Eastern District of Washington
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
Washington Man Sentenced to 21months in Federal Prison for Assaulting Female Victim on the Colville Indian ReservationRead the Press Release
Spokane – William D. Hyslop, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Daniel Parks Conant Jr., age 28, an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, was sentenced today after having pleaded guilty on July 7, 2020, to Crime on Indian Reservation, Assault Resulting in Substantial Bodily Injury to a Spouse, Intimate Partner, or Dating Partner. United States District Judge Thomas O. Rice sentenced Clark to a 21-month term of imprisonment, to be followed by a 3-year term of court supervision after he is released from federal custody.
According to information disclosed during court proceedings, Clark was driving with his then girlfriend, an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. En route, Conant became upset with her when their vehicle ran out of gas. Conant began hitting her in the face with his fists several times and dragged her across the roadway. Fortunately, she was able to get away, flag down police, and report the assault to authorities.
United States Attorney Hyslop said, “The sentence imposed by the Court reflects the very serious nature of domestic assault. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington works closely with federal, state, local and Tribal law enforcement agencies to ensure that Native American Women and families are protected from violence such as this.”
This case was investigated by the Spokane Resident Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Tribal Law Enforcement Department of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation Police. This case was prosecuted by Richard R. Barker, Assistant United States Attorney, and Michael L. Vander Giessen, Special Assistant United States Attorney, for the Eastern District of Washington.
Tri-City Metro Drug Task Force Receives over $132,800 Forfeiture Award from U.S. Department of Justice as a Result of Dismantling Fentanyl-Laced Pill Drug Trafficking Ring in the Tri-City AreaRead the Press Release
Spokane – William D. Hyslop, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, and Frank A. Tarentino III, Special Agent in Charge of the Seattle Field Division of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, announced today and presented the Tri-City Metro Drug Task Force with $132,876 in asset forfeiture equitable sharing funds. Kennewick Police Chief Ken Hohenberg, Governing Board Chair of the Metro Drug Task Force, accepted the funds on behalf of the Task Force.
The Tri-City Metro Drug Task Force was originally formed in 1988 and has for more than 30 years had a significant impact on disruption of narcotics trafficking and related criminal activities in the Tri-Cities region, and across the State of Washington and the Pacific Northwest. It can use these funds to further its efforts. The Metro Drug Task Force is comprised of officers from the Kennewick Police Department, Richland Police Department, Pasco Police Department, West Richland Police Department, Benton County Sheriff’s Office, and Franklin County Sheriff’s Office.
The asset forfeiture funds presented today are the result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) and Metro Drug Task Force investigation which targeted distributors of Fentanyl-laced pills in the Tri-City area. The investigation and law enforcement action began in 2017, indictments issued in 2018, and in 2020 the final assets were forfeited.
Fentanyl, an extremely dangerous and deadly opioid, is largely responsible for the marked increase in drug overdoses and deaths in Eastern Washington. Fentanyl is the most dangerous and insidious drug facing our community today. Fentanyl-laced pills, are illegally manufactured most commonly in Mexico and have found their way into this community and others in devastating numbers. Fentanyl is 100 times more potent than morphine and hundreds of times more potent than street-level heroin. People using even a partial Fentanyl-laced pill have died instantly.
The forfeiture funds shared with Metro Drug Task Force today were seized and forfeited from two defendants who have been previously sentenced and a third individual who is a fugitive:
- Taylor Fertig, of Kennewick, Washington, pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute 400 grams or more of Fentanyl, and was sentenced on June 26, 2019, to a 10-year term of imprisonment, to be followed by a 5-year term of court supervision. He was also ordered to forfeit $12,220 in U.S. currency seized by the United States. According to information disclosed during court proceedings, Fertig was identified as one of the first major distributors in the Tri-City area of Fentanyl-laced pills that are unlawfully made to appear to be prescription oxycodone medication.
- Dustin Alvin Zuhlke of Kennewick, Washington, pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl, and was sentenced on October 22, 2020, to a 4-year term of imprisonment, to be followed by a 3-year term of court supervision, and was ordered to forfeit $136,982 in U.S. currency seized by the United States. According to information disclosed during court proceedings, Zuhlke was identified as a large scale distributor of Fentanyl-laced pills, selling over 1,000 pills per week in 2017.
- Remijio Morfin-Mendoza is a fugitive. Notwithstanding Morfin-Mendoza’s fugitive status, the United States seized and forfeited $16,893 in U.S. currency from him. On June 5, 2018, he was indicted by a grand jury in the Eastern District of Washington for one count of Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl and two counts of Distribution of Fentanyl. The public is reminded that charges contained in an indictment are only accusations and are not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Pursuant to applicable regulations, an 80% share of the funds seized from Zuhlke, Fertig, and Morfin-Mendoza are being shared with the Metro Drug Task Force in recognition of its significant contribution to this investigation. The shared asset forfeiture funds will assist the Metro Drug Task Force in further crime-fighting efforts.
The Department of Justice Asset Forfeiture Program is, first and foremost, a law enforcement program. It removes the tools of crime from criminal organizations, deprives wrongdoers of the proceeds of their crimes, recovers property that may be used to compensate victims, and deters crime. The Department of Justice underscores these law enforcement purposes with all federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies.
One of the ancillary benefits of asset forfeiture is sharing federal forfeiture proceeds with cooperating state and local law enforcement agencies through equitable sharing as is occurring here. The Department of Justice Equitable Sharing Program enhances cooperation between federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement by providing valuable additional resources to those law enforcement agencies.
United States Attorney William Hyslop said, “The influx of Fentanyl into Eastern Washington is a huge threat to this area. Prosecuting Opioid/Fentanyl-related cases is a top priority for the United States Attorney’s Office. We are committed to investigating and dismantling Fentanyl trafficking and we are actively engaged in community outreach efforts to educate people about the dangers of this deadly drug. This investigation exemplifies the positive crime fighting results that can be achieved when federal, state, local, and Tribal law enforcement agencies collaborate and work together. Our citizens are safer and our communities are more secure as a result of joint law enforcement efforts like what occurred here. The Metro Drug Task Force’s determined investigative work with the DEA and swift action have been critical to the success of this investigation.”
“Fentanyl is taking lives throughout the country and destroying the communities we live in,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Frank Tarentino. “In the last year, DEA has seen a 187% increase in fentanyl seizures in Eastern Washington. Fentanyl continues to be an eminent threat to the public and its production and distribution is contributing to an increase in crime and violence. Through the outstanding partnerships with our local, state, and federal partners, our relentless pursuit of these dangerous criminals will not stop.”
The enforcement action resulting in this forfeiture was part of an OCDETF investigation. The OCDETF program provides supplemental federal funding to the federal and state agencies involved in the investigation of drug-related crimes. This OCDETF investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
This case was investigated by the Spokane Resident Office of the Drug Enforcement Administration in partnership with the Metro Drug Task Force.
This case was prosecuted by Stephanie Van Marter and Brian M. Donovan, Assistant United States Attorneys for the Eastern District of Washington.
More information regarding the DOJ Equitable Sharing Program can be found here: DOJ Guide to Equitable Sharing.
Statement of Acting Attorney General Jeffrey A. Rosen Regarding Nationwide Safety and Security for Inauguration DayRead the Press Release
Tomorrow, the Nation and the world will witness an orderly and peaceful transfer of power in the United States, as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court swears in President-Elect Biden. Throughout our Nation’s proud history, this ceremony has served as a beacon of democracy and a testament to the enduring strength of our Constitution.
By contrast, the violence we witnessed at the Capitol two weeks ago was an intolerable travesty, which is why the Justice Department has now brought charges against more than one-hundred individuals and has investigations of many others underway.
The Department of Justice is committed, together with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, to ensuring a safe and peaceful Inauguration – one that reflects our Nation’s enduring highest values.
As I have repeatedly said over the last two weeks, the Justice Department will have no tolerance for anyone who attempts to mar the day with violence or other criminal conduct. Anyone who does that will be caught, and they will be prosecuted.
Indeed, over the past two weeks, we have seen friends, family members, co-workers, and others reporting information to us about those who were involved in the breach of the Capitol on January 6th. The FBI has received nearly 200,000 digital tips from the public. The American people have demonstrated that they will not allow mob violence to go unanswered. Violence and senseless criminal conduct are not the right way to resolve differences or promote change in our country.
So, rest assured that every level of law enforcement and the National Guard are working around the clock here in Washington, D.C., to provide safety and security for Inauguration Day, and that federal, state, and local law enforcement all around the country are doing the same in our state capitols and government buildings across all fifty states.
As Americans, we all should seek to have a safe and peaceful Inauguration Day, and if we hold fast to our country’s Constitution and traditions, we will.
Gang Member Sentenced to 7 Years in Federal Prison for CarjackingRead the Press Release
Spokane – William D. Hyslop, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Rolando Vargas, age 31, of Sunnyside, Washington, was sentenced today after having pleaded guilty on October 29, 2019, to Carjacking. United States District Judge Salvador Mendoza, Jr. sentenced Vargas to a 7-year term of imprisonment, to be followed by a 3-year term of court supervision after he is released from federal prison.
According to information disclosed during court proceedings, on July 31, 2019, patrol deputies from the Yakima County Sheriff’s Office responded to a reported carjacking in Outlook, Washington. While investigating, deputies learned that several individuals were involved, including Vargas, a documented Bell Garden Locos (“BGL”) Sureno gang member. Investigators also learned that one of the individuals involved brandished a firearm and ordered the victim out of the vehicle, whereupon the victim was assaulted resulting in injury to his face and hands. A separate individual then entered the victim’s vehicle and drove away followed by Vargas and the other participants in separate vehicles.
United States Attorney Hyslop said, “Vargas has been removed from the community. Today’s sentence is significant and sends a clear message to those who may commit crimes like this that your criminal conduct will not be tolerated. The United States Attorney’s Office works closely with our federal, state, local and Tribal law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute violent offenders and to deter criminal conduct. We commend the law enforcement officers with the Yakima County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation who investigated this case. Their partnership resulted in the successful outcome of this case.”
This case was prosecuted under the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program. PSN is a federal, state, and local law enforcement collaboration to identify, investigate, and prosecute individuals responsible for violent crimes in our neighborhoods. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is partnering with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement to specifically identify the criminals responsible for violent crime in the Eastern District of Washington and pursue criminal prosecution.
This case was investigated by the Yakima Resident Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Yakima County Sheriff’s Office. This case was prosecuted by Patrick J. Cashman, an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington.
Gang Member Sentenced to 2 Years in Federal Prison for Firearm PossessionRead the Press Release
Spokane – William D. Hyslop, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Lukes Lorenzo Herrera, age 23, of Prosser, Washington, was sentenced today after having pleaded guilty on November 4, 2020, to Felon in Possession of a Firearm. United States District Judge Salvador Mendoza, Jr. sentenced Herrera to a 2-year term of imprisonment, to be followed by a 3-year term of court supervision after he is released from federal prison.
According to information disclosed during court proceedings, on April 10, 2020, patrol deputies from the Yakima County Sheriff’s Office responded to a two-vehicle collision on Waneta Road, Grandview, Washington. While on scene, officers learned that one of the individuals involved, subsequently identified as Herrera, a Bell Garden Locos (“BGL”) Sureno gang member, had requested that the police not be notified because he had a firearm and drugs in the car. Herrera fled the scene on foot after throwing what appeared to be a firearm into an adjacent canal. Shortly after retrieving the discarded firearm, deputies found Herrera hiding near a field and arrested him.
United States Attorney Hyslop said, “The prosecution of firearm-related crimes continues to be a priority for the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington. If you unlawfully possess a firearm, we will hold you accountable and remove you from our streets.”
This case was prosecuted under the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program. PSN is a federal, state, and local law enforcement collaboration to identify, investigate, and prosecute individuals responsible for violent crimes in our neighborhoods. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is partnering with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement to specifically identify the criminals responsible for violent crime in the Eastern District of Washington and pursue criminal prosecution.
This case was investigated by the Yakima Resident Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Yakima County Sheriff’s Office. This case was prosecuted by Patrick J. Cashman, an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington.
Moses Lake Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison on Child Pornography ChargesRead the Press Release
Spokane – William D. Hyslop, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Juan Rivera, age 47, of Moses Lake, Washington, was sentenced today after having pleaded guilty on October 20, 2020, to Conspiracy to Produce Child Pornography. United States District Judge Rosanna Malouf Peterson sentenced Rivera to 20 years in federal prison, well above the mandatory minimum sentence required by federal law. Judge Peterson also imposed a lifetime of court supervision after Rivera is released, required him to register as a sex offender upon completion of his prison sentence, and ordered him to pay $48,000 in restitution to his minor victim. Rivera is a citizen of Mexico who was previously removed from the United States in 2003 and 2009.
According to information disclosed during court proceedings, authorities became aware of Rivera’s misconduct in late 2018 when the California Division of Child Services in Tehama County, California (near Sacramento), opened a package containing an anonymous letter. The letter indicated a woman in Tehama County had sent pornographic images of her minor daughter to Rivera, who was then living in Moses Lake, Washington. The letter included an electronic storage device that contained still images and videos of child pornography depicting the woman’s daughter, taken when the child was only 11 years old. The investigation revealed that Rivera and the woman had previously lived together with her daughter in Moses Lake before the woman and her daughter moved to the Sacramento area. After the woman and her daughter moved, Rivera solicited explicit and very specific sexual images of the girl, which her mother recorded and sent to Rivera using their telephones and the Internet. The woman admitted to exploiting her daughter and has been separately convicted and sentenced by California authorities.
The FBI executed search warrants at Rivera’s home in Moses Lake and discovered multiple digital devices containing Rivera’s communications with the victim’s mother, along with multiple images and child pornography videos, including the same images that had accompanied the anonymous letter.
United States Attorney Hyslop said, “Today’s sentencing hearing brings to a close a terrible child sex abuse tragedy perpetrated by Rivera and the victim’s own mother. I sincerely hope that the child-victim is able to gain a sense of resolution as she moves forward with her life. The 20-year sentence of Rivera for this heinous child exploitation reflects the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington’s commitment to uncovering such nefarious conduct and protecting the most innocent. It sends a strong message that my office will work closely with our federal, state, local and Tribal law enforcement partners to find and prosecute child predators, no matter where they are.”
Earl D. Camp, Acting FBI Special Agent in Charge, Seattle Field Office, said: “Child predators inflict lifelong trauma on their vulnerable victims through their vile acts. This sentence sends a powerful message to would-be sex offenders that together with our law enforcement partners, we will pursue justice to help keep the children of Washington State safe.”
This case was pursued as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. The PSC Initiative has five major components:
• Integrated federal, state, and local efforts to investigate and prosecute child exploitation cases, and to identify and rescue children;
• Participation of PSC partners in coordinated national initiatives;
• Increased federal enforcement in child pornography and enticement cases;
• Training of federal, state, and local law enforcement agents; and
• Community awareness and educational programs.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on “resources.”
This case was investigated by the Spokane Resident Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Grant County Sheriff’s Department, the Moses Lake Police Department, United States Customs and Border Protection, and the Tehama County (California) Sheriff’s Office. The federal case was prosecuted by David M. Herzog, an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, in cooperation with Carlee A. Bittle, a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for the Grant County Prosecutor’s Office.
District Court Orders Washington State Company and its Owner to Stop Distributing Adulterated Juice ProductsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A federal court permanently enjoined a Sunnyside, Washington, company from preparing, processing, and distributing adulterated juice and other food products, the Department of Justice announced today.
In a complaint filed on November 6, 2020 at the request of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the United States alleged that Valley Processing Inc., along with the company’s owner and president, Mary Ann Bliesner, violated the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) by distributing adulterated apple, pear, and grape juice products. The company formerly supplied millions of juice servings used in school lunch programs. The complaint alleged that the defendants processed juice under grossly insanitary conditions, failed to adhere to relevant food safety standards, and distributed to the public newer juice mixed with older, potentially contaminated juice.
“Americans must be confident that the food they and their families consume is safe,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Jennifer B. Dickey of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “We will continue to work with our partners at FDA to stop companies from taking shortcuts at the expense of safety.”
“The purity and security of harvested and processed foods are matters of paramount importance to our citizen consumers, particularly during unsettled times,” said U.S. Attorney William Hyslop for the Eastern District of Washington. “The DOJ and our FDA partners work hard to ensure compliance with food processing safety and purity standards. We support these efforts which are essential to promoting confidence in Washington’s and our nation’s food sources.”
“Food processors who do not comply with FDA regulations can put consumers’ health and well-being in danger. With this consent decree, we’re taking action to protect Americans, including children in this case, from consuming foods that have been processed in violation of the law,” said Judy McMeekin, Pharm.D., FDA’s Associate Commissioner for Regulatory Affairs. “The FDA is fully committed to taking appropriate measures against those who disregard food safety standards and distribute adulterated food to the public.”
According to the complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington, FDA inspections revealed that the defendants’ juice products contained inorganic arsenic and patulin — toxins that can pose health risks to consumers. FDA found that the defendants did not analyze or investigate data from their raw fruit suppliers, as required by law, to determine the origin of these food hazards. The complaint also alleged that Valley Processing stored grape juice concentrate that was several years old outside in covered barrels. The complaint alleged that samples of the old juice concentrate were found to be contaminated with filth and mold, yet defendants combined the older juice with newer lots and distributed the mixture to consumers and schools. The complaint alleged that the defendants promised to stop using the old juice, but a subsequent 2019 FDA inspection showed the defendants continued to blend the older juice with newer juice.
The defendants agreed to settle the suit and be bound by a consent decree of permanent injunction. The order entered by the district court permanently enjoins the defendants from violating the FDCA and requires that they destroy any food, including any juice products, still in their possession. As part of the settlement, defendants represented that they are no longer engaged in processing, preparing, packing, or distributing any type of food. Before processing or distributing any food in the future, the defendants first must notify FDA in advance, comply with specific remedial measures set forth in the injunction, and permit FDA to inspect their facilities and procedures.
This matter was handled by Trial Attorney Kendrack D. Lewis of the Consumer Protection Branch in the Department of Justice’s Civil Division, with the assistance of Senior Counsel Tara Boland of the FDA’s Office of the Chief Counsel and Assistant U.S. Attorney Tim M. Durkin of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington.
For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts, visit its website at https://www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch . For more information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington, visit its website at https://www.justice.gov/usao-edwa .
United States Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs Announces Webpage on Investigations Regarding Violence at the U.S. Capitol Listing Defendants Charged and Related InformationRead the Press Release
Spokane – William D. Hyslop, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced today that the Department of Justice – Office of Public Affairs has created a webpage listing every defendant charged in federal court in the District of Columbia related to crimes committed at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on January 6, 2020 and related information.
