District of Utah
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
Convicted Felon Sentenced to a Total of 39 Months for Wire Fraud and Committing New Crimes While on Pretrial ReleaseRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY – A U.S. District Court Judge sentenced Matthew Ambrose Baker, 49, of Spanish Fork, Utah, to one year imprisonment and three-years’ supervised release for crimes committed while on pretrial release for wire fraud. This sentence will run consecutively to a 27 month sentence previously imposed for the wire fraud, resulting a total sentence of 39 months’ incarceration.
According to court documents, in 2020, Baker was serving a home-custodial sentence for a 2019 federal healthcare fraud conviction when Baker committed wire fraud by attempting to divert proceeds of a real estate transaction from a family member to himself. In December 2022, a federal jury found Baker guilty of two counts of wire fraud for that conduct. Baker was sentenced to 27 months’ imprisonment in July 2023 for the wire fraud and ordered to pay his family member $445,000 in restitution.
A bench trial was held in November 2023 on counts related to crimes committed by Baker while on pretrial release in the real estate transaction wire fraud case. During the bench trial, Baker was found guilty of contempt and being a felon in possession of ammunition. The evidence at trial showed that, on September 23, 2020, Baker was placed on pretrial release in connection with the wire fraud case. As a condition of his release, Baker was ordered not to transfer substantial assets over $1500, unless approved by a United States Probation Officer. Baker repeatedly violated this condition from August 2021 through February 2022. In total, Baker transferred more than $1,000,000 in assets without obtaining approval from his supervision officer, and without notifying the supervision officer of the transfers.
The evidence at trial further established that in March 2022, U.S. Probation Officers recovered two types of ammunition at Baker’s home. The first box contained 40 rounds of .38 special ammunition and was found in a dresser with men’s underwear and socks. The second box contained approximately 37 rounds of 9mm ammunition and was found in a duffel bag with more than $80,000 in cash. Baker was the only adult male who lived in the home.
U.S. Attorney, Trina A. Higgins for the District of Utah and the FBI made the announcement.
“Mr. Baker’s decision to engage in new fraud while serving a custodial sentence for a 2019 fraud case was brazen,” said U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins for the District of Utah. “His subsequent decision to repeatedly violate his conditions of release and commit new crimes while awaiting trial in the fraud case demonstrates a complete lack of respect for our laws and the court. Repeated maleficence will not be tolerated.”
The case was investigated by the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office.
Assistant United States Attorneys Jennifer K. Muyskens and Stewart M. Young of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case.Utah Man Charged in $2.8 Million Wire Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City returned an indictment, unsealed yesterday, charging a Utah man with wire fraud, making a false statement, impersonating a federal officer and aggravated identity theft.
According to the indictment, from 2018 to 2020, Santiago Garcia Gutierrez allegedly falsely promised his victim that he could acquire at discounted prices exotic cars, planes and vessels that had been seized by the U.S. government through forfeiture. Garcia allegedly promised the victim that he would transfer these luxury assets to them in exchange for earnest money payments. Garcia allegedly assured the victim that those payments would be paid to the U.S. government, but instead he kept the money. To lure his victim into participating in the scheme, on numerous occasions, Garcia allegedly contacted the victim via text message from multiple phone numbers and falsely claimed to be a confidential government informant, federal agent or Garcia’s own attorney. The indictment alleges that Garcia furthered his scheme by lying to an IRS special agent.
In total, Garcia allegedly defrauded the victim of approximately $2.8 million.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for wire fraud, five years in prison for making a false statement, three years in prison for impersonating a federal officer and two years in prison for aggravated identity theft. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins for the District of Utah made the announcement.
IRS Criminal Investigation, the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of the Inspector General and the Environmental Protection Agency are investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Richard M. Rolwing and Erika V. Suhr of the Justice Department’s Tax Division are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Utah Drug Trafficker Admits to Selling Narcotics, Sentenced to 65 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Luis Alexander Coronado, 25, of Herriman, Utah, was sentenced to over 5 years’ imprisonment, three years’ supervised release and the forfeiture of $23,074 by a U.S. District Court Judge as a result of a guilty plea. Coronado engaged in a serious drug trafficking offense involving large quantities of heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl in the District of Utah.
According to court documents and statements made at the change of plea hearing, Coronado possessed heroin that he intended to distribute. On March 7, 2023, Coronado was arrested after a search warrant was executed at his residence. In his home, agents found approximately 3500 grams of heroin, 41,000 pills containing fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine, all of which Coronado admitted he intended to distribute to others. Agents also seized $23,074, which Coronado admitted was obtained by selling drugs. See prior press release here.
“Community safety is a top priority,” said U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins of the District of Utah. “I want to thank law enforcement and my office’s prosecutors for their commitment to removing narcotics from criminals like Coronado who put our communities at risk."
“The amount of illicit drugs seized from Luis Coronado was enough to potentially kill thousands of Utahns,” said Special Agent in Charge Shohini Sinha of the Salt Lake City FBI. “Countless lives have been destroyed by the overdose epidemic and the FBI and our partners will pursue those who fuel these addictions in our communities.”
The case was investigated by the FBI Wasatch Metro Drug Task Force.
Assistant United States Attorney, Vernon G. Stejskal of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.
Nebraska Man Who Traveled to Utah to Attempt to Have Sex with a Minor Sentenced to 15 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Dusty Junior Goodspeed, 58, of Lincoln, Nebraska, was sentenced today to 180 months’ imprisonment by a U.S. District Court Judge as a result of a guilty plea. Goodspeed admitted he traveled to Salt Lake City to attempt to engage in sexual activity with someone he believed was a minor. He was charged with attempted coercion and enticement, and travel with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct.
According to court documents and statements made at the change of plea hearing, Goodspeed, traveled from Nebraska to Salt Lake City International Airport in December 2022 to engage in sex acts with someone he believed was a 13-year-old boy. Goodspeed had been communicating with an undercover agent, who posed as a 13-year-old boy, and was arrested by law enforcement at baggage claim. Goodspeed admitted that in September 2022, he used Facebook Messenger to contact someone he believed was a 13-year-old. That same month, he began texting the undercover agent who was posing as a minor, messages that were sexual in nature. Goodspeed continued to communicate with the undercover agent until he landed at the airport in Salt Lake City. Goodspeed admitted to law enforcement he intended to spend the weekend with a 13-year-old and have sex with him. In addition to his sentence of imprisonment, Goodspeed was ordered to supervised release for life.
U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins of the District of Utah; and the FBI made the announcement.
The case was investigated by the FBI Salt Lake City Division.
Assistant United States Attorneys Allison H. Behrens, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc
Salt Lake Trucking Group Owners Found Guilty in a Financial Fraud Conspiracy that Cost FedEx Ground $108MRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A federal jury convicted two owners of a local trucking conglomerate of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The defendants owned a group of trucking companies named Salt Lake Trucking Group (SLTG). According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, the defendants and their coconspirators paid over $300,000 in bribes to FedEx Ground employees, which resulted in SLTG receiving $108 million from FedEx over a ten-year period.
At the time of the conspiracy, the defendants, Yevgeny Felix Tuchinsky, 63, of Salt Lake County, Utah, was also a resident of San Diego, California; Konstantin Mikhaylovich Tomilin, 54, of Salt Lake County, Utah, was also a resident of Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Tuchinsky and Tomilin owned and operated several trucking companies consolidated under SLTG.
At trial, the jury was presented with evidence that FedEx contracts with local trucking companies to haul FedEx packages in semitrucks. FedEx refers to these companies as contract service providers (CSPs). FedEx pays the CSPs by the mile. The defendants’ companies were among those local CSPs that picked up and delivered FedEx semitrailers full of packages at the FedEx Ground Hub in North Salt Lake. The CSPs provided the semitruck and driver that hauled the trailers to FedEx hubs and other facilities where the packages were eventually sorted for local delivery.
Beginning around 2009 and continuing to 2019, the defendants bribed FedEx employees in exchange for those employees providing more business to SLTG. Instead of competing fairly against other CSPs for FedEx business, SLTG bribed FedEx employees to obtain more miles and more money from FedEx. The bribes resulted in SLTG obtaining unearned FedEx business for over a decade.The defendants and their coconspirators also engaged in deceptive practices to conceal from FedEx that they were violating several FedEx policies and contractual provisions. And they bribed FedEx employees to help deceive FedEx and cover up their violations. These deceptive practices included creating shell companies and lying to FedEx about the true ownership of the companies. This concealed from FedEx that SLTG owned and operated the shell companies and that the shell companies shared the same owners, assets, trucks, and employees. The defendants and their coconspirators also lied to FedEx about dozens of SLTG drivers’ qualifications on FedEx applications. Further, the defendants and their coconspirators failed to honestly report accidents to FedEx. As established at trial, had FedEx known about SLTG’s bribery, true size, ownership, false driver applications, and accidents, FedEx would have terminated SLTG and its subsidiaries as CSPs.
The defendants’ bribery and lies resulting in SLTG receiving $108 million from FedEx. Tuchinsky personally gained $7 million and Tomilin personally gained over $4 million from the scheme.
“Before they delivered packages, these men and their teammates delivered cash bribes,” said Stephen Dent, Assistant United States Attorney during trial. “Before their trucks pulled away from the hub to go on a run, they lied and they bribed to even get that run. $108 million by cheating.”
Tuchinsky’s and Tomilin’s sentencing is scheduled for May 20, 2024, before U.S. District Court Chief Judge Robert J. Shelby at the United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.
U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins of the District of Utah made the announcement.
The case was investigated jointly by the FBI Salt Lake City Division, IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Office of Inspector General (OIG).
Assistant United States Attorneys Cy H. Castle, Stephen P. Dent and Bryant L. Watson of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah presented the case at trial.
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Final Defendant Sentenced in a Gas Scheme that Cost Victims over $200,000Read the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Emmanuel Dejesus Nina-Perez, 31, of Salt Lake City, was sentenced today to 27 months’ imprisonment by a U.S. District Court Judge as a result of a guilty plea. Nina-Perez is the sixth and final defendant in a three-year conspiracy that defrauded gas station customers and their banks by secretly using Bluetooth enabled skimming equipment to steal customers’ credit card information.
According to court documents and statements made at the change of plea hearing, Yarislani Padron-Cruz, 38, a foreign national living in Salt Lake City; Yofre Napoleon Almonte, 50, a foreign national living in Salt Lake City; Iraldo Pereda-Mendez, 36, of Salt Lake City; Jandry Artigas-Reyes, 38, a foreign national living in Salt Lake City; and Yosbel Delgado-Valdes, 44, of Salt Lake City, pleaded guilty to participating in a gas scheme conspiracy that began in 2017 and lasted through 2020. The defendants executed the conspiracy by using Bluetooth enabled skimming equipment that they installed onto gas pumps, specifically, on the motherboard of the internal computer that controls the gas pumps. Skimming equipment contains a Bluetooth card reader/recorder that records information – such as the customers’ credit card number, name and zip code associated with the card. After installation, the defendants would get within range of the Bluetooth skimming device to initiate a wireless Bluetooth connection at the gas pump. The defendants would then download the digital credit card/debit card information captured by and stored in their skimming device. The defendants then encoded the data captured onto duplicate cloned cards and would use them to purchase fuel and other items. Several of the co-conspirators, including Nina-Perez, were either long-haul truck drivers or had close connections to trucking transportation companies who operated fleets of long-haul trucks. Collectively, the defendants are responsible for over $200,000 in losses.
In addition to Nina-Perez’s sentence of imprisonment, Padron-Cruz was sentenced to 48 months imprisonment; Almonte was sentenced to 36 months’ imprisonment; Pereda-Mendez was sentenced to 39 months’ imprisonment; Artigas-Reyes was sentenced to 45 months’ imprisonment; and Delgado-Valdes was sentenced to 50 months’ imprisonment. Each has been ordered by the court to pay joint restitution to the victims. The court also ordered the forfeiture of $38,372 cash seized from Nina-Perez’s co-defendants’ residence in connection with their arrests.
“The theft of funds and identities imposed a serious burden and harm on the victims,” said U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins of the District of Utah. “My office is committed to seeking justice for victims and working with our investigative partners to crack down on this type of fraudulent behavior.”
“Filling up our gas tanks is a common, routine activity which means any one of us could have been a victim of this crime,” said Special Agent in Charge Shohini Sinha of the Salt Lake City FBI. “Fraud not only costs businesses and banks, but places an added burden on citizens to recover from identity theft. We encourage the public to regularly check their bank statements and report any potential fraud to local law enforcement or the FBI.”
