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Friday 23 February 2024
Two Men Indicted for Money Laundering ConspiracyRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a single-count indictment on Feb. 15, 2024, against Alex Altoh, 64, of Roseville, and Oumar Sidibe, 30, formerly of Reno, Nevada, charging them with conspiracy to commit money laundering, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. The indictment was unsealed on Feb. 21 after Altoh’s arrest. Sidibe is yet to be apprehended.
According to court documents, between January 2021 and November 2021, Altoh and Sidibe were involved in a conspiracy to launder the proceeds from two large business email compromise schemes, in which two corporate victims were tricked into making payments to bank accounts controlled by Altoh and another person, rather than to the intended beneficiaries of the payments. Altoh and Sidibe then quickly withdrew a large portion of the funds by way of check deposits, which effectively transferred the funds, concealed their unlawful nature, and prevented them from being clawed back. Law enforcement has traced Altoh and Sidibe to about $3.9 million in laundered fraud proceeds.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Denise N. Yasinow and Matthew Thuesen are prosecuting the case.
If convicted, Altoh and Sidibe each face a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of $500,000 or twice the value of the property involved in the money laundering conspiracy. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
altoh_and_sidibe_indictment.pdfTwo Indian Nationals Charged in Elder Fraud Gold Bar Courier ScamRead the Press Release
Cleveland – Anil Mangukia, 39, of Edison, New Jersey, and Yash Navadia, 25 of Secaucus, New Jersey, who were Indian Nationals, were both indicted by a federal grand jury and charged with money laundering conspiracy for their roles in an elder fraud gold bar courier scam (“Courier Scam”) targeting older Americans. They allegedly stole more than $127,000 and attempted to steal an additional $650,000 from a victim in Warrren, Ohio.
According to court documents, coconspirators posed as a customer service employee at a company or bank. They contacted a victim—typically an elder person—and falsely claimed that the victim’s account was at risk or had been compromised by a hacking event or similar computer intrusion. The purported customer service employee then referred the victim to another perpetrator who posed as a government agent, claiming that the fake government agent would assist the victim in avoiding or mitigating the effects of the account compromise. The fake government agent would discuss the incident with the victim, validate the false story told by the purported customer service or bank employee, and instruct the victim to either (1) move the victim’s money to another account that the perpetrators controlled, or (2) purchase gold or other valuable items and move them to the perpetrators’ account, claiming that the new account was secure and safe from the purported hackers. The perpetrators then used the stolen funds for their own benefit, without the victim’s knowledge or consent.
According to court documents, the defendants caused their victims to engage in several different types of transfers, such as the following: (i) withdrawing currency, converting it to cryptocurrency, and transferring the cryptocurrency to the coconspirators, who claimed they would deposit it into secure accounts; (ii) initiating bank transfers directly from victim’s accounts to acquire things of value that were handed over or otherwise transferred to coconspirators, who claimed that they would then convert those items into funds and deposit them in a secure account for the victim.
According to court documents, the defendants and their coconspirators also obtained proceeds from the Courier Scam directly from victims, traveling to meet victims either at their homes or nearby designated locations. There, the victims would give the defendants and their coconspirators U.S. currency, gold bars, or gold coins under false pretenses, persuaded that the perpetrators would secure the victims’ property.
“Our Office is committed to investigating and prosecuting those who commit financial scams that defraud our elderly citizens of their hard-earned savings,” said U.S. Attorney Rebecca C. Lutzko. “Financial fraud schemes of any variety cause serious financial harm to our community members, but those that target the elderly are particularly reprehensible. We encourage all members of the public to remain vigilant against such hoaxes and report suspected scams to law enforcement.”
“The FBI is focused on finding and investigating criminals preying on the trust of older Americans,” said FBI Cleveland Special Agent in Charge Greg Nelsen. “Scams are becoming more complex, with several layers of deceit in their ploy and bad actors working in groups to give the illusion of legitimacy. The FBI will not yield in its pursuit to identify these criminals and dismantle scam and fraud-based networks.”
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it is the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense, and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum, and in most cases, it will be less than the maximum.
This investigation was conducted by the Cleveland Division of the FBI. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Yasmine Makridis and Brian M. McDonough.
If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has been a victim of financial fraud, help is standing by at 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 seven days a week from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. eastern time. English, Spanish and other languages are available.
Two Charlotte-Area Businessmen Sentenced to Prison for Fraudulent Investment SchemeRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Two Charlotte-area business partners were sentenced to prison late yesterday for executing a fraudulent investment scheme, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Marlin Hershey, 54, of Cornelius, N.C., was sentenced to 21 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release. Dana Bradley, 53, also of Cornelius, was sentenced to 10 months plus one day in prison followed by two years of supervised release. In addition, the court imposed significant restitution and financial penalties on the defendants, including more than $333,000 in restitution to victims and combined forfeiture and fines of more than $600,000.
North Carolina Secretary of State Elaine F. Marshall and Robert M. DeWitt, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Charlotte Division, join U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement.
According to filed documents and court proceedings, from approximately 2009 to 2021, Hershey and Bradley conspired to defraud numerous victims who invested in two unregistered securities offerings promoted by the defendants, Performance Retire on Rentals, LLC (Performance Retire), and Distressed Lending Fund (DLF). To execute the scheme, the defendants provided victims with investment materials that contained false and misleading statements and did not disclose material information. For example, the defendants did not disclose to investors negative information about the defendants’ backgrounds and the financial troubles of the entities for which they were soliciting investments. The defendants also did not inform investors that the defendants received undisclosed “management” fees, and commission-like payments that were typically 10% of the victims’ investments. To further conceal the scheme, the defendants sent to investors periodic performance reports that disclosed false information about the status and health of their investments and made Ponzi-style payments to existing investors using new investors’ money. Eventually, both Performance Retire and DLF failed, causing financial losses to investors.
On June 1, 2023, the defendants pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy. They will be ordered to report to the federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.
In making today’s announcement U.S. Attorney King thanked the Securities Division of the North Carolina Secretary of State and the FBI for their joint investigation of the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel Ryan and Taylor Stout of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.
Third Revocation of Supervised Release Lands Fort Dodge, Iowa Man Back in Federal Prison for Fourth TimeRead the Press Release
A man who violated the terms of his federal supervised release for the third time was sentenced to 30 months’ imprisonment.
Matthew Brockway, 44, from Fort Dodge, Iowa, received the prison term after admitting to multiple violations of his supervised release, including several failures to report/submit to urinalysis, numerous uses of controlled substances, and failures to report as directed by U.S. Probation. Brockway initially was sentenced to 180 months’ imprisonment in 2010 for drug trafficking offenses and was first released to supervision on February 24, 2021. Less than a year later, on January 27, 2022, Brockway’s supervised release was revoked for various supervised release violations, including new state law violations and he was sentenced to federal prison for 24 months. After being released a second time on November 25, 2022, mere months later, on January 9, 2023, Brockway was revoked again for various supervised release violations, including using drugs and sentenced to 11 months’ imprisonment. On November 17, 2023, Brockway was released on his third supervision and has now been ordered to serve 30 months in federal prison.
Brockway was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand. Brockway is being held in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and investigated by the United States Probation Office.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 08-3026. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Tampa Man Indicted for Unauthorized Computer Intrusion and Related Violations of the Wiretap ActRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the unsealing of an indictment charging Timothy Burke (45, Tampa) with conspiracy, unauthorized access of protected computers, and violations of the Wiretap Act. If convicted on all counts, Burke faces a maximum penalty of 62 years in federal prison. The indictment also notifies Burke that the United States is seeking forfeiture of a website domain and 20 computer-related devices used to commit the charged criminal conduct, and $1,500, the proceeds of certain charged criminal conduct.
According to the indictment, Burke and Conspirator 2 secured and used compromised credentials—usernames and passwords—to gain unauthorized access to protected computers owned or used by the victim entities, namely the “National Sports League” and “StreamCo,” and to obtain and steal information from those entities’ computers. As to the StreamCo-related conduct, the indictment further alleges that Burke and Conspirator 2: (1) used the compromised credentials to access a website of the StreamCo-Net, a StreamCo service that allowed its broadcaster-customers to record and transmit high-resolution encoded content and communications over the Internet; (2) obtained and stole StreamCo proprietary information from that website; and then (3) used that stolen StreamCo proprietary information to intercept, download, and save the StreamCo broadcaster-customers’ streams. The indictment also specifies two StreamCo broadcaster-customers impacted by the charged conduct.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Tampa Field Office – Cyber Squad. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jay G. Trezevant and James A. Muench.
Download IndictmentTahlequah Resident Sentenced for Federal Drug and Gun CrimesRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Tyler Aaron Meigs, age 32, of Tahlequah, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 63 months in prison for one count of Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine and 63 months in prison for Felon in Possession of a Firearm, with the terms of imprisonment to run consecutively.