Links to the webpage are listed below:
Investigations Regarding Violence at the Capitol (justice.gov)
https://www.justice.gov/opa/investigations-regarding-violence-capitol
Grant County Gang Leader and Drug Trafficker Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Spokane – William D. Hyslop, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Joshua Isaac Stine, age 34, a resident of Ephrata, Washington, was sentenced today after having pleaded guilty on May 28, 2020, to Conspiracy to Distribute 500 Grams or More of a Mixture or Substance Containing a Detectable Amount of Methamphetamine and a Mixture or Substance Containing Heroin, Possession with Intent to Distribute 500 Grams or More of a Mixture or Substance Containing a Detectable Amount of Methamphetamine, Distribution of 50 Grams or More of Actual (Pure) Methamphetamine, and Felon in Possession of a Firearm. Senior United States District Court Judge Wm. Fremming Nielsen sentenced Stine to a 240 month term of imprisonment, to be followed by a 10 year term of court supervision after he is released from federal prison.
According to information disclosed during court proceedings, this case involved a long-term coordinated investigation lead by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (“ATF”) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) into drug trafficking activities in the greater Grant County, Washington and surrounding areas. The U.S. Border Patrol and multiple local law enforcement agencies in Grant County were also involved. Joshua Isaac Stine has been a validated member and a leader of the East Side Familia (“ESF”) Norteno criminal street gang. In this role, Stine engaged in significant, multi-pound-level, trafficking of both methamphetamine and heroin. Further, Stine recruited and trained young gang members to distribute controlled substances for ESF and himself. Those individuals face federal sentencing for their criminal activities later this month.
On July 16, 2019, numerous search warrants were executed by law enforcement as part of this case. Stine was found to have multiple pounds of methamphetamine and an arsenal of weapons, to include assault rifles, in a “stash house.” Multiple firearms were also located at Stine’s primary residence in Ephrata, Washington.
In the sentencing hearing, the Court found Stine to be a leader / organizer of this criminal venture and that he engaged in this criminal conduct as a livelihood. The Court noted the entire Moses Lake and surrounding communities are victims of Stine’s choice to engage in the serious drug trafficking – feeding countless addictions as well as facilitating the creation of new addicts. The Court noted Stine knew he should not engage in this conduct, but chose to do it anyway.
United States Attorney Hyslop said, “As a gang member and repeated large scale prolific drug trafficker, Stine caused great harm to so many families and the community. With the Court’s significant sentence, Stine is now removed from the community and the public is protected from his continued criminal activities – and the inevitable violence that follows the gang subculture from which he refused to separate himself. We thank the ATF, DEA, Border Patrol and all the outstanding work by so many local law enforcement agencies in Grant and Adams County that together deserve great credit for this result.”
“Stine’s lengthy sentence was well justified,” said ATF Seattle Field Division Special Agent in Charge Jonathan T. McPherson. “His actions in directing his criminal associates to sell drugs in the Moses Lake area are abhorrent. This sentence should serve as a warning to others that actions such as Stine’s will be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest by ATF and our local, state, and federal partners.”
"Drugs and violence are inextricably linked and major factors in the destabilization of our communities,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Frank Tarentino. “Today, this collaborative and coordinated law enforcement effort stopped this violent offender from threatening our youth and terrorizing our communities. DEA is fully committed to working closely with our federal, state and local law enforcement counterparts to thwart this ever present threat.”
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation entitled Operation Dave’s Song. The OCDETF program provides supplemental federal funding to the federal and state agencies involved in the investigation of drug-related crimes. This OCDETF investigation is being conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
This case was prosecuted as part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program. PSN is a federal, state, and local law enforcement collaboration to identify, investigate, and prosecute individuals responsible for violent crimes in our neighborhoods. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is partnering with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement to specifically identify the criminals responsible for violent crime in the Eastern District of Washington and pursue criminal prosecution.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the United States Border Patrol, the Moses Lake Police Department, the Grant County Sheriff’s Office, the Ephrata Police Department, the Washington State Patrol, the Othello Police Department, the Adams County Sheriff’s Office, and the Northwest High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. This case was prosecuted by Caitlin Baunsgard, an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington.
Denouncing Violence; Reporting Information Regarding the January 6, 2020 Attack Upon the U.S Capitol & Self Help Tips for Coping in the AftermathRead the Press Release
Spokane – William D. Hyslop, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, issued the following statement:
The January 6, 2021, mob attack upon the United States Capitol was a shameful and reprehensible affront to our democracy, and I condemn it in the strongest possible way. Our Constitution protects the rights of free speech and assembly, but it does not protect mob violence, threats to harm public officials, assaults on law enforcement officers, or damage to government buildings. Those who engage in these behaviors commit serious crimes, and our criminal justice system will hold them accountable.
The United States Attorneys across the Nation work closely with our law enforcement partners, including the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Columbia and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, to ensure that any individuals who were involved in criminal activity at the U.S. Capitol are brought to justice.
Anyone with information regarding the events of January 6 should contact the Federal Bureau of Investigation: https://tips.fbi.gov/digitalmedia/aad18481a3e8f02 .
Likewise, the January 6, 2021 event has been traumatizing to many. Recognizing the mental health impact of this terrible day, the National Mass Violence and Victimization Resource Center (NMVVRC) has developed “Twelve Self-help Tips for Coping in the Aftermath of the Attack on the U.S. Capitol,” which can be accessed via the NMVVRC website at this link: http://nmvvrc.org/TipSheets/Self-Help%20Tip%20Sheet.pdf A copy is also accessible at the website for the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington: /media/1114276/dl?inline
The NMVVRC was established in 2017 through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime. The mission of the NMVVRC is to improve community preparedness and the nation’s capacity to serve victims recovering from mass violence through research, planning, training, technology, and collaboration.
Saturday, January 9, 2020 Law Enforcement Appreciation DayRead the Press Release
Spokane – William D. Hyslop, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that this Saturday, January 9th, 2021, is National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day. This day was established to thank and show support to our local law enforcement officers for their dedication to duty and service to their communities.
U.S. Attorney Hyslop stated, “Each and every day, our law enforcement officers put on their uniforms and leave the safety of their homes and the comfort of their families to protect and serve our communities. National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day is a time to show them we appreciate their sacrifice and that we stand with them as they work to make our communities safe and secure. I ask everyone to send a note of thanks to their local law enforcement agency; their addresses are readily available online. And when you see an officer, wave to them and say ‘Thank you for all you do.”
Hyslop added, “The U.S. Attorney’s Office works closely with all federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement. We can’t complete the work we do without the support of our law enforcement partners. We appreciate them every day. We’re asking the residents of Eastern Washington to say Thank You this Saturday.”
Please take time this Saturday, January 9th, 2021 to show your appreciation to the law enforcement professionals by:
- Wear blue in support of law enforcement
- Send a card or letter of support to your local police department, county sheriff, tribal or state agency
- Tell an officer “Thank You”
- Share a story about a positive law enforcement experience on social media
- Participate in Project Blue Light – Proudly display your blue light in support of law enforcement
- Turn your social media channel blue
- Fly a blue ribbon on your car antenna, mailbox, or anywhere a ribbon can be tied
Most importantly, if you see a police officer, thank a police officer.
Grand Coulee Man Indicted for Setting Fire at Teamsters Building in SpokaneRead the Press Release
Spokane – Today, William D. Hyslop, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced the Indictment of Peter James Yeager, 45, of Grand Coulee, Washington, in connection with arson at the Teamsters Building in Spokane, Washington. The Indictment charges Defendant Yeager with Damage by Fire to a Building Used in Interstate and Foreign Commerce, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 844(i).
According to state court documents, on or about December 9, 2020, Yeager, drove from his home in Grand Coulee to Spokane with a preconceived plan to burn down the office of the Spokane County Democrats, located at 1912 North Division Street, Suite 100, Spokane, Washington, in the Teamsters Building. Yeager entered the building and told multiple individuals he encountered that he had a “bomb.” Although Yeager had fashioned miscellaneous items in such a way that it would appear he possessed an explosive device, Yeager was determined to not actually possess a completed “bomb.” Yeager did, however, possess gasoline, oil, a roll of toilet paper, and a camping lighter, which he had brought with him. Using paper he had located in the hallway, along with the gasoline, oil, toilet paper, and lighter, Yeager is alleged to have started a fire within the internal office of the Spokane County Democrats, which resulted in damage to multiple offices in the Teamsters Building.
United States Attorney Hyslop said, “Endangering others in this manner and starting this fire must be addressed. Damage by fire to a building used in interstate commerce is a federal crime. If proved, it is punishable by a minimum 5-year term of imprisonment up to a 20-year term of imprisonment; a $250,000 fine; and a 3-year term of court supervision following any term of imprisonment.”
Earl D. Camp, Acting FBI Special Agent in Charge, Seattle Field Office, said, “Operating 24 hours a day, joint terrorism task forces gather the resources, skills, and information of various federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to safeguard our communities. The Inland Northwest Joint Terrorism Task Force’s swift actions, especially by our partners at Spokane Police Department, averted an already hazardous situation from spiraling dangerously out of control.”
The charge and allegations contained in an Indictment are merely accusations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Independent charges have also been filed by the Spokane County Prosecuting Attorney.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Spokane Police Department, with the assistance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Explosive Disposal Unit, which is a joint effort of the Spokane Police Department and the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, and the Spokane Fire Department. This case is being prosecuted by Dominique Juliet Park, an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington.
ecf_1_-_indictment_yeager.pdfU.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington Collects Substantial Sum of $61,950,459 for Victims of Crime and for the U.S. Taxpayers in Fiscal Year 2020Read the Press Release
Spokane, Washington – William D. Hyslop, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced today that his office collected the sum of $61,950,459 in Fiscal Year (FY) 2020. Of this amount, $2,603,880 constituted restitution collected in criminal actions on behalf of victims of crime, and $59,346,578 was collected in civil actions.
U.S. Attorney Hyslop stated, “This is a substantial sum of which we are immensely proud. It is great news for the residents of this District and this Country. It is an equally great testament to the diligent work of the attorneys and staff of United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington who have achieved this.”
Hyslop continued, “This sum represents two types of funds. First, when a person is sentenced by the Court for a crime, we ask the Court to also order the convicted felon to pay restitution to those hurt physically or financially by the crime. We do all we can to protect the rights of crime victims and to collect these funds in order to ensure that they are financially restored, if possible. As a result of our added emphasis, we have successfully collected more restitution year after year since 2017 leading to a nearly 100% increase in just four years. The second part represents collections where civil fraud is punished, and civil financial obligations are satisfied.”
Examples of a few successful criminal and civil collections by the Eastern District of Washington in FY 2020 include:
• $57.5 million paid by Bechtel National Inc., a Department of Energy contractor at the Hanford nuclear site, in settlement of civil fraud claims;
• Full recovery of restitution to crime victims in multiple Project Safe Childhood (child exploitation and child pornography) cases, such as United States v. Dale Black in the amount of $400,000 and United States v. Jeffrey Jon Franklin in the amount of $11,000;
• Recovery of more than $930,000 in criminal restitution for the Internal Revenue Service and the Social Security Administration related to criminal tax and theft of government funds cases; and
• $1.1 million recovered for the United States Forest Service and Department of Interior as result of an affirmative civil enforcement case arising out of the August 19, 2015 Twisp River Fire in Okanogan County.
Nationally, the United States Justice Department (DOJ) collected more than $15.9 billion in civil and criminal actions in FY 2020 ending Sept. 30, 2020. The nearly $16 billion recovered in FY 2020 represents more than five times the approximately $3.2 billion appropriated budget for the DOJ’s 94 U.S. Attorneys’ offices and its main litigating divisions during that same period. The total includes all monies collected as a result of Justice Department-led enforcement actions and negotiated civil settlements. It includes more than $13.5 billion in payments made directly to the Justice Department and more than $2.4 billion in indirect payments made to other federal agencies, states and other designated recipients.
The U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, along with the DOJ’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.
The largest civil collections were from affirmative civil enforcement cases, in which the United States recovered government money lost to fraud or other misconduct, or collected fines imposed on individuals and/or corporations for violations of federal health, safety, civil rights or environmental laws. In addition, civil debts were collected on behalf of several federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Internal Revenue Service, the Small Business Administration and the Department of Education.
U.S. Department of Justice Recognizes Raymond F. Fleck, Supervisory Deputy U.S. Marshal (Ret.) with Its National Award for Outstanding Individual Contributions to the Project Safe Neighborhoods Program in Yakima CountyRead the Press Release
Yakima – The United States Department of Justice has recognized and awarded Raymond F. Fleck, Supervisory Deputy Marshal (ret.), U.S. Marshals Service, for his Outstanding Individual Contribution to the U.S. Attorney’s Office-sponsored Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Initiative in the Eastern District of Washington. PSN is a critical piece of the Department’s crime reduction efforts. The program focuses on prosecuting those individuals who most significantly drive violence in our communities. It supports and fosters partnerships between law enforcement, schools, the faith community, and local community leaders to prevent and deter future criminal conduct. In the Eastern District of Washington, the United States Attorney designated Yakima County for this special crime-fighting program in 2017 as a result of the County’s high rates of gang and gun-related violent crime.
From June 3, 2019 through September 20, 2019, Supervisory Deputy Marshal Fleck planned and led 18 federal, state, local, and Tribal agencies in Operation Invictus Civitas (meaning Undefeatable Community) in a 90-day operation which resulted in 246 violent offenders being arrested for crimes committed in Yakima County. Of these, 133 were gang arrests, leading to 9 federal prosecutions with an additional 21 referrals for federal prosecution and numerous state prosecutions. During that time, the community of Yakima experienced a 19% reduction in violent crime, a 100% reduction in homicides over the same corresponding period in 2018, and the only summer free of homicides in Yakima in recent history.
Supervisory Deputy Fleck’s remarkable effort brought together the joint initiatives of Project Safe Neighborhoods, Operation Triple Beam (OTB) of the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force (PNVOTF). The initiative was designed to improve public safety by reducing violent crime within the city and county of Yakima, Washington, including the Yakama Nation Reservation. Ultimately, approximately 15 federal, state and local law enforcement agencies were involved in this combined effort; the agencies involved are listed below. In addition, the PNVOTF seized 33 firearms, $37,691.65 in cash, 4.47 pounds of heroin and methamphetamine, and 12 vehicles. Throughout the operation, officer safety was emphasized as all worked together to maximize their combined efforts.
William D. Hyslop, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington said:
“I wholeheartedly commend Raymond F. Fleck for his outstanding leadership in planning and executing Operation Invictus Civitas. It was a tremendously successful operation that highlights the joint commitment, dedication, and partnership between our state, local, Tribal and federal law enforcement partners in combatting violent crime and removing violent criminals and gang members from the greater Yakima community and the Yakama Nation to face justice. Due to Ray Fleck’s superb efforts, indeed, “Undefeatable Community” describes the summer of 2019 in Yakima County.”
United States Marshal Craig Thayer said, “Invictus Civitas was an extremely successful DOJ Project Safe Neighborhoods violent offender fugitive arrest operation to reduce violent crime in Eastern Washington’s Yakima community. Now retired, Supervisory Deputy U.S. Marshal Ray Fleck was the coordinating force behind the operation. Ray was not only able to bring together the state, local, Tribal, and federal partner law enforcement agencies that participated, but most importantly, the people of Yakima united to support this violent crime reduction operation.”
Assistant United States Attorney Caitlin A. Baunsgard is the PSN Coordinator for the Eastern District of Washington. AUSA Baunsgard stated: “Yakima County was designated as this District’s PSN Target Area. Supervisory Deputy Marshal Fleck (ret.) is a very worthy recipient of this national recognition. His leadership exemplifies the Eastern District of Washington’s PSN mission to reduce violent crime in Yakima through cooperative efforts amongst all law enforcement agencies. Operation Invictus Civitas’ success is due in large part to Supervisory Deputy Marshal Fleck’s dedication to the PSN mission through the use of intelligence-based operations.”
The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.
Local Spokane Large Scale Prolific Drug Trafficker Sentenced to 19.5 Years in Federal Prison Following Seizure of Multiple Pounds of Methamphetamine and HeroinRead the Press Release
Spokane – William D. Hyslop, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that James Matthew Ethrington, age 33, a resident of Spokane, Washington, was sentenced today after having pleaded guilty on September 3, 2020, to possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of actual (pure) methamphetamine. United States District Judge Thomas O. Rice sentenced Ethrington to a 235 month term of imprisonment, to be followed by a five year term of court supervision after he is released from federal prison.
According to information disclosed during court proceedings, in August, 2019, the Spokane Police Department conducted a traffic stop of James Ethrington when they observed suspicious activity related to a potential stolen vehicle. Ethrington identified himself and informed the officer that his driving status was suspended. During the contact, the officer observed common drug-use paraphernalia in the driver’s area of the vehicle. Ethrington was arrested on an unrelated warrant. A subsequent search of Ethrington and his vehicle revealed approximately $9,953 in U.S. Currency and counterfeit currency, approximately 5 pounds of methamphetamine, and approximately 1 pound of heroin. Additionally, there was a cup with heroin residue, two digital scales, and empty plastic bags with heroin residue in them, which all indicate the conversion of large quantities of controlled substances into smaller quantities for sale.
During sentencing it was noted Ethrington had been caught with pound-quantities of methamphetamine as well as heroin during three separate law enforcement contacts over the course of about 9 months. Each time, Ethrington also had possession of a large sum of U.S. Currency and a new vehicle. The Court also noted Ethrington has a lengthy, concerning criminal history, including multiple felony drug and theft-related charges spanning over the course of the last approximately 10 years. Ethrington also has an outstanding warrant from the State of California related to the alleged theft of gold coins. Judge Rice noted during the sentencing that Ethrington has one of the highest criminal history scores he has seen.
According to court records, this case is part of a global resolution with the State of Washington where Ethrington also pled guilty to ten additional felonies, including Attempt to Elude Law Enforcement, Possession of a Stolen Firearm, Trafficking in Stolen Property, Identity Theft, and Possession of a Controlled Substance with Intent to Deliver.
United States Attorney Hyslop said, “James Ethrington is a repeated large scale prolific drug trafficker. He has engaged in repetitive serious criminal conduct causing irreparable harm to families and our community. With the Court sending him to federal prison under this significant sentence, he is removed from Spokane and is no longer a threat to the safety of our residents.”
Hyslop went on to state, “The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington commends the excellent work of law enforcement officers with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Spokane Police Department who investigated this case. This is one more excellent example of where Federal and local law enforcement working together can remove bad criminals from our streets. We thank them for the great work they do every day.”
This case was investigated by the Spokane Resident Office of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Spokane Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Caitlin A. Baunsgard, an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington.
Tribal Law Enforcement Expert Hired to Coordinate Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Program in WashingtonRead the Press Release
Spokane- U.S. Attorneys William D. Hyslop and Brian T. Moran are pleased to announce the selection of David J. Rogers to serve as the program coordinator of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Person program for the Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney’s Offices in Washington State. David Rogers has an extensive career in law enforcement as a Police Chief, consultant, trainer, lecturer, and educator.
“I am so pleased to have David fill this important role, moving our state forward in investigations of missing persons cases involving our tribal communities,” said U.S. Attorney Moran. “As an enrolled member of the Nez Perce Tribe, with deep experience and contacts in Pacific Northwest tribal communities, he is ideally qualified to work with our tribal partners to increase safety and security in Indian Country.”
