; RRC had no mechanism to generate meaningful returns on silver trading; and HSBC Bank had never maintained an account on behalf of RRC. Rust diverted nearly all investor funds to other businesses, personal uses, and to making payments to previous investors. Rust also admitted that in January of 2016, he opened three personal accounts at Zions bank and used these accounts to launder approximately $18 million dollars from the fraudulent trading scheme.
“We hope that a 19-year prison sentence and an order to pay over $153 million dollars sends a message to the community that the U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to prosecuting financial crimes,” said United States Attorney Andrea T. Martinez. “Those who defraud their family, friends, and associates out of their hard-earned savings will be held accountable. Unfortunately, the reality of these cases is that victims’ money is nearly always spent by the perpetrator of the crime or paid out to other victims. This should be a stark reminder to all Utahns that it is imperative to vet your financial advisor or anyone who attempts to persuade you to invest in their business or financial dealings.”
“Gaylen Rust betrayed the trust of his hundreds of clients, many of them his own family, friends and members of his church. For years, he lived his life on their hard-earned money,” said Special Agent in Charge Dennis Rice of the Salt Lake City FBI. “Mr. Rust’s deceit has now caught up to him and he will face the consequences for his fraudulent actions. The FBI encourages anyone looking to invest to do their due diligence and be wary of promises of investment returns that seem too good to be true.”
“IRS-Criminal Investigation specializes in finding and exposing financial fraud. Our agents working with our law enforcement partners continually strive to put a stop to this kind of fraud and send a message to those who may be considering defrauding others,” said IRS-Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Albert Childress. “This case was a significant fraud in the community and left an impact affecting hundreds of lives. Through the efforts of our agents combined with those of our law enforcement partners, we have been able to bring some measure of justice.”
“The actions of Mr. Rust represent some of the biggest consumer harm we’ve seen,” said Department of Commerce Executive Director Margaret Busse. “Ponzi schemes absolutely destroy trust in the investment industry. Without trust, individuals aren’t willing to participate in future opportunities and that affects our entire economy.”
"We're proud to have been able to partner with the U.S. Attorney's office and other agencies in uncovering this awful scam,” said Division of Securities Director Jason Sterzer. “The most common sign that an investment is a scam is an offer of high returns with little or no risk. Education remains the best defense against securities fraud.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jacob Strain, Carl LeSueur, and Tyler Murray in Salt Lake City prosecuted the case. Securities Investigator Elizabeth Blaylock of the Utah Division of Securities and Special Agents Jason Henrikson and James Malpede (retired) of the FBI investigated the case along with agents on the FBI’s White Collar Task Force, including Special Agent Jeff Kirkwood of IRS-Criminal Investigation. Related civil cases were filed by the Securities Exchange Commission, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and the Utah Attorney General’s Office.
Six Indicted for Distribution of Cocaine and Methamphetamine along Wasatch FrontRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY – A federal grand jury in the District of Utah has issued a16-count indictment, which alleges that six individuals associated with a drug trafficking organization are responsible for conspiring to distribute cocaine, in addition to the distribution of methamphetamine, along the Wasatch Front.
The charges are the result of an investigation into a drug trafficking organization which was allegedly responsible for transporting kilograms of cocaine from California into Utah for distribution. Using court authorized investigative techniques, Special Agents from the FBI and the Wasatch Metro Narcotics Task Force identified six defendants allegedly responsible for the distribution of narcotics.
From November of 2021 until February of 2022, agents completed several controlled buys of cocaine and methamphetamine from the defendants listed in the indictment. During the investigation, agents seized over 1.8 kilograms of cocaine, over one pound of methamphetamine, two firearms, and over $102,000 in cash.
The indictment charges Leonardo Ortiz-Rios, aka Gerardo Ortiz Benitez, 45, of West Valley City, with one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and one count of distribution of cocaine.
Teresa Sanchez, 45, of West Valley City, is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine, and one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine.
Jacinto Perez, 61, of Taylorsville, is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine, four counts of distribution of cocaine, three counts of distribution of methamphetamine, and one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine.
