Western District of Virginia
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
National Health Care Fraud Enforcement Action Results in 193 Defendants Charged and over $2.75 Billion in False ClaimsRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Justice Department today announced the 2024 National Health Care Fraud Enforcement Action, which resulted in criminal charges against 193 defendants, including 76 doctors, nurse practitioners, and other licensed medical professionals in 32 federal districts across the United States, for their alleged participation in various health care fraud schemes involving approximately $2.75 billion in intended losses and $1.6 billion in actual losses.
In connection with the coordinated nationwide law enforcement action, and together with federal and state law enforcement partners, the government seized over $231 million in cash, luxury vehicles, gold, and other assets.
“It does not matter if you are a trafficker in a drug cartel or a corporate executive or medical professional employed by a health care company, if you profit from the unlawful distribution of controlled substances, you will be held accountable,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The Justice Department will bring to justice criminals who defraud Americans, steal from taxpayer-funded programs, and put people in danger for the sake of profits.”
“The extraordinary Special Agents of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) were proud to play an integral role in this multi-agency investigation and national takedown of healthcare fraud,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas. “Through this action, we in federal law enforcement send a clear and strong message—that we will hold accountable those health care providers and prescribers who prey on their patients for profit and disregard the first rule of medical care: do no harm.”
“Healthcare fraud victimizes patients, endangers the health of vulnerable people, and plunders healthcare programs,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “This wide-ranging collaboration demonstrates the FBI’s commitment to rooting out predatory healthcare fraud, protecting patients, and ensuring critical healthcare funds go where they are needed most.”
The charges alleged include over $900 million fraud scheme committed in connection with amniotic wound grafts; the unlawful distribution of millions of pills of Adderall and other stimulants by five defendants associated with a digital technology company; an over $90 million fraud committed by corporate executives distributing adulterated and misbranded HIV medication; over $146 million in fraudulent addiction treatment schemes; over $1.1 billion in telemedicine and laboratory fraud; and over $450 million in other health care fraud and opioid schemes.
“Health care fraud affects every American,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “It siphons off hard-earned tax dollars meant to provide care for the vulnerable and disabled. In doing so, it also raises the cost of care for all patients. Even worse, as the prosecutions we announce today underscore, health care fraud can harm patients and fuel addiction. The Criminal Division is committed to rooting out health care fraud, wherever it may be found, no matter who commits it. And we are using more tools than ever before to uncover misconduct and hold wrongdoers to account, whether they are executives in corner offices or doctors who violate their oaths.”
Today’s enforcement action was led and coordinated by the Health Care Fraud Unit of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and its core partners: U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), FBI, and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The cases were investigated by agents from the division’s core partner agencies along with other federal and state law enforcement agencies. The cases are being prosecuted by Health Care Fraud Strike Force teams from the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, 32 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices nationwide, and 11 State Attorney Generals’ Offices.
“This work is important to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the millions of Americans we serve. HHS vigorously pursues anyone who commits fraud against our health care programs. But it takes all of us, working together, to be successful,” said HHS Deputy Secretary Andrea Palm. “Those who steal from these programs are stealing from the American families who rely on them and putting patients at risk. We won’t stop until all those who try to defraud the federal government are caught and held accountable.”
“We will not tolerate fraud that preys on patients who need and deserve high quality health care,” said the HHS-OIG Inspector General Christi A. Grimm. “The hard work of the HHS-OIG team and our outstanding law enforcement partners makes today’s action possible. We must protect taxpayer dollars and keep Americans safe from harms to their health, privacy, and financial well-being.”
Amniotic Wound Grafts
Charges were filed in the District of Arizona against four individuals who allegedly filed $900 million in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare for amniotic wound grafts used on Medicare patients. As alleged, the defendants targeted elderly Medicare patients, many of whom were terminally ill. The defendants caused medically unnecessary and expensive amniotic grafts to be applied to these vulnerable patients’ wounds indiscriminately, without coordination with the patients’ treating physicians and without proper treatment for infection, to superficial wounds that did not need this treatment, and in sizes that far exceeded the size of the wound. In just 16 months, Medicare paid two defendants more than $600 million as a result of their fraud scheme, paying on average more than a million dollars per patient for these unnecessary grafts. These two defendants owned wound care companies in Arizona and received more than $330 million in illegal kickbacks in exchange for purchasing the grafts billed to Medicare. In connection with the charges, the government seized over $70 million, including four luxury vehicles, gold, jewelry, and cash.
“Every dollar saved by investigating fraud is critical to the sustainability of the Medicare program and the needs of the people who depend on it,” said Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). “In addition to the actions taken by the Justice Department, CMS took 127 administrative actions in the last six months separately against providers for their alleged involvement in health care fraud schemes. We thank our partners at the Department of Justice and Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General for working closely with us to identify, investigate, and eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse in our federal health care programs.”
Distribution of Adderall and Other Stimulants
Five additional defendants associated with digital technology company Done Global Inc. and its affiliated entity, Done Health P.C. (collectively, “Done”), were charged for the unlawful distribution of millions of Adderall pills. The CEO and Clinical President of Done were charged on June 13 in a scheme to distribute Adderall and other stimulants over the internet. The charges announced today include those against one of the most prolific prescribers working for Done, a Florida nurse practitioner who prescribed over 1.5 million pills of Adderall and other stimulants to patients across the United States. The indictment alleges that the nurse practitioner prescribed Adderall and other stimulants without interaction with patients, pursuant to Done’s “auto-refill” policy. This policy allowed patients to obtain continued prescriptions after an initial encounter without any further audio or visual interaction with a medical professional. This allegedly resulted in the nurse practitioner prescribing Adderall and other stimulants to individuals suffering from drug addiction and continuing to issue Adderall prescriptions for months after the overdose deaths of patients.
“DEA works tirelessly to protect the public from harm, be it cartels funneling fentanyl into our communities or medical providers caring more about profits than patients,” said DEA Administrator Anne Milgram. “The CEO and clinical director of Done Global Inc. are charged with over-prescribing millions of unneeded stimulant pills, potentially putting patients in danger and exacerbating the current stimulant medicine shortage. The seriousness of these actions should not be understated. DEA will continue to hold anyone accountable who endangers the health and well-being of Americans.”
Diverted HIV Medication
Three owners and executives of a wholesale distributor of pharmaceutical drugs were charged in connection with an alleged $90 million wire fraud conspiracy to introduce adulterated and misbranded HIV drugs into the market. The HIV drugs were allegedly acquired through unlawful “buyback” schemes in which previously dispensed bottles of prescription drugs were bought from vulnerable patients. The defendants allegedly purchased these drugs from the black market and resold them to pharmacies throughout the country with falsified documentation designed to conceal the true source of the medication. Pharmacies then dispensed these diverted HIV medications to unsuspecting patients. At times, patients received bottles labeled as their prescription medication, but the bottles contained a different drug entirely, with one patient passing out and remaining unconscious for 24 hours after taking an anti-psychotic drug thinking it was his prescribed HIV medication.
Addiction Treatment Cases
The addiction treatment cases announced today include charges filed in the District of Arizona and Southern District of Florida against four defendants in connection with more than $146 million of allegedly false and fraudulent claims for services for vulnerable patients seeking treatment for drug or alcohol addiction. As alleged in one of the indictments, one defendant paid kickbacks in exchange for the referral of patients recruited from the homeless population and Native American reservations. She then fraudulently billed Arizona Medicaid for substance abuse treatment services that were either never provided or were provided at a level that was so substandard that it failed to serve any treatment purpose. The defendant is charged with money laundering offenses for her lavish purchases with the fraud proceeds, as well as obstruction of justice for allegedly falsifying records in response to a grand jury subpoena for documents.
Telemedicine and Laboratory Fraud Cases
Thirty-six defendants were charged in connection with the submission of over $1.1 billion in fraudulent claims to Medicare resulting from telemedicine schemes. For example, in separate cases involving similar schemes that were perpetrated by different criminal networks in the Southern District of Texas, Northern District of Texas, and District of New Jersey, clinical laboratory owners allegedly paid illegal kickbacks and bribes, including to telemedicine companies, in exchange for the referral of orders for unnecessary genetic testing. The results of these genetic tests—which were supposed to detect genetic mutations that could indicate an elevated risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, Parkinson’s disease, and other serious illness—were not used in the patients’ treatment. Other telemedicine schemes included the unsealing of a complaint in the Eastern District of Virginia against a psychiatrist who allegedly submitted fraudulent claims based on minimal patient interactions, including for visits that lasted between 10 to 30 seconds. The continued focus on prosecuting health care fraud schemes involving telemedicine reflects the Department’s commitment to rooting out these schemes, which has saved taxpayers billions of dollars.
Cases Involving the Illegal Prescription and Distribution of Opioids and Other Health Care Fraud Schemes
The other cases announced today charge 14 defendants with crimes related to the illegal prescription and distribution of opioids that resulted in millions in false billings, including several charges against medical professionals and others who prescribed unnecessary opioids, Suboxone, and other controlled substances.
An additional 126 defendants are charged with various other health care fraud schemes involving over $450 million in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance companies for treatments that were medically unnecessary or never provided. Ten defendants across the country were charged in connection with fraudulent COVID-19 testing, including an over $65 million scheme charged in the Southern District of Florida.
The Center for Program Integrity of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CPI/CMS) separately announced today that it took adverse administrative actions in the last six months against 127 medical providers for their alleged involvement in health care fraud.
Principal Assistant Deputy Chief Jacob Foster, Assistant Chief Rebecca Yuan, and Trial Attorney Miriam L. Glaser Dauermann of the Health Care Fraud Unit of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section led and coordinated today’s enforcement action. The cases are being prosecuted by the Health Care Fraud Unit’s National Rapid Response, Florida, Gulf Coast, Los Angeles, Midwest, Northeast, and Texas Strike Forces; U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Southern District of Alabama, District of Arizona, Central District of California, Northern District of California, Southern District of California, District of Connecticut, Middle District of Florida, Southern District of Florida, Northern District of Illinois, Eastern District of Kentucky, Western District of Kentucky, Eastern District of Louisiana, Middle District of Louisiana, Western District of Louisiana, Eastern District of Michigan, Western District of Michigan, Southern District of Mississippi, District of Montana, District of New Jersey, Eastern District of New York, Eastern District of North Carolina, Western District of Oklahoma, District of Rhode Island, Eastern District of Tennessee, Middle District of Tennessee, Eastern District of Texas, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas, Eastern District of Virginia, Western District of Virginia, Southern District of West Virginia, and Eastern District of Wisconsin; and State Attorney Generals’ Offices for Arizona, California, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, and South Dakota. The Health Care Fraud Unit’s Data Analytics Team used cutting-edge data analytics to identify and support the investigations that led to these charges.
In addition to the FBI, HHS-OIG, DEA, and CMS/CPI, HSI, IRS Criminal Investigation, Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Department of Labor, United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General, and other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies participated in the operation. The Medicaid Fraud Control Units of the states of Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia also participated in the investigation of many of the federal and state cases announced today.
The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force. Prior to the charges announced as part of today’s nationwide enforcement action and since its inception in March 2007, the Health Care Fraud Strike Force, which operates in 27 districts, charged more than 5,400 defendants who collectively billed Medicare, Medicaid, and private health insurers more than $27 billion.
An indictment, information, or complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The following documents related to today’s announcement are available on the Health Care Fraud Unit website through these links:
- Graphics and Resources
- Case Descriptions
- Court Documents
60-Month Sentence for North Carolina Man Who Sent Photo of His Genitalia to FBI UndercoverRead the Press Release
HARRISONBURG, Va. – A North Carolina man, who sent a nude photograph to an employee of the Federal Bureau of Investigation whom he believed to be a nine-year-old girl, was sentenced yesterday to 60 months in federal prison.
Willy Alexander Korthals, 30, of Beaufort, North Carolina, waived his right to be indicted and pled guilty earlier this year to a one-count Information charging him with attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor.
According to court documents, in May 2022, Korthals was in a Kik chat room for “Active Parents,” in a group titled “Loving Family,” when he responded to a public group thread that read, “Anyone want to come to Virginia to have sex with my daughter?”
Korthals reached out to the individual who posted the thread and inquired about the age of the “daughter” and was told she was nine years old. Unbeknownst to Korthals, the thread was posted by an undercover FBI employee posing as the girl’s father. In an effort to coax the daughter to send him pictures, Korthals sent a photograph of his erect penis.
For over a year, Korthals chatted with the undercover FBI employee and requested “live” photographs of the nine-year-old as well as other sexually explicit photographs and videos. Korthals also attempted to FaceTime with the undercover father and daughter in order to watch the sexual abuse of the child. Additionally, Korthals described specific acts of sexual abuse he wanted the father to perform on his daughter, including oral, vaginal, and anal sex.
In preparation for an in-person meeting with the undercover father and his daughter in August 2022, Korthals sent laboratory test results of his sexually transmitted disease status to the undercover father so that Korthals could have unprotected sex with the nine-year-old. Korthals also described in graphic detail the sex acts he wanted to have the child perform. Two days before the planned meeting, Korthals cancelled it.
