Southern District of West Virginia

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Monroe Avant, 33, of Inkster, Michigan, was sentenced today to three years and six months in prison, to be followed by three years years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on September 13, 2021, law enforcement officers responded to a shooting on the 1600 block of 11th Avenue in Huntington. Officers encountered a vehicle with two men passed out in the driver and front passenger seats. Officers saw that the passenger had a semi-automatic pistol in his waistband. Avant admitted that he was the passenger and possessed a Taurus Model 709 9mm handgun.

Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Avant is prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his felony conviction for first-degree robbery in Cabell County Circuit Court on May 6, 2014.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Huntington Police Department.

United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie S. Taylor prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:21-cr-245.

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HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Craig Alexander Halstead, 36, of Huntington, pleaded guilty today to receipt of child pornography.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Halstead admitted to receiving 87,993 digital media files of child pornography via peer-to-peer file sharing programs from about August 2, 2019, until about August 18, 2022. Halstead further admitted that one of the digital media files was a video of an adult male sexually assaulting a prepubescent female.

On May 20, 2021, Halstead possessed 3,970 images and 443 videos on his laptop and external hard drive depicting minor children subjected to sexually explicit conduct. Halstead admitted that many of the images and videos depict prepubescent minors and that several of the images and videos depict known child victims.

On or about August 30, 2022, Halstead possessed 3,188 images and videos of child pornography in Huntington. Over 400 of those images and videos depict known child victims. Halstead admitted that the images included infants subjected to sadistic or masochistic conduct. Halstead further admitted to accessing and receiving digital media files of child pornography using peer-to-peer programs on November 29, 2022.

Halstead is scheduled to be sentenced on August 21, 2023, and faces a mandatory minimum of  five years and up to 20 years in prison, five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Huntington Police Department.

United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Julie M. White is prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and 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.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:22-cr-231.

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HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Desmond Devon Magee, also known as “Rich,” 27, of Detroit, was sentenced today to four years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for distribution of a quantity of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on October 18, 2022, Magee sold approximately 29 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant inside an Eighth Street business in Huntington.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Cabell County Sheriff’s Department.

United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Joseph F. Adams prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:22-cr-210.

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A St. Charles, Missouri husband and wife were each sentenced to five years of federal probation today after unlawfully obtaining $26,917 in unemployment benefits provided for by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program.

The CARES Act provided for a temporary emergency increase in unemployment compensation benefits, referred to as the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation Program (FPUC). The CARES Act also created the PUA program, which provided unemployment benefits to individuals not eligible for regular unemployment compensation or extended unemployment benefits. The FPUC and PUA programs are collectively referred to as pandemic unemployment benefits and even though these benefits are administered by the states, they are funded in part by the federal government.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Robert Notgrass, 51, and Rhonda Notgrass, 46, lived in Washington, West Virginia, when Robert Notgrass was employed as a pastor of a local church from before January 1, 2018, until he was released from that position on June 1, 2020.

On August 15, 2020, Rhonda Notgrass applied for pandemic unemployment benefits with WorkForce West Virginia, the agency that administers the pandemic unemployment benefits for West Virginians. Rhonda Notgrass falsely claimed that she was unemployed as a direct result of a pandemic or major disaster. Robert Notgrass helped his wife complete the application and submitted a letter on her behalf in furtherance of the false claim.

On September 16, 2020, Rhonda Notgrass received approximately $14,150 in pandemic unemployment benefits payment from WorkForce West Virginia. The payment included federal monies from the CARES Act. Rhonda Notgrass admitted that she knew she was not entitled to receive the pandemic unemployment benefits. Rhonda Notgrass pleaded guilty to theft of government property.

Robert Notgrass admitted to wrongly receiving $12,767 in pandemic unemployment benefits. Robert Notgrass pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the theft of government property.

The couple has fully paid the $26,917 in court-ordered restitution.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the U.S. Department of Labor - Office of Inspector General (OIG) and WorkForce West Virginia.

United States District Judge Irene C. Berger imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorneys Erik S. Goes and Kathleen Robeson prosecuted the case.

On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, 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.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case Nos. 2:23-cr-16 and 2:23-cr-17.

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. Kelvin Bradley, 48, of Michigan, pleaded guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on December 19, 2020, a law enforcement officer conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle on Washington Street in Charleston. Bradley was a passenger in that vehicle, and admitted that he possessed a Colt, .38 Special revolver that was found in the vehicle.

Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Bradley knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony conviction for aggravated stalking in the Third Judicial Circuit, Wayne County, Michigan, on September 3, 2002.

Bradley is scheduled to be sentenced on September 14, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Charleston Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

United States District Judge Irene C. Berger presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorneys Nowles Heinrich and Negar Kordestani are prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:22-cr-98. 

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Calvin Butler, 25, of Dunbar, was sentenced today to five years of federal probation, including six months on home detention, and ordered to pay $18,540 in restitution for a scheme to defraud the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) COVID-19 relief loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act).

The CARES Act, enacted in March 2020, offered emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering from the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This assistance included forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses through the Paycheck Protection Program. Businesses applying for PPP loans had to certify that the business was in operation on February 15, 2020, and were required to provide documentation showing their prior gross income from either 2019 or 2020.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Butler provided his personal information to an individual he met on the Instagram social media platform who offered to apply for a PPP loan on Butler’s behalf in exchange for $2,000 of the loan proceeds. On April 25, 2021, this individual electronically submitted an application falsely stating that Butler operated a barbershop and that it had received $77,000 in gross income in 2020. Butler admitted that he knew he was not eligible to receive a PPP loan.

The fraudulent PPP loan application was approved and $16,040 was electronically deposited from a financial institution in Tennessee to Butler’s account at a bank in South Charleston, West Virginia, on June 7, 2021. Butler admitted that he knew the deposit was the result of the fraudulent PPP loan application. Butler further admitted that he withdrew the fraudulently obtained money in $5,000 increments to benefit himself personally and not for any legitimate business expenses.

Butler pleaded guilty to wire fraud. United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the West Virginia State Police-Bureau of Criminal Investigations (BCI), the West Virginia State Auditor’s Public Integrity and Fraud Unit, and the Litigation Financial Analyst with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Ryan Blackwell prosecuted the case.

On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, 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.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:22-cr-161.

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. – United States Attorney Will Thompson honored more than 60 federal, state and local law enforcement professionals today for their outstanding contributions to investigations and cases in the Southern District of West Virginia.

The 2023 Law Enforcement Awards, presented during a ceremony at the Robert C. Byrd U.S. Courthouse in Charleston, recognize both invaluable assistance within specific categories of cases and office initiatives as well as overall exemplary service over the past year.

“These are the men and women who keep our communities safe. They represent the ideals of law enforcement,” Thompson said. “Through these awards, we particularly seek to honor collaborative efforts, in the way of joint investigations or partnerships formed to spearhead criminal justice initiatives.”

The annual awards ceremony is held in conjunction with National Police Week, which pays special recognition to those law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty for the safety and protection of others. The names engraved on the National Law Enforcement Officer Memorial this year include that of Nicholas County Sheriff’s Deputy Thomas Edward Baker III. On June 3, 2022, Deputy Baker was fatally shot while he and other law enforcement officers responded to a domestic disturbance in the Birch River area.

Thompson led a moment of silence for Deputy Baker and other fallen law enforcement officers during the ceremony.

Law enforcement officers and organizations were honored in the following categories:

Category: Project Safe Childhood

Project Safe Childhood (PSC) is a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched by the Department of Justice in 2006. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, 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.

Outstanding PSC Case: U.S. v. Todd Christopher Roatsey (2:21-cr-235)

• Special Agent Terrance Taylor, HSI
• Computer Forensic Analyst Leland “Fred” Pickering, HSI
• Forensic Interview Specialist Candice Cooper, HSI
• Criminal Analyst Chris Powell, HSI
• Trooper First Class Michelle R. Shaffer, West Virginia State Police

Roatsey, a Kanawha County elementary school counselor, was sentenced to 25 years in prison for attempted production of child pornography and attempted enticement of a minor. Roatsey used the Snapchat instant messaging application to target multiple minor females. Roatsey knew several of the minor females through his position as a counselor at Pinch Elementary School. Roatsey also obstructed justice by deleting the Snapchat account he used to engage in these activities, after the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) executed a search warrant at his residence and seized numerous electronic devices found to contain child pornography.

Category: White Collar Crime

Outstanding White Collar Crime Case: U.S. v. Kenneth Emeni et al. (3:21-cr-68)

• Sergeant Bradford S. Burner, West Virginia State Police
• Detective Jeremy Thompson, South Charleston Police Dept. (Task Force Officer)
• Postal Inspector Seth Summers, U.S. Postal Inspection Service

Nine defendants were convicted in connection with multiple internet-based fraud schemes that operated in the Huntington area and defrauded at least 200 victims from across the country, many of them elderly, of at least $2.5 million. Fraud scheme participants created false personas to establish romantic, friendship or business relationships with unwitting individuals via email, text messaging, online dating websites and social media platforms. The victims were persuaded to send money for a variety of false and fraudulent reasons for the benefit of the false personas. The defrauded funds were laundered for distribution among the defendants and others. Some of the defrauded funds were transferred overseas.