Alejandro Santana-Brito, 35, of West Valley City, is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and two counts of distribution of cocaine and one count of reentry of a previously removed alien
Justin Archuleta, aka Philip Zachary Colvin, 50, of Salt Lake City, is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine, one count of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, and one count of felon in possession of a firearm.
Jose Guadalupe Ruiz, 53, of Tooele, is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen L. Nelson and Stewart M. Young in the Utah U.S. Attorney’s Office are prosecuting the case, Special Agents from the FBI and the Wasatch Metro Narcotics Task Force conducted the investigation.Indictments are not findings of guilt. Defendants charged in indictments are presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty in court.
South Jordan Man Sentenced to 18 Years in Prison for Producing and Distributing Child Exploitation MaterialsRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY – Thomas Wallin, 23, of South Jordan, was sentenced to serve 18 years in federal prison and a lifetime of supervised release, after pleading guilty to the production and dissemination of child exploitation materials. Wallin will also be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison.
In the plea agreement, Wallin admitted to sexually abusing a minor in 2019, and to producing and distributing a sexually explicit depiction of the abuse using the internet.
According to a criminal complaint filed by prosecutors, in August of 2020, HSI investigators received a request for assistance from Australian law enforcement officials related to an individual located in Utah who was distributing child exploitation materials with an individual located in Australia. The suspect in Australia had been arrested earlier by Australian authorities, and after a review of the Australian’s Telegram social media account, he was found to have been exchanging child exploitation materials with a Utahn believed to be Thomas Wallin, of South Jordan, Utah. The investigation showed, that in 2019, the two used the Telegram platform to share sexually explicit videos of minors under the age of seven years old, including a video which depicted Wallin sexually abusing a three-year old boy, and a separate explicit video of the same minor. Authorities were able to confirm it was Wallin who was abusing the minor in part through a distinctive bracelet worn by Wallin in the video which was later found in his home during a search warrant. Authorities also identified the presence of a mole on Wallin’s hand, which also appeared in the same video. During an interview with an investigator from HSI, Wallin admitted to recording himself sexually abusing a minor male and that he had used Telegram to receive child exploitation materials from individuals using the internet. Digital media seized from Wallin at the time of arrest contained over 20 sexually explicit images of minor children under the age of twelve being sexually exploited.
“The United States Attorney’s Office is committed to protecting minor victims from violent criminals who prey on their innocence,” said U.S. Attorney Andrea T. Martinez. “The troubling facts of this case should be a reminder for parents and guardians of young children to be extremely careful of who your children are left alone with. Thanks to the investigative work by special agents from Homeland Security Investigations, the defendant in this case will be in federal prison for almost two decades, and the victims in this case can begin healing from the trauma caused by these crimes.”
“This lengthy sentence is a testament to the repugnant nature of child exploitation crimes which only perpetuates the lasting trauma endured by victims,” said Lucia Cabral-DeArmas, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations- Las Vegas. “Our hope is that this sentence sends a message that our HSI agents will aggressively pursue anyone who attempts to prey on our nation’s most vulnerable population, our children. Let today be the starting point for the healing process for the victims and their families.”
Assistant U.S. Attorneys from the Utah U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. Special Agents from Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation.
Seventeen Charged with Drug Trafficking and Money Laundering in St. George, UtahRead the Press Release
ST. GEORGE, UTAH – A recently unsealed 24 count indictment issued by a grand jury in the District of Utah charges 17 individuals for their alleged roles in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, methamphetamine, and marijuana in Washington County. The charges follow joint Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operations conducted by the Washington County Drug Task Force, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation Division (IRS), and the United States Marshals Service.
These charges resulted from an investigation that demonstrated extensive law-enforcement cooperation in the St. George area. Federal and state partners conducted a proactive investigation targeting drug trafficking and money laundering. Officers seized more than three kilograms of methamphetamine and thousands of fentanyl pills. Using court-authorized investigative techniques, law enforcement learned that Angel Rubio-Quintana, along with co-conspirators, allegedly ordered narcotics from individuals in Mexico, distributed the narcotics in the local community, and sent drug proceeds from Utah to Mexico.