“The problem of missing persons and murders occurring within our tribal nations in Washington State and in other parts of the Country is real,” said U.S. Attorney Hyslop. “David Rogers has broad experience in Tribal law enforcement. He will be working exclusively on the issue of missing and murdered indigenous persons. I expect him to have frequent contact with Tribal leaders, law enforcement officers, and victim/witnesses within Indian Country in the State of Washington as we all work together to address this problem.”
For the past four years, David Rogers has run his own consulting firm, Tribal Public Safety Innovations LLC, involved in the training of tribal police and probation officers across the country. From 2013 to 2016, Chief Rogers served as Chief of Police for the Nez Perce Tribal Police in Lapwai, Idaho. As Tribal Police Chief, he was responsible for a 24-person department covering a 1,200 square-mile-area of jurisdiction. From 2003-2013, Chief Rogers was the Tribal Public Safety Manager at the Criminal Justice Center for Innovation at the National Criminal Justice Training Center in Wisconsin. In that role he developed and implemented training for law enforcement officers in tribal police forces across the country and served as Director of the National Indian Youth Police Academy introducing Native American youth to careers in the Criminal Justice field.
Prior to his position with the Criminal Justice Center for Innovation, Chief Rogers served as a program manager at the Western Community Policing Institute at Western Oregon University. While there, he was a key trainer on U.S. Department of Justice Community Oriented Policing programs for more than 200 tribal communities across the country. Early in his law enforcement career, Chief Rogers served on police forces in Clark County, Washington; Multnomah County, Oregon; Latah County, Idaho; and Columbia River Inter-Tribal Enforcement, Hood River, Oregon.
U.S. Attorney William Barr announced the Murdered and Missing Indigenous Person Initiative in November 2019, and the Western and Eastern Districts of Washington joined forces to hire a coordinator who could lead the initiative in all 29 tribal communities in Washington. As the MMIP coordinator, Chief Rogers will work closely with federal, tribal, state, and local agencies to develop common protocols and procedure for responding to reports of missing or murdered indigenous people. Chief Rogers will work closely with the Tribal Liaisons in both the Western and Eastern Districts of Washington, as well as state and local partners, working on the issue of missing and murdered indigenous persons.
Press contact for the U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of Washington is Public Information Officer George J.C. Jacobs, III at (509) 353-2767.
Tri-Cities Man Extradited from Kazakhstan to the Eastern District of Washington in Order to Face Child Pornography ChargesRead the Press Release
Spokane – William D. Hyslop, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Trent Drexel Howard, 49, of West Richland, Washington, made his initial appearance today in federal court following his extradition from Kazakhstan.
On June 18, 2019, a federal grand jury in Eastern Washington returned a four-count indictment charging Howard with distribution, receipt, attempted production, and possession of child pornography. A warrant was then issued for Howard’s arrest. On January 7, 2020, the grand jury returned a 15-count superseding indictment, adding additional charges of production and attempted production of child pornography involving 12 minor victims.
According to court documents, Howard was working in Kazakhstan when federal agents executed a search warrant at his residence in the United States and seized several electronic devices. Court documents further indicate that, after learning of the investigation, Howard stayed in Kazakhstan and was eventually arrested by Kazakhstan authorities on September 12, 2019. A Kazakh judge ordered Howard be detained pending an extradition request from the United States. According to the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, Howard’s removal from Kazakhstan is the first extradition from that country by the United States.
United States Attorney Hyslop said, “The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington is grateful to the Kazakhstan authorities for their assistance in bringing Howard back to the United States to face these charges. Likewise, the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in securing defendant Howard’s extradition from Kazakhstan, as did State Department partners.”
Earl Camp, Acting FBI Special Agent in Charge, Seattle Field Office, said, “Thanks to our strong international partnerships, Mr. Howard will now face justice for allegedly exploiting multiple children. This case is an example of how the FBI will pursue justice beyond American borders and safeguard vulnerable members of our community.”
The crimes Howard is alleged to have committed are punishable by varying terms of imprisonment, including a mandatory minimum term of 15 years, a $250,000 fine for each count, and up to a life term of supervised release following any prison sentence.
The charges contained in an indictment are merely accusations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
This case is being pursued as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the United States Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. The Project Safe Childhood Initiative (“PSC”) has five major components:
· Integrated federal, state, and local efforts to investigate and prosecute child exploitation cases, and to identify and rescue children;
· Participation of PSC partners in coordinated national initiatives;
· Increased federal enforcement in child pornography and enticement cases;
· Training of federal, state, and local law enforcement agents; and
· Community awareness and educational programs.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc
For information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Seattle Division, Tri-Cities Resident Agency, and the Southeast Regional Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, with the assistance of the West Richland Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Ann Wick, an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington.
howard_superseding_indictment.pdfU.S. Attorney Hyslop Appoints Election Officer for the Eastern District of WashingtonRead the Press Release
Spokane – William D. Hyslop, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced today that Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) Ian Garriques will lead the efforts of his Office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 3, 2020, general election. AUSA Garriques has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) for the Eastern District of Washington, and in that capacity is responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of complaints of election fraud and voting rights concerns in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.
United States Attorney Hyslop said, “Voting is a fundamental right of every citizen of this Nation and is one of the foundations of our democracy. Every citizen entitled to vote must be able to do so without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted without it being stolen because of fraud. The Department of Justice will always act appropriately to protect the integrity of the election process. We will work to ensure those who seek to corrupt the right to vote are brought to justice.”
The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring election fraud and discrimination at the polls, and combating these violations whenever and wherever they occur. The Department’s long-standing Election Day Program furthers these goals, and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the integrity of the election process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible election fraud and voting rights violations while the polls are open through election day.
Federal law protects against such crimes as intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from acts that intimidate or harass them. For example, actions of persons designed to interrupt or intimidate voters at polling places by questioning or challenging them, or by photographing or videotaping them, under the pretext that these are actions to uncover illegal voting may violate federal voting rights law. Further, federal law protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or illiteracy).
Yesterday, the Department of Justice released additional information on Election Day efforts to protect the right to vote and the prosecution of ballot fraud. A copy is attached.
In order to respond to complaints of election fraud or voting rights concerns during the voting period that ends on November 3, 2020, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, United States Attorney Hyslop stated that AUSA/DEO Garriques will be on duty in the Eastern District of Washington. He can be reached by the public at the following telephone number during regular business hours: (509) 454-4425. Alternatively, after regular hours, complaints can be called to (509) 249-3726 or (509) 998-7637.
In addition, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day. The local FBI field office can be reached by the public at (206) 622-0460 or https://tips.fbi.gov.
Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can also be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC by phone at 800-253-3931 or by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/.
Please note, however, in the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency.
United States Attorney Hyslop said, “Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the cooperation of the American electorate. It is imperative that those who have specific information about discrimination or election fraud make that information available to my Office, the FBI, or the Civil Rights Division.”
doj_press_release.pdfWashington Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Assaulting His Brother on the Colville Indian ReservationRead the Press Release
Spokane – William D. Hyslop, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington announced that Jesse McKay, age 45, an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, was sentenced after having pleaded guilty on July 28, 2020, to Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury in Indian Country. United States Senior District Judge Robert H. Whaley sentenced McKay to a 120-month term of imprisonment, to be followed by a 3-year term of court supervision after he is released from federal prison.
According to information disclosed during court proceedings, during the early morning hours of July 17, 2019, McKay assaulted his brother, striking him on the head with a 12-pound metallic weightlifting bar, while the victim was asleep in his home. The blow caused injuries to the victim’s face, and, as a result, the victim sustained a laceration to his right cheek, a broken nose, and loss of vision out of his right eye.
At sentencing, Senior Judge Whaley recognized the danger that McKay presents to the community, based on McKay’s history of violently attacking victims in their sleep. The Court also noted the statutory maximum sentence of 10 years, before sentencing McKay to the full statutory maximum penalty.
United States Attorney Hyslop said, “The sentence imposed by the Court removes from our streets a serial offender with a history of violent crime. The Court imposed the maximum penalty which is appropriate here to protect the public. This should also send a clear message and warning to others who may choose to engage in such criminal activity. I commend the outstanding work of out federal, state, local and Tribal law enforcement partners who investigated this case.”
FBI Special Agent in Charge Ray Duda said, “Violent crime on our state's reservations is something we've seen far too often and is the reason why the FBI is committed to combating it. The sentencing of Mr. McKay to the maximum penalty sends a message to other would-be offenders that we're not going to stand idly by when these crimes are committed."
This case was investigated by the Spokane Resident Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Tribal Law Enforcement Department of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation Police. This case was prosecuted by Richard R. Barker, Assistant United States Attorney, and Michael L. Vander Giessen, Special Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington.
Donavan Thomas Culps Sentenced to Life Imprisonment in Federal Prison for Second Degree Murder Which Occurred Within the Boundaries of the Yakama NationRead the Press Release
Spokane – William D. Hyslop, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Donavan Thomas Culps, age 39, of Harrah, Washington, and an enrolled member of the Confederated Bands and Tribes of the Yakama Nation, was sentenced today after having pleaded guilty on February 18, 2020, to second degree murder. Chief United States District Judge Stanley A. Bastian sentenced Culps to a life term of imprisonment.
According to information disclosed during court proceedings, in late March 2016, F.M. was murdered in her residence, which was located within the boundaries of the Yakama Nation. Culps learned that George Cloud and N.C. had allegedly murdered F.M. In late June 2017, N.C. traveled to Culps’ residence in Harrah, Washington. When N.C. arrived, Culps pulled N.C. out of a vehicle and began beating him with his fists. During the assault, N. C. yelled “why?” Culps responded, “You know why!” N.C. lost consciousness. Culps and an accomplice then dragged N.C. behind a trailer and attempted to place zip ties on him. N.C. regained consciousness, whereupon Culps took out a hunting knife and stabbed N.C. in the chest, neck, and stomach. Culps ultimately slit N.C.’s throat.
After the murder, Culps wrapped up the victim’s body, transported it to another location, and dumped the body. Culps then fled from the area. In August 2017, a concerned citizen reported that N.C. was missing.
In September 2017, Culps was involved in an unrelated murder in Cheney, Washington. Culps fled and was eventually apprehended by the Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force. Culps admitted to the murder in Cheney, Washington. He pled guilty to the murder and was sentenced to 416 months in state custody.
Culps also admitted to homicide investigators that he murdered N.C. and told them where they would find N.C.’s body. On September 18, 2017, when homicide investigators searched that area, they found N.C.’s remains.
During the sentencing hearing, Chief Judge Bastian observed that Culps has a “history of violence” and described the crime he committed as an “execution.”
United States Attorney Hyslop said, “Murder, the killing of another person as occurred here, justifies the life sentence imposed by the Court. He won’t be returning to the streets of the Yakama Nation. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington commends the law enforcement officers with the Yakama Nation Police Department, the Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, who all worked together to solve this heinous crime. Their seamless partnership resulted in the successful investigation and prosecution of Culps. Others who may choose to engage in similar violent criminal activity in the future should know from this case that law enforcement will find you, we will prosecute you, and if proven guilty, you will be going to jail for a very long time.”
FBI Special Agent in Charge Raymond Duda said, “Mr. Culps is a lifelong offender responsible for murders of multiple individuals. Together with our partners, the FBI will continue to investigate violent criminals and pursue justice on behalf of the citizens of the Yakama Nation and Washington state.”
Federal charges were also filed against George Cloud arising from the murder of F.M. On January 17, 2019, a federal jury found George Cloud guilty of First Degree Murder and Discharge of a Firearm During a Crime of Violence. On May 1, 2019, Chief Judge Bastian sentenced George Cloud to a term of life imprisonment.
This case was investigated by the Yakima Resident Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Yakama Nation Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Tom Hanlon, an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington.
Clean Out Your Medicine Cabinet. Tomorrow is Prescription Drug “Take Back Day” in SpokaneRead the Press Release
Spokane – William D. Hyslop, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that this Saturday, October 24, 2020, is National Prescription Drug “Take Back Day.”
The United States Attorney’s Office along with the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) and the Spokane Police Department will be hosting a drive-thru collection site at the Boy Scouts of America, Inland Northwest Council, located at 411 Boy Scout Way from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Residents can enter at the intersection of Washington and Boy Scout Way (near the east end of the Spokane Memorial Arena parking lot), drive through and drop off unused medications on a “no questions asked basis,” and drive out the southern end of the parking lot.
This event will give the public its 19th opportunity in ten years to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous, expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs. DEA will accept vaping devices and cartridges, provided they do not contain lithium ion batteries, at any of it drop off locations. If batteries cannot be removed prior to drop-off, DEA encourages individuals to consult with stores that recycle lithium ion batteries. (Sites cannot accept liquids, needles or sharps, only pills or patches.) The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.
To keep everyone safe, collection sites will follow local COVID-19 guidelines and regulations.
Last fall, Americans turned in nearly 883,000 pounds of prescription drugs at nearly 6,300 sites nationwide operated by the DEA and almost 5,000 of its state and local law enforcement partners. DEA, along with its law enforcement partners, has now collected nearly 6,350 tons of expired, unused, and unwanted prescription medications since the inception of the National Prescription Drug Take Back Initiative in 2010. In its 18 previous “take back” events, Washington State alone has collected 15,624 pounds of prescription drugs. Overall, in its 18 previous Take Back events, the State of Washington has collected 256,418 tons of expired, unused, and unwanted prescription medications.
This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the United States are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs.
United States Attorney Hyslop said, “Prescription Drug ‘Take Back Day’ is an important service provided by the DEA and its local and Tribal law enforcement partners that helps in the prevention of opioid addiction and overdoses. Everyone needs to look in the medicine cabinet and then drop off unused medications. Everyone is urged to participate in this event to safely and anonymously dispose of their expired and unused prescription medications and vaping devices and cartridges. Come snow in Spokane, sleet, COVID-19 and other challenges, we will be there for you!”
“Stop, drop and roll, no questions asked,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Keith Weis. He further stated that, “With more people staying at home, we must remain vigilant, keeping our loved ones safe by cleaning out our medicine cabinets.”
“Far too often we see the tragic end result of misuse and abuse of prescription drugs. Opioids, including oxycodone and hydrocodone, are a highly addictive drug that while dangerous enough alone, can also lead to addiction to other illegal drugs like heroin. Once hooked, users may likely face a life of drug addiction, crime, and ultimately death.” Spokane Police Chief Craig Meidl.
In addition to DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, there are many other ways to dispose of unwanted prescription drugs every day, including the 11,000 authorized collectors that are available all year long. For more information, visit DEA’s year-round collection site locator.
The FDA also provides information on how to properly dispose of prescription drugs. More information is available here: https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/where-and-how-dispose-unused-medicines.
Year-round disposal sites in the Spokane area are located as follows:
• Public Safety Building: 1100 W. Mallon Ave. Spokane 99201
• SPD North Precinct/C.O.P.S. Northeast: 5124 N. Market St. Spokane 99217
• Providence Holy Family Hospital: 5633 N Lidgerwood St. Spokane 99208
• Providence Sacred Heart Hospital: 120 W 8th Ave Spokane 99204 Pharmacy
• Spokane County Sheriff’s Department: 12710 E Sprague Ave Spokane Valley 99216
• SPD Downtown Precinct: 221 W 1st Ave Spokane 99201
• Walgreens: 7905 N Division St Spokane 99208
• Walgreens: 12312 E Sprague Ave Spokane Valley 99216
• Airway Heights PD: 1307 Ziegler St. Airway Heights 99001
• The NATIVE Project: 1803 Maxwell Ave Spokane 99201
For more information about additional collection sites in Eastern Washington and the disposal of prescription drugs for the October 24, 2020, Take Back Day event, go to www.DEATakeBack.com
Washington Man Sentenced to 5 Years in Federal Prison for Assaulting His Girlfriend on the Colville Indian ReservationRead the Press Release
Spokane – William D. Hyslop, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington announced that Stephen Seymour, 20, an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, was sentenced today after having pleaded guilty on July 23, 2020, to Assault Resulting in Substantial Bodily Injury to an Intimate or Dating Partner in Indian Country. United States District Judge Rosanna Malouf Peterson sentenced Seymour to a 5 year term of imprisonment, to be followed by a 3 year term of court supervision after he is released from federal prison.
According to information disclosed during court proceedings, Seymour repeatedly assaulted his girlfriend over a three-day period, striking, punching, and strangling her. During the assault, Seymour brandished a firearm and knife, causing bodily injury, including multiple cuts, bruising to her face, and a broken nose. At one point, the victim attempted to escape from Seymour with their shared child. The victim made it to the other side of the street before Seymour tackled, strangled, and dragged her back inside the house. Police arrived shortly thereafter and arrested Seymour after a relative requested a welfare check on the home.
United States Attorney Hyslop said, “This sentence reflects how serious the crime of domestic violence is. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Colville Tribal Police Department are committed to investigating and prosecuting violent crimes against Native American Women.”
This case was investigated by the Spokane Resident Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Tribal Law Enforcement Department of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation Police. This case was prosecuted by Richard R. Barker, Assistant United States Attorney, and Michael L. Vander Giessen, Special Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington.
Richland Man Sentenced to 21 Years in Federal Prison and 40 Years of Supervision for Child Pornography OffensesRead the Press Release
Spokane – William D. Hyslop, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Beau Thomas Upton, age 30, of Richland, Washington, was sentenced today after pleading guilty to production of child pornography. United States District Judge Salvador Mendoza, Jr., sentenced Upton to 21 years in federal prison, to be followed by 40 years of court supervision after he is released. Judge Mendoza also required Upton to register as a sex offender upon completion of his prison sentence. As part of the resolution of the case, Upton has also agreed to plead guilty to two counts of Third Degree Rape of a Child in Benton County Superior Court.
The investigation began when officers and detectives with the Richland and Kennewick Police Departments joined agents from the United States Department of Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”) to investigate a ring of adult men who were drugging teenage boys in the Tri-Cities, engaging in illicit sexual activity with them, and recording the sexual abuse. Judge Mendoza has previously sentenced Defendants Zayne Barbre (28 years) and Ryan Alexander (25 years) to lengthy federal terms, each to be followed by a lifetime of supervision.
In March 2017, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Barbre’s residence in Richland, Washington, where they learned that Barbre had been harboring a 14-year-old victim whom he had been drugging, prostituting, and sexually abusing. Officers discovered a makeshift child pornography production studio, with a MacBook computer propped up on a wooden box, positioned so its web camera could record sexual abuse on a bed on the floor in front of the computer. On a desk was a small digital camera taped to another wooden box, pointed into the room.
One minor victim reported that he had been introduced to Barbre by Upton, and that in 2016, Barbre and Upton had begun drugging and sexually abusing him, sometimes alone and sometimes together, and sometimes while recording the abuse in the makeshift child production studio in Barbre’s house.
When officers forensically examined the digital devices recovered from Barbre’s house, they found numerous videos depicting Barbre and Upton having sexual intercourse with males appearing to be younger than themselves, from 2015 through 2016. One such video depicted Barbre adjusting the recording device while Upton looked on, prior to recording a sexual act with a young male. Officers also recovered text messages between Barbre and Upton that corroborated that they had engaged in group sex on more than one occasion with at least one 14-year-old victim and another male.