The charges arose from investigations by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office.
On June 6, 2023, Meigs pleaded guilty to possessing a quantity of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute it to others in the Eastern District of Oklahoma, and to possessing a firearm after having been convicted of a felony punishable by more than one year in prison. According to court documents, on October 4, 2022, Cherokee County Sheriff deputies arrived at the scene of a single car accident. Meigs, the sole occupant of the vehicle, was found in possession of a handgun and approximately 41 grams of methamphetamine.
The Honorable Keith Starrett, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, sitting by assignment, presided over the hearings in Muskogee. Meigs was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshal pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.
Assistant United States Attorney Ryan Bondura represented the United States.
Stephens County Woman Sentenced to Serve 15 Years in Federal Prison for Child AbuseRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – Earlier this week, CAITLYN CHEYENNE DOWNS, 24, of Stephens County, was sentenced to serve 180 months in federal prison for child abuse in Indian Country, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.
On December 7, 2022, a federal grand jury returned a three-count Indictment against Downs, charging her with murder in the second degree and two counts of child abuse. The Indictment alleges that between May 11, 2022, and September 20, 2022, Downs willfully failed to protect two minor children from harm or threatened harm and that Downs was responsible for the health, safety, and welfare of the children.
According to public record, Downs left three minor children in the care of another adult on several occasions in 2022, and willfully ignored warning signs that the adult was physically abusive toward the children. In September 2022, one of the children died as a result of a head injury sustained during such abuse.
On August 29, 2023, Downs was charged by a one-count Superseding Information with child abuse, to which she pleaded guilty.
This case is in federal court because Downs is a citizen of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and the crime occurred within the boundaries of the Chickasaw Nation.
At the sentencing hearing on Wednesday of this week, U.S. District Judge Stephen P. Friot sentenced Downs to serve 180 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release. In announcing the sentence, the court noted the seriousness of the offense, adding that Downs was “appallingly dismissive” when she was alerted the children were continuously being abused in 2022.
This case is a result of an investigation by the FBI Oklahoma City Field Office and the Duncan Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany Edgmon and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kaleigh Blackwell are prosecuting the case.
Reference is made to public filings for more information.
St. Louis Woman Admits Aiding $291,000 Pandemic FraudRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A woman from St. Louis, Missouri on Friday admitted conspiring to defraud a COVID-19 pandemic relief program.
Jeannine Buford, 45, pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy and admitted submitting a fraudulent loan application to the Paycheck Protection Program with Porshia L. Thomas.
In April of 2020, Buford changed the name of an existing company to Couture Trading Inc. with the Montana Secretary of State’s Office. She listed herself as the company president and Thomas as the director, vice president, secretary and treasurer, the indictment says. On July 15, 2020, Thomas, with Buford’s help, completed and submitted a fraudulent PPP loan application for Couture Trading.
Buford admitted that she and Thomas falsely claimed the company was an operating business located in California, had 15 employees and an average monthly payroll of $120,000. They claimed the loan would be used for salaries and business expenses and submitted fake company bank records.
The bank issued a $291,000 PPP loan on Sept. 8, 2020. Thomas then wired $10,000 to Buford and wrote her a $65,000 check. Buford spent the money on personal expenses, including food, clothes, the $14,000 deposit on a 2017 BMW X6, a $5,000 couch and other furniture and $1,855 to rent a luxury apartment in downtown St. Louis.
The wire fraud charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both.
Thomas pleaded guilty to a bank fraud charge and is scheduled to be sentenced March 11.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek J. Wiseman is prosecuting the case.
St. Louis County Man Wounded in Drug-Linked Shootout Sentenced to 7 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig on Friday sentenced a man who was shot while dealing drugs to seven years in prison.
Jeremiah Hill was selling drugs outside a market in the 12000 block of Bellefontaine Road in St. Louis County on Dec. 10, 2021. During a dispute with two men in a vehicle about the amount of marijuana he sold them Hill pulled out a 9mm pistol and pointed it at the driver. The passenger pulled his own gun and the driver tried to grab his. Hill and the driver were both hit in the exchange of gunfire. ShotSpotter indicated 30 shots had been fired.
When police arrived, Hill was lying on the ground, injured, and was taken to the hospital. Police found drugs including marijuana, fentanyl and oxycodone in Hill’s belongings at the scene.
Hill, 21, of Bellefontaine Neighbors, Missouri, pleaded guilty in November to one count of possession and brandishing of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
The St. Louis County Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine Hoag prosecuted the case.
Shreveport Gang Member Sentenced in Federal Court for Illegally Possessing a Firearm While Under Indictment on State Court Charge of Second Degree MurderRead the Press Release
SHREVEPORT, La. – United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced that Devoris Antonio Hardy, 23, of Shreveport, Louisiana, was sentenced yesterday on firearms charges. United States District Judge Donald E. Walter sentenced Hardy to 36 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release.
According to information presented in court, Hardy, who had ties to a Shreveport gang, was indicted on March 25, 2021, in Caddo Parish for one count of second degree murder in connection with a murder that happened in December 2020. On April 6, 2021, he was present with his counsel, formally arraigned on all charges and was released on a $250,000 bond.
Less than one year later, on March 14, 2022, Shreveport Police Department officers responded to a call about two cars shooting at each other at the corner of Youree Drive and East Washington Street in close proximity to the Montessori School for Shreveport. Upon arrival, officers located two individuals outside of a vehicle that had a gunshot hole in the rear window. Defendant Hardy was located a little further away on East Washington Street. Officers found six spent shell casings inside Hardy’s vehicle. In addition, officers found a Glock pistol, model: 22 Gen 4, Caliber: 40 in the bed of a pickup truck that belonged to an innocent person where officers learned Hardy had stashed the pistol following the shootout. The shell casings found in Hardy’s vehicle matched the Glock 22 found in the bed of the pickup truck.
Hardy admitted to officers that while attending a hearing regarding his second degree murder charge in Caddo Parish that morning, he saw a member of a rival gang in the courtroom that he had issues with. Hardy stated that he thought they were about to fight in the courthouse. After court, he was picked up by his brother and suspected that the gang member would follow him. Hardy asked for the gun, which he stated was his friend’s fathers’ gun, because he was nervous. He told officers that shortly thereafter another vehicle approached their vehicle and opened fire. Hardy returned fire and the vehicle he was in attempted to get away. Hardy admitted that the gun found in the pickup truck was the one he used.
Hardy was indicted in federal court for receipt of a firearm by a person under indictment in May 2022 and was held without bond due to him being a danger to the community. In August 2023, Hardy proceeded to a jury trial in Caddo Parish District Court on the second degree murder charge and the jury returned a responsive verdict of negligent homicide. He was sentenced to the maximum term of imprisonment allowed by the state statute, five years. Hardy pleaded guilty to the federal charge on October 23, 2023, and was subsequently sentenced yesterday.
“This is a dangerous individual who has a callous disregard for human life,” said U.S. Attorney Brandon B. Brown. “We are pleased that this Court upward departed from the recommended sentencing guidelines in this case to a 36 month sentence. We are working with law enforcement at every level and District Attorney Stewart’s office to get firearms that are in the wrong hands out of those hands and put Shreveport’s most dangerous individuals in state and federal prison.”
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Shreveport Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney J. Aaron Crawford.
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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. PSN is part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime. To learn more about Project Safe Neighborhoods, go to www.justice.gov/psn.
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Shoreham Man Sentenced for Child Exploitation OffensesRead the Press Release
Burlington, Vermont – The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that on February 22, 2024, Scott Remick, 48, of Shoreham, Vermont, was sentenced in United States District Court in Burlington, Vermont, to serve 80 months in prison after his guilty plea to one count of receipt of child pornography (also known as child sexual abuse material, or CSAM). United States District Judge Christina Reiss also ordered Remick to serve a 14-year term of supervised release and to pay two assessments: $5,000 pursuant to the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015, and $5,000 pursuant to the Amy, Vicky, and Andy Child Pornography Victim Assistance Act of 2018.
According to court records and proceedings, on June 16, 2021, a source of information (SOI), who is a private software developer and security analyst and who is part of a group of individuals involved in analyzing a specific piece of software with a specific security vulnerability, identified a computer with the security vulnerability (the Target Computer). The SOI accessed the Target Computer, including the contents of an encrypted volume mounted on it. The SOI viewed some of the image files in that container and discovered that they depicted CSAM. The SOI also created a text file that contained directories and file names of files located in the encrypted volume. The file names indicated that the files contained sexually explicit content involving children.
The SOI reported its findings to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) and to the Vermont State Police (VSP). VSP reached out to special agents with the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). After HSI spoke with the SOI and conducted additional investigation into the suspected user of the Target Computer, Scott Remick, agents obtained a warrant to search remotely electronically stored information at Remick’s residence, and a second warrant to search Remick’s residence.
