Western District of Washington
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
Puyallup, Washington, man charged with child sex abuse crimesRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 21-year-old resident of Puyallup, Washington, was arrested at Sea-Tac International Airport last night on a criminal complaint charging multiple crimes related to the creation and transportation of child sexual abuse imagery, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Shawn Stone was arriving on a flight from Amsterdam when he was contacted by the FBI. Stone appeared in U.S. District Court in Seattle today and remains detained pending further hearings.
According to the criminal complaint, investigators with the FBI became aware of someone with Stone’s username posting on an internet platform about child sex abuse. The platform has a reputation as a place offenders go to share child abuse imagery. Investigators linked the username to Stone and are investigating Stone’s involvement in creating and moderating discussion board devoted to child sexual abuse, and the sexual abuse of two minors. The abuse allegedly occurred while Stone was on a family trip to Germany in 2019. An initial review of his electronic devices revealed multiple images of child sexual abuse.
Stone is charged by criminal complaint with one count of production of child pornography and one count of transportation of child pornography.
The charges carry mandatory minimum terms of imprisonment of 15 and 5 years respectively.
The charges contained in the complaint are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The investigation is being led by the FBI. Other agencies involved include the Tacoma Police Department, the Washington State Patrol, Pierce County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Washington State Department of Corrections, the Federal Protective Service and the U.S. Army.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Hampton.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Tukwila, WA, man who torched a car to retaliate against an informant sentenced to 7 years in prisonRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 23-year-old Tukwila, Washington, man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 7 years in prison for retaliating against an informant and conspiracy to use fire to obstruct justice, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Jordan Sanchez was arrested January 20, 2021, for the November 20, 2020, fire at a Burien apartment complex. At the sentencing hearing Chief U.S. District Judge Ricardo S. Martinez noted that Sanchez… “threw a lit firebomb into a vehicle under an apartment building where many innocent people were living…. An extremely serious offense.”
“Respect for each other, and the laws and norms of our democracy, is vital to maintaining safe and healthy communities,” said U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. “Seeing the pictures of the burned-out car and the damage to the apartment building shows that Mr. Sanchez lacked both. Both the person who ordered the fire and Mr. Sanchez are being held accountable for their dangerous conduct and their efforts to subvert the rule of law and obstruct justice.”
According to records filed in the case, Sanchez was a drug customer of 30-year-old David Rosario. Rosario was arrested after selling guns and drugs to an undercover federal agent. Rosario blamed the person who introduced him to the agent and wanted to retaliate against them. Rosario offered to pay Sanchez with fentanyl pills for burning the informant’s car. In the early morning hours of November 20, 2020, Sanchez filled a beer bottle with gasoline, stuffed a t-shirt in the bottle and took it to the apartment complex in search of the informant’s convertible. Sanchez cut a hole in the roof of the car, lit the t-shirt on fire and dropped the gasoline loaded beer bottle in the car.
Burned carFortunately, one of the apartment residents smelled burning rubber and called 9-1-1. Another caller reported being trapped in the apartment complex by thick black smoke. But for King County Fire’s quick response, lives could have been lost.
As prosecutors wrote in their sentencing memo, “A King County Sheriff’s Office arson investigator believed that the fire would have spread to the complex and killed apartment residents if it had not been discovered so quickly… Sanchez risked the lives of apartment residents who were awakened by smoke and sirens and ran from their beds in the middle of the night, or, worse, were trapped in their apartment surrounded by black smoke.”
Burned car and damaged ceilingSanchez was ordered to pay $77,495 in restitution to the victims of the fire. That amount could increase if there are additional claims.
In March 2022, Sanchez pleaded guilty to obstructing justice by retaliating against an informant and conspiracy to use fire to obstruct justice.
Rosario was sentenced earlier this month to 11 years in prison for his role in the fire, and for drug and gun crimes.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the King County Sheriff’s Office, with help from the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).
This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jessica M. Manca.
Vancouver, Washington ‘Investment Advisor’ pleads guilty to defrauding friends and family of more than $4 million in investment ‘Ponzi scheme’Read the Press Release
Tacoma – An unlicensed “investment advisor” from Vancouver, Washington, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to mail fraud in connection with his scheme to defraud investors, including friends and family members, out of more than $4 million, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Charles Richard Burgess, 66, faces up to 20 years in prison when sentenced by U.S. District Judge David Estudillo on November 4, 2022.
“For more than two decades Mr. Burgess led his victims to believe that he was successfully investing their funds for retirement. But in fact, since at least 2013, the investment fund was insolvent and losing value, and Burgess was stealing investor funds to line his own pockets,” said U.S. Attorney Brown. “More than two dozen people have lost retirement savings because of Mr. Burgess’s fraud.”
According to records filed in the case, in the mid-1990s Burgess began selling investments in an unregistered investment vehicle that Burgess called “the pool.” Burgess never became a registered or licensed investment advisor. But between January 1995 and April 2021, he convinced 64 people to invest $13.4 million in “the pool.” He sought investments from friends and family members with whom he had a trusting relationship. Burgess did nothing to screen the investors to see what type of risk they could tolerate, and he did not provide them with written materials about the nature of the investments.
Burgess told investors that he only took a share of the profit made by the investments and he claimed to some that he would personally absorb any losses. Burgess provided the investors with statements indicating their account balances had grown substantially over time. However, those statements were false. For example, in 2016 Burgess sent investors statements indicating their investments had grown about 10 percent that year. In fact, the investments lost money.
As early as 2013, Burgess was not able to repay all the investors’ principal, let alone the profits he was falsely telling them they had earned. In December 2013, Burgess owed investors $2.3 million in principal and represented that the value of investor accounts exceeded $4.2 million. In fact, at that time the pool’s assets were only about $711,000. By then end of December 2015, it was even worse, with investors being told their accounts totaled over $5.2 million, when the assets totaled only about $365,000. By the end of 2020, Burgess owed investors $4.5 million in principal and represented in year-end statements that the collective value of their accounts exceeded $10.3 million. In fact, the Pool’s assets totaled only $113,000.
As the financial picture worsened, Burgess paid off earlier investors with money from new investors –a classic Ponzi scheme.
Despite his assurances that he only took a share of the profit from the fund, Burgess actually used investor money for his own expenses. From 2014-2021 Burgess transferred $1.4 million to his personal account.
In all, 32 investors lost $4.3 million in principal payments that they had made to Burgess. Under the plea agreement, Burgess will be ordered to pay $4,359,113 to the victim investors. Prosecutors have agreed to recommend the low end of the sentencing guidelines range when Burgess is sentenced. Judge Estudillo is not bound by prosecutors’ recommendation and can impose any sentence up to the 20-year statutory maximum after considering the sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case was investigated by the FBI with assistance from the Washington Department of Financial Institutions.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Seth Wilkinson.
Seattle man convicted of distributing fentanyl in downtown Seattle while armed with a firearmRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 31-year-old Seattle man was convicted today in U.S. District Court in Seattle of three federal crimes related to his distribution of fentanyl pills in downtown Seattle, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Kendall Alston was arrested on March 23, 2022, after Seattle Police Officers noted his hand-to-hand drug sales. The officers had been surveilling the area of 3rd Avenue between Pike and Pine Streets as part of “Operation New Day.” The emphasis patrol was aimed at increasing public safety in the Pike/Pine corridor where drug sales had led the area to become a hot spot for other crimes including assaults and shootings.
“Mr. Alston was armed with a loaded handgun while dealing potentially deadly fentanyl pills in downtown Seattle,” said U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. “We continue to work with our federal, state, and local partners to address the sense of lawlessness that has permeated our streets. Not every case is appropriate for federal prosecution, but where guns and drugs intersect, we are prepared to use our federal resources to hold offenders accountable.”
According to records filed in the case and testimony at trial, an officer in an observation point above the street witnessed a person in distinctive clothing engaging in what appeared to be a hand-to-hand drug sale. The officer returned to street level and saw the person later identified as Alston make another drug sale. Officers moved in and took Alston into custody. Alston carried 244 blue pills that were later tested and found to contain fentanyl. In his backpack, Alston carried a loaded Hi-Point .45 caliber semi-automatic handgun.
After a 3-day trial the jury deliberated about three hours before finding Alston guilty of knowingly distributing fentanyl, possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Following the guilty verdicts, Alston agreed to plead guilty to two additional counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm. The counts are related to his March arrest in downtown Seattle with the firearm, and a previous January 2022 arrest for shoplifting in Bellevue, where he was found to be carrying a different firearm.
Alston is prohibited from possessing firearms due to two felony convictions, a 2018 residential burglary conviction in Pierce County and a 2013 residential burglary conviction in King County.
Distribution of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of a firearm are punishable by up to ten years imprisonment. Possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime is punishable by a consecutive five-year prison sentence on top of any sentence imposed on the other counts.
U.S. District Judge Lauren J. King scheduled sentencing for November 9, 2022.
The case was investigated by the Seattle Police Department with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Cecelia Gregson and Casey Conzatti.
ID thief indicted for bank fraudRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 48-year-old Des Moines, Washington, woman was arrested August 14, 2022 after initially fleeing from federal agents when they went to arrest her August 11, 2022. Jennifer Suazo (aka Jennifer Esperanza) was indicted by a grand jury for five counts of Bank Fraud and two counts of Aggravated Identity Theft. Suazo is now detained at the Federal Detention Center at SeaTac pending trial.
According to the indictment, Suazo allegedly purchased victims’ identifying information from various sources, including the dark web, which she then used to open accounts at financial institutions in the victims’ names and to take over victims’ existing bank accounts. To carry out this fraud, Suazo created identification documents in victims’ names but with her photograph on the ID. Suazo also changed the mailing addresses for the accounts created or taken over so that she would receive all communications about the accounts and thereby hide her fraud and theft from the victims. Suazo also deposited victims’ checks into her personal bank account. Between 2019 and 2022, Suazo allegedly defrauded individual victims and financial institutions of at least $107,472.
Bank Fraud is punishable by up to 30 years in prison. Aggravated Identity Theft is punishable by a mandatory minimum two-year sentence to run consecutive to any sentence imposed on other counts of conviction.
The charges contained in the indictment are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The case is being investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service with assistance from the Des Moines Police Department.
The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Jessica Ly.
suazo_indictment.pdfBlind Rapper who goes by ‘Mac Wayne’ sentenced to six years in prison for drug distributionRead the Press Release
Seattle – A legally blind rapper who was profiled in an Amazon Prime documentary, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to six years in prison, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Wayne Frisby aka ‘Mac Wayne,’37, of Snohomish County, Washington was arrested in December 2020, for his role in a large drug trafficking ring. Investigators had numerous recorded phone calls of Frisby making drug deals and even one discussing his efforts to help a murder suspect hide from law enforcement. U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour imposed four years of supervised release to follow prison, noting “the massive size of the conspiracy and the huge quantity of drugs involved.”
“Mr. Frisby gained notoriety through his drug dealing and self-promotion, but his conduct was serious and put countless lives at risk,” said U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. “Drug trafficking is a gritty, dangerous business, and one that is ruining lives across our state. Those who make it their life are destined to spend time behind bars.”
According to records filed in the case, Frisby was one of eleven people indicted in December 2020 in connection with a drug trafficking ring distributing heroin, methamphetamine, and fentanyl pills in Pierce, King, Snohomish, and Lewis Counties. The drug ring takedown was the third in a series of wiretap cases. All told, the search warrants executed in this case resulted in the seizure of approximately 93 pounds of methamphetamine, 15 pounds of heroin, 35,000 suspected fentanyl pills, 24 firearms, approximately $525,000, and a bank account valued at $100,000. Seizures made prior to December 16, 2020, included more than 154 pounds of methamphetamine, 20 pounds of heroin, and more than 7,000 suspected fentanyl pills.
Frisby was heard on the wiretap ordering up pound quantities of methamphetamine and significant amounts of heroin. Other recordings have him discussing firearms he carried or his efforts to assist a partner who shot another man in Marysville in a drug deal gone wrong.
Agents were able to identify Frisby as the person on the phone by comparing his voice to the Amazon Prime documentary, “Blind and Battered, the Blind Kingpin.” The documentary chronicles Frisby’s life and, in it, he freely discusses his work as a drug dealer and pimp.
On May 6, 2022, Frisby pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances.
In asking for a 96-month sentence, prosecutors wrote to the court, “The risks of synthetic opioids, like methamphetamine, are well documented – according to the University of Washington Addictions, Drug & Alcohol Institute, state drug poisonings went up by approximately 30% in 2020, with methamphetamine and other synthetic opioids (mostly fentanyl) comprising “a growing share of drug-caused deaths.”
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Tacoma Residence Office in partnership with Tahoma Narcotics Enforcement Team (TNET), Kent Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, SeaTac Police Department, Tacoma Police Department, Snohomish Regional Drug Task Force (SRDTF), the Skagit County Sheriff's Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Amy Jaquette and Andy Colasurdo.
Seattle man sentenced to 11 years in prison for distribution of drugs and possession of firearmsRead the Press Release
Seattle – A West Seattle-man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 11 years in prison and 4 years of supervised release for four federal felonies involving drug distribution, firearms, and obstructing justice, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. David Rosario, 30, was arrested in August 2020 after selling drugs and firearms to an undercover agent. He was arrested again five months later for additional crimes while released on bond. At the sentencing hearing, Judge Richard A. Jones noted that in all his years on the bench, it was the first time he had seen a defendant conspire to intimidate a witness by setting the witness’ car on fire. “That fire could have carried over to the apartment and injured and killed people… People who had no connection to this offense,” Judge Jones said.
Car burned to intimidate witness“Even after his arrest on federal charges, Mr. Rosario continued to endanger the community with guns and drugs and ultimately the fire he used to intimidate a witness,” said U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. “We are unwavering in our commitment to protect witnesses and those who assist in uncovering criminal conduct. Mr. Rosario’s demonstrated contempt for the rule of law requires a significant sanction.”
Rosario first came to the attention of law enforcement when an informant told investigators that Rosario was known for selling large quantities of drugs and stolen firearms. In late May, an undercover agent purchased heroin, methamphetamine, and a .22 caliber pistol from Rosario. Over the next two months, Rosario sold the agent more meth and three more guns. On August 11, 2020, Rosario was arrested for gun and drug crimes.