In a related investigation, officers learned that Ryan Alexander had been grooming boys online, teaching them how to use and sell marijuana, and then sexually assaulting them while obtaining pornographic images of them. Alexander also obtained child pornography images of one minor, and then pretended to be that minor to induce a different minor to take and send child pornography of himself to Alexander. When the Richland Police Department conducted a sophisticated forensic examination of Alexander’s digital devices, they recovered hundreds of images of child pornography, including sexual images of children that depicted violence, sadomasochism, toddlers, and infants.
United States Attorney William D. Hyslop said “Today’s sentencing hearing brings to a close the investigations into three individuals who engaged in truly heinous sexual abuse of minors. I hope that the victims and their families are able to gain a sense of resolution as they move forward with their lives. There is no greater priority than the protection of children and teenagers from sexual harm. The sentences imposed in these three cases are a clear message to anyone in Eastern Washington who has the criminal audacity not only to abuse minors, but to record their hideous conduct: if you do something terrible like this, we will find you, we will prosecute the case, and you should expect that a multi-decade sentence in federal prison awaits you. The United States Attorney’s Office is proud to partner with law enforcement and victim services professionals from around the region to prevent and deter these kinds of crimes. I commend HSI and the Richland and Kennewick Police Departments, the Southeast Regional ICAC Task Force, and the Support, Advocacy, and Resource Center (“SARC”) in the Tri-Cities for their sensitive and professional approach to these three cases, and I thank them for their tireless work in combating child exploitation.”
Chief John Bruce of the Richland Police Department said “The crimes which exploit children are some of the worst we encounter and have lasting impacts on the victims and their families. We will continue to collaborate with our partners in the WA-ICAC Task Force and support our local Southeast Regional ICAC Task Force in their pursuit of those who prey upon the vulnerable.”
This case was pursued as part of Project Safe Childhood (“PSC”), a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the United States Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, PSC marshals federal, state, and local law enforcement work together to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. The PSC Initiative has five major components:
· Integrated federal, state, and local efforts to investigate and prosecute child exploitation cases, and to identify and rescue children;
· Participation of PSC partners in coordinated national initiatives;
· Increased federal enforcement in child pornography and enticement cases;
· Training of federal, state, and local law enforcement agents; and
· Community awareness and educational programs.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”
This case was investigated by the Richland and Kennewick Police Departments and Homeland Security Investigations, along with the Southeast Regional Internet Crimes Against Children (“ICAC”) Task Force, which is located in Richland, Washington. Victim services were provided by the Support, Advocacy, and Resource Center (“SARC”) in the Tri-Cities. The case was prosecuted by David M. Herzog, Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington.
Coordinated Opioid Fentanyl Outreach Initiative for the Tri-Cities Communities AnnouncedRead the Press Release
Kennewick, Wash., - Today, United States Attorney William Hyslop and DEA Special Agent in Charge Keith Weis announced a coordinated Opioid Fentanyl Outreach initiative by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, community leaders, prevention specialists and school superintendents. They were joined at the announcement by Kennewick Police Chief Ken Hohenberg and Dr. Traci Pierce, Superintendent of the Kennewick School District.
The Opioid Fentanyl Outreach Project addresses the public safety and public health threats caused by the increasing influx of deadly fentanyl into the Tri-Cities and throughout the Eastern District of Washington. This initiative has a multi-pronged approach with the focus on educating our communities and directing resources through community outreach and prevention efforts.
United States Attorney Hyslop stated, “Our communities, our residents, our parents, and our youth are all faced with the growing and continued influx of deadly fentanyl into Eastern Washington. Very small amounts in a fentanyl-laced pill can kill a person. We are now seeing it here in the Tri-Cities, and sadly, we are now witnessing deaths in our high school and young adult populations. Dangerous counterfeit pills killing Americans are manufactured in mass quantities by drug trafficking organizations based in Mexico. In response, law enforcement at the federal, state and local levels have increased efforts to investigate and prosecute drug trafficking groups for importing and distributing this lethal narcotic in the Tri-Cities, Spokane, and Yakima areas. However, this is much greater than just a law enforcement issue; it is now a critical community issue that everyone must address.”
Keith Weis, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration stated, “Now, it is more important than ever that we all come together as a call for action to save lives. Per the CDC, in 2019 more than 71,000 lives were lost in the United States as a result of drug overdoses. Of this number, approximately 51% of the deaths can be attributed to fentanyl and other synthetic opioids. Alarmingly, DEA seizures of fentanyl in Eastern Washington have increased almost 200% over the 2019 to 2020 time period. A lethal dose of fentanyl is estimated to be about two milligrams, but can vary based on an individual’s body size, tolerance, amount of previous usage and other factors. Additionally, fentanyl can be lethal when it is airborne or even when touched and absorbed through the skin.”
As part of the Opioid Fentanyl Outreach Project, community, law enforcement, and educational leaders have come together in Tri-Cities, Spokane, and Yakima to address this issue. Plans are underway with media engagement pieces, town halls and presentations. On October 7th, 2020, DEA Diversion in partnership with the Department of Health and Human Services held a virtual conference with hundreds of health care professionals in Washington providing information and support during the pandemic and raising awareness on the ongoing opioid crisis.
On October 12, 2020, a 12 week media awareness campaign was launched in the Eastern District of Washington, “You Can Save Lives” knowing the warning signs of counterfeit fentanyl pills keeps your loved ones and the community safe. Viewers can obtain a variety of resources at
https://www.getsmartaboutdrugs.gov/ https://vimeo.com/user96937699/dl/469641512/a59c2c8768
Community forums and parent discussions are being organized. School Superintendents throughout the region are collaborating on educational lessons and presentations, with a focus on student involvement to spread the message. A special video about the fentanyl problem is being produced and will be available.
Another resource available to educators and the community is DEA Red Ribbon Week, the nation’s oldest and largest drug prevention awareness program. Red Ribbon Week is celebrated annually October 23-31. This year’s theme is “Be Happy, Be Brave, Be Drug Free.” You can learn more about DEA Red Ribbon and ways to get involved through programs and contests by visiting https://www.dea.gov/redribbon Other outreach efforts are being added as they are planned.
This Saturday, October 24, 2020, National Drug Take Back Day will be recognized. The Tri-Cities is sponsoring socially distanced “Drug Take Back” sites from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.. More information about Drug Take Back Day and locations in the Tri-Cities are available at https://deatakeback.com
The Opioid Fentanyl Outreach Strategy Committee Benton/Franklin County Members include:
William D. Hyslop, United States Attorney
Keith Weis, DEA Special Agent in Charge
Mark Haigh, DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge
Korey Bearden, DEA Supervisor
Stephanie Van Marter, Assistant United States Attorney
Peter Orth, FBI Supervisory Senior Resident Agent – Yakima/Tri-Cities Resident Agency
Dr. Amy Person, Health Officer – Benton-Franklin Health District
Dave Zabell, City Manager – City of Pasco
Marie Mosley, City Manager – City of Kennewick
Cindy Reents, City Manager – City of Richland
Chief John Bruce, Richland Police Department
Chief Ken Hohenberg, Kennewick Police Department
Chief Ken Roske, Pasco Police Department
Sheriff Jim Raymond, Franklin County
Shawn Sant, Prosecutor – Franklin County
Sheriff Jerry Hatcher – Benton County
Andy Miller, Prosecutor and Deputy Prosecutor Julie Long-Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office
Darcy Weisner, Superintendent – ESD 123
Dr. Traci Pierce, Superintendent – Kennewick School District
Dr. Shelley Redinger, Superintendent – Richland School District
Michelle Whitney, Superintendent – Pasco School District
Lt. Aaron Clem, Kennewick Police Department – Youth Services
Mayor Brent Gerry, City of West Richland
Chief Ben Majetich, West Richland Police Department
Clarkston Business Owner and Federal Government Contracting Officer Indicted for Bribery SchemeRead the Press Release
Spokane – Today, William D. Hyslop, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced the indictment of Christopher Hamilton Clemens, 39, of Clarkston, Washington, Hamilton’s West LLC, a Clarkston, Washington business owned and operated by Clemens, and Calandra Charging Eagle, 52, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, in connection with a federal bribery scheme. The Indictment charges Defendant Clemens with Bribery of a Public Official, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 201(b)(1), and charges Defendant Charging Eagle with Accepting a Bribe as a Public Official, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 201(b)(2). The Indictment also charges all three defendants with conspiracy to defraud the United States and theft of government property. All the charges in the Indictment are felonies.
According to the Indictment, Defendant Charging Eagle was a contracting official at the Department of Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs (“BIA”), in its Albuquerque, New Mexico office. BIA is a federal agency that, among other things, provides funding and oversight for improvement projects on American Indian land and facilities. Defendant Hamilton’s West, a government contracting company owned and operated by Defendant Clemens, competed and sought to compete for BIA and other federal government contracts.
The Indictment alleges that through her position as a contracting official at BIA, Charging Eagle had access to internal and confidential BIA estimates and other information regarding potential contracts, and had a role in approving contracts, modifications, and invoices. The Indictment charges that between June and October 2018, Clemens and Charging Eagle engaged in a bribery scheme in which Clemens agreed to pay a $10,700 debt owed by Charging Eagle to the Sandia Resort and Casino, a resort, casino, and event center located in Albuquerque. In return, the Indictment charges, Charging Eagle agreed to use her position to steer BIA contracts, including an over half-million dollar contract to provide lightning protection improvements at the Navajo Nation’s Pine Hill School in New Mexico, to Clemens and his companies. The Indictment also charges that in return for the bribe, Charging Eagle provided Clemens and his companies with inside confidential information regarding BIA’s procurement process, including, but not limited to, providing Clemens and his companies with the Independent Government Cost Estimate and other confidential and internal BIA information in order to provide Clemens and his companies with an unfair competitive advantage in obtaining the Pine Hill School lightning protection contract and other BIA contracts.
United States Attorney Hyslop said “the integrity of the federal procurement process is critical to ensuring that public funds are used appropriately and that precious and limited funds are used for improvements of tribal schools and facilities.” Hyslop continued, “I commend the excellent work of both the Department of Interior Office of Inspector General and the Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General in investigating this scheme. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute individuals and companies that misuse the federal contracting process.”
The bribery charges, if proved, carry a maximum penalty of a 15-year term of imprisonment; up to a $250,000 fine; and up to a 3-year term of court supervision following any term of imprisonment. The theft of government property and conspiracy charges, if proved, carry a maximum penalty of 10 and 5 years of incarceration, respectively.
An Indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This investigation was conducted by the U.S. Department of Interior Office of Inspector General and Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General. This case is being prosecuted by Dan Fruchter and Tyler H.L. Tornabene, Assistant United States Attorneys for the Eastern District of Washington.
hamilton_et._al._indictment.pdfCoordinated Opioid Fentanyl Outreach Initiative for the Greater Spokane Community AnnouncedRead the Press Release
Spokane, Wash., - Today, United States Attorney William Hyslop and DEA Special Agent in Charge Keith Weis announced a coordinated Opioid Fentanyl Outreach initiative by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, community leaders, prevention specialists and school superintendents. They were joined at the announcement by Spokane Mayor Nadine Woodward and Spokane Chief of Police Craig Meidl.
The Opioid Fentanyl Outreach Project addresses the public safety and public health threats caused by the increasing influx of deadly fentanyl into Spokane and throughout Eastern District of Washington. This initiative has a multi-pronged approach with the focus on educating our communities and directing resources through community outreach and prevention efforts.
United States Attorney Hyslop stated, “Our communities, our residents, our parents, and our youth are all faced with the growing and continued influx of deadly fentanyl into Eastern Washington. Very small amounts in a fentanyl-laced pill can kill a person. We are now seeing it here in Spokane, and sadly, we are now witnessing deaths in our high school and young adult populations. Dangerous counterfeit pills killing Americans are manufactured in mass quantities by drug trafficking organizations based in Mexico. In response, law enforcement at the federal, state and local levels have increased efforts to investigate and prosecute drug trafficking groups for importing and distributing this lethal narcotic in the Spokane, Yakima and Tri-Cities areas. However, this is much greater than just a law enforcement issue; it is now a critical community issue that everyone must address.”
Keith Weis, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration stated, “Now, it is more important than ever that we all come together as a call for action to save lives. Per the CDC, in 2019 more than 71,000 lives were lost in the United States as a result of drug overdoses. Of this number, approximately 51% of the deaths can be attributed to fentanyl and other synthetic opioids. Alarmingly, DEA seizures of fentanyl in Eastern Washington have increased almost 200% over the 2019 to 2020 time period. A lethal dose of fentanyl is estimated to be about two milligrams, but can vary based on an individual’s body size, tolerance, amount of previous usage and other factors. Additionally, fentanyl can be lethal when it is airborne or even when touched and absorbed through the skin.”
As part of the Opioid Fentanyl Outreach Project, community, law enforcement, and educational leaders have come together in Spokane, Tri-Cities, and Yakima to address this issue. Plans are underway with media engagement pieces, town halls and presentations. On October 7th, 2020, DEA Diversion in partnership with the Department of Health and Human Services held a virtual conference with hundreds of health care professionals in Washington providing information and support during the pandemic and raising awareness on the ongoing opioid crisis.
On October 12, 2020, a 12 week media awareness campaign was launched in the Eastern District of Washington, “You Can Save Lives” knowing the warning signs of counterfeit fentanyl pills keeps your loved ones and the community safe. Viewers can obtain a variety of resources at
https://www.getsmartaboutdrugs.gov/ https://vimeo.com/user96937699/dl/469641512/a59c2c8768
Community forums and parent discussions are being organized. School Superintendents throughout the region are collaborating on educational lessons and presentations, with a focus on student involvement to spread the message. A special video about the fentanyl problem is being produced and will be available.
Another resource available to educators and the community is DEA Red Ribbon Week, the nation’s oldest and largest drug prevention awareness program. Red Ribbon Week is celebrated annually October 23-31. This year’s theme is “Be Happy, Be Brave, Be Drug Free.” You can learn more about DEA Red Ribbon and ways to get involved through programs and contests by visiting https://www.dea.gov/redribbon Other outreach efforts are being added as they are planned.
This Saturday, October 24, 2020, National Drug Take Back Day will be recognized. The United States Attorney’s Office is sponsoring a socially distanced “Drug Take Back” site from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the drive-through parking lot of the Boy Scouts of America, Inland Northwest Council, 411 Boy Scout Way in Spokane. More information about Drug Take Back Day is available at deatakeback.com
The Opioid Fentanyl Outreach Strategy Committee Greater Spokane and Spokane County Members includes:
William D. Hyslop, United States Attorney
Keith Weis, DEA Special Agent in Charge
Mark Haigh, DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge
Laci Larson, DEA Group Supervisor – Spokane District Office
Stephanie Van Marter, Assistant United States Attorney
Honorable Nadine Woodward, Mayor – City of Spokane
Chief Craig Meidl, Spokane Police Department
Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich, Spokane County Sheriff’s Office
Chief Dave Ellis, Spokane Valley Police Department
Christian Parker, FBI Supervisory Senior Resident Agent – Spokane Resident Agency
Larry Haskell, Spokane County Prosecutor
Dr. Bob Lutz, Spokane Regional Health District
Dr. Nicole Rodin, Clinical Assistant Professor – Washington State University College of
Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Dr. Michal Dunn, Superintendent ESD 101
Dr. Adam Swinyard, Superintendent – Spokane Public Schools
Shawn Woodward, Superintendent – Mead School District 354
Ben Small, Superintendent – Central Valley School District
Kyle Rydell, Superintendent – West Valley School District #363
Kelly Shea, Superintendent – East Valley School District #361
Robert Roettger, Superintendent – Cheney Public Schools
United States Department of Justice Charges More Than 14,200 Defendants with Firearms-Related Crimes in FY20Read the Press Release
Spokane – Today, the Department of Justice announced it has charged more than 14,200 defendants with firearms-related crimes during Fiscal Year (FY) 2020, despite the challenges of COVID 19 and its impact on the criminal justice process. These cases have been a Department priority since November 2019 when Attorney General William P. Barr announced his commitment to investigating, prosecuting, and combatting gun crimes as a critical part of the Department’s anti-violent crime strategy. These firearms-related charges are the result of the critical law enforcement partnership between United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, led by Acting Director Regina Lombardo, who has made firearms-related investigations a priority.
“The number one priority of government is to keep its citizens safe,” said Attorney General Barr. “By preventing firearms from falling into the hands of individuals who are prohibited from having them, we can stop violent crime before it happens. Violating federal firearms laws is a serious crime and offenders face serious consequences. The Department of Justice is committed to investigating and prosecuting individuals who illegally buy, sell, use, or possess firearms. Reducing gun violence requires a coordinated effort, and we could not have charged more than 14,000 individuals with firearms-related crimes without the hard work of the dedicated law enforcement professionals at the ATF, our U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the country, and especially all of our state and local law enforcement partners.”
“Protecting the public from violent crime involving firearms is at the core of ATF’s mission,” commented ATF Acting Director Regina Lombardo. “Every day the men and women of ATF pursue and investigate those who use firearms to commit violent crimes in our communities, many of whom are prohibited from possessing firearms from previous convictions. ATF, in collaboration with the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the nation, is committed to bringing these offenders to justice for their egregious and violent criminal acts.”
United States Attorney Hyslop said, “Prosecuting firearm-related crimes continues to be a priority here in the Eastern District ofWashington. The number of firearms-related cases prosecuted in the past year is indicative of the close working relationship the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District ofWashington has with its federal, state, local and Tribal law enforcement partners and our joint commitment to making the community safer.”
Of the more than 14,200 cases charged nationally, 54 cases have been brought by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District ofWashington, announced U.S. Attorney Hyslop.
The following examples highlight some of the firearm-related cases prosecuted in the Eastern District of Washington during the past year:
Jesus Valencia-Morfin, a resident of Yakima, Washington, was sentenced to an 11-year term of imprisonment following his guilty plea to drug trafficking. A firearm recovered during a search of his residence was linked via the NIBIN shell casing tracing system to a shooting on December 24, 2018, in Yakima, Washington. As a result, Valencia-Morfin pled guilty to Assault with a Deadly Weapon charges stemming from that incident in the Yakima County Superior Court as well.
Michael Lorenzo Martinez Castoreno, a resident of Moses Lake, Washington, was sentenced to a 9-year term of imprisonment following his guilty plea for possessing stolen firearms. Martinez Castoreno, a documented Sureno gang member, led police on a high speed chase that ended when he crashed into a police vehicle. Multiple stolen firearms were located in his vehicle.
Joseph Aarnes, a resident of Spokane, Washington, was sentenced to a 7.5 year term of imprisonment following his guilty plea to possessing a stolen silencer. Aarnes was on Washington State Department of Corrections’ supervision at the time he unlawfully possessed the silencer.