On July 3, 2021, HSI agents executed the remote search warrant and recovered CSAM images, as well as items associated with Remick. On July 7, 2021, HSI agents executed the warrant to search Remick’s residence. Agents determined that a self-built computer at the residence was the same one searched pursuant to the remote search warrant. Agents found additional CSAM images on the self-built computer.
Through additional investigation, law enforcement discovered that, in 2012, Remick met a then-17-year old female on an online dating application when Remick was 37 years old. Remick and the minor female began communicating and eventually began sharing sexually explicit photos of themselves, including photos of the minor female engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the efforts of Homeland Security Investigations, the Vermont State Police, and the Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force in the investigation and prosecution of Remick.
Barbara A. Masterson, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Vermont, represented the government. Assistant Federal Public Defender Steven L. Barth represented Remick.
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 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 Justice.gov/PSC.
Sex Offender Sentenced to Serve More Than 27 Years in Federal Prison for Attempted Enticement of a Minor to Engage in Sexual ActivityRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – Yesterday, STEVEN NEEL HARRY, 62, of Oklahoma City, was sentenced to serve 327 months in federal prison for attempted coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity, announced United States Attorney Robert J. Troester.
On April 18, 2023, a federal grand jury returned a two-count Indictment against Harry, charging him with attempted coercion and enticement of a minor and commission of a felony sex offense by an individual required to register as a sex offender. According to court records, in September 2022, Harry started communicating with an undercover law enforcement officer. During those conversations, Harry made clear that he was a registered sex offender and discussed meeting an individual at a hotel in Oklahoma City to engage in sexual activity with a person whom Harry believed was a 12-year-old girl. In March 2023, Harry then coordinated to meet with the “girl” at an Oklahoma City metro motel, where he was arrested. Harry had brought with him to the meeting a leather mask, leather restraints, a hammer, and other items.
“This abhorrent and vile behavior has absolutely no place in our society and will not be tolerated,” said U.S. Attorney Robert Troester. “The swift action by law enforcement and decisive punishment of more than 27 years in prison will ensure that this predator will not harm—or even attempt to harm—innocent children for many years. I applaud the work done by the FBI and prosecutors in my office to hold Mr. Harry accountable and bring him to justice.
“Identifying and stopping child predators before they strike is a critical part of the FBI’s mission,” said FBI Oklahoma City Special Agent in Charge Edward J. Gray. “This sentencing reflects the hard work, dedication, and partnership between the investigators and the prosecution team to ensure the most innocent members of our community are protected.”
On May 31, 2023, Harry pleaded guilty to Count 1, and admitted to using an electronic device to set up a sexual encounter with a minor.
At the sentencing hearing yesterday, U.S. District Judge Charles Goodwin sentenced Harry to serve 327 months in federal prison, followed by a lifetime term of supervised release. In announcing his sentence, Judge Goodwin noted that Harry “fully intended to torture and rape” a child, and that the “most severe punishment” is needed for deterrence and to protect the public. Judge Goodwin also noted Harry’s criminal history. Public records reflect Harry has felony convictions for possession of a machine gun and being a drug addict in possession of firearms in Western District of Oklahoma case number CR-98-60, travel with intent to engage in a sexual act with a minor in Western District of Texas case number CR-02-71, possession of a machine gun in Western District of Oklahoma case number CR-03-13, and failure to comply with the Sex Offender Registration Act in Oklahoma County District Court case number CF-17-6413. Following Harry’s conviction for travel with intent to engage in a sexual act, he was required to register as a sex offender.
This case is the result of an investigation by the FBI Oklahoma City Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Allison B. Christian and Brandon Hale prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the DOJ Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, PSC 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 PSC, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Reference is made to public filings for additional information.
Salt Lake City Resident Accused of Robbing a Credit Union is Arrested and ChargedRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City, Utah, returned an indictment February 21, 2024, charging a Salt Lake City man for allegedly robbing a credit union in West Valley City, Utah.
According to court documents, Joey Shaun Symond, 44, of Salt Lake City, entered Cyprus Credit Union in West Valley City on February 10, 2024, and passed the teller a handwritten note that read, “I got a gun hand over the money or your dead.” The teller complied. Symonds then took the money and left the bank on foot, leaving the note behind. Management at Cyprus Credit Union then called 911 and a West Valley City Police officer responded. That same evening, at 4:18 p.m. Unified Police Department of Greater Salt Lake received a phone call from a person identifying themselves as a relative of Symonds. The caller reported that Symonds had been at their residence and claimed to have robbed Cyprus Credit Union two hours prior. UPD responded to the area and located Symonds a short distance from the caller’s residence. West Valley City Police also responded and Symonds was identified as the same person in the robbery using a suspect description and surveillance images from inside Cyprus Credit Union. Symonds was taken into custody and a large amount of cash was seized during his arrest.
Symonds is charged with credit union robbery. His initial court appearance on the indictment was held on Feb. 23, 2024, before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City. A two-day jury trial is scheduled for April 26, 2024.
U.S. Attorney, Trina A. Higgins, of the District of Utah made the announcement.
An FBI Task Force Officer with the West Valley City Police Department is investigating the case.
Assistant United States Attorney Carlos Esqueda of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Registered Sex Offender Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Child Pornography OffensesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A registered sex offender was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for receiving and possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) via multiple groups on a messaging app.
Angel Figueroa, 51, of Fall River, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani to 15 years in prison and five years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay restitution to several victims. In October 2023, Figueroa pleaded guilty to one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.
Figueroa was identified as an active member of at least four messaging applications where CSAM was being disseminated. A forensic examination of Figueroa’s cell phone revealed approximately 523 images and 72 videos of CSAM depicting children as young as infants. At least one image depicted bondage of a child younger than two years old. Figueroa admitted that he downloaded, saved, and viewed CSAM using apps on his cell phone and had been doing so for one or two years. Figueroa is a registered sex offender based upon a 2013 Massachusetts state court conviction for indecent assault and battery on a child under 14 years old.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations, in New England; and Fall River Chief of Police Paul Gauvin made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica Soto and Meghan C. Cleary of the Major Crimes Unit and J. Mackenzie Duane of the Criminal Division prosecuted 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 the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Qatar Man Sentenced for Transportation and Possession of Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Thomas Barber has sentenced Saoud Al Naimi (21, Tampa) to five years in federal prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, for transporting and possessing child sexual abuse material. The court also ordered Al Naimi to forfeit three iPhones, an iPad Pro, and a MacBook, which were used in the commission of the offense. Al Naimi was also ordered to register as a sex offender. Al Naimi entered a guilty plea on August 22, 2023.
According to court documents, Al Naimi is a citizen of Qatar and was in the United States on a student visa, attending courses at a local college. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) regarding Al Naimi’s use of an internet platform to upload a video of child sexual abuse. HSI agents searched Al Naimi’s electronic devices for evidence of child sexual abuse material and found hundreds of images and videos of children engaged in sex acts, including children under 12 years old. A search of Al Naimi’s iPhone revealed that he had obtained images of child sexual abuse in May 2020, while outside of the United States. U.S. border crossing records confirmed Al Naimi transported child sexual abuse material into the United States when he entered in January 2022. Between May 2020 and April 2022, Al Naimi transported child sexual abuse material between the United States and Qatar approximately three times.
“This predator contributed to the vile practice of sexually exploiting children online and has caused irreparable harm by condemning them to a lifetime of victimhood,” said HSI Tampa Assistant Special Agent in Charge Kristopher Pagitt. “Alongside partners like the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, HSI investigators will always seek to stop the vile actions of child predators and hold them accountable for their actions.”
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ilyssa M. Spergel.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Prior felon charged with gunpoint robbery of five StarbucksRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 24-year-old Houston resident has been indicted on multiple counts of robbery, brandishing a firearm and illegal possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Kentrelle Tatum is set to appear for his detention hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Andrew Edison at 11 a.m.
A federal grand jury returned the indictment Feb. 15 which alleges five counts of robbery, four counts of brandishing a firearm and one count of illegal possession of a firearm as a felon.
From Sept. 5 to Sept. 11, 2023, Tatum allegedly robbed five separate Houston-area Starbucks establishments over the course of six days while brandishing a firearm.
As a convicted felon, he is prohibited from possessing a firearm per federal law.
If convicted, Tatum faces up 20 years in federal prison for each of five counts of robbery, while a conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm carries a possible 10-year prison term. Each of the charges could also result in fines of up to $250,000. He is also charged with four counts of brandishing a firearm while committing a crime of violence which carries a mandatory seven years to be served consecutively to any other prison term imposed.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation with assistance from the Houston Police Department and Harris County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Francisco J. Rodriguez is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.