The case was investigated jointly by the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office and an FBI Task Force Officer with the Salt Lake City Police Department.
Assistant United States Attorney Ruth Hackford-Peer and Special Assistant United States Attorney Sachiko J. Jepson of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case.
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Attachments:
emmanuelninaperez.sentencingfactors.pdfDelta Passenger Accused of Being Unruly and Abusive During Flight Faces Federal ChargesRead the Press Release
UPDATE
Upon motion of the United States, the indictment described in the press release below against Darnel Silver Collins, in this case was dismissed on June 12, 2024.
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City, Utah, returned an indictment today charging a Netherlands national, living in Arizona, with multiple federal charges, including interference with a flight crew.
According to court documents, Darnel Silver Collins, 19, of Surprise, Arizona, was a passenger onboard a Delta Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Salt Lake City, who allegedly engaged in unruly and abusive behavior one hour after takeoff. Collins continued to cause problems and had to be consistently monitored for the remaining nine hours of the flight.
According to witnesses, Collins was loud, disruptive, threatening and abusive to other passengers and crew members. Throughout the flight, Collins’ behavior escalated and he eventually had to be restrained. As alleged in the complaint, during the flight, Collins began following and touching multiple passengers. At one point, Collins approached a female passenger as she was exiting the restroom. Collins grabbed onto the female passenger’s arm and did not release her until another passenger and flight crew member intervened. Approximately eight passengers were moved from the area around Collins seat to avoid further problems. Eventually, Collins was moved to the very back row of the aircraft. Collins spit on a passenger striking at least two other people with his saliva and he continued to touch passengers as they walked by. Due to his continued unwanted touching of other passengers, Collins was physically restrained in flexicuffs by the flight crew. He was taken into custody upon arrival at Salt Lake City International Airport. Collins is in the United States on a P1 Visa (National/International athletes and performers). Collins is a minor league baseball player and is sponsored by the Kansas City Baseball Corporation. He travels between the U.S. and the Netherlands during the baseball off-season.
Collins is charged with interference with a flight crew and assault by striking, beating, and wounding in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States. His initial court appearance on the indictment is scheduled for Feb. 1, 2024, at 10:30 a.m. in courtroom 8.4 before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.
U.S. Attorney, Trina A. Higgins, of the District of Utah made the announcement.
An FBI Task Force Officer with the Salt Lake City Police Department is investigating the case.
Assistant United States Attorney Michael Kennedy of the District of Utah is 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.
Attachments:
order_granting_leave_to_dismiss_the_indictment._darnel_silver_collins.pdf motion_for_leave_to_dismiss_indictment._darnel_silver_collins.pdf darnelcollins_indictment.pdf darnelsilvercollins.complaint.pdfFinal Defendant in Online Romance Scam Sentenced to 72 Months’ Imprisonment, Ordered to Pay $6.4M in Restitution JointlyRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Nelly Idowu, 39, of Provo, Utah, was sentenced today to six years’ imprisonment followed by three years’ supervised release, after a federal jury found her guilty of one count of money laundering conspiracy and two counts of money laundering in an online romance scam. Idowu is one of four defendants sentenced in a two-year scheme that cost victims over $6 million.
According to the evidence presented at trial, from 2017 to 2019 Idowu participated in an online romance scheme that involved creating fake online dating profiles to befriend and romance victims. Idowu, and her co-conspirators, led these victims to believe the fake persona they were engaging with had an urgent and financial need, none of which were legitimate. The victims targeted were mostly widowed and divorced women over 65-years-old. These significant life changes often occurred very late in life after many years of being accustomed to the company and support of a partner. Many victims suffered significant financial loss in the final years of life, with some losing their entire life savings.
Codefendants Emmanuel Osaigbovo Adesotu, Nnamdi Joel Chukwu, and Julius Omene Fredrick were each previously convicted by guilty plea to a money laundering conspiracy. Adesotu was sentenced to a term of 36 months’ imprisonment, Fredrick was sentenced to a term of 46 months’ imprisonment, and Chukwu was sentenced to a term of 12 months’ imprisonment. Each defendant was ordered by the court to pay $6,444,787.16 in restitution jointly for the victims.
“Idowu and her co-conspirators preyed on unsuspecting and vulnerable victims,” said U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins of the District of Utah. “The defendants gained their trust and convinced them to send large sums of money, leaving many of the victims in financial despair. My office, along with our law enforcement partners, will continue to prosecute these online scams, and seek justice for the victims.”
“Scammers like Idowu know exactly how to prey on their victims’ vulnerabilities, and sadly, the financial and emotional consequences can be absolutely devastating,” said Shohini Sinha, Special Agent in Charge of the Salt Lake City FBI. “The FBI is committed to investigating these perpetrators and continuously works to raise awareness about romance scams. Think twice before you share personal information online, be wary of online suitors who are quick to establish a relationship and gain your trust, and don’t send money to someone you’ve never met. If you think you’re a victim of a romance scam, file a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.”
The investigation was conducted by the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office, Provo Resident Agency.
Assistant United States Attorneys Carl LeSueur and Mark Woolf of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case.
The FBI encourages those engaged in online relationships to review and become familiar with information about romance scams on its website FBI.gov. Additionally, if you or someone you know has been a victim of elder fraud, help is available at the National Elder Fraud Hotline 833-FRAUD-11 or 833-372-8311 and online at the Office for Victims of Crime.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Collects over $8.9M in Civil and Criminal Actions in Fiscal Year 2023Read the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins announced today that the District of Utah collected $8,945,364.56 in criminal and civil actions in Fiscal Year 2023. Of this amount, $6,624,427.09 was collected in criminal actions and $2,320,937.47 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 $30,645,096.14 in cases pursued jointly by these offices. Of this amount, $10,100 was collected in criminal actions and $30,634,996.14 was collected in civil actions.
In September 2023, the District of Utah recovered $300,000 as part of a court ordered restitution from Crystal Huang who was convicted of a $5M securities fraud scheme. See full press release here.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.
Additionally, the U.S. Attorney’s office in the District of Utah, working with partner agencies and divisions, collected $6,191,974 in asset forfeiture actions in FY 2023. Forfeited assets deposited into the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund are used to restore funds to crime victims and for a variety of law enforcement purposes.
Farmington Man Accused of Attempted CarjackingRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City, Utah, returned an indictment charging a Utah man for attempted carjacking of a vehicle in Salt Lake City.
According to court documents, Kay Elder, 36, of Farmington, Utah, allegedly approached a 57- year-old victim parked at Home Depot at 328 West 2100 South in Salt Lake City on January 3, 2024. Elder allegedly opened the driver’s door and began yelling at the victim to get out of the car and give him the keys. The victim exited the car and Elder attempted to strike and kick the victim but missed. Elder then grabbed the victim and threw him into a tree. The victim fell to the ground and remained there while Elder got into the victim’s car and attempted to drive away. However, the victim had the car key FOB, and the defendant couldn’t start the car. Witnesses observed the incident and called police. Officers quickly arrived at the scene and observed Elder running from the car into oncoming traffic. Officers attempted to stop Elder, but he continued to flee and ignored multiple commands to stop. Elder grabbed a metal sign from a nearby gas station and threw it at the pursuing officers. The officers then tased Elder and he was taken into custody.
Elder is charged with attempted carjacking. His initial court appearance on the indictment was Jan. 22, 2024, before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.
U.S. Attorney, Trina A. Higgins, of the District of Utah made the announcement.
An FBI Task Force Officer with the Salt Lake City Police Department is investigating the case.
Assistant United States Attorney Carlos Esqueda of the District of Utah is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
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 Nurse Accused of Distributing Morphine that Resulted in DeathRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Today, a United States Magistrate Judge ordered a Utah nurse remain in custody after she was arrested last week and indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly illegally distributing and dispensing morphine that resulted in the death of another person.
According to court documents, Catherine Worman, 33, of Sandy, allegedly distributed and dispensed morphine on June 5, 2023, resulting in the death of one person. Worman was employed as a nurse at a local hospital at the time of the offense. Court documents allege Worman also distributed and dispensed morphine to at least one other person. During the investigation into the death of victim one, Draper Police officers learned from another victim that Worman intravenously administered morphine to him without a prescription. According to the victim, he became extremely ill because of the morphine administered by Worman and feared for his life. Additional information extracted from Worman’s cell phone reveals she was unlawfully obtaining Adderall prescribed for others and trading it. Worman was also illegally obtaining prescription medications from another healthcare worker with whom she was romantically involved. At the time of her arrest, Worman was employed in healthcare and the U.S. Attorney’s Office requested she remain detained pending trial.
Worman is charged with distribution of morphine resulting in death. Her initial court appearance on the indictment was Jan. 19, 2024, before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.
U.S. Attorney, Trina A. Higgins, of the District of Utah made the announcement.
The case is being investigated by the Draper Police Department.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah is 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.
Felon Sentenced to 110 Months’ for Illegally Possessing an Officer’s Firearm While Attempting to Avoid ArrestRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Brandon Keith Thompson, 43, of Salt Lake County, Utah, was sentenced today to over nine years imprisonment followed by three years supervised release after a federal jury found him guilty of being a previously convicted felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
According to court documents, and the evidence presented at trial in January 2023, law enforcement responded to a store in Sandy, Utah on July 8, 2021, for a report of a theft in progress. When the officers arrived, employees identified Thompson as the suspected shoplifter. Thompson fled the store. Two officers with the Sandy Police Department chased Thompson in the parking lot and stopped him. Thompson grabbed an officer’s firearm, which was holstered, and pulled on it with such force that the firearm began to move up out of the holster. A bystander observed the struggle and rushed forward to help the officers keep Thompson from gaining control of the firearm and potentially using it against the officers. Thompson placed his finger on the trigger and fired the weapon, which was still partially holstered. The bullet came within inches of striking the bystander and officers. Thompson maintained his grip on the firearm and continued to pull on it, as officers and the bystander attempted to gain control of the firearm and Thompson. After a violent struggle, the officers and bystander secured the firearm and placed Thompson into custody. Thompson had previously been convicted of a felony. This is Thompson’s third federal conviction for the unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
“Thompson’s behavior threatened the lives of police officers and bystanders in a busy parking lot,” said U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins of the District of Utah. “This case highlights the valuable and ongoing relationship between the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners as we continue to seek justice for federal offenders whose actions put law enforcement and the community in danger.”
“We are extremely grateful for the countless hours of hard work of everyone involved in this case,” said a spokesperson with the Sandy Police Department Administration. “We are especially thankful for Assistant United States Attorneys, Angela Clifford and Jennifer Muyskens, for their diligence in the pursuit of justice for this deliberate act of indifference against a law enforcement officer.”
“Everyday law enforcement officers are confronted with life and death situations in order to protect their communities,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Brent Beavers. “We are fortunate and grateful this case was not deadly for the officer or other innocent bystanders.”
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Assistant United States Attorneys Angela J. Clifford and Jennifer K. Muyskens of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Utah Man Sentenced to 26 Months’ Imprisonment for Credit Union RobberyRead the Press Release
ST. GEORGE, Utah – Jason Grace, 54, of St. George was sentenced to just over two years’ imprisonment followed by three years supervised release after he admitted to a credit union robbery. The sentence was ordered by United States Federal District Court Chief Judge Robert J. Shelby.
According to court documents, on July 26, 2023, Grace entered a Mountain America Credit Union (MACU) in St. George. Grace handed the teller a note which read “this is a robbery” and directed the clerk to provide $4,400 in lower denominations. The teller gave Grace ten $100 bills and Grace fled in a two-door black Chevy Silverado with black rims and a tonneau cover on the bed. St. George Police Department officers and FBI agents responded to the scene and began investigating and alerted surrounding neighboring law enforcement of the robbery and provided descriptions of the suspect and the Chevy Silverado. The next day, Mesquite police officers spotted a matching Chevy Silverado with a Utah plate in the parking lot of the Virgin River Casino. A records check of the vehicle determined it belonged to Grace and photos confirmed it was the getaway vehicle. Investigators also identified Grace as the suspect by comparing his driver's license photo to surveillance from the robbery and photos on social media. Grace, who was a guest at the casino, was served a search warrant and his hotel room and vehicle were searched. Officers located clothing that matched what Grace wore during the robbery. Grace was arrested and admitted to chewing up the robbery note and spitting it out the window as he was driving. He told officers that after obtaining the money, he purchased two money orders, a pool cue he recently pawned, paid his back rent, and fled to Mesquite with the remainder of the money.