Category: Outstanding Drug Trafficking Cases

U.S. v. Scott Midkiff et al. (3:21-cr-109)

• Senior Supervisory Resident Agent Allen Davis II, Federal Bureau of Investigation
• Special Agent Georgia Marshall, FBI
• Special Agent Adam D. Bennett, FBI
• Special Agent Letisha Hartsough, FBI (Columbus, Ohio)
• Intelligence Analyst/Operational Support Technician Angie Botzet, FBI
• Detective Jared Cremeans, Cabell County Sheriff’s Office (TFO)
• Deputy Andrew Richmond, Cabell County Sheriff’s Office
• Deputy Russ Blank, Cabell County Sheriff’s Office
• Deputy C.J. Stewart Cabell County Sheriff’s Office
• Director Samuel L. Stowasser II, Cabell County Sheriff’s Office
• HCO Matthew Denning, Cabell County Sheriff’s Office
• Officer Evan Wilson, Hurricane Police Department (TFO)
• Officer Nate Campbell, Marshall University Police Department (TFO)
• Officer Matt Napier, Marshall University Police Department
• Officer Ethan Smith, Marshall University Police Department
• First Sergeant Lacy J. Deskins, West Virginia State Police
• Sergeant Sally Hatten, West Virginia State Police
• Corporal Kristy Adkins, West Virginia State Police
• Trooper Nate Rodgers, West Virginia State Police

All 19 defendants in this case were convicted and sentenced to prison for their roles in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that distributed large amounts of fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, cocaine base (also known as “crack”), oxycodone, and heroin in the Huntington area. Law enforcement officers seized more than 47 pounds of fentanyl, 6.5 pounds of methamphetamine, 4.5 pounds of cocaine and 2 pounds of heroin as well as 14 firearms and more than $335,000 in cash. Nine defendants were sentenced to five years or more in prison, including four who were sentenced to prison terms of 10 years or more.

U.S. v. Jermaine Williams et al. (2:21-cr-32)

• Special Agent Charles Tippett, Drug Enforcement Administration
• Special Agent Lance Lehnhoff, DEA
• Special Agent Anthony Brumfield, DEA
• Intel Research Specialist James Summers, DEA          
• Intel Research Specialist Kristi Rhoda, DEA
• Special Agent Scott M. Smith, DEA (Detroit, Michigan)
• Resident Agent in Charge David Bullard, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
• Deputy U.S. Marshal Marc Loretta, U.S. Marshals Service
• Corporal Adam Aldridge, Charleston Police Department
• Lt. Ryan Higginbotham, Charleston Police Department
• Corporal Jonathan Weaver, Charleston Police Department (TFO)
• Corporal Anthony Thomas, Charleston Police Department (TFO)
• Sergeant Jason Webb, Charleston Police Department
• Sergeant D.M. McMillan, West Virginia State Police

This investigation, dubbed “Woo Boyz,” disrupted a DTO with ties to the Bloods and Gangster Disciples criminal gangs. During the course of the nearly year-long investigation, law enforcement seized approximately 15 pounds of methamphetamine, more than $375,000 in cash, and 45 firearms including an IMI Industries Uzi fully automatic 9mm submachine gun. Members of this DTO were involved in or suspected of numerous shootings around Charleston but particularly on the West Side.  A dozen defendants were sentenced to prison terms of between two years and 20 years and one month after pleading guilty to various felony offenses.

U.S. v. Carlo Ramsey et al. (2:21-cr-163)

• Detective Jonathan Casto, Williamstown Police Department
• Special Agent Matthew Yount, DEA

The case resulted from a nearly year-long investigation dubbed “Long Time Coming.” Six defendants were convicted and sentenced to prison for their roles in a DTO responsible for distributing methamphetamine, fentanyl, cocaine and marijuana in Parkersburg and elsewhere. The investigation also yielded more than a dozen arrests on state criminal complaints in Wood County.

U.S. v. Ramon David Alston et al. (2:21-cr-172)

• Special Agent Jennifer King, FBI
• Special Agent John Reese, FBI
• Special Agent Genevieve Baushke, FBI
• Forfeiture Investigator Dean Lauffer, FBI
• Intelligence Analyst Sarah Cole, FBI
• Staff Operations Rose Chestnut, FBI
• Resident Agent in Charge David Bullard, ATF
• Sergeant Jason Webb, Charleston Police Department
• Sergeant Jared Austin, St. Albans Police Department
• Detective Justin Raynes, Nitro Police Department
• Corporal Owen Morris, Charleston Police Department (TFO)
• Detective P. J. Hodge, Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office (TFO)
• Corporal Seth Johnson, Charleston Police Department (TFO)
• Corporal Wes Daniels, Charleston Police Department (TFO)
• Lieutenant Ryan Higginbotham, Charleston Police Department
• Corporal Adam Aldridge, Charleston Police Department
• Corporal Justin Jones, Charleston Police Department
• Detective Nigel Waller, Charleston Police Department
• Detective Dakota Dennison, South Charleston Police Department
• Detective David Harvey, South Charleston Police Department

This case resulted from an investigation that dismantled a large-volume DTO that operated primarily in the Charleston, Rand, and St. Albans areas of Kanawha County from March 2019 to September 2021. The DTO distributed more than 160 pounds of methamphetamine as well as quantities of fentanyl and other drugs. Law enforcement officers seized more than 12.3 pounds of methamphetamine, approximately 34 firearms, more than $86,000 in cash, and several vehicles including three motorcycles. The investigation also prevented a fatal drug overdose in St. Albans and several violent incidents, including a plan by four of the defendants to murder an individual on Charleston’s West Side on July 4, 2021. All 17 individuals indicted in the case were convicted.

Category: Project Safe Neighborhoods

Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) brings together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

Outstanding Violent Crime Case: U.S. v. Kymoni Davis (3:20-cr-18)

• Special Agent Sean McNees, ATF
• Special Agent Jeff Baker, ATF
• Sergeant Steve Maniskas, Huntington Police Department
• Sergeant Paul Matovich, Huntington Police Department
• Detective Adrian Rosario, Huntington Police Department
• Officer Ernie Blackburn, Huntington Police Department
• Lieutenant Paul Minigh, Huntington Police Department
• Lieutenant Eddie Pritchard, Huntington Police Department
• Captain Stephen Compton, Huntington Police Department
• Corporal Kyle Quinn, Huntington Police Department

Davis was sentenced to eight years in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm, after admitted to shooting into a Huntington club on January 1, 2020.

Davis had been ejected from the Kulture Hookah Bar during a New Year’s Eve party prior to midnight. Davis returned with a 9mm pistol and fired through the front door before fleeing the scene. Seven individuals were injured in the shooting. Surveillance video captured the shooting, and along with statements from witnesses helped to identify Davis. Spent casings at the scene collected by law enforcement officers were analyzed by the National Integrated Ballistics Information Network, or NIBIN, and determined to match with a firearm seized by Charleston Police officers in an unrelated investigation. Davis was arrested in the Detroit area several months later and returned to West Virginia.

Outstanding Violent Crime Case: U.S. v. Bisheem Jones (5:22-cr-46)

• Special Agent Jarrod C. Chittum, ATF
• Special Agent Jeff Goode, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation
• Special Agent Mark Pritt, IRS-CI

Nineteen individuals were convicted of various felony offenses after participating in a conspiracy led by Jones to traffic over 140 firearms from the Beckley area to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Jones and his fellow gun traffickers and other co-conspirators recruited individuals from the Beckley area to straw purchase firearms on his behalf. Jones selected the firearms for these straw purchasers to buy and provided the money to purchase them. The straw purchasers falsely certified on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Federal Firearms Transaction Records Form 4473 that they were the buyers of the firearms when they knew they were purchasing them for Jones and his trafficking conspiracy.

The conspirators took the firearms back to Philadelphia to sell for profit. Of the over 140 firearms trafficked in the conspiracy, approximately 45 have been recovered at crime scenes primarily in Philadelphia. Those have been connected to two homicides, crimes of domestic violence, and other violent offenses.

Category: Drug and Violent Crime Task Force of the Year

FBI Transnational Organized Crime West Task Force

Commander: Acting Senior Supervisory Resident Agent Adam D. Bennett, FBI

This award recognizes outstanding cooperative law enforcement efforts and endeavors that have significant and lasting community impact. This year’s award recognizes the task force’s investigative efforts in U.S. v. Scott Midkiff et al.

The TOC-West Task Force consists of officers with the Cabell County Sheriff’s Department, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Department, the Charleston Police Department, the Beckley Police Department, the Hurricane Police Department and the Marshall University Police Department, with support from the West Virginia State Police, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Violent Crime and Drug Task Force West.

Category: Law Enforcement Officers of the Year

Special Agent Jarrod C. Chittum, ATF

Sergeant Bradford S. Burner, West Virginia State Police

Corporal Jonathan Weaver, Charleston Police Department

This award category recognizes federal, state, and local law enforcement officers whose work consistently stands out in significant cases and honors them for their commitment, dedication, and leadership by example.

About National Police Week and National Peace Officers Memorial Day

In 1962, President Kennedy proclaimed May 15 as National Peace Officers Memorial Day and the calendar week in which May 15 falls as National Police Week. Deputy Baker’s name is among 224 added this year of officers who were killed during 2022. An additional 332 names engraved in 2023 are of officers died in years previous to 2022. They include the names of nine officers with the McDowell County Sheriff’s Office killed in the line of duty between February 21, 1900, and October 5, 1933, and a McDowell County correctional officer killed on April 15, 1961. The full Roll Call of officers added to the National Law Enforcement Officer Memorial in 2023 is online: https://nleomf.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/roll-call-2023-FINAL-updated-4-21-23.pdf

 A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia.