United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh and Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division made the announcement.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Melanie Smith prosecuted the case.
The case is brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identity and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.
N.Y. Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Traveling to Lynchburg to Meet 14-Year-Old for SexRead the Press Release
ROANOKE, Va. – A New York man, who drove 8 hours in an effort to have sex with a 14-year-old Lynchburg, Virginia, girl with whom he had been chatting online, was sentenced today to 25 years in federal prison.
Derrick Loi, 27, of Lakeville, New York, pled guilty earlier this year to one count of coercion and enticement.
According to court documents, in early February 2023, Loi met a 14-year-old girl from Lynchburg on Twitter (now known as X), and, in the early morning hours of February 14, 2023, began chatting with her on Discord. Loi told the young girl that, not only was he was interested in buying sexually explicit images and videos of her, but he also wanted to meet her in person to have sex.
Ultimately, Loi agreed to pay the victim $300 to have sex with him and to provide him with sexually explicit images.
Loi and the victim agreed that Loi would become the victim’s “sugar daddy” and that he would get unlimited access to sexually explicit content of the victim for a weekly fee of $50, which would increase to $100 after the first month. On February 15, 2023, Loi sent the victim a payment in line with that agreement.
On February 22, 2023, Loi and the victim began discussing plans for Loi to travel to meet the victim, including a discussion on specific sex acts and how he would film them.
After reserving a hotel room in Lynchburg, Loi chatted periodically with the young girl throughout his 8-hour drive from New York and also took time to send her a picture of items that he had brought with him for their sexual encounter.
Just as Loi arrived at the pre-arranged location, an officer from the Lynchburg Police Department drove up and began questioning Loi. Initially, Loi provided a false name and lied to law enforcement about why he was in Lynchburg.
A subsequent search of Loi’s vehicle revealed sex toys, a box containing “morning-after” contraception pills, and a bottle of pink vodka, which Loi had previously told the victim he was bringing for her.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case, and the Lynchburg Police Department provided vital assistance.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason M. Scheff prosecuted the case.
The case is brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identity and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/
Virginia Man Charged with Child Exploitation, Stalking, Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
ROANOKE, Va. –A federal grand jury in Roanoke returned an indictment yesterday charging a Moneta, Va. man with sexual exploitation of a child, stalking, and possession of child pornography in relation to his leadership role of a group of individuals who extort and “swat” individuals online.
The grand jury charged Evan Strauss, 26, a.k.a. “Reaper” and “Kobe Deonsons,” with one count of stalking, one count of coercion and enticement, two counts of sexual exploitation of a child, and one count of possession of child pornography.
According to court documents, on November 1, 2023, Strauss and “Minor A,” a 17-year-old girl from Wyoming, met online and began to engage in regular communication. Over the course of several months, Strauss used various interactive computer services, electronic communications services, and other systems to harass and intimidate Minor A and to place her under surveillance.
In one instance, after the victim refused to provide nude photos or videos of herself, Strauss became controlling and would scream at her. Later, he discovered the victim’s home address and threatened to “swat” her if she did not send him nude pictures or cut herself. Strauss then threatened to show up and kill her, her family, and her cat. As proof of his sincerity, Strauss boasted that he had killed animals before.
Concerned for her family, the victim gave into Strauss’s demands. Among other things, the victim, at Strauss’s direction, carved Strauss’s online username, Reaper, into her upper thigh.
On January 24, 2024, agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation interviewed Strauss while conducting a search of his residence. Among the evidence seized as part of the search was an iPhone containing multiple videos and images of young girls who are naked and/or cutting themselves. These include pictures of Minor A with “Reaper” carved into her thigh and with other cuts on her legs, as well as a surreptitious recording that Strauss took of Minor A masturbating with a hairbrush.
When Strauss admitted that one of his online usernames was “Reaper,” he also proclaimed to be an active member of a group of approximately 200 individuals known as the “Community,” and that he operated a sub-group within the Community known as “Purgatory.” According to Strauss, the Community participates in a variety of criminal activities online, including placing swatting calls, hacking, blackmailing individuals for money, and extorting women and girls to obtain explicit photos or videos of themselves and to commit acts of self-harm.
United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh and Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division, made the announcement today.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason M. Scheff 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.
Second Defendant Pleads Guilty to Armed Robbery of Danville Convenience StoreRead the Press Release
ROANOKE, Va. – A Danville, Virginia man pled guilty recently to committing Hobbs Act robbery of the Sunrise convenience store in Danville.
Calvin Franklin Hughes, Jr., 38, pled guilty to one count of Hobbs Act robbery and one count of discharging a firearm in relation to a crime of violence. Co-defendant Arshay Treyvant Haley, 19, also from Danville, previously pled guilty to committing the Hobbs Act robbery.
According to court documents, on the night of February 15, 2023, Hughes and Haley entered the Sunrise convenience store in Danville wearing masks. Haley approached the store clerk and brandished a machete, while Hughes pointed a pistol at the clerk. Hughes took around $750 from the cash register and Haley grabbed cigarette cartons off the shelf. Before fleeing the store with Haley, Hughes fired his pistol into the ceiling, leaving a shell casing.
Surveillance footage revealed a distinctive tattoo on Hughes’ left hand, aiding in his identification. Days later, officers executed a search warrant at his apartment where they found a pistol hidden in an HVAC vent and a machete in a closet. Ballistic analyses confirmed the pistol found in Hughes’ apartment was the same one he fired in the Sunrise store.
United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh and Craig B. Kailimai, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, made the announcement.
The Danville Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Drew O. Inman and former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Parker Gochenour prosecuted the case for the United States.
Charlottesville Bodybuilding Coach Pleads Guilty to Child ExploitationRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – A Charlottesville-based virtual bodybuilding coach, who sexually exploited at least six minors over the course of three years, pled guilty today to federal child exploitation and child pornography charges.
Elliott Atwell, 34, pled guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of possession of, and access with the intent to view, child pornography. At sentencing, Atwell faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and a possible maximum penalty of 30 years.
According to court documents, between December 2013 and April 2020, Atwell manipulated at least six minors to record themselves engaging in sexually explicit conduct and then send those recordings to him.
In efforts to gain the victims’ trust and willingness to participate, Atwell sent them gifts, including a digital camera, sex toys, Viagra, lubricant and other items. Atwell then gave detailed instructions on what sexual activities he wanted performed and captured on video.
In addition, the FBI searched Atwell’s iCloud account, which contained over 300 images and video files depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, including images of prepubescent boys engaged in sex acts.
The FBI remains committed to identifying and pursuing potential additional victims of Atwell’s conduct. If you have information that may be helpful, please contact the FBI tipline at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or reach out online at https://tips.fbi.gov/home.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Melanie Smith and Trial Attorney Jessica Urban of the Department of Justice’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section are prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and 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 www.justice.gov/psc.
Michael White Pleads Guilty to Federal Charges Related to Murder of Big Stone Gap Police Officer Michael ChandlerRead the Press Release
ABINGDON, Va. – Michael Donivan White pled guilty today to federal charges related to the November 2021 murder of Big Stone Gap Police Officer Michael Chandler and a wide-ranging drug conspiracy.
White, 36, of South Carolina, pled guilty today to eight counts in relation to the murder of Officer Chandler. Specifically, he pled guilty to one count of causing the death of a person using a firearm, which killing was first-degree murder, in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, one count of conspiring to distribute or possess with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, one count of using a place for the purpose of distributing or using a controlled substance, one count of using a communication facility in committing any felony-controlled substance offense, one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, one count of possession of a stolen firearm, and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and using, brandishing and discharging that firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime.
“Big Stone Gap Police Officer Michael Chandler died serving his community. The men and women among us who swear the oath and put on the badge keep all of us safe,” United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh said today. “While nothing we do in a courtroom can ever bring Michael back, our hope is that today’s guilty plea brings some semblance of peace to his family, friends, and brethren in law enforcement that today, justice was done.”
“ First, let me say our prayers for healing go out to the family of Big Stone Gap Police Officer Michael Chandler. At the core of this tragic event is a previously convicted felon getting illegal access to a firearm,” said ATF Washington Field Division Special Agent in Charge Craig Kailimai. “It is our hope that Mr. White receives a lengthy sentence that holds him accountable for every one of his criminal acts. Keeping our communities safe and supporting our fellow law enforcement partners is what drives ATF in the fight against violent crime.”
According to court documents, beginning in August 2021 and continuing even after the time of his arrest in October 2022, White and 18 other defendants participated in a conspiracy to distribute more than 15 kilograms of methamphetamine, heroin, and fentanyl.
Tragically, at approximately 4:00 a.m. on November 13, 2021, Big Stone Gape Police Officer Michael Chandler responded to a dispatch call at 2505 Orr Street in Big Stone Gap, known locally as “the red house.” Upon arriving at the red house, Officer Chandler encountered a vehicle outside the residence. Officer Chandler requested backup, telling dispatch, “This car is taking off on me.” Inside the vehicle, Michael White told a female co-defendant, Misty Ward, to “get the fu*k out of there” because there were drugs in the vehicle and that “he was not going back to jail.” Ward started to drive off as directed, but then stopped and got out of the vehicle. As Ward exited the vehicle, Officer Chandler asked Ward to show him her hands, which were covered by her jacket. Ward complied, raising her hands up in the air. At that point, White attempted to flee the scene, however the vehicle got stuck in the grass. Officer Chandler approached the vehicle on the driver’s side, hitting the window with his flashlight.
White brandished a Taurus 9mm pistol and immediately fired eight shots through the driver’s side window and door, striking Officer Chandler’s wrist and abdomen just below his bulletproof vest.
Officer Chandler died later that evening from his injuries.
Following the shooting, law enforcement identified White as a suspect. White was later located at a motel in Kingsport, Tennessee and a subsequent search of the motel room found a Taurus, 9mm pistol. Further testing ultimately proved this firearm to be the same one that fired the shots that killed Officer Chandler.
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Virginia State Police, the United States Marshal’s Service, the Wise County Sheriff’s Office, the City of Norton Virginia Police Department, the Kingsport Tennessee Police Department, the Big Stone Gap Police Department, the Wise County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, the East Tennessee Drug Task Force, and the Southwest Virginia Drug Task Force, which is comprised of investigators from the Virginia State Police, Lee County Sheriff’s Office, Scott County Sheriff’s Office, Wise County Sheriff’s Office, City of Norton Police Department, and Big Stone Gap Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lena L. Busscher and Danielle Stone are prosecuting the case.
Seventeen Southwest Virginia Co-Conspirators Face Federal Fraud Charges in Pandemic Unemployment Benefit SchemeRead the Press Release
ABINGDON, Va. – A federal grand jury in Abingdon, Virginia returned an indictment May 21, 2024 charging 17 individuals with conspiring to defraud the United States by filing fraudulent claims for pandemic unemployment benefits.
The grand jury has charged Josef Ludwig Brown, Crystal Samantha Shaw, Jonathan Scott Webb, Christopher Kirk Webb, Stephanie Amber Barton, Haleigh McKenzie Wolfe, Terrence Brooks Vilacha, Cara Camille Bailey, Jessica Dawn Lester, Brian Edward Addair, Russell Eric Stiltner, Joseph Frederick Hass, Daneil Wayne Horton, Justin Warren Meadows, Jason Dale Worley, Jeramy Blake Farmer, and Clinton Michael Altizer with conspiring to defraud the United States, fraud in connection with emergency benefits, and conspiring to commit mail fraud.
“The COVID-19 global pandemic significantly influenced the world economy and caused increased unemployment and jobless claims throughout our country,” United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh said today. “Many Virginians who lost their jobs due to the pandemic were able to endure because of the CARES Act. However, some cheated the system and diverted resources intended to help those most affected by the pandemic, and my Office remains committed to not only recovering fraudulently obtained funds, but also vigorously prosecuting those responsible.”
“Special agents from our office teamed up with our federal and local law enforcement partners and the United States Attorney to take down a conspiracy of incarcerated individuals alleged to have defrauded the unemployment insurance benefits program under the CARES Act,” said Brian D. Miller, Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery. “SIGPR will remain dedicated to holding accountable those who targeted pandemic recovery funds until it is disbanded in March 2025.”
“These defendants took advantage of a global pandemic that caused immense suffering across the country and exploited relief programs intended to help those in dire need. We remain committed to holding criminals accountable for their crimes,” said FBI Richmond Special Agent in Charge Stanley M. Meador. “We are proud to have worked this investigation with our law enforcement partners and the United States Attorney’s Office to bring justice to these victims.”
“Bad actors seized on the opportunity to exploit the chaos and uncertainty brought on by the pandemic and shamelessly pocketed CARE Act funds intended to support unemployed Virginians whose lives were uprooted by COVID-19,” said Attorney General Miyares. “Collaboration among local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies yield results, and I'm proud to be one step closer to justice.”