“No individual should be threatened or intimidated at their place of business,” said U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins of the District of Utah. “This was not a spontaneous act of violence, but instead something Mr. Grace carefully considered for approximately a week. We are grateful to our law enforcement partners who acted quickly and carefully.”
The case is being investigated jointly by the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office, St. George Resident Agency, St. George Police Department and the Mesquite Police Department.
Assistant United States Attorney Chris Burton of the District of Utah is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Convicted Felon Sentenced to 102 Months for Possessing MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
ST. GEORGE, Utah – United States Federal District Court Chief Judge Robert J. Shelby sentenced a Washington County man to over eight years imprisonment followed by three years supervised release, after he admitted to possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.
According to court documents, Cruzberto Alballar, 33, of Santa Clara, Utah, was confronted by officers at his residence during a search for a stolen truck in April 2023. Using GPS tracking, the truck was detected inside Alballar’s detached garage. Alballar told officers that someone he knew asked if he could keep the truck at his residence and Alballar gave him permission to do so but noticed it did not have any keys and the driver’s side window was smashed. While executing a search warrant inside Alballar’s residence officers found 160 grams of methamphetamine, a large jar of marijuana, ammunition and multiple firearms, one of which was reported stolen. The firearms and ammunition include a Smith and Wesson magazine with ammunition; a Smith & Wesson M&P firearm; a box of 9mm Fiocchi Luger ammunition with loose rounds of ammo inside; an Astra A 100 handgun, a Smith & Wesson M&P Compact 911 handgun; and a Diamond Back AR15 556 rifle. Officers also located multiple large capacity magazines for the guns, including a double-drum magazine. During a second search warrant of Alballar’s vehicle, officers also found a methamphetamine pipe and several bags of methamphetamine.
Santa Clara-Ivins Police Department Santa Clara-Ivins Police Department“As the U.S. Attorney, community safety is my top priority,” said U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins of the District of Utah. “Mr. Alballar not only illegally possessed and intended to distribute narcotics in the community but unlawfully possessed firearms, as a previously convicted felon. We will work with law enforcement to investigate and prosecute those who are a threat to our communities.”
The case is being investigated jointly by the Santa Clara-Ivins Police Department and the Washington County Drug Task Force.
Assistant United States Attorney Chris Burton, of the District of Utah is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
cruzberto_alballar_sentencingmemo.pdf24 Defendants, including a Utah Business Owner, Accused of Running a Drug and Money Laundering Operation from Utah to Mexico and HondurasRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Today, a federal magistrate judge ordered the last of 23 individual defendants in a large scale drug trafficking and money laundering case detained. The total of defendants now in custody is 22 out of 23 individuals who were charged in a superseding indictment with 33 federal crimes, including laundering millions of dollars via wire transfers from Utah to Mexico and Honduras. A financial intuition is also charged in the indictment.
According to court documents, Georgina Espinoza-Grajeda, 40, of Eagle Mountain, Utah, who is the owner and operator of Multiservicios Lokos LLC, located in South Salt Lake City, Utah, along with her employee Jesid Dadiana De Sutter, 50, of Sandy, Utah, were at the center of a complex conspiracy to secretly and illegally wire millions of dollars in proceeds of narcotics trafficking to suppliers in Mexico and Honduras. Espinoza and De Sutter laundered the money by falsifying wire transfer information to avoid detection. Multiservicios Lokos LLC was allegedly the laundering hub for multiple drug trafficking organizations. Court documents allege that from at least January 2022 to November 2023, Espinoza-Grajeda and De Sutter operated their money remitting business and laundered millions of dollars in drug proceeds deposited by their co-defendants trafficking in fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine throughout the Wasatch Front. Through a collaborative law enforcement effort, agents and officers seized 62,000 fentanyl pills, 24.5 pounds of heroin, 8.5 pounds of cocaine, five firearms, and $237,000 in cash. Agents and officers estimate the criminal organization laundered more than $20 million since January 2022.
Espinoza-Grajeda and De Sutter are charged with conspiracy to launder money, conspiracy to structure transactions to evade reporting requirements, conspiracy to evade suspicious activity reporting and anti-money laundering requirements. Their initial court appearance on the indictment, along with many of their co-defendants, was in November 2023, where the court ordered all except one defendant to remain in custody pending trial. A superseding indictment was filed on Dec. 6, 2023.
Two more defendants, Henrry Arita Lozano and Frances Dalyana Power-Escobar were arrested in Washington and brought to Utah. Lozano appeared at his arraignment January 5, 2024, and Power-Escobar appeared at her arraignment January 8, 2024. Lozano and Power-Escobar were both ordered to remain in custody. A jury trial is scheduled for April 16, 2024.
United States Attorney Trina A. Higgins, of the District of Utah, and law enforcement partners made the announcement.
The case is being investigated jointly by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), FBI Salt Lake City Field Office, FBI Special Operations Group (FBI- SOG), IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE-ERO), United States Marshals Service, Adult Parole and Probation, Park City Police Department, Davis County Metro Narcotics Strike Force, Utah County Major Crimes Task Force, American Fork Police Department, Salt Lake City Police Department, Sandy Police Department, South Jordan Police Department, South Salt Lake Police Department, South Salt Lake Business License Department, West Jordan Police Department, West Valley Police Department, Unified Police Department of Greater Salt Lake, and the Utah State Bureau of Investigations (SBI).
Special Assistant United States Attorney Ryan N. Holtan, of the District of Utah is prosecuting the case.
Remaining defendants named in the indictment: (Name, age, citizenship, last city of residence)
Guadalupe Aracely Vargas Ruelas 24, Mexico, West Valley City, UT Multiservicios Lokos LLC South Salt Lake City, UT Rodrigo Andres Droguett-Almendra 26, Chile, Orem, UT Erik Rojas-Moreno 18, Mexico, SLC, UT Fredis Omar Archaga-Ponce 41, Honduras, Sandy, UT Santos Reynerio Lemuz-Ortega 37, Honduras, Sandy, UT Ever Nohe Murillo-Raudales 34, Mexico, Cottonwood Heights, UT Jose Nixon Escoto-Ortez 44, Honduras, West Jordan, UT Vicente Ortez-Zuniga 42, Honduras, West Jordan, UT Wilmer Arnoldo Romero-Soto 45, Honduras, West Valley, UT Rigo Adolfo Melendez-Martinez 43, Honduras, West Valley, UT Cristian Antonio Valle-Acosta 22, Honduras, West Valley, UT Yahir Acosta-Melendez 20, Honduras, West Valley City, UT Isaac Antonio Arteaga-Acosta 39, Honduras, Midvale, UT Edilberto Melendez-Ponce 37, Honduras, SLC, UT Henry Arita-Lozano 34, Honduras, Midvale, UT Frances, Dalyana Power-Escobar 31, Honduras, Midvale, UT Kevin Ariel Ruiz-Aguilar 34, Honduras, Riverton, UT Milton Ivan Acosta Hernandez 37, Honduras, Sandy, UT Miguel Fierro 48, Mexico, West Jordan, UT Sandy Contreras Espinoza 32, Honduras, West Jordan, UT Cristian Escobar-Gomez 27, Mexico, West Valley, UT
The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
California Man Accused of Defrauding the Federal Government over $100,000 in Unemployment Benefits During COVID-19Read the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – An indictment was unsealed after a California man was arrested and is scheduled to appear in a Salt Lake City federal courthouse. The eight count indictment charges the defendant for unlawfully collecting unemployment insurance during COVID-19 from California while living and working in Utah. He also allegedly assisted others in committing the same acts for a cut of their unemployment insurance funds administered under the CARES Act.
According to court documents, Robert James Waff, 49, of Sacramento, CA, allegedly submitted an online application for unemployment insurance (UI) benefits on June 19, 2020, through the California Employment Development Department (EDD) website, while he was a resident of Clearfield, Utah. Waff listed his residence and mailing address as Fair Oaks, CA. Waff also claimed he had lost employment due to COVID-19 and that before losing employment his annual income was $44,000, and that he planned to return to work for his previous employer. Waff’s fraudulent California EDD application and continued renewal of his California EDD benefits resulted in Waff receiving over $36,000 in fraudulent payments.
Beginning in July 2020, Waff also allegedly helped three coconspirators apply for COVID-19 related California unemployment benefits through the California EDD website. None of the applicants lived or worked in the state of California. In return, Waff requested a cash payout from each applicant as compensation for assisting with the false application. As a result of the fraudulent filings, the actual loss resulting from fraudulent UI benefit claims exceeded $100,000.
Waff is charged with one count of wire fraud, three counts of wire fraud aiding and abetting, and four counts of mail fraud aiding and abetting. His initial court appearance on the indictment is scheduled for Jan. 5, 2024, at 1:00 p.m. in courtroom 8.4 before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.
U.S. Attorney, Trina A. Higgins, of the District of Utah made the announcement.
The case is being investigated jointly by the FBI Salt Lake City Division and the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General (OIG).
Assistant United States Attorney Brian Williams of the District of Utah is prosecuting the case.
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.
Former Airline Pilot Accused of Threatening to Shoot Delta Captain During Flight is Scheduled to Appear in Federal CourtRead the Press Release
UPDATE
Upon motion of the United States, the indictment described in the press release below against Jonathan J. Dunn in this case was dismissed on August 16, 2024.
SALT LAKE CITY – A former pilot accused of threatening to shoot his co-pilot is scheduled to appear at a Salt Lake City Federal District Court Thursday. The pilot was serving on active duty with the U.S. military overseas at the time he was indicted in October 2023.
According to court documents, Jonathan J. Dunn, 42, of Rapid City, North Dakota, and a former Delta Airlines First Officer, threatened to shoot the flight’s captain during a flight from Atlanta to Salt Lake City on Aug. 22, 2022. Dunn, a former Federal Flight Deck Officer, was a pilot authorized by TSA to carry a firearm on the flight deck for security. During the flight, a passenger had a medical issue and the flight’s captain advised Dunn the flight could be diverted to Grand Junction, Colorado, if the passenger’s condition worsened. Dunn objected to the contingency plan and described in substantial detail how he would shoot the captain multiple times for “going crazy” and he would later explain he had to shoot all the rounds he possessed because the captain was “still twitching.”
Dunn is charged with interference with a flight crew. His initial court appearance on the indictment is scheduled for Jan. 4, 2024, at 3:00 p.m. in courtroom 8.4 before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.
U.S. Attorney, Trina A. Higgins, of the District of Utah made the announcement.
The U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General (DOT-OIG) is investigating the case.
Assistant United States Attorney Michael Kennedy of the District of Utah is 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.
jonathan_dunn._dismissal_of_felony_indictment_without_prejudice.pdf jonathan_dunn.motion_for_leave_to_dismiss_indictment.pdf jonathandunn_detentionmemo.pdf
Colorado Man Sentenced for Trafficking Methamphetamine into UtahRead the Press Release
ST. GEORGE, Utah – A foreign national, and Colorado resident, was sentenced yesterday to 92 months imprisonment followed by four years supervised release, after he admitted to trafficking over 140 pounds of methamphetamine into the District of Utah in March 2022.
“It is mind-blowing to think about the downstream effects of this amount of drugs in the community,” said U.S. Federal District Court Chief Judge Robert J. Shelby. “Substantial sentences are necessary for people to understand the risks of trafficking drugs.”
According to court documents, Sergio Antonio Silva-Gonzalez, 24, of Denver, Colorado, pleaded guilty in September 2023 to illegally possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute. In Silva-Gonzalez’s written statement in advance of his plea of guilty, and admissions made in court at his change of plea hearing, he admitted that the methamphetamine he possessed at the time of his arrest weighed approximately 141 pounds. According to court records, and statements made by the federal prosecutor during Silva-Gonzalez’s sentencing hearing, in addition to the methamphetamine, the defendant was in the United States illegally. He also possessed and intended to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine and was in possession of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime.
“Community safety is a top priority. The amount of narcotics Mr. Silva-Gonzalez attempted to traffic into our state threatens the safety and lives of our citizens,” said United States Attorney Trina A. Higgins of the District of Utah. “Working with law enforcement, we will continue to prosecute these types of cases and seek appropriate federal sentences to protect the community.”