Precursor Chemical Broker Sentenced for Methamphetamine Importation and Money Laundering ConspiraciesRead the Press Release
A precursor chemical broker was sentenced today to 18 years and eight months in prison for methamphetamine importation and money laundering conspiracies.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Javier Algredo Vazquez, 56, of Queens, New York, procured chemicals, including methylamine, for the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG) to make controlled substances for importation into the United States. The CJNG, which is based in the State of Jalisco in Mexico, is one of the largest, most dangerous, and most prolific drug cartels in Mexico and is responsible for transporting tonnage quantities of methamphetamine, fentanyl, and other drugs into the United States. Algredo Vazquez imported over 5 million kilograms of chemicals into Mexico, including enough precursors to produce over 700 million doses of methamphetamine and over 2 billion doses of fentanyl. Algredo Vazquez also transferred millions of dollars from the United States to chemical suppliers in China and India to procure the chemicals.
24,500 kilograms of methylamine hydrochloride purchased by Algredo Vazquez and his co-conspirators that was seized at the Port of Oakland, California, on June 8, 2021.
Algredo Vazquez was convicted at trial in July 2023 of conspiracy to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine for unlawful importation into the United States, conspiracy to distribute a List I chemical to manufacture methamphetamine for unlawful importation into the United States, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Administrator Anne Milgram of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and Executive Associate Director Katrina W. Berger of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) made the announcement.
The DEA Los Angeles Field Division and HSI Houston investigated the case, with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service’s Investigative Operations Division. The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command Joint Interagency Task Force West also provided support for the investigatory efforts.
Trial Attorney Kate Naseef, Acting Assistant Deputy Chief Nhan Nguyen, and Acting Deputy Chief Kaitlin Sahni of the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section prosecuted the case.
The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs contributed significantly to the investigation. The Justice Department thanks the Mexican Attorney General’s Office for their assistance in securing the conviction.
Operation Fraud Street Mafia Results Announced: Nine Arrested for Drug Trafficking and Committing More Than $550 Million in Attempted Tax FraudRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — As a result of Operation Fraud Street Mafia, a Kern Valley State Prison (KVSP) inmate has been charged in two separate federal complaints with drug trafficking and COVID-19 fraud. Seven defendants in California and Maryland are also charged in the two schemes.
Making the announcement today are U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert, DEA Special Agent in Charge Brian M. Clark, Acting Special Agent in Charge Mark Remily of the FBI Sacramento Field Office, and IRS Criminal Investigation Oakland Field Office Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael Mosley.
“It is remarkable that a prison inmate coordinated with others on the outside to distribute over 100 pounds of methamphetamine into the community,” said U.S. Attorney Talbert. “But that apparently was not enough: he also conspired to pursue over half a billion dollars in federal tax credits that were meant to help struggling businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to combatting organized crime whether it is drug trafficking or theft of taxpayer money, and whether it is committed inside or outside of prisons.”
“This extensive drug trafficking investigation exposed a massive fraud operation being conducted from behind bars. As a prison inmate engineered a criminal network from coast to coast to peddle poison, law enforcement put their collective authorities together to dismantle this organization brick by brick,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Clark. “Strong law enforcement partnerships built on action are an invaluable tool to ensure prison is no longer a place where violent criminals can operate without consequence.”
“I applaud the work of our California COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force and the hard-working prosecutors, agents, and analysts in the Eastern District of California who conducted this investigation,” said Michael C. Galdo, Department of Justice Director of COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement. “The Department will continue to work with our law enforcement partners around the country to uncover these schemes and hold those accountable who attempt to steal from the American people—whether they are hiding overseas or, like the allegations in this investigation, operating conspiracies from behind bars.”
“The criminal enterprises we battle today are more sophisticated than ever before,” said FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Remily. “From interstate drug trafficking rings to massive fraud schemes aimed at stealing pandemic relief funds meant for struggling American businesses, the criminal conspiracies we face are complex and ever-changing. Despite these challenges, the dedicated men and women of the FBI and our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners will continue to diligently investigate these criminals. We will use every investigative technique at our disposal to disrupt their activities and bring them to justice.”
“Kristopher Thomas and his associates being in federal custody are a result of an incredibly detailed, multi-agency OCEDTF investigation and is a critical milestone in this case,” said IRS Criminal Investigation Acting Special Agent in Charge Mosley. “While incarcerated and with the help of his associates, Thomas is accused of leading a conspiracy to defraud taxpayers of over $550 million by falsely claiming COVID-19 Employee Retention Credits. CI agents specialize in financial investigations and remain on the front lines of fighting fraud.”
According to court documents, in August 2022, the DEA began a wiretap investigation into a methamphetamine trafficking operation that was run out of the Kern Valley State Prison in Delano, California, by inmate Kristopher Thomas, 36. Thomas has been incarcerated since December 2010 after being convicted of a gang-related first-degree murder. Thomas is a long-time member of the Main Street Mafia Crips, a street gang located in South Los Angeles.
Agents reviewed recorded jail calls placed by Thomas on a prison-issued tablet to numerous romantic partners, family members, and other individuals believed to be involved in drug trafficking. Agents also intercepted Thomas sending and receiving text messages about what appeared to be a tax fraud scheme. The intercepted text messages contained screenshots of tax information for many businesses with tax refund amounts. This triggered the DEA to request assistance from IRS Criminal Investigation and the FBI.
The drug trafficking and the tax fraud scheme are being prosecuted separately, and Thomas is charged in both cases.
The Methamphetamine Trafficking Scheme
According to court documents, Thomas was the head of a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that was responsible for the shipment of large quantities of methamphetamine to Hawaii, Oklahoma, Alabama, New Jersey, and elsewhere, as well as the smuggling of fentanyl into Kern Valley State Prison.
The investigation began after DEA agents identified Thomas as a source of methamphetamine supply in Hawaii. Subsequent recorded negotiations with Thomas resulted in the seizure in Oahu, Hawaii, of more than 90 pounds of methamphetamine. These seizures became the basis for the initiation of the wiretap investigation into multiple contraband cellphones in Thomas’s possession at KVSP.
The wiretap investigation revealed that Thomas orchestrated the interstate shipment of more than 54 pounds of methamphetamine to other states, including Oklahoma, Alabama, and New Jersey. Thomas was assisted by other gang associates. In addition, wire intercepts led to the seizure of an additional 40 pounds of methamphetamine, over 14 pounds of fentanyl, 9.5 pounds of heroin, and 8.5 pounds of cocaine. A half a pound of fentanyl was seized after it was smuggled into KVSP at Thomas’s direction.
Charged with Thomas in the drug trafficking scheme are Justin Damonte Mitchell, 31, of Los Angeles; Derrick D. Charles, 41, a former inmate at KVSP; Natasha Michelle Bailey, 44, of Bakersfield; Antrell Maeshack Sr., 41, of Santa Clarita; and Marie Joo-Yeon Choi, 29, of Los Angeles.
The IRS Employee Retention Credits Scheme
According to court documents, from January 2022 through at least July 2023, Thomas led a multi-million-dollar tax refund fraud scheme whereby Thomas and his co-conspirators filed payroll tax returns with the IRS that claimed Employee Retention Credits (ERC) for businesses that were not entitled to receive the credits so that they would receive large tax refunds.
Others charged with Thomas in the ERC scheme are Thomas’s mother, Kettisha Thompson-Dozier, 55, and her spouse Charmane Dozier, 44, both of Waldorf, Maryland, and Sharon Vance, 36, of Hawthorne, California.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the ERC became available as a refundable federal tax credit for employers as a way to encourage businesses to keep employees on their payrolls. The credit was available to eligible employers that paid wages to some or all employees during the pandemic.
IRS records show Thomas and his co-conspirators filed hundreds of payroll tax returns that claimed over $550 million in tax refunds. The payroll tax returns were for fake business entities, actual businesses with overstated wages and numbers of employees, and businesses that were defunct at the time the payroll tax returns were filed. The defendants used the proceeds for improper personal expenditures. For example, in December 2022, Thomas celebrated his birthday by paying for his family members and friends to be driven to Las Vegas from Los Angeles, party for the night at a luxury penthouse, and then fly back to Los Angeles on a private jet.
The drug trafficking case is the product of an investigation by the DEA with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Escobar is prosecuting the case.
The ERC tax fraud case is the product of an investigation by the IRS Criminal Investigation and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph Barton and Jeffrey Spivak are prosecuting the case.
The crimes charged today carry the following penalties: (1) conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl and distribution of methamphetamine – both of which carry a 10-year mandatory minimum prison term and maximum penalty of life in prison; and (2) conspiracy to defraud the United States by submitting fraudulent ERC claims – which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information about OCDETF, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF.