United States Attorney for the District of Utah Andrea T. Martinez announced the charges today along with Washington County Drug Task Force Captain Jordan Minnick, DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge Jay Tinkler, FBI Special Agent in Charge Dennis Rice, and HSI Acting Special Agent in Charge Lucia Cabral-Dearmas.
“The United States Attorney’s Office is committed to federally prosecuting drug traffickers who fuel addiction and crime in Southern Utah,” said United States Attorney Andrea T. Martinez. “This prosecution highlights law enforcement’s tireless efforts to dismantle drug-trafficking organizations from suppliers in Mexico to drug dealers in St. George. We will continue to vigorously prosecute those who traffic narcotics in our communities.”
The indictment charges 17 individuals with 24 federal counts, including conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, methamphetamine, and marijuana; conspiracy to launder money; distribution of fentanyl and methamphetamine; possession of fentanyl and methamphetamine with intent to distribute; and unlawful reentry of a previously removed alien.
Those charged in the indictment are:
• Angel Rubio-Quintana, 41, of St. George
• Ramon Higuera-Cota, 49, of Sinaloa, Mexico
• Presciliano Galax-Felix, aka “Chito,” 54, of Sinaloa, Mexico
• Jaime Rivera-Jauregui, aka “Charras,” 35, of St. George
• Carlos Rubio-Acosta, 19, of St. George
• Lauro Ignacio-Morales, aka “Junior,” 20, of St. George
• Llonatan Gutierrez-Ruiz, aka “Barbas,” 59, of St. George
• Alfreida Simpson, 38, of St. George
• Tanya Adame, 19, of St. George
• Raul Valdez-Chavez, 62, of Riverside County, California
• Juana Marin-Angel, 34, of West Jordan
• Daniel Tena-Villasenor, 28, of Jerome
• Tracy Eyman, 52, of Diamond Valley
• Juan Carlos Orozco, 40, of St. George
• Paul Ciriaco, 33. of St. George
• Oliver Mendez-Rojas, aka “Willy,” 21, of St. George
• Hardet Alan Valdez, aka “Moshi,” 20, of St. George, UtahAssistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen P. Dent and Angela Reddish-Day, in the St. George Branch Office of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah, are prosecuting the case. Special agents, task force officers, and analysts from the DEA, FBI, IRS, and HSI investigated the case, alongside detectives and analysts from the Washington County Drug Task Force.
Indictments are not findings of guilt. Defendants charged in indictments are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
Sanpete County Man Charge with Operating a Fraudulent Farm Equipment BusinessRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY – Ryan Palmer, 53, of Sanpete County, was indicted by a grand jury last December in the District of Utah for a fraudulent scheme related to his farm equipment company, known as Palmer Equipment, LLC. In the indictment, Palmer is charged with bank fraud, wire fraud, and two counts of money laundering. The indictment alleges that Palmer defrauded 25 victims out of more than $1.2 million dollars in total.
The indictment alleges that beginning in 2017, Palmer represented to his victims that he could sell or obtain farm equipment on their behalf, and that he entered into consignment contracts with his victims to sell their farm equipment and promised to pay the victims the proceeds from the sale of their equipment. It is alleged that Palmer also told victims that he could sell them functioning farm equipment that was free and clear of any liens. However, the indictment alleges that Palmer sold defective equipment to buyers; removed and replaced serial placards on the equipment; sold victims’ farm equipment which he did not own; did not deliver equipment to buyers; and did not pay, or only partially paid, proceeds to consignors for farm equipment which they had sold through Palmer. In some cases, it is alleged that Palmer encumbered consigners equipment by fraudulently stating the equipment was his own and then sold the same equipment as if it were his own. Additionally, it is alleged that Palmer fraudulently represented to banks that victims’ consigned equipment was his own and then obtained bank issued loans by using the victims’ consigned equipment as collateral.
The first count in the indictment charges Palmer with bank fraud for obtaining a loan from Utah Independent Bank for $51,000 by fraudulently representing that he owned a 1985 Allis-Chalmers 8050 tractor and using the tractor as collateral to obtain the loan. Additionally, it is alleged that Palmer failed to pay the original consignor of the tractor and the bank when the tractor was sold.