Rosario was released pending trial on the original counts. After Rosario’s release, law enforcement learned Rosario was attempting to retaliate against the person who had provided information about him to law enforcement. In fact, Rosario paid one of his drug customers to set fire to the informant’s car.
On an early morning in November 2020, Rosario’s associate threw a Molotov cocktail into the informant’s car while it was parked in a carport underneath an apartment complex. Fortunately, one of the residents smelled burning rubber and called 911, so the King County Fire Department was able to put out the fire before anyone was injured. An arson investigator from the King County Sheriff’s Office estimated that the fire would have spread to the apartments and possibly killed residents if it had not been discovered so quickly.
As law enforcement investigated the arson, they also discovered Rosario’s ongoing criminal conduct. He violated his bond by changing his residence, possessing firearms, and selling drugs such as methamphetamine and fentanyl. The investigation revealed that Rosario even sold fentanyl while attending required online drug treatment classes. When Rosario was rearrested in January 2021, his phone contained numerous photos showing him with guns, cash, fentanyl pills and a photo of the burned-out car.
On April 21, 2022, Rosario pleaded guilty to carrying a firearm during a drug trafficking crime, distribution of methamphetamine, unlawful receipt of a firearm, and conspiracy to use fire to obstruct justice.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the King County Sheriff’s Office, with help from the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).
This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jessica M. Manca.
Drugs, money and gunsCo-owner of Puyallup steel fabrication business pleads guilty to tax fraudRead the Press Release
Tacoma - The co-owner and financial manager of a Puyallup, Washington steel fabrication business pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to nine counts of failing to pay over employment taxes, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Donna Powell, 56, co-owns and operates Pinnacle Steel Fabricators, a company that makes steel parts. Donna Powell serves as the Secretary/Treasurer and Accounting Manager for the business. The Indictment alleges that, between 2010 and 2018, the company withheld approximately $1,167,891 in payroll taxes from employees’ paychecks and failed to pay any of those funds over to the Internal Revenue System (IRS). Powell is scheduled for sentencing November 7, 2022.
According to records filed in the case, the company has 15-20 employees. Between 2010 and 2018, Powell withheld the employees’ share of employment taxes from their paychecks but failed to pay the withheld funds over to the government as required by law. Each quarter, Powell was required by law to file Forms 941 with the IRS disclosing the amount of payroll taxes withheld. Powell failed to file any Forms 941 for the period between 2010 and the first quarter of 2018. Instead of paying the taxes, Powell and her husband spent on personal interests such as travel ($32,000+), gambling at casinos ($41,000+), online gaming ($33,000+) and approximately $7,400 on spa and pool-related purchases.
“Like in the movies, illegal pool parties are all fun and games until they are not,” said Special Agent in Charge Bret Kressin, IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS:CI), Seattle Field Office. “Ms. Powell had ill-intentions for her employees’ payroll withholdings and stole these amounts to pay for her own globe-trotting vacations, to fund her gambling, and to help pay for a pool. While paying federal income taxes along with paying into Medicare and Social Security is not as fun as going on vacation or putting in a pool, honest people understand the need for these payroll withholdings and pay their fair share. Today’s guilty plea marks Ms. Powell’s recognition of this critical life lesson.”
Failure to pay over the taxes ultimately hurts the employees whose earning records are incomplete for Social Security, Medicare, and unemployment benefits. Employees can report concerns about federal withholding to the IRS and records can be corrected with documentation.
Willful failure to pay over employment taxes is punishable by up to five years in prison.
The case is being investigated by Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS:CI).
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Seth Wilkinson.
Lynnwood, Washington, man indicted for hate crime and interstate threats of racially motivated violenceRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 37-year-old Lynnwood, Washington man indicted today by a federal grand jury for a hate crime and four counts of interstate threats, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Joey David George will be arraigned on the indictment on August 11, 2022. George remains detained at the Federal Detention Center at SeaTac, Washington.
“By law, the decision to charge a hate crime is appropriately deliberate – with consultation and approval from DOJ’s Civil Rights Division in Washington DC,” said U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. “In this case, the hate-filled threats to kill, based on race, are fittingly being prosecuted as a hate crime.”
According to records filed in the case, on July 19 and 20, 2022, George allegedly telephoned a grocery store in Buffalo, New York and threatened to shoot Black people in the store. In the second call George allegedly ranted about a “race war.” Law enforcement traced the phone number and identified George as the person who made the call.
In addition to the calls to Buffalo, George is charged in connection with a May 2022, call to a restaurant in San Bruno, California. In that call George allegedly threatened to shoot Black and Hispanic patrons in the restaurant. As the restaurant is a place of public accommodation, it is charged as a hate crime: Interference with a Federally Protected Activity.
Additionally, George is charged with making interstate threats to a business in Maryland, saying he intended to shoot Black people at the store. The fourth count of the indictment charges him with making interstate threats to bomb a restaurant in Connecticut.
The charges contained in the indictment are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Making interstate threats is punishable by up to five years in prison. Interfering with a federally protected activity is punishable by up to ten years in prison.
The case is being investigated by the FBI with the assistance of multiple local police departments. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Thomas Woods and Rebecca Cohen in consultation with the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division.
george_ind_cr22-109rsm.pdfTwo Marysville, Washington residents indicted for fentanyl distribution and gun possessionRead the Press Release
Seattle – Two residents of Marysville, Washington, were indicted this week following their arrest last week at a makeshift fentanyl pill lab in their rental home garage, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Jose Eduardo Garnica, 34, and Lauren Malina Wilson, 29, are scheduled to be arraigned on the indictment on August 18, 2022. Both are charged with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute fentanyl, possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, and possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Garnica remains detained at the Federal Detention Center at SeaTac. Wilson was released this week to the custody of her mother, with active GPS monitoring.
According to the criminal complaint, the pair came to the attention of law enforcement on June 17, 2022, when U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in Los Angeles inspected a package shipped from China to Garnica’s Marysville address. The package was labeled “furniture parts,” but in fact it contained dies for use in a pill press that would make pills that appear to have the markings of oxycodone pills. Further investigation of Garnica and Wilson revealed numerous unusual cash transactions and the purchase of 11 firearms in a three-month span of 2020. In fact, when law enforcement searched the home last week, agents seized more than 20 guns and 27 kilos of fentanyl. Many of the guns were assault weapons or guns with extended magazines. One of the firearms had been reported stolen. Law enforcement also seized 50,000 rounds of ammunition.
Guns SeizedThursday morning, July 21, 2022, agents with Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI executed search warrants at the Marysville residence and seized the pill press and other materials for making fake oxycodone pills in the garage. Both Garnica and Wilson were arrested at the scene. Officers called a hazmat team to secure the lab due to the potentially deadly nature of fentanyl powder.
In court filings regarding detention, prosecutors told the court that the couple had access to $400,000 in cryptocurrency as well and multiple financial transactions that triggered bank reporting requirements.
If convicted each defendant faces a ten-year mandatory minimum sentence on the drug counts due to the amount of fentanyl involved. The gun charge is punishable by a consecutive five year sentence – meaning each defendant faces a mandatory 15-year prison sentence if convicted.
The charges contained in the indictment are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI with assistance from the Washington State Patrol, National Guard Civil Service Team, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Custom and Border Protection’s Air and Marine Operations, the Snohomish County Drug Task Force, and the Skagit County Drug Task Force.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Vince Lombardi.
garnica-wilson_indictment.pdf Drugs SeizedDOJ grants fund mental health crisis response teams, and sexual assault awareness training in schoolsRead the Press Release
Seattle – Three locations in Western Washington will receive funding from the U.S. Department of Justice for alternative policing methods and sexual assault education, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Bellevue, Longview, and a program in the Renton School District will receive Byrne Grants through the Bureau of Justice Assistance.
“The Department of Justice is always looking for programs that can increase community safety. These three innovative approaches focus not on punishment, but on supporting members of our community outside the criminal justice system,” said U.S. Attorney Brown. “Our hope is that program successes can be replicated in other locations, expanding the toolkit for dealing with mental health challenges that impact our community.”
Bellevue and Longview will receive $915,000 and $292,000 respectively to create and augment programs in which mental health professionals respond to 911 calls with behavioral crisis components. Bellevue plans to launch a permanent Community Crisis Assistance Team (CCAT) with a mental health professional trained in identifying, understanding, and responding to signs of mental illness, developmental or intellectual disabilities, and substance abuse disorders. The city of Longview plans to augment a pre-existing mental health field response program by hiring two additional mental health professionals. Each of these programs seeks to provide alternative, non-punitive support to those experiencing mental health difficulties while continuing to protect their communities.
The King County Sexual Assault Resource Center (KSARC) will receive $250,000 to support Making Prevention Possible (MPP), a multi-year, multi-strategy sexual assault response and prevention program in two Renton Public Schools. The program will be part of the curriculum in Dimmitt Middle School (starting in sixth grade) and in Renton High School (continuing through 12th grade). MPP hopes to create a measurable difference in the understanding of sexual assault, how to support survivors, and how to prevent future violence.
The Byrne Grants are named in honor of New York City Police Officer Edward R. Byrne, who was killed in the line of duty on February 26, 1988. Officer Byrne was just 22 years old.
Lynnwood, Washington, man arrested for allegedly making interstate threats of racially motivated violenceRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 37-year-old Lynnwood, Washington man was arrested yesterday afternoon and is charged in U.S. District Court in Seattle with making interstate threats, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Joey David George will make his initial appearance on the criminal complaint today, Friday July 22nd at 2:00 PM. He is being held at the Federal Detention Center at SeaTac, Washington, pending further court hearings.
According to the criminal complaint, on July 19 and 20, 2022, George allegedly telephoned a grocery store in Buffalo, New York and threatened to shoot Black people in the store. In the second call George allegedly ranted about a “race war.” Law enforcement traced the phone number and identified George as the person who made the call.
“The Buffalo community is trying to heal from the horrific shooting at a Tops grocery store. I cannot imagine the type of fear such hate fueled threats engendered in those just trying to go about their daily lives, said U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. “We cannot tolerate this kind of hate in our community and will not sit by while people seek to terrorize others across our country.”
In addition to the calls to Buffalo, George is charged in connection with a May 2022, call to a restaurant in San Bruno, California. In that call George allegedly threatened to shoot Black and Hispanic patrons in the restaurant.
The criminal complaint describes other threatening calls George allegedly made over the last 12 months to businesses in Maryland, Connecticut, and Washington State where George allegedly used racial slurs and threats to shoot customers at the businesses because of his racial hatred.
The charges contained in the criminal complaint are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The case is being investigated by the FBI with the assistance of multiple local police departments. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Thomas Woods and Rebecca Cohen in consultation with the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division.
george_complaint.pdfLeader of international drug trafficking organization and his trusted lieutenant plead guilty to federal chargesRead the Press Release
Seattle – A top leader of a violent international drug trafficking organization that distributed heroin, fentanyl, and methamphetamine in the Puget Sound region, pleaded guilty this week in U.S. District Court in Seattle. Luis Arturo Magana-Ramirez, 34, of Fife, Washington, faces a mandatory minimum ten years in prison and up to life in prison when he is sentenced by U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour on November 1, 2022.
In his plea agreement, Magana-Ramirez admits he led a transnational drug trafficking organization. Law enforcement has linked the organization to the CJNG cartel in Mexico. Magana-Ramirez was responsible for bringing large amounts of heroin, methamphetamine, and fentanyl into western Washington. Magana-Ramirez also pursued those who owed drug debts to the organization. At various times on the wiretap, federal law enforcement heard Magana-Ramirez threatening to beat or murder those who owed the organization money. In at least one instance, law enforcement moved in to protect a target of Magana-Ramirez’ threats of violence.
When Magana-Ramirez was arrested on July 28, 2020, he possessed two firearms – one of them had been reported stolen and the other had an obliterated serial number. Magana-Ramirez could not legally possess firearms as he is a Mexican national who is illegally present in the U.S. Possession of firearms by an illegal alien is punishable by up to ten years in prison. In all, this drug ring was responsible for bringing more than 120 pounds of meth into the region as well as heroin, fentanyl pills and cocaine.
Prosecutors have agreed to recommend no more than 17 years in prison when Magana-Ramirez is sentenced in November.
Also this week, one of Magana-Ramirez trusted lieutenants also pleaded guilty. Jorge Mondragon, 26, of Kent, also faces a mandatory minimum ten years in prison due to the amount of heroin and methamphetamine he trafficked as part of the organization. He, too, illegally possessed firearms. Mondragon is prohibited from possessing firearms due to his two 2018 felony convictions in King County Superior Court for unlawfully possessing firearms.
According to the plea agreement, Mondragon was one of the conspirators involved in threatened violence over drug debts. During the investigation, Mondragon also threatened to leave one target needing a wheelchair and law enforcement had to intervene. On July 16, 2020, in Kent, Mondragon jumped from an embankment and ran from police. He attempted to hide a stolen firearm that he had in his possession. When investigators served a search warrant at Mondragon’s residence, they found another firearm and ammunition. At Mondragon’s storage locker they located additional ammunition.
Prosecutors have agreed to recommend no more than 11 years in prison for Mondragon when he is sentenced by Judge Coughenour on October 25, 2022. However, Judge Coughenour is not bound by either of the recommendations for these defendants, and can sentence the defendants up to the maximum of life in prison.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF
The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Tacoma Resident Office in partnership with Tahoma Narcotics Enforcement Team (TNET), Kent Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, SeaTac Police Department, Thurston County Narcotics Team (TNT), the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Amy Jaquette and C. Andrew Colasurdo.
Two Marysville, Washington residents arrested following discovery of fentanyl pill manufacturing labRead the Press Release
Seattle – Two residents of Marysville, Washington, were arrested today following an investigation into parts shipped from China that could be used to make counterfeit oxycodone pills, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Jose Eduardo Garnica and Lauren Malina Wilson, appeared in U.S. District Court today charged with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute fentanyl, and possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute. Both remain detained at the Federal Detention Center at SeaTac pending additional hearings.