Randall Gross, a resident of Coulee City, Washington, was sentenced to a 10-year term of imprisonment following his guilty plea to drug trafficking charges. During a search warrant of his residence, an AR-15 assault rifle was located next to Gross’ bed.
Raymond Guerrero-Garcia, a resident of Toppenish, Washington, was sentenced to a 10-year term of imprisonment following his guilty plea to discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. In a dispute that stemmed from the reported theft of drugs, Guerrero-Garcia, a documented Sureno gang member, approached the victim who had arrived to give condolences to Guerrero-Garcia for the death of his mother. Guerrero-Garcia pulled out a firearm and shot the victim. Guerrero-Garcia then entered the victim’s vehicle and stole property, including a stereo.
Francisco Salazar, Jr., a resident of Yakima, Washington was sentenced to a term of imprisonment of just over 7 years following his guilty plea to a drug trafficking offense and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. During a search of his residence stemming from a drug trafficking investigation in October 2018, law enforcement located a large quantity of fentanyl-laced pills as well as a firearm. Salazar, Jr. was released pre-trial on state charges. Months later, Salazar Jr., still on pre-trial release, continued to sell fentanyl-laced pills. Another search warrant was served on his residence and vehicle in September 2019. Fentanyl-laced pills and a loaded firearm were located.
Martel Chavez-Mendoza, a resident of Yakima, Washington was sentenced to a 14-year term of imprisonment following his guilty plea to a drug trafficking offense, which included the possession of approximately 90 pounds of methamphetamine. In addition to the drugs, search of Chavez-Mendoza’s residence also resulted in the seizure of multiple firearms.
Gary Jack Gallager, a resident of Colfax, Washington, was sentenced to an 85-month term of imprisonment following his guilty plea to felon in possession of a firearm.
Maria Andrea Gonzalez, a resident of Yakima, Washington, was sentenced to a 20-year term of imprisonment following jury trial convictions for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and heroin, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, and also after having pleaded guilty to attempted aggravated sexual assault of a female federal inmate. When she was arrested, Gonzalez possessed 337 grams of methamphetamine, 135 grams of heroin, a loaded firearm and a large amount of U.S. currency. While awaiting trial, Gonzalez and several other female inmates sexually assaulted another female inmate while searching the other female inmate for drugs.
Gabriel Anthony Zavala, a resident of Yakima, Washington, was sentenced to a 10-year term of imprisonment for discharging a firearm at tribal officers on the Yakama Nation Indian Reservation. Tribal officers responded to the scene of a reported shooting, whereupon Zavala exchanged gunfire with the officers from his vehicle. No one was injured and Zavala managed to flee, but his DNA later linked him to the abandoned vehicle and firearm. Zavala was ordered to serve the federal sentence consecutively to a separate 20-year state term of imprisonment for a different assault involving a deadly weapon.
Under federal law, it is illegal to possess a firearm if the person falls into one of nine prohibited categories including being a felon, illegal alien, or unlawful user of a controlled substance. Further, it is unlawful to possess a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense or violent crime. It is also illegal to purchase – or even to attempt to illegally purchase - firearms if the buyer is a prohibited person or illegally purchasing a firearm on behalf of others. Lying on ATF Form 4473, which is used to lawfully purchase a firearm, is also a federal offense.
The Department is committed to prosecuting these firearms offenses as well as using all modern technologies available to law enforcement such as the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network, known as NIBIN, to promote gun crime intelligence. Keeping illegal firearms out of the hands of violent criminals will continue to be a priority of the Department of Justice and we will use all appropriate, available means to keep the law abiding people of this country safe from gun crime.
A recent study by the United States Sentencing Commission found that offenders convicted of a firearm offense were the most likely to be re-arrested after their release from incarceration at 68.3%. See Recidivism & Federal Sentencing Policy, Recidivism of Federal Offenders: A Comprehensive Overview, United States Sentencing Commission.
For more information on the lawful purchasing of firearms, please see: https://www.atf.gov/qa-category/atf-form-4473.
Man Sentenced to 24 Months in Federal Prison for Assaulting Woman on Nez Perce Indian ReservationRead the Press Release
Spokane – William D. Hyslop, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Lonnie Lee Bisbee, Jr., 35, of Lenore, Idaho, and an enrolled member of the Umatilla Tribe, was sentenced after having pleaded guilty on June 10, 2020, to Assault Resulting in Substantial Bodily Injury in Indian Country. Chief United States District Judge for the District of Idaho David C. Nye sentenced Bisbee to a two-year term of imprisonment, to be followed by a three-year term of court supervision after he is released from federal prison.
According to information disclosed during court proceedings, Bisbee assaulted the mother of his child while they were travelling to a doctor’s appointment. The two were travelling with their infant son and another of Bisbee’s minor children, when Bisbee pulled the vehicle over, choked the victim, and threw her to the ground. Bisbee told authorities that he placed his forearm against the victim’s neck like a “forearm shiver,” then “yanked her to the ground,” causing her head to “ping” on the roadway, face first.
United States Attorney Hyslop said, “Domestic violence against women and crimes of violence like what occurred here cannot be tolerated in our society. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington works closely with our federal, state, local and Tribal law enforcement partners in investigating and prosecuting violent crime. I commend the outstanding work of the FBI and Nez Perce Tribal Police in investigating this case. The Court’s sentence rendered here should be a message that there are repercussions and jail time awaiting those who abuse and hurt others in this manner.”
“The severe assault by Lonnie Bisbee will not only have long-lasting effects on the victim, but on the young children, who should never have to witness such violence,” said Special Agent in Charge Paul Haertel of the Salt Lake City FBI. “The FBI is committed to protecting our communities and will continue to work with our law enforcement partners and the United States Attorney's office to investigate and prosecute the most serious crimes that happen on our nation's Indian reservations.”
This case was investigated by the Lewiston, Idaho, Resident Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Nez Perce Tribal Police. This case was prosecuted by Ann T. Wick, an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, specially appointed to the District of Idaho.
United States Attorney William D. Hyslop Announces $400,000 Grant to Assist Victims of Crime Awarded to the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation in the Eastern District of WashingtonRead the Press Release
Spokane – William D. Hyslop, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, today announced $400,000 in a Department of Justice grant to assist crime victims in Eastern Washington. The grant, awarded by the Department’s Office of Justice Programs, is part of almost 1.8 billion distributed to state victim assistance and compensation programs to fund thousands of local victim assistance programs across the country and to provide millions in compensation to victims of crime.
The Office for Victims of Crime, a component of the Department’s Office of Justice Programs, flagship formula grant program is supported by the Crime Victims Fund (the Fund), which was established under The Victims of Crime Act (VOCA). The Fund supports a broad array of programs and services that focus on helping victims in the immediate aftermath of crime and continuing to support them as they rebuild their lives. In FY 2019 alone, VOCA grants served over seven million victims and paid more than $399 million in compensation claims.
“Advocates, service providers, and law enforcement agencies from around the country stand ready to help crime victims exercise their legal rights and reclaim their lives,” said Attorney General William P. Barr. “These new funding resources continue this administration’s unprecedented commitment to providing the support necessary for victims of crimes to be able to heal and recover.”
The award of $400,000 being made to the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation will support local direct victim service programs, including children’s advocacy centers, domestic violence shelters, rape crisis centers, human trafficking and elder abuse programs, civil legal services, crime victims’ rights enforcement, as well as victim assistance positions in prosecutors’ offices and law enforcement departments.
United States Attorney Hyslop said, “This grant will provide much needed resources to help victims of crime at the Yakama Nation. Convicted criminals are sent to jail, but their victims often suffer financial loss and long-lasting emotional scars. Supporting and helping the victims of crime is a top priority of the United States Department of Justice.”
State victim compensation programs will receive over $133 million to supplement the state funds that offset victims’ financial burdens resulting from crime. This compensation is often extremely vital to victims who face enormous financial setbacks from medical fees, lost income, dependent care, funeral expenses and other costs.
“The services made available by this funding represent a lifeline for tens of thousands of survivors each month, many of whom otherwise would have no place to turn in a moment of profound crisis,” said Katharine T. Sullivan, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the Office of Justice Programs. “These awards will help service providers, as well as law enforcement agencies and prosecutors’ offices respond to the many emotional and material challenges that crime victims in our country face every day.”
The Fund is financed by fines and penalties paid by convicted federal offenders and does not include tax dollars. More information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.
United States Attorney William D. Hyslop Announces Award of $839,263 to the Kalispel Indian Community in a Grant to Be Used to Improve Public Safety, Serve Crime Victims and Support Its Youth Programs in the Eastern District of WashingtonRead the Press Release
Spokane – William D. Hyslop, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced today that, of the Department of Justice grants awarded this week to improve public safety, serve victims of crime and support youth programs in tribal communities, the Kalispel Indian Community and the Kalispel Reservation Public Safety and Community Policing program has been awarded $839,263 to support its efforts here in the Eastern District of Washington.
“American Indian and Alaska Native communities experience rates of violent crime and domestic abuse that are among the highest in the nation,” said Attorney General William P. Barr. “The awards announced underscore the Department of Justice’s deep commitment to improving public safety in tribal communities throughout the United States. This administration will continue to work closely with our tribal partners to guarantee that they have the resources they need to combat violence and bring criminals to justice.”
United States Attorney Hyslop said, “I’m very pleased that the Kalispel Indian Community has been awarded an $839,263 grant. These funds will provide substantial assistance to be used to expand and improve services to victims of crime and to promote other public safety initiatives.”
A total of more than $103 million is being awarded to tribes across the country under the Justice Department’s Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation. CTAS supports activities that enhance law enforcement and tribal justice practices, expand victim services and sustain crime prevention and intervention efforts. CTAS grants are administered by the Department’s Office of Justice Programs ($41.5 million), Office on Violence Against Women ($39.1 million) and Office of Community Oriented Policing Services ($22.5 million).
An additional $113 million is being awarded to 133 applicants nationwide under the Tribal Victim Services Set-Aside Program. This program, managed by OJP’s Office for Victims of Crime, is designed to help tribes develop, expand and improve services to victims of crime and promote other public safety initiatives.
“Public safety officials and victim service providers in Indian country face exceptional challenges, but they bring to their work an extraordinary array of skills and resources that enable them to meet and overcome any obstacle,” said OJP Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan. “The Office of Justice Programs is proud to help fulfill Attorney General Barr's strong commitment – and the federal government's long-standing responsibility – to our tribal partners in the matter of their citizens' safety and wellbeing.”
In addition to the CTAS and Tribal Victim Services Set-Aside awards, the Office on Violence Against Women is making additional tribal awards of more than $31 million to support a wide range of efforts to address the crimes of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking and human trafficking.
“OVW’s funding supports Native American and Alaska Native communities as they work across their communities to prevent and respond to gender based violence,” said OVW Principal Deputy Director Laura L. Rogers. “These awards represent the strong commitment that OVW has made to help protect the most vulnerable members of tribal communities.”
Additional awards to support tribal public safety efforts are being made by OJP and the COPS Office. These grants will provide community policing training and other training and technical assistance. Awards will also address the needs of tribal youth, fund tribal reentry efforts, help tribes combat substance abuse and manage sex offenders, and support tribal research. In addition, funds support efforts in 17 tribal communities to address the challenges posed by the outbreak of COVID-19.
“Ensuring our nation’s tribal communities have the resources they need is paramount for the COPS Office and the Department of Justice,” said COPS Office Director Phil Keith. “These awards are a critical component to the overall public safety strategy for tribal law enforcement and the COPS Office is honored to provide vital resources to hire more sworn officer positions, advance tribal training and procure equipment needed to keep communities safe.”
A full listing of all the announced CTAS awards is available here.
A full listing of all Tribal Victim Services Set-Aside Program awards is available here.
The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.
United States Attorney William D. Hyslop Announces $1,495,962 to Support Offenders Returning to Communities in the Eastern District of WashingtonRead the Press Release
Spokane – William D. Hyslop, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, today announced $1,495,962 in Department of Justice grants to be used to help reduce recidivism among adults and juvenile offenders returning after confinement to their communities here in the Eastern District of Washington. The grants, awarded by the Department’s Office of Justice Programs, are part of more than $92 million in funding to support reentry efforts throughout the United States.
These awards represent President Trump’s commitment to assisting people in America’s prisons and detention facilities who have earned the opportunity to take their places back in society.
“Former offenders are ultimately responsible for their own successes and failures, but our criminal and juvenile justice systems have an important role to play in preparing them for the obstacles that lie before them,” said OJP Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan. “I’m very pleased to make these resources available to help them get back on their feet and contribute to the prosperity of their communities and the betterment of our nation.”
The reentry and recidivism reduction grants awarded will help communities develop and implement comprehensive strategies to address the challenges posed by reentry and recidivism; support reentry services for detained juveniles and incarcerated parents with children under the age of 18; and support research and evaluation programs to advance understanding about reoffending.
United States Attorney Hyslop said, “The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington will use all available resources and strategies to reduce crime. One of the strategies to reduce recidivism is to provide services to offenders that promote successful reintegration into society, including education and employment opportunities, and the ability to be productive, law-abiding citizens, upon their release. This grant funding will help accomplish that.”
The following organizations received funding:
• HopeSource (Kittitas County) – receiving $749,994
• Washington State Department of Corrections (Eastern/Western Washington) – receiving $745,968
For a complete list of individual grant programs, award amounts, and jurisdictions that will receive funding, visit: https://www.ojp.gov/sites/g/files/xyckuh241/files/media/document/reentryfactsheet.pdf
More information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.
The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years
Richland Business Owner Sentenced to More Than 28 Years in Federal Prison for Falsifying Human Clinical Research TrialsRead the Press Release
Richland – William D. Hyslop, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Sami Anwar, age 41, of Richland, Washington, was sentenced today by Senior District Judge Edward F. Shea to a 340-month term of imprisonment for falsifying human clinical research trials in connection with a fraud scheme directed by Mr. Anwar.
After a three-week jury trial in Richland in November 2019 before Judge Shea, a federal jury found Mr. Anwar guilty of 47 counts of wire fraud, mail fraud, conspiracy, fraudulently obtaining controlled substances, and furnishing false material information to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
According to court documents and evidence presented during the trial and at sentencing, between 2013 and 2018 Sami Anwar directed and carried out a conspiracy to have his companies fraudulently pose as legitimate human clinical research trial sites and provide of false clinical research trial data regarding drug safety and drug efficacy to dozens of drug companies and, through them, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The false clinical research data that Sami Anwar injected into the public health system included safety data on dozens of different drugs and medicines designed to treat a wide variety of diseases and conditions including, but not limited to, heart disease, diabetes, asthma, pediatric illnesses, adolescent smoking, cirrhosis, scabies, depression, and opioid addiction to name just a few, according the evidence presented at trial. The evidence at trial indicated that Sami Anwar and his companies received over $5.6 million dollars from the fraud.
United States Attorney Hyslop said, “Every day, Americans rely on the data from clinical research trials to keep us safe from deadly diseases and dangerous side effects. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and the vital ongoing clinical trials currently being conducted with regard to therapeutic treatments and vaccines, remind us every day how critical clinical research trials are and how important it is that that they be conducted honestly and reliably. Injecting fraudulent and corrupt data into the system is an egregious breach of the trust and faith that we all place in those who perform these vitally important trials.” Hyslop continued, “Based on the evidence presented at sentencing, and the jury’s unanimous verdict at trial, Mr. Anwar profited from his blatant disregard for patient safety by running his fraudulent enterprise through fear and intimidation.”
According to court documents and the evidence presented at trial and at sentencing, Sami Anwar, who is not a licensed medical doctor, would pose as a doctor and forge the signatures of the doctors he employed. In addition, over a dozen former employees of Sami Anwar testified that he directly instructed them to assist him in committing the fraud including falsifying medical records and data to admit dozens of ineligible research subjects; falsifying research data including electrocardiograms and vital signs, obtaining blood specimens from Sami Anwar’s employees or stealing them from unwitting medical patients of his medical center, disposing of study medications by shooting them down the drain and then falsely recording them as having been properly injected as required, dangerously hoarding opioids intended to be dispensed to study subjects, and fabricating required subject diary entries.
According to the evidence presented at trial and at sentencing, Sami Anwar not only directed the fraud but engaged in threats, retaliation, and intimidation in order to hide his crimes from drug companies, the FDA, which regulates human clinical trials in the United States, and law enforcement. According to evidence presented at trial and at sentencing, numerous former employees of Sami Anwar testified that Anwar filed false police reports, made false allegations to the Washington State Department of Health, the FDA, threatened them at their homes, at their places of work, slashed their tires, and stalked them in order to prevent them from cooperating with the authorities.
In sentencing Mr. Anwar above the recommended sentencing guideline range, Judge Shea remarked that “the extent of the fraud is astounding” and noted that Mr. Anwar’s conduct “endangered countless lives.” Judge Shea further stated that Mr. Anwar’s “greed knew no limit” and that he was “a vengeful human being who sought to punish anyone who threatened [his] scheme.”
Mr. Anwar and his companies were also ordered to pay $1,890,550.10 in restitution to the victims of the fraud, to forfeit $5,648,786.69 as proceeds of the fraud, and to pay special penalty assessments of $24,300. Mr. Anwar was also sentenced to three years of supervised release following completion of his custodial sentence, with special conditions to protect his victims and former employees.
Mr. Hyslop further stated “I wish to especially commend the excellent work done by the investigative personnel with the Seattle and Spokane resident offices of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Diversion Group. Their exceptional investigative work made this result possible. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure that those who continue to abuse this trust and undermine our health care system are brought to justice.”
“Justifiably, Sami Anwar will be sitting behind bars for a very long time, thinking about his despicable actions that betrayed the American public and all the healthcare heroes who conduct lifesaving clinical trials every day,” stated Acting Special Agent in Charge Cam Strahm. “I commend the hard work of the DEA Diversion Investigators who stopped Anwar from further injecting fraudulent data into the public health system. This investigative action in Eastern Washington is part of a strategy in addressing illicit opioid access and diversion, currently endangering our communities.”
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Diversion Group’s Seattle Field Division and Spokane District Office. The case was prosecuted by Dan Fruchter, Tyler H.L. Tornabene, and Brian Donovan, Assistant United States Attorneys for the Eastern District of Washington. The case caption is No. 4:18-cr-5064-EFS (E.D. Wash.).
Illegal Alien Sentenced to 60 Months in Federal Prison for Role in $4.7 Million Mail/Wire/Healthcare Fraud and Money Laundering SchemeRead the Press Release
Spokane – William D. Hyslop, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Misael Reyes-Tajimaroa, age 36, of Michoacan, Mexico, was sentenced after having pleaded guilty to one count of healthcare fraud conspiracy, one count of mail and wire fraud conspiracy, eight counts of mail fraud, one count of wire fraud, one count of money laundering conspiracy, and one count of money laundering. United States District Judge Thomas O. Rice sentenced Reyes-Tajimaroa to a 60-month term of imprisonment, to be followed by a 3- year term of court supervision after he is released from federal prison. Judge Rice also ordered Reyes-Tajimaroa to pay restitution in the amount of $500,000.