According to court documents, in March of 2020, Josef Brown, Jonathan Webb, and Crystal Shaw began their scheme to steal money intended for legitimate victims of the severely impacted Virginia economy by gathering the dates of birth, social security numbers, and other personal identification information of friends and acquaintances incarcerated at Haysi Regional Jail in Dickenson County, and then filling out pandemic unemployment claim forms for each of the ineligible inmates via the Virginia Employment Commission’s website dedicated to pandemic relief.
In all, the defendants stole $341,205 in pandemic relief to which they were not entitled.
As part of the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) Task Force, this investigation was conducted by the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery. The PRAC’s 20-member Inspectors General identify major risks that cross program and agency boundaries to detect fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement in the more than $5 trillion in COVID-19 spending.
Agencies that assisted with this investigation included the Dickenson County Sheriff’s Office, the Southwest Virginia Regional Jail Authority, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Department of Labor, and the Virginia Employment Commission.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney M. Suzanne Kerney-Quillen, a Senior Assistant Attorney General with the Virginia Attorney General’s Major Crimes and Emerging Threats Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Danielle Stone are prosecuting the case for the United States.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Animal Breeder Pleads Guilty to Animal Welfare and Pollution Crimes and Will Pay More than $35M, Including Record Fine in an Animal Welfare CaseRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Envigo RMS LLC pleaded guilty today to conspiring to knowingly violate the Animal Welfare Act, and Envigo Global Services Inc. pleaded guilty to a felony of conspiring to knowingly violate the Clean Water Act. Both pleas are in relation to a dog breeding facility located in Cumberland County, Virginia, from which the Justice Department secured the surrender of over 4,000 beagles in 2022.
As part of the resolution, Inotiv — of which Envigo RMS and Envigo Global Services are subsidiaries — will guarantee more than $35 million in payments, be subject to increased animal care standards and be subject to a compliance monitor. This resolution marks the largest ever fine in an Animal Welfare Act case.
“Our nation’s animal welfare and clean water laws exist to prevent suffering and harm,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “That’s why we secured the transfer of thousands of beagles from Envigo’s Cumberland facility into adoption, and that’s why today’s plea agreement is so significant. The plea agreement includes the largest ever fine in an animal welfare case as well as heightened standards of care for facilities across the country.”
“Envigo promoted a business culture that prioritized profit and convenience over following the law. This callous approach led to dire consequences: the inhumane treatment of animals and the contamination of our waterway,” said U.S. Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh for the Western District of Virginia. “The historic monetary penalties and significant compliance measures as part of these guilty pleas send a clear message: every company, in every industry, must have compliance and corporate responsibility as a critical part of their business model.”
“The provisions of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) were designed to protect animals from any type of inhumane treatment. Even in those instances of animals being bred for scientific and medical research purposes, they still must be provided with safe and sanitary living conditions,” said Special Agent in Charge Charmeka Parker of the Department of Agriculture’s Office of Inspector General. “AWA violations remain an investigative priority for us, and we will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate and assist in the criminal prosecution of those who fail to adhere to the provisions of the AWA.”
“Envigo compounded the heartbreaking nature of its animal welfare crimes by committing egregious Clean Water Act violations that undermined public health and the wellbeing of the animals in their care,” said Assistant Administrator David M. Uhlmann of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “Everyone victimized in this precedent-setting animal welfare case deserved better: the workers, the beagles, the environment and the community. Envigo deserves every dollar of its record fine.”
“Envigo’s violations of the Clean Water Act and the Animal Welfare Act directly resulted in the contamination of local waterway, negatively impacting the health and wellbeing of the community, and the horrible suffering of over 4,000 beagles. This precedent-setting case emphasizes the power of collaboration between local, state and federal authorities,” said Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares.
According to court documents, Envigo RMS conspired to knowingly violate the Animal Welfare Act by failing to provide, among other things, adequate veterinary care, adequate staffing and safe living conditions for dogs housed at the Cumberland County facility.
In addition, Envigo Global Services conspired to knowingly violate the Clean Water Act by failing to properly operate and maintain the wastewater treatment plant at the Cumberland County facility, which led to massive unlawful discharges of insufficiently treated wastewater into a local waterway and also impacted the health and well-being of the dogs at the facility.
Under the terms of the plea agreement, the entities will serve from three to five years of probation and pay a total criminal fine of $22 million — that is $11 million for each violation. In addition, the entities will pay approximately $1.1 million to the Virginia Animal Fighting Task Force and approximately $1.9 million to the Humane Society of the United States for direct assistance provided to the investigation.
An additional $3.5 million will be paid to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to benefit and restore the environment and ecosystems in Cumberland County, at least $500,000 of which will be spent on purchasing riparian wetland or riparian land located in or near Cumberland.
The entities will spend at least $7 million to improve their facilities and personnel beyond the standards imposed by the Animal Welfare Act.
Finally, the entities will pay all costs associated with a compliance monitor, which will oversee the entities’ compliance with these enhanced animal welfare standards, the Animal Welfare Act, the Clean Water Act, a nationwide compliance plan and additional terms of the agreements and probation.
Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 7.
The Department of Agriculture’s Office of Inspector General and EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division investigated the case. The Virginia State Police provided security assistance during a multi-day federal search in May 2022 of the dog breeding facility.
Senior Trial Attorney Banu Rangarajan and Trial Attorney Sarah Brown of the Environment and Natural Resources Division’s Environmental Crimes Section, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Randy Ramseyer, Corey Hall and Carrie Macon for the Western District of Virginia and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Welch (an Assistant Attorney General with the Virginia Attorney General’s Office) are prosecuting the case.
Former EDA Director Sentenced to 14 Years After Stealing over $5.2 MillionRead the Press Release
HARRISONBURG, Va. – The former executive director of the Economic Development Authority of Front Royal and Warren County (EDA), who was convicted in November of last year of stealing more than $5 million dollars in authority funds, was sentenced today to 14 years in federal prison.
Jennifer Rae McDonald, 45, of Front Royal, Virginia, was convicted following a 9-week jury trial in November 2023 of seven counts of wire fraud, six counts of bank fraud, sixteen counts of money laundering, and one count of aggravated identity theft.
“For more than four years, Jennifer McDonald used EDA funds as her personal piggy bank, diverting public funds to purchase real estate and to pay her personal expenses” United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh said today. “Today’s sentence reflects how serious this office takes fraud and the misuse of public funds. I am thankful to the FBI and the Virginia State Police for the tireless work they did to untangle the web of lies spun by this defendant.”
“The FBI is committed to investigating elected officials who abuse their positions for personal gain,” Special Agent in Charge Stanley Meador of the FBI’s Richmond Division said today. “I am proud of the work our team and partners did to uncover Ms. McDonald’s complex fraud scheme and to bring her to justice.”
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, McDonald was the Executive Director of the EDA, a public entity designed to attract and support businesses in Warren County and the Town of Front Royal. The EDA was overseen by a Board of Directors and supported by an administrative assistant, but at the center of the EDA was McDonald.
Beginning in 2014, McDonald began stealing money from the EDA and, for more than four years, McDonald used the bank accounts and credit facilities of the EDA to divert public funds to purchase real estate and to pay for her personal expenses. She falsified documents in order to mislead the EDA’s Board of Directors, external auditors, and Warren County and Front Royal government officials so she could continue her scheme.
When confronted by law enforcement and others, McDonald drafted fake loan documents, encouraged others to lie before a grand jury and fabricated an outrageous story, alleging the fraud was part of a “secret settlement” and invented more fake documents to cover-up her fraud.
In the end, McDonald pilfered the EDA’s bank accounts and is responsible for $5,201,329 in losses.
At trial, evidence was presented that at least $2.4 million of the money McDonald stole was used to fund her gambling - including net losses of more than $750,000.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Virginia State Police investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sean Welsh and Rachel Swartz and Trial Attorney Andrea Broach are prosecuting the case for the United States.
Gainesville Man Convicted for Making Threats Against Roanoke Federal Credit UnionRead the Press Release
ROANOKE, Va. – A Gainesville, Virginia man, who threatened to “blow-up Roanoke” and to rape and kill two credit union employees, was convicted last week of making threats in interstate commerce following a two-day trial.
Brandon Hayward, 35, was convicted of two counts of knowingly transmitting in interstate commerce threats to injure two employees of the InFirst Federal Credit Union.
According to evidence presented at trial, on August 15, 2022, Hayward called the InFirst Federal Credit Union customer service line with a complaint about his account. Unsatisfied with the assistance he was receiving, he proceeded to threaten two different employees of the credit union.
Hayward specifically threatened to rape and kill Victim 1, adding that he was going to get his shotgun. Hayward further threatened to find Victim 1 by searching for her last name and stated, “You think you’re safe in Roanoke; you’re not.” Hayward later threatened to come to Victim 2’s home and rape her. Both victims had prior experience with Hayward in the course of their employment with InFirst.
At sentencing, Hayward faces a maximum statutory penalty of up to five years in federal prison.
United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh of the Western District of Virginia made the announcement.
The Department of Homeland Security and Federal Protective Service investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kristin B. Johnson and Lee Brett are prosecuting the case for the United States.
Lynchburg Man Arrested on Federal Firearms ChargeRead the Press Release
LYNCHBURG, Va. – A Lynchburg, Virginia man, implicated in a series of incidents involving the illegal possession of a firearm, was arrested on a federal criminal complaint charging him with a federal gun crime.
Brandon Cole Webber, 27, was taken into federal custody this week and charged with one count of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents, on May 5, 2022, law enforcement officers were flagged down by a citizen on Fifth Street in Lynchburg after the citizen reported seeing a man fall out of a moving vehicle then shoot a firearm in the direction of the same departing vehicle. The citizen told police the man who shot at the vehicle- ultimately identified as Webber- then ran toward the Family Dollar on Federal Street in downtown Lynchburg.
Two other individuals driving past the incident witnessed Webber fall out of the vehicle. Webber asked the witnesses for a ride and attempted to enter their vehicle as law enforcement arrived on scene. Police officers searched the vehicle and found a loaded 9 mm handgun, a white bag containing suspected methamphetamine, and a wallet belonging to an unidentified individual in the back seat where Webber had been sitting.
In addition to the May 2022 incident, court documents filed today documents Webber’s involved in several other incidents.
On November 29, 2023, members of the Lynchburg Fire Department responded to an overdose at the Lynchburg Grand Hotel. First responders observed a man- later identified as Weber- lying face down on the bathroom floor of room 627. Firefighters observed needles and a glass pipe in the room. When Lynchburg Police arrived, Webber fled the scene, running from officers before being apprehended outside of the hotel. Later in the evening, officers searched room 627and recovered a bag containing suspected methamphetamine and a loaded Glock 38 handgun.
On November 30, 2023, Webber was charged with violating various state firearm statues. However, after receiving treatment for his overdose at a local hospital, law enforcement was unable to locate Webber.
Law enforcement believes Webber fled Lynchburg with the help of Subject-1, a former City of Lynchburg Community Corrections and Pretrial Services Agency Officer. Webber and Subject-1 began a romantic relationship in August 2023 and Subject-1 had been allegedly providing Webber with non-public sensitive information. For example, on five separate occasions in December 2023, Subject-1’s credentials were used to view a search warrant executed at the Lynchburg Grand Hotel on November 29, 2023 in relation to Webber’s overdose incident.
United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh of the Western District of Virginia and Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division made the announcement.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the City of Lynchburg Police Department are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Vito Iaia is prosecuting the case.
A criminal complaint 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 Kavanaugh Recognizes Police Week, Attends Fallen Officer Memorial in CharlottesvilleRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.— In honor of National Police Week, U.S. Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh will recognize the service and sacrifice of federal, state, local, and Tribal law enforcement. The week will be observed Saturday, May 11 through Friday, May 17, 2024.
“As our country recognizes National Police Week, the Justice Department joins families and communities in remembering the members of the law enforcement community who made the ultimate sacrifice protecting the public,” said Attorney General Merrick Garland. “Policing is difficult and dangerous, yet time and time again, law enforcement officers answer the call, showing up for their communities when they are needed the most. Their devotion to duty is matched only by that of their loved ones who make daily sacrifices to support them. The Justice Department is committed to doing everything in our power to help provide our law enforcement partners with the resources they need to carry out their noble work on behalf of the public.”
“Each year during Police Week we gather together as a law enforcement community to pay tribute to those men and women who have sacrificed their lives keeping our communities safe,” United States Attorney Kavanaugh said today. “Police work has never been more complex and we have never been more thankful each and every day to those who take the oath and walk a beat not for glory but rather a sense a duty.”
In 1962, President Kennedy issued the first proclamation for Peace Officers Memorial Day and National Police Week to remember and honor law enforcement officers for their service and sacrifices. Peace Officers Memorial Day, which every year falls on May 15, specifically honors law enforcement officers killed or disabled in the line of duty.
Each year, during National Police Week, our nation celebrates the contributions of law enforcement from around the country, recognizing their hard work, dedication, loyalty and commitment to keeping our communities safe.
Throughout the week, United States Attorney Kavanaugh will be attending memorial services throughout the Western District of Virginia honoring fallen officers.