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Paul Thomasson, 57, of Delbarton, was sentenced today to five years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for two counts of distribution of methamphetamine.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Thomasson admitted to selling quantities of methamphetamine to a confidential informant at his residence in Delbarton on October 4, 2021, and October 12, 2021.

On October 20, 2021, law enforcement officers arrested Thomasson at his residence on a warrant. Officers searched the residence and found more than 1 pound of fentanyl, 30 grams of fentanyl, three firearms and $12,089.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the U.S. Route 119 Drug Task Force.

United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Ryan Blackwell prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:22-cr-141.

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Kathy Darlene Strickmaker, 63, of Dry Branch, pleaded guilty today to bank fraud.

According to court documents and statements made in court, from on or about January 15, 2015, through on or about November 21, 2018, Strickmaker devised a scheme to defraud a financial institution by writing fraudulent checks on accounts of a Charleston business where she was employed as an administrative assistant. Strickmaker’s duties as administrative assistant included paying bills on behalf of the business, which maintained multiple accounts at a bank in Charleston, and managing the business’s payroll and accounts payable. Strickmaker admitted that she wrote at least 80 unauthorized checks drawn from the business’s bank accounts and forged her employer’s signature on them. Strickmaker further admitted that she made the unauthorized checks payable to three individuals in amounts of between approximately $800 to $3,300. These individuals cashed or deposited the checks at local banks within the Southern District of West Virginia, keeping $100 per check and transferring the balance to another individual at Strickmaker’s direction.

Strickmaker also admitted to writing fraudulent and unauthorized checks from the business’s bank accounts from 2016 through 2018 that she made payable to herself. Strickmaker also forged her employer’s signature on those checks.

Strickmaker is scheduled to be sentenced on August 30, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $1 million fine. Strickmaker also owes at least $250,000 in restitution.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the West Virginia State Police-Bureau of Criminal Investigations (BCI) and the West Virginia State Auditor’s Office (WVSAO).

Chief United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Holly Wilson is prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:23-cr-57.

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. – United States Attorney Will Thompson will honor more than 60 law enforcement professionals during the 2023 Law Enforcement Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, May 17, 2023, at 1:00 p.m. at the Robert C. Byrd U.S. Courthouse in Charleston.

The annual awards ceremony recognizes the exemplary service of federal, state, and local law enforcement officers who have provided invaluable assistance to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia in cases and initiatives.

Thompson will present awards for outstanding law enforcement work on major cases involving drug crimes, violent crimes, white collar crimes and the sexual exploitation of minors. Thompson will also present awards honoring the Law Enforcement Officers of the Year and the Drug and Violent Crime Task Force of the year.

This year’s ceremony is in conjunction with National Police Week, a collaborative effort of many organizations to remember and honor the service and sacrifice of law enforcement officers.

WHAT: 2023 Law Enforcement Awards Ceremony

WHEN: Wednesday, May 17, 2023, at 1 p.m.

WHERE: Robert C. Byrd United States Courthouse, Charleston, Fifth Floor

 A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia.

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HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – George Daren Hall, also known as “Pops,” 47, of Nitro, was sentenced today to five years and 10 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for distribution of a quantity of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on March 10, 2022, Hall sold approximately 65 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant outside of a Cochrane Lane residence in Nitro. Hall admitted to that transaction and to the sale of approximately 59 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant outside the same residence on March 14, 2022. Hall further admitted to selling approximately 59 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant outside of a Brandy Lane residence in Nitro on June 4, 2022.

On March 23, 2022, law enforcement officers conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle driven by Hall in the Poca area of Putnam County. Hall admitted to throwing approximately 1 pound of methamphetamine from his vehicle while trying to flee the traffic stop. Officers apprehended Hall and recovered the methamphetamine from the side of the road.

On October 24, 2022, officers conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle driven by Hall in the Kanawha County section of Nitro. Hall admitted to possessing approximately 30 grams of methamphetamine found by officers in the vehicle, and further admitted that he intended to sell the methamphetamine.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the West Virginia State Police and the Ona Violent Crime and Drug Task Force West.

United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie S. Taylor prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:22-cr-166.

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Brian Mathew Wittmann, 34, of Madison, North Carolina, was sentenced today to four years and three months in prison, to be followed by 10 years of supervised release, for traveling in interstate commerce to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor. Wittmann must also register as a sex offender.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on May 11, 2022, Wittmann contacted an individual he believed to be a minor female on Instagram after finding her profile. Wittmann admitted that he asked for the minor female’s phone number and began sending her text messages that included a photo of his genitals. Wittmann further admitted that he continued to text the minor female for about a week, seeking to entice her into engaging in illicit sexual conduct with him.

On May 19, 2022, Wittmann arranged by text message to meet the minor female the following day at a location in Nicholas County, West Virginia, to engage in illicit sexual conduct. Wittmann admitted to driving the next day from North Carolina to Nicholas County, where he was met by law enforcement officers. Wittmann admitted that he told the officers that he had sent sexually explicit messages to the minor female as well as to other minor females on Instagram. Officers searched Wittmann’s vehicle and found condoms, blankets, a pillow and a morning-after pill, a type of emergency birth control. Wittmann admitted to buying the morning-after pill to prevent pregnancy.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Violent Crime Against Children (VCAC) Task Force.

United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Julie M. White prosecuted the case.

This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative of the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:22-cr-120.

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia held a ceremony today for two inaugural graduates of the Alternative Treatment Court (ATC) program. The two graduates received congratulations and words of encouragement from Chief United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston, who presided over the ceremony, United States Magistrate Judge Omar J. Aboulhosn, who presides over the ATC program, and United States Attorney Will Thompson.

The ATC program is a collaborative partnership between the U.S. District Court, the U.S. Probation Office, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Federal Public Defender’s Office, and various community-based treatment providers and organizations. The ATC program is a pre-plea, pre-sentence alternative to conviction or imprisonment for certain individuals charged with federal crimes. The ATC program provides a blend of treatment that focuses on drug and mental health treatment, and alternative sanctions to effectively address offender behavior, rehabilitation, and education and jobs skills training. The U.S. Probation Office performs oversight and monitoring roles that are integral to the ATC program’s success.

Thompson emphasized the value of second chances as he congratulated and encouraged the two graduates.

“I think honesty is the cornerstone of your continuing recovery,” Thompson said. “You need to be honest with your families, with your friends, your co-workers, court personnel, recovery coaches, whoever it might be. But do you know the most important person you need to be honest with? You need to be honest with yourself.”

Participants must be individuals whose criminal conduct is believed to be motivated by substance abuse issues, mental health, or other underlying causes that appear to be amenable to treatment through programs available as part of the ATC. Defendants with a history of violent offenses, involved in child exploitation offenses or subject to removal by immigration authorities are among those excluded from participating.

Eligible defendants must participate for at least 12 months, but may be required to participate for up to 24 months.

The inaugural graduates each successfully completed Track One of the program, which allows for the dismissal of charges against them. Participants in Track Two of the program receive a term of probation upon their successful completion of the ATC program.

“We are losing multiple generations in this state to drug addiction. I don’t like to give up on people. I do believe in second chances,” Thompson said. “The Alternative Treatment Court and similar programs give people who suffer from addiction or other issues a chance to learn how to control and combat their substance use disorder.”

Information about the Alternative Treatment Court, including the program’s Memorandum of Understanding, is available on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia: https://www.wvsd.uscourts.gov/programs-services/alternative-treatment-court.

 A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia.

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. – United States Attorney Will Thompson will be a featured speaker at the Southern District of West Virginia’s Alternative Treatment Court inaugural graduation ceremony on Thursday, May 11, 2023, at 11 a.m.

The Alternative Treatment Court (ATC) is a collaborative partnership between the U.S. District Court, the U.S. Probation Office, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Federal Public Defender’s Office, and various community-based treatment providers and organizations. The ATC is a pre-plea, pre-sentence alternative to conviction or imprisonment for certain individuals charged with federal crimes. ATC provides a blend of treatment that focuses on drug and mental health treatment, and alternative sanctions to effectively address offender behavior, rehabilitation, and education and jobs skills training.

Media cameras will be allowed in the courtroom during the ceremony. All media must present government-issued photo identification (such as a driver’s license) and valid media credentials. Media must have cameras set by 10:45 a.m.

WHAT: Alternative Treatment Court (ATC) Graduation

WHEN: Thursday, May 11, 2023, at 11 a.m.

WHERE: Ceremonial Courtroom, 7th Floor, Robert C. Byrd U.S. Courthouse, Charleston

 A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia.

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HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Stephen Simmons, 40, of Nitro, pleaded guilty today to possession of an unregistered machinegun.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on January 3, 2023, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Simmons’ 32nd Street residence in Nitro. Officers seized a Ruger, model 10/22, .22-caliber rifle, two Glock switches, two drop-in auto sears, and six firearm silencers.

Glock switches are devices designed solely to convert semiautomatic Glock pistols into fully automatic machineguns, and are machineguns as defined by federal law. Drop-in auto sears are devices designed solely to convert semiautomatic AR-type firearms into fully automatic machineguns, and are machineguns as defined by federal law. Firearm silencers are designed to silence, muffle or diminish the report of a portable firearm, and are firearms as defined by federal law.