“The amount of drugs is staggering. Adding the stolen firearm makes it downright disturbing,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Brady Wilson during the sentencing hearing.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations.
"HSI will aggressively pursue individuals who bring poison into our communities and try to profit off the misery they leave behind," said Christopher Miller, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations.
Assistant United States Attorney, Brady Wilson, of the District of Utah prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Davis County Man Sentenced for Animal TortureRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Samuel J. Webster, 20, of Farmington, Utah, was sentenced today to 12 months and one day imprisonment, a fine of $5,500, and term of three years supervised release. The sentence, ordered by Federal District Court Judge David Sam, comes after Webster pleaded guilty to animal torture via animal crushing and posting multiple videos of the animal cruelty on YouTube in Oct. 2021.
According to court documents, and admissions made during his change of plea hearing in August 2023, Mr. Webster purposefully engaged in animal crushing by purchasing a male guinea pig from a pet supply store in Farmington, Utah. Webster then purposefully subjected the guinea pig to serious injury and posting videos of the abuse on YouTube. See former news release here.
“The animal torture committed by Mr. Webster was not only illegal but inhumane and cruel,” said U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins of the District of Utah. “Torture of any kind to an animal is unacceptable. Our office will work with law enforcement to investigate and prosecute all crimes of this nature.”
“Animals deserve to be treated humanely which is why the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture (PACT) Act was passed in 2019,” said Special Agent in Charge Shohini Sinha of the Salt Lake City FBI. “Evidence shows that intentional animal cruelty can also be a precursor to other violent crimes. We are grateful for the public's assistance reporting this horrific abuse so law enforcement could put a stop to it and have Mr. Webster face the consequences."
The FBI Salt Lake Field Office investigated the case with valuable assistance by the Woods Cross Police Department.
The United States Attorney’s Office of the District of Utah prosecuted the case.
If you are aware of animal cruelty, please report it to law enforcement or call 1-800-CALL-FBI or leave a tip at tips.fbi.gov.
Nevada Man Admits to Distributing Fentanyl via MailRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A Nevada resident pleaded guilty today to the distribution of fentanyl via the U.S. Mail, which resulted in serious bodily injury after the fentanyl nearly killed a Park City, Utah resident.
According to court documents, and admissions made during his change of plea hearing, Colin Andrew Shapard, 22, of Las Vegas, Nevada, mailed a package containing numerous fentanyl pills on Feb. 1, 2022, to a Park City resident. Shapard admitted that he knew fentanyl was a controlled substance and illegal to distribute. On Feb. 10, 2022, the recipient of the package suffered serious bodily injury after he ingested the pills, which caused him to lose consciousness. The victim’s father found him unconscious and called 911. Upon arrival, emergency medical personnel administered Narcan to the victim. Narcan is a drug that reverses the effects of opioids, including fentanyl, and is effective only on opioids. The victim was hospitalized and survived. The following day, DEA agents discovered that the victim overdosed on blue M30 fentanyl pills, which were purchased from Shapard.
The investigation also revealed that Shapard mailed opioids to Utah multiple tunes. See former press release here.
Shepard pleaded guilty to distribution of a controlled substance that resulted in serious bodily injury. He is scheduled to be sentenced Apr. 4, 2024, at 3:00 in courtroom 7.3 before a U.S. District Court Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.
The case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Task Force Officers from the United States Postal Inspector Service (USPIS), Park City Police Department, and the Summit County Sheriff’s Office.
The United States Attorney’s Office of the District of Utah is prosecuting the case.
Two Men Sentenced for Gun Crimes Committed During the Robbery of a U.S. Postal Mail CarrierRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Nathan Suaste, 20, of West Valley City, Utah, and Lorenzo Saavedra, 20 of Saratoga Springs, Utah, were each sentenced today after they pleaded guilty to using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Suaste was sentenced to 60 months Saavedra was sentenced to 84 months. A third defendant, Exodus Matua, is scheduled to be sentenced in March 2024.
According to court documents, and admissions made during their change of plea hearing, in August 2022, Suaste, Saavedra, and Matua targeted a U.S. Postal Mail Carrier with the intent to threaten and steal his arrow key. An arrow key is a Postal Service key used by USPS employees who deliver and pick up mail from mail receptacles. Suaste was the driving force behind the robbery and recruited Saavedra and Matua to participate. Saavedra, armed with a firearm provided by Suaste, confronted and pulled the mail carrier out of his mail truck. While detaching his arrow key, Matua, who was also armed with a firearm, punched the mail carrier in the face and pointed his firearm at the mail carrier. Suaste, Saavedra, and Matua intended to use the stolen arrow key to open mail receptacles, steal mail belonging to third parties, and use the contents of the stolen mail – including checks and other financial instruments – to obtain money under false and fraudulent pretenses.
Matua will be sentenced March 18, 2024, at 11:30 a.m. in courtroom 7.2 before a U.S. District Court Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City. See prior news release here.
“Mail carriers should never be worried about being held at gunpoint,” said U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins of the District of Utah. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to identify and prosecute people who harm public servants. We will use every resource available to protect the United States mail system, its critical workforce, and the community.”
“The U.S. Postal Inspection Service takes any acts of violence against our employees very seriously. U.S. Postal Inspectors relentlessly investigated this robbery until all responsible parties were identified and brought to justice. Attacks against our dedicated public servants will not be tolerated,” stated Dominique Giroux, Acting Inspector in Charge of the USPIS Phoenix Division.
The case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Saratoga Police Department, Salt Lake City Police Department, and the Utah County Major Crimes Task Force.
Assistant United States Attorney Mark Y. Hirata of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Felon Sentenced for Illegally Possessing Stolen Firearms and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Jerime Montoya, 29, of Salt Lake County, Utah, was sentenced today to 60 months’ imprisonment, after he pleaded guilty to being a previously convicted felon in possession of stolen firearms and ammunition.
According to court documents, and admissions made during his change of plea hearing, Mr. Montoya possessed a Springfield Arms Co. AR-15 rifle, a Taurus G3c 9mm handgun, a Walther PPS M2 LE edition 9mm handgun, and ammunition. Montoya admitted that he knew it was illegal for him to possess firearms after a previous felony conviction. He also admitted that he knew the firearms were stolen because he stole them from their lawful owners. The firearms were manufactured outside of Utah, and then traveled to Utah in interstate commerce.
U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins of the District of Utah made the announcement.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorney Ruth Hackford-Peer of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Felon Sentenced to 20 Years for Illegally Possessing Firearms and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – James D. Brunson, 26, of Orem, Utah, was sentenced today to 240 months’ imprisonment, after a federal jury found him guilty of being a previously convicted felon in possession of stolen firearms and ammunition.
According to court documents, and the evidence presented at trial in July 2022, Brunson was found guilty of possession of firearms and ammunition as a convicted felon, and possession of stolen firearms. In March 2020, Brunson stole a duffle bag containing nine firearms, and ammunition for the weapons from a residence in Orem. Brunson, a convicted felon at the time of the offense, knew he could not possess firearms or ammunition. 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, Utah. 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 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. The six stolen firearms and ammunition affected interstate commerce.
“Brunson’s criminal acts reflect a brazen disregard for the law and demonstrate why restricted persons having firearms is illegal,” said U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins of the District of Utah. “This case also highlights the valuable and ongoing relationship between the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Utah County Attorney’s Office, and our law enforcement partners as we continue to seek justice for federal offenders.”
The case was investigated by the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office, Provo Resident Agency and was initially investigated by the Orem Police Department and the Utah County Major Crimes Task Force.
“Instead of learning from his past, Mr. Brunson chose to continue a life of crime and put our community at risk of potential gun violence,” said Special Agent in Charge Shohini Sinha of the Salt Lake City FBI. “The FBI and our partners are committed to keeping firearms out of the hands of felons so that our streets are safer for everyone.”
Assistant United States Attorneys Sam Pead and Angela J. Clifford of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case, which was originally filed by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (SAUSA) Kelsy Young working as a Deputy Utah County Attorney.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Washington County Man Sentenced for Possessing a Stolen FirearmRead the Press Release
ST. GEORGE, Utah – A Southern Utah man was sentenced today to 33 months’ imprisonment followed by a term of three years supervised release for possession of a stolen firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins of the District of Utah.
According to court documents, Kenneth N. Webb, 67, of Washington County, Utah, possessed a stolen Ruger .380 firearm in June 2022. Webb pleaded guilty on Aug. 10, 2023. At his change of plea hearing, Webb admitted that at the time he possessed the firearm, he knew or had reason to believe it was stolen. Webb also admitted that the Ruger .380 traveled in and affected interstate commerce.
The case was investigated by the Utah State Bureau of Investigation (SBI).
Assistant United States Attorneys Stephen P. Dent and Brady Wilson of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case.This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Utah Residents Facing Federal Charges for Alleged Baggage Thefts at AirportRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY – A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City, Utah, returned two indictments charging three Salt Lake County residents with stealing baggage from baggage carousels at the Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC).
According to court documents, Leticia Marie Torres, 42, of Salt Lake City; and Brianna Marie Taylor, 42, of Midvale, Utah, are charged in one indictment and Charles Masters, 31, of West Valley City, Utah, is charged in a separate indictment.
As alleged in the indictment for Torres and Taylor, in January 2022, Torres and Taylor stole multiple pieces of baggage on various days from multiple victims with the intent to keep them for their personal use. As part of their scheme to defraud, Torres and Taylor used multiple stolen credit cards belonging to one of the victims and received payment and other items of value during a one-year period.
According to court documents, from January 2022 to February 2022, Masters stole thousands of dollars worth of baggage with the intent to keep them for his personal use.
Torres and Taylor are both charged with theft of baggage from interstate shipment, illegal transactions with an access device, and aggravated identity theft. Masters is charged with five counts of theft of baggage from interstate shipment. Torres, Taylor and Masters had their initial appearances on the indictment Nov. 16, 2023, before a U.S. District Court Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.
U.S. Attorney, Trina A. Higgins, of the District of Utah, Salt Lake City Police Department (SLCPD) and the Salt Lake City International Airport made the announcement.
The investigation is being worked jointly by an FBI Task Force Officer with the Salt Lake City Police Department and the Salt Lake City Police Department Airport Division.
Assistant United States Attorneys Jawayria Z. Auchter and Michael Kennedy of the District of Utah are prosecuting the case.
As part of ongoing efforts to decrease baggage thefts at airports, Salt Lake City Police Department and the Salt Lake City International Airport say the best way to prevent theft is to ensure your bag is never left unattended. Recognizing that flying with carry-on bags is not always feasible, SLCPD recommends the following tips as travelers enter the holiday and ski season in the beehive state:
- Place irreplaceable or high value items in your carry-on baggage (Note: Passengers must know which items are required to be checked or prohibited from being checked or brought onto an aircraft).
- Reconsider purchasing luxury-branded luggage as this could be an allure to potential thieves.
- Make your checked luggage distinctive using stickers, tape, ribbon or consider purchasing a brightly colored suitcase.
- Keep a record of what you pack and take a photo of your belongings and your luggage. Photos can be helpful during a police investigation and for insurance purposes.
- After landing, avoid unnecessary delays and head to the baggage pick-up area immediately so your bag is not left unattended when on the baggage carousel.
- Ensure your bag is clearly labeled with your contact information. For privacy reasons, an address is not necessary, but a name and phone number should be included.
- If you believe someone has stolen your luggage, be sure to file a police report and file reports with the airline and TSA.
- Report anything suspicious to an airport/airline official or airport police.
The Salt Lake City Police Department’s Airport Division continues to conduct proactive operations to curb baggage theft from Salt Lake City International Airport. Officers and detectives work closely with airline and airport staff to ensure the security of passenger luggage.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Convicted Felon Accused of Lying on COVID-19 Loan Applications to Obtain over $182,000Read the Press Release
UPDATE
Upon motion of the United States, the indictment described in the press release below against Carter Lane Lucas in this case was dismissed on November 21, 2024.