On Monday, United States Attorney Kavanaugh attended a fallen officers memorial on the downtown mall in Charlottesville, Virginia. At that ceremony, officers from the City of Charlottesville Police Department and the Virginia State Police were honored for giving their lives during service to their communities.
On Monday, May 13, the names of more than 280 officers killed in the line of duty in 2024 who have been added to the wall at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial were read during a Candlelight Vigil. To view a recording of the livestream of this event, visit https://nleomf.org/memorial/programs/national-police-week-2024/candlelight-vigil/.
To learn more about National Police Week and the virtual candlelight vigil, please visit www.policeweek.org
Georgia Inmate, Leader of Methamphetamine Conspiracy, Pleads GuiltyRead the Press Release
ABINGDON, Va. – The leader of a wide-ranging methamphetamine conspiracy, who was incarcerated in Georgia at the time, pled guilty last week in U.S. District Court to federal drug charges.
Christopher David Johnson, 46, pled guilty last week to one count of conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute and to distributing 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. At sentencing, Johnson faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a statutory maximum of life.
According to court documents, Johnson conspired with numerous individuals, including Michael Paul Brown, who was sentenced last week to 180 months of imprisonment for his role in the conspiracy, to traffic and distribute multiple kilograms of methamphetamine from Georgia into Southwest Virginia. At the time, Johnson was incarcerated in Georgia and used multiple cell phones to direct the methamphetamine distribution operation from prison.
Johnson regularly communicated with his co-conspirators using both Facebook and text messaging to coordinate methamphetamine pricing, quantities, recruitment, sales, and deliveries.
United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh and Jared Forget, Special Agent in Charge of Drug Enforcement Administration’s Washington Division made the announcement.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and multiple law enforcement agencies in Georgia, Tennessee, and Virginia investigated the case, including the Bristol (Tennessee) Police Department, the Bristol (Virginia) Police Department, the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office, the 2nd Judicial Drug Task Force, and the Georgia State Patrol.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Corey Hall and Whit Pierce are prosecuting the case.
Covetrus Sentenced for Criminal Misbranding of Prescription DrugsRead the Press Release
ABINGDON, Va. – Covetrus North America LLC, a company based in Dublin, Ohio, which sells veterinary products to customers across the United States, was sentenced yesterday to one-year of probation for causing the introduction and delivery of misbranded veterinary prescription drugs into interstate commerce.
In addition, the court ordered Covetrus to pay over $23 million in criminal fines and forfeitures.
Covetrus will forfeit $21,534,091, pay $1,000,000 to the Virginia Department of Health Professions, as well as a fine of $1,000,000. In addition, Covetrus is obligated to keep in place appropriate compliance measures to prevent future violations.
According to court documents, from March 2019 to December 2021, Covetrus shipped over $20 million in prescription drugs from their non-pharmacy locations throughout the United States to end-users that were not authorized to receive prescription drugs. Shipments from non-pharmacy locations to non-authorized end-users or locations are deemed “misbranded.”
United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh of the Western District of Virginia and Special Agent in Charge George Scavdis, FDA Office of Criminal Investigations - Metro Washington Field Office made the announcement.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration – Office of Criminal Investigations and the Virginia State Police investigated the case, with the assistance of the Virginia Department of Health Professions.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Randy Ramseyer prosecuted the case.
Bristol, Tennessee Man Sentenced on Meth, Firearms ChargesRead the Press Release
ABINGDON, Va. – A Bristol, Tennessee man who conspired with others, including a man incarcerated in Georgia, to distribute multiple kilograms of methamphetamine was sentenced last week to 180 months in federal prison.
Michael Paul Brown, 39, pled guilty in November 2023 to one count of conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute and distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
According to court documents, beginning in July 2022, Brown conspired with Christopher David Johnson and others to traffic and distribute multiple kilograms of methamphetamine from Georgia into Southwest Virginia. At the time, Johnson was incarcerated in Georgia and used multiple cell phones to direct the methamphetamine distribution operation from prison.
In general, Johnson coordinated with Brown regarding travel from Virginia to Georgia to meet with individuals to collect kilograms of methamphetamine. During the conspiracy, Brown routinely carried a handgun to protect himself, his drugs, and his money.
Once Brown arrived back in Virginia with methamphetamine, he would then distribute it to wholesale distributors who would then distribute the methamphetamine further.
U.S. Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh and Jared Forget, Special Agent in Charge of Drug Enforcement Administration’s Washington Division made the announcement.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and multiple law enforcement agencies in Georgia, Tennessee, and Virginia investigated the case, including the Bristol Tennessee Police Department, Bristol Virginia Police Department, and Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office – 2nd Judicial Drug Task Force.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Corey Hall and Whit Pierce are prosecuting the case.
California Man Sentenced to 18 Years for Trafficking Fentanyl into VirginiaRead the Press Release
ABINGDON, Va. – A Buena Park, California man, who supplied as many as 30,000 pressed fentanyl pills a week to individuals who then shipped the pills into Southwest Virginia, was sentenced today to 18 years in federal prison.
Robert Contreras, 24, a.k.a. “Quill,” previously pled guilty to one count of conspiring to distribute and possession with the intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. In addition to his prison term, Contreras was ordered today to forfeit five firearms and $31,294 in cash.
“Fentanyl, especially in the form of pressed pills, is taking its toll on America, and Virginia is no exception. This case, involving the collaboration of law enforcement agencies across the country, is a prime example of the proactive measures undertaken by this Department of Justice to combat the burgeoning pressed pill epidemic currently plaguing our nation,” United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh said today. “We will investigate, prosecute and hold accountable those who profit by poisoning our communities, and – as exhibited here – we will work up the chain of drug traffickers as far and wide as possible to bring them to account.”
According to court documents, between 2020 and 2023, Contreras sold between 10,000 and 30,000 pressed fentanyl pills at a time to co-conspirator Marco Orozco at least once a week. At the height of the conspiracy in late 2021 and early 2022, Contreras sold Orozco 10,000 pressed fentanyl pills multiple times per week. The pills were then shipped from California to Southwest Virginia and other locations across the country for further distribution. Specifically, Orozco’s sub-distributors used various social media platforms to facilitate their drug trade.
On March 6, 2023, a search warrant was executed at Contreras’ residence in California. At that time, officers recovered 1,639 pressed fentanyl pills, $31,294 in cash, and five firearms without serial numbers, in addition to approximately 7,000 alprazolam pills, 3,000 Adderall pills, 242 grams of cocaine, and other hallucinogenic narcotics.
The Wise County Sheriff’s Office, the Norton Police Department, the Southwest Virginia Drug Task Force (consisting of the Wise County Sheriff’s Office, the Scott County Sheriff’s Office, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, the Norton Police Department, the Big Stone Gap Police Department, and the Virginia State Police), the Orange County (CA) Sheriff’s Department, the Santa Ana (CA) Police Department, the Anaheim (CA) Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, and the United States Postal Inspection Service investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lena L. Busscher prosecuted the case.
Northern Virginia Businessman Pleads Guilty in Federal Bribery SchemeRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – A Northern Virginia businessman, who paid a $25,000 cash bribe to then-Culpeper County Sheriff Scott Jenkins’ reelection campaign, pled guilty today to federal bribery charges.
Rick Rahim, 60, of Great Falls, Virginia, pled guilty today to one count of conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery and honest services mail fraud and one count of honest services mail fraud.
Rahim is the third Northern Virginia businessman to plead guilty as part of the bribery scheme. In March 2024, James Metcalf of Manassas, Va., pled guilty to one count of bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds. Fairfax Attorney Frederic Gumbinner pled guilty in November 2023 to an identical charge.
“Today’s guilty plea demonstrates how seriously the Justice Department takes public corruption and the bribery of public officials,” United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh said today. “The badges and guns worn by the men and women who swear an oath to protect and serve the Commonwealth of Virginia is not for sale and those who attempt to buy that honor will be held to account.”
According to court documents, Rahim owned and operated several businesses, including BV Management LLC and Food Truck Company LLC. Rahim had no law-enforcement of military experience and was disqualified from owning a firearm due to a prior state felony conviction.
In 2003 or 2004, Rahim met a businessman residing in Prince William County, Virginia who was also an Auxiliary Deputy with the Culpeper County Sheriff’s Office. In late 2019, the businessman asked Rahim if he wanted to “support” Jenkins. At that time, Rahim understood support to mean give money. The businessman told Rahim that Jenkins would probably agree to make Rahim an Auxiliary Deputy in exchange for his support.
Rahim agreed.
On July 31, 2019, Rahim, the businessman, and Jenkins met at the Culpeper County Sheriff’s Office. During the meeting, they discussed Rahim’s previous felony record and his desire to get his firearms rights restored. Jenkins claimed he could use his official position to ensure that Rahim’s petition to restore his firearms rights would be granted.
Jenkins and Rahim agreed that Rahim would provide things of value to Jenkins in exchange for Jenkins’ use of his official position to get Rahim’s rights restore and to appoint him an Auxiliary Deputy with the Culpeper County Sheriff’s Office.
On two occasions, Rahim gave Jenkins manila envelopes filled with cash- once with $15,000 and a second time with $10,000. In addition to the $25,000 in cash, Rahim also made in-kind donations to Jenkins’ campaign, including a campaign billboard and approximately 200 customized knifes.
In addition, Rahim loaned Jenkins $17,500 towards a new home Jenkins was building. Rahim never requested repayment because he wanted to maintain a good relationship with Jenkins.
On May 27, 2020, the Circuit Court Clerk of Culpeper County swore Rahim in as an Auxiliary Deputy Sheriff and the Sheriff’s Office issued him a deputy badge and identification card.
The FBI’s Richmond Field Office, Charlottesville Resident Agency is investigating the case. Trial Attorneys Celia Choy and Lina Peng of the Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Melanie Smith of the Western District of Virginia are prosecuting the case.
Two Drug Traffickers Arrested on Federal Charges for Premeditated Robbery Scheme Ending in Murder and ArsonRead the Press Release
ROANOKE, Va. – A federal grand jury in Roanoke has charged a pair of Central Virginia men with multiple federal crimes related to a 2023 drug robbery and murder where one defendant sought to dispose of the victim’s body by setting it aflame.
In an indictment returned April 11, 2024, the grand jury alleges that Joseph Richard Walker, a.k.a. “Joe,” 30, of Roanoke, and Garrett Isaac Williams, a.k.a. “Gary,” “Taz,” and “Tez,” 21, of Lynchburg, conspired to traffic marijuana; committed robbery; and conspired to commit robbery. Additionally, the indictment alleges Walker discharged a firearm to further the drug trafficking and robbery; possessed firearms as a prohibited person; and committed arson.
“There is no higher priority for my Office than keeping our communities safe by prosecuting violent crime,” United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh said today. “The federal charges brought in this case show the determination of the United States Attorney’s Office — and our local, state, and federal partners — to hold those who commit these acts accountable.”
“Our dedication to protecting the public from violent offenders in collaboration with our partners is unwavering. We will continue to work together to make our communities safer,” FBI Richmond Special Agent in Charge Stanley M. Meador said. “This indictment highlights the steadfast commitment of federal, state, and local partners to hold violent criminals accountable.”
“These two arrests are the result of the exceptional and relentless investigative work of law enforcement from a myriad of agencies," said Colonel Gary T. Settle, Virginia State Police Superintendent. "Within 48 hours, our special agents had identified Walker and Williams as the murder suspects and had state charges placed thanks to the collaborative efforts of the Star City Drug and Violent Crime Task Force, the US Marshals Service, FBI, Roanoke City Police, Roanoke County Police, the Bedford County and Roanoke City Commonwealth's Attorneys, and Bedford County Sheriff's Office.”
According to court records and public documents, beginning around January 2023, Walker and Williams conspired to sell large amounts of marijuana that they bought from the victim in York, Pennsylvania. By early April 2023, the defendants had accrued a $40,000 drug debt to the victim. Rather than pay the debt, they arranged a final marijuana delivery from the victim and planned to rob him when he arrived. On April 17, 2023, the victim traveled to Walker’s house in southeast Roanoke, where Walker shot the victim twice in the head and stole the marijuana. After killing the victim, Walker loaded his body into the trunk of the car and drove to a rural road in Bedford County where Walker set fire to the car.
The Virginia State Police and Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, the Roanoke City Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, the Roanoke City Police Department, the Roanoke County Police Department, the City of Lynchburg Police Department, and the Bedford County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office are investigating the case.
The Star City Drug and Violent Crime Task Force also aided in the investigation and is comprised of officers from the Roanoke City Police Department, Roanoke County Police Department, City of Salem Virginia Police Department, the Vinton Police Department, and Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation's Salem Field Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Drew O. Inman and M. Coleman Adams are 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.
Kansas Man Pleads Guilty to Sexual Exploitation of Lynchburg TeenRead the Press Release
LYNCHBURG, Va. – A Kansas man, who told a 14-year-old girl he wanted to “take a kid’s virginity” after meeting her on Twitter, pled guilty this week to federal child exploitation charges.