“Fentanyl pills are linked to the huge increase in overdose deaths in Washington State,” said U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. “A pill press, such as the one in this case, can create 30-50 pills a minute – up to 3,000 potentially deadly pills per hour. Seizure of this press helps reduce the supply of these dangerous pills.”
According to the criminal complaint, the pair came to the attention of law enforcement on June 17, 2022, when U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in Los Angeles inspected a package shipped from China to Garnica’s Marysville address. The package was labeled “furniture parts,” but in fact it contained die sets for use in a pill press, and would make pills that appear to have the markings of oxycodone pills. Further investigation of Garnica and Wilson revealed numerous unusual cash transactions and the purchase of 11 firearms in a three-month span of 2020.
This morning agents with Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI executed search warrants at the Marysville residence and in the garage seized a pill press and other materials for making fake oxycodone pills. Both Garnica and Wilson were arrested at the scene. Officers called a hazmat team to secure the lab, due to the potentially deadly nature of fentanyl powder. The investigation of the scene is ongoing. In the vehicles associated with the defendants, law enforcement found multiple suspected counterfeit oxycodone pills.
The charges contained in the complaint are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI with assistance from the Washington State Patrol, National Guard Civil Service Team, the Snohomish County Drug Task Force, and the Skagit County Drug Task Force.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Vince Lombardi.
garnica-wilson_complaint.pdf Pill press in garageStatement of U.S. Attorney Nick Brown regarding voter intimidation or threatsRead the Press Release
Seattle – U.S. Attorney Nick Brown today issued the following statement as Western Washington voters mark their primary ballots and prepare to use ballot drop boxes throughout the Western District of Washington.
“Voter intimidation is a federal crime and any attempt to harass or discourage citizens from voting at our state’s secure election drop boxes will be investigated and prosecuted in federal court, said U.S. Attorney Brown. “We recognize and revere the First Amendment right to free speech and political debate. But there is a time when protected speech turns into acts of intimidation or threats of violence. We will work with our law enforcement partners to investigate threats of violence, hate crimes, and any effort to intimidate voters or those tasked with ensuring free and fair elections in our state.”
Under federal law, it is a felony to intimidate or threaten other persons to discourage them from voting or for assisting others in voting. This crime is punishable by up to five years in prison. Federal law also prohibits 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. 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).
Through the primary and general election periods, the U.S. Attorney’s Office will have District Election Officer Seth Wilkinson working with the FBI and other law enforcement agencies to investigate and respond to any reports of voter intimidation or threats. Assistant United States Attorney Wilkinson can be reached at (206) 553-7970 and ask to leave a message with the Civil Rights complaint hotline. The local FBI field office can be reached by the public at (206) 622-0460.
Veteran sentenced to 18+ years in prison for sexual assault on a child left in his careRead the Press Release
Tacoma – A 40-year-old Army veteran who most recently was a civilian resident of Joint Base Lewis McChord, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to 225 months in prison for abusive sexual contact with a child under 12, and sexual abuse of a child, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Shawn Matthew Wilcher is required to register as a sex offender and will be on lifetime supervised release following his prison term. At the sentencing hearing U.S. District Judge Benjamin H. Settle said the crime, “was horrendously serious… the victim endured repeated violence over a long period of time…. She endured unimaginable terror.”
“This type of horrific abuse of a young child cannot be explained or justified, despite whatever demons Mr. Wilcher battles from his military service. His crimes have created ripples of destruction many times over,” said U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. “He will get treatment for the PTSD he blames for his conduct, but studies indicate this young victim will suffer long-lasting trauma throughout her life – trauma that is difficult, if not impossible, to remedy.”
According to records filed in the case, Wilcher is the spouse of an active-duty enlisted Army soldier. Between October 2015 and January 2018, Wilcher resided with his spouse on Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii. Between October 1, 2018, and May 21, 2019, Wilcher and his spouse resided on Joint Base Lewis McChord (JBLM). Wilcher is a veteran himself and served tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. In his plea agreement, Wilcher admits that he sexually molested a young child left in his care during his residence at both military bases. The abuse came to light in May 2019, when the victim disclosed the abuse to a friend who reported it to a school counselor. Army Criminal Investigative Division (CID) and the FBI immediately investigated the case. Wilcher has been in custody since his arrest on May 25, 2019.
Charges in the District of Hawaii and the Western District of Washington were both resolved by Wilcher’s guilty plea on August 23, 2021. Wilcher will be on lifetime supervision following his prison term and will be required to register as a sex offender.
The case was investigated by the FBI and Army CID.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Grady Leupold and Matt Hampton for the Western District of Washington, and Morgan Early for the District of Hawaii.
Two Foreign Nationals Plead Guilty to Trafficking Ivory and Rhinoceros Horn from the Democratic Republic of the CongoRead the Press Release
Seattle – Herdade Lokua, 34, and Jospin Mujangi, 32, of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Seattle to conspiracy and Lacey Act charges. They were indicted on Nov. 3, 2021, on 11 counts relating to trafficking wildlife from DRC to Seattle. The court scheduled the sentencing hearing for Nov. 1.
In pleading guilty, both defendants admitted that beginning in November 2019, they agreed to smuggle elephant ivory, white rhinoceros horn and pangolin scales to the United States. They worked with a middleman to negotiate the sales and coordinate imports to Seattle. Between August and September 2020, Lokua and Mujangi shipped three packages containing approximately 49 pounds of ivory from Kinshasa. They arranged for the ivory to be cut into smaller pieces and painted black; the packages were then falsely labeled as containing wood.
Lokua and Mujangi acknowledged that in June 2021, they sent nearly five pounds of rhinoceros horn to Seattle using a similar scheme. Lokua discussed sending two tons of ivory and one ton of pangolin scales concealed in a shipping container. He stated that payment would have to be routed through a bank account in China before they could access the cash in Kinshasa.
Lokua and Mujangi admitted that they traveled to Seattle on Nov. 2, 2021, to meet with prospective buyers who were actually undercover federal agents. After negotiating the details of a large shipment of ivory, rhinoceros horn and pangolin scales, agents arrested both men in Edmonds, Washington.
The investigation was part of “Operation Kuluna,” an international operation conducted between the Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Seattle, the Government of the DRC, the Department of State's Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), and the U.S. Embassy in Kinshasa. After the arrests, the task force in DRC acted on information provided by HSI-Seattle to seize 2,067 pounds of ivory and 75 pounds of pangolin scales in Kinshasa worth approximately $3.5 million, all contraband related to wildlife trafficking.
The Lacey Act is the nation’s oldest wildlife trafficking statute and prohibits, among other things, falsely labeling shipments containing wildlife. The United States, DRC and approximately 181 other countries are signatories to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). CITES is an international treaty that restricts trade in species that may be threatened with extinction. CITES has permit requirements for protected wildlife, and the indictment alleges that the defendants did not obtain any of the necessary papers or declarations from DRC or the United States.
The CITES treaty has listed the white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) as a protected species since 1975 and the African elephant (Loxodanta africana) since 1977. All species of pangolin were added to the CITES appendix with the greatest level of protection in 2017. All three mammals are threatened by poaching and habitat loss.
HSI-Seattle conducted the investigation. The government is represented by Senior Trial Attorneys Patrick M. Duggan and Ryan C. Connors of the Environment and Natural Resources Division’s Environmental Crimes Section with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Western District of Washington.
Port Angeles, Washington, man who prompted evacuation in Olympic National Park, pleads guilty to interfering with a government communication systemRead the Press Release
Tacoma – A 42-year-old Port Angeles, Washington, man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to interfering with a federal communications system, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Caleb Jesse Chapman’s actions from August 29, 2021 to August 31, 2021, resulted in the evacuation and closure of a popular section of Olympic National Park, at one the busiest times of the year. Under the terms of the plea agreement prosecutors will recommend no more than ten months in prison when Chapman is sentenced by U.S. District Judge Robert J. Bryan on October 7, 2022.
According to the plea agreement, just after midnight on August 29, 2021, Chapman appeared at a stranger’s home armed with a handgun and AR-15 style rifle. Chapman admits he was high on methamphetamine when he handed the stranger a letter outlining his concerns over political events, his difficulty getting ammunition, and his belief that there would be a revolution starting on the Olympic Peninsula, Texas and elsewhere.
Chapman drove his girlfriend to Olympic National Park where he felled a tree to block a road to the Deer Park campground. Chapman told his girlfriend she was going to die in the “revolution.” The girlfriend called 9-1-1 and Chapman threw a can of soup at her, cutting her leg. Chapman stormed off into the woods with nine firearms including a stolen handgun, an AR-15 and two shotguns. He had more than 3500 rounds of ammunition.
Law enforcement evacuated the Deer Park campgrounds, trailheads, and road areas, and attempted to locate Chapman. Around 3 PM on August 29, 2021, Chapman disabled the Olympic National Park radio communications site (radio repeater) located at the summit of Blue Mountain. The repeater is used by the park for emergency response, public safety, and administrative radio communications. By disabling the repeater, Chapman left the northeast corner of the park without emergency communications. In fact, the Blue Mountain repeater was also the repeater that the NPS Search and Rescue helicopter based at Mt. Rainier would need to use, for a rescue at Olympic National Park.
On August 31, 2021, a drone located Chapman in the park. Chapman fired a short barrel shotgun at the drone. Ultimately, law enforcement was able to negotiate Chapman’s surrender with no injuries to anyone.
As part of the plea agreement, Chapman has agreed to make restitution to those harmed by his actions, including losses to the National Park Service, and to specific individuals, incurred because of the closure of portions of Olympic National Park, including the popular Hurricane Ridge Visitor’s Center.
Interference with a federal communications system is punishable by up to ten years in prison. Judge Bryan is not bound by prosecutors’ ten-month recommendation and can impose any sentence up to the statutory maximum after considering the sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case was investigated by the Investigative Services Branch of the National Park Service, the FBI, and the Olympic Peninsula Narcotics Enforcement Team (OPNET) which includes officers from Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Clallam County Sheriff’s Office, the Sequim, Port Angeles, and Port Townsend Police Departments and the U.S. Border Patrol.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kristine Foerster.
Former Battle Ground, Washington, bank branch manager charged with stealing over $1 million from elderly customersRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 43-year-old former bank manager from Battle Ground, Washington, was arrested Friday in Yakima, Washington, on charges of Bank Fraud and Aggravated Identify Theft, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Brian Davie, a former branch manager at Wells Fargo, allegedly used unauthorized cash withdrawals, money transfers, and cashier’s checks to steal over $1 million. Davie allegedly targeted elderly and vulnerable customers. Eight victims have been identified. One woman had more than $546,000 stolen from her retirement accounts. Davie will appear in U.S. District Court in Yakima at 1:30 today.
Davie worked for Wells Fargo in Battle Ground from March of 2014 until he was fired in June 2019. According to the criminal complaint, Davie used his position as a manager at the branch to conduct unauthorized transactions. Davie had access to customer files containing information about bank account balances, as well as examples of customer signatures. Davie allegedly used this knowledge to forge signatures on cashier’s checks, withdrawal slips and other bank forms. Davie allegedly hid his criminal activity by repeatedly exchanging cashier’s checks until they were small enough to cash without triggering banking reporting requirements.
The complaint alleges that Davie continued undetected because he stole from elderly customers who might be less likely to closely monitor their account balances. Some of Davie’s victims had dementia, or had limited English skills and did not understand banking transactions. In at least one case, Davie failed to file the paperwork to install a victim’s relative as a co-signer on the victim’s accounts. That failure prevented the relative from being able to monitor the account and detect the fraudulent transactions.
Davie deposited some of the stolen money in an account he created in the name of a relative’s business. He made some of the cashier’s checks payable to that relative or to the business account he created. Much of the money was withdrawn as cash.
Wells Fargo reimbursed victims for their losses.
The charges contained in the complaint are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), with assistance from the Wells Fargo investigation team.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Zachary Dillon.
davie_complaint_-pacer.pdfPersistent gang members sentenced to 4+ years in prison for illegal firearms possessionRead the Press Release
Seattle – Two Seattle men, with connections to violent street gangs and drive-by shootings, were sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle for illegally possessing firearms, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Both Sytrel Defranco Butler, 26, and Leo Myron Dickerson, 25, were sentenced to 54 months in prison and three years of supervised release. At the sentencing hearing Chief U.S. District Judge Ricardo S. Martinez told the men they need to make different choices, “otherwise your future is being in prison over and over again, or being dead.”
“For the last five years, these two men have been repeatedly involved with guns and violence – indeed they have repeatedly documented their firearm addiction on social media,” said U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. “The sentences imposed in the past did not stop their criminal conduct. Now, these longer federal prison terms will protect the public. We can only hope the federal prison time will break the cycle of guns and violence and get them to change their ways.”
A review of state and federal court records paint a disturbing record of men with gang ties who are repeatedly illegally possessing weapons. Butler was prosecuted in King County in 2017, when he came to the attention of Kent Police who were investigating a series of drive-by shootings. In that case, Butler was shown on video possessing an AK-47 style assault rifle. Butler has been shot twice between 2015 and 2017 and was prosecuted for a retaliatory drive-by shooting in 2015. In 2018, Butler was charged federally with illegal firearms possession. The arrest followed the investigation of a drive-by shooting where an innocent person living next to the target was almost hit and killed.
Dickerson too has been repeatedly caught with firearms. He was prosecuted for two incidents in 2018 where he was caught illegally possessing firearms. The guns were assault rifles and Glocks with extended magazines. By May 2019, Dickerson was back on the streets and implicated in a shooting in Kent. He was arrested in a car that contained a backpack with three firearms. The investigation revealed that one of the guns had been used at a shooting in Kent and another at a shooting in Seattle.
In 2020, Butler and Dickerson had their supervised release revoked due to a video where they were seen with other felons and pictured with firearms. Dickerson was arrested later that year for illegally possessing firearms. Butler was arrested and had his supervised release revoked for drug dealing and firearms possession following a traffic accident in SeaTac.
In July 2021, Butler was investigated in connection with a homicide in Seattle. The case remains under investigation. As part of the investigation, law enforcement monitored the men’s social media. In various posts both Butler and Dickerson were shown with weapons. A warrant was issued for their arrests due to the supervised release violations. On August 19, 2021, the men were arrested at Saltwater State Park in Des Moines. When law enforcement moved in, the two men threw handguns into the woods near where they were sitting. One gun was a Glock with an extended magazine, and the other was a stolen handgun. In addition to the handguns, two other AR-style pistols were found in a bag near the men, and in one of their vehicles.
In its request for a 5-year sentence, prosecutors wrote to the court that the “conduct is part of a recidivist pattern of criminal activity during which – for years – Butler and Dickerson consistently have possessed loaded firearms and associated with fellow gang members and felons under dangerous circumstances. Simply put, whenever Butler and Dickerson are not in custody, they possess firearms and revert to associating with the same criminal actors.”
Chief Judge Martinez sentenced Butler to 42 months in prison on the current criminal case, with another year to run consecutive for his supervised release violations. For Dickerson, Chief Judge Martinez imposed two years for the supervised release violations with a consecutive 30-month sentence for the gun possession at Saltwater State Park. “That was extremely serious,” the Chief Judge said, “Putting others in the community in grave danger.”
“The sentences these two men received should hopefully, and finally, send the message to them that their actions endangered not only themselves but the community as a whole,” said ATF Seattle Special Agent in Charge Jonathan T. McPherson. “While Mr. Butler and Mr. Dickerson are off the streets now, ATF continues to investigate those who turn to the illegal use of firearms in our effort to make our communities safer.”
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF) and the Seattle Police Department and Kirkland Police Department.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Todd Greenberg.
Former National Guard member sentenced to 4 years in prison for possession of images of child rape and abuseRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 56-year-old Maple Valley, Washington, man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to four years in prison and 15 years of supervised release for possession of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Paul Von Nahme was arrested in April 2021, after an overseas law enforcement agency reported that Von Nahme was using the ‘Kik’ social media platform to send images of child sexual abuse to a person overseas. The agency also reported Von Nahme was making claims online that he raped a 9-year-old child. At the sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge Richard A. Jones said, “You need to remember the damage and devastation these images do to the victims…. Your conduct helps make the [child pornography market] survive.”
According to records filed in the case, when law enforcement served a search warrant on Von Nahme’s electronic devices they found more than 3,400 images of child rape and abuse. The images of child sexual abuse came from all over the world: Russia, Australia, France, and Indonesia among others. Under a law passed in 2018, the Amy, Vicki, and Andy Child Pornography Victim Assistance Act (AVAA), Von Nahme must pay at least $3,000 to each child identified in the horrific images. In this case the amount of restitution could be as much as $126,000. The restitution amount will be determined at a hearing in late August 2022.
Von Nahme pleaded guilty on November 3, 2021. He was released on bond pending sentencing. However, in March 2022, he was returned to custody for having unauthorized electronic devices to connect to the internet.
Von Nahme will be required to register as a sex offender when released from prison.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Seattle Police Department Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC).
The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Laura Harmon. Ms. Harmon is a Deputy King County Prosecutor specially designated to prosecute child exploitation crimes in federal court.
Tacoma woman pleads guilty to wire fraud for stealing more than $600,000 from friends and acquaintancesRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 40-year-old Tacoma woman pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to one count of wire fraud for a scheme to defraud various friends and acquaintances, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Sabrina Taylor admitted to lying about her health, employment status, and her education to steal more than $600,000 from people who had offered to help her. Taylor will be sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Ricardo S. Martinez on October 7, 2022.
Starting in 2013, and continuing into July 2019 and beyond, Taylor convinced various people to provide her with large amounts of money by claiming that she needed to purchase medicine for multiple sclerosis, pay her tuition for the University of Washington, or bail her brother out of jail. In fact, Taylor did not have multiple sclerosis, was not paying tuition to U.W., and did not have a brother in jail. Rather, Taylor used a substantial portion of the defrauded funds to pay for luxuries such as almost $60,000 for multiple trips to Japan and Korea, nearly $38,000 for online purchases from Amazon and Etsy, more than $29,000 for clothing, and nearly $16,000 for make-up.
Taylor also made false claims about how she was planning to repay loans, lying about her employment, a litigation settlement from a local bank, and funds she expected to receive from her parents.
Taylor met some of the people she defrauded online, using shared interests such as Japanese anime, comic books, or video games to establish a relationship. Taylor admitted to stealing over $550,000 from one victim.
Prosecutors agreed to recommend no more than 27 months in prison for Taylor. However, Chief Judge Martinez is not bound by the recommendation and can impose any sentence up to the statutory maximum 20 years after considering the sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. Taylor will also pay restitution to her victims for the money she stole.
The case was investigated by the FBI.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joseph Silvio.
Bothell, Washington, man sentenced to 5 years in prison for dealing drugs hidden in computer hard drivesRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 34-year-old Bothell, Washington, man was sentenced today to five years in prison, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Ryan Kane pled guilty to Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute on March 22, 2022. At the sentencing hearing U.S. District Judge James L. Robart said, addressing Kane, “This isn’t about you…. This is about what you did to the community …sending drugs not just into our community, but the world. What you did is decidedly wrong.”
“Mr. Kane was distributing nearly pure and addictive methamphetamine across the world, concealed in computer hard drives,” said U.S. Attorney Brown. “He used the Dark Web to conceal his identity and make dangerous drugs available as far away as Australia and New Zealand.”
Kane first came to the attention of law enforcement because he was mailing packages with methamphetamine hidden inside. Kane used a Dark Web vendor account to take orders for the methamphetamine shipments; he then packaged the drugs and mailed them through the U.S. Postal Service to various locations in the United States, Australia, and New Zealand. In April of 2021, he attempted to mail two packages to Australia. However, these packages were intercepted by law enforcement and found to contain over three kilos of methamphetamine hydrochloride concealed in computer hard drives.
Meth in hard driveIn asking for a six-year sentence, Assistant United States Attorney Casey Conzatti said, “This recommendation takes into account Mr. Kane’s struggle with addiction, but it also takes into account the large volume of drugs involved.”
When Kane’s residence was searched on June 7, 2021, law enforcement seized a glass jar and 16 additional hollowed out computer hard drives containing over three kilos of methamphetamine hydrochloride. Agents found packing materials, a notebook containing shipping labels to Australia and artwork related to Kane’s Dark Web vendor account. Additionally, agents discovered a loaded 9mm handgun on the couch in the apartment.
“Mr. Kane’s conviction and today’s sentence demonstrates how smugglers cannot hide behind the perceived veil of secrecy associated with Dark Web marketplaces,” said Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Robert Hammer, who oversees Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) operations in the Pacific Northwest. “HSI through its transnational law enforcement footprint will doggedly pursue these cases with our law enforcement partners within the U.S. and abroad.”
“With Mr. Kane’s sentencing today, we show a clear and united front, not only here in the United States but abroad, in the effort to combat the distribution of these dangerous and potentially lethal narcotics,” said Inspector in Charge Anthony Galetti with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (U.S.P.I.S.). “We remain steadfast in our mission to remove illegal narcotics from the U.S. Mail and will continue to do so to ensure our communities remain safe. We thank our law enforcement partners for their assistance in bringing Kane to justice.”
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) with assistance from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (U.S.P.I.S.) and the Australian Border Force (ABF).
This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Casey S. Conzatti.
Former Washington State Employment Security employee pleads guilty to stealing pandemic unemployment benefits for kickbacksRead the Press Release
Tacoma – A former employee of Washington State’s Employment Security Department pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to three federal felonies for his scheme to exploit his employment for personal enrichment and to fraudulently distribute at least $360,000 in pandemic-related unemployment benefits, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Reyes De La Cruz, III, 48, of Moses Lake, Washington, personally enriched himself by at least $130,000 with his scheme. De La Cruz was arrested September 24, 2021, in Moses Lake and has been in federal custody since his arrest.
“We remain committed to working with our law enforcement partners to prosecute those who used the cover of the pandemic to unlawfully enrich themselves,” said U.S. Attorney Brown. “In this case, De La Cruz’s betrayal of public trust during a time of national crisis is particularly egregious.”
According to records filed in the case, De La Cruz was hired as an intake agent in April 2020 to help the Employment Security Department (ESD) deal with the crush of filings for pandemic unemployment benefits. De La Cruz had previously worked for ESD, from 1996 to 2003.
Between July 3, 2020, and March 15, 2021, De La Cruz used his access to the ESD claims database to defraud the benefits system in multiple ways. In at least ten instances, De La Cruz accepted bribes in exchange for engineering benefit payments for his friends, family, or acquaintances by making false entries in the claims database. In many cases, the person did not qualify for benefits, but De La Cruz manipulated the claims database so that the claimants received lumpsum retroactive payments that sometimes amounted to tens of thousands of dollars. The claimants would then pay De La Cruz a portion of the lumpsum. The bribes ranged from $500-$6,500. In total, De La Cruz enriched himself nearly $21,000 through kickback payments.
In some instances, when claimants refused or resisted paying De La Cruz, he threatened to terminate the claim if they did not pay him.
De La Cruz filed at least four claims using other people’s personal information without authorization and then had the benefits paid to debit cards that were mailed to Moses Lake, Washington, addresses where De La Cruz could retrieve them. Even after his employment with ESD terminated on October 1, 2020, De La Cruz attempted to restart claims payments to these debit cards to take advantage of additional federal pandemic benefits. De La Cruz went so far as to impersonate a claimant in recorded phone calls with ESD and a bank. He impersonated another claimant in handwritten correspondence that he then faxed to ESD. In this way he defrauded ESD of more than $113,000.
Under the terms of the plea agreement, prosecutors will ask for no more than 75 months in prison when De La Cruz is sentenced on September 16, 2022.
“Reyes De La Cruz was hired by the Washington Employment Security Department to help process an unprecedented increase in pandemic-related unemployment insurance claims. Instead, he illegally enriched himself by diverting vital taxpayer resources away from those in need of unemployment benefits. Protecting the integrity of the unemployment insurance program remains one of our highest priorities, and we will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to safeguard the unemployment benefits for those who need it, especially during this critical time,” said Quentin Heiden, Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Los Angeles Region.
The Employment Security Department uncovered evidence of fraud, terminated De La Cruz, and referred the case to the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General. The FBI joined the investigation.
Wire fraud that relates to a presidentially declared major disaster or emergency is punishable by up to 30 years in prison. Bribery of an agent receiving federal funds is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Aggravated identity theft is punishable by a two-year sentence consecutive to any other sentence imposed in the case.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Cindy Chang and Seth Wilkinson.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Former Bellevue, Washington, teacher sentenced to 20 years in prison for production and possession of images of child sexual abuseRead the Press Release
Seattle – A former Bellevue, Washington, teacher was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 20 years in prison and lifetime supervised release, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Stuart MacGregor Hoffman, 31, pleaded guilty in February 2022, to production of child pornography and possession of child pornography. At the sentencing hearing U.S. District Judge Tana Lin said that what happened in this case was every parent’s “worst nightmare.”
According to records filed in the case, Hoffman came to the attention of law enforcement because of an investigation in the United Kingdom. Hoffman was sending explicit child sex images to a contact in the U.K. Homeland Security Investigations initiated an investigation. Hoffman’s home was searched, and he was arrested on May 14, 2020. On his devices law enforcement found images of sexual molestation of a child between the ages of 5 and 11. Hoffman was in contact with the child outside of his duties as a teacher.
In total, Hoffman had seven videos on his devices showing sexual molestation. He had an additional 1,764 images of child sexual abuse. In 283 of the images forensic examination determined they were known child victims. Under the Child Pornography Victim Assistance Act, Hoffman must pay a minimum of $3,000 to each known victim. In this case, the initial restitution figure is $108,000, and could go higher. Judge Lin is going to determine the full amount of the restitution at a later hearing.
On April 15, 2022, Hoffman was sentenced in King County Superior Court to twenty years in prison for rape of a child. The state and federal sentences will run concurrently. Hoffman will be required to register as a sex offender when released from prison.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Bellevue Police Department.
The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Laura Harmon. Ms. Harmon is a King County Deputy Prosecutor who is specially designated to prosecute child exploitation cases in federal court.
U.S. Attorney Nick Brown to lead Attorney General’s Advisory Subcommittee on Civil RightsRead the Press Release
Seattle – U.S. Attorney Nick Brown for the Western District of Washington has been selected to lead the Civil Rights Subcommittee for the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee (AGAC). As the leader of the Civil Rights Subcommittee, U.S. Attorney Brown will play a key role in advising the AGAC on civil rights matters of importance to the Department of Justice and U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the country.
“I am gratified that my colleagues and Attorney General Garland selected me for this important role,” said U.S. Attorney Brown. “The Department of Justice came into being to protect civil rights, and I look forward to helping shape our focus. There are a number of important issues for the Department to address, including the rise in hate crimes, ensuring voting rights, and developing strategies to ensure accountability and trust between law enforcement officers and the communities they serve.”
U.S. Attorney Rachael S. Rollins of the District of Massachusetts will serve as Vice-Chair of the Civil Rights Subcommittee.
“I am honored to have been asked to serve as Vice-Chair of the Civil Right Subcommittee. It is my sincere hope that we seize this moment in history to facilitate meaningful dialogue and action to combat the uptick in hate-based violence. Civil rights are at the forefront of so many of the issues dividing our nation today. Under the leadership of U.S. Attorney Brown, we will provide guidance to the Department of Justice. Our goal is to fulfill the promise of equality for everyone,” said U.S. Attorney Rachael S. Rollins.
The Attorney General’s Advisory Committee was established nearly 50 years ago by Attorney General Elliott Richardson. The Committee's purpose is to give United States Attorneys a voice in Department policies and to advise the Attorney General of the United States.
Former Seattle tech worker convicted of wire fraud and computer intrusionsRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 36-year-old former Seattle tech worker was convicted today in U.S. District Court in Seattle of seven federal crimes connected to her scheme to hack into cloud computer data storage accounts and steal data and computer power for her own benefit, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Paige A. Thompson a/k/a ‘erratic,’ was arrested in July 2019, after Capital One alerted the FBI to Thompson’s hacking activity. The jury deliberated for ten hours following the seven-day jury trial. Thompson is scheduled for sentencing by U.S. District Judge Robert S. Lasnik on September 15, 2022.
“Ms. Thompson used her hacking skills to steal the personal information of more than 100 million people, and hijacked computer servers to mine cryptocurrency,” said U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. “Far from being an ethical hacker trying to help companies with their computer security, she exploited mistakes to steal valuable data and sought to enrich herself.”
Thompson was found guilty of Wire fraud, five counts of unauthorized access to a protected computer and damaging a protected computer. The jury found her not guilty of access device fraud and aggravated identity theft.
Using Thompson’s own words in texts and online chats, prosecutors showed how Thompson used a tool she built to scan Amazon Web Services accounts to look for misconfigured accounts. She then used those misconfigured accounts to hack in and download the data of more than 30 entities, including Capital One bank. With some of her illegal access, she planted cryptocurrency mining software on new servers with the income from the mining going to her online wallet. Thompson spent hundreds of hours advancing her scheme, and bragged about her illegal conduct to others via text or online forums.
“She wanted data, she wanted money, and she wanted to brag,” Assistant United States Attorney Andrew Friedman said in closing arguments.
The intrusion to Capital One accounts impacted more than 100 million U.S. Customers. The company was fined $80 million and settled customer lawsuits for $190 million.
Wire fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Illegally accessing a protected computer and damaging a protected computer are punishable by up to five years in prison. The ultimate sentence is up to Judge Lasnik who will consider the sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case was investigated by the FBI Seattle Cyber Task Force. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Andrew Friedman, Jessica Manca, Tania Culbertson, and Steven Masada.
Leader of multi-state drug trafficking conspiracy pleads guilty to drug trafficking, firearms possession, and money laundering chargesRead the Press Release
Seattle – The Arlington, Washington based leader of a prolific and violent drug trafficking ring pleaded guilty this week to federal drug, gun, and money laundering crimes, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Cesar Valdez-Sanudo, 36, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and carrying a firearm in connection with a drug trafficking crime. Valdez-Sanudo faces a mandatory minimum ten years in prison and up to life in prison when sentenced by U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour on October 4, 2022.
The drug ring was indicted in December 2020, following a lengthy wire-tap investigation. Law enforcement seized large amounts of drugs during the investigation including a 49-pound load of methamphetamine that was coming to Washington State from California. All told, law enforcement seized approximately 93 pounds of methamphetamine, 15 pounds of heroin, 35,000 suspected fentanyl pills, 24 firearms, approximately $525,000, and a bank account valued at $100,000.
Valdez-Sanudo was the leader of the ring. In messages to his coconspirators, he discussed violence against members of the ring suspected of stealing drug loads. When he was arrested at the Snoqualmie Casino, Valdez-Sanudo had three firearms in his vehicle, one with a homemade silencer. Valdez-Sanudo had told others he planned to confront a member of the ring who owed a debt for drugs.
When law enforcement searched Valdez-Sanudo’s Arlington property, they seized more than 27 kilos of meth, nearly 6 kilos of heroin, and nearly 2 kilos of fentanyl pills, much of it buried underground. On the property, there were 8 firearms.
Digging up drugsLaw enforcement seized cash, checks, and the contents of bank accounts as proceeds of the drug crime. Valdez-Sanudo schemed to launder funds through casinos and through the purchase of property and vehicles. Conspirators sought to avoid banking transaction reporting requirements by making deposits in amounts below the $10,000 threshold.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Tacoma Residence Office in partnership with Tahoma Narcotics Enforcement Team (TNET), Kent Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, SeaTac Police Department, Tacoma Police Department, Snohomish Regional Drug Task Force (SRDTF), the Skagit County Sheriff's Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Amy Jaquette and C. Andrew Colasurdo.
Drugs fund buried in storage caseEverett man indicted for cyberstalking and threatening former romantic partnerRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 41-year-old Everett, Washington, man was indicted by the grand jury in connection with a three-year unrelenting campaign of online cyberstalking, threats, and harassment against a former romantic partner, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Christopher Scott Crawford was arrested on a criminal complaint on June 2, 2022. He remains detained at the Federal Detention Center at SeaTac, Washington.
According to records filed in the case, Crawford has repeatedly violated court ordered restraining orders by sending threats by text, email, social media messages and phone calls. Crawford has sent threatening communications to various people associated with the victim in this case, such as parents, coworkers, siblings, and court-mandated professionals. The harassment included posting intimate pictures of the victim on a website and circulating private information about the victim to others.
Cyberstalking and making interstate threats are each punishable by five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The charges contained in the indictment are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The matter is being investigated by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS).
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Max Shiner.
Makah Tribal member sentenced to 16 months in prison for carjacking and threatening young boysRead the Press Release
Tacoma – A enrolled member of the Makah Tribe was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to 16 months in prison, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Nicolas Joseph James Johnson, 33, pleaded guilty to robbery in March 2022. U.S. District Judge Benjamin H. Settle noted the trauma suffered by three young boys who were ordered out of the car at knifepoint.
According to records filed in the case, on the evening of September 18, 2021. Johnson carjacked a vehicle from outside the Mini-Market on Bay View Avenue in Neah Bay, Washington. There were three brothers in the car, ages 16, 12 and 10. Johnson used a machete to threaten the boys and ordered them out of the car. After the boys got out Johnson sped off and led police on a high-speed chase.
Johnson has two prior convictions in state court related to stolen vehicles. He had just terminated supervision on the state convictions when he committed this crime.
The case was investigated by the Neah Bay Police Department and the FBI.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney J. Tate London. Mr. London serves as Tribal Liaison for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Federal charges target drug trafficking organization bringing 20+ kilo loads of methamphetamine to Southwest WashingtonRead the Press Release
Tacoma – Multiple members of a methamphetamine trafficking ring were indicted last week in U.S. District Court for seven federal felonies related to their drug trafficking, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Some of the conspirators, have been charged in state court over the last ten years, but fled the jurisdiction and then returned using different names. Four of the defendants are detained pending further hearings. One remains a fugitive.
“These defendants are responsible for huge loads of methamphetamine, which continues to cause death and destruction in our community,” said U.S. Attorney Brown. “In one instance they brought 55 pounds of methamphetamine to Western Washington via Amtrak train – fortunately law enforcement seized the drugs at the Kelso train station.”
The indicted defendants are:
Jesus Venegas-Gatica, 35, of Lakewood, Washington
Jose Venegas-Gatica, 34, of Fresno, California
Juan Tolentino-Chino, 33, of Astoria, Oregon
Cristobal Venegas Diaz, 47, of Centralia, Washington
Esteban Martinez-Ortiz, 32, a citizen of Mexico, being sought by law enforcement.
According to records filed in the case, the Venegas family has been involved in drug trafficking since at least 2012. Defendant Jesus Venegas-Gatica was charged in Lewis County in 2012 in connection with a 15-pound load of methamphetamine. He fled the jurisdiction and returned under a different name. In 2013, law enforcement seized 70 pounds of meth and ten firearms from members of the drug trafficking organization. The criminal complaint details another arrest in 2019 in Kitsap County with 20 pounds of meth. In each of those cases the drug distributors fled and used aliases to return to drug trafficking.
Meth loadThe current case charges various large-scale methamphetamine deals in Cowlitz, Lewis, Grays Harbor, Pierce, and Thurston Counties. According to one informant, the Venegas family transported 20 to 25 kilograms of methamphetamine to Washington each month. Law enforcement tied these defendants to trafficking more than 105 pounds of meth at locations ranging from casino parking lots to outlet mall stores. In one instance, law enforcement caught a co-conspirator getting off an Amtrak train in Kelso, Washington with 55 pounds of methamphetamine in his luggage that he had transported from Sacramento, California.
In May 2022, authorities recovered another 19 kilos of methamphetamine when they executed search warrants at various defendant’s homes and cars.
“The culmination of this investigation signifies the DEA’s unyielding pursuit of drug trafficking organizations,” said Jacob D. Galvan, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Seattle Field Division. “This organization was responsible for distributing more than one hundred pounds of methamphetamine in Western Washington. The DEA, along with its federal, state and local partners will relentlessly pursue drug traffickers to keep our communities safe and healthy, no matter how long it takes.”
Due to the large amounts of drugs involved, each defendant faces a mandatory minimum ten-year prison term.
The charges contained in the indictment are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
This investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Tacoma Resident Office, the Lewis County Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team (JNET), and the Grays Harbor Drug Task Force (GHDTF).
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Zachary Dillon in consultation with the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office.
Load of methamophetamine venegas_indictment.pdf venegas_complaint.pdfMember of Lummi Nation sentenced to 30 years in prison for aggravated sexual abuse of a minorRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 57-year-old member of the Lummi Nation was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 30 years in prison for aggravated sexual abuse, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. U.S. District Judge Richard A. Jones sentenced Lewis Dean Armstrong to 30 years in prison, the mandatory minimum sentence for the offense and imposed a lifetime term of supervised release following prison. Armstrong will also be required to register as a sex offender.
In March 2014, Armstrong was convicted at trial of aggravated sexual abuse of a 6-year-old child. The assault occurred in March 2013, at a home on the Lummi reservation where the child was visiting her father. DNA evidence linked Armstrong to the assault.
Following the conviction, in June 2014, U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour sentenced Armstrong to 20 years in prison, ruling the 30-year mandatory minimum sentence was unconstitutional as applied to Armstrong. On March 3, 2020, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Armstrong’s conviction, reversed the 20-year sentence, and sent the case back for resentencing.
The case was investigated by the FBI and Lummi Nation Police Department.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney J. Tate London. Mr. London serves as a Tribal Liaison for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Pair who went on the run after being found guilty of fraud at a now defunct precious metals firm, sentenced to prisonRead the Press Release
Seattle –The former President & CEO of Northwest Territorial Mint, a now-bankrupt company dealing in precious metals, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 11 years in prison for 14 federal felonies resulting from a Ponzi-like scheme that defrauded customers of millions of dollars, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Bernard Ross Hansen, 61, aka Ross B. Hansen was convicted of multiple counts of wire and mail fraud after a four-week jury trial in July 2021. Hansen’s co-defendant and partner, Vault Manager Diane Renee Erdmann, 49, was convicted of 13 counts of wire fraud and mail fraud. She was sentenced to five years in prison. This was the second scheduled sentencing hearing for the two after they failed to show up for their late April court date and attempted to flee.
At the sentencing hearing U.S. District Judge Richard A. Jones said, “The entire means of operation was nothing more than a fiction…. You were a wrecking ball building your empire. (The victims) trusted you and had faith in the snake oil you were selling; that faith was met with manipulation and deceit.”
“Mr. Hansen and Ms. Erdman defrauded more than 3,000 people of some $30 million – money that represents the victims’ plans and dreams: retirement, college funds, and inheritances,” said U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. “It is heartbreaking to hear how the fraud upended their lives and left them working longer, harder, and in deep stress to try to recover. The impact of this fraud goes beyond the significant dollar figure.”
Northwest Territorial Mint (NWTM) operated both a custom business that involved the manufacturing of medallions and other awards, and a bullion business that involved the selling, buying, exchanging, storing, and leasing of gold, silver, and other precious metals. The company had offices in Federal Way and Auburn, Washington, but declared bankruptcy on April 1, 2016.
According to records in the case and testimony at trial, Hansen and Erdmann defrauded NWTM customers in a variety of ways. The evidence at trial showed that Hansen and Erdmann lied about shipping times for bullion, used customer money to expand the business to other states, and to pay their own personal expenses. As a result, the company lacked enough assets to fulfill customer orders and used new customer money to pay off older customers in a Ponzi-like scheme. In total, over 2500 customers paid for orders, or made bullion sales or exchanges, that were either never fulfilled or never refunded. The total loss to these customers was more than $25,000,000.
In addition to the bullion customer fraud, the evidence at trial demonstrated that Hansen and Erdmann defrauded customers who paid NWTM to safely and securely store bullion in the NWTM vaults. Evidence and testimony at trial showed that Hansen and Erdmann used this bullion that was supposed to be in secure storage to fulfill other orders. In April 2016, the NWTM vaults were inventoried and all or part of the stored bullion for more than 50 customers was missing. The missing bullion was worth more than $4.9 million.
Writing to the court, prosecutors pointed out the deception against the storage customers: “Mr. Hansen talked (the storage customers) into paying NWTM to steal from them—forking over fees, sometimes thousands of dollars’ worth, to “securely” store their bullion at NWTM, only to have the defendants use the vault as a company piggy bank. Mr. Hansen collected those fees and delivered phony storage account statements in return. But unbeknownst to the storage customers, Mr. Hansen used the storage customers’ bullion as his own – pulling it off the shelf to fulfill other orders, at times even melting down customers’ property to makes something else to ship somewhere else.”
“Company president Hansen apparently did not learn his lesson from his last trip to prison,” said Donald M. Voiret, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle Field Office. “Together, Hansen and his co-conspirator Ms. Erdmann stole decades of savings and financial security from thousands of victims who thought they were making safe investments for themselves and their loved ones.”
Prosecutors increased their sentencing recommendations for both Hansen and Erdmann to reflect the 11-day manhunt that followed their failure to appear. When arrested in the small town of Port Hadlock on the Olympic Peninsula, they had three loaded firearms in a box behind the drivers’ seat of their car. In supplemental sentencing memos, prosecutors urged the court to increase both defendants’ prison time due to their flight to avoid prison. “Ms. Erdmann and Mr. Hansen acquired a new vehicle, armed themselves with three loaded guns, and evaded supervision. Ms. Erdmann’s conduct shows a lack of respect for the Court and the law enforcement authorities that she knew would attempt to find her.” And of Hansen they wrote, “Recent events have shown that Mr. Hansen also presents a danger of violence. When he was apprehended by law enforcement in Port Hadlock, he was traveling with three loaded firearms in reaching distance of the front seat of his vehicle.”
Judge Jones ordered Hansen to pay $33.7 million in restitution. Erdmann is to pay $32.1 million in restitution.
The case was investigated by the FBI. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Brian Werner and Benjamin Diggs.
Ferndale, Washington, woman indicted for trafficking in counterfeit goodsRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 42-year-old Ferndale, Washington woman was indicted this week by a federal grand jury for multiple counts of trafficking in counterfeit goods, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Kara Suneva Allen, aka Kara Suneva Mitchell is scheduled to appear for arraignment on the indictment on June 9, 2022.
According to records filed in the case, Allen operated a business named ‘Keepin Up With Kara’ LLC. The business was located in a warehouse space in Ferndale, Washington. As of March 2022, a website associated with the business advertised 467 different items for sale that appeared to be products made by Adidas, Burberry, Cartier, Chanel, Christian Dior, Fendi, Gucci, Hermès, Louis Vuitton, MCM, Nike, Prada, Saint Laurent, Tiffany & Co., Tory Burch, and UGG. All the products were priced substantially below the suggested retail price for the genuine items.
An investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office revealed that in August and September 2021, three shipments destined for Allen and her company were seized from the mail in Oakland, California. The shipments, which originated in China and Hong Kong, contained a wide variety of counterfeit goods, including handbags, wallets, and jewelry. Allen was notified of these seizures, but never petitioned to have the goods in the shipments released. An analysis of shipping records revealed that between September 2021 and March 2022, approximately 46 shipments from China and Hong Kong had been sent to the Ferndale warehouse where ‘Keepin Up With Kara’ operated.
To document Allen’s sale of counterfeit goods, an undercover agent made online purchases from the company’s website. In one instance, the agent made an undercover purchase of a Louis Vuitton-branded handbag for $110. The suggested retail price for that specific authentic Louis Vuitton handbag is $1,690.00. A Louis Vuitton representative confirmed the handbag purchased from the website was counterfeit.
Fake designer bagOn May 2, 2022, law enforcement executed search and seizure warrants at Allen’s place of business, home, and vehicle. Large quantities of counterfeit merchandise were seized.
The charges contained in the indictment are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Trafficking in counterfeit goods is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $2,000,000 fine.
The case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Ferndale Police Department, and the National Intellectual Property Rights Center.
The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Jessica M. Ly.
allen_kara_indictment.pdf Warehouse goods Table of fake designer bagsFather and son sentenced to prison for money laundering and illegal marijuana businessRead the Press Release
Seattle – A father and son who ran a multimillion-dollar illegal marijuana business in Monroe, Washington, were each sentenced to five-year prison terms today, on drug and money laundering charges, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Kenneth Warren Rhule, 28, was sentenced to five years in prison for conspiracy to manufacture and distribute marijuana and laundering monetary instruments. Kenneth John Rule, 47, was sentenced to five years in prison for conspiracy to manufacture and distribute marijuana. U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour noted the size of the enterprise, and the presence of firearms justified the five-year prison terms.
“Not only did this pair produce and distribute marijuana products on the dark web, in violation of the state’s regulatory scheme, they also illegally laundered immense amounts of bitcoin that their enterprise earned,” said U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. “When law enforcement moved in there were more than a dozen firearms – some loaded and ready to be used to protect their drug trade.”
Kenneth W. Rhule first came to the attention of law enforcement for his money laundering activity. In April 2o18, law enforcement became aware that someone with the screen name “Gimacut93” was operating an unlicensed bitcoin exchange business. At various locations–primarily Starbucks coffee shops–in Western Washington, Kenneth W. Rhule met repeatedly with an undercover agent posing as a criminal who needed to launder funds. Through their conversations the undercover agent made it seem they were laundering money related to human trafficking activities. Rhule agreed to exchange bitcoin for cash apparently knowing the cash was the proceeds of criminal activity. In fact, Rhule offered the undercover agent advice on virtual currency and how to hide the source of the funds. Rhule asked the agent no questions as required under the “know your customer” rule. Altogether, Rhule exchanged $142,000 worth of bitcoin for cash with the undercover agent.
Even as he was engaged in the operation of the unlicensed financial exchange business, Rhule and his father Kenneth J. Rhule, were operating a marijuana products business that had no license with the State of Washington and paid no taxes to the state. The facility, based in Monroe, Washington, manufactured hash oil and other marijuana products using the names HerbinArtisans, Heady.Watr, and KlearKrew, among others. Electronic messages reviewed in the case indicate the Rhules sold various marijuana products for cash or cryptocurrency to customers nationwide.
The investigation revealed that the Rhules made over $13 million is sales from their business with a net profit of $2.5 million.
In asking for prison time for both men, prosecutors noted that they worked to subvert the state regulatory scheme. “…[T]he state has set up a regulatory framework to serve many important purposes, including ensuring the safety of those who produce and consumer marijuana products. The state is also, of course, entitled to tax the marijuana industry. Yet the defendants ignored all this. Perhaps, as is so often true in fraud cases, they were motivated by simple greed. But in running their business in this way, they put a lot of people at risk, and disadvantaged others in the industry who chose to play by the rules.”
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Drug Enforcement Administration, with valuable assistance from state and local law enforcement agencies.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Philip Kopczynski, Casey Conzatti, and Krista Bush.
Monroe facility Monroe facilityFormer CEO of defunct medical testing laboratory sentenced to prison for medical kickback schemeRead the Press Release
Seattle – The former Chief Executive Officer of Northwest Physicians Laboratory (NWPL) was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to two years in prison and $7.6 million in restitution for conspiracy to solicit kickbacks, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Jae Lee, 51, of Bellevue, Washington, served as the CEO of Northwest Physicians Laboratory (NWPL). Between 2013 and 2015, Lee conspired with others to get kickbacks from medical testing labs in exchange for government testing business referred to the labs. In pronouncing sentence, U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour noted, the scheme was large and clearly illegal.
“Mr. Lee knowingly set up a scheme to profit by referring government health care business to other labs – even more disturbing he tried to play one lab off against another to increase his ill-gotten gain,” said U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. “Such conduct increases healthcare costs for all of us. This case should be a warning to others who may consider such schemes.”
The activities of Bellevue-based Northwest Physicians Laboratory (NWPL) have been the subject of extensive civil and criminal litigation. CEO Lee helped NWPL obtain more than $3.7 million in kickback payments by steering urine drug test specimens to two labs that could bill the government for testing. This resulted in government payments to those two labs of more than $6.5 million.
According to records filed in the case between January 2013 and July 2015, two labs, that were not physician owned, made payments to NWPL in exchange for referrals of Medicare and TRICARE program business, in violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute. Paying remuneration to medical providers or provider-owned laboratories in exchange for referrals encourages providers to order medically unnecessary services. The Anti-Kickback Statute functions, in part, to discourage such behavior. NWPL was physician-owned, and for that reason could not test urine samples for patients covered by government health programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, and TRICARE. In order to conceal the payment of the kickbacks, Lee and other co-conspirators involved described the fees as being for marketing services; however, no marketing services were performed.
The kickback payments to NWPL were commingled with other company revenue. Over the course of the scheme, Lee received more than $800,000 in distributions from NWPL’s commingled funds. As prosecutors wrote in their sentencing memo, “The crime was based purely on Mr. Lee and the others’ greed. The NWPL business model was profitable. It could afford to pay doctors thousands of dollars a month in dividends. It could afford to pay healthy distributions to its owners. This did not satisfy Mr. Lee. He was determined to maximize profits even if it meant breaking the law.”
The company, NWPL, pleaded guilty in February 2021 and was sentenced to pay $8,114,417 in restitution joint and several with the other criminal defendants. NWPL has dissolved. To date, the labs and individuals involved in this investigation have agreed to pay more than $14 million to settle related civil allegations.
"Mr. Lee’s sentencing culminates his illicit, greed-driven scheme to defraud federal healthcare programs, including the Department of Defense's TRICARE program," said Bryan D. Denny, Special Agent in Charge for the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Western Field Office. "Fraudulent healthcare billings inflate costs, erode public confidence, and in the case of the Department of Defense, ultimately degrade American warfighter readiness and undermine the missions of our military services.”
“Individuals who participate in kickback schemes do so at the risk of undermining the integrity of federal health care programs,” said Special Agent in Charge Steven J. Ryan with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “HHS-OIG will continue to work with law enforcement partners to bring to justice those who steal from these programs for personal gain.”
“Mr. Lee was one of the ringleaders of a conspiracy that stole more money per month than some honest Americans make in a year” said Donald M. Voiret, Special Agent in Charge of the Seattle FBI Field Office. “By stealing from these benefits programs, he wasn’t only stealing from taxpayers, but taking funding from people who legitimately relied on these programs for their health and well-being.”
In addition to Lee, two other defendants await sentencing. Kevin Puls, 57, the former Executive Director of NWPL, is scheduled for sentencing September 6, 2022. Richard Reid, 53, was convicted following a six-day jury trial. He is scheduled for sentencing on October 11, 2022.
The case was investigated by the FBI, Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS).
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Brian Werner and Michael Dion.
Washington State man pleads guilty to hate crime in connection with arson at Capitol Hill barRead the Press Release
Seattle – Kalvinn Garcia, 25, of Sedro Woolley, Washington, pleaded guilty today to one count of committing a hate crime for the Feb. 24, 2020, arson at Queer/Bar, a nightclub and event space in Seattle, Washington. Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Nick Brown for the Western District of Washington and Special Agent in Charge Donald M. Voiret for the FBI Seattle Field Office made the announcement.
According to documents filed in connection with the plea, Garcia set fire to the contents of a dumpster in the alley directly behind Queer/Bar on February 24, 2020. Garcia was arrested only minutes after setting the fire. Garcia admitted to law enforcement that he set the fire and that he targeted Queer/Bar because it angered him to see a sign that said “queer.” He also told officers, “I think it’s wrong that we have a bunch of queers in our society.” A few weeks after the incident, Garcia told a stranger that his intent in setting the fire was to trap and hurt the people inside.
“The defendant targeted the patrons inside Queer/Bar, a known safe space for the LGBTQI+ community,” said Assistant Attorney General Clarke. “Hate crimes have no place in our society today and we stand ready to use our federal civil rights laws to hold perpetrators accountable. All people deserve to feel safe and secure living in their communities, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.”
“Mr. Garcia endangered countless people who he did not know, and who were simply trying to live their lives, solely because of his own hatred,” said U.S. Attorney Brown. “We must stand up to this hate at every opportunity, to demonstrate to our community that acting on hate will not be tolerated.”
“Mr. Garcia’s hateful act endangered and spread fear in the LGBTQ+ community and caused damage to this business establishment,” said Special Agent in Charge Voiret, of the FBI Seattle Field Office. “Fortunately, our partners at the Seattle Police Department were able to respond quickly to this arson. This case shows our commitment to investigating civil rights violations with our partners.”
Garcia faces a maximum sentence of ten years of imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing in front of U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour is scheduled for September 20, 2022.
The case was investigated by FBI and the Seattle Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Rebecca Cohen and Trial Attorney Angie Cha of the Civil Rights Division.
Methamphetamine smuggling attempt foiled at northern borderRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 51-year-old resident of Alberta, Canada was arrested on the water in the U.S. San Juan Islands yesterday in a small watercraft loaded with more than 1400 pounds of methamphetamine. Ted Karl Faupel, was taken into custody after U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) encountered the boat riding low in the water near Stuart Island.
According to the criminal complaint, officers with CBP’ Office of Field Operations encountered the 18’ Bayliner Capri speedboat as it was headed towards Canada. The boat had Canadian registration numbers. The Customs and Border Patrol vessel used lights and siren to get the watercraft to stop. The officers noted that the speedboat was riding very low in the water.
The boat’s driver, Faupel, agreed to pull back the cabin cover and the officers noted a number of duffle bags that were secured with small luggage padlocks. Acting on border search authority, officers made a small cut in one bag and observed shrink wrap packaging of what appeared to be crystal methamphetamine.
Faupel was taken into custody and the boat was taken to the Bellingham Coast Guard Station where a drug dog alerted to the presence of narcotics. In all, the boat contained 28 duffle-bags filled with 539 packages of methamphetamine. The total weight was nearly 1,432 pounds.
Faupel is charged with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. Due to the amount of drugs involved, Faupel faces a mandatory minimum ten years in prison. Additionally, Faupel possessed a 9mm firearm at the time of his arrest.
The charges contained in the criminal complaint are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations in coordination with U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lauren Watts Staniar.
faupel_complaint.pdfCalifornia resident charged in human smuggling schemeRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 48-year-old Elk Grove, California man was arrested May 24, 2022, in Lacey, Washington, and was charged by criminal complaint with running a human smuggling scheme over the northern border with Canada and into Washington State, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Rajinder Pal Singh, aka Jaspal Gill, has been detained since his arrest at the Federal Detention Center at SeaTac.
According to the criminal complaint in the case, Singh and his coconspirators used the ride share app Uber to transport people who had illegally crossed the border to the Seattle area. Those records detail how trips beginning near the border in the early hours of the morning, would be split between different rides. For example, one Uber trip would be from the border to Sea-Tac airport, and then minutes later the second Uber trip would be from a nearby airport hotel to an address in Lacey, Washington, owned by Singh’s spouse. The Lacey house served as a way station for those entering the U.S. illegally. In some instances, Singh arranged for rental cars to drive those who entered the U.S. illegally to destinations in the mid-west. More recently Singh purchased airline tickets so that his smuggling customers could be flown to other parts of the country.
The smuggling scheme has been underway since at least 2018. It slowed during the pandemic when Canada was not admitting non-citizens. However as pandemic restrictions were lifted, the smuggling scheme became active again. In all, the investigation estimates that between July 2018, and April 2022, the 17 Uber accounts tied to this smuggling ring ran up more than $75,000 in charges. The Uber accounts were loaded onto pre-paid telephones to further hide who was running the scheme.
According to the complaint, Singh charged as much as $11,500 per person for his part of the smuggling services. Surveillance video captured Singh purchasing large numbers of Uber gift cards in northern California. Some of the gift cards were later used in connection with Uber trips that originated near the Canadian border.
In addition to the arrest in Lacey, law enforcement searched Singh’s Elk Grove, California, home. They found about $30,000 in cash as well as counterfeit identity documents.
The charges contained in the complaint are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Conspiracy to transport and harbor illegal aliens for profit is punishable by up to ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The investigation is being led by Homeland Security Investigations.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joe Silvio.
gill_complaint.pdfDOJ and Vancouver Police Department resolve alleged violations of Americans with Disabilities ActRead the Press Release
Seattle – The Vancouver Police Department in Vancouver, Washington, and the U.S. Department of Justice today reached a settlement agreement to ensure equal access to services for all individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. The investigation and settlement resulted from the complaint of a Vancouver resident who is deaf and was denied auxiliary aids or services during her interview and arrest. The settlement agreement calls for substantial updates to the Department’s policies and procedures. The complainant will also be paid $30,000 by the Vancouver Police Department.
“Law enforcement encounters are some of the most high-stakes and personally significant moments a person can experience. It is critically important that individuals be able to effectively communicate in these moments – both to provide information to the police and to receive information about their rights,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. “This settlement will help ensure that every person who is deaf or hard of hearing has the ability to effectively communicate, and equal access to services in their encounters with the Vancouver Police Department.”
The investigation determined that Vancouver Police Department officers failed to take appropriate steps to ensure that communications with the Complainant were as effective as communications with others. The department failed to provide auxiliary aids and services that were necessary to ensure effective communication with the Complainant during the investigation of criminal allegations against her (including interrogation), communications regarding her Miranda rights, and her arrest. The Complainant alleged that VPD required her minor daughter to serve as an interpreter instead, in violation of her rights. Further, the Complainant alleges that VPD handcuffed her behind her back during transport to jail leaving her unable to communicate at all. The investigation substantiated these claims and further revealed that VPD further failed to provide a qualified interpreter to the alleged victim of the related incident, who is also deaf.
Under the terms of the settlement, within 60 days VPD will provide the U.S. Attorney’s Office with draft policy revisions to improve effective communication with persons who are deaf and hard of hearing. Such policy revisions will address effective communications with persons with disabilities. The settlement also calls for the police department to modify its restraint and handcuffing policy so that detainees who are deaf or hard of hearing can communicate using American Sign Language or in writing by having their hands in front of their bodies.
Under the terms of the settlement, the Vancouver Police Department will document all requests for communication assistive devices and how the Department met those requests.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office will monitor the Vancouver Police Department’s compliance with the settlement for the next two years. The Vancouver Police Department will report to the U.S. Attorney’s Office on training of staff, the logs regarding request and use of assistive services, and any complaints regarding compliance with the ADA. The reports are due every six months.
The matter was initially handled by Assistant United States Attorney Christina Fogg. Assistant United States Attorney Matt Waldrop is overseeing the compliance portion of this case. Learn more about our civil rights program here.
Former Seattle resident indicted for bank fraud for allegedly stealing more than $500,000 from Paycheck Protection ProgramRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 28-year-old New York City man was indicted this week in the Western District of Washington for three counts of bank fraud related to his abuse of the COVID-19 Pandemic Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Donte Jamal McClellon was a resident of Seattle when he submitted falsified documents to obtain $500,948 in loan proceeds from three different banks in May and June 2020. Under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act such funding was supposed to help small businesses weather the pandemic storm.
“Those who swooped in early with false and forged documents to claim loan funds, robbed legitimate businesses of the assistance they needed,” said U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. “Prosecuting pandemic fraud is a top priority of the Department of Justice and an ongoing focus for investigators here in Seattle.”
According to records filed in the case, McClellon used the names of three limited liability corporations he had once registered in the State of Washington to make his claims. Each of the entities, ‘Frostlake,’ ‘Cannonlake,’ and ‘Skylake’ LLC, had been inactive and showed no signs of business activity in any state or federal registries in the years leading up to the pandemic. Nevertheless, in May and June 2020, McClellen submitted Paycheck Protection program applications claiming the entities each had as many as 13 employees and, in one case, gross receipts of more than $1.6 million. McClellan allegedly forged multiple Internal Revenue Service forms to make it appear the three companies were operating real estate or retail businesses, with employees who would benefit from the Paycheck Protection Program loans. McClellan claimed the businesses operated out of his home address in Seattle. The investigation revealed there was no business activity at that address.
The loan funds were disbursed to bank accounts that McClellon had set up just days before he made the loan applications. The proceeds were then moved to a personal bank account controlled by McClellon.
McClellon is scheduled to appear for arraignment on the indictment on May 31, 2022. Bank fraud is punishable by up to 30 years in prison.
The charges contained in the indictment are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The case is being investigated by The FBI Seattle Field Division with assistance from FBI New York and the Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General (SBA-OIG).
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sok Tea Jiang.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
mcclellon_indictment.pdfWashington State man indicted for sex trafficking and production of child pornographyRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 32-year-old Washington State man was indicted this week for seven federal felonies concerning sex trafficking, production of child pornography, and illegal firearms possession, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Dominique Terrel Gonzales resided in both Seattle and Vancouver, Washington, during the period when he preyed on young women, forcing them into prostitution. Gonzales has been in federal custody since his arrest for illegal firearms possession in August 2020.
“Those who force vulnerable adults and minors into prostitution face significant sanctions under federal law,” said U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. “Our office is a leader nationally in prosecuting these human trafficking crimes. I commend the diligent work here in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho to hold Mr. Gonzales accountable for his conduct.”
The indictment follows a lengthy investigation by law enforcement in Idaho, Southwest Washington, and Seattle. Gonzales is charged with:
- Sex trafficking of a minor – punishable by a mandatory minimum ten years in prison and up to life in prison.
- Transportation of a juvenile to engage in prostitution – punishable by a mandatory minimum ten years in prison and up to life in prison.
- Production of child pornography – punishable by a mandatory minimum 15 years in prison and up to life in prison.
- Two counts of sex trafficking of an adult through force, fraud, and coercion – each punishable by a mandatory minimum 15 years in prison and up to life in prison.
- Transportation of an adult for the purpose of prostitution through coercion and enticement – punishable by up to ten years in prison.
- And unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition – punishable by up to five years in prison.
According to the indictment, in August 2020, Gonzales trafficked a juvenile female causing her to engage in commercial sex acts. Gonzales transported the girl across state lines to Portland, Oregon, for her to engage in commercial sex acts.
The investigation revealed that between 2016 and 2019, Gonzalez forced adult women to work for him as prostitutes – using force, fraud, and coercion to make them do his bidding. The indictment charges the sex trafficking of two adult women, one of whom was lured from her home in Idaho and then forced to engage in prostitution.
When law enforcement arrested Gonzales in August 2020, they reviewed his electronic devices and found images of sex acts with a minor victim created in December 2016 – that conduct is charged in the production of child pornography count.
Finally, at the time of his arrest, Gonzales illegally possessed a Desert Eagle 9mm semi-automatic pistol and ammunition. He has three felony convictions that preclude him from possessing firearms. Two counts of second-degree assault (domestic violence) from August 2014 in King County Superior Court and one count of unlawful imprisonment – domestic violence, from the same incident.
The charges contained in the indictment are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF), Olympia Police Department, Vancouver Police Department, Idaho State Police, Ada County (Idaho) Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Department of Agriculture-Office of Inspector General (USDA-OIG), and the Department of Homeland Security’s Center for Countering Human Trafficking.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kate Crisham, with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho. Ms. Crisham leads the Anti-Trafficking prosecutions in the Western District of Washington.
gonzales_indictment.pdfEnumclaw, Washington, couple convicted of multiple federal felonies for stealing tax dollars intended for flood controlRead the Press Release
Seattle – The former long-time Commissioner of an East King County drainage district and his wife were convicted today in U.S. District Court in Seattle of multiple federal felonies connected to their scheme to steal tax dollars intended for flood control, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. In all, Allan Thomas and Joann Thomas were convicted of conspiracy; four counts each of wire fraud and mail fraud, and one count of aggravated identity theft. Joann Thomas was convicted of an additional count of aggravated identity theft and four counts of money laundering. The jury deliberated for about four hours following the eight- day trial. U.S. District Judge Richard A. Jones scheduled sentencing for September 23, 2022.
“Allan and Joann Thomas didn’t just defraud taxpayers, they abused a position of public trust, and repeatedly invented new lies to cover up old ones,” said U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. “I am thankful the jury saw the truth, rejecting the defense attempt to paint the couple as victims of small-town political intrigue.”
According to records in the case and testimony at trial, Allan B. Thomas served as Commissioner for Drainage District 5 and 5A in King County for more than 35 years. As a commissioner, Thomas was involved in estimating the costs of drainage maintenance for the district so that the county auditor could set and assess the appropriate taxes. The Commissioners then authorized payment to service providers who were supposed to do maintenance work on the drainage system.
As early as 2012, Joann Thomas set up a joint bank account with Allan Thomas’ son from a previous marriage. The account was a business account for a company called A C Services. Over the next six years, Allan Thomas had $413,323 of local tax dollars paid to A C Services claiming it was for drainage ditch maintenance. However, Thomas’ son testified that other than two small jobs performed in 2012, he did not perform any drainage ditch work. At trial, a current drainage district commissioner testified that he saw no work done on the ditches during that time period, and that when he took on the commissioner job, it was clear the ditch network had had little maintenance for many years.
Financial records admitted at trial show that over those six years (2012-2017), shortly after the tax dollars were deposited into A C Services’ account, the money was quickly transferred to other accounts belonging to the Thomases or was used to pay their expenses for such things as hay, mortgage payments, or property taxes. More than $68,000 was withdrawn as cash.
Allan and Joann Thomas worked together on the scheme. Both were involved in submitting false documents by mail and wire (the mail fraud and wire fraud counts) and the funds that were fraudulently obtained were then moved through various bank accounts (money laundering). The couple forged the signatures of Allan Thomas’ son and a second drainage commissioner on various records and checks. The forgeries constitute Aggravated Identity Theft. Those counts carry a mandatory two-year sentence that must run consecutive to any sentence imposed on the other counts of conviction.
In 2018, after the couple became aware of an investigation into their conduct, they began funneling the tax dollars through another company: City Biz. The couple submitted warrants for City Biz to be paid for drainage maintenance work and within days of the funds arriving in City Biz bank accounts, nearly all the money was transferred directly to Allan Thomas or the Thomases’ dairy farm. The Thomases’ friend who agreed to help with the City Biz fraud, now also has a federal felony conviction for repeatedly lying to the FBI.
In all, the couple defrauded taxpayers of $468,165.
“Public funds are gathered from our communities for the benefit of all residents. Instead of stewarding these funds for the public’s interest, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas abused Mr. Thomas’ position as an elected official and betrayed the trust of their neighbors and friends by diverting these funds to line their own pockets,” said Special Agent in Charge Bret Kressin, IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS:CI), Seattle Field Office. “IRS:CI will continue to work with our partners in law enforcement and be vigilant in protecting the public from corrupt officials like Mr. Thomas, who think only of their own greed.”
“For years, Commissioner Thomas and his wife chose to betray the public’s trust both by failing to maintain the property under their care and by stealing from the hardworking taxpayers of King County for personal gain. Today’s verdict reinforces that public servants will be held accountable for their actions and to a high ethical standard,” said Donald M. Voiret, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle Field Office.
The IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS:CI) and the FBI led the investigation with assistance from the Enumclaw Police Department. The Enumclaw City Attorney initiated the review of the district finances. The Washington State Auditor’s Office also conducted an audit of the district in 2019. The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, in consultation with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, determined the case was appropriate for federal prosecution.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Justin Arnold and Andrew Friedman.
Burien, Washington, seafood broker sentenced for illegally shipping potentially tainted clamsRead the Press Release
Seattle – A Burien, Washington, seafood broker was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 90 days in prison, and three years of supervised release, for smuggling goods from the United States, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Jeffrey Hallin Olsen, 52, owner of Absolute Seafoods LLC, falsified documents and lied to authorities about disposing of 46 cases of potentially tainted geoduck from Alaska. U.S District Judge John C. Coughenour sentenced Olsen’s company, Absolute Seafoods LLC, to probation and was ordered to pay a $25,000 fine.
“Mr. Olson chose to gamble with the lives of customers across the globe – putting them at risk of shellfish poisoning,” said U.S. Attorney Brown. “We’ll likely never know if any of the Chinese customers became ill from these clams, but a prison sentence is justified by the danger of his conduct and his repeated lies to authorities, claiming he had destroyed the potentially harmful geoduck.”
According to records filed in the case, on February 20 or 21, 2019, Olsen purchased 2,500 pounds of geoduck from various Alaska divers. The geoduck were mixed together in crates for shipping, and were picked up at Sea-Tac Airport, to be trucked to Vancouver B.C and shipped to Hong Kong. Olsen produced a U.S. Department of Commerce Export Health Certificate stating that the geoduck met health requirements.
One day after the purchase, but before the geoduck were exported, one of the divers notified Alaska state officials that he had mistakenly harvested his geoduck from an area that had not been approved for harvest. The area had not been tested for the toxins that cause paralytic shellfish poisoning, which has been a recurring problem in Alaskan waters. An Alaska Wildlife Trooper notified Olsen that he needed to destroy the shipment as it was unsafe to consume. Olsen told the trooper he would destroy the geoduck.
Instead of destroying the geoduck, Olsen illegally shipped most of the geoduck to Hong Kong for human consumption. Olsen shipped an additional 10 cases of potentially tainted geoduck to a buyer in Oakland, California. Olsen prepared false shipping paperwork that falsely identified the contents of the crates as “fresh Yelloweye.”
Olsen falsely told Alaskan officials that he had destroyed the geoduck and provided them with a bill from the King County garbage transfer station as proof the geoduck had been destroyed. However, investigators reviewed surveillance video from the transfer station showing that at the time of the receipt, Olsen only disposed of a small amount of household waste. Investigators also retrieved video showing Olsen personally delivering the crates for shipment to Oakland.
The case was investigated by NOAA Fisheries Enforcement, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Police and the Alaska Department of Public Safety, with assistance from the California Department of Fish and Game, and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans – Canada.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Seth Wilkinson.
NOAA photo Potentially tainted geoduck NOAA photoTwo New Yorkers plead guilty in scheme to bribe Amazon employees for inside information and platform manipulationRead the Press Release
Seattle – Two significant players in a scheme to bribe Amazon employees and contractors pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to various federal charges, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Joseph Nilsen, 32, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit violations of the Travel Act and filing a false tax return. Kristen Leccese, 33, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit violations of the Travel Act. Both are New York residents. Sentencings are scheduled for September 9, 2022, before the Honorable Richard A. Jones.
In all, three of six defendants have now pleaded guilty in a multimillion-dollar scheme to manipulate the Amazon Marketplace.
According to the plea agreements filed in the case, Nilsen, Leccese and their associates conspired to pay bribes to get Amazon employees and contractors to misuse their access to Amazon networks and confidential information. They sought to obtain various unfair competitive advantages for certain merchants on the Amazon Marketplace by, among other things, interfering with Amazon’s ability to monitor the safety and authenticity of goods sold and impairing the accuracy of information posted on the Marketplace. In the two plea agreements, Nilsen and Leccese admit they conspired to pay bribes: to obtain confidential Amazon business information; to get suspended third-party sellers and product listings reinstated on the Marketplace; to circumvent Amazon restrictions and limitations on certain products; to gain access to restricted product categories by misrepresenting the source of goods; to manipulate customer reviews; and to surveil and attack other merchants and product listings.
Nilsen also pleaded guilty to filing a false tax return. In 2018 and 2019 he failed to file tax returns on behalf of his Amazon consulting company, and in 2017 he filed a false tax return significantly underreporting his and his company’s actual taxable revenue. For tax year 2017, he admits the tax loss to the U.S. is $44,178.
Conspiracy to commit violations of the Travel Act is punishable by up to five years in prison. Conspiracy to commit Wire Fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Filing a false tax return is punishable by up to three years in prison.
On February 11, 2022, defendant Rohit Kadimisetty was sentenced to ten months in prison and ordered to pay a $50,000 fine.
Two defendants, Ephraim Rosenberg, of Brooklyn, New York, and Hadis Nuhanovic, of Acworth, Georgia, remain scheduled for trial in October 2022. Defendant Nishad Kunju, of Hyderabad, India, has not been arraigned on the indictment.
The case is being investigated by the FBI, with assistance from the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations (IRS-CI), and the Department of Justice Office of International Affairs.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Steven Masada and Nicholas Manheim.
Renton, Washington, resident sentenced to 16+ years in prison for murder in Olympic National ForestRead the Press Release
Tacoma – A 25-year-old Renton, Washington, man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to 200 months in prison for second degree murder for the brutal beating death of a 21-year-old woman, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. The victim, a resident of California, had traveled to the Seattle area to meet up with Alejandro J. Aguilera Rojas. The two traveled to the Sequim, Washington, area on February 10, 2020. The murder occurred in the Olympic National Forest.
In his sentencing remarks U.S. District Judge Benjamin H. Settle described the brutal nature of the crime and the wide-reaching devastation felt by the victim’s family. Speaking to Aguilera Rojas, Judge Settle noted: “if you take a life in the manner you took here, there will be significant consequences.”
“This cruel and coldhearted attack robbed a family of a young and vibrant daughter, sister and niece,” said U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. “Law enforcement, prosecutors, and our specially-trained crime victim advocates have worked diligently to get justice for the family of this young woman.”
According to records in the case, Aguilera Rojas was having a relationship with the victim–a relationship hidden from his wife and family. The victim had traveled to the Seattle area to visit Aguilera Rojas. The victim’s friends and family members reached out to Aguilera Rojas, who gave them conflicting information about the victim’s whereabouts. A friend of the victim reported her missing to law enforcement when she did not contact them after February 10, 2020. The victim’s body was found off a logging road in Olympic National Forest on February 14, 2020. There were signs she had been beaten and stabbed. A broken and bloody tequila bottle and knives were located near where the victim’s body was discovered. There was no identification on the body.
Law enforcement reviewed surveillance video at a Sequim convenience store and determined a woman and a man, later identified as Aguilera Rojas, had visited the store. Law enforcement was able to determine that Aguilera Rojas’ cell phone and the victim’s phone had been in the area of the murder on February 10 and 11 and that both phones had then travelled back to the area of Aguilera Rojas’ residence, after the victim had been killed and left in the Olympic National Forest.
The autopsy of the victim by the King County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled the manner of death as a homicide and the cause of death by multiple blunt and sharp force injuries.
Aguilera Rojas was interviewed by law enforcement on February 19, 2020. He made a number of different statements about his relationship with the victim and what had happened. Aguilera Rojas was booked into Clallam County Corrections where he remained until being taken into federal custody. Because the murder occurred on federal land in the Olympic National Forest, the case was prosecuted in federal court.
Aguilera Rojas pleaded guilty to second degree murder in December 2021.
The case was investigated by the FBI and the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office, with significant assistance from the Washington State Patrol.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Rebecca S. Cohen and Ye-Ting Woo.
U.S. Attorney Nicholas Brown recognizes sacrifices of law enforcement and their loved ones during Police WeekRead the Press Release
Seattle – In honor of National Police Week, United States Attorney Nick Brown is recognizing the service and sacrifice of federal, state, local, and Tribal law enforcement. This year, the week is observed Wednesday, May 11 through Tuesday, May 17, 2022.
“This week, we gather to pay tribute to the law enforcement officers who sacrificed their lives in service to our country,” said Attorney General Garland. “We remember the courage with which they worked and lived. And we recommit ourselves to the mission to which they dedicated their lives. On behalf of a grateful Justice Department and a grateful nation, I extend my sincerest thanks and gratitude to the entire law enforcement community.”
“On Friday the names of seven Washington State law enforcement officers who died in 2019, 2020, and 2021, will be added to the Memorial wall in Washington DC – among them is Seattle Police Officer Alexandra Brenneman Harris – a young officer devoted to improving police and community relations. She was struck and killed on I-5 while checking that others were uninjured,” said U.S. Attorney Brown. “To honor these officers who made the ultimate sacrifice, we must join with our communities and work tirelessly for a safe and just future.”
In 1962, President Kennedy issued the first proclamation for Peace Officers Memorial Day and National Police Week to remember and honor law enforcement officers for their service and sacrifices. Peace Officers Memorial Day, which every year falls on May 15, specifically honors law enforcement officers killed or disabled in the line of duty. Based on data submitted to and analyzed by the National Law Enforcement Officer Memorial Fund (NLEOMF), 472 law enforcement officers died nationwide in the line of duty in 2021. Of that number, 319 succumbed to COVID-19.
The seven officers who died in the line of duty between 2019 and 2021 in Washington State and will have their names added this week to the memorial wall in Washington DC are:
- Jeremy Robert Brown, Clark County Sheriff’s Office
- Reginald Bernard Harris, King County Sheriff’s Office
- Alexandra Brenneman Harris, Seattle Police Department
- Jon David Anderson, Spokane Police Department
- Gabriel Kyle Forrest, Washington State Corrections
- David Alan Christensen, Washington State Corrections
- Eric Thomas Gunderson, Washington State Patrol
Additionally, according to 2021 statistics reported by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) through the Law Enforcement Officer Killed and Assaulted (LEOKA) Program, 73 law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty in 2021 were killed as a result of felonious acts, whereas 56 died in accidents. Deaths resulting from felonious acts increased in 2021, rising more than 58 percent from the previous year. In 2021, unprovoked attacks were the cause of 24 deaths significantly outpacing all other line of duty deaths resulting from felony acts and reaching the highest annual total in over 30 years of reporting. Additional LEOKA statistics can be found on FBI’s Crime Data Explorer website for the LEOKA program.
The names of the 619 fallen officers added this year to the wall at the National Law Enforcement Officer Memorial will be read on Friday, May 13, 2022, during a Candlelight Vigil in Washington, D.C., starting at 8:00 PM EDT. Those who wish to view the vigil live online, can watch on the NLEOMF YouTube channel found at https://www.youtube.com/TheNLEOMF.
Repeat offender sentenced to six years in prison for dealing drugs, while armed with a pistol, in Seattle’s International DistrictRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 53-year-old Seattle man who has a history of drug dealing in Seattle’s Pioneer Square neighborhood, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to six years in prison, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Marvin Traylor was arrested in February 2021, for dealing drugs while armed with a gun. Traylor was on supervised release at the time for prior drug dealing convictions.
U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour imposed a 5-year sentence for use of a firearm in connection with a drug trafficking crime, and an additional year in prison for violating the conditions of his supervised release.
According to records filed in the case, Traylor was released from prison and began his term of supervised release in February 2019. The U.S. Probation Office worked diligently to assist Traylor with reentry to the community. Despite that hard work, Traylor committed new offenses: domestic violence assault, and later was arrested for dealing drugs again in Pioneer Square. During the new term of supervised release, Traylor was assisted by the Veteran’s Administration and King County’s Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program. However, his drug dealing continued.
In February 2021, undercover Seattle Police Officers observed Traylor making drug sales in the 12th and Jackson area of the International District. When an elderly Asian man came to the street corner to panhandle, Traylor punched the elderly man and held something in his pocket to the man’s head. He struck the man again with what was in his pocket and kicked the man. Bystanders separated the two. A short time later officers arrested Traylor and found a loaded handgun in the same pocket that Traylor had used to threaten and then strike the man. The gun had been reported stolen. Traylor had small bags of crack cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine on him at the time of the arrest.
In asking for the significant sentence, Assistant United States Attorney Vince Lombardi noted that Traylor’s lawbreaking had been “escalating” – not diminishing as it should with the involvement of Federal Probation.
The case was investigated by the Seattle Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration(DEA), and U.S. Probation.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Vince Lombardi.
High-ranking member of violent drug trafficking ring sentenced to nine years in prisonRead the Press Release
Seattle – A significant drug distributor for the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to nine years in prison, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Adrian Izazaga-Martinez, 32, of Kent, Washington, was ordering 8-pound loads of methamphetamine. At the sentencing hearing U.S. District Judge John C. Cougheour said, “the size of the drug trafficking organization, the quantity of drugs, and the violence involved,” justify the long prison term.
“Mr. Izazaga-Martinez was a high-level drug redistributor for a trafficking organization that was bringing upwards of 20-pound shipments of meth and heroin into our area,” said U.S. Attorney Brown. “And along with the drugs they brought the violence – the violence we see from cartels in Mexico was brought to the drug trade in our district.”
According to records filed in the case, between September 2019 and December 2020, a multi-agency law enforcement team began investigating drug trafficking tied to the CJNG cartel. During the investigation, agents conducted thousands of hours of physical and electronic surveillance, secured tracking warrants for more than 100 telephones and/or vehicles, obtained authorization to intercept more than 25 target telephones and executed search warrants at DTO members’ residences. The investigation revealed the trafficking organization was bringing in large amounts of meth and heroin as well as fentanyl-laced pills and cocaine. The distribution ring operated in King, Snohomish, Lewis, and Pierce Counties. The investigation also revealed members of the ring were plotting assaults, kidnappings and intimidation using firearms – law enforcement had to intervene multiple times in an effort to prevent violence.
Izazaga-Martinez was heard on the telephone wiretaps discussing guns and threats. When he was arrested in Kent, Washington, on July 28, 2020, he had nearly $2,500 in cash. Investigators found ammunition in the car he had been riding in.
On February 8, 2022, Izazaga-Martinez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.
In recommending an 11-year sentence, prosecutors noted that Izazaga-Martinez was repeatedly heard on the wiretap discussing guns and threats of violence. They also noted the huge amount of narcotics linked to the drug trafficking organization. “The risks of synthetic opioids, like methamphetamine, are well documented – according to the University of Washington Addictions, Drug & Alcohol Institute, state drug poisonings went up by approximately 30% in 2020, with methamphetamine and other synthetic opioids (mostly fentanyl) comprising ‘a growing share of drug-caused deaths,’” prosecutors wrote in their sentencing memo.
The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Tacoma Resident Office in partnership with Tahoma Narcotics Enforcement Team (TNET), Kent Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), SeaTac Police Department, Thurston County Narcotics Team (TNT), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Amy Jaquette and C. Andrew Colasurdo.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Vancouver, Washington, resident charged with multiple counts of illegal firearms possession – some firearms are ‘ghost guns’Read the Press Release
Tacoma – A Brazilian National with multiple convictions for domestic violence assault, was arrested Friday on eight counts for illegal possession of firearms, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Joao Ricardo DeBorba, 46, of Vancouver, Washington, remains detained at the Federal Detention Center in SeaTac pending further court proceedings.
According to the criminal complaint, DeBorba entered the United States on a tourist visa in 1999. DeBorba overstayed the visa and allegedly falsified documents to work in the U.S. and to acquire firearms. In April 2019, while purchasing firearms in Portland and Lebanon, Oregon, and Lacey, Washington, DeBorba entered false information on government forms stating he was a U.S. citizen. Shortly after the first three gun purchases, DeBorba was arrested for drunken driving and was found to have a Glock pistol.
Despite that arrest, DeBorba continued to purchase firearms: a rifle in Gresham, Oregon, and a revolver in Vancouver, Washington, again providing false information about his citizenship on required forms.
In November 2019, DeBorba was arrested for domestic violence assault. DeBorba was served with a “No Contact” order and was instructed to surrender all of his firearms. On November 16, 2019, DeBorba was arrested for violating the no contact order and 20 firearms were seized from his residence.
In January 2022, DeBorba was convicted in a second case of domestic violence assault. He was again informed that he could not possess firearms.
Last week, law enforcement served a search warrant at DeBorba’s residence and seized 5 firearms: 3 AR-15 style rifles with no serial numbers or manufacturers marks and two handguns – one without any serial number or manufacturers mark. The firearms, so-called “ghost guns,” appear to have been manufactured from parts ordered online.
In addition to the guns, DeBorba had a large amount of ammunition, a workbench with firearms parts and tools, firearms silencers, magazines, and various gun cases.
The charges contained in the complaint are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Illegal firearms possession is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The case is being investigated by the FBI, with assistance from the Vancouver Police Department, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms & Explosives (ATF), and the Social Security Office of Inspector General (SSA-OIG).
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Max Shiner.
deborba_complaint.pdf FBI photo Guns seized