24mj7.crmp_.thomas.fsm_.pdf 24mj6.crcmp_.thomas.pdfOil and Gas Trader Convicted for Role in Foreign Bribery and Money Laundering SchemeRead the Press Release
A federal jury in Brooklyn convicted an oil and gas trader today for his role in a scheme to bribe Ecuadorean and Mexican government officials and to launder money to secure contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars for his then-employer, Vitol Inc. (Vitol), the U.S. affiliate of the largest independent energy trading firm in the world.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Javier Aguilar, 49, of Houston, paid more than $1 million in bribes to officials of Petroecuador, the Ecuadorean state-owned oil and gas company, and PEMEX Procurement International (PPI), a subsidiary of PEMEX, the Mexican state-owned oil and gas company, to obtain lucrative contracts for Vitol.
“Javier Aguilar bribed officials at state-owned oil and gas companies in Ecuador and Mexico using shell companies and sham invoices to obtain business for Vitol Inc., where he worked as an oil and gas trader,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “With today’s verdict, the jury has held him accountable for his role in a sophisticated bribery and money laundering scheme that netted Vitol hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts. Foreign bribery erodes the rule of law, disadvantages honest companies, and emboldens corrupt government officials. The Criminal Division will continue to vigorously pursue wrongdoers who bribe foreign officials and bring them to justice.”
“Today’s verdict represents another victory in this office’s commitment to rooting out corruption in the international marketplace,” said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York. “The defendant and his co-conspirators sought to enrich themselves through criminal backroom deals. The people of Ecuador and Mexico deserved better and companies that play by the rules should know that the process is not rigged. The Justice Department and my office will continue to prioritize holding to account individuals who enrich themselves through bribery.”
“As demonstrated by this case, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act has a long reach,” said Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI Miami Field Office. “Aguilar’s egregious attempt to get away with bribing officials in Ecuador and Mexico failed, and he will now face tough penalties. I want to commend our partners in the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York for their close cooperation on this case.”
The trial evidence showed that, between 2015 and 2020, Aguilar was a trader in Vitol’s Houston office. As a part of the scheme, Aguilar and his co-conspirators agreed to bribe senior Ecuadorian officials to obtain a $300 million contract to purchase fuel oil for Vitol. Aguilar and his co-conspirators used another Middle Eastern state-owned entity to circumvent Petroecuador’s restrictions on contracts with private companies. In return for the promise and payments of bribes, the Ecuadorian officials then ensured that the Middle Eastern state-owned entity and Vitol were awarded the contract. Following the 2017 Ecuadorean presidential election, the officials who received bribes were replaced by new senior officials. To ensure continuity under the then-existing fuel oil contract and to obtain additional business, Aguilar and his co-conspirators agreed to bribe them as well.
To conceal the scheme, Aguilar and his co-conspirators used a series of fake contracts, sham invoices, and shell entities incorporated in Curacao, Panama, and Cayman Islands. Aguilar also used alias email accounts to communicate with his co-conspirators rather than his Vitol email.
The evidence at trial also demonstrated that Aguilar used the same system of shell entities and sham invoices to launder bribe payments to two officials at PPI. In total, Aguilar paid approximately $600,000 in bribes to these officials to obtain numerous contracts for Vitol to supply hundreds of millions of dollars of ethane gas to PEMEX.
The jury convicted Aguilar of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), violating the FCPA, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison on each of the FCPA counts and 20 years in prison on the money laundering count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Seven of Aguilar’s co-conspirators have pleaded guilty to their roles in the scheme and are awaiting sentencing. These individuals have agreed to forfeit more than $63 million.
In December 2020, Vitol admitted to bribing officials in Ecuador, Mexico, and Brazil in violation of the anti-bribery provisions of the FCPA. Vitol entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section (MLARS) and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. As a part of the resolution, Vitol agreed to pay a combined $135 million in penalties as part of a coordinated resolution with the Justice Department, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and authorities in Brazil.
FBI Miami’s International Corruption Squad investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Clayton P. Solomon and Assistant Chiefs Derek J. Ettinger and Jonathan P. Robell of the Fraud Section, Deputy Chief Adam J. Schwartz and Trial Attorney D. Hunter Smith of MLARS, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan P. Lax, Matthew R. Galeotti, and Nick M. Axelrod for the Eastern District of New York are prosecuting the case. The MLARS Special Financial Investigations Unit and Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs also provided substantial assistance.
The Criminal Division’s Fraud Section is responsible for investigating and prosecuting FCPA matters. Additional information about the Justice Department’s FCPA enforcement efforts can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal/fraud/fcpa.
Northern Ohio Man Sentenced to Prison for Selling Fentanyl That Caused Six Overdoses, Including Two DeathsRead the Press Release
TOLEDO – Gerald Isom, age 49, of Toledo, Ohio, was sentenced to 300 months in prison by U.S. District Judge James R. Knepp, II, after earlier pleading guilty to two counts of distribution of fentanyl. Isom was also ordered to serve 3 years of supervised release and pay a $200 special assessment and $1,026 in restitution.
According to court documents, during the evening of December 26, 2019, Isom sold fentanyl to a group of five young men who believed they were receiving cocaine. The young men snorted the fentanyl, and all five overdosed. Three of the young men later woke up to find out that two members of group had died as a result of ingesting the fentanyl. That same evening, Isom sold fentanyl to another man who believed he was receiving cocaine. That man also overdosed, but survived after he was revived with Narcan.
The investigation was conducted by the Lucas County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert Melching, Alissa Sterling, and Michael Freeman.
New York man charged with sexually exploiting Clinton County minorRead the Press Release
CINCINNATI – A New York man was arrested on federal charges alleging he traveled to Ohio to sexually exploit a minor victim.
Noah Knight, 30, of Yonkers, New York, is charged by criminal complaint with aggravated sexual abuse and production of child pornography. He was arrested in Yonkers yesterday.
According to the charging documents, Knight met the 11-year-old victim on Snapchat and came from New York to visit her. Knight allegedly had sex with the victim multiple times that day. Knight allegedly took the victim to Wilmington Cinemas and Walmart, and his CashApp account shows purchases made at both locations.
It is alleged that Knight, who is also known as Noah Matos, made video recordings of his sexual abuse of the child.
Knight appeared in federal court in New York today and will ultimately be transported to the Southern District of Ohio to face his charges.
Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Shawn Gibson, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Detroit; and Wilmington Police Chief Ron Fithen announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorneys Megan Gaffney Painter and Kyle J. Healey are representing the United States in this case.
A criminal complaint merely contains allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
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New Orleans Man Who Encouraged Three-Year Old to Hold a Handgun Sentenced for Being a Felon in Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – On February 21, 2024, United States District Judge Sarah S. Vance sentenced AARON HENDERSON, age 28, a resident of New Orleans, for violating the Federal Gun Control Act, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.
According to court records, HENDERSON pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm after being convicted of a felony. HENDERSON came to the attention of law enforcement after the New Orleans Police Child Abuse Unit received a video depicting HENDERSON in a residential room with a three-year-old male juvenile. HENDERSON was armed with a Draco 7.62 mm rifle, rapping lyrics to an unknown song. He encouraged the three-year-old to pick up a handgun located under some clothing on the bed, and the three-year-old picked up the handgun and began to waive it around. During all this time, HENDERSON was a convicted felon who was prohibited from possessing firearms.
Judge Vance sentenced HENDERSON to 37 months in prison and three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.
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.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the New Orleans Police Department. The prosecution is being handled by Senior Litigation Counsel David Haller.
Monte Vista Man Sentenced to 30 Months After Conviction on Firearms ChargesRead the Press Release
DURANGO – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces that Titus Naranjo, age 42, was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison and three years of supervised release for possessing firearms after previously being convicted of a felony. Naranjo will serve his federal sentence consecutively to a Colorado prison sentence for a felony drug distribution offense.
According to court documents, Naranjo was a well-known drug dealer in Monte Vista, Colorado. Naranjo had five prior drug-related convictions dating back to 2015 in Rio Grande County, including several felonies. In April 2021, law enforcement searched Naranjo’s residence, yielding a large amount of methamphetamine. In November of that same year, local law enforcement encountered Naranjo while executing a search warrant on a house to facilitate the arrest of another drug dealer and gang member. Officers found a Charter Arms .38 special revolver in one of Naranjo’s pockets, and 14 grams of methamphetamine in the other.
“Armed drug dealers present a unique danger to our communities,” said United States Attorney Cole Finegan. “Effective coordination between our local partners, like our cooperation with the Monte Vista Police Department and the ATF in this case can and do result in significant consequences and deterrence.”
"The Monte Vista Police Department will continue to pursue criminals in our communities who are dealing drugs and poisoning our citizens,” said Monte Vista Police Chief George Dingfelder. “Our commitment to the community is to use all available resources to hold these people accountable for their crimes.”