Andrew Kent, 22, a.k.a. “Leo” and “JeffThePumpkin,” from Manhattan, Kansas, pled guilty this week to one count of sexual exploitation of children. At sentencing, Kent faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a statutory maximum sentence of 30 years.
“This case demonstrates the importance of knowing not only what your children are doing online, but also with whom they are communicating,” United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh said today. “There are dangerous people on the Internet who specifically target children. We will use every tool we have to find those people and bring them to justice, but parents also perform a critical part in educating and monitoring their children’s online activity.”
“Pursuing justice for victims of child exploitation is one of our highest priorities.” Special Agent in Charges Stanley M. Meador of the FBI’s Richmond Division said today. “We will continue to work with our partners to investigate these horrific acts and bring those responsible to justice.”
According to court documents, in January 2023, Kent met a 14-year-old girl from Lynchburg, Virginia, on Twitter. Initially, Kent pretended to be a 20-year-old woman named “Tris.” He used this “Tris” persona to introduce his victim to a young man named “Leo.” In reality, both the “Tris” and “Leo” profiles were controlled by Kent.
Kent told his victim that he was from Roanoke, Virginia, and sent generic pictures of Roanoke in order to further convince her of their geographic proximity to each other.
When they began chatting, the victim informed Kent that she was only 14 years old. Kent told the her that he was 21 years old and that he was interested in meeting her someday in order to “take a kid’s virginity.”
As the conversations progressed, Kent told the 14-year-old that she needed to call him “Daddy,” “Sir,” or “Master,” and then warned her that he might punish her if she failed to do so. Kent also directed violent language at the victim, telling her he wanted to cut her and make her bleed.
After several weeks of chatting, Kent instructed the victim to send him nude photographs and videos of herself, to which she obliged.
On June 16, 2023, Kent was arrested by law enforcement and interviewed by agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. At that time, he admitted to using Twitter, Snapchat, and Discord to contact minor girls for the purpose of getting them to send him naked pictures. He often used the “Tris” persona because he found it was easier to get minor girls to talk to him if he pretended to be a young woman.
Kent estimated he solicited and received images of child sexual abuse material from approximately 200 minor girls.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case, and the Lynchburg Police Department provided vital assistance.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason M. Scheff is prosecuting the case.
The case is brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identity and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.
Former Employee Pleads Guilty to Robbing Danville Food LionRead the Press Release
ROANOKE, Va. – A former Danville Food Lion employee, who pulled a gun on a Food Lion cashier and robbed the store of more than $1,200 in cash, pled guilty yesterday to federal charges.
Christopher Rashard Harris, 30, pled guilty to one count of Hobbs Act Robbery.
According to court documents, on June 28, 2023, Harris entered the Food Lion grocery store where he used to be employed, placed two bags of Cheetos on the counter, and gave the cashier a $1 bill and some change. When the cashier opened the register, Harris pulled out a firearm, pointed it at the cashier, and said, “back the fu*k up.” The cashier put his hands up and backed away from the register while Harris grabbed the entire cash drawer and ran out with the contents, approximately $1,217.
On July 6, 2023, law enforcement arrested Harris who confessed to robbing the store and described where he had abandoned the cash drawer, which was later recovered.
United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh and Craig B. Kailimai, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, made the announcement.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason M. Scheff 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.
N.Y. Man Who Traveled to Lynchburg to Meet 14-year-old for Sex Pleads GuiltyRead the Press Release
ROANOKE, Va. – A New York man, who drove 8 hours to attempt to have sex with a 14-year-old Lynchburg, Virginia girl with whom he had been chatting online, pled guilty yesterday.
Derrick Loi, 27, of Lakeville, New York, pled guilty yesterday to one count of coercion and enticement. At sentencing, Loi faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum term of life in prison, as well as a potential fine of up to $250,000.
“Protecting minors from online predators is a cornerstone priority for the Department of Justice,” United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh said today. “I am grateful to the FBI and the Lynchburg Police Department for their swift actions in this case and preventing a more dire situation.”
“This investigation demonstrates the FBI’s commitment to protecting the American people, especially when our children involved,” Special Agent in Charge Stanley Meador of the FBI’s Richmond Division said today. “I want to thank the case team and our law enforcement partners for their quick and decisive actions.”
According to court documents, in early February 2023, Loi met a 14-year-old girl from Lynchburg on Twitter (now known as X), and, in the early morning hours of February 14, 2023, began chatting with her on Discord. Loi told the young girl not only was he was interested in buying sexually explicit images and videos of her, but also wanted to meet her in person to have sex.
Ultimately, Loi agreed to pay the victim $300 to have sex and to provide sexually explicit images.
Loi and the victim agreed that Loi would become the victim’s “sugar daddy” and that he would get unlimited access to sexually-explicit content of the victim for a weekly fee of $50, which would increase to $100 after the first month. On February 15, 2023, Loi sent the victim a payment in line with that agreement.
On February 22, 2023, Loi and the victim began discussing plans for Loi to travel to meet the victim, including a discussion on specific sex acts and how he would film them.
After reserving a hotel room in Lynchburg, Loi chatted periodically with the young girl throughout his 8-hour drive from New York and also took time to send her a picture of items that he brought for their sexual encounter.
Just as Loi arrived at the pre-arranged location, an officer from the Lynchburg Police Department drove up and began questioning Loi. Initially, Loi provided a false name and lied to law enforcement about why he was in Lynchburg.
A subsequent search of Loi’s vehicle revealed sex toys, a box of the morning-after pill Plan B, and the bottle of pink vodka from an earlier photo that Loi had sent to the victim. The trunk of the car contained a large yellow plastic storage bag and was lined with a vinyl or rubber shower liner, on top of which sat a flattened cardboard box.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case, and the Lynchburg Police Department provided vital assistance.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Scheff is prosecuting the case.
The case is brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identity and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.
Big Stone Gap Man to Serve Almost 9 Years in Prison for Meth PossessionRead the Press Release
ABINGDON, Va. – A Big Stone Gap, Virginia man, who fled from police during a traffic stop before ultimately being found with more than 50 grams of methamphetamine in his car, was sentenced last week to 107 months in federal prison.
Joshua Derrick Ellis Vanover, 35, pled guilty to possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and was sentenced on March 15, 2024.
According to court documents, on February 26, 2023, officers with the Big Stone Gap Police Department attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by Vanover, but he failed to stop and a high-speed pursuit ensued. When his vehicle finally came to a stop, Vanover was arrested, and a search of his person revealed a large bag of methamphetamine hidden inside his boxer shorts. A subsequent search of his vehicle revealed two large bags of methamphetamine, digital scales, several empty baggies, and syringes. Vanover admitted he fled from police because he knew he was wanted, had drugs on him, and did not want to go back to jail. Vanover’s serious and significant criminal history, including prior drug-related convictions, were aggravating factors considered at his sentencing hearing.
United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, and Craig B. Kailimai, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, made the announcement.
The ATF, the Big Stone Gap Police Department, the Wise County Sheriff’s Office, and the Drug Enforcement Administration all assisted throughout the course of the investigation.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney M. Suzanne Kerney-Quillen, a Virginia Senior Assistant Attorney General assigned to the Attorney General’s Major Crimes and Emerging Threats Section, prosecuted the case for the United States.
Norton Man Sentenced for Possessing Multiple Explosive DevicesRead the Press Release
ABINGDON, Va. – A Norton, Virginia man who possessed multiple explosive devices at his home was sentenced last week to 69 months in federal prison.
Jordan Patrick Adams, 38, pled guilty in November 2023 to one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and one count of knowingly possessing an unregistered destructive device.
According to court documents, in August 2022, police received information that Adams may be in possession of explosive devices and booby traps at his home. As a result, officers with the Wise County Sheriff’s Office and Virginia State Police Bomb Squad executed a search warrant at Adams’ home and discovered, among other items, four suspected explosive devices, three of which were determined to be destructive devices.
United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh of the Western District of Virginia and Craig B. Kailimai, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, made the announcement.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Virginia State Police, and the Wise County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Corey Hall prosecuted the case.
Doctor at L5 Pain Clinic Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison, Ordered to Pay over $200,000Read the Press Release
ROANOKE, Va. – A doctor from North Carolina, who was assigned to several pain clinics in Virginia but was rarely physically on-site at any of them, was sentenced this week to 18 months in prison for conspiring with others to use a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) registration number issued to another person. Randall was also ordered to pay $205,000 in fines and forfeiture.
Wendell Lewis Randall, 71, of Millers Creek, N.C., pled guilty in November 2023 to conspiring to use, in the course of dispensing and distributing controlled substances, a DEA registration number issued to another person. DEA registration numbers are unique identifiers issued to medical providers in order to track who issues drug prescriptions and to ensure only qualified providers prescribe controlled substances.
According to court documents, between 2017 and 2020, Randall—a medical doctor who operated his own practice in North Carolina—was affiliated with L5 Medical Holdings, an LLC which was doing business as Pain Care Center, a line of pain clinics operating in Woodlawn, Lynchburg, Madison Heights, Blacksburg, and Christiansburg.
Randall was nominally assigned to the Woodlawn clinic, but he was only occasionally ever on-site. He was also absent from the Christiansburg and Madison Heights clinics, but Randall allowed other, unqualified medical providers to use his DEA registration number to prescribe Suboxone (buprenorphine) in his name, even though he had never actually seen the patients who received the drugs.
Court documents, including text messages, show L5 paid Randall in exchange for being able to use his DEA registration number. Randall acknowledged in these messages that he was not seeing patients at L5’s clinics and that he was aware his arrangement with L5 was illegal.
Court documents also revealed Randall’s colleagues repeatedly warned him that his prescribing practices for Schedule II opioids were improper. Randall received over $300,000 in exchange for renting out his DEA credentials and for his supposed supervision of nurses who, in truth, Randall failed to supervise.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. District Judge Elizabeth Dillon found that Randall’s conduct endangered patients over several years and that imprisonment was needed to punish Randall and to deter others from committing similar crimes.
Randall is the third defendant sentenced in connection with L5’s operation of pain clinics in western Virginia. Charles Wilson Adams, Jr., is currently serving a two-year prison sentence, and former nurse practitioner Debra Kay Shaffer was sentenced to a term of imprisonment and a fine. Three other defendants—L5 owner Greg Barnes, former doctor Duane Dixon, and L5 itself—have pled guilty and are awaiting sentencing. A seventh defendant has pled not guilty to drug conspiracy, health care fraud, wire fraud, and false statement charges and is awaiting trial.
United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh, Special Agent in Charge Jared Forget of the DEA’s Washington Division, Special Agent in Charge Maureen Dixon of HHS-OIG’s Philadelphia Region, Colonel Gary Settle, Superintendent of the Virginia State Police, and Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares made the announcement today.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – Office of the Inspector General, the Virginia State Police, and the Virginia Attorney General’s Office - Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys S. Cagle Juhan, Jason M. Scheff, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Janine M. Myatt, Assistant Attorney General with the Virginia Attorney General’s Office, prosecuted the case.
Two Plead Guilty to 2022 Gun Store Burglary in Patrick CountyRead the Press Release
DANVILLE, Va. – A pair of men from the Carolinas, who in the pre-dawn hours of a September morning in 2022 burglarized a Patrick County gun store, pled guilty last week in U.S. District Court in Roanoke.
Bradley Wayne McCraw, 43, of Gaffney, S.C., and Justin Darrell Whitaker, 31, of Mooresville, N.C., each pled guilty to one count of stealing firearms from a federal firearms licensee and aiding and abetting in the same, and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
According to court documents, in September 2022, McCraw and Whitaker stole a truck, attached a chain from it to the back door of the Rabbit Ridge Gun Shop and Range, and yanked it open. Surveillance video captured them wearing masks and entering the store where they proceeded to steal more than a dozen firearms, including shotguns, rifles, and pistols.
Both McCraw and Whitaker entered into plea agreements with the government in which the defendants would be sentenced to a range between 100 to 150 months in prison.
United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh and Craig B. Kailimai, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, made the announcement.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case with assistance from the Patrick County Sheriff’s Office. The Sheriffs’ Offices in Cherokee County, South Carolina, Spartanburg, South Carolina, and Cleveland County, North Carolina also assisted with the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristin B. Johnson is prosecuting the case.
N.C. Man Admits to Traveling to Virginia to Have Sex with MinorRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – A North Carolina man, who lied about his age to a 14-year-old girl he met on Instagram before traveling to Virginia to have sex with her, pled guilty yesterday in U.S. District Court.
Rayvon Birden, 26, of Raleigh, North Carolina, pled guilty yesterday to one count of traveling in interstate commerce for the purpose of engaging in sexually illicit conduct. As part of his plea agreement, Birden and the government agreed to a sentencing range between 78 and 120 months in prison and that he will be required to register as a convicted sex offender upon his release.
According to court documents, Birden contacted the 14-year-old victim through Instagram direct messaging and represented himself as a 16-year-old named “Nolan.”