SALT LAKE CITY – A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City returned an indictment charging a Utah resident with wire fraud after he allegedly lied about his criminal history when applying for multiple small business loans during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to court documents, Carter Lane Lucas, 47, of Herriman, Utah, defrauded the COVID-19 relief programs dubbed the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program (EIDL) out of approximately $182,800 in loan funds. From April 2020 to August 2021, Lucas submitted multiple fraudulent PPP- and EIDL-Loan applications through Mountain America Credit Union and the Small Business Administration (SBA) and then used the loan proceeds for his personal benefit. According to court documents, during his PPP-Loan application submission, Lucas falsely asserted that he had not been convicted of a felony within the last five years, when in fact he had. In his EIDL-Loan application, and when submitting his EIDL-Loan modification request, Lucas falsely claimed that other than a minor vehicle violation, he had no criminal history. Lucas submitted his fraudulent PPP-Loan application and EIDL-Loan application and modification request using interstate wires.Lucas is charged with three counts of wire fraud. His initial court appearance on the indictment is scheduled for Nov. 15, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. in courtroom 8.4 before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.
U.S. Attorney, Trina A. Higgins, of the District of Utah made the announcement.
The Utah Federal COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force is investigating the case, which includes the Office of Inspector General U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA-OIG), U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Assistant United States Attorney Todd C. Bouton of the District of Utah is prosecuting the case.
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 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 and https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus/combatingfraud.
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.
carterlanelucas.motionforleavetodismissindictment.pdf carterlanelucas.ordergrantingleavetodismissindictment.pdf CarterLLucas.Indictment.Unsealed
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.Salt Lake City Man Allegedly Robs Two Banks, Takes Uber Home After the First RobberyRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY – A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City returned an indictment today charging a Salt Lake County man with two bank robberies after he allegedly used a note to rob Brighton Bank then took an Uber ride from the scene. Days later, he robbed a second bank.
According to court documents, on Oct. 31, 2023, David Converse Harris, 35, of Salt Lake City, Utah, walked into the Brighton Bank located at 93 West 3300 South in South Salt Lake, Utah, and passed the teller a note. The note stated, “Money in till now! Do not alert anyone! No one needs to be hurt right? Wait until I leave to contact authorities.” Harris received money from the teller along with a dye pack that exploded shortly after Harris left the bank. The investigation revealed Harris then left the scene in a blue Chrysler 200. A records check of the vehicle’s license plate returned to an Uber driver. The Uber driver informed law enforcement that he picked up a passenger on Oct. 31, 2023, around the time of the bank robbery, at a games store in South Salt Lake. The game store is in the same plaza as the Brighton Bank. The Uber driver then drove the passenger to 258 West 700 South, Salt Lake City, later confirmed as Harris’ residence. The Uber driver also informed law enforcement that the passenger had red dye on his hands and jacket and smoke billowing out of his right jacket pocket. During the investigation, law enforcement found a dye pack of bait money where the Uber driver picked up Harris.
As alleged in court documents, on Nov. 2, 2023, law enforcement learned Harris was at a motel in Midvale. Harris was spotted and law enforcement made efforts to arrest him when he fled in a Lexus SUV, which was later identified as stolen. The chase became too dangerous to continue and officers called off the chase. On the same day, Harris allegedly committed another robbery at the Chase Bank located at 1285 East 3900 South in Millcreek, Utah. Surveillance video showed Harris approached the teller counter, passed a note, and left with money.
On Nov. 3, 2023, Harris was located in Tooele County in the same stolen Lexus. Police attempted a traffic stop, and Harris again fled in the stolen Lexus. A large multi-agency pursuit ensued throughout Tooele County and proceeded into Salt Lake County. Harris eventually drove onto the Jordan River Parkway Trail, where he crashed into a barrier. Harris then fled on foot but was ultimately apprehended.
Harris is charged with two counts of bank robbery. He is scheduled for his initial court appearance on Nov. 13, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. in courtroom 8.4 before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.
U.S. Attorney, Trina A. Higgins, of the District of Utah made the announcement.
The FBI Salt Lake City Field Office is investigating the case and had assistance from Taylorsville Police Department, South Salt Lake Police Department, Adult Probation and Parole and Salt Lake City Police Department.
Assistant United States Attorney Carlos A. Esqueda of the District of Utah is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
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 Resident Sentenced to 45 Years for MurderRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY – Brandon Redfoot, 28, of Fort Duchesne, Utah, was sentenced Wednesday to 540 months’ imprisonment followed by 60 months of supervised release, after a federal jury convicted him of murder. Redfoot is also ordered by the court to pay $5,955.36 in restitution.
According to court documents and the evidence presented at trial, Redfoot shot and killed another man, on June 7, 2018. In August 2023, he was found guilty on all counts charged in the indictment, including murder in the second degree while within Indian Country, assault with a dangerous weapon while within Indian Country, felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, and two counts of discharge of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
“Mr. Redfoot’s senseless act of violence put many lives at risk and took the life of one young man,” said United States Attorney Trina A. Higgins of the District of Utah. "We will continue to work with our Tribal and federal law enforcement partners to pursue justice for victims and their families."
Evidence presented at trial showed Redfoot was in a physical altercation with the victim outside a store in Randlett, Utah. After the fight, and after the two men parted ways in separate vehicles, Redfoot told the driver of the vehicle he was in to turn around and drive back in the direction the victim had traveled. After the driver refused, Redfoot pulled out a firearm, later identified as a KelTec Sub-2000 9mm folding rifle and threatened the driver to turn around by firing the gun inside the vehicle. The driver complied, and ultimately arrived outside a residence where Redfoot spotted the victim. Redfoot fired at least twenty-nine shots in the direction of the victim and others, ultimately hitting the victim in the back of the head and killing him.
“Redfoot acted with no regard for the victim’s life and recklessly endangered other innocent lives that day,” said Special Agent in Charge Shohini Sinha of the Salt Lake City FBI. “We are committed to working with our Tribal partners to investigate the most egregious crimes in our Native American communities and help keep them safe.”
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), the FBI Vernal Resident Agency and investigations from the Ute Tribe.
Assistant United States Attorneys Michael J. Thorpe and Sam Pead of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Former Utah HOA Treasurer Admits to Stealing over $230,000Read the Press Release
ST. GEORGE, Utah – A Washington County resident pleaded guilty today to wire fraud and making a false statement on a tax return after she abused her Homeowners Association (HOA) position of power to divert thousands of dollars to her personal account. She then underreported her personal income to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
According to court documents, Sharon Lee Ann Gordon, 66, of Hurricane, Utah, embezzled approximately over $232,000 from four Lava Bluff HOA bank accounts between 2016 and March 2022. In execution of the scheme, Gordon diverted the funds electronically by transferring them directly to her personal account, writing checks to herself and her boyfriend and forging other board members’ signatures, depositing checks representing HOA member fees directly into her personal accounts, writing checks to casinos from HOA accounts, and withdrawing cash from HOA accounts. In April 2022, Gordon electronically filed a Form 1040 U.S. Individual Income Tax Return with the Internal Revenue Service that falsely stated her total income for 2021 was $13,502, when in fact she received at least $20,000 more. Additionally, in tax years 2017 through 2021, Gordon failed to report income derived from her scheme to defraud Lava Bluff HOA. As a result, Gordon was ordered by the court to pay $20,490 in restitution to the IRS for tax loss from unreported income between 2017 and 2021. Gordon is also ordered to pay the remaining $63,448.32 from the $232,078 in restitution to Lava Bluff HOA. To date, Gordon has paid the HOA $168,629.68 in restitution.
Gordon pleaded guilty to wire fraud and false statement on a tax return. She is scheduled to be sentenced at a later date in courtroom 2B at the St. George Courthouse before a U.S. District Court Judge in St. George, Utah.
U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins of the District of Utah made the announcement.The case is being investigated jointly by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) and the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office, St. George Resident Agency.
Assistant United States Attorney Stephen P. Dent of the District of Utah is prosecuting the case.
Four Utah Residents Prosecuted for Gun Related Offenses, Firearms Allegedly Intended for MexicoRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY – Four Salt Lake County residents are accused of participating in the purchase of or attempted purchase of numerous firearms in Utah and supplying them to Mexico.
According to court documents, Jose Manuel Barbosa Torres, 36, of West Valley City, Utah; Armando Figueroa Jr., 20, of Magna, Utah; Cecilio Luis Arriaga, 27, of West Valley City; and Iliana Dennis, 20, of West Valley City, were charged in a sealed indictment on Oct. 18, 2023. The defendants are accused of purchasing or attempting to purchase numerous Barrett .50 BMG caliber rifles between April 2023 and August 2023. The purchases were from Federal Firearm Licensees (FFLs). These firearms typically retail between $8,500 to $10,000. In furtherance of the crime, each defendant filled out an ATF Form 4473, wherein they indicated they were the actual transferee/buyer of the firearm and certified the submitted information was accurate, when it was false.In August 2023, agents intercepted Barbosa Torres and Dennis during an attempted firearm purchase. Barbosa Torres allegedly told agents Dennis was purchasing the firearm at his request, and that the firearm was ultimately destined for Cesar Rivera, who was in Arizona. During the investigation, Barbosa Torres again acknowledged the firearms were being purchased for Rivera, and stated Rivera was sending the firearms to Culiacán, Mexico. Rivera recently appeared before the U.S. District Court in the District of Utah for a firearms case in Arizona. He was arrested in Utah on Oct. 23, 2023, at Barbosa Torres’ West Valley City residence. Barbosa Torres, Figueroa, Arriaga, and Dennis were also arrested on Oct. 23, 2023, on warrants related to the indictment.
Barbosa Torres is charged with making false statements during the acquisition or attempted acquisition of firearms, and aiding and abetting. Figueroa, Arriaga and Dennis are also charged respectively in the indictment. All defendants had their initial court appearances and detention hearings on Oct. 27, 2023. Figueroa, Arriaga, and Dennis were released from custody on conditions. Barbosa Torres was ordered detained pending trial. A five-day jury trial is scheduled for Dec. 15, 2023, at 8:30 a.m. in courtroom 8.3 before a U.S. District Court Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.
U.S. Attorney, Trina A. Higgins, of the District of Utah made the announcement.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is investigating the case.
Assistant United States Attorney Victoria McFarland of the District of Utah is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.Attachments:
barbosatorres_etal_indictment.pdf barbosatorresdetentionmemo.pdfSalt Lake City Man Accused in a String of Convenience Store RobberiesRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY – A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City returned an indictment today charging a Salt Lake City, Utah man in multiple 7-Eleven robberies that took place in Salt Lake County last month.
According to court documents, Andrew Armani Deionte Rowe, 27, of Salt Lake City, allegedly entered a 7-Eleven on Sept. 12, 2023, at 2917 South Highland Drive, in Salt Lake City and locked the doors behind him. Rowe handed the clerk a note that stated, “Do as I say, or you will lose your life.” The clerk complied and gave Rowe the money from the register. In a separate robbery, also on Sept. 12, 2023, Rowe allegedly threatened and robbed a 7-Eleven employee at 480 West 3900 South in Millcreek, Utah. On Sept. 14, 2023, Rowe allegedly threatened and robbed a 7-Eleven employee at 895 East 4500 South, in Salt Lake City. On Sept. 27, 2023, Rowe allegedly threatened and robbed a 7-Eleven employee at 911 East 3300 South in Millcreek.
As a result of an investigation, Rowe was taken into custody on October 11, 2023. During an execution of search warrant on Rowe’s apartment and vehicle, items observed in the robberies, including clothing and a handgun, later identified as a replica Glock 45 pistol, were seized as evidence. Rowe was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail.
Rowe is charged with four counts of interference with commerce by robbery. His initial court appearance on the indictment is scheduled for Oct. 27, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. in courtroom 8.4 before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.
U.S. Attorney, Trina A. Higgins, of the District of Utah made the announcement.
An FBI Task Force Officer with the Salt Lake City Police Department is investigating the case.
An Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Utah is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.Guilty on All Counts, Jury Convicts Utah Woman in Online Romance Scam that Cost Victims over $6MRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY – A federal jury convicted the final defendant involved in an online romance scheme that cost dozens of victims more than $6 million. On Oct. 19, 2023, a Utah County woman, was found guilty of one count of money laundering conspiracy and two counts of money laundering.
According to court documents and the evidence presented at trial, Nelly Idowu, 39, of Provo, Utah, participated in an online romance scheme from 2017 to 2019 that involved creating fake online dating profiles to befriend and romance victims. These victims were primarily single women over 65-years-old who were led to believe the fake persona they were engaging with had an urgent financial need. Some of the bogus financial needs included helping family members with emergency medical costs, helping a United States military member stranded overseas, or claims of unique investment opportunities. None of these financial needs were legitimate. Victims sent money to Idowu and her codefendants for these false purposes. Idowu and her codefendants then sent a significant amount of the victim funds to overseas accounts in China and Nigeria.