“Firearms illegally possessed by violent felons, especially when involved in drug activity, frequently lead to an increase of violent crime within our communities, said ATF Special Agent in Charge Brent Beavers. “Our commitment remains unwavering in targeting these individuals while working hand in hand with our law enforcement partners to reduce violent crime.”
The Monte Vista Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives conducted the investigation in this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Jeffrey Graves handled the prosecution.
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.
Case No. 23-cr-00003-GPG-JMC
Missouri Woman Sentenced for $237,000 in Pandemic FraudsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Friday sentenced a St. Peters, Missouri woman to a year and a day in federal prison for fraudulently obtaining $237,000 from pandemic assistance programs.
Regina Brand, 52, was also ordered to repay the money. Brand pleaded guilty in August to one felony count of wire fraud and admitted defrauding two pandemic relief programs. She submitted at least 12 fraudulent applications for rental assistance under the Missouri State Assistance for Housing Relief Program between Sept. 1, 2021 and at least June 30, 2022. The program was intended to provide emergency assistance to landlords and renters to prevent a wave of evictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Brand received $96,825 in assistance.
Brand also submitted four fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program loan applications between April 1, 2020 and August 25, 2021, in the name of Angels Voices or Brand Construction. Brand falsely listed the average monthly payroll and number of employees employed by the companies, resulting in loans totaling $140,261.
The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman prosecuted the case.
Mississippi Tax Preparers Sentenced to Prison in False Tax Return ConspiracyRead the Press Release
A group of Mississippi tax return preparers were sentenced to prison yesterday for charges related to a conspiracy to prepare and file false tax returns for clients in Jackson, Mississippi.
Adam Earnest was sentenced to 100 months in prison, James Klish was sentenced to 50 months in prison and John Wells was sentenced to 15 months in prison. Each was also ordered by U.S. District Court Judge Daniel P. Jordan III for the Southern District of Mississippi to serve three years of supervised release and to pay restitution to the United States in an amount the court will later determine.
Two other conspirators, Christopher Rendell and Jonathan Barefoot, will be sentenced at a later date.
A federal jury convicted Earnest, Klish and Rendell of conspiring to defraud the United States by preparing false tax returns at Sunbelt Tax Service, a return preparation business that operated in Jackson. Earnest and Randell were also convicted of preparing such returns. Wells and Barefoot pleaded guilty before the trial to crimes related to preparing and filing false tax returns for clients.
According to court documents and evidence presented in court, Earnest, Randell, Klish, Barefoot and Wells worked at Sunbelt and conspired together to claim inflated tax refunds for clients by reporting false education credits, itemized deductions and business profits or losses on their clients’ tax returns. Over the years, they prepared thousands of fraudulent returns, causing over $3.5 million in tax loss to the IRS.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement.
IRS Criminal Investigation investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Patrick Elwell, Zachary Cobb and Mary Frances Richardson of the Tax Division prosecuted the case.
Mississippi Tax Preparers Sentenced to Prison in False Tax Return ConspiracyRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A group of Mississippi tax return preparers were sentenced to prison yesterday for charges related to a conspiracy to prepare and file false tax returns for clients in Jackson, Mississippi.
Adam Earnest was sentenced to 100 months in prison, James Klish was sentenced to 50 months in prison and John Wells was sentenced to 15 months in prison. Each was also ordered by U.S. District Court Judge Daniel P. Jordan III for the Southern District of Mississippi to serve three years of supervised release and to pay restitution to the United States in an amount the court will later determine.
Two other conspirators, Christopher Rendell and Jonathan Barefoot, will be sentenced at a later date.
A federal jury convicted Earnest, Klish and Rendell of conspiring to defraud the United States by preparing false tax returns at Sunbelt Tax Service, a return preparation business that operated in Jackson. Earnest and Randell were also convicted of preparing such returns. Wells and Barefoot pleaded guilty before the trial to crimes related to preparing and filing false tax returns for clients.
According to court documents and evidence presented in court, Earnest, Randell, Klish, Barefoot and Wells worked at Sunbelt and conspired together to claim inflated tax refunds for clients by reporting false education credits, itemized deductions and business profits or losses on their clients’ tax returns. Over the years, they prepared thousands of fraudulent returns, causing over $3.5 million in tax loss to the IRS.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement.
IRS Criminal Investigation investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Patrick Elwell, Zachary Cobb and Mary Frances Richardson of the Tax Division prosecuted the case.
Middleman Sentenced to 110 Months for Facilitating Bribes Between Nightclub and Bar Owners and a District Tax OfficialRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Anthony Merritt, 48, was sentenced today to 110 months in prison for facilitating bribes to a District tax official from business owners who wanted to evade tax obligations, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, FBI Special Agent in Charge David J. Scott of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, D.C. Inspector General Daniel W. Lucas, and the D.C. Chief Financial Officer Glen Lee.
Merritt, of Capitol Heights, Maryland, played key roles in at least two sophisticated and long-term bribery conspiracies. For Vincent Slater, who formerly served in the D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue, Merritt handled communications with business owners and allowed Slater to maintain apparent distance from them as he fraudulently reduced their liabilities or intervened on their behalf within OTR. For business owners, Merritt ferried cash bribe payments to Slater. And for himself, Merritt took a cut—or sometimes times, all—of the bribe payments that drove the scheme. Through his actions, Merritt deprived the District of Columbia of at least $2.3 million.
Merritt was charged in two separate indictments, one for each of the separate conspiracies. In June 2023, a jury convicted Merritt of the bribery, conspiracy, and wire-fraud charges from the first indictment. In September 2023, Merritt pleaded guilty to the bribery, conspiracy, and wire-fraud offenses charged in the second indictment.
In addition to the prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton ordered Merritt to serve three years of supervised release and to pay restitution of $736,536.52 (of at least $200 per month), and to forfeit $581,378.77.
Slater pleaded guilty on bribery counts in June 2020 and admitted to causing a total loss of more than $3 million to the District. In addition, Slater admitted that typically, he and Merritt agreed to solicit bribe payments equaling approximately half of the amount the taxpayer sought to evade paying, and then to split the bribe proceeds between themselves. Slater resigned from OTR in December 2017, concluding both schemes, each of which had lasted over five years.
A former employee of the D.C. Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs, Merritt held himself out as a permit and licensing expediter and introduced the business owners to the scheme.
Judge Walton sentenced two business owners on January 25, 2024, for their respective roles in the separate but concurrent multiyear schemes. Andre De Moya, 51, of Temple Hills, Maryland, received 30 months in prison. Davoud Jafari, 72, of the District of Columbia, was sentenced to 24 months in prison.
The businesses that benefited from De Moya’s participation in the scheme included concert venue Echostage as well as downtown bars and nightclubs such as Eyebar (later renamed Eden), Ultrabar, L8 Lounge, and Barcode. Evidence at trial showed that De Moya also introduced additional business owners to Merritt, leading to parallel schemes involving restaurants Café Asia and Umaya and nightclub Muse Lounge. Jafari owned and operated Zeba Bar in Columbia Heights through a company called Gevani, Inc.
In announcing Merritt’s sentencing, U.S. Attorney Graves commended the work of the agencies who investigated the case, including the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the District of Columbia Office of the Inspector General, with substantial assistance by the District of Columbia Office of the Chief Financial Officer, Office of Integrity and Oversight. U.S. Attorney Graves also expressed appreciation for the efforts of those who handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Liliana Villamizar, Amanda Rhode, and Mariela Andrade, and former paralegal specialists Aisha Keys and Michon Tart.
Finally, Graves acknowledged the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christine Macey, Emily Miller, and Timothy Visser, who prosecuted these cases through trial, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Molly Gaston and former AUSA Amanda Vaughn, who participated in the underlying investigations and earlier court proceedings.
Michigan Man Charged with Interstate Sexual Exploitation of ChildrenRead the Press Release
ERIE, Pa. – A resident of Dearborn Heights, Michigan, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Erie on federal charges relating to the sexual exploitation of children, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.
The three-count Indictment named Matthew James Chantelois, 45, as the sole defendant.
According to the Indictment presented to the Court, from in and around October 2023 to in and around January 2024, Chantelois used, persuaded, induced, and enticed a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of that conduct. The Indictment also charges Chantelois with possessing and transporting child sexual abuse material in interstate commerce.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of not less than 15 years and up to 60 years in prison, a fine of up to $750,000, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Christian A. Trabold is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Pennsylvania State Police, New York State Police, and Dearborn Heights Police Department conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Miami physical therapist assistant convicted of over $2.6 million in fraudulent claimsRead the Press Release
MIAMI – On Feb. 16, a Miami federal jury convicted a local physical therapist assistant of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, and five counts of health care fraud after a week-long trial.