Birden and the victim exchanged phone numbers and began communicating via text messages and Facetime regularly. Over the course of their conversations, Birden masturbated in front of the victim and, on at least one occasion, asked for nude photographs of her, which the victim sent via text messaging.
Birden then drove from his home in North Carolina to meet the victim at a hotel near her Virginia home where they had sexual intercourse on multiple occasions, at least one of which Birden filmed.
United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh and Special Agent in Charge Derek W. Gordon of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C. made the announcement.
HSI- Harrisonburg, Virginia, in conjunction with the Albemarle County Police Department and the Southern Virginia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jordan E. McKay is prosecuting the case.
Federal Halfway House and Its President Sentenced for Wire Fraud and Making False StatementsRead the Press Release
ABINGDON, Va. – The former president and director of Secor Inc., a federal halfway house that contracted with the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to house inmates, was sentenced last week to 15 months in federal prison for making false statements and wire fraud. Secor, Inc. was sentenced to one year of probation.
Matthew Castle, 35, of Lebanon, Virginia, and Secor, Inc., through its counsel, pled guilty in November 2023 to one count of making materially false statements in a matter within the jurisdiction of the executive, legislative, or judicial branch of the United States, and one count of wire fraud.
Secor will serve a term of probation of one to five years. Additionally, Castle and Secor paid $208,105 in restitution, forfeited $40,000, and paid an additional $30,000 in fines.
“This sentence serves as another example to those doing business with the United States – if you commit fraud, you will be held accountable,” United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh said today. “As one of the first cases investigated internally by the United States Attorney’s Office and our financial fraud investigator, this marks the beginning of a new era for corporate criminal enforcement in the Western District of Virginia.”
According to court documents, Secor was a residential reentry center, commonly referred to as a “halfway house,” for inmates from the BOP who were nearing the end of their federal prison sentences.
In 2018, Secor entered into a contract with the BOP that allowed some of the offenders under the care of Secor to be assigned to “home confinement,” meaning those offenders resided at an approved residence not owned by Secor. BOP paid Secor one type of daily rate for offenders who resided at Secor’s facilities and a different monetary daily rate for those on home confinement.
Under the terms of the contract, Secor was required to outfit home confinement offenders with GPS monitoring equipment so the offenders’ whereabouts could be determined at all times. In addition, Secor personnel were required to personally visit each offender’s residence on at least a monthly basis to ensure the offender was living at the offender’s assigned residence, in a safe environment, and in accordance with applicable rules.
In fact, Secor did not outfit many of the home confinement offenders with GPS monitoring and did not conduct home visits as required. Nonetheless, Castle routinely completed documentation certifying that he had conducted such visits, and in an effort to make it appear that such visits had occurred when they had not, he would make notations such as “things were going well,” and the offender “had no questions or concerns to address at the time.”
Each month, Castle submitted fraudulent invoices to BOP for payment, and BOP issued payments based on their representations that Castle and Secor were providing home confinement services in accordance with the contract.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s new Financial Fraud Investigator with assistance from the Russell County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Prisons.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Whit Pierce and Randy Ramseyer prosecuted the case.
Danville Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Robbery, Firearm ChargesRead the Press Release
ROANOKE, Virginia – A Danville man who fired a handgun during the robbery of a gas station in December 2022 pled guilty this week to federal robbery and firearm charges.
Isaac Graham, 42, pleaded guilty to Hobbs Act robbery and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. He faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years and a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
According to court documents, Graham robbed a Danville convenience store at gunpoint in December 2022. Graham entered the store with a handgun, fired a round into the floor, and demanded money from the store clerk. Graham fled with approximately $1,400 from the store. He was arrested a short time later by the Danville Police Department.
U.S. Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh of the Western District of Virginia and Craig B. Kailimai, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, made the announcement.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Danville Police Department investigated the case.
Former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Parker Gochenour and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee Brett 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.
Federal Prosecutions in Charlottesville Add Nine Firearms Charges to Drug Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh announced today the return of a second superseding indictment leveling nine additional charges, including firearms offenses, against some of the 19 defendants charged as part of the region’s largest-ever federal drug trafficking prosecution.
The original indictment, returned in August 2023, accuses 17 defendants with being part of a large-scale drug conspiracy that distributed pound quantities of methamphetamine, fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine in and around the Charlottesville region. Two additional defendants were added to a superseding indictment returned in September 2023.
The investigation itself was a major step forward for local, state, and federal law enforcement as the first prosecution brought after Charlottesville, Albemarle County, and the University of Virginia were admitted to the Justice Department’s Project Safe Neighbors initiative.
The second superseding indictment, returned yesterday, adds nine new charges. Most notably it charges Landon Devon Fields, Bobby Eugene Christmas, Dashard Brown, Brooks Lorenzo Woodfolk, Norman Eugene Goins, Jr., and Laqueshia Chanice Burges each with one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Fields, Christmas, and Woodfoolk were also charged with the possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
In addition to the firearms charges Fields, Christmas, Brown, and Woodfolk were charged with new drug distribution offenses.
Finally, the new indictment seeks the forfeiture of 25 firearms, ammunition, and over $70,000 in United States currency.
The indictment alleges that beginning in February 2023 and continuing through the date of the indictment, the defendants conspired with each other and others to distribute, and possess with the intent to distribute, more than 500 grams of methamphetamine, fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine in and around the Charlottesville region.
Others charged include:
- DuShaun Lamont Gregory, 36, of Henrico, Virginia.
- Tyquane Pertell Gregory, 27, of Charlottesville, Virginia.
- Michael Edward Cornett, 29, of Charlottesville, Virginia.
- Antone Laron Harris, 41, of Charlottesville, Virginia.
- Ashlee Renee Morris, 37, of Barboursville, Virginia.
- Shaheem Taishaun Michie, 18, of Arlington, Virginia.
- John Ellis Turner III, 42, of Charlottesville, Virginia.
- Gary Wayne Woodson, 66, of Crozet, Virginia.
- Cedric Trent, 25, of Charlottesville, Virginia.
- Dustin Lee Welch, 34, of Dillwyn, Virginia.
The Virginia State Police 3A Regional Drug and Gang Task Force, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Albemarle County Police Department, the Department of Homeland Security- HSI, the City of Charlottesville Police Department, the Greene County Sheriff’s Office, the Nelson County Sheriff’s Office, the Fluvanna County Sheriff’s Office, the Henrico County Police Department, and the United States Marshal’s Service are investigating the case. The Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Offices from the City of Charlottesville and Albemarle County, along with the Charlottesville Emergency Services and the Virginia National Guard have assisted in the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald M. Huber is prosecuting the case of the United States.
The investigation, extradition, and conviction of these defendants is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
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.
Husband and Wife from Knoxville Sentenced for Roles in Heroin and Meth ConspiraciesRead the Press Release
ABINGDON, Va. – A Knoxville, Tennessee couple, who conspired with others to traffic heroin and methamphetamine into Lee County, Virginia, were sentenced today to lengthy prison terms.
Billie Jo McGuire, 30, and her husband, Billy Justin King, 30, both pled guilty in October 2022 to one count of conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, one count of conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin, and one count of possession with the intent to distribute five grams or more of methamphetamine. Billy King also pled guilty to possessing a firearm in possession of a drug trafficking crime.
Today, King was sentenced to 15 years in prison and McGuire was sentenced to 24 months.
McGuire and King conspired with Robert Earl Warr, Robert Lee Jenkins, and others, including John Joel Foster, Ray Anthony McSwain, Garrett Lee Teffeteller, Darin Thomas, and David Edward Farmer, to sell heroin and methamphetamine in and around Lee County, Virginia, and the Knoxville, Tennessee area.
According to court documents, as part of the broader conspiracy, King and McGuire trafficked methamphetamine and heroin from Eastern Tennessee into Lee County, Virginia for redistribution. While King was the ‘leader’ between the pair, McGuire assisted her husband’s drug activities by weighing the drugs, counting money, answering King’s cell phone, and coordinating drug customers.
United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh and Craig B. Kailimai, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, made the announcement.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, the Wise County Sheriff’s Office, the Southwest Virginia Drug Task Force, the Knoxville, Tennessee Police Department, the Knox County, Tennessee Sheriff’s Office, the Sevier County, Tennessee Sheriff’s Office, and the Lee County Commonwealth Attorney’s Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lena L. Busscher prosecuted the case for the United States.
Bristol Man Sentenced on Drug, Firearms ChargesRead the Press Release
ABINGDON, Va. – A Bristol, Virginia man, who possessed approximately 100 firearms while conspiring to distribute methamphetamine, was sentenced today to 10 years in federal prison. In addition, Stout is forfeiting all of the firearms and ammunition he possessed.
Zachary Stout, 26, pled guilty in September 2023 to one count of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute five grams or more of methamphetamine, one count of possession with the intent to distribute five grams or more of methamphetamine, and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
According to court documents, on April 19, 2022, law enforcement executed a search warrant at the residence of Robert Hockett in Bristol, Virginia. During that search, law enforcement recovered more than 1,600 grams of nearly pure methamphetamine, 135 grams of heroin, 40 pills of fentanyl, approximately $28,000 in cash, firearms, ammunition, and two cellphones.
In addition, investigators learned that Hockett was being supplied methamphetamine from Tyshawn Blackwell and Zachary Stout.
On July 27, 2023, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Stout’s residence in Bristol, Virginia. During that search, authorities recovered approximately 30 grams of methamphetamine, digital scales, four cell phones, and approximately 100 firearms—many of which were loaded. The firearms included semiautomatic rifles, pistols, and three sawed-off shotguns. Numerous high-capacity magazines and more than 3,300 rounds of ammunition were also seized.
In August 2023, Hockett was sentenced to 127 months in prison for his role in the conspiracy. Blackwell is awaiting sentencing in the Eastern District of Tennessee.
United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh and Craig B. Kailimai, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, made the announcement.
The investigation of the case was handled by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Drug Enforcement Administration; and the Bristol, Virginia Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Whit D. Pierce is prosecuting the case for the United States.
Coeburn Man Facing Mandatory 20-Year Sentence Following Jury ConvictionRead the Press Release
ABINGDON, Va. – A federal jury convicted a Coeburn, Virginia man today for conspiring with others to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine in addition to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
Last week, a jury convicted Rodney Allen Pickett, 51, of one count of conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, three counts of distribution of methamphetamine, one count of possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, one count of possession of a firearm and ammunition after having been convicted of a felony, one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and one count of possession of firearm silencers.
At sentencing, Pickett faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh of the Western District of Virginia and Special Agent in Charge Craig B. Kailimai of the Washington Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives made the announcement.
The Southwest Virginia Drug Task Force, the Coeburn Police Department, the Wise County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Danielle Stone and Lena Busscher are prosecuting the case.
Former Coffeewood Prison Guard Arrested on Federal Child Porn ChargeRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – A former prison officer at Coffeewood Correctional Center in Mitchells, Virginia was arrested today on federal charges related to his receipt and purchase of child pornography.
Davey Jonathan Sisk, 29, of Culpeper, Virginia, was arrested on a federal criminal complaint charging him with one count of receipt of child pornography.
According to court documents, an investigation conducted by the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) revealed that from 2021 through 2022, a now-15-year-old minor living in Texas (MV1), and another minor engaged in sexual intercourse and then sold videos and images of these sexual encounters on the internet through various social applications, including Snapchat.
Specifically, it is alleged that Sisk, using the Snapchat username “JAKESMOOT2021,” paid approximately $465 through Cash App to MV1 in exchange for multiple sexually-explicit images and videos.
United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh of the Western District of Virginia made the announcement.
Homeland Security Investigations - Washington D.C.’s Harrisonburg Field Office is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sally J. Sullivan is prosecuting the case.
A complaint is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Covetrus Pleads Guilty to Criminal Misbranding of Veterinary Prescription DrugsRead the Press Release
ABINGDON, Va. – Covetrus North America LLC, a company based in Dublin, Ohio, which sells veterinary products to customers across the United States, pled guilty today to causing the introduction and delivery of misbranded veterinary prescription drugs into interstate commerce. As part of the agreement, Covetrus will pay over $23 million in criminal fines and forfeitures.
“The United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Virginia takes the distribution of misbranded prescription drugs seriously,” United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh said today. “Covetrus shipped over $20 million in prescription drugs to unauthorized end-users in violation of federal laws that are designed to ensure prescription drugs are kept within a controlled chain of distribution and to prevent diversion and inappropriate use. Today’s result demonstrates my Office’s commitment to holding those companies and corporations accountable when they seek to profit by breaking the law.”
“The FDA recognizes the importance of controlling the prescription drug supply for animals. The careless or uncontrolled distribution of prescription animal drugs poses a danger not only to the medicated animals but to the U.S. public health by increasing the risk that humans will become resistant to antibiotics that we unknowingly consume through our food supply.” said Special Agent in Charge George Scavdis, FDA Office of Criminal Investigations - Metro Washington Field Office. “We will continue to pursue and bring to justice those who distribute prescription animal drugs unlawfully.”