The second count alleges that Palmer committed wire fraud by accepting a wire transfer from a buyer of equipment in the amount of $19,450 into Palmer’s personal Mountain America Credit Union Account.
The third and fourth counts in the indictment allege that Palmer committed money laundering by transferring $25,000 obtained through a fraudulently acquired bank loan into a Palmer Equipment Checking Account, and by transferring $16,000 obtained through the sale of a tractor into Palmer’s personal checking account.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys from the Utah U.S. Attorney’s Office from the St. George branch office are prosecting the case. Special Agents from the FBI and IRS Criminal Investigations conducted the investigation.
Indictments are not findings of guilt. Defendants charged in indictments are presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty in court.
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland Announces Justice Department Strategy to Combat Human TraffickingRead the Press Release
DATELINE -- U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland today released the Justice Department’s new National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking pursuant to the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act.
Rooted in the foundational pillars and priorities of the interagency National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking, which President Biden released on Dec. 3, 2021, the Justice Department's National Strategy is expansive in scope. It aims to enhance the department's capacity to prevent human trafficking; to prosecute human trafficking cases; and to support and protect human trafficking victims and survivors.
“Human trafficking is an insidious crime,” said Attorney General Garland. “Traffickers exploit and endanger some of the most vulnerable members of our society and cause their victims unimaginable harm. The Justice Department’s new National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking will bring the full force of the Department to this fight.”
“The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah is committed to the prosecution of human trafficking and to serving the exploited victims of this evil crime,” said United States Attorney Andrea Martinez. “Together with our local, state, tribal, and federal partners, we will continue to focus our efforts on the strategic dismantlement of human trafficking networks that operate in our state.”
Among other things, the Justice Department’s multi-year strategy to combat all forms of human trafficking will:
- Strengthen engagement, coordination and joint efforts to combat human trafficking by prosecutors in all 94 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and by federal law enforcement agents nationwide.
- Establish federally-funded, locally-led anti-human trafficking task forces that support sustained state law enforcement leadership and comprehensive victim assistance.
- Step up departmental efforts to end forced labor by increasing attention, resources and coordination in labor trafficking investigations and prosecutions.
- Enhance initiatives to reduce vulnerability of American Indians and Alaska Natives to violent crime, including human trafficking, and to locate missing children.
- Develop and implement new victim screening protocols to identify potential human trafficking victims during law enforcement operations and encourage victims to share important information.
- Increase capacity to provide victim-centered assistance to trafficking survivors, including by supporting efforts to deliver financial restoration to victims.
- Expand dissemination of federal human trafficking training, guidance and expertise.
- Advance innovative demand-reduction strategies.
The department’s strategy will be implemented under the direction of the National Human Trafficking Coordinator designated by the Attorney General in accordance with the Abolish Human Trafficking Act of 2017.
If you believe that you or someone you know may be a victim of human trafficking, please contact the National Human Trafficking Resource Center Hotline at 1-888-373-7888, or Text 233733.
To read the National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking click here.
Utah Attorney Sentenced for Bankruptcy Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY – Attorney Eric Singleton, 56, of Salt Lake City, was sentenced to 12 months and one day in federal prison by a judge in the District of Utah for his role in a bankruptcy fraud scheme on Monday. In addition, Singleton was ordered to serve two years of supervised release after the completion of his federal prison sentence and was ordered to pay $266,843 in restitution to the victims of his crime.
In the plea agreement, Singleton admitted that, from May of 2016 until September of 2017, he made false statements to the United States Bankruptcy Court, the bankruptcy trustee, and his clients, to facilitate his fraudulent scheme to embezzle money from client trust accounts and spend the money for his own personal use. Singleton carried out the fraud by advising his clients, “SYN and “CCN”, to transfer over approximately $288,000 to Singleton, which were proceeds from the sale of their properties, for Singleton to pay his attorney’s fees of $22,000 and to hold the remaining amount of $266,000 in his client trust accounts. Singleton advised his clients that he would hold the money for safekeeping to ensure that the money would not be taken by collections. Singleton then advised his clients he would return the money to his clients after the completion of their bankruptcy case. Singleton then spent the $266,000 for business and personal use.