Simmons admitted that he possessed a Glock switch and further admitted that he did not register the Glock switch in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record as required by federal law.

Simmons is scheduled to be sentenced on August 14, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorneys Troy D. Adams and Negar M. Kordestani are prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:23-cr-21.

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HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Danny Merriweather, also known as “D,” 35, of Toledo, Ohio, pleaded guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on April 5, 2021, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at a 10th Avenue residence where Merriweather was living and seized a Smith & Wesson .38 SPL Airweight revolver and quantities of fentanyl and methamphetamine. Merriweather admitted to possessing the firearm.

Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Merriweather knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony conviction for distribution of a quantity of cocaine base in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia on October 22, 2012.

Merriweather is scheduled to be sentenced on August 21, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie Taylor is prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:22-cr-47.

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Ernest Lee Alexander III, 38, of St. Albans, was sentenced today to one year and nine months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for bank fraud and possession of stolen mail matter.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on December 13, 2021, Alexander led law enforcement officers on a high-speed chase throughout western Kanawha County after they attempted a traffic stop of his vehicle in South Charleston. The chase ended when Alexander exited Interstate 77 at Tuppers Creek, lost control of his vehicle, and crashed. Officers arrested Alexander and found stolen mail and a bank receipt in the vehicle. Alexander admitted that earlier that same day, he had used the identification information of the owner of the stolen mail to deposit a fraudulent check into the individual’s bank account and then withdraw $450 from the account.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the United States Postal Inspection Service and the South Charleston Police Department.

Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Ryan A. Keefe prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:22-cr-201.

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Gary F. Fridley II, 41, of Cross Lanes, pleaded guilty today to embezzlement of labor union assets.

According to court documents and statements made in court, from about December 20, 2018, until about June 12, 2019, Fridley was a union officer in Nitro while employed by American Electric Power (AEP). As the union’s elected financial secretary, Fridley was the union’s chief financial officer and was responsible for preparing and co-signing union checks and maintaining financial records. Fridley was one of three signatories on the union’s checking account at Huntington National Bank in Nitro. As financial secretary, Fridley was entitled to an officer’s salary as well as reimbursement for lost time or wages lost from his employment when he took off from work for union business.

On about June 12, 2019, Fridley received a check for $1,321.55 as reimbursement for lost time. Fridley admitted that he had not lost any time with AEP during that pay period. Fridley submitted a false voucher to receive an unauthorized lost time payment and forged the signature of another union official in order to cash the check for the fictitious lost time.

Fridley further admitted that he improperly received $19,732.88 through his wrongful actions as the union’s financial secretary. Fridley submitted additional false vouchers to receive unauthorized lost time payments from the union and forged the signatures of other union officials to cash the union checks he wrote payable to himself for the fictitious lost time payments.

Fridley is scheduled to be sentenced on August 29, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. Fridley also owes $19,732.88 in restitution.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS).

Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorneys Holly Wilson, Kathleen Robeson, and Andrew J. Tessman are prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:22-cr-138.

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Travis Devon Woods, 34, of Charleston, pleaded guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on June 6, 2022, law enforcement officers visited Woods’ Livingston Avenue residence in Charleston to speak with him. Before opening his door for the officers, Woods tossed a Sig Sauer, model P250, .45-caliber semiautomatic pistol out a back window of his residence. Officers recovered the firearm. Woods admitted that he possessed the firearm and tossed it out the window because he knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm.

Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Woods knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony convictions for being a felon in possession of a firearm in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia on July 1, 2015, and first-degree robbery in Kanawha County Circuit Court on March 19, 2009.

Woods is scheduled to be sentenced on August 29, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Charleston Police Department.

Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Troy D. Adams is prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:22-cr-229.

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Telisa Rene McCauley, 31, of Charleston, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, admitting  to a role in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that operated in the Charleston area.

According to court documents and statements made in court, McCauley admitted to conspiring with a co-defendant to obtain methamphetamine on or about February 4, 2023. McCauley attempted to obtain methamphetamine from her co-defendant prior to that date, but was told that the co-defendant was out of methamphetamine. The co-defendant then offered McCauley a discount if she would travel to obtain the methamphetamine on the co-defendant’s behalf. McCauley agreed, traveled to the designated located, and obtained the methamphetamine. Law enforcement officers conducted a traffic stop of McCauley’s vehicle as she traveled back to the Charleston area, searched her car, and recovered approximately 7 pounds of methamphetamine in the back seat.

McCauley is scheduled to be sentenced on August 23, 2023, and faces a mandatory minimum of  10 years and up to life in prison, five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a $10 million fine.

McCauley is among 30 individuals indicted as a result of Operation Smoke and Mirrors, a major drug trafficking investigation that has yielded the largest methamphetamine seizure in West Virginia history. Law enforcement seized well over 200 pounds of methamphetamine as well as 28 pounds of cocaine, 20 pounds of fentanyl, 18 firearms and $747,000 in cash.

Six other co-defendants have pleaded guilty. Indictments against the other defendants are pending. An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT), the West Virginia State Police, the West Virginia National Guard Counter Drug program, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Charleston Police Department, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office and the Raleigh County Sheriff's Office. MDENT is composed of the Charleston Police Department, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the Nitro Police Department, the St. Albans Police Department and the South Charleston Police Department.

Chief United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy B. Wolfe is prosecuting the case.

The investigation was part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The program was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and is the keystone of the Department of Justice’s drug reduction strategy. OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:23-cr-31.

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. – United States Attorney Will Thompson will preside over the 2023 Annual Victim Assistance Awards Ceremony on Tuesday, May 9, 2023, at 10 a.m. at the West Virginia State Capitol.

The ceremony is part of Operation Reach Out and follows up on National Crime Victims’ Rights Week. This year’s theme is “Survivor Voices: Elevate. Engage. Effect Change,” which calls upon communities to amplify the voices of survivors and commit to creating an environment where survivors have the confidence that they will be heard, believed, and supported.

Several individuals and organizations will be honored for their service, support and advocacy on behalf of crime victims and survivors. The ceremony’s featured speakers include Kanawha County Circuit Judge Tera Salango, whose brother was murdered when she was 16, and Angie Conn, a human trafficking survivor, victim advocate and founder of SheWhoDares Consulting LLC.

Operation Reach Out is sponsored by the United States Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of West Virginia in partnership with the Operation Reach Out Committee. Operation Reach Out is a collaborative effort involving local advocacy programs that raise awareness of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week and of the various organizations that provide services to crime victims.

WHAT: 2023 Annual Victim Assistance Awards Ceremony

WHEN: Tuesday, May 9, 2023, at 10 a.m.

WHERE: West Virginia State Capitol, outside the Senate Chamber.

 A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia.

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. – United States Attorney Will Thompson is inviting survivors and their loved ones to the 2023 Crime Victims Assistance Awards Ceremony on Tuesday, May 9, 2023, at 10 a.m. at the West Virginia State Capitol.

The ceremony is part of Operation Reach Out and follows up on National Crime Victims’ Rights Week. This year’s theme is “Survivor Voices: Elevate. Engage. Effect Change,” which calls upon communities to amplify the voices of survivors and commit to creating an environment where survivors have the confidence that they will be heard, believed, and supported.

The May 9 ceremony will feature a special Tree of Remembrance. Victims and survivors are encouraged to sign cards and place them on the tree as part of the ceremony in remembrance of a loved one or for themselves as a survivor. Cards will be available at the ceremony and are also on the National Crime Victims’ Rights Week resource page of the Southern District of West Virginia website: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdwv/national-crime-victims-rights-week.

The ceremony’s featured speakers include Kanawha County Circuit Judge Tera Salango, whose brother was murdered when she was 16, and Angie Conn, a human trafficking survivor, victim advocate and founder of SheWhoDares Consulting LLC. Several individuals and organizations will be honored for their service, support and advocacy on behalf of crime victims and survivors.

The ceremony will be held on the south steps of the West Virginia Capitol, near Kanawha Boulevard, or outside the Senate Chamber in the event of inclement weather.

Operation Reach Out is a collaborative effort involving local advocacy programs that raise awareness of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week and of the various organizations that provide services to crime victims. The Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime, within the Office of Justice Programs, leads communities across the country in observing National Crime Victims’ Rights Week. In 1981, President Ronald Reagan proclaimed the first National Crime Victims’ Rights Week to bring greater sensitivity to the needs and rights of victims of crime.

More information about the Office of Justice Programs and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov. More information about Crime Victim’s Rights Week can be found at https://ovc.ojp.gov/program/national-crime-victims-rights-week/overview.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia.

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Thomas Matthew Blankenship, 39, of Akron, Ohio, pleaded guilty today to possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and a quantity of methamphetamine, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on June 10, 2022, law enforcement officers arrested Blankenship on a warrant as he left a residence in the Pecks Mill area of Logan County, West Virginia. After handcuffing Blankenship, officers found approximately 95 grams of fentanyl, 11 grams of methamphetamine, and a loaded Smith and Wesson, model M&P 9 Shield, 9mm semi-automatic pistol on his person. Blankenship admitted that he possessed the drugs and intended to distribute them. Blankenship further admitted that he possessed the pistol to protect himself, the drugs, and any money from selling the drugs. 

Blankenship has an extensive criminal history that includes numerous prior felony convictions for felonious assault, improperly discharging a firearm at or into a habitation, tampering with evidence, trafficking in heroin, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and failure to comply with an order or signal of a police officer.

Blankenship is scheduled to be sentenced on August 3, 2023, and faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison, four years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a $5.25 million fine.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the West Virginia State Police and the Logan County Sheriff’s Office.

United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy B. Wolfe is prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:22-cr-197.

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Tiffany Bowlin, 33, of Charleston, was sentenced today to five years of federal probation, including four months on home detention, and ordered to pay $20,833 in restitution for wire fraud. Bowlin admitted a scheme to defraud the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) of $20,833 in COVID-19 relief loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act).

According to court documents and statements made in court, on April 27, 2021, Bowlin applied for a PPP loan for her purported sole proprietorship, a hair salon operating under the business name “Tiffany Bowlin.” Bowlin admitted that she falsely stated that “Tiffany Bowlin” was established in 2019, when it in fact was not a legitimate business and had not engaged in substantial business activities on or before February 15, 2020. Bowlin further admitted that she submitted a false IRS Form 1040 stating that “Tiffany Bowlin” received $106,600 in gross income in 2020.

The CARES Act, enacted in March 2020, offered emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering from the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This assistance included forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses through the Paycheck Protection Program. Businesses applying for PPP loans had to certify that the business was in operation on February 15, 2020, and were required to provide documentation showing their prior gross income from either 2019 or 2020.

Bowlin submitted the loan application electronically from West Virginia and it was uploaded to servers in Kansas for processing. Bowlin’s loan application was approved and she received $20,833 via an electronic transfer to her personal bank account on May 13, 2021. Bowlin admitted that she spent the fraudulently obtained money to benefit herself personally and not for authorized business expenses.

On March 2, 2022, Bowlin applied to have the PPP loan forgiven even though she had not spent the loan proceeds on permissible business expenses. The SBA forgave Bowlin’s PPP loan on or about March 9, 2022.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the West Virginia State Police-Bureau of Criminal Investigations (BCI), and the Litigation Financial Analyst with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Senior United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Ryan Blackwell prosecuted the case.

On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, 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.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:22-cr-205.

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Karen L. Hodges, also known as “Karen Igo,” “Karen Clay,” “Karen Richmond,” and “Karen Gessel,” 49, of St. Albans, was sentenced today to one year and four months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for three counts of securities fraud. Hodges must also pay $38,570.78 in restitution.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Hodges admitted to having counterfeit checks created so they appeared to be payroll checks issued by Kroger. Between October 20, 2018, and December 19, 2018, Hodges presented and cashed three counterfeit payroll checks totaling $2,461.96 at Kroger locations within the Southern District of West Virginia. Hodges admitted that she has never worked for Kroger, and knew that she was deceiving Kroger into giving her cash based on these counterfeit payroll checks.

Hodges further admitted to presenting and uttering numerous other counterfeit checks totaling $37,587.66 during the same time period at Kroger locations within the Southern District of West Virginia, as well as the Northern District of West Virginia, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and Virginia. Hodges also admitted to cashing two legitimate checks in her father’s name totaling $983.12 without his authorization at Kroger locations within the Southern District of West Virginia.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the United States Secret Service.

Senior United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorneys Kristin F. Scott and Ryan A. Keefe prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:22-cr-223.

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Charles Ryan Tucker, 45, of Mammoth, was sentenced today to two years and six months in prison, to be followed by two years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on January 13, 2022, law enforcement officers attempted to arrest Tucker on a state warrant in Cedar Grove and he fled on foot. Tucker was caught and while resisting arrest told the officers he possessed a firearm. Officers found a loaded Smith & Wesson M&P Shield 9mm pistol holstered on Tucker’s belt and concealed beneath his clothing.

Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Tucker was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony convictions for breaking and entering on May 3, 2021, and grand larceny on January 26, 2015, both in Kanawha County Circuit Court.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the United States Marshals Service and the Cops United Felony Fugitive Enforcement Division (CUFFED) Task Force.

United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorneys Timothy D. Boggess and Negar M. Kordestani prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:22-cr-17.

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A convicted participant in a multimillion-dollar romance fraud scam is helping the Southern District of West Virginia sound the alarm about these schemes, said United States Attorney Will Thompson.

Thompson’s office has launched a digital awareness campaign that features 15- and 30-second public service announcements as well as a long-form video alerting West Virginians to online fraud scams. The campaign focuses on how the elderly population is particularly at risk.

The long-form video includes warnings from Kenneth Emeni, 30, a citizen of Nigeria who admitted to participating in a  Huntington-based scheme that defrauded at least 200 victims, many of whom are elderly, of at least $2.5 million. In the video, Emeni explains how false personas were created to establish romantic, friendship or business relationships with unwitting individuals via email, text messaging, online dating websites and social media platforms. Emeni also offers examples of how victims were persuaded to send money for a variety of false and fraudulent reasons for the benefit of the false personas.

“As part of his acceptance of responsibility for his crime, Mr. Emeni agreed to provide a firsthand account of how these scams identify, target and exploit their victims,” Thompson said. “We hope this awareness campaign will help West Virginians safeguard themselves and their loved ones against fraudulent schemes.”

Emeni pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering, and was sentenced on December 19, 2022, to one year and one day in prison.

The awareness videos also provide the number for the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). This U.S. Department of Justice hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, is staffed by experienced professionals who provide personalized support to callers by assessing the needs of the victim, and identifying relevant next steps. Case managers will identify appropriate reporting agencies, provide information to callers to assist them in reporting, connect callers directly with appropriate agencies, and provide resources and referrals, on a case-by-case basis. Reporting is the first step. Reporting can help authorities identify those who commit fraud and reporting certain financial losses due to fraud as soon as possible can increase the likelihood of recovering losses. The hotline is staffed Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern Time. English, Spanish, and other languages are available.

The public is also encouraged to report potential online fraud activity or scams at https://www.ic3.gov.

All three awareness campaign videos are available on the YouTube Channel for the U.S. Attorney’s Office: https://www.youtube.com/@USAOSDWV. The PSA videos will appear over the next two months on YouTube and various social media platforms, apps and websites.

 A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia.

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HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Brennon Michael Adkins, 22, of Huntington, pleaded guilty today to possession of a stolen firearm.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Adkins admitted that he and another individual broke into Tri-State Pawn and Jewelry in Huntington on July 15, 2022, to steal various electronics from the store’s inventory. After entering, the other individual stole three firearms. Adkins admitted that he possessed one of the stolen firearms, a Stoeger, model M3000, 12-gauge shotgun, following the breaking and entering.

Adkins is scheduled to be sentenced on August 14, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Huntington Police Department.

United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Troy D. Adams is prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:22-cr-214.

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HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Robert Lee Taylor, 42, Huntington, pleaded guilty today to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on October 8, 2022, a law enforcement officers encountered Taylor asleep in the driver’s seat of his running vehicle, parked at a Milton gas station. The officer saw controlled substances in Taylor’s lap. Taylor admitted that he possessed approximately 28 grams of methamphetamine and 16 grams of fentanyl that he intended to distribute. Taylor further admitted to possessing $24,724 in drug proceeds.

Taylor also admitted to conspiring with Phillip Antoine Rucker, also known as “Chocolate,” 43, of Proctorville, Ohio, and Marshall Luther Williams, also known as “Chuck” and “Chubs,” 41, of Chicago, Illinois, to distribute heroin in the Southern District of West Virginia from around February 2021 to around September 2022. Taylor was provided heroin and fentanyl on consignment at the direction of Williams. Taylor gave the proceeds from selling the controlled substances to Williams.

Taylor is scheduled to be sentenced on August 14, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $1 million fine.

On March 14, 2023, Rucker pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and a quantity of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine. On that same date, Williams pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and a quantity of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine. Rucker and Williams are scheduled to be sentenced on July 10, 2023, and face a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 40 years in prison, four years of supervised release, and a $5 million fine.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Milton Police Department, and the Huntington Police Department.

United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorneys Courtney L. Finney and Joseph F. Adams are prosecuting the cases.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:23-cr-58 (Taylor) and 3:22-cr-34 (Rucker and Williams).

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Taylor Womack, 28, of Charleston, pleaded guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on September 7, 2020, Womack possessed a loaded FEG, Model PA-63, 9mm firearm in Amandaville.

Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Womack knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony convictions for delivery of a controlled substance and conspiracy to commit delivery of a controlled substance in Wayne County Circuit Court on September 15, 2017, and for daytime burglary by breaking and entering in Kanawha County Circuit Court on October 16, 2014

Womack is scheduled to be sentenced on September 14, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office.

United States District Judge Irene C. Berger presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorneys Jonathan T. Storage and Monica D. Coleman are prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:23-cr-12.

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. – United States Attorney Will Thompson will hold a press conference at 3 p.m. today, Friday, April 28, 2023, to announce and discuss the verdicts in the trial of Larry Allen Clay Jr., 57, a former employee of the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department and Chief of Police for the Gauley Bridge Police Department.

WHO: United States Attorney Will Thompson

WHEN: Friday, April 28, 2023, at 3 p.m.

WHERE: Robert C. Byrd U.S. Courthouse, Charleston

 A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia.

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BECKLEY, W.Va. – Hassan Abdullah, also known as “San,” 28, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to one year and six months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, and Donte Webster, 23, of Beckley, West Virginia, was sentenced to two years and nine months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for their roles in a conspiracy to traffic over 140 firearms from the Beckley area to Philadelphia.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Abdullah traveled from Philadelphia to Beckley with conspiracy ringleader Bisheem Jones, also known as “Bosh,” and other co-defendants to oversee the purchase of firearms at Beckley-area stores that the conspirators took back to Philadelphia to sell for profit.

Webster was one of several straw purchasers who bought firearms for the conspirators in exchange for money or drugs. Jones or an intermediary would tell the straw purchasers which firearms to buy, and provide the money for the purchases. Webster admitted to straw purchasing a Glock 19Gen5, 9mm pistol, a Glock 26Gen5, 9mm pistol, and a Taurus G2C, 9mm pistol for Jones in Beckley on July 6, 2021. During each purchase, Webster falsely certified on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Federal Firearms Transaction Record Form 4473 that he was the buyer of the firearms when he knew he was purchasing them for Jones and his trafficking conspiracy.

Webster further admitted that he bought at least 13 firearms for Jones in June and July, 2021, so Jones and others could transport and resell them outside of West Virginia.

Of the over 140 firearms trafficked by the conspirators between early 2020 and mid-2021, approximately 45 were recovered at crime scenes primarily in Philadelphia and have been connected to two homicides, crimes of domestic violence, and other violent offenses.

Abdullah pleaded guilty to interstate travel with the intent to engage in dealing firearms without a license. Webster pleaded guilty to making false statements in acquisition of firearms. Abdullah and Webster are among 18 defendants who pleaded guilty in connection with the firearms trafficking. After five days of trial, a federal jury found Jones, 37, of Philadelphia, guilty on December 16, 2022, of conspiracy to travel interstate with the intent to deal in firearms without a license, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and interstate travel with the intent to deal in firearms without a license. Jones is scheduled to be sentenced on May 18, 2023, and faces a  maximum penalty of 35 years in prison.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Philadelphia Police Department.

United States District Judge Frank W. Volk imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorneys Negar M. Kordestani and Steve Loew prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:22-cr-46.

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BECKLEY, W.Va. – Iglesias McEntyre, 34, an inmate at the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Beckley, pleaded guilty today to possession of a weapon by an inmate of a federal prison.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on October 14, 2022, McEntyre failed to clear a metal detector after numerous attempts. An FCI Beckley staff member conducted a visual search of McEntyre and found a handcrafted weapon commonly known as a “shank” in McEntyre’s underwear. The shank was a piece of metal approximately 5 3/4 inches long, sharpened to a point, with a toothbrush for a handle and thread wrapped around the handle to secure it. McEntyre admitted to possessing the shank, and further admitted that it was designed and intended to be used as a weapon.

McEntyre is scheduled to be sentenced on August 11, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

United States District Judge Frank W. Volk presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Timothy D. Boggess is prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:23-cr-50.

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A former West Virginia regional director of parole for the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation in Parkersburg, West Virginia, was sentenced yesterday in federal court in the Southern District of West Virginia to 87 months’ imprisonment and three years’ supervised release for witness tampering.

David Jones, 51, admitted that earlier this year, he deliberately withheld information and lied to state and federal investigators during their investigations of sexual misconduct by a state parole officer whom Jones supervised. Jones also admitted that, on multiple occasions from 2020 to this year, he repeatedly instructed a witness in the same investigation to lie to federal investigators and to destroy and withhold evidence. Specifically, Jones admitted both that he encouraged the witness to delete recordings she had of the parole officer sexually harassing her and he instructed the witness to delete evidence of his communications with her.

“The defendant interfered with state and federal investigations of egregious sexual misconduct by a state parole officer the defendant was supposed to supervise,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department will continue to vigorously investigate and hold accountable individuals who obstruct and interfere with federal criminal civil rights investigations.”

“David Jones’ attempt to cover up Anthony DeMetro’s reprehensible conduct makes the victim’s courage all the more commendable,” said U.S. Attorney Will Thompson for the Southern District of West Virginia. “Far too often, survivors of crime don’t seek justice because they are afraid that no one will believe them or that those in authority will betray them as David Jones tried to do in this case. We must be relentless in holding individuals like Mr. Jones accountable for their misconduct while ensuring that survivors are heard, believed, and supported.”

“Mr. Jones crossed a line and abused his position of public trust by asking a witness to lie and delete evidence in a criminal investigation,” said Special Agent in Charge Mike Nordwall of the FBI Pittsburgh Field Office. “As the Regional Director of Parole in West Virginia, he was entrusted to uphold the law. Instead, he attempted to use his official capacity to influence a sexual misconduct investigation. This sentencing is a reminder that the FBI is committed to ensuring those who violate the public’s trust are held accountable.”

The FBI Pittsburgh Field Office investigated the case.

Special Litigation Counsel Kathryn E. Gilbert and Trial Attorney Daniel E. Grunert of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Monica Coleman and Nowles Heinrich for the Southern District of West Virginia prosecuted the case.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – After four days of trial, a federal jury convicted Larry Allen Clay Jr., 57, of Fayetteville, today of sex trafficking a 17-year-old minor female.

Evidence at trial proved that on two separate occasions in June 2020, while Clay was an employee of the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department and the Chief of Police for the Gauley Bridge Police Department, Clay paid a total of $100 to co-defendant Kristen Naylor-Legg to have sex with a 17-year-old minor female relative of Naylor-Legg.

During each incident, Clay remained in his Gauley Bridge Police uniform for the entire sexual encounter. The first incident occurred at Clay’s Gauley Bridge-issued vehicle on a rural Fayette County road. The second incident took place inside the old Gauley Bridge High School, in a location accessible to a limited number of people including the Gauley Bridge Police Department. Law enforcement authorities were able to retrieve DNA evidence from a washcloth discarded in the room where the second incident took place.

In September 2020, Clay sought to persuade Naylor-Legg to lie to law enforcement about the incidents and also asked a law enforcement officer if his criminal conduct could be covered up.

The jury found Clay guilty of conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of a minor and via coercion, sex trafficking of a minor and via coercion, and two counts of obstruction of justice.

Clay is scheduled to be sentenced on July 20, 2023, and faces a mandatory minimum  of 15 years and up to life in prison. Clay will also be required to register as a sex offender.

Naylor-Legg pleaded guilty to conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking on September 21, 2021. Naylor-Legg faces up to life in prison when she is sentenced on May 11, 2023, and will be required to register as a sex offender.

“This defendant was a uniformed police officer, a chief of police, and the young victim had the courage and toughness to come forward and tell the jury about these horrific crimes. She is incredibly brave,” said United States Attorney Will Thompson. “This prosecution is the result of outstanding investigative teamwork by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the West Virginia State Police and the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department. I also commend Assistant United States Attorneys Jennifer Rada Herrald and Monica D. Coleman and our trial team for securing guilty verdicts on all four counts in the case.”

United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin presided over the jury trial.

Members of the public are urged to report suspected instances of child sex trafficking through a toll-free hotline at 1-866-DHS-2ICE (1-866-347-2423) or online at www.ice.gov/tips.

This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative of the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:21-cr-62.

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Vada Leann White, 32, of Big Creek, pleaded guilty today to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on December 1, 2021, a law enforcement officer conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle in which White was a passenger in the Jeffrey area of Boone County. The officer searched the vehicle and found seven bags containing a total of approximately 139 grams of methamphetamine. The officer also found $3,436 on White’s person and in the vehicle. White told the officer that she possessed the methamphetamine and intended to sell it.

White is scheduled to be sentenced on August 10, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $1 million fine.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the West Virginia State Police.

United States District Judge Irene C. Berger presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Nowles Heinrich is prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:22-cr-142.

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Daniel Satow, 33, of Davisville, pleaded guilty today to mail fraud. Satow admitted he unlawfully obtained unemployment benefits, including supplementary funds provided by the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation Program (FPUC) of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on December 20, 2020, Satow logged on to the WorkForce West Virginia website and applied for unemployment compensation. Satow admitted he was employed at the time and that he falsely claimed when he applied that he had not been gainfully employed since September 9, 2020, and that the coronavirus pandemic prevented him from working.

Satow’s fraudulent application was approved and he received a debit card loaded with unemployment compensation benefits through the mail at his Davisville residence on January 5, 2021. Satow admitted that he used the debit card to make purchases for himself while knowing he had obtained the benefits fraudulently.

Satow further admitted that he continued to access the WorkForce West Virginia website for 26 consecutive weeks and each time falsely certified that he remained entitled to unemployment compensation benefits. WorkForce West Virginia relied on Satow’s false answers and loaded additional benefits onto the debit card weekly. These benefits included supplementary funds provided by the FPUC program. Satow admitted that he continued to use the debit card to make personal purchases.

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act provided for a temporary emergency increase in unemployment compensation benefits, referred to as the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation Program (FPUC). Although these benefits are administered by the states, they are funded in part by the federal government.

Satow is scheduled to be sentenced on August 10, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. Satow also owes $21,238 in restitution.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the WorkForce West Virginia Integrity Section and the Litigation Financial Analyst with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Chief United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Ryan Blackwell is prosecuting the case.

On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, 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.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:23-cr-56.

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HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Timothy Lanier Allen III, 24, of Maryland, pleaded guilty today to three counts of making false statements in acquisition of firearms.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on June 1, 2022, Allen purchased two Ruger 57, 5.7x28mm-caliber pistols, a Glock 27, .40-caliber pistol, and a Glock 30S, .45-caliber pistol at various businesses in Barboursville and Huntington. Allen bought the firearms for an individual who was with him during the purchases and who provided the money to buy the firearms. Allen falsely certified on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Federal Firearms Transaction Record Form 4473 that he was the buyer of the firearms when he knew he was purchasing the firearms for the individual.

Allen is scheduled to be sentenced on July 31, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Courtney L. Finney is prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:22-cr-215.

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HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Tiffani Meeks, 38, of Barboursville, was sentenced today to three years in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release, for committing wire fraud on three separate occasions. Meeks was also ordered to pay $121,841.60 in restitution.

According to court documents and statements made in court, from August 1, 2019, through March 9, 2021, Meeks worked as a bookkeeper at a Cabell County business. Her duties included paying bills, monitoring credit and bank statements, maintaining accurate accounting records, and providing those records to the company’s owners upon request. Meeks pleaded guilty to using company credit cards not issued to her to make three unauthorized personal online purchases totaling $7,329.39 between February 19, 2020, and November 3, 2020.

Meeks further admitted that her unauthorized personal online purchases with the company credit cards totaled at least $121,841.60 between February 12, 2020, and June 18, 2021. Meeks made at least  $6,862.83 of the unauthorized online purchases after she was fired by the company on March 9, 2021. In an effort to conceal her criminal conduct, Meeks had the unauthorized purchases shipped to her residence, mislabeled them as legitimate payments in company records, and withheld pages listing them before providing those records to the owners.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Cabell County Sheriff’s Office.

United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorneys Ryan A. Keefe and Kristin F. Scott prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:22-cr-119.

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Rana Zeeshan Tanveer, 42, of Beckley, West Virginia, pleaded guilty today to the federal felony offense of committing an export fraud violation.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Tanveer admitted in the plea agreement to knowingly submitting false export valuations for certain items that Tanveer shipped to Pakistan. Specifically, in June 2017, Tanveer purchased two high technology items, paying more than $4,000 for both items. Prior to shipping, Tanveer created and used a false invoice that intentionally understated the value of the items as less than $200. After undervaluing the items on the invoice, Tanveer then shipped the items to Pakistan using a freight forwarding service. From 2014 to 2018, Tanveer intentionally used false invoices that deliberately undervalued the purchase cost of other U.S. origin technology items that Tanveer exported to Pakistan.

“Mr. Tanveer pleaded guilty to unlawfully shipping high-technology devices overseas and is now being held accountable,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “The Department of Justice is steadfast in its commitment to prosecute those who would undermine our nation’s security and economic interest by flouting U.S. export control laws.”

“Violating export control requirements is a serious offense,” said U.S. Attorney Will Thompson for the Southern District of West Virginia. “Our office is committed to working closely with our law enforcement partners to hold accountable those who evade U.S. export laws.”

“Knowingly undervaluing shipments in order to avoid export reporting requirements is a violation of U.S. export control rules,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Scott Anderson of the Department of Commerce’s Office of Export Enforcement Washington Field Office. “The Office of Export Enforcement will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to prevent and disrupt illicit trade that threatens U.S. national security and undermines U.S. foreign policy.”

Federal law requires the filing of accurate electronic export information through the automated export system about certain items that are exported from the United States. It is a federal crime to knowingly submit false or misleading electronic export information. The purpose of this export requirement is to strengthen the ability of the United States to prevent the export of certain items to unauthorized destinations or end users. Accurate information in the automated export system also aids the United States in targeting, identifying, and, when necessary, confiscating suspicious or illegal items or shipments prior to export.

Tanveer is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 4 and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

The Department of Commerce’s Office of Export Enforcement and the FBI investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Erik S. Goes for the Southern District of West Virginia and Trial Attorney R. Elizabeth Abraham of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.

BECKLEY, W.Va. – Paul Richard Massey, 50, of Shady Spring, pleaded guilty today to wire fraud and money laundering. Massey admitted to issuing fraudulent payments as an insurance claims adjuster and using the money to fund a powersports business that he owns.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Massey was employed as a claims adjuster for Allstate Insurance Company from 2015 until June 2019. Massey was routinely assigned claim files to investigate after Allstate customers filed a claim under their insurance policy. Massey’s job included investigating assigned claims, determining coverage, and coordinating with the insured customer and others to determine what services were needed to bring a claim to conclusion. In his role as claims adjuster, Massey had the authority to issue settlement check payments to policy holders and businesses on behalf of Allstate to settle insured property damage claims.

Massey admitted to authorizing and issuing a $15,110.29 check on behalf of Allstate to a business called American Mitigation Services LLC, also known as AMS Cleaning, on December 26, 2018. The check was issued for mitigation work allegedly performed by AMS Cleaning and was deposited into AMS Cleaning’s bank account. Massey admitted that this payment was fraudulent, as AMS Cleaning had completed no work to justify the payment. Massey further admitted that he had a business relationship with AMS Cleaning and was an authorized signer on the business’s bank account.

Massey also admitted that he authorized and issued 68 fraudulent claim payment checks totaling more than $850,000 on behalf of Allstate to AMS Cleaning from at least January 22, 2018, until at least June 19, 2019. Massey attempted to hide the fraudulent nature of some of these checks by creating fraudulent receipts and documents that appeared to justify the payments.

Massey used the fraudulent claims payments deposited in AMS Cleaning’s bank account to fund Massey Powersports LLC, a Beckley business owned and operated by Massey. The investigation revealed that Massey routinely wrote checks from AMS Cleaning’s bank account to pay Massey Powersports employees, to purchase inventory for Massey Powersports, and to pay Massey Powersports’ recurring bills. Massey admitted that on December 27, 2018, he wired $105,403.20 in fraudulently obtained proceeds from AMS Cleaning’s bank account to a North Carolina business to prepay for tractors intended for Massey Powersports.

Massey attempted to conceal his scheme from investigators.  On June 27, 2019, Massey falsely told an Allstate fraud investigator that he had no financial interest in AMS Cleaning.  On August 14, 2020, Massey created and submitted a fictitious $1 million sales contract for AMS Cleaning in response to a federal grand jury subpoena. On January 22, 2021, Massey falsely told a Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent that he had negotiated the sale of AMS Cleaning with an individual identified by Massey as “Jerry Wayne.”

Massey is scheduled to be sentenced on August 4, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $500,000 fine. Massey owes $862,871.29 in restitution.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Litigation Financial Analyst with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

United States District Judge Frank W. Volk presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Ryan Blackwell is prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:22-cr-219.

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BECKLEY, W.Va. – Rana Zeeshan Tanveer, 42, of  Beckley, pleaded guilty today to committing an export fraud violation. Tanveer admitted that he knowingly submitted false export valuations for two high-technology devices that Tanveer shipped to Pakistan.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on May 31, 2017, Tanveer ordered the two high-technology items, paying more than $4,000 for both items. The two items were shipped to Tanveer in Beckley and he received them on June 7, 2017. Tanveer admitted to creating a false invoice that intentionally understated the value of the items as less than $200. Tanveer further admitted to using the false invoice to ship the items to Pakistan using a freight forwarding service in July 2017.

Tanveer also admitted that he intentionally used false invoices on at least six other occasions, from June 14, 2014 through August 20, 2018, that deliberately undervalued the purchase cost of U.S.-origin technology that Tanveer exported to Pakistan.

“Mr. Tanveer pleaded guilty to unlawfully shipping high-technology devices overseas and is now being held accountable,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “The Department of Justice is steadfast in its commitment to prosecute those who would undermine our nation’s security and economic interest by flouting U.S. export control laws.”

Federal law requires the filing of accurate Electronic Export Information (EEI) through the Automated Export System (AES) about certain items that are exported from the United States. It is a federal crime to knowingly submit false or misleading Electronic Export Information. The purpose of this export requirement is to strengthen the ability of the United States to prevent the export of certain items to unauthorized destinations or end users. Accurate information in the Automated Export System also aids the United States in targeting, identifying, and, when necessary, confiscating suspicious or illegal items or shipments prior to export.

“Violating export control requirements is a serious offense,” said United State Attorney Will Thompson. “Our office is committed to working closely with our law enforcement partners to hold accountable those who evade U.S. export laws.”

Tanveer is scheduled to be sentenced on August 4, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the United States Department of Commerce Office of Export Enforcement (OEE) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

“Knowingly undervaluing shipments in order to avoid export reporting requirements is a violation of U.S. export control rules,” said OEE Washington Field Office Acting Special Agent in Charge Scott Anderson. “The Office of Export Enforcement will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to prevent and disrupt illicit trade that threatens U.S. national security and undermines U.S. foreign policy.”

“Mr. Tanveer used deceptive practices and tried to disguise his true activities for years,” said FBI Pittsburgh Special Agent in Charge Mike Nordwall. “The FBI will always work to disrupt these types of actions, as they pose a threat not only to our national security, but also to the U.S. economy. I commend the work done by everyone at the FBI, but we would not have been successful without our strong partnership with the Department of Commerce. Together, our agencies will continue to fight export fraud.”

United States District Judge Frank W. Volk presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Erik S. Goes and National Security Division Trial Attorney R. Elizabeth Abraham  are prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:23-cr-26.

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Kimberly Dawn Legg, 49, of Charleston, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, admitting to a role in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that operated in the Charleston area.

According to court documents and statements made in court, for several months prior to December 5, 2022, Legg sold quantities of methamphetamine obtained from a supplier who usually delivered the methamphetamine directly to her Lotus Drive residence in Charleston. Kimberly Dawn Legg admitted to handling the money when selling the methamphetamine to customers while co-defendant Larry Wayne Legg typically weighed out the amounts. Kimberly Dawn Legg further admitted that the supplier usually provided the methamphetamine without requiring full payment, with the understanding that he would be paid from the individual sale proceeds.

On December 4, 2022, the supplier delivered approximately 1 pound of methamphetamine to Legg’s residence. The next day, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Legg’s residence and found the methamphetamine. Kimberly Dawn Legg admitted that she and Larry Wayne Legg intended to sell the seized methamphetamine.

Kimberly Dawn Legg is scheduled to be sentenced on August 3, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, three years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a $1 million fine.

Larry Wayne Legg, 55, of Charleston, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine on March 6, 2023. Kimberly Dawn Legg and Larry Wayne Legg are among 30 individuals indicted as a result of Operation Smoke and Mirrors, a major drug trafficking investigation that has yielded the largest methamphetamine seizure in West Virginia history. Law enforcement seized well over 200 pounds of methamphetamine as well as 28 pounds of cocaine, 20 pounds of fentanyl, 18 firearms and $747,000 in cash.

Two other co-defendants have pleaded guilty. Indictments against the other defendants are pending. An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT), the West Virginia State Police, the West Virginia National Guard Counter Drug program, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Charleston Police Department, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office and the Raleigh County Sheriff's Office. MDENT is composed of the Charleston Police Department, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the Nitro Police Department, the St. Albans Police Department and the South Charleston Police Department.

Chief United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy B. Wolfe is prosecuting the case.

The investigation was part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The program was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and is the keystone of the Department of Justice’s drug reduction strategy. OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:23-cr-4.

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A former West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation Parole officer was sentenced today in federal court in the Southern District of West Virginia to 15 years of imprisonment, five years of supervised release and registration as a sex offender under the Federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act for violating the civil rights of a female parolee by sexually assaulting her while he was serving as her parole officer.

According to court documents, Anthony DeMetro, 44, admitted that on or about April 16, 2021, he used physical force and his position, authority and status as a state parole officer to force a female parolee to perform oral sex on him against her will. At the time, the parolee was attempting to complete residential drug and alcohol treatment as a condition of her parole.  DeMetro admitted that he knew that the parolee did not want to have sex with him but that he coerced and forced her into doing so anyway, for his own sexual gratification.

“We thank the survivor for having the courage and strength to come forward to tell her story,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Department of Justice will continue to hold accountable public officials who exploit their power and authority to sexually assault and harm vulnerable people.”

“This office will continue to hold people accountable who use their position of power to sexually assault vulnerable victims,” said U.S. Attorney Will Thompson for the Southern District of West Virginia. “I want to thank the victim again for being brave enough to come forward, even though she was putting her personal safety and freedom at risk.”

“Mr. DeMetro was in a position of power and authority,” said Special Agent in Charge Mike Nordwall of the FBI Pittsburgh Field Office. “He used that authority to take advantage of and prey on a vulnerable woman. This behavior was in violation of the oath he took and cannot be tolerated. The FBI will continue to aggressively investigate color of law abuses by public officials.”

The FBI Pittsburgh Field Office investigated the case.

Trial Attorneys Kathryn E. Gilbert and Daniel E. Grunert of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Monica Coleman and Nowles Heinrich for the Southern District of West Virginia are prosecuting the case.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Michael Henderson, 34, of Detroit, Michigan, was sentenced today to 15 years and eight months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on March 3, 2022, law enforcement officers conducted a traffic stop in downtown Charleston of a vehicle in which Henderson was a passenger. During the traffic stop, a police K-9 alerted to the presence of controlled substances in a duffel bag belonging to Henderson. Officers searched the bag and found approximately 5 pounds of methamphetamine.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT).

United States District Judge Irene C. Berger imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Monica D. Coleman prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:22-cr-65.

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BECKLEY, W.Va. – Timothy Gross, 39, of Beckley, pleaded guilty today to wire fraud, admitting to making a fraudulent payment with an employer-issued credit card as part of a scheme to divert more than $65,000 in credit card charges to his personal bank account.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Gross was hired by Amerihost LLC in 2020 as a maintenance worker for Beckley Town Homes, a multi-unit apartment building in Beckley. Amerihost issued Gross a credit card for legitimate business purposes and not for personal use.

On April 5, 2020, Gross used his Amerihost-issued credit card to submit a $1,712 payment to “J and Sons Electrical and Plumbing.” Gross admitted that no work had been conducted to justify the payment, and that he created a fraudulent invoice that described the payment as being for eight circuit-breaker panel boxes. Gross further admitted that he opened an account for “J and Sons Electrical and Plumbing” on the Square payments platform to divert payments from the Amerihost-issued credit card for his personal use, and linked that Square account to his personal bank account.

On at least 38 separate occasions from at least January 1, 2020, until at least April 15, 2020, Gross used the Amerihost-issued credit card to send more than $65,000 in unauthorized, fraudulent payments to “J and Sons Electrical and Plumbing” for work that was not performed. Gross created false work invoices as part of his scheme.

Gross is scheduled to be sentenced on August 4, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. Gross owes more than $65,000 in restitution.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development-Office of Inspector General (HUD-OIG), the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Beckley Police Department.

United States District Judge Frank W. Volk presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Ryan Blackwell is prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:22-cr-191.

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Aalik Wilsher, 26, of Charleston, pleaded guilty today to receipt of stolen money, admitting to a scheme to defraud the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) of $20,459.33 in COVID-19 relief loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act).

According to court documents and statements made in court, on April 14, 2021, Wilsher applied for a PPP loan for his purported business, “Aalik Wilsher.” Wilsher admitted that he falsely certified that “Aalik Wilsher” was established in 2019 and was in operation on February 15, 2020. Wilsher further admitted to submitting a false IRS Form 1040, Schedule C, to state that “Aalik Wilsher” had earned $97,587 in gross income during 2019.

The CARES Act, enacted in March 2020, offered emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering from the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This assistance included forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses through the Paycheck Protection Program. Businesses applying for PPP loans had to certify that the business was in operation on February 15, 2020, and were required to provide documentation showing their prior gross income from either 2019 or 2020.

Wilsher’s fraudulent PPP loan application was approved and $20,330 was electronically deposited from a financial institution in Florida to Wilsher’s bank account in Charleston, West Virginia, on April 30, 2021.

Wilsher later applied to have the fraudulent PPP loan and $129.33 in accrued interest forgiven. Wilsher admitted that he had not spent the loan proceeds on permissible business expenses. The SBA forgave Wilsher’s fraudulent PPP loan on December 13, 2021.

Wilsher is scheduled to be sentenced on July 5, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. Wilsher also owes $20,459.33 in restitution.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the West Virginia State Police-Bureau of Criminal Investigations (BCI) and the West Virginia State Auditor’s Office (WVSAO) Public Integrity and Fraud Unit (PIFU).

United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan T. Storage is prosecuting the case.

On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, 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.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:23-cr-51.

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Shawn K. Bever, 45, of Craigsville, pleaded guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on November 17, 2021, law enforcement officers investigating the illegal shooting of a bear encountered Bever outside his Craigsville residence. Officers saw an ATI .22-caliber pistol in Bever’s side-by-side all-terrain vehicle, parked on the property. Winchester .22-caliber ammunition was recovered from Bever’s pants pocket. Bever admitted to possessing the firearm and ammunition.

Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Bever was prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition because of his prior felony conviction for delivery of a controlled substance in Nicholas County Circuit Court on November 14, 2011.

Bever is scheduled to be sentenced on July 11, 2023, and faces a faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources Police and the assistance provided by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorneys Nowles Heinrich and Lesley C. Shamblin are prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:22-cr-164.

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Christopher Stephen Taylor, 52, of St. Albans, was sentenced today to six years and six months in prison, to be followed by 15 years of supervised release, for possession of prepubescent child pornography. Taylor must also register as a sex offender.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on May 19, 2022, Taylor attempted to print images depicting prepubescent child pornography from two compact disks he brought to the self-service photo kiosk of a St. Albans pharmacy. Taylor was unable to obtain the prints and left the store. A pharmacy employee found the child pornography uploaded to the kiosk and contacted law enforcement.

Taylor admitted to possessing 1,769 images and videos of prepubescent child pornography. Many of the children in the images were under the age of 12. Several of the images depict children subjected to sadistic or masochistic conduct. Taylor admitted that one of the images depicts an adult male sexually assaulting a prepubescent girl.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the St. Albans Police Department, and the West Virginia State Police Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force.

Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Julie M. White prosecuted the case.

This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative of the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:22-cr-181.

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Todd Jeffery Ullum, 33, of Maysel, was sentenced today to three years and one month in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on September 15, 2021, a law enforcement officer encountered Ullum at the Clay-Maysel GoMart with a handgun in the back of his pants. When Ullum saw the officer, he attempted to flee in a vehicle. The officer ordered Ullum to stop and recovered the handgun, a loaded 9mm Short Hungarian pistol, as well as a loaded Remington 597 .22-caliber Magnum rifle from the vehicle.

Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Ullum was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his felony conviction for grand larceny in Kanawha County Circuit Court on May 7, 2015.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Clay County Sheriff’s Department.

Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorneys Troy D. Adams and R. Gregory McVey prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:22-cr-36.

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