According to court documents, from March 2019 to December 2021, Covetrus shipped over $20 million in prescription drugs from their non-pharmacy locations throughout the United States to end-users that were not authorized to receive prescription drugs. Shipments from non-pharmacy locations to non-authorized end-users or locations are deemed “misbranded.”
Covetrus will forfeit $21,534,091, pay $1,000,000 to the Virginia Department of Health Professions, as well as a fine of $1,000,000. In addition, Covetrus is obligated to keep in place appropriate compliance measures to prevent future violations.
Sentencing is scheduled for May 8, 2024 at 10:30 a.m.at the United States Federal Courthouse in Abingdon.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration – Office of Criminal Investigations and the Virginia State Police investigated the case, with the assistance of the Virginia Department of Health Professions.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Randy Ramseyer is prosecuting the case.
Kroger, Harris Teeter Pharmacies in Charlottesville to Pay U.S. $1.3 MillionRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – A Kroger Pharmacy and a Harris Teeter Pharmacy in Charlottesville, Virginia have both agreed to pay the United States a combined total of $1.3 million to settle civil claims that the stores violated the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).
“We have seen a record number of Americans lose their lives in recent years as a result of opioid poisoning,” United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh said today. “This epidemic remains ongoing, and we know that many individuals struggling with addiction are obtaining opioids and other addictive drugs from pharmacies who choose to look the other way. My Office continues to work with the DEA and others to hold accountable any pharmacy or doctor who illegally prescribes these highly-addictive and dangerous drugs.”
“Healthcare providers, including pharmacies, have a vital responsibility when it comes to dispensing medications to meet the health needs of their patients. Our goal is to ensure that healthcare providers are equipped with the necessary tools and knowledge to deliver high-quality care to their patients, while also preventing the diversion and misuse of prescription drugs for the safety and well-being of our citizens,” said Jarod A. Forget, Special Agent in Charge, DEA Washington Division.
Specifically, the United States contends the two pharmacies violated the CSA at least 160 times between February 2018 and April 2021 by filling invalid prescriptions for opioids and benzodiazepines that were written by a physician clearly acting outside the scope of his medical practice, and pharmacists at both locations should have known this information and refused to fill those illegal prescriptions.
United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh of the Western District of Virginia and Special Agent in Charge Jared A. Forget of the Drug Enforcement Administration - Washington Division made the announcement.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Lugar and the DEA Richmond District Office investigated the matter.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
Martinsville Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Trafficking Meth and CocaineRead the Press Release
ABINGDON, Va. – A Martinsville, Virginia man, who possessed crystal ice methamphetamine and cocaine valued at more than $35,000, was sentenced this week to 10 years in federal prison.
Octavius Myron Johnson, 39, was convicted following a jury trial in October 2023 of one count of possession with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine, in addition to one count of possession with the intent to distribute cocaine.
According to evidence presented at trial, in early 2023, law enforcement initiated an investigation into Johnson’s drug trafficking activities in the Glade Spring area of Washington County. Their investigation led to the execution of a search warrant at Johnson’s Martinsville residence where over a half-pound of crystal ice methamphetamine and over 80 grams of cocaine were recovered. Cash totaling $3,800 and other items related to drug trafficking were also seized.
United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, and Jared Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Washington Division, made the announcement.
The investigation of this case was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, and the Holston River Regional Drug Task Force, with assistance from numerous agencies including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Henry County Sheriff’s Office, the Martinsville Police Department, the Smyth County Sheriff’s Office, and the Virginia State Police.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney M. Suzanne Kerney-Quillen, a Senior Virginia Assistant Attorney General assigned to the Attorney General’s Major Crimes and Emerging Threats Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly McGann prosecuted the case.
North Carolina Man, Who Sent Nude Picture to FBI Undercover, Pleads GuiltyRead the Press Release
HARRISONBURG, Va. – A North Carolina man, who sent a nude photograph to an employee of the Federal Bureau of Investigation whom he believed to be a 9-year-old girl, pled guilty yesterday to federal child pornography charges.
William “Willy” Alexander Korthals, 30, of Beaufort, NC, waived his right to be indicted and pled guilty yesterday to a one-count Information charging him with attempted transfer of obscene matter to a minor.
“One of the cornerstones of the Department of Justice’s mission is protecting the most vulnerable among us: our children.” United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh said today. “This case should serve as a warning to all predators lurking online seeking to exploit children: You are not invisible, and agents from the FBI and other federal agencies are actively hunting you in every corner of the internet in order to bring you to justice.”
“Protecting children from all forms of exploitation is one of our highest priorities,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge of the Richmond Field Office, Stanley M. Meador. “We will continue to fully investigate these crimes and work with our law enforcement partners to protect children from predators, hold them accountable and protect our communities. I want to thank the I-81 Human Trafficking and Crimes Against Child Task Force and our partners for their work on this case.”
According to court documents, in May 2022, Korthals was in a Kik chat room for “Active Parents,” in a group titled “Loving Family,” when he responded to a public group thread that read, “anyone want to come to Virginia to have sex with my daughter?”
Korthals reached out to the individual who posted the thread and inquired about the age of the “daughter” and was told she was nine years old. Unbeknownst to Korthals, the thread was posted by an undercover FBI employee posing as the girl’s father. In an effort to coax the “daughter” to send him pictures, Korthals sent a photograph of his erect penis.
For over a year, Korthals chatted with the undercover FBI employee and requested “live” photographs of the 9-year-old as well as other sexually explicit photographs and videos, and also attempted to Facetime with the undercover “father and daughter.” Additionally, Korthals described specific acts of sexual abuse he wanted the “father” to perform on his “daughter,” including oral, vaginal, and anal sex.
In preparation for an in-person meeting with the undercover father and his “daughter” in August 2022, Korthals sent his laboratory test results of his sexually-transmitted disease status to the undercover “father” so that Korthals could have unprotected sex with the 9-year-old “daughter.” Two days before the planned meeting, Korthals cancelled it.
At sentencing, Korthals faces a maximum statutory penalty of up to 10 years in prison and/or a fine of up to $250,000.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Melanie Smith is prosecuting the case.
The case is brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identity and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.
New River Valley Drug Dealer Sentenced to More than 11 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
ROANOKE, Va. – A Dublin man who engaged in drug dealing in Roanoke while armed with a weapon was sentenced this week to 11 and a half years in federal prison.
Nicholaus Francois Wines, 39, pleaded guilty in August 2023 to possessing 500 grams or more of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute and to unlawfully possessing a firearm after having been previously convicted of a felony offense.
According to court documents, on November 19, 2021, Wines was a fugitive who had warrants for his arrest out of Roanoke County and Pulaski County. On that date, law enforcement utilized a source to order a quantity of methamphetamine from Wines, and when Wines arrived in Roanoke to make the delivery, he was arrested on his outstanding charges. Incident to his arrest, law enforcement discovered that not only did Wines have a semi-automatic pistol tucked into his pants, he also was in possession of 503 grams of methamphetamine as well as approximately $9,500 in U.S. Currency.
United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division Stanley M. Meador, and Superintendent Gary T. Settle of the Virginia State Police announced the sentence today.
The Virginia State Police, Roanoke City and County Police Departments, Salem City Police Department, the Botetourt-Rockbridge Drug Task Force, which consists of Botetourt County Sheriff's Office, Rockbridge County Sheriff's Office and Buena Vista Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation participated in the investigation of the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Coleman Adams 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.
Charlottesville Man Arrested for Operating East Coast Prostitution RingRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – A Charlottesville, Virginia man, who posted hundreds of commercial sex ads for adult women in various cities in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, was arrested early this morning for violating the Mann Act, a federal law that criminalizes the transportation of any woman or girl for the purpose of prostitution.
Brian Lamont Turner, 42, was arrested this morning at a home in Charlottesville following a hours-long standoff with police on a federal criminal complaint charging him with one count of violating the Mann Act.
United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh of the Western District of Virginia and Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division announced the arrest.
According to court documents, in February 2023, the Federal Bureau of Investigation received multiple reports from local law enforcement agencies identifying Turner and adult females suspected of engaging in commercial sex acts.
The FBI’s investigation revealed an account on the commercial sex website SkiptheGames.com registered to an email address known to be used by Turner. The account posted hundreds of commercial sex advertisements in various states, including Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland, and Pennsylvania.
According to court documents, one of Turner’s most recent listings was posted on January 17, 2024, advertising commercial sex in Charlottesville.
Turner controlled all or almost all aspects of arranging commercial sex dates. He created the advertisements, communicated with customers, and scheduled the dates. Text messages show him providing instructions and information to his victims about dates, such as how long the date was scheduled to last and how much money to charge. Turner also transported the adult victims to and from the hotels and often stayed in the hotel parking lot or another hotel room while the victims saw commercial sex customers.
Turner specifically targeted female victims who had drug addictions, recruited them, and used their drug addictions to control them. Turner became the women’s main source of drug supply and threatened to withhold drugs from his victims if they did not complete their commercial sex dates or follow his directions.
In addition, Turner is known to possess a firearm and has used it to compel his victims to follow his instructions.
The FBI is investigating the case. The Charlottesville City Police Department and the Albemarle County Police Department assisted with Turner’s arrest.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Melanie Smith is prosecuting the case.
A criminal complaint 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 Collects over $20 Million in Civil and Criminal Actions in Fiscal Year 2023Read the Press Release
CHARLOTTESVILLE- Va.- United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh announced today that the Western District of Virginia collected $20,747,820.84 in criminal and civil actions in Fiscal Year 2023. Of this amount, $13,068,847.12 was collected in criminal actions and $7,678,973.72 was collected in civil actions.
Additionally, the Western District of Virginia worked with other U.S. Attorney’s Offices and components of the Department of Justice to collect an additional $40,042,441.35 in cases pursued jointly by these offices.
“My Office is committed to pursuing justice, both criminally and civilly, in order to protect the interests of the United States in every city, town, and county in the Western District of Virginia,” United States Attorney Kavanaugh said today. “As federal prosecutors, we have numerous tools we use to ensure that defendants are deprived of the ill-gotten financial gains of their criminal activity. These numbers, along with other metrics, prove that the Western District of Virginia is the wrong place for criminals to operate.”
In July 2023, the Western District of Virginia recovered $4.6 million as part of the settlement in the Health Connect America (HCA) case. HCA, headquartered in Franklin, Tennessee with locations in Big Stone Gap and Culpeper, Virginia, agreed to pay $4,611,375 to resolve allegations that it billed Virginia Medicaid for services not provided. Specifically, the allegations involved HCA billing Medicaid improperly for three separate behavioral health services available to children who qualify.
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 for the Western District of Virginia, working with partner agencies and divisions, collected $19,321,456 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.
Nine Indicted in Federal Health Care Fraud ProbeRead the Press Release
LYNCHBURG, Va. – A November 2023 indictment, returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Roanoke, Virginia charging nine people with healthcare fraud conspiracy, money laundering, and obstruction of justice, has been unsealed following the arrest and initial court appearances of all nine defendants.
According to court documents, Carolyn Bryant-Taylor, 59, of Clinton, Maryland; Kafomdi “Josephine” Okocha, 48, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland; Samuel Okocha, 50, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland; Shekita Gore, a.k.a. Shekita Steele, 38, of Clinton, Maryland; Berthe Feuzeu, a.k.a. Berthe Djuni, 48, of Manassas Park, Virginia; Anthony Kanu, 57, of Bladensburg, Maryland; Elizabeth Ilome, 41, of Stafford, Virginia; Eno Utuk, 47, of Stafford, Virginia; and Rhabiatu Kamara, 45, of Fort Washington, Maryland, are all charged with conspiracy to commit health care fraud.
Bryant-Taylor, Josephine Okocha, Samuel Okocha, and Gore also are charged with one count of health care fraud. Additionally, Bryant-Taylor is charged with two counts of obstruction of justice and one count of money laundering. Josephine Okocha is charged with three counts of money laundering.
According to the indictment, Bryant-Taylor, Josephine Okocha, Samuel Okocha, and Gore are owners and operators of 1st Adult N Pediatric Healthcare Service, a Medicaid-enrolled home health agency providing private duty nursing, personal care, and respite care services throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia, including in the Western District of Virginia. Feuzeu, Kanu, Utuk and Kamara were employed by 1st Adult as nurses and Ilome as a medication technician. The defendants are alleged to have conspired to submit false claims to Medicaid for services that were not provided to patients, including falsifying records and documentation in support of the fraudulent claims submitted for reimbursement.
First Assistant United States Attorney Zachary T. Lee, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, and Special Agent in Charge Stanley M. Meador of the FBI’s Richmond Division made the announcement today following the indictment’s unsealing.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Virginia Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit are investigating the case, with assistance from the United States Department of Health and Human Services.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristin B. Johnson and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Terry, a Senior Assistant Attorney General with the Virginia Attorney General’s Office, 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.
Nine Indicted in Federal Drug ConspiracyRead the Press Release
ABINGDON, Va. – A federal grand jury in Abingdon, Virginia indicted nine individuals last week charging them with participating in a federal drug conspiracy that trafficked methamphetamine from North Carolina into southwest Virginia.