After Singleton had embezzled the $266,000, he filed three separate bankruptcy proceedings for his clients in the United States Bankruptcy Court. During these bankruptcy proceedings, Singleton falsely stated to the court and the trustee that these individuals had less than $50,000 in assets, despite the fact that CCN and SYN had transferred over $266,000 to Singleton prior to the filing of these bankruptcy cases.
Following these three separate bankruptcy cases, Singleton filed two of his own bankruptcy cases in a continued effort to hide and conceal that he had embezzled $266,000 from his clients and then spent the money for business and person use.
The case was prosecuted by an Assistant United States Attorney in the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah and a Special Assistant United States Attorney with the United States Trustee’s Office for the District of Utah and investigated by Special Agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigations.
Utah County Man Sentenced for Fraud Related to a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) LoanRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY – A Utah County resident was sentenced last Wednesday in connection with fraudulent representations he made to get a loan under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).
Michael Leroi Douros, 66, of Lehi, was sentenced to 28 months in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of bank fraud, two counts of making a false statement to a bank, and money laundering contained in the felony information with which Douros was charged in federal court. After being released from prison, Douros will serve three years of supervised release.
According to court documents filed as a part of his plea agreement, Douros made false representations to two banks, for a total amount of $437,891, to get a PPP loan for his business, Epic Rentals UT LLC. The business was registered with the Utah Division of Corporations on June 5, 2019, with his son, listed as the registered agent. The false statements included in the loan applications related to (1) misrepresentations about Epic Rentals’ monthly payroll and the number of employees the business had; (2) claims that his son owned 50 percent of Epic Rentals when his son was a straw owner and did not own any portion of the business when at least one application was submitted; and (3) a failure to disclose on the loan application that he had been convicted of a felony in Utah and had been on probation in the last five years.
PPP loan applications make clear, that any company which was owned 20% or more by someone with such criminal history was disqualified from receiving PPP funds. Based on Douros’s criminal history, and the fact that he was still on probation when the loan applications were submitted, his business was ineligible for PPP funding.
To implement his scheme to defraud the Paycheck Protection Program, Douros first submitted an application with false statements through Zions Bank. Zions Bank initially funded the PPP loan of $198,000 to Epic Rentals. However, upon further inspection of the representations in the loan application, the bank cancelled the loan transfer. Douros then submitted a second PPP loan application containing false statements through Cache Valley Bank, which was funded in the amount of $239,091.67 to Epic Rentals. The money laundering conviction relates to a $20,000 payroll check made payable to the defendant from an Epic Rentals bank account.
“This prosecution highlights the serious penalties that can be imposed on anyone who attempts to defraud the federal government out of Paycheck Protection Program funding meant for honest and hardworking small businesses,” said United States Attorney Andrea T. Martinez. “The District of Utah takes all Paycheck Protection Program fraud seriously and will aggressively prosecute anyone who attempts to defraud the United States Government out of this funding which Congress has made available for small businesses.”
"The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in a lot of hardship for so many small businesses struggling to stay afloat,” said Special Agent in Charge Dennis Rice of the Salt Lake City FBI. “Mr. Douros lied in order to get a PPP loan, lining his pockets with funds that should have gone to other businesses. We hope his sentence serves as a deterrent to those looking to engage in this type of fraud."
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act is a federal law enacted on March 29, 2020, designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans who are suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. One source of relief provided by the CARES Act was the authorization of up to $349 billion in forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses, through the PPP. In April 2020, Congress authorized over $300 billion in additional PPP funding.
The PPP allows qualifying small businesses and other organizations to receive loans with a maturity of two years and an interest rate of 1%. PPP loan proceeds must be used by businesses on payroll costs, interest on mortgages, rent, and utilities. The PPP allows the interest and principal on the PPP loan to be forgiven if the business spends the loan proceeds on these expense items within a designated period of time after receiving the proceeds and uses at least a certain percentage of the PPP loan proceeds on payroll expenses.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus. Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys in the Utah U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. FBI special agents investigated the matter.