At trial, the United States presented evidence that Idowu’s personal and business accounts received more than $1 million from 2017 to 2019, and that additional amounts were received by Idowu’s coconspirators. Victims testified they were victims of scams involving fictitious online romance partners. They testified they sent the money to Idowu or her coconspirators as a result of the scam involving fictitious online romance partners.
Idowu’s sentencing is scheduled for January 30, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. in courtroom 3.4 before Senior U.S. District Court Judge, Ted Stewart at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City. Codefendants Emmanuel Osaigbovo Adesotu, Nnamdi Joel Chukwu, and Julius Omene Fredrick were each previously convicted by guilty plea to a money laundering conspiracy. Adesotu was sentenced to a term of 36 months’ imprisonment and ordered to pay $6.3 million in restitution jointly with codefendants. Fredrick was sentenced to a term of 46 months’ imprisonment. Chukwu’s sentencing is set for January 16, 2024.
U.S. Attorney, Trina A. Higgins for the District of Utah made the announcement.
The case was investigated by the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office.
Assistant United States Attorneys Carl LeSueur and Mark Woolf of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah presented the case at trial.The FBI encourages those engaged in online relationships to review and become familiar with information about romance scams on its website FBI.gov. Additionally, if you or someone you know has been a victim of elder fraud, help is available at the National Elder Fraud Hotline 833-FRAUD-11 or 833-372-8311 and online at the Office for Victims of Crime.
Over $1M Worth of Dinosaur Bones Allegedly Stolen from Utah, Shipped to China for ProfitRead the Press Release
UPDATE
Upon motion of the United States, the indictment described in the press release against Vint Wade, Donna Wade, Steven Willing and Jordan Willing in this case was dismissed on August 22, 2024
SALT LAKE CITY – A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City returned a 13-count indictment charging four people for allegedly purchasing and selling over $1M in paleontological resources. The dollar amount represents 150,000 pounds of paleontological resources, including dinosaur bones, illegally removed from federal and state lands in southeastern Utah.
According to court documents, Vint Wade, 65, and Donna Wade, 67, of Moab, Utah; Steven Willing, 67, of Los Angeles, California; and Jordan Willing, 40 of Ashland, Oregon, committed several felony offenses against the United States by violating the Paleontological Resources Preservation Act (PRPA).
Between March 2018 and continuing until at least March 2023, the defendants allegedly purchased, transported and exported dinosaur bones from federal land. The defendants further illegally conspired by knowingly concealing and retaining stolen property of the United States. As charged, in a typical execution of the conspiracy, the Wades purchased paleontological resources removed from federal land by paying cash and checks to known and unknown unindicted individuals. Those individuals removed the dinosaur bones for the Wades’ personal use. The Wades stockpiled paleontological resources to sell at gem and mineral shows to national vendors and to sell some of the illegally obtained paleontological resources to Steven and Jordan Willing. Using their company, JMW Sales, the Willings’ exported the dinosaur bones to China by mislabeling the dinosaur bones and deflating their value to avoid detection by federal agents.
In addition to the selling over $1,000,000 in paleontological resources, the defendants caused over $3,000,000 in damages that includes the commercial value of the resource, the scientific value of the resource, and the cost of restoration and repair.
According to the Paleontological Resources Preservation Act (PRPA), paleontological resources mean any fossilized remains, traces, or imprints of organisms, preserved in or on the earth’s crust, that have paleontological interest and provide information about the history of life on earth.
BLM“By removing and processing these dinosaur bones to make consumer products for profit, tens of thousands of pounds of dinosaur bones have lost virtually all scientific value, leaving future generations unable to experience the science and wonder of these bones on Federal land,” said U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins. “The United States Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners are dedicated to protecting paleontological resources throughout the State of Utah. We will hold accountable anyone who seeks to engage in similar criminal conduct.”
All defendants are charged with conspiracy against the United States; Paleontological Resources Preservation Act violation; theft of property of the United States and other charges as alleged in the indictment. The defendants are scheduled for their initial court appearance on the indictment, Oct. 19, 2023, at 3:00 p.m. in courtroom 8.4 before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.
“Southeastern Utah is well-known destination for visitors to experience paleontology on the landscape. The public deserves the opportunity to benefit from and appreciate prehistoric resources on the lands,” said BLM Utah State Director Gregory Sheehan. “We are grateful to our team, including technical experts and law enforcement rangers, and the many partner-agencies who have committed time and energy to bring closure in this case.”
BLM
“The Bureau of Land Management should be greatly commended in dismantling the illegal trade of paleontology artifacts here in our community, said Grand County Sheriff Jamison Wiggins.
The U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Monticello Field Office, the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office with assistance from Grand County Sheriff and San Juan County Sheriff Offices are investigating the case.
Assistant United States Attorneys Ruth Hackford-Peer and Melina Shiraldi for the District of Utah are prosecuting the case as an environmental crime. For more information on environmental crimes click here. For more information about casual collecting of paleontological resources allowed under PRPA click here.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Two California Men Accused of Supplying Meth from Mexico to UtahRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY – A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City returned an indictment today charging two men from Southern California for allegedly possessing with the intent of distributing methamphetamine in Utah.
According to court documents, on October 7, 2023, Oscar Soto-Covarrubias, Sr., 73, of San Diego, California, and Oscar Soto Jr., 26, of Fontana, California, were stopped by a Utah Highway Patrol Trooper for an expired registration. During the traffic stop, a drug detection K9 alerted to narcotics. In a subsequent search of the vehicle, agents located and seized a backpack containing approximately 6,780 grams (15 pounds) of field-tested meth. As part of a drug conspiracy investigation, law enforcement identified Soto-Covarrubias, Sr. and Soto Jr. as a Mexico/California-based source of supply of methamphetamine for Utah-based meth redistributors.
Oscar Soto Covarrubias Sr. and Oscar Soto Jr. are charged with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. Their initial court appearance on the indictment is scheduled for Oct. 19, 2023, at 11:30 a.m. in courtroom 8.4 before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.
U.S. Attorney, Trina A. Higgins, of the District of Utah made the announcement.
The case is part of a joint investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Unified Police Department Metro Gang Unit with assistance from the Utah Highway Patrol.
Assistant United States Attorney Stephen L. Nelson of the District of Utah is prosecuting the case.
The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.
This investigation took place under the umbrella of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Accused Drug Dealers Arrested and Prosecuted for Illegal Drug Possession and Distribution Charges, 14,000 Fentanyl Pills SeizedRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY – A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City returned an indictment today that charges two foreign nationals for illicit drug possession, including fentanyl, with intent to distribute.
According to court documents, Juan Robles-Ramos, 22, of Clearfield, Utah, and Pedro De Jesus Figueroa-Roman, 19, of Clearfield, knowingly possessed narcotics with the intent to distribute. Beginning in July 2023, the FBI Wasatch Metro Drug Force (WMDTF) began a criminal investigation into Figueroa-Roman and Robles-Ramos, and other members of a drug trafficking organization believed to be distributing large quantities of narcotics in the District of Utah. Pursuant to a controlled purchase of heroin, agents identified Robles-Ramos and learned that the two defendants lived together. On October 6, 2023, during the execution of a search warrant of Robles-Ramos’ and Figueroa-Roman’s residence, agents recovered approximately 1,444 grams of fentanyl, over 1,400 grams of heroin, and over $4,000 in cash. In a separate area of the residence, agents also recovered 1,292 grams of heroin. Robles-Ramos and Figueroa-Roman are in custody.
Robles-Ramos is charged with possession of heroin with intent to distribute. Figueroa-Roman is charged with possession of heroin with intent to distribute and possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute. The defendant’s initial court appearance on the indictment is scheduled for Oct. 19, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. in courtroom 8.4 before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.
U.S. Attorney, Trina A. Higgins, of the District of Utah made the announcement.
The FBI Wasatch Metro Drug Task Force (WMDTF) consisting of the FBI and Davis Metro Narcotic Strike Force (DMNSF) are investigating the case.
United States Attorney Brent Andrus of the District of Utah is prosecuting the case.
The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Former CEO Pleads Guilty to Causing the Distribution of Adulterated and Misbranded Medical Devices Intended to Treat Migraine HeadachesRead the Press Release
Mark Wright, 67, pleaded guilty on Oct. 11 in federal court to misdemeanor charges of causing the introduction of misbranded and adulterated devices into interstate commerce.
According to documents filed with the court, from July 2013 to July 2017, Wright served as the chief executive officer of Dolor Technologies Inc., a Utah-based medical device company. Dolor sold a device known as the SphenoCath, which was intended to treat migraine headaches by administering nerve blocks to the sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG), a collection of nerves located in the midface of the skull.
As part of his guilty plea, Wright admitted that Dolor did not seek approval or clearance from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to distribute the SphenoCath for this intended use, rendering the SphenoCath devices adulterated and misbranded under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. Wright also admitted that, while FDA had recommended in April 2014 that Dolor proceed with investigational studies regarding the SphenoCath’s safety and effectiveness, Dolor never conducted any such study. Instead, Wright and Dolor continued to market the SphenoCath with the intention that it be used to treat migraine headaches by administering SPG nerve blocks. Among other things, Wright provided healthcare providers with marketing materials and unsolicited directions for unapproved use of the SphenoCath.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Cecilia M. Romero presided at the plea hearing and set sentencing for Nov. 8.
“Patients must be able to trust that they are being treated with medical devices that have been shown to be safe and effective,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The Department of Justice will continue to take action against companies and individuals that put public health at risk by not complying with the law.”
“The United States will continue to prosecute those who flout the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act by marketing unapproved, adulterated, and misbranded drugs and devices to the public,” said U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins for the District of Utah. “These individuals pose a danger to the community and put the public’s health and safety at risk.”
“U.S. consumers rely on the FDA to ensure that their medical devices are safe and effective for their intended uses,” said Special Agent in Charge George M. Scavdis of the FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations Metro Washington Field Office. “We will continue to investigate and bring to justice those who threaten the health of consumers by evading FDA requirements.”
The FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys David Hixson and Emily C. Powers of the Justice Department’s Consumer Protection Branch and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacob Strain for the District of Utah prosecuted the case.
Additional information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts may be found at www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. For more information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah, visit its website at www.justice.gov/usao-ut.
Previously Removed Foreign National Prosecuted and Arrested in Salt Lake County for Allegedly Possessing over 12,000 Fentanyl PillsRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY – A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City returned an indictment charging a foreign national living in Salt Lake County for possessing over 12,000 blue M30 pills containing fentanyl with the intent to distribute.
According to court documents, Oscar Noe Cota-Galaviz, 38 of West Jordan, Utah, allegedly illegally possessed over 12,000 fentanyl pills. On Sept. 20, 2023, during an execution of a search warrant of Cota-Galaviz’s residence, agents found approximately 10,000 blue “M30” pills containing fentanyl hidden inside a mattress in Cota-Galaviz’s residence. Agents also found approximately 1,000 blue pills containing fentanyl wrapped in a plastic container in Cota-Galaviz’s pants pocket. Cota-Galviz told agents the pills were “vitamins.” After obtaining a search warrant for Cota-Galaviz’s storage unit, detectives found approximately 1,500 blue “M30” pills containing fentanyl hidden inside a charcoal bag inside of the unit. Cota-Galaviz is a previously removed foreign national from the United States.
Cota-Galaviz is charged with possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute and illegal reentry. The defendant had his initial court appearance on Oct. 5, 2023, at 1:30 p.m. in courtroom 8.4 before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.
U.S. Attorney, Trina A. Higgins, of the District of Utah made the announcement.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is investigating the case.
Special Assistant United States Attorney Kelsy B. Young for the District of Utah is prosecuting the case.This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Ogden Man Arrested and Charged with Robbing a BankRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY – A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City returned an indictment charging a Weber County, Utah man with bank robbery after he allegedly used a threating note to steal cash.
According to court documents, on September 21, 2023, Theophales Kur, 36 of Ogden, Utah, entered Zions Bank located at 2302 South Washington Blvd. in Ogden and stole $500. Wearing a surgical face mask, the suspect later identified as Kur, handed the teller a threatening note. The teller took $500 cash from the cash recycler machine and gave it to Kur. The defendant took the money and the note, made a “finger-gun” with his hand, pointed it at the teller and made a motion with his finger as if he was pulling the trigger. Kur then left the bank on foot.