According to information disclosed during court proceedings, Reyes-Tajimaroa, an illegal alien who was residing at various times in Spokane County, Washington, and Clark County, Nevada was an integral member of an extensive healthcare/mail/wire fraud scheme that staged automobile, boating and slip and fall accidents in Spokane, Washington, Liberty Lake, Washington, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, Shingle Springs, California, Rescue, California, Las Vegas, Nevada and Henderson, Nevada that defrauded insurance companies out of approximately $4.7 million by filing fraudulent bodily injury claims. Reyes-Tajimaroa played “injured” victim, “getaway” driver or “lookout” in approximately sixteen of the phony accidents and received medical treatment for fictitious or intentionally inflicted injuries to various parts of his body. After one phony accident, Reyes-Tajimaroa was airlifted via helicopter to a hospital by first responders. As part of the staging in another accident, Reyes-Tajimaroa used pliers to break off his teeth. Reyes-Tajimaroa also conspired with others to launder money from the fraudulent insurance claims.
United States Attorney Hyslop said, “Reyes-Tajimaroa was involved in a sophisticated and elaborate fraud and money laundering scheme that operated in four different states. Fraud schemes like these ultimately increase insurance premiums and health care costs for law-abiding citizens. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District ofWashington is resolute in prosecuting aggressively those individuals who may engage in such conduct. I commend the FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation and U.S. Marshals Service for their outstanding work investigating this case.”
FBI Special Agent in Charge Raymond Duda said,“Greed tempts people to do many things, and in this case, even causing self-harm. However, the harm inflicted on honest consumers did not seem to be of any concern to him or his co-conspirators. Mr. Reyes-Tajimaroa will now have the next 42 months to consider whether his participation in this scheme was worth it.”
“Misael Reyes-Tajimaroa directly participated in staged accidents to purposely mislead first responders about his and other’s bodily injuries and by doing so endangered the public who suffered from real emergencies,” said IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Special Agent in Charge Justin Campbell. “IRS-CI will continue to work with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and its law enforcement partners to hold accountable all who conspire to commit fraud.”
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, U.S. Marshals Service and U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington Criminal Healthcare Fraud Investigator, with assistance from the National Insurance Crime Bureau. This case was prosecuted by George J.C. Jacobs, III, and Brian Donovan, Assistant United States Attorneys for the Eastern District of Washington.
Violent Drug Trafficker Sentenced to 11 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Spokane – William D. Hyslop, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Jesus Valencia-Morfin, age 31, of Yakima, Washington, was sentenced today after having pleaded guilty on February 19, 2020, to Possession with Intent to Distribute 500 Grams or More of Methamphetamine. Senior District Court Judge Wm. Fremming Nielsen sentenced Valencia-Morfin to an 11-year term of imprisonment, to be followed by a 5-year term of court supervision after he is released from federal prison.
According to information disclosed during court proceedings, Valencia-Morfin was identified through a long-term joint investigation led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (“ATF”) and the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) into drug and firearms trafficking in the Grant County, Washington, and surrounding areas. Through the investigation, which included a court-authorized wire-tap, Valencia-Morfin was identified as a drug trafficker who primarily worked as a transporter of multiple kilogram-quantities of methamphetamine to various customers throughout Eastern Washington.
In July 2019, search warrants were executed at multiple locations, including Valencia-Morfin’s residence in the Yakima, Washington area. During that search, multiple firearms were located in Valencia-Morfin’s bedroom, as well as a ballistic vest and user-amounts of methamphetamine. Approximately 6 pounds of methamphetamine was located in the trunk of the vehicle Valencia-Morfin owned and utilized to transport controlled substances.
One of the firearms, a Smith & Wesson SDS Model SD9VE 9mm semi-automatic handgun, seized from Valenica-Morfin’s residence was identified through ATF’s National Integrated Ballistics Network (“NIBIN”) as being the firearm utilized to shoot two victims on December 24, 2018, in Yakima County. One of the victims was hospitalized as a result of that shooting. Valencia-Morfin was also charged by the State of Washington for the conduct arising from the shootings and, as part of a global resolution with the federal drug trafficking case, pled guilty in Yakima County Superior Court (Case Number 2010032739) to two counts of Assault 2 with a Deadly Weapon Enhancement.
United States Attorney Hyslop said “This case highlights the use of an important and invaluable technology -- NIBIN. Through NIBIN, law enforcement can now link seemingly random cases to one firearm and bring the individual who used that firearm to justice. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington and our federal, state, local and Tribal law enforcement partners will use every tool at our disposal to investigate and prosecute dangerous armed criminals.”
“The sentence handed down to Mr. Valencia-Morfin is a reflection of his blatant disregard for the rule of law,” said ATF Seattle Special Agent in Charge Jonathan T. McPherson. “Sentences such as this one removes a dangerous offender from our streets and will hopefully serve as a deterrent to others.”
This case was made possible by investigative leads generated from the ATF’s National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (“NIBIN”). NIBIN is the only national network that allows for the capture and comparison of ballistic evidence to aid in solving and preventing violent crimes involving firearms. NIBIN is a proven investigative and intelligence tool that can link firearms from multiple crime scenes, allowing law enforcement to quickly disrupt shooting cycles. For more information on NIBIN, visit https://www.atf.gov/firearms/national-integrated-ballistic-information-network-nibin.
This case was prosecuted under the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program. PSN is a federal, state, and local law enforcement collaboration to identify, investigate, and prosecute individuals responsible for violent crimes in our neighborhoods. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is partnering with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement to specifically identify the criminals responsible for violent crime in the Eastern District of Washington and pursue criminal prosecution.
This case is also part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. The OCDETF program provides supplemental federal funding to the federal and state agencies involved in the investigation of drug-related crimes. This OCDETF investigation is being conducted by the DEA and ATF.
This case was investigated by the Spokane District Office of the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Spokane Office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, the Moses Lake Police Department, the Grant County Sheriff’s Office, the Ephrata Police Department, Yakima County Sheriff’s Office, the Union Gap Police Department, the Grandview Police Department, the Sunnyside Police Department, the Washington State Patrol, and the Northwest High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. This case was prosecuted by Caitlin Baunsgard, an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington.
Human Traffickers Ordered to Serve Significant Federal Prison Sentences and Pay $183,600 in RestitutionRead the Press Release
Spokane – William D. Hyslop, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Robert S. Tillman, age 30, of Sacramento, California, and Brandon C. Campbell, age 23, of Troy, New York, have been sentenced to significant terms of custody after their convictions on federal sex trafficking charges. Following their guilty pleas earlier this summer, United States District Judge Salvador Mendoza, Jr., sentenced Tillman to 15 years and Campbell to 7.5 years in federal prison, to be followed by lengthy terms of court supervision after they are released. Judge Mendoza also ordered Tillman and Campbell to pay a total of $163,200 in restitution ($81,600 per victim) to two victims in this case. Tillman was ordered to pay an additional $20,400 to another victim. The restitution awards represent the income that Tillman and Campbell gained by forcing and coercing their victims to engage in commercial sex acts, sometimes under the threat of a firearm that Tillman carried.
According to information disclosed during court proceedings, Tillman and Campbell engaged in a scheme that involved pimping out at least three victims in Arizona, Utah, and eventually Wenatchee and Pasco, Washington. One of these victims was a minor. Tillman and Campbell posted online advertisements for their victims’ sexual services, and then forced their victims to engage in prostitution acts at hotel rooms throughout Eastern Washington. Sometimes they hid in the hotel rooms themselves to rob unsuspecting “johns” while brandishing a firearm or threatening violence, a practice known as “trapping” or “tricking.” Tillman used his firearm to threaten victims if they did not follow his specific instructions, and Campbell guarded the doors to the hotel rooms and posted the online advertisements for sex with the victims.
In addition to using force and threats of force to ensure compliance, Tillman and Campbell also made victims take methamphetamine so they could stay awake while they engaged in as many as ten commercial sex encounters in a day, sometimes for seven days a week. Tillman and Campbell kept the money that their victims were forced to earn at their direction; in only a few months, they profited more than a hundred thousand dollars. Judge Mendoza ordered them to pay their victims back the actual value of the commercial sex acts they forced the victims to perform. As Judge Mendoza noted, Tillman and Campbell’s conduct was incredibly damaging to their victims – physically, emotionally, and psychologically.
United States Attorney Hyslop said, “Human trafficking is modern-day slavery, and it cannot be tolerated in a just society. Judge Mendoza’s sentence sends a clear message not only to the traffickers themselves, but also to potential customers who seek out children or adults for sex online. These victims are human beings who have been threatened, beaten, and coerced at the point of a gun to engage in commercial sex acts. It is a priority of the United States Attorney’s Office to protect all women and girls from sexual exploitation. Human traffickers in Eastern Washington should know that federal agents are actively looking for them and are waiting for them in every online forum from Craigslist to SkipTheGames. We are deeply committed to investigating, prosecuting, and stopping sex trafficking to the fullest extent possible. I commend the outstanding investigative efforts by the Yakima Office of HSI, and I thank the Support, Advocacy, and Resource Center in Richland for their unwavering support of victims.”
This case was pursued as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the United States Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. The Project Safe Childhood Initiative (“PSC”) has five major components:
· Integrated federal, state, and local efforts to investigate and prosecute child exploitation cases, and to identify and rescue children;
· Participation of PSC partners in coordinated national initiatives;
· Increased federal enforcement in child pornography and enticement cases;
· Training of federal, state, and local law enforcement agents; and
· Community awareness and educational programs.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”
This case was investigated by the Yakima Office of HSI, and Special Agent Daina Nunez. This case was prosecuted by Meghan McCalla and David M. Herzog, Assistant United States Attorneys for the Eastern District of Washington. Victim services were provided by Desiree Reynolds at the Support Advocacy Resource Center (“SARC”) in Richland, Washington.
Bechtel & Aecom, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Contractors, Agree to Pay $57.75 Million to Resolve Claims of Time Charging Fraud at Doe’s Hanford Waste Treatment PlantRead the Press Release
Richland and Spokane, WA – Today, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington announced that major federal contractors Bechtel National Inc., Bechtel Corporation (Bechtel), AECOM Energy & Construction, Inc. (AECOM), and their subsidiary Waste Treatment Completion Company, LLC (WTCC), agreed to pay $57,750,000 to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to resolve claims that Bechtel and AECOM fraudulently overcharged the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in connection with its operation of the Hanford Waste Treatment Plant (WTP) project. The False Claims Act (FCA) claims arose from allegations that Bechtel and AECOM management were aware of and failed to prevent inflated labor hours being charged to DOE, and for falsely billing DOE for work not actually performed.
The WTP is located at DOE’s Hanford Site near Richland, Washington. Between 2001 and the present, DOE has paid billions of dollars to Bechtel and AECOM to have them design and construct the WTP, the purpose of which is to treat hundreds of millions of gallons of dangerous radioactive waste currently stored at the Hanford Site. To construct, operate, and maintain the WTP, Bechtel and AECOM employed hundreds of electricians, millwrights, pipefitters, and other skilled tradesmen known as “craft” workers.
As part of the settlement secured by the U.S. Attorney’s Office (USAO) for the Eastern District of Washington, Bechtel and AECOM admitted to a detailed Statement of Facts setting forth their actionable conduct. Between 2009 and 2019, Bechtel and AECOM admitted to overcharging DOE for unreasonable and unallowable idle time experienced by craft personnel. Bechtel and AECOM further admitted to failing to schedule and carry out adequate work to keep craft personnel sufficiently occupied and productive, resulting in excessive idle time. Bechtel and AECOM also admitted that Bechtel and AECOM management knew that craft personnel were experiencing idle time due to management’s failure to assign sufficient work, and that this idle time could, at times, last “several hours.” Finally, Bechtel and AECOM admitted that they improperly billed DOE labor costs for the unreasonable idle time and continued doing so for years, even after Bechtel and AECOM knew they were under investigation for the improper billing practices.
“Completing the WTP is not only critical to public safety and the environmental health of the Pacific Northwest, but is an urgent and critically important ongoing public health concern, which the DOE and the State of Washington have appropriately made a top priority,” said Joseph H. Harrington, First Assistant United States Attorney (FAUSA) for the Eastern District of Washington. “It is stunning that, for nearly a decade, Bechtel and AECOM chose to line their corporate pockets by diverting important taxpayer funds from this critically essential effort.”
Teri L. Donaldson, the Inspector General for the Office of Inspector General – Department of Energy (OIG - DOE) noted, “Bechtel National Inc., AECOM Energy & Construction Inc. and Waste Treatment Completion Company LLC, engaged in a massive scheme to submit tens of millions of dollars of false claims to the U.S. Government for unallowable and unjustified costs over a period of years – a pattern of conduct that continued even after U.S. authorities notified the defendants that these costs were unallowable.” Inspector General Donaldson added, “I would like to extend my deep gratitude to our dedicated colleagues at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their excellent work in holding the defendants responsible for their continuing pattern of unacceptable and irresponsible conduct. Our colleagues at the U.S. Attorney’s Office worked tirelessly with Special Agents of the Office of Inspector General in putting the evidence together and building the strong case that led to this significant settlement.”
This is the second time that Bechtel and AECOM have been the subject of the DOJ’s fraud enforcement actions and have agreed to pay a large sum to resolve allegations of fraud and overcharging on the WTP project. In November 2016, the USAO announced that Bechtel and AECOM then agreed to pay $125 million to resolve claims that they knowingly violated quality standards at Hanford and used substandard materials in constructing portions of the WTP, and also improperly used federal funds to lobby Congress to, among other things, try to cut the DOE’s budget for independent oversight of work on the WTP.
As part of the settlement, Bechtel and AECOM also entered into a 3-year independent corporate monitor agreement, which requires Bechtel and AECOM to pay for a full-time independent monitor and assistant monitor selected by the USAO. These monitors will enjoy broad access to Bechtel’s and AECOM’s systems, meetings, personnel, and other information pertaining to labor charging. The monitors will also report directly to the United States. Bechtel and AECOM face additional liquidated damages of up to $10 million if they violate the terms of the monitoring agreement, provide false information, or fail to immediately correct any identified DOE contract issues.
Importantly, Bechtel and AECOM also agreed to fully cooperate and assist the United States in its ongoing investigation and enforcement efforts against individual officers and managers that facilitated or participated in the false labor billing practices. FAUSA Harrington added,
“Requiring Bechtel and AECOM to admit to their conduct and to subject themselves to independent monitoring reflects not only the seriousness of this matter, but the USAO’s commitment to holding repeat offenders accountable, whether they are multinational corporations or individuals.
I commend the agents of the DOE’s Office of Inspector General for their dedicated and tireless investigative work. The agents reviewed hundreds of thousands of documents, interviewed dozens of witnesses and copiously reviewed and catalogued hundreds of hours of video and audio recordings, to build a solid case for these extensive and false labor charge transactions. Their hard work, persistence, and professional skill made this complex and challenging case possible.
This Office will continue to work with its law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute fraud, waste and abuse committed by contractors and individual wrongdoers at Hanford, to hold them accountable, and to safeguard public funds, and protect the critical work being done at Hanford.”
According to court documents, the false craft labor billing case began in late 2016 when four (4) whistleblowers, who were employed at the WTP, came forward with allegations of labor mischarging. In May 2017, these individuals, known as “Relators”, filed a qui tam complaint under seal in the U.S. District Court (EDWA). When a relator files a qui tam complaint, the False Claims Act requires the United States to investigate the allegations and elect whether to intervene and take over the action or to decline to intervene and allow the relator to go forward with the litigation on behalf of the United States. The relator is generally able to then share in any recovery. In this case, according to court documents, the United States intervened in the action in February 2020, and that the United States, Bechtel, and AECOM reached this settlement following the United States’ intervention. Pursuant to the settlement agreement, the relators will receive $13,750,000 of the settlement amount. Another $25,789,039 of the settlement amount has been designated as restitution, meaning that it will be returned to DOE so that it is available for use in the ongoing Hanford efforts.
The settlement was the result of an investigation jointly conducted by the USAO and DOE OIG’s Western Field Office - Region 6, which is based in Richland. The USAO’s investigation and prosecution was handled by Special Assistant United States Attorney Frieda K. Zimmerman, and Assistant United States Attorneys Dan Fruchter and Tyler H.L. Tornabene, in the USAO’s Spokane Office.
###
For those members of the press interested in obtaining more information about this settlement, the USAO will host a virtual press conference at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, September 23, 2020, via WebEx, where the USAO will provide additional information and respond to questions regarding this resolution. If you are interested in virtually attending or participating, and have not received an invitation, please contact Debra Doll at (509) 835-6317 or [email protected] for further information.
78._final_executed_bechtel_settlement_agreement_and_sof.pdf 9._compliance_and_monitoring_agreement.pdfSureno Gang Member Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Discharge of a Firearm During a Crime of ViolenceRead the Press Release
Spokane – William D. Hyslop, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Raymond Zack Guerrero-Garcia, age 29, of Toppenish, Washington, a Sureno Gang Member, and an enrolled member of the Confederated Bands and Tribes of the Yakama Nation, was sentenced today after having pleaded guilty on July 7, 2020, to Discharge of a Firearm During a Crime of Violence. Senior United States District Judge Lonny Suko sentenced Guerrero-Garcia to a 10-year term of imprisonment, to be followed by a 5-year term of court supervision after he is released from federal prison.
According to information disclosed during court proceedings, in January 2017, the victim stole drugs from Guerrero-Garcia and damaged his vehicle. In May 2017, the victim learned that Guerrero-Garcia’s mother had passed away. The victim traveled to Guerrero-Garcia’s residence, located within the external boundaries of the Yakama Nation, to offer condolences. Guerrero-Garcia approached the victim, pulled out a firearm, and shot the victim. Guerrero-Garcia then entered the victim’s vehicle and stole property including a stereo.
United States Attorney Hyslop said, “The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington commends the law enforcement officers with the Yakima County Sheriff’s Office, the Toppenish Police Department, the Yakama Nation Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives who investigated this case. Their seamless partnership resulted in the successful outcome of this matter. The sentence imposed by the court removes a violent gang member from our streets and sends a clear message to others who may choose to engage in such criminal activity.”
This case was prosecuted under the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program. PSN is a federal, state, and local law enforcement collaboration to identify, investigate, and prosecute individuals responsible for violent crimes in our neighborhoods. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is partnering with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement to specifically identify the criminals responsible for violent crime in the Eastern District of Washington and pursue criminal prosecution.
This case was investigated by the Yakima County Sheriff’s Office, the Toppenish Police Department, the Yakama Nation Police Department, and the Yakima Resident Office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. This case was prosecuted by Tom Hanlon, an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington.