From May 2019 through February 2021, Tania Cesar, 55, of Hialeah, Florida, worked as a physical therapist assistant at Elite Therapy Group Inc. (Elite) in Miami, Florida. During this period, Cesar signed over 1,500 physical therapy notes for physical therapy treatments that she never provided to patients. Cesar’s false and fraudulent therapy notes led to over $2.6 million in claims billed to Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS). Several co-conspirators testified, including the owners of Elite, describing the payment agreement between Elite and Cesar. Cesar would come into the therapy clinic once or twice a week to sign the therapy notes but never treated patients. Some of Elite’s patients also testified, explaining that they had never received physical therapy treatment, nor they had ever met Cesar. Furthermore, Cesar signed false and fraudulent therapy notes for treatments she purportedly performed on dates when airline and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) records confirmed that she was out of the country.
In addition, Cesar was working full-time at another physical therapy clinic in Miami, where Cesar logged hours that, when added up with the hours for purported physical therapy she signed for in fraudulent therapy notes from Elite, suggested that she was working more than 24 hours on multiple days.
Moreover, Cesar had the same financial relationship with another clinic, Zion Medical (Zion), before she began signing false and fraudulent therapy notes at Elite. The owner of Zion testified that he and Cesar had the same agreement that Cesar had with the owners of Elite, Cesar would sign false and fraudulent therapy notes for treatments she never performed. These false and fraudulent therapy notes were also billed to BCBS as part of the scheme.
Sentencing is set for May 6 before U.S. District Senior Judge Robert N. Scola Jr.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of FBI, Miami Field Office made the announcement.
FBI Miami investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph Egozi and Lindsey Lazopoulos Friedman are prosecuting it. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mitchell Hyman is handling asset forfeiture.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 23-cr-20259.
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Mexican National Sentenced to 25 Years for Leading Meth, Heroin ConspiracyRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man has been sentenced in federal court for leading a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
Panfilo Acuna, Jr., 29, a citizen of Mexico, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough on Thursday, Feb. 22, to 25 years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Acuna to forfeit to the government $550,603, which represents the proceeds he received from the drug-trafficking conspiracy.
On Oct. 13, 2022, Acuna pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and heroin, conspiracy to commit money laundering, 42 counts of money laundering, and one count of international money laundering.
Acuna admitted that he was the leader of a drug-trafficking organization that distributed methamphetamine and heroin throughout the Kansas City metropolitan area from 2016 until his arrest in 2020. Acuna was the primary source of methamphetamine and heroin distributed to a dozen co-defendants in this case. Acuna also admitted he distributed approximately 250 pounds of methamphetamine and laundered more than $500,000 in drug-trafficking proceeds.
Acuna received methamphetamine and heroin from sources in California and Mexico. Acuna coordinated shipments of bulk methamphetamine and heroin from California to his associates in the Kansas City metropolitan area. Acuna utilized different methods to transport drugs from California to Kansas City, including drug couriers, parcel carriers, and commercial delivery services where drugs would be hidden in furniture and other consumer items. The drugs would then be distributed to a network of street-level dealers in this area who then sold the drugs to other dealers and addicts.
Acuna conducted 1,046 financial transactions between 2015 and 2020, nearly all of them to individuals in California and Mexico, that were related to his drug trafficking. The aggregate amount of money deposited was $305,109. Other wire transfers were also conducted that totaled $246,494. Additionally, Acuna transferred $20,060 to individuals in Mexico through 22 money transfers as part of the conspiracy. The financial investigation revealed his associates also laundered money through a variety of means.
On Oct. 1, 2020, the FBI and the Jackson County Drug Task Force executed a search warrant at Acuna’s apartment. Investigators recovered 19 firearms, thousands of rounds of ammunition, magazines, drug ledgers, 10 grams of heroin, and nearly three kilograms of methamphetamine.
Acuna is the ninth defendant to be sentenced in this case. Two co-defendants have pleaded guilty and await sentencing.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Moeder and Megan A. Baker. It was investigated by the FBI and the Jackson County Drug Task Force.
Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Mexican National Pleads Guilty to Illegal Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – A Mexican national, residing in the United States illegally, pled guilty to possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.
According to court documents, Joel Terrazas Olvera, 51, was found in possession of a firearm by a Rankin County Sheriff’s Deputy on September 19, 2023 during a traffic stop on a vehicle in which Olvera was riding as a passenger. A federal grand jury indicted Olvera for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.
Olvera is scheduled to be sentenced on May 9, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee, Special Agent in Charge Eric DeLaune of Homeland Security Investigations, and Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives made the announcement.
Homeland Security Investigations and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Samuel Goff is prosecuting the case.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Mexican Man Sentenced to Prison for Illegally Reentering the United States After Being DeportedRead the Press Release
A man who illegally returned to the United States after being deported was sentenced today to almost three months in federal prison.
Ramon Garcia-Cruz, age 41, a citizen of Mexico illegally present in the United States and residing in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after a December 18, 2023, guilty plea to one count of illegal reentry into the United States after having been deported.
At the guilty plea, Garcia-Cruz admitted he had previously been deported from the United States and illegally reentered the United States without the permission of the United States government. Garcia-Cruz was first removed from the United States in October 2014. Garcia-Cruz was also deported in March 2015 following his February 2015 conviction in the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas for illegal entry into the United States. On November 14, 2023, immigration officials learned Garcia-Cruz had illegally returned to the United States and found Garcia-Cruz at the Linn County Jail following his arrest on state charges.
Garcia-Cruz was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Garcia-Cruz was sentenced to 86 days’ imprisonment. He must also serve a one-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Garcia-Cruz is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be turned over to immigration officials.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel C. Tvedt and investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 23-CR-85.
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Meridian Man Sentenced to over 20 Years in Prison for Armed RobberiesRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – A Meridian man was sentenced to 245 months in federal prison for four armed robberies across Mississippi.
According to court documents, Matthew Byrd, 42, committed four armed robberies of local businesses across Mississippi between April 20, 2022, and May 15, 2022. The robberies took place in Lauderdale County, Forest County, and Hinds County. During each robbery, Byrd displayed a firearm to intimidate the clerk and steal merchandise and cash from the business.
Byrd previously pled guilty to three counts of robbery and two counts of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee and Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives made the announcement.
The Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Department, East Mississippi Drug Task Force, Meridian Police Department, Clinton Police Department, Newton County Sherriff’s Department, and the ATF investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam T. Stuart prosecuted the case.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Member of Violent Criminal Enterprise Sentenced for Cocaine Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A member of a violent criminal enterprise was sentenced yesterday for her role in a drug trafficking conspiracy that distributed large amounts of cocaine and cocaine base (crack cocaine) throughout Western Massachusetts.
Khristy Guzman, 39, of Holyoke, was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison and 24 months of supervised release for conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine. Guzman pleaded guilty on Oct. 5, 2023.
According to court documents, Guzman was identified as a member of a violent criminal enterprise in Springfield. During the investigation, controlled purchases and intercepted communications allegedly between Vincente Gonzalez and his co-conspirators, including Guzman, revealed that, beginning in or about April of 2021, the defendants allegedly prepared and trafficked large amounts of cocaine and crack cocaine in the Holyoke and Springfield areas.
In furtherance of the trafficking activity, the enterprise used violence and threats of violence to allegedly control Gonzalez’s territory on Elm Street in Holyoke. Guzman’s role in the conspiracy was to manage the day-to-day sales of cocaine allegedly occurring in Gonzalez’s territory on Elm Street. According to the court documents, the Government argued that Guzman, and allegedly her co-conspirators, aided in making local residents, including children, feel like prisoners in their own homes. The simple act of going outside put residents in direct contact with violence and exposed them to be witnesses to countless crimes.
Guzman is the second defendant to be sentenced in this case. Miguel Burgos was sentenced in September 2023 to 60 months in federal prison, followed by a term of four years of supervised release. Brigham Ocasio-Ramos is expected plead guilty on Feb. 28, 2024. Vincente Gonzalez is scheduled for a jury trial on May 6, 2024.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Holyoke Police Chief David Pratt; and Springfield Police Superintendent Cheryl Clapprood made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police’s Commonwealth Interstate Narcotics Reduction Enforcement Team and the Hampden District Attorney’s Office’s Strategic Action and Focused Enforcement Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil L. Desroches of the Springfield Branch Unit is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
McLean Man Pleads Guilty in COVID-19 Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A McLean man pleaded guilty today to defrauding the Small Business Administration by fraudulently obtaining approximately $455,000 in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) funds.