Ogden Police Department responded and viewed video of Ker just before he entered the bank. Still images of the video were sent to law enforcement officers to aid in the investigation. Three blocks from the bank, an officer saw an individual matching the description of the suspect at a Trax platform. The individual was identified by a white hospital bracelet as Theophales Kur. Police recovered $500 and the threatening note that read “This is a robbery no dye packs, no trace, no silent alarm. I have a gun follow instruction and no one will get hurt. Now give me the money,” from Kur’s pocket.
Kur is charged with bank robbery. He is scheduled for his initial court appearance on Oct. 5, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. in courtroom 8.4 before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.
U.S. Attorney, Trina A. Higgins, of the District of Utah made the announcement.
The FBI Salt Lake City Field Office is investigating the case. Assistant United States Attorney Carlos A. Esqueda for the District of Utah is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.Alleged Armed Credit Union Robbery Suspect Captured via GPS and ProsecutedRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY – A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City returned an indictment charging a
previously convicted felon with armed credit union robbery and firearm charges after he allegedly stole over $3,000.According to court documents, on September 25, 2023, Robert L. Durazo, 41, of Salt Lake City, robbed Golden West Credit Union, located at 769 E. South Temple Street, in Salt Lake City. Upon entering the credit union, Durazo, wearing a face covering and an orange construction sweatshirt, brandished a Glock 19 handgun, and pointed the firearm directly at four employees. Durazo instructed the employees to move backwards and demanded money from three separate tills. Durazo collected the cash and fled the scene. Each of the three tills contained a GPS tracking device inside of the stolen money.
The GPS devices were monitored remotely and a Volvo, later identified as registered to Durazo, was tracked to a Chevron gas station in North Salt Lake City, Utah. The responding officer observed a male across the street from the Chevron, later identified as Durazo, digging into a garden. Officers recovered a large sum of money, three tracking devices and a Costco receipt buried in the garden. The Costco membership number on the receipt was later confirmed to belong to Durazo. Officers located the Volvo registered to Durazo parked at the Commons on 2nd apartment complex located in South Salt Lake City.
Pursuant to a search warrant for Durazo’s apartment, officers recovered over $2,000 in cash and a black Glock 19 handgun, which resembles the same gun used in the robbery. Durazo was arrested and an additional $151 in cash was found on him.
Durazo is charged with armed credit union robbery, using, carrying and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, and felon in possession of a firearm. Durazo is scheduled for his initial court appearance on Oct. 5, 2023, at 1:30 p.m. in courtroom 8.4 before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.
U.S. Attorney, Trina A. Higgins, of the District of Utah made the announcement.
An FBI Task Force Officer with the Salt Lake City Police Department is investigating the case. Assistant United States Attorney Carlos A. Esqueda for the District of Utah is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah Celebrates Funding Awarded for Community Responses to Gender-Based ViolenceRead the Press Release
Salt Lake City, UT – In commemoration of the 29th anniversary of the original enactment of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), the Justice Department announced nearly $193 million in formula and discretionary grant awards to support crucial services and justice responses for survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, including $1,982,667 for the Utah Office for Victims of Crime in the District of Utah.
For nearly three decades, VAWA provided the tools and resources to protect and serve survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. To commemorate the 29th anniversary of VAWA, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah is proud to announce that the Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) awarded $1,982,667 in the District of Utah to support community responses to gender-based violence.
United States Attorney Trina A. Higgins commented: “I am pleased to announce that funding has been awarded in the District of Utah from the Office on Violence Against Women. These funds will help further advocate for the rights and needs of crime victims in Utah.”
VAWA’s signature program is the STOP (Services, Training, Officers, and Prosecutors) Violence Against Women Formula Grants Program, which awards funds to every U.S. state and territory to promote a coordinated community response among law enforcement, prosecution, courts, victim services organizations, and other community services to ensure the safety of survivors. OVW is awarding $1,982,667 under the STOP Program to Utah to enhance the capacity for communities across the country to develop programs to end gender-based violence and hold offenders accountable.
“Prior to the enactment of VAWA, survivors were primarily left to fend for themselves, often cycling in and out of dangerous environments with little help from legal systems or service providers.” OVW Director Rosie Hidalgo said. “VAWA has changed this landscape by supporting a coordinated community response to address domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking in a more comprehensive manner. It emphasizes survivor-centered, trauma-informed, and community-based approaches and ensures that services are available across every state and territory.”
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OVW provides leadership in developing the nation’s capacity to reduce violence through implementing VAWA and subsequent legislation. Created in 1995, OVW administers financial and technical assistance to communities nationwide that are developing programs, policies, and practices to end domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. In addition to overseeing federal grant programs, OVW undertakes initiatives in response to special needs identified by communities facing acute challenges. Learn more at www.justice.gov/ovw.
U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah Announces $600,000 in Awarded Funding for Domestic and Sexual Violence ServicesRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY, UT – The need for specialized legal services is both urgent and essential for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. These services provide interventions, such as securing restraining or protective orders, that are crucial for survivor safety. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah is proud to announce that the Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) awarded $600,000 in the District of Utah to provide legal services and improve the effective coordination of justice systems impacting survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking.
• OVW awarded $600,000 under the Justice for Families (JFF) Program to Citizens Against Physical and Sexual Abuse, Inc. in the District of Utah. The JFF Program aims to improve the capacity of communities and courts to respond to families impacted by violence.
U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins commented:
“I am pleased to announce funding from the Office on Violence Against Women for the non-profit Citizens Against Physical and Sexual Abuse, located in Cache County, Utah. These funds will be used to assist victims of domestic and sexual violence and empower survivors.”
“The Legal Assistance for Victims Grant, in conjunction with the Justice for Families Program and the Domestic Violence Mentor Court Technical Assistance Initiative, serve as a powerful multi-pronged strategy to transform the justice system's approach to supporting families affected by violence," stated OVW Director Rosemarie Hidalgo. "These grants enhance court-related programs, trauma-informed training, and resources, while also providing victims with specialized legal support. This includes assistance with securing protective orders and navigating complex family law matters. Collectively, these grants advance a more comprehensive approach, aimed at ensuring that survivors and their families don't merely navigate our legal system, but genuinely find a path to justice and safety.”
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OVW provides leadership in developing the nation’s capacity to reduce violence through implementing VAWA and subsequent legislation. Created in 1995, OVW administers financial and technical assistance to communities nationwide that are developing programs, policies, and practices to end domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. In addition to overseeing federal grant programs, OVW undertakes initiatives in response to special needs identified by communities facing acute challenges. Learn more at www.justice.gov/ovw.
Salt Lake City Man Indicted for Carjacking After Allegedly Attacking a Woman with a Child in the VehicleRead the Press Release
Salt Lake City, Utah – A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City returned an indictment Wednesday charging a Salt Lake City man after he allegedly attempted to violently take a woman’s vehicle with her daughter in the backseat.
According to court documents, Zachery Cover, 32, of Salt Lake City, attempted to steal a black BMW in the area of 1000 West 200 North in Salt Lake City on August 30, 2023.
According to the allegations in the complaint, dispatch received a 911 call at 9:14 a.m. from the victim who stated she had been driving with her 7-year-old daughter when she stopped due to a tire problem. The victim left the vehicle running with the driver’s door open while she checked the tire pressure. A man, later identified as Cover, jumped in the vehicle, and shut the door. In an attempt to stop Cover from leaving with her daughter, who was in the backseat, the victim reached through the open driver’s door window and pleaded with Cover not to take the car because her daughter was inside. Cover told the victim to take her daughter and get out. The victim pulled Cover from the vehicle and a physical altercation ensued. The victim was struck several times by Cover. At one point, Cover displayed a firearm and pointed it at the victim and her child. A second struggle occurred, and the victim knocked the gun away, broke free, drove off and called 911. A responding officer took Cover into custody. The recovered firearm was a facsimile .22 caliber Walther style BB gun.
Cover is charged with carjacking. Cover had his initial court appearance on the indictment, September 7, 2023 before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City. A two day trial is scheduled for November 13, 2023.
U.S. Attorney, Trina A. Higgins, of the District of Utah made the announcement.
The case is being investigated by a Salt Lake City Police Officer with the FBI's Violent Crime Task Force.
Assistant United States Attorney Carlos A. Esqueda for the District of Utah is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
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 Businesswoman Sentenced to 18 Months Imprisonment Following $5M Securities Fraud ConvictionRead the Press Release
Salt Lake City, Utah – A Utah woman was sentenced yesterday to 18 months’ imprisonment followed by two years of supervised release for securities fraud after she defrauded investors in the District of Utah and elsewhere.
According to court documents, from February 2015 through February 2020, Crystal A. Huang, 41, of Lehi, Utah, offered investments in her company, ProSky Inc., by providing false promises and information to potential investors. In June, Ms. Huang admitted that she devised a scheme intended to defraud investors and obtain money and property, under false pretenses to benefit her company, ProSky Inc. According to court documents, Huang would lull investor victims into a false sense of security about their investments by claiming her company, ProSky Inc., had millions in recurring revenue, when in fact it did not. She further supported her false claims by providing investors with falsified balance sheets, profit and loss statements, bank account statements and customer lists. During her scheme to defraud, Huang obtained over $5 million from approximately 13 investors and communicated via email, telephone and through an online database. On the day of her sentencing, Huang provided a check to the clerk of court for $300,000 and was ordered by the court to pay $1,200 per month in restitution.
“Ms. Huang had every reason and opportunity not to engage in this type of criminal conduct, but chose to do so,” said Assistant United States Attorney Mark E. Woolf of the District of Utah. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to prosecute those who commit fraud within our communities.”
“The information Ms. Huang provided to investors was just completely false,” said United States District Court Judge David Barlow. “These false statements didn’t just happen once or twice, but over a period of years.”
“Fraudsters are masters of deception, and can scam even the most sophisticated investor,” said Special Agent in Charge Shohini Sinha of the Salt Lake City FBI. “Before handing over your hard-earned money, always independently and thoroughly research any opportunity, and report anything suspicious to the FBI.”
The case was investigated by the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office, Provo Resident Agency.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark E. Woolf of the District of Utah prosecuted the case.
Salt Lake City Man Indicted for Allegedly Attempting to Rob America United Federal Credit UnionRead the Press Release
Salt Lake City, Utah – A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City returned an indictment yesterday charging a man after he allegedly attempted to rob a credit union in Salt Lake City this month.
According to court documents, Jason Michael Ludwig, 49, of Salt Lake City allegedly demanded money from the bank teller at America United Federal Credit Union located at 208 East 800 South. When the teller refused, Ludwig announced he was robbing them of money and began threatening to blow up the credit union and the vault with a bomb in his backpack. Ludwig further stated he possessed a firearm and threatened to shoot and kill the employees and responding police officers. Upon responding officers’ arrival, they took Ludwig into custody. No firearms or explosive device was found on Ludwig or inside his backpack.
Ludwig is charged with one count of attempted credit union robbery. The defendant is scheduled for his initial court appearance on Friday, September 1, 2023, at 9:30 a.m. in courtroom 8.4 before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.
U.S. Attorney, Trina A. Higgins, of the District of Utah made the announcement.
The case is being investigated by a Salt Lake City Police Detective with the FBI’s Violent Crime Task Force.
Assistant United States Attorney Kevin L. Sundwall for the District of Utah is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Former Utah Movie Producer Charged with Tax Evasion and Obstructing IRSRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City returned an indictment, unsealed today, charging a Utah man with tax evasion, obstructing the IRS and forcibly retaking property that had been seized by the government to pay his outstanding tax debt.
According to the indictment, Paul Kenneth Cromar owned a home in Cedar Hills, Utah, and operated Blue Moon Productions, LLC, a freelance film and media production company. From 1999 through 2005, Cromar allegedly did not file any federal income tax returns or pay any tax and in 2005, the IRS conducted an audit and assessed him with $703,266.96 in taxes, interest and penalties. After Cromar allegedly failed to make any payments towards his outstanding debt, a federal judge ordered that his home be sold at auction to satisfy his tax obligations. The indictment alleges that Cromar then attempted to stop the sale by filing bogus documents, including a false promissory note, with the IRS, intimidating potential purchasers or investors of the home and attempted to harass IRS personnel by filing frivolous lawsuits against them personally.