United States Attorney William D. Hyslop Announces $657,699 in Awards to Improve School Safety in the Eastern District of WashingtonRead the Press Release
Spokane -- William D. Hyslop, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announces that a total of $657,699 in school safety grant funding is being awarded to the Mattawa Police Department, East Valley School District and Consolidated School District #116 in Prosser, Washington. The funding was awarded by the Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) School Violence Prevention Program (SVPP). Nationally, the COPS Office SVPP awarded nearly $50 million in school safety funding. SVPP provides up to 75% funding for school safety measures in and around primary and secondary schools and school grounds. The amounts awarded in Eastern Washington are:
Mattawa Police Department - $372,750
East Valley School District - $187,500
Consolidated School District #116 - $97,449
United States Attorney Hyslop said “Students should not fear going to school. These awards reflect the Department of Justice’s commitment to safe and secure learning environments for our students. The grant funding will assist our partners in enhancing the physical safety of our children while they are in school.”
“With the new school year underway, the safety of our nation’s students remains paramount,” said COPS Office Director Phil Keith. “Although this school year may look different at the start, now is the ideal time to make preparations to enhance school safety for when all of our children are back in the classroom.”
The Students, Teachers, and Officers Preventing School Violence Act of 2018 (STOP School Violence Act of 2018) gave the COPS Office authority to provide awards directly to states, units of local government, Indian tribes, and public agencies (such as school districts and law enforcement agencies) to improve security at schools and on school grounds in the jurisdiction of the grantee through evidence-based school safety programs. The three awards announced today can be used for coordination with law enforcement; training for local law enforcement officers to prevent student violence; metal detectors, locks, lighting, and other deterrent measures; technology for expedited notification of local law enforcement during an emergency; and other measures that provide a significant improvement in security. The full list of SVPP awards can be found here: https://cops.usdoj.gov/pdf/2020AwardDocs/svpp/Award_List.pdf.
In addition to the school safety grants announced today, the COPS Office School Safety Working Group, which is composed of representatives from eight national law enforcement organizations, has identified 10 essential actions that can be taken by schools, school districts, and law enforcement agencies to help prevent critical incidents involving the loss of life or injuries in our nation's schools and to respond rapidly and effectively when incidents do occur. The Ten Essential Actions to Improve School Safety are applicable to school shootings as well as to other areas of school safety, including natural disasters and traumatic events such as student suicide. Adopting policies and practices based on the recommendations in this publication can help make school communities safer and save lives.
*******
The COPS Office is the federal component of the Department of Justice responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. Since 1994, the COPS Office has invested more than $14 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of more than 134,000 officers and provide a variety of knowledge resource products including publications, training and technical assistance.
The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.
###
Child Sex Tourist Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Child Pornography and Child Exploitation CrimesRead the Press Release
Spokane – William D. Hyslop, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Dennis Michael Hogan, age 60, of Deer Park, Washington, was sentenced today to a 15-year term of imprisonment for Online Enticement of a Minor Girl to Engage in Production of Child Pornography and Attempted Illicit Sexual Conduct in Foreign Places. Following Hogan’s guilty plea on February 18, 2020, United States District Judge Rosanna Malouf Peterson sentenced him at the top of the proposed range, to be followed by a lifetime of court supervision after he is released from federal prison.
According to information disclosed during court proceedings, Hogan repeatedly used social media accounts and the Internet to reach out to minor girls in the Philippines. His minor victims ranged in age from 12 to 17, and each victim told Hogan how old she was. Hogan offered his victims as little as $19 for extremely graphic sexual images that the girls took of themselves and one another to send to him. Hogan also sent child pornography to his minor victims to groom them and show them the kinds of images he liked.
As Judge Peterson noted, Hogan’s conduct far exceeded producing and collecting child pornography. The Court found that in addition to the online recruitment of minor victims, Hogan repeatedly traveled to the Philippines and engaged in illicit sexual conduct with his minor victims. He made painstakingly detailed arrangements of date, time, hotel, city, and how to avoid having his victims’ identifications checked by the hotels to verify their ages. Seven minor victims were identified in the case, but based on Hogan’s online communications, there may have been many more.
Federal child exploitation investigators from Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”) learned about Hogan’s conduct through the CyberTip Program, when Facebook alerted law enforcement to the transfer of Hogan’s child pornography images. HSI executed a federal search warrant at Hogan’s home in Deer Park and seized numerous devices and communications.
But even after HSI raided his home, Hogan continued to engage in sexual communications with at least one minor female in the Philippines. HSI agents learned that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) in Minnesota had identified Hogan as a target in a completely independent investigation into sexual abuse of minor Filipina girls. HSI and FBI worked closely to coordinate the parallel investigations. From the evidence in the separate FBI case, HSI investigators learned that one of Hogan’s victims even sent him an image of her birth certificate to prove that she was a minor. HSI agents also saw that after the raid, Hogan specifically instructed his minor victim to engage in live sex chats online, because Facebook had informed law enforcement when he previously received images and videos of child pornography.
United States Attorney Hyslop said, “It is a priority of the United States Attorney’s Office to protect all children, not just American kids or those who live in Eastern Washington. The Internet has largely erased state, national, and international boundaries when it comes to adults who seek out children for sex. If predators in the Eastern District use the Internet to abuse children anywhere, they should know that federal agents are actively looking for them. We are deeply committed to investigating, prosecuting, and stopping child sexual abuse, including child sex tourism, to the fullest extent possible. The lengthy sentence imposed today sends a strong message that this conduct will not be tolerated, wherever the victims happen to live. I commend the outstanding investigative efforts by the Spokane Office of HSI, and the unwavering support and resources of the FBI, the Philippine National Police, the United States Embassy in Manila, and the United States Consulate in Cebu City. This was truly a global case that brought together the best of American investigatory resources and relied on national and international cooperation to protect children.”
“Today’s sentencing of Dennis Hogan makes it very clear, we will not tolerate child exploitation and those who perpetrate crimes against children,” Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations Seattle Eben Roberts said. “We work with our local, national and international partners to investigate and prosecute these crimes by using every available resource to pursue the guilty and protect the innocent.”
This case was pursued as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the United States Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims
For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.
For information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”
This case was investigated by the Spokane Office of HSI, and Special Agents Rodney Weekes (Ret.) and Shannon Hart in cooperation with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This case was prosecuted by David M. Herzog, an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington.
United States Attorney William D. Hyslop Commemorates the 30th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (Ada)Read the Press Release
Spokane – Sunday, July 26, 2020, marks the 30th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (the ADA), a critical civil rights law that aims to eliminate discrimination against people with disabilities. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington is proud to play an essential role in the United States Department of Justice’s enforcement efforts under the ADA, which was signed into law on July 26, 1990, and is the nation’s preeminent civil rights law for providing access and equal opportunity for people with disabilities.
United States Attorney William D. Hyslop said, “The ADA is landmark legislation that has improved the lives of millions of Americans. The ADA has broken down barriers and attacked discrimination at its root. It has led to significant accessibility improvements in buildings, programs, voting, and travel that were otherwise inaccessible. It has transformed discrimination into equality for over 60 million, or nearly 1 in 4, individuals in the United States with a disability. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington has vigorously investigated and, when necessary, prosecuted violations of the ADA when brought to our attention. On this 30th Anniversary of the ADA, let us reflect on the many ways the ADA has transformed our community for the better, and how it can continue to do so in the future.”
Some examples of ADA enforcement work in the Eastern District of Washington (EDWA) conducted by the United States Attorney’s office in conjunction with the Civil Rights Division include:
• Project civic access: review of public buildings for accessibility and compliance with the ADA in Spokane and Yakima. See e.g., : https://www.ada.gov/yakima_co_pca/yakima_sa.html;
• Multiple investigations of hospitals and health clinics to ensure they are providing effective communication for people who are deaf or have hearing loss, and also physical access to medical care for people with mobility disabilities. See e.g., https://www.ada.gov/astria_sa.html;
• Compliance with disability access and ADA accommodation standards in rental properties. See e.g., U.S. v. Riexinger Enterprises, Inc., et al (EDWA 2018); U.S. v. Christensen (EDWA 2020);
• Investigations of numerous other referred complaints concerning the denial of services to individuals accompanied by service animals; non-compliant parking; inaccessible entrances and doors; or the lack of assistive devices. These investigations have resulted in improvements to access and accommodation at EDWA hotels, swimming facilities, county fairs, movie theaters, restaurants and more.
The promise of the ADA is its wide-ranging efforts to eliminate disability discrimination across the range of services, programs, and activities that most Americans take for granted, but were largely inaccessible to individuals with disabilities prior to the law’s enactment. Whether in employment, areas of civic life, or in the day-to-day activities and access to goods and services that we all enjoy – the ADA ensures that individuals with disabilities enjoy the same opportunities as all Americans to participate in everything this nation has to offer.
Over the past 30 years, the United States has undertaken the challenge of changing perceptions about disability, tearing down barriers to equality, and altering the systems that have historically excluded people with disabilities. Today, the Justice Department commemorates the many ways that the ADA has transformed society—by replacing exclusion with access, segregation with integration, and limitations with self-determination.
The ADA has advanced the promise of the American dream, ensuring that people with disabilities can write their own stories. And as a society, we are better and stronger because of the contributions that people with disabilities make.
For more information about the 30th Anniversary of the ADA, please visit www.ada.gov. To file a complaint with the Department, please visit the Civil Rights Division’s portal at https://civilrights.justice.gov/report/. For more information about the ADA, call the Department’s toll-free ADA Information Line at 800-514-0301 or 800-514-0383 (TTY).
The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.
Harrah Man Indicted for Two Murders That Occurred Within the External Boundaries of the Yakama NationRead the Press Release
Spokane, Washington – William D. Hyslop, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that a Federal grand jury returned an Indictment on July 21, 2020, charging Edward Charles Robinson, Jr. with two counts of first degree murder, and one count of assault with a dangerous weapon. FBI agents arrested Robinson today and the United States will seek his detention pending a trial.
According to allegations in the Indictment, Robinson stabbed two people to death, and attacked a third person with a knife. The crimes occurred within the external boundaries of the Yakama Nation. As to each count of first degree murder, if convicted, Robinson faces a mandatory minimum sentence of life imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, a special assessment of $100.00, and restitution obligations. As to the assault with a dangerous weapon, if convicted, Robinson faces a maximum penalty of up to ten years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, and no more than three years supervised release, a special penalty assessment of $100.00, and restitution obligations.
United States Attorney William D. Hyslop said, “Violent crime occurring within the external boundaries of the Yakama Nation is exceedingly concerning. The tragic and horrific death of the two residents here is intolerable. We will prosecute Mr. Robinson for his alleged responsibility and we will seek justice for the victims’ families and their loved ones.”
FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Mark Nichols said, “The details of this case can only be described as senseless and disturbing. While the prosecution of this individual will not bring back the victims, it will hopefully provide some level of comfort for the families and the community as a whole.”
The charges contained in the Indictment are merely allegations. Robinson is presumed innocent, as is any defendant in a criminal case, until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The charges contained in the Indictment are the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Yakama Nation Police Department, the Yakima County Sheriff’s Office, Yakima County Emergency Management, and the Washington State Patrol. The case is being prosecuted by Richard Barker and Tom Hanlon, Assistant United States Attorneys for the Eastern District of Washington.
Two Chinese Hackers Working with the Ministry of State Security Charged with Global Computer Intrusion Campaign Targeting Intellectual Property and Confidential Business Information, Including COVID-19 ResearchRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury in Spokane, Washington, returned an indictment earlier this month charging two hackers, both nationals and residents of the People’s Republic of China (China), with hacking into the computer systems of hundreds of victim companies, governments, non-governmental organizations, and individual dissidents, clergy, and democratic and human rights activists in the United States and abroad, including Hong Kong and China. The defendants in some instances acted for their own personal financial gain, and in others for the benefit of the MSS or other Chinese government agencies. The hackers stole terabytes of data which comprised a sophisticated and prolific threat to U.S. networks.
The 11-count indictment alleges LI Xiaoyu (李啸宇), 34, and DONG Jiazhi (董家志), 33, who were trained in computer applications technologies at the same Chinese university, conducted a hacking campaign lasting more than ten years to the present, targeting companies in countries with high technology industries, including the United States, Australia, Belgium, Germany, Japan, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Spain, South Korea, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Targeted industries included, among others, high tech manufacturing; medical device, civil, and industrial engineering; business, educational, and gaming software; solar energy; pharmaceuticals; defense. In at least one instance, the hackers sought to extort cryptocurrency from a victim entity, by threatening to release the victim’s stolen source code on the Internet. More recently, the defendants probed for vulnerabilities in computer networks of companies developing COVID-19 vaccines, testing technology, and treatments.
The charges were announced by Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers; FBI Deputy Director David Bowdich; U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington William D. Hyslop; and Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Seattle Field Division Raymond Duda.
“China has now taken its place, alongside Russia, Iran and North Korea, in that shameful club of nations that provide a safe haven for cyber criminals in exchange for those criminals being ‘on call’ to work for the benefit of the state, here to feed the Chinese Communist party’s insatiable hunger for American and other non-Chinese companies’ hard-earned intellectual property, including COVID-19 research,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers.
“Today’s indictment demonstrates the serious consequences the Chinese MSS and its proxies will face if they continue to deploy malicious cyber tactics to either steal what they cannot create or silence what they do not want to hear,” said FBI Deputy Director David Bowdich. “Cybercrimes directed by the Chinese government’s intelligence services not only threaten the United States but also every other country that supports fair play, international norms, and the rule of law, and it also seriously undermines China's desire to become a respected leader in world affairs. The FBI and our international partners will not stand idly by to this threat, and we are committed to holding the Chinese government accountable.”
“The cybercrime hacking occurring here was first discovered on computers of the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in Eastern Washington. As the grand jury charged, the computer systems of many businesses, individuals and agencies throughout the United States and worldwide have been hacked and compromised with a huge array of sensitive and valuable trade secrets, technologies, data, and personal information being stolen. The hackers operated from China both for their own gain and with the assistance and for the benefit of the Chinese government’s Ministry of State Security. This prosecution is occurring as a result of the combined unwavering efforts of the National Security Division of the Department of Justice, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. We seek justice for these victims and others affected and we intend to prosecute these defendants for their alleged crimes,” said U.S. Attorney William D. Hyslop for the District Eastern District of Washington.
"The complicated nature of cyber investigations is only exacerbated when the criminal is backed by the resources of a foreign government. The nature and value of the material stolen by these hackers cannot just be measured in dollars and was indicative of being state driven. This case demonstrates the FBI's dedication to pursuing these criminals no matter who is sanctioning their activities,” said Special Agent in Charge Raymond Duda of the FBI’s Seattle Division.
According to the indictment, to gain initial access to victim networks, the defendants primarily exploited publicly known software vulnerabilities in popular web server software, web application development suites, and software collaboration programs. In some cases, those vulnerabilities were newly announced, meaning that many users would not have installed patches to correct the vulnerability. The defendants also targeted insecure default configurations in common applications. The defendants used their initial unauthorized access to place malicious web shell programs (e.g., the “China Chopper” web shell) and credential-stealing software on victim networks, which allowed them to remotely execute commands on victim computers.
To conceal the theft of information from victim networks and otherwise evade detection, the defendants typically packaged victim data in encrypted Roshal Archive Compressed files (RAR files), changed RAR file and victim documents’ names and extensions (e.g., from “.rar” to “.jpg”) and system timestamps, and concealed programs and documents at innocuous-seeming locations on victim networks and in victim networks’ “recycle bins.” The defendants frequently returned to re-victimize companies, government entities, and organizations from which they had previously stolen data, in some cases years after the initial successful data theft. In several instances, however, the defendants were unsuccessful in this regard, due to the efforts of the FBI and network defenders.
The indictment charges the defendants with conspiring to steal trade secrets from at least eight known victims, which consisted of technology designs, manufacturing processes, test mechanisms and results, source code, and pharmaceutical chemical structures. Such information would give competitors with a market edge by providing insight into proprietary business plans and savings on research and development costs in creating competing products.
The defendants are each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit computer fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison; one count of conspiracy to commit theft of trade secrets, which carries a maximum sentence of ten years in prison; one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; one count of unauthorized access of a computer, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison; and seven counts of aggravated identity theft, which each carries a mandatory sentence of two non-consecutive years in prison. The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencings of the defendants will be determined by the assigned judge.
The investigation was conducted jointly by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington, the National Security Division of the Department of Justice, and the FBI’s Spokane Resident Agency and San Antonio and Norfolk Field Offices. The FBI’s Cyber Division assisted in the investigation and, along with FBI’s Cyber Assistant Legal Attachés and Legal Attachés in countries around the world, provided essential support. Numerous victims cooperated and provided valuable assistance in the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney James Goeke of the Eastern District of Washington and Trial Attorney Scott McCulloch of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting this case.
The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Two Chinese Hackers Working with the Ministry of State Security Charged with Global Computer Intrusion Campaign Targeting Intellectual Property and Confidential Business Information, Including Covid-19 ResearchRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A federal grand jury in Spokane, Washington, returned an indictment earlier this month charging two hackers, both nationals and residents of the People’s Republic of China (China), with hacking into the computer systems of hundreds of victim companies, governments, non-governmental organizations, and individual dissidents, clergy, and democratic and human rights activists in the United States and abroad, including Hong Kong and China. The defendants in some instances acted for their own personal financial gain, and in others for the benefit of the MSS or other Chinese government agencies. The hackers stole terabytes of data which comprised a sophisticated and prolific threat to U.S. networks.
The 11-count indictment alleges LI Xiaoyu (李啸宇), 34, and DONG Jiazhi (董家志), 33, who were trained in computer applications technologies at the same Chinese university, conducted a hacking campaign lasting more than ten years to the present, targeting companies in countries with high technology industries, including the United States, Australia, Belgium, Germany, Japan, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Spain, South Korea, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Targeted industries included, among others, high tech manufacturing; medical device, civil, and industrial engineering; business, educational, and gaming software; solar energy; pharmaceuticals; defense. In at least one instance, the hackers sought to extort cryptocurrency from a victim entity, by threatening to release the victim’s stolen source code on the Internet. More recently, the defendants probed for vulnerabilities in computer networks of companies developing COVID-19 vaccines, testing technology, and treatments.
The charges were announced by Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers; FBI Deputy Director David Bowdich; U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington William D. Hyslop; and Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Seattle Field Division Raymond Duda.
“China has now taken its place, alongside Russia, Iran and North Korea, in that shameful club of nations that provide a safe haven for cyber criminals in exchange for those criminals being ‘on call’ to work for the benefit of the state, here to feed the Chinese Communist party’s insatiable hunger for American and other non-Chinese companies’ hard-earned intellectual property,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers.
“Today’s indictment demonstrates the serious consequences the Chinese Communist Party will face if it continues to deploy malicious cyber tactics to either steal what they cannot create or silence what they do not want to hear,” said FBI Deputy Director David Bowdich. “Cybercrimes directed by the Chinese government’s intelligence services not only threaten the United States but also every other country that supports fair play, international norms, and the rule of law, and it also seriously undermines China's desire to become a respected leader in world affairs. The FBI and our international partners will not stand idly by to this threat, and we are committed to holding the Chinese Communist Party accountable.”