All nine defendants have been arrested and are now in federal custody.
The indictment charges Marcos Adrian Martinez Rodriguez, Nestor Gutierrez-Gonzalez, Isaias Cisneros-Hernandez, Loeum Vinn Tok, Joan Mary Schugardt, Cody Allen Cashatt, Johnie Zeke Derose, April Renae Maness, and Richard Wayne Greer.
All nine defendants are charged with one count of conspiring to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. In addition, Greer is charged with one count of knowingly using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime.
According to court documents, from June 2021 and October 2021, the defendants operated a methamphetamine distribution ring in and around Lexington, North Carolina. During the life of the conspiracy, methamphetamine was transported into southwest Virginia for distribution. Last year, Joshua Kogod, of Smyth County, Virginia, was convicted for his role in the conspiracy.
United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh and Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division made the announcement.
The investigation, which remains ongoing, is being conducted by FBI in Virginia and North Carolina as well as the Lexington, N.C. Police Department; the Davidson County, N.C. Sheriff’s Office; and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carrie Macon and Whit D. Pierce 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.
Haymarket Brothers Get 18 Years Total in Fentanyl ConspiracyRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – A pair of brothers from Northern Virginia, who distributed or intended to distribute more than 10,000 pressed fentanyl pills in Culpeper, Virginia and surrounding counties, were sentenced yesterday to more than 18 years of total federal prison time.
Thomas Anthony Marshall, 25, and Jonathon Hayden Marshall, 20, both pled guilty in August 2023 to identical charges, that is, one count of conspiring to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute fentanyl and one count of distribution and possessing with the intent to distribute fentanyl. Yesterday, Thomas Marshall was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison and Jonathon Marshall was sentenced to 8 years in federal prison.
According to court documents, on several occasions in September 2022 both Thomas and Jonathon Marshall sold pressed fentanyl pills to confidential informants working with the Blue Ridge Narcotics and Gang Task Force. Specifically, on September 1, 2022, Thomas Marshall sold 1,020 fentanyl pills and on September 6, 2022, Thomas and Jonathon Marshall sold 1,987 fentanyl pills. On September 14, 2022, Thomas Marshall sold 1,812 fentanyl pills.
On September 27, 2022, the Blue Ridge Narcotics and Gang Task Force executed a search warrant at a residence shared by the Marshall brothers in Fauquier County, Virginia. During the course of the search, law enforcement recovered 6,549 pressed fentanyl pills, $32,642 in cash, and numerous firearms and ammunition.
United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh announced the sentence today.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Blue Ridge Narcotics and Gang Task Force investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald M. Huber prosecuted the case.
Twenty-Six-Year-Old California Man to Serve 42 Months for Supplying Fentanyl that Caused Wise County Teen OverdosesRead the Press Release
ABINGDON, Va. – A California man, who conspired with others to supply fentanyl linked to teenage overdoses that occurred in Wise County, Virginia, was sentenced this week to 42 months in federal prison.
Jorge Efrain Perez, 25, of Anaheim, California, pled guilty in January 2023 to one count of conspiring to distribute and possession with the intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.
According to court documents, between November 2020 and June 2022, Perez, along with Alexander Ortiz and Destiny Raeann Perez, supplied thousands of pressed pills containing fentanyl to Paul Mason Perkins, Aaron Stidham, Austin Jeremiah Lane, Cheyenne Cassie Carico, and others, all drug dealers in Southwest Virginia.
Every few weeks, Perkins and Stidham used Snapchat and Instagram to buy thousands of fentanyl-laced pills from Ortiz. Both Jorge Perez and Destiny Perez assisted Ortiz by mailing the illicit packages from California to Big Stone Gap and Appalachia, Virginia. The pair then re-sold the deadly pills to other individuals throughout Wise County, including multiple sales to co-conspirators Lane and Carico. According to the evidence, Jorge Perez’s debit card was used over 150 times to mail illicit packages to Virginia.
On November 24, 2021, Lane and Carico sold pills to a 17-year-old female they knew from school who subsequently overdosed and was hospitalized later that night after ingesting those pills. On the same night, an 18-year-old male was also hospitalized due to a drug overdose. Further investigation revealed that pills from both overdoses were linked to Ortiz and had been shipped to Virginia by Jorge Perez.
Last week, Ortiz was sentenced to 17 years in prison for his role in the conspiracy. Destiny Perez was previously sentenced to 9 years in prison.
United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh, Craig B. Kailimai, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Washington Field Division, and Tommy D. Coke, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service - Atlanta Division, made the announcement.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, and the United States Postal Inspection Service investigated the case, with assistance from the Orange County (CA) Sheriff’s Department, Stanislaus County (CA) Sheriff’s Department, and Anaheim (CA) Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lena L. Busscher prosecuted the case.
Lebanon, Virginia Man Pleads Guilty to $1.4 Million Wire FraudRead the Press Release
ABINGDON, Va. – A Lebanon, Virginia man, who set up a fictitious business for the sole purpose of assisting a co-conspirator to fraudulently obtain $1.4 million in payments from an out-of-state aircraft company, pled guilty last week to one count of wire fraud.
In July 2022, William B. Sink, 55, and an unidentified co-conspirator named “Vanessa,” created a fictitious business, “The Rockn U Farms, LLC,” and then opened a business checking account at Truist Bank in Lebanon, Virginia for the sole purpose of obtaining money fraudulently.
Over the course of several months, The Rockn U Farms LLC business account received several wire transfers totaling approximately $1.4 million from a Minnesota company that sells personal aircraft. Sink immediately transferred the proceeds to various bank accounts and cryptocurrency exchanges at the direction of “Vanessa.” He also made cash withdrawals and transfers to his personal Truist bank account in the amount of nearly $10,000.
At sentencing, scheduled for February 22, 2024, Sink faces up to 20 years in prison.
United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh of the Western District of Virginia and Special Agent in Charge, Kareem A. Carter of the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, Washington D.C. Field Office. made the announcement.
The Russell County Sheriff’s Office and the Internal Revenue Service- Criminal Investigation are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lena L. Busscher is prosecuting the case.
Vinton Man Sentenced to Eight Years for RobberyRead the Press Release
ROANOKE, Va. – A Vinton, Virginia man, who targeted and robbed a female who posted that she had marijuana for sale on social media, was sentenced today to eight years in federal prison.
Donovan Allen Carico, 21, previously pled guilty to one count of Hobbs Act Robbery, one count of brandishing and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and one count of possessing a firearm while being an unlawful user of a controlled substance. Carico will serve his 8 year sentence consecutive to a four-year sentence he is currently serving in state custody for unrelated conduct.
According to court documents, on June 7, 2020, the victim agreed to sell four ounces of marijuana to an individual with the Snapchat handle “DonnyChapo2020.” Accompanied by a friend, they traveled to Wasena Park, in Roanoke to make the transaction. At the park, Carico entered the victim’s car, sat in the back seat, and asked to see the marijuana.
After the victim showed Carico the marijuana, Carico produced a firearm, put it to the back of the victim’s head and told her to give him everything. The victim complied with his demands and Carico departed with the marijuana and other personal items.
United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh, Craig B. Kailimai, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Washington Field Division made the announcement.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Roanoke City Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Coleman Adams 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.
Marion Man to Serve 25 Years for Role in Large-Scale Meth ConspiracyRead the Press Release
ABINGDON, Va. – A Marion, Virginia man, who trafficked multiple pounds of methamphetamine into Southwest Virginia since 2021, was sentenced to 25 years in prison this week for his role in the conspiracy.
Brian Cory Hoover, 34, pleaded guilty in September 2023 to one count of conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute and distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, and one additional count of possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.
According to court documents, twice a month, Hoover transported up to 10 pounds of methamphetamine from Atlanta, Georgia into Southwest Virginia. That methamphetamine was redistributed in Southwest Virginia by Hoover and his co-conspirators Amanda Wain, Travis Farmer, Larry Whittaker, Borve Fisher, and others. Wain, Farmer, Whittaker, and Fisher were all previously convicted for their roles in the conspiracy.
Shortly after law enforcement learned of Hoover’s activities, Hoover fled, leaving Virginia and eventually the United States. He was apprehended in Mexico in June 2023.
United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh and Special Agent in Charge Stanley M. Meador of the FBI’s Richmond Division made the announcement.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Virginia State Police’s Holston River Regional Drug Task Force, the Smyth County Sheriff’s Office, the Bristol, Tennessee Police Department, the Wythe County Sheriff’s Office, and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Whit D. Pierce is prosecuting the case.
California Man to Serve 17 Years for Supplying Fentanyl Causing Wise County OverdosesRead the Press Release
ABINGDON, Va. – A California man, who supplied the fentanyl linked to teenage overdoses that occurred in Wise County, Virginia, was sentenced yesterday to 17 years in federal prison.
Alexander Ortiz, 26, a.k.a. “LoLife,” of Fullerton, Calif., pleaded guilty in January 2023 to one count of conspiring to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
According to court documents, Ortiz and his co-conspirators, Jorge Efrain Perez and Destiny Raeann Perez, were the suppliers of fentanyl for Paul Mason Perkins, Aaron Stidham, Austin Jeremiah Lane, Cheyenne Cassie Carico, and others, all of Southwest Virginia.
Between November 2020, and June 2022, Ortiz sold thousands of pressed pills containing fentanyl to Perkins and others. Ortiz sold 1,000 pills at a time to Perkins using the social media platforms Snapchat and Instagram, making sales to Perkins every few weeks. Ortiz had the pills mailed to Perkins at his residence in Big Stone Gap, Virginia. Perkins then distributed the pills to other individuals in Wise County, including multiple sales to co-conspirators Lane and Carico. Jorge Perez and Destiny Perez assisted Ortiz in mailing the illicit packages from California to Virginia, as well as other locations throughout the country.
On November 24, 2021, Perkins sold Carico and Lane three pressed pills. Lane and Carico had purchased two of the pills for a 17-year-old female the two knew from school. Later that night, the 17-year-old female was hospitalized due to a drug overdose. Later the same night, an 18-year-old male who had purchased pressed pills containing fentanyl from Perkins was hospitalized due to a drug overdose. Further investigation revealed that pills from both overdoses were linked to Ortiz.
Search warrants executed at Ortiz’s residences in Los Banos and Santa Ana, California, resulted in the recovery of over 6,000 pressed pills containing fentanyl, approximately $60,000 cash, and 13 firearms.
United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh, Craig B. Kailimai, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Washington Field Division, and Tommy D. Coke, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Atlanta Division made the announcement.
The Wise County Sheriff’s Office, Norton Police Department, Southwest Drug Task Force (consisting of the Wise County Sheriff’s Office, Scott County Sheriff’s Office, Lee County Sheriff’s Office, Norton Police Department, Big Stone Gap Police Department, and Virginia State Police), Orange County (CA) Sheriff’s Department, Stanislaus County (CA) Sheriff’s Department, Santa Ana (CA) Police Department, Anaheim (CA) Police Department, United States Postal Inspection Service, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lena Busscher is prosecuting the case.
Wise County Man Who Trafficked Methamphetamine, Possessed Firearms Sentenced to 10 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
ABINGDON, Va. – A Wise County, Virginia man was sentenced yesterday to serve 10 years in federal prison for distributing methamphetamine and illegally possessing firearms.
Randall Scott Hileman, 56, previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute and possession with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, to possessing with the intent to distribute and distributing methamphetamine, and to possession of firearms by a convicted felon. He was sentenced today to serve 120 months in federal prison. There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court documents, Hileman’s conviction stems from five undercover drug transactions in 2021 and 2022 during which Hileman sold methamphetamine to informants. When law enforcement in Wise County attempted to arrest Hileman on outstanding warrants in September of 2022, a standoff ensued, and Hileman was found to be in possession of four firearms and assorted ammunition. Due to his multiple felony drug convictions, Hileman is prohibited from possessing any firearms.
After his arrest, Hileman admitted his connection to co-defendant Justin Elliott, who law enforcement had previously identified as a methamphetamine trafficker as a result of Elliott’s August 2021 arrest in Coeburn, Virginia. That arrest resulted in the seizure of a large quantity of methamphetamine and several additional firearms. As a result of this investigation, both Hileman and Elliott admitted not only to being involved in the distribution of methamphetamine throughout Southwest Virginia, but also admitted they trafficked a massive quantity of crystal ice methamphetamine into the same area over the course of a two year span, including over 30 kilograms of methamphetamine, some of which was 100% pure. In May 2023, Elliott was sentenced to serve 188 months in federal prison.
United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, and Special Agent in Charge Craig B. Kailimai of the Washington Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, made the announcement..
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Coeburn Police Department, the Norton Police Department, the Wise County Sheriff’s Office, and the Southwest Virginia Drug Task Force investigated the case.
Special Assistant United States Attorney M. Suzanne Kerney-Quillen, a Senior Assistant Attorney General with the Virginia Attorney General’s Major Crimes and Emerging Threats Section, prosecuted the case for the United States.