The indictment further charges that shortly before the sale closed, Cromar allegedly broke into the home and attempted to reclaim it. With the help of others, he allegedly occupied the home unlawfully for several months, fortifying it with weapons, sandbags and wooden boards tactically placed throughout the house.
Through his criminal conduct, Cromar is alleged to have caused a total tax loss to the IRS of $1,174,201.91.
If convicted, Cromar faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for tax evasion, three years in prison for corruptly endeavoring to obstruct the IRS and two years in prison for forcibly retaking seized property. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins for the District of Utah made the announcement.
IRS-Criminal Investigation and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) are investigating the case. The FBI assisted in locating and apprehending Cromar, who had been a fugitive from justice in a related Utah state court criminal matter since August 2022.
Trial Attorneys Peter J. Anthony and Meredith M. Havekost of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Woolf for the District of Utah are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Hosts 30th Annual Four Corners Indian Country Conference in Salt Lake CityRead the Press Release
Salt Lake City, Utah – United States Attorney, Trina A. Higgins, hosted the 30th Annual Four Corners Indian Country Conference in downtown Salt Lake City.
The three-day event, which took place at the Grand America, brought over 200 professionals from the four corner states that are involved in victim services and public safety in tribal communities. Initiated in 1992, the Four Corners Indian Country Conference was designed to focus on prosecution and victims’ issues in Indian Country in the states of Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico. The goal of the conference is to discuss strategies and best practices from federal, state, and tribal criminal justice and social service professionals working with victims in tribal communities and how to improve victim services and make tribal communities safer.
USAO-Utah“We were honored to host the Four Corners Indian Country Conference in Utah,” said U.S. Attorney Higgins. “Thank you to the speakers and attendees who traveled from Tribal communities in all four states. We want to especially thank the Ute Tribe for their cultural presentations that were both educational and inspirational.”
Utah is home to eight federally recognized tribes, spread throughout the state. The conference featured speakers, cultural presentations, and a local tribal artist. For more information visit 30th Annual Indian Country Conference.
Next year the conference will be hosted in Durango, Colorado.
Alleged Business Scammers Indicted After Nationwide Scheme to Defraud Investors, Including Elderly, of More than $30MRead the Press Release
Salt Lake City, Utah – A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City returned an indictment charging seven defendants, including the founder and former President of Noah’s Event Venue in South Jordan, Utah, with 18 counts of wire fraud.
According to court documents, from January 2015 through May 2019, William J. Bowser, 60, of Hendersonville, North Carolina; Christopher J. Ashby, 49, of Salt Lake County, Utah; Scott W. Beynon, 46, of Davis County, Utah; Jordan S. Nelson, 42, of Salt Lake County, Utah; Scott L. Rutherford, 51, of Utah County, Utah; John D. Hamrick, 64, of Franconia, New Hampshire and the Vice President and Director of Edmund and Wheeler Inc., which is also named as a defendant in the indictment, conspired together to engage in a nationwide scheme to defraud investors. The victims, who were mostly retired and elderly individuals, were defrauded of more than $30,000,000 after being induced by the defendants to invest in Noah Event Centers. As alleged in the indictment, Noah Event Centers were, collectively, an unprofitable enterprise sustained only through infusions of new investor funds. The defendants did not use investor funds as promised in their marketing materials, purchase agreements and related representations. Instead, they misappropriated and diverted investor funds meant for the development and construction of new event centers to pay large commissions, Noah’s operations, prior investors, construction costs of other event centers, and rents on previously sold Noah Event Centers. As part of their alleged scheme, the defendants used the internet, telephone, email, and other means to promote, offer and sell fractional Tenant-in-Common interests in five Noah Event Centers through the use of a network of financial planners, 1031 exchange specialists, real estate brokers and other salespeople, using glossy marketing materials showing pictures of beautifully constructed buildings and promising impressive long-term financial returns.
Bowser, and his co-conspirators are charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and wire fraud. The defendants are scheduled for their initial court appearance on September 14, 2023, at 4:00 p.m. in courtroom 8.4 before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.
U.S. Attorney, Trina A. Higgins, of the District of Utah made the announcement.
The case is being investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS).
Assistant United States Attorneys Cy H. Castle, Stewart M. Young, Stephen P. Dent and Peter Kuhn 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.
Bluff Man Sentenced to 300 Months Imprisonment for Indian Country MurderRead the Press Release
Salt Lake City, Utah – A Utah man was sentenced to 25 years’ imprisonment and a term of four years supervised release after a federal jury convicted him of murder in the second degree while within Indian Country and using, carrying and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
According to court documents and the evidence presented at trial in May 2023, Perry Maryboy, 59, of Bluff, Utah, unlawfully shot and killed another man while within Indian Country on April 13, 2018. Evidence presented at trial showed that Maryboy, who was parked on the side of the road at the intersection of Country Road 443 and Summerhouse Road, escalated an argument with the victim, who was accompanied by the landowner’s granddaughter, after being told to leave the area by the victim. Maryboy exited his truck, retrieved a revolver from the backseat, loaded the revolver, and shot the victim in the back of the head as the victim was walking away. The victim died on scene in front of his common law wife and her 7-year-old child. Maryboy then fled the scene in his truck.
“This was no accident. My view of that is confirmed by later facts when Mr. Maryboy made no assistance at the scene,” said Senior United States Federal District Court Judge David Nuffer. “Taking a life without apparent justification is an extremely serious matter and doing it in a violent way is extremely serious. It is my judgment that Mr. Maryboy be placed in the custody of Bureau of Prisons for a period of 180 months on count one and 120 months on count two for a sentence of 300 months.”
“Mr. Maryboy’s violent act took the life of another person, causing great loss to his family and friends, who will bear the burden of this crime. That harm cannot be undone,” said U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins for the District of Utah. “We appreciate the work of law enforcement, victim service providers, and the prosecutors in this case who worked hard to ensure justice for the victim’s family and the community.”
The case was investigated jointly by the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office’s Monticello Resident Agency, Navajo Nation Police Department and Navajo Nation Criminal Investigations.
Assistant United States Attorneys Mark Y. Hirata, Angela Reddish-Day, and Stephen Dent of the District of Utah prosecuted the case.
Utah Fugitive and Alleged Drug Trafficking Ringleader Among 28 Defendants Charged in Major Multi-Agency OperationRead the Press Release
Salt Lake City, Utah – A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City returned an 18-count indictment Wednesday charging a fugitive and 27 other defendants with multiple drug related crimes, including conspiracy to distribute drugs, possession and distribution of drugs, aiding and abetting and firearm offenses.
According to court documents, Llobani Federico Figueroa, aka “Pablo,” 32, of Magna, Utah, is the alleged ringleader in a major drug trafficking organization that operated in the District of Utah. Figueroa was taken into custody on August 3, 2023. Figueroa had been a fugitive since he was indicted by a federal grand jury in 2020 for distribution of methamphetamine. See full news release here: Fugitive and Alleged Drug Dealer Behind Bars After Three Years in Hiding.
In the 2023 indictment, Figueroa is listed as the main defendant with 27 additional co-defendants, many of whom were also taken into custody. Some of the main conspirators in the drug trafficking conspiracy include Lorena Inez Herrera, aka Lorena Duran, aka Melissa Valencia, 40, of West Valley City, Utah; Isaac David Valdez, 39, of Salt Lake City; Christopher Kin Chun, aka, “Sinner,” aka, “C Kin,” 25, of West Jordan, Utah; and Candelario Lopez-Perez, 21, a foreign national. According to the indictment, beginning but not later than December 2022 and continuing through August 2023, in the District of Utah, Figueroa and the defendants named in the indictment, conspired to distribute narcotics, including 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. During this same time period, undercover agents conducted multiple controlled narcotics purchases from different distributors working on behalf of Figueroa’s drug trafficking organization. As part of their alleged drug trafficking conspiracy, Figueroa served as the primary conduit among multiple Californian and Mexico-based sources of supply and broker/distributors in the District of Utah. Figueroa and other members of the drug trafficking conspiracy allegedly rented residences on a short-term basis, often referred to as “trap houses,” from which members of the conspiracy possessed with the intent to distribute narcotics under Figueroa’s direction. According to court documents, at the time of Figueroa’s arrest, he possessed more than $300,000 in cash, three Glock firearms with ammunition, 3.8 pounds of methamphetamine, 328 grams of heroin, 1.6 pounds of “crack” cocaine, and 409 grams of powder cocaine. Figueroa is also a known member of the nationwide criminal organization “LaRaza.” At the time of Herrera’s arrest, she possessed more than 46 pounds of methamphetamine and more than 37 pounds of cocaine. At the time of Lopez-Perez’s arrest, he possessed approximately 700 grams of methamphetamine, more than 240 grams of heroin, 189 grams of cocaine, more than $15,000 in cash and a loaded firearm.
Figueroa is charged with a continuing criminal enterprise; conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine; conspiracy to distribute heroin; conspiracy to distribute cocaine; possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, aiding and abetting; possession of heroin with intent to distribute, aiding and abetting; felon in possession of a firearm; and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense. All defendants in the indictment are charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Defendants charged in counts three through 18 are listed in the indictment. Figueroa’s arraignment on the indictment was Monday, August 21, at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City. His trial date will be scheduled at a later date. Initial court appearances on the other defendants can be found in the court docket.
U.S. Attorney, Trina A. Higgins, of the District of Utah made the announcement.
The case is being investigated jointly by the FBI Safe Streets Violent Crime Task Force and West Valley City Police Department.
Assistant United States Attorneys for the District of Utah are prosecuting the case.
Remaining defendants named in the indictment:
1. Steven Kay Langley, aka Steven Vernon Johnson, 55, of Ennis, Montana
2. Tammie Lynn Salstrom, aka Tammie Lynn Tumsuden, 51, of Ennis, Montana
3. Brandon Leon Simmons, aka, Adam Lee Evans, 42, of North Salt Lake, Utah
4. Irineo Brito, aka’s Neo Brito, and Neo Trujillo, 42, of Salt Lake City, Utah
5. Glen Anthony Witham, 62, of Salt Lake City, Utah
6. Jon Tyler Pearson, aka’s Treetop, Droopee, 34, of West Jordan, Utah
7. Monique Maria Garcia, 45, of West Valley City, Utah
8. Buff Joseph Boss, 46, of Heber, Utah
9. Coty Lee Stiehl, 44, of Murray, Utah
10. Kimberly Sue Stubbs, 50, of Clarkston, Utah
11. Irene Mary McIntosh, aka Irene Douglas, 35, of Salt Lake City, Utah
12. Harold Brent Larsen, 66, of Gusher, Utah
13. Paul Casey Krehbiel, 38, of Murray, Utah
14. Kimberly Johnson, 38, of Salt Lake City, Utah
15. Jack Eugene Lamb, 42, of Salt Lake City, Utah
16. Anthony Vincent Barbera, 42, of Salt Lake City, Utah
17. Crystal Ann Beck, 42, of Heber City, Utah
18. Travis K. Hansen, aka’s Christopher J. Stevens, and Chris Steven, 53, of Park City, Utah
19. Mary Emilia Herrera, 41, of Salt Lake City, Utah
20. Jessica Archuletta, 32, of West Valley City, Utah
21. Alisha Nicole Brown-Reinsimar, 43, of West Valley City, Utah
22. Cree Williams, 43, of Salt Lake City, Utah
23. Megan Olmos, 40, of Stansbury Park, UtahAn indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Fugitive and Alleged Drug Dealer Behind Bars After Three Years in HidingRead the Press Release
Salt Lake City, Utah – A Utah fugitive was arrested in Salt Lake County after fleeing from federal law enforcement in 2020 on federal charges related to the distribution of a narcotic in the District of Utah.
According to court documents, Llobani Fredrigco Figueroa, 32, of Magna, Utah, was located and taken into custody by federal agents in early August 2023. In 2020, a federal grand jury charged Figueroa by indictment for distribution of methamphetamine. Court documents allege that in February 2020, Figueroa distributed 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.
Figueroa had his initial appearance on the indictment August 8, 2023. He had a detention hearing on August 21, 2023, at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.
U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins of the District of Utah made the announcement.
The case is being investigated jointly by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Safe Streets Task Force, West Valley City Police Department, Unified Police Department Salt Lake Area Metro Gang Unit (MGU), and the Department of Public Safety State Bureau of Investigation (DPS-SBI).
Assistant United States Attorney Stephen Nelson of the District of Utah is 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.