“The cybercrime hacking occurring here was first discovered on computers of the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in Eastern Washington. As the grand jury charged, the computer systems of many businesses, individuals and agencies throughout the United States and worldwide have been hacked and compromised with a huge array of sensitive and valuable trade secrets, technologies, data, and personal information being stolen. The hackers operated from China both for their own gain and with the assistance and for the benefit of the Chinese government’s Ministry of State Security. This prosecution is occurring as a result of the combined unwavering efforts of the National Security Division of the Department of Justice, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. We seek justice for these victims and others affected and we intend to prosecute these defendants for their alleged crimes,” said U.S. Attorney William D. Hyslop for the District Eastern District of Washington.
"The complicated nature of cyber investigations is only exacerbated when the criminal is backed by the resources of a foreign government. The nature and value of the material stolen by these hackers cannot just be measured in dollars and was indicative of being state driven. This case demonstrates the FBI's dedication to pursuing these criminals no matter who is sanctioning their activities,” said Special Agent in Charge Raymond Duda of the FBI’s Seattle Division.
According to the indictment, to gain initial access to victim networks, the defendants primarily exploited publicly known software vulnerabilities in popular web server software, web application development suites, and software collaboration programs. In some cases, those vulnerabilities were newly announced, meaning that many users would not have installed patches to correct the vulnerability. The defendants also targeted insecure default configurations in common applications. The defendants used their initial unauthorized access to place malicious web shell programs (e.g., the “China Chopper” web shell) and credential-stealing software on victim networks, which allowed them to remotely execute commands on victim computers.
To conceal the theft of information from victim networks and otherwise evade detection, the defendants typically packaged victim data in encrypted Roshal Archive Compressed files (RAR files), changed RAR file and victim documents’ names and extensions (e.g., from “.rar” to “.jpg”) and system timestamps, and concealed programs and documents at innocuous-seeming locations on victim networks and in victim networks’ “recycle bins.” The defendants frequently returned to re-victimize companies, government entities, and organizations from which they had previously stolen data, in some cases years after the initial successful data theft. In several instances, however, the defendants were unsuccessful in this regard, due to the efforts of the FBI and network defenders.
The indictment charges the defendants with conspiring to steal trade secrets from at least eight known victims, which consisted of technology designs, manufacturing processes, test mechanisms and results, source code, and pharmaceutical chemical structures. Such information would give competitors with a market edge by providing insight into proprietary business plans and savings on research and development costs in creating competing products.
The defendants are each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit computer fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison; one count of conspiracy to commit theft of trade secrets, which carries a maximum sentence of ten years in prison; one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; one count of unauthorized access of a computer, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison; and seven counts of aggravated identity theft, which each carries a mandatory sentence of two non-consecutive years in prison. The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencings of the defendants will be determined by the assigned judge.
The investigation was conducted jointly by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington, the National Security Division of the Department of Justice, and the FBI’s Spokane Resident Agency and San Antonio Field Office. The FBI’s Cyber Division assisted in the investigation and, along with FBI’s Cyber Assistant Legal Attachés and Legal Attachés in countries around the world, provided essential support. Numerous victims cooperated and provided valuable assistance in the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney James Goeke of the Eastern District of Washington and Trial Attorney Scott McCulloch of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting this case.
The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.
The indictment can be view here Wanted By The FBIThe Department of Justice Will Host a Virtual Press Conference Announcing Criminal Charges in a National Security Cyber MatterRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON -- Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers, FBI Deputy Director David L. Bowdich, U.S. Attorney William D. Hyslop for the Eastern District of Washington, and Special Agent in Charge Ray P. Duda of the FBI Seattle Field Office will participate in a press conference announcing charges in a national security cyber matter.
Following the press conference, reporters may stay on the line for a background briefing on the indictment with a DOJ prosecutor.
WHEN: Tuesday, July 21, 2020, at 11:30 a.m. EST
WHERE: JUSTICE.GOV/LIVE
POOL CAMERA: CNN will be the POOL camera for the event.
NOTE: Members of the news media who wish to only listen/watch to the press conference are encouraged to view it online at www.justice.gov/live. News media who wish to participate in the questions and answers session in this virtual press conference must RSVP to www.justice.gov/mediarsvp with the email address of the person(s) attending the event. Participant dial-in information will only be provided to members of the news media that properly RSVP.
Any inquiries regarding logistics should be directed to [email protected].High School Football Coach Sentenced to 270 Months in Federal Prison for Sexual Exploitation of 14- and 15-Year Old GirlsRead the Press Release
Spokane – William D. Hyslop, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Charles Jay Eglet, age 31, of Spokane, Washington, was sentenced today after having pleaded guilty on February 12, 2020, to Production of Child Pornography and Online Enticement of A Minor To Engage in Illicit Sexual Activity. Senior United States District Judge Wm. Fremming Nielsen sentenced Eglet to a 270-month term of imprisonment, to be followed by a lifetime of court supervision after he is released from federal prison.
According to information disclosed during court proceedings, Eglet used Snapchat and other social media platforms to reach out to multiple 14- and 15-year old girls for the purpose of soliciting child pornography from them or coercing them into having sex with him. Eglet often deceived his victims into believing that he was close to their ages, when he was actually in his late twenties. He would then meet with them in person to engage in illicit sexual acts. On multiple occasions, Eglet successfully met up with a 14-year-old girl, and then a 15-year-old girl, to engage in illicit sexual conduct with them. One victim he met for the first time in person at the Northern Quest Casino when she was there with her family for a concert; another victim he met for the first time in the parking lot of a church on Spokane’s South Hill. Eglet’s victims were typically in high school or about to start high school. One victim was scheduled to begin high school in 2018 where Eglet was employed as an assistant football coach.
United States Attorney Hyslop said, “The sentence imposed today sends a stern message to those who sexually exploit children. Your exploitation of children will not be tolerated. If you have a problem, seek help. But know that if you abuse, exploit, and take advantage of children, you will be going to prison. Your criminal conduct will not go unnoticed and you will be prosecuted. Here, Eglet was an Assistant Coach; he was in a position of special trust with young people. He took advantage of them. He’s now going to jail. We hope there can be some healing for his victims, but time will tell on that.”
“The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington is resolute in its commitment to bring to justice those who sexually exploit children. I commend the dedicated work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, the Washington State Patrol, the Spokane Police Department, and the Kalispel Tribal Police Department, who jointly investigated this case. I also commend the families of the victims in this case, who reported Eglet’s conduct to the authorities. I hope this significant sentence brings them some measure of peace.” Hyslop stated.
Hyslop concluded by saying, “The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington encourages all minors and their parents to ensure that minors only communicate online with people who they know IRL (“in real life”). Snapchat, in particular, automatically deletes communications, which can make it difficult for minors and their parents to report abusive online conduct. Parents must help educate their children about these dangers and they must monitor their children’s online conduct. Moms and Dads are the first line of defense for their children. That may not stop all predators, but hopefully it will help prevent some victimization of some minor children.”
FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Mark Nichols said, “The exploitation of children requires decisive action. Thanks to close collaboration with our partners, we were able to put a stop to the defendant’s activities. This man, who was entrusted to mentor young people, was in actuality a predator of vulnerable girls. Today’s sentence ensures he won't be able to victimize children for years to come.”
“Homeland Security Investigations special agents won’t ever relent when it comes to protecting children and prosecuting predators whose behavior has no place in our society,” said Eben Roberts, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations, Seattle. “Child sex abuse is one of the most serious crimes HSI investigates due to the lasting psychological and physical damage it can inflict on victims. We prioritize investigating monsters like this who exploit children.”
This case was pursued as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the United States Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. The Project Safe Childhood Initiative (“PSC”) has five major components:
· Integrated federal, state, and local efforts to investigate and prosecute child exploitation cases, and to identify and rescue children;
· Participation of PSC partners in coordinated national initiatives;
· Increased federal enforcement in child pornography and enticement cases;
· Training of federal, state, and local law enforcement agents; and
· Community awareness and educational programs.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”
This case was investigated by the Spokane Resident Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, the Spokane Police Department, the Washington State Patrol, and the Kalispel Tribal Police Department. This case was prosecuted by David M. Herzog, an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington.
Parker Man Indicted for Three Murders That Occurred Within the External Boundaries of the Yakama NationRead the Press Release
Spokane, Washington – William D. Hyslop, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that a Federal grand jury returned an Indictment charging Clifton Frank Peter with two counts of first degree murder, one count of second degree murder, and two counts of discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. Peter was arrested today and his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Mary K. Dimke in Federal Court in Yakima, Washington is scheduled for tomorrow.
According to allegations in the Indictment, Peter shot and killed three people within the external boundaries of the Yakama Nation. As to each count of first degree murder, if convicted, Peter faces a mandatory minimum sentence of life imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine and restitution obligations. As to the second degree murder count, if convicted, Peter faces a maximum penalty of up to life imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, up to five years supervised release and restitution obligations. As to the two counts of discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence, if convicted, each carries a penalty of ten years to life imprisonment, to run consecutive to any other sentence, up to five years of supervised release and up to a $250,000 fine.
William D. Hyslop said, “The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington is committed to pursuing those involved in violent crimes within the external boundaries of the Yakama Nation. The charges contained in the Indictment are merely allegations. Peter is presumed innocent, as is any defendant in a criminal case, until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.”
FBI Special Agent in Charge Raymond Duda said, "There is no logical explanation that can be offered regarding the horrific acts allegedly perpetrated by Mr. Peter. The professionalism displayed by the investigators of this case should be commended and will hopefully result in justice for the victim's families."
The charges contained in the Indictment are the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Yakama Nation Police Department, the Yakima County Sheriff’s Office, and the Washington State Patrol. The case is being prosecuted by Richard Burson and Tom Hanlon, Assistant United States Attorneys for the Eastern District of Washington.
Clifton Frank Peter IndictmentChild Exploitation Offender Sentenced to 14 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Spokane – William D. Hyslop, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Jesus “Chewy” Rodriguez, age 28, of Kennewick, Washington, was sentenced today after having pleaded guilty on March 9, 2020, to Receipt of Child Pornography. Senior United States District Judge Wm. Fremming Nielsen sentenced Rodriguez to a 14-year term of imprisonment, to be followed by 20 years of court supervision after he is released from federal prison. This federal case is Rodriguez’s second conviction for sex with a minor girl; he was previously sentenced to 21 months in Benton County for similar conduct.
According to information disclosed during court proceedings, Rodriguez’s child exploitation conduct far exceeded downloading images of child pornography from the Internet. He used social media to reach out to more than a dozen young women and girls, some as young as 12 years old. He requested that minor girls take and send him pornographic images of themselves, and he tried to meet up with them for sex. On at least two separate occasions, Rodriguez successfully met up with a 14-year-old girl, and then a 15-year-old girl, to engage in illicit sexual conduct with them in exchange for a cell phone and marijuana. While he was engaging in sex with the 14-year-old girl in his truck, Rodriguez was in possession of a firearm in the truck.
United States Attorney Hyslop said, “The sentence imposed today sends a strong message to anyone who may try to exploit children for sexual gratification. It is a priority of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington to prosecute anyone who traffics in child pornography or meets up with minors in person for sex. These crimes will be actively investigated by federal, state and local law enforcement officers. I commend the outstanding investigative efforts by the Yakima Resident Office of the FBI in this case.”
This case was pursued as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the United States Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. The Project Safe Childhood Initiative (“PSC”) has five major components:
· Integrated federal, state, and local efforts to investigate and prosecute child exploitation cases, and to identify and rescue children;
· Participation of PSC partners in coordinated national initiatives;
· Increased federal enforcement in child pornography and enticement cases;
· Training of federal, state, and local law enforcement agents; and
· Community awareness and educational programs.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”
This case was investigated by the Yakima Resident Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Special Agent Jennifer Terami. This case was prosecuted by David M. Herzog, an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington.
Fair Housing Act Discrimination Lawsuit Against Owner of Pullman, Washington Apartment Complex Results in Consent DecreeRead the Press Release
Spokane – William D. Hyslop, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that the United States has reached a resolution of a housing discrimination lawsuit in Pullman, Washington concerning discrimination against a mother with a disability and her son.
Under the terms of the consent decree approved by the Federal Court in Spokane, Ed L. Christensen is required to pay $13,000 in monetary relief to a mother and son who were threatened with fines and eviction for having an assistance animal in the apartment they rented from Christensen. The consent decree also requires Christensen to take numerous corrective measures, including training, adopting a nondiscrimination policy, record keeping, and monitoring for a period of three years.
According to allegations in the complaint, which originated from an investigation by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Christensen refused to allow the victims to have an assistance animal in their apartment, threatened to fine and evict the victims if they did not remove the service animal, and also told fair housing testers from Northwest Fair Housing Alliance that he would not rent to an individual with a prescribed service animal.
United States Attorney Hyslop said, “Individuals with a disability should not be discriminated against or barred from renting because they have an assistance animal. The Fair Housing Act ensures that individuals renting or seeking to rent an apartment are protected from this kind of discrimination. My office, in coordination with the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, will continue to vigorously investigate and protect the civil rights of individuals with a disability in the Eastern District of Washington and across the country.”
“HUD brought this case because telling individuals with a disability they cannot have an assistance animal in their apartment or threatening them with fines or evictions for having an assistance animal is illegal,” said Anna Maria Farías, HUD’s Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. “Individuals with a disability may not be denied access to rentals or penalized for having an assistance animal.”
Fighting illegal housing discrimination is a top priority of the Justice Department. The Federal Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, familial status, national origin and disability. More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at http://www.justice.gov/crt. Persons who believe they have experienced or witnessed unlawful housing discrimination may call the Housing Discrimination Tip Line at 1-800-896-7743, e-mail the Justice Department at [email protected], or contact HUD at 1-800-669-9777. More information about the Fair Housing Act can also be found at http://www.justice.gov/crt/housing/ or http://www.hud.gov/fairhousing.
This case was investigated by the Seattle Regional Office of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The Northwest Fair Housing Alliance in Spokane represented the victims. This case was prosecuted by Joseph P. Derrig, an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington.
United States Attorney William D. Hyslop Issues Warning About the Use of Fentanyl as Fentanyl Dealer is Sentenced to Eighty-five Months in Federal Prison for Drug Trafficking and Firearm PossessionRead the Press Release
Spokane – William D. Hyslop, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Francisco Salazar, Jr., age 30, of Yakima, Washington, was sentenced today after having pleaded guilty on February 26, 2020, to Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime. United States District Judge Stanley A. Bastian sentenced Salazar to an 85-month term of imprisonment, to be followed by a 3-year term of court supervision after he is released from federal prison.
United States Attorney Hyslop said, “Fentanyl is the leading cause of overdose deaths in the United States. The community needs to know that an incredibly small amount of Fentanyl in a pill can kill you instantly. It is incredibly dangerous. When a person buys a pill from a drug dealer, they have no way of knowing whether they will drop dead from that first pill or not, and even if they cut the pill, they have no way of knowing how much Fentanyl is in the portion that they swallow. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington commends the outstanding work of the Yakima Police Department and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in investigating this case. Together, we will continue to fight to take this incredibly dangerous drug off the streets, but every user must know they are gambling with their life in even swallowing one Fentanyl-laced pill.”
According to information disclosed during court proceedings, during an October 2018, controlled buy, the Yakima Police Department (YPD) purchased Fentanyl-laced pills from Salazar. Five days later they arrested Salazar and searched his vehicle and residence, where YPD officers found additional Fentanyl-laced pills, a firearm, and U.S. currency. Salazar was charged in state court and released pending trial.
Months later, while still on pretrial release on the state charge, Salazar continued selling Fentanyl in the community. In September 2019, YPD and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) conducted a controlled buy of twenty-five Fentanyl-laced pills from Salazar. In October, 2019, DEA and YPD obtained warrants to search Salazar’s car and residence. During execution of the warrants, law enforcement agents found approximately 300 Fentanyl-laced pills, drug packaging, U.S. currency, and a loaded firearm.
This case was investigated by the Yakima Resident Office of the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Yakima Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Benjamin D. Seal, an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington.
How to Address Police Reform in SpokaneRead the Press Release
Published in The Spokesman-Review
June 21, 2020
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2020/jun/21/william-d-hyslop-how-to-address-police-reform-in-s/
Our country is engaged in a great national discussion about the role of our police forces.
The tragic deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and others have brought this to the forefront like no other time in recent history.
Demands for police reform are widespread. City leaders are being asked to defund and reform police departments. How we conduct that discussion will have far reaching impacts upon our communities, and will affect our safety and security for years to come. It is critically important there be no “rush to judgment.” Decisions made must be thoughtful, deliberate, and neither reactive nor ill-conceived.
This is not the first time we’ve had this discussion in Spokane. Significant changes in policing have already been made. Spokane is different from some other communities where change is being debated today. Spokane should not be swept up into a national tide of drastic change. Instead, the Spokane Police Department may very well be a national model of how policing should function.
In 2006, Otto Zehm died as a result of an excessive Spokane police encounter. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, which I now represent, prosecuted Officer Karl Thompson. A jury convicted him and he served time in federal prison.
The Use of Force Commission, upon which I served as its Vice Chair, was then created. Twenty-six substantive recommendations for change and improvement were made, and the police department implemented nearly every one
Additionally, the police department asked the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services to conduct its own yearlong review of Spokane’s use of force policies, practices and procedures. A hundred-page report with a very detailed set of recommendations followed, which the police department has been implementing.
As we engage in today’s discussion about policing, our city leaders are encouraged to be educated on the work that has preceded them and the many improvements that have brought the Spokane Police Department to today’s model of professionalism and high standards of conduct.
Use of force is closely monitored and must be justified. Crisis intervention training (CIT) is now mandatory for all officers to give them the skills to try to deescalate incidents when possible rather than resorting to control with elevated levels of force. Chokeholds are a tactic of the past. Most recently, the department revised policy to restrict when a “knee to neck” restraint can be used. Officers are held accountable for their conduct. Police precincts are located in and are responsive to neighborhoods. And these are just some of the changes implemented.
Chief Meidl and his officers are engaged with community leaders and groups like no other time in recent years. The chief’s office door is open for discussion. He listens before he speaks. The Spokane Police Foundation funds additional vital community programs where young people learn police officers truly care and are there to help as much as they are there to protect us from those who break the law.
As the city discusses whether further change is needed, it should first discuss what we expect from our police officers. “Defunding” is a term which is neither realistic nor reasonable. Will removing resources mean a safer and more secure community? Simply stated, “No.”
Likewise, as these discussions occur, it is vital for the police to be included “at the table.” Council members should ask a lot of questions before acting and should take the time to ride with a cop in order to better appreciate what is expected of our police officers. They should meet with the department’s command staff for candid discussion of how far this department has come and why further change is or is not warranted. These officers are professionals. This is their community too, and they each want the best for their community just as much as everyone else does. And most importantly, they know what works and are very willing to discuss what they believe will and won’t promote a safer Spokane. They expect to be held accountable when appropriate, and they should be supported for all the good they do for this community.
We expect a great deal of our police. We should. As we discuss policy change, let us be sure the discussions are deliberative, and that they address actual issues here rather than conditions elsewhere which don’t exist in Spokane.
To do less subjects us to repeating the past and to preventing our police department from being as excellent as we all expect it to be.
William D. Hyslop is the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington