Western District of Wisconsin

Joshua Van Haften, 34, of Madison, Wisconsin, pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support and resources, namely himself as personnel, to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a designated foreign terrorist organization.

The announcement was made by Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security Mary B. McCord and U.S. Attorney John W. Vaudreuil for the Western District of Wisconsin.

Van Haften admitted that in 2014, he attempted to provide material support to ISIL, knowing that the organization was a designated terrorist organization that has engaged and engages in terrorism.

According to the government’s evidence, Van Haften traveled to Turkey in 2014 and attempted to cross into Syria. He posted online that he had taken an oath of allegiance to the leader of ISIL, and that “The only thing that matters to me is joining my brothers for the war against America [sic] liars.”

Van Haften was arrested at O’Hare Airport in Chicago, Illinois in April 2015, after his arrival in custody on an international flight from Turkey. He has been held in federal custody since his arrest.

U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson scheduled sentencing for February 17, 2017 at 1:00pm CDT. Van Haften faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison.

The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The charge against Van Haften is the result of an investigation by the Joint Terrorism Task Force, the members of which include the FBI; Wisconsin Department of Justice, Division of Criminal Investigation; Dane County Sheriff’s Office; and University of Wisconsin Police Department. Assistance was also provided by DHS.

The case is being prosecuted by First Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Anderson for the Western District of Wisconsin and Trial Attorney Lolita Lukose of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.

Defendant Sold Heroin and Used Violence, Threats and Coercion to Compel Three Young Heroin-Addicted Women to Prostitute for His Profit in Wisconsin and Minnesota

Monta Groce, 30, of Sparta, Wisconsin, was convicted by a federal jury of three counts of sex trafficking by force, threats of force or coercion; one count of conspiracy to engage in interstate transportation for prostitution; one count of interstate transportation for prostitution; one count of maintaining a property for drug trafficking; one count of using a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking and one count of witness retaliation.  The verdict was announced by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division; U.S. Attorney John W. Vaudreuil of the Western District of Wisconsin and FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert J. Shields of the FBI’s Milwaukee Division.

After deliberating for 10 hours, the jury found the defendant guilty on all counts, with the exception of one count of attempted sex trafficking.  Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 19, 2016.  The defendant faces a minimum sentence of 20 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison.

“Groce supported the heroin epidemic impacting our country and exploited vulnerable young women by forcing them to engage in prostitution,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Gupta.  “I commend the trial team, investigators and victim advocates for their incredible work in this case.  The Civil Rights Division will continue our vigorous efforts to work with our federal and state partners to hold human traffickers accountable and vindicate the rights of victims.”

“These cases are about horrible violence against women – Groce violently forced vulnerable victims into commercial sex,” said U.S. Attorney Vaudreuil.  “The Department of Justice will not tolerate the exploitation of sex-trafficked women and children and we will continue to bring traffickers to justice on their behalf.  These crimes, which took place in a small city, demonstrate that sex trafficking is not just a big city issue; it is happening in rural America too.”

“Human traffickers like Monta Groce, who prey on vulnerable women and children, will be aggressively investigated by the FBI from major cities to rural communities such as Sparta, Wisconsin, so the victims may be rescued and the perpetrators brought to justice,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Shields.

Evidence presented during the four-day trial, including the testimony of the three victims identified in the indictment as Jane Does 1 through 3, revealed that the defendant sold heroin in Sparta between December 2012 and April 2013.  During that time, he enticed the victims to begin prostituting for his profit by providing them with heroin and pretending to be in love with them.  As their dependency on him increased, he turned to violence and threatened to cut off their heroin supply if they disobeyed him, withheld money earned from prostitution or otherwise refused to prostitute.  Groce further kept some of the victims in perpetual debt by fronting them heroin and charging fines as punishment.  He advertised the victims on Backpage.com and paid other addicts to drive them from Wisconsin to Minnesota to prostitute.  On one occasion, he gave heroin to a male heroin-addict to sell and then accused the man of stealing some of the heroin when he returned after the sale fell through.  Groce beat the man in front of two of the victims, pointed a gun at him and threatened to kill him unless he paid Groce for the purportedly missing drugs.  

According to her testimony, Jane Doe 1 began using heroin when she was 15 and met the defendant when she was 19, around January 2013.  She testified that Groce was initially kind to her, called her beautiful and offered her a place to stay when she had nowhere else to go.  He started selling her heroin, and shortly after, he manipulated her emotions to convince her to start prostituting for him.  Groce required her to prostitute before giving her heroin, and if she disobeyed him, he punished her by cutting her off, causing her to suffer intense and painful withdrawal symptoms.  On one occasion, he burned her face with a cigarette because she withheld money from him.  She escaped with the help of Jane Doe 2.  Later on in April 2014, the defendant beat, punched and kicked her while calling her a snake and a snitch because she had previously cooperated with law enforcement.  After the beating, she was covered in blood and bruises.

Jane Doe 2 testified that she met the defendant when she was 21, around December 2012, after her mother died from a drug overdose.  Her mother’s death caused her to start using heroin and the defendant became her dealer.  She helped Jane Doe 1 escape from the defendant and then was forced herself to prostitute because, as the defendant put it, she caused him to lose money.  On one occasion, when Jane Doe 2 refused to answer a prostitution call, Groce told her that she had to do the call to get her heroin.  When she told him that he was not giving her a choice, he pointed to his gun and responded that she always has a choice.  On another occasion, the defendant beat Jane Doe 2, throwing her into a bathtub because she had sex with a prostitution customer in his bed, rather than the designated bed for prostitution, which was occupied by another victim and customer.

Jane Doe 3 testified that on one occasion she misplaced a debit card containing money belonging to Groce.  In response, Groce ordered her to do a prostitution call to pay him back.  Jane Doe 3 had to work that evening at her regular job and told Groce that she did not want to do the call.  Groce insisted and told her that if she refused then he would cut off her entire supply of heroin.  Jane Doe 3 testified concerning the debilitating symptoms of heroin withdrawal and stated that she did the call for Groce because she feared suffering those symptoms.

The case was investigated by FBI’s Milwaukee Division with assistance from the Sparta Police Department and Monroe County, Wisconsin, Joint Investigative Task Force.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie S. Pfluger of the Western District of Wisconsin and Trial Attorney Shan Patel of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit.

The Justice Department filed a proposed settlement of a lawsuit alleging that a Waunakee, Wisconsin, landlord and apartment complex owner violated the Fair Housing Act by discriminating against two residents of Applewood Apartments based on disability.

“Persons with disabilities, like all Americans, have the right to live in housing free of discrimination and harassment from both landlords and tenants,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.  “The Civil Rights Division remains committed to enforcing the Fair Housing Act and ensuring that all individuals are able to enjoy the rights it guarantees.”

“The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination on many bases, including disability,” said U.S. Attorney John W. Vaudreuil of the Western District of Wisconsin.  “Persons living with disabilities have an equal right to protection under the Act and we will enforce the Act when such offensive conduct interferes with their rights to use and enjoyment of their home.”

“No family should have to endure degrading insults and comments in the place they call home,” said Gustavo Velasquez, HUD’s Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity.  “Today’s settlement reflects HUD and the Justice Department’s ongoing commitment to taking appropriate action against individuals who violate the housing rights of persons with disabilities.”

The lawsuit, filed today along with a proposed settlement in the U.S. District Court of the Western District of Wisconsin, alleges that defendants Applewood of Cross Plains LLC (ACP) and William Ranguette discriminated against two residents of Applewood Apartments, a mother and daughter living together, and denied them rights by refusing to renew the residents’ lease because of their disabilities; demanding that they develop a “plan” to deal with the daughter’s purported disability-related behavior (she is a person with Down Syndrome); and pressuring them to move.

Furthermore, the United States alleges that all defendants, which include the residential apartment manager of the building, discriminated against the two residents by failing to take prompt action to correct and end disability-related harassment by other tenants.  From the moment the residents moved into the building, other tenants made such statements as calling the daughter “mentally retarded,” and stating “You don’t belong here. . . you belong in an institution.”  Complaints to the landlord and building manager, including that other tenants continued with offensive comments, followed them around the building, and interfered with their use of the premises, went unaddressed.

Under the terms of the settlement, which is subject to approval by the U.S. District Court, defendants will pay the complainants $40,000 in damages.  Although denying the allegations, defendants ACP and Ranguette have also agreed to maintain non-discrimination housing policies, advertise that they are equal opportunity housing providers and attend fair housing training.

Fighting housing discrimination is a top priority of the Justice Department.  The federal Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing on the basis of race, color, religion, sex familial status, national origin and disability.  More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at www.justice.gov/crt.  Individuals who believe that they have been victims of housing discrimination can call the Housing Discrimination Tip Line at 1-800-896-7743, e-mail the Justice Department at [email protected] or contact the Department of Housing and Urban Development at 1-800-669-9777.

This case was handled by the Civil Rights Division’s Housing and Civil Enforcement Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Leslie Herje of the Western District of Wisconsin.

Applewood Complaint

Applewood Consent Decree

Applewood Joint Motion to Enter Consent Decree

The Justice Department announced today that the owners and operators of Twin Oaks Mobile Home Park in Whitewater, Wisconsin, have agreed to pay $100,000 to settle a Justice Department lawsuit alleging that they unlawfully excluded families with children from significant portions of their 230-lot mobile home park.  The settlement must still be approved by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin.

“Families with children should be free to choose housing that meets their needs and their budget,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta, head of the Civil Rights Division.  “They should not face discrimination when they are looking for a home for their families.”  

“The U.S. Department of Justice is committed to fighting illegal discrimination and ensuring the fair housing rights of families wherever they are challenged,” said U.S. Attorney John W. Vaudreuil of the Western District of Wisconsin. 

The lawsuit, filed in October 2014, arose as a result of a complaint filed with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) by a single mother and a former resident who had tried to complete the sale of a mobile home in the park.  The defendants refused to approve the application for residency of the single mother who planned to purchase the mobile home and live there with her then-two-year-old child because the home was located in an area of the park where they did not allow children.  After conducting an investigation, HUD found that the defendants had violated the Fair Housing Act and referred the matter to the Department of Justice.  The defendants in the case include Twin Oaks Mobile Home Park Inc.; Merrill Eugene Gutzmer, the owner of the park; and Dennis Hansen, the resident manager.   After the lawsuit was filed, the defendants approved the residency of the single mother who had filed the HUD complaint and she was able to purchase the mobile home.  

“Unless a mobile home park meets the very specific requirements to be designated housing for older persons, the owner cannot refuse to sell or rent a home to a family because they have a child,” said Gustavo Velasquez, HUD’s Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity.  “Today’s settlement reaffirms HUD’s determination to work with the Justice Department to ensure that occupancy standards established by housing providers do not violate the Fair Housing Act.”

Under the terms of the proposed settlement, the defendants will pay $45,000 in damages and rent credits to the two persons who filed HUD complaints, $45,000 to other persons who are identified later through a claims process established in the decree and $10,000 in a civil penalty.  The settlement also requires the defendants to change their policies to allow families with children throughout the park.  Anyone who believes that they have been discriminated against by Twin Oaks because they have children should call the Justice Department at 1-800-896-7743, mailbox number 9997 or email the department at [email protected].

The federal Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, familial status and disability.  Among other things, the Fair Housing Act makes it illegal to refuse to rent housing and to discriminate in the terms or conditions of housing rentals because of familial status, except in specified categories of housing that are reserved for older persons.  More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at www.justice.gov/crt.  Individuals who believe that they may have been victims of housing discrimination can call the Justice Department at 1-800-896-7743, email the Justice Department at [email protected], or contact HUD at 1-800-669-9777 or through www.hud.gov.

Twin Oaks Consent Decree

Twin Oaks Joint Motion for Entry of Consent Decree