According to court documents, Mehdi Pazouki, 65, was the owner and sole employee of Systems Integration Services Inc., an IT consulting company that Pazouki ran from his home in McLean. Between August 2020 and August 2021, Pazouki applied for and received approximately $455,000 in PPP loans and EIDL funds, which he falsely certified would be used for business-related purposes, but which he actually intended to, and did, use to fund his gambling at area casinos, pay down personal debt, and purchase real estate.
Within days of receiving his first EIDL disbursement, Pazouki spent over $27,000 in EIDL money at Hollywood Casino in Charles Town, West Virginia. Pazouki also used the PPP and EIDL money for down payments on two different real estate properties, to pay off his personal credit card debt, and to fund his personal investment account. Pazouki also falsely represented to the SBA in loan forgiveness applications that the PPP money had been used for legitimate business expenses, which resulted in the complete discharge of the loans.
Pazouki is scheduled to be sentenced on May 24. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; David J. Scott, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division; and Duane E. Townsend, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Inspector General, made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton accepted the plea.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Halper is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:24-cr-29.
Mason City Man Charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person and Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled SubstanceRead the Press Release
Tirrell Harlan Hopkins, Jr., age 23, from Mason City, Iowa, has been charged with one count of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and one count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. The charges are contained in an Indictment filed on February 14, 2024, in United States District Court in Sioux City.
The Indictment alleges that, on or about November 18, 2023, Hopkins, knowing he had previously been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year, knowing he was then an unlawful user of a controlled substance as defined in 21 U.S.C. § 802, namely marijuana, methamphetamine and cocaine, and knowing he had previously been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence, possessed a firearm and ammunition, and the firearm and ammunition were in and affecting commerce.
Hopkins is also charged with knowingly and intentionally possessing, with intent to distribute, less than 50 grams of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C), having previously been convicted of possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver marijuana, a felony drug offense on December 10, 2018, Cerro Gordo County, Iowa.
If convicted on all charges, Hopkins faces a possible maximum sentence of 30 years’ imprisonment, a $2 Million fine, and 6 years up to life of supervised release following any imprisonment.
Hopkins appeared today in federal court in Sioux City and was held without bond. Hopkin’s next appearance for a detention hearing is set for February 28, 2024.
As with any criminal case, a charge is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin C. Fletcher and was investigated by the Mason City Police Department, Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa State Patrol, Cerro Gordo County Attorney’s Office, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, and the United States Marshal’s Service.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 24-CR-03008.
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Marrero Woman Sentenced to Probation for Misprision of a FelonyRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – ROSE B. DEMERS, age 68, of Marrero, La., was sentenced on February 22, 2024 by U.S. District Court Judge Carl J. Barbier to 18 months of probation after previously pleading guilty to misprision of a felony related to funds received from a fraud victim, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.
According to court records, DEMERS received $8,600 from an out of state fraud victim on or about July 9, 2021. Rather than contact the authorities, DEMERS converted some of the funds to her own use and attempted to wire the funds to a person posing as an Internal Revenue Agent. DEMERS acted as a middleman for a fraudster who directed financial fraud victims to send DEMERS money, which she would then convert to MoneyGrams, etc., and forward to the fraudster.
In addition to the sentence, DEMERS was sentenced to pay restitution in the amount of $200 and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.
Elder fraud complaints may be filed with the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov or at 1-877-FTC-HELP. The Department of Justice provides a variety of resources relating to elder fraud victimization through its Office of Victims of Crime at www.ovc.gov. Additional elder justice resources, training, and outreach materials can be found at the Elder Justice Website at www.elderjustice.gov.
If you need assistance or to report elder abuse, please contact your local adult protective services agency through the Eldercare Locator or by call the helpline at 1-800-677-1116 Monday – Friday 9am - 8pm EST. To report elder fraud, please visit the FBI’s IC3 Elder Fraud Complaint Center or contact the dedicated National Elder Fraud Hotline at 833–FRAUD–11 or 833–372–8311 Monday – Friday, 10:00 am – 6:00 pm EST.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the United States Secret Service and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office, Economic Crimes Section, in investigating this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward J. Rivera of the Financial Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
Manly, Iowa, Man Charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Drug UserRead the Press Release
Cory Allen More, age, 33 from Manly, Iowa, has been charged with one count of possession of a firearm by a drug user. The charges are contained in an Indictment filed on February 14, 2024, in United States District Court in Sioux City.
The Indictment alleges that, on or about October 23, 2023, More, knowing that he was then an unlawful user of a controlled substance as defined in 21 U.S.C. § 802, namely marijuana, knowingly possessed a firearm and ammunition, and the firearm and ammunition were in and affecting commerce.
If convicted, More faces a possible maximum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release following any imprisonment.
More appeared today in federal court in Sioux City and was held without bond. More’s next appearance for a detention hearing is set for February 28, 2024.
As with any criminal case, a charge is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin C. Fletcher and was investigated by the Clear Lake Police Department, Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Office, Manly Police Department, Worth County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa State Patrol, Cerro Gordo County Attorney’s Office, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, and United States Marshal’s Service.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 24-CR-03006.
Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
MPD Sergeant Pleads Guilty to Federal Civil Rights Violation for Fatal Shooting of D.C. MotoristRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Enis Jevric, 42, a Sergeant with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), pleaded guilty today in federal court to violating the constitutional rights of 27-year old An’Twan Gilmore by using excessive force, on August 25, 2021, in a police shooting that killed Mr. Gilmore. Jevric also pleaded guilty to a charge of involuntary manslaughter under D.C. law. The plea was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and FBI Assistant Director in Charge David Sundberg, of the Washington Field Office. U.S. District Court Judge Randolph Moss scheduled a sentencing hearing for July 1, 2024.
According to documents filed with the court, the defendant willfully used unconstitutionally excessive and unreasonable force by shooting Mr. Gilmore. Specifically, shortly before 3:00 am on August 25, 2021, the defendant and other MPD officers were dispatched to respond to a call for an armed man—later identified as Mr. Gilmore—who was either asleep or unconscious in the driver’s seat of a car that was stopped at the intersection of New York Avenue and Florida Avenue, N.E. The defendant approached the car and directed another officer to knock on its windows to rouse Mr. Gilmore. When Mr. Gilmore awoke, the car moved forward several feet, stopped briefly, and then moved forward again. As it did so, the defendant fired his MPD-issued firearm at the car four times. The car rolled down New York Avenue, and the defendant fired at it six more times. Three of the defendant’s shots struck Mr. Gilmore, who died a short time later from his wounds. No other officer fired at Mr. Gilmore.
“Police officers are sworn to uphold the law and ensure the safety of the community, and we are grateful for the overwhelming majority of Metropolitan Police Department officers who do their difficult and dangerous jobs honorably,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves. “But Officer Jevric violated the Constitution and abused his position by recklessly using deadly force where none was necessary, resulting in the tragic and unjustified loss of Mr. Gilmore’s life—a tragedy that has permanently changed the lives of Mr. Gilmore’s family and friends. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to protecting the civil rights of everyone within the District and to holding accountable all who violate those rights.”
“As a sworn police officer, Jevric knew the acceptable boundaries in which he was authorized to use deadly force,” said Assistant Director in Charge Sundberg. “His willful disregard of these rules resulted in Mr. Gilmore’s tragic and untimely death. While no judicial process will adequately address the loss that the Gilmore family has suffered in this situation, we are committed to ensuring the fullest administration of justice on behalf of the victim and his family.”
As part of his guilty plea, the defendant admitted that his conduct constituted unconstitutional, unreasonable force, and that he acted willfully, in reckless disregard of Mr. Gilmore’s Fourth Amendment right to be free from excessive force by police. He also admitted that his conduct created an extreme risk of death to Mr. Gilmore and was a gross deviation from a reasonable standard of care.
This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, with extensive assistance from the FBI Laboratory including the Laboratory Shooting Reconstruction Team. It is being prosecuted by the Fraud, Public Corruption, and Civil Rights Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
Louise Gina Polyansky, 33, of Lincoln, Nebraska, was sentenced today in federal court in Lincoln for her involvement in a methamphetamine conspiracy.Read the Press Release
United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Louise Gina Polyansky, 33, of Lincoln, Nebraska, was sentenced today in federal court in Lincoln for her involvement in a methamphetamine conspiracy. Senior United States District Judge John M. Gerrard sentenced Polyansky to 87 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After her release from prison, she will begin a 4-year term of supervised release.
Starting around November 2020, Polyansky agreed and worked with several others to obtain and distribute meth in the Lincoln area. As part of the conspiracy, from about December 2020 until about May 2021, co-conspirators received packages by mail containing pound to multi-pound quantities of meth to addresses located in Lincoln. Part of this meth was then supplied to Polyansky to distribute. Polyansky had obtained approximately seven pounds total from co-conspirators between November 2020 and April 2021. Polyansky was also identified as someone that was distributing ¼ pound to ½ pound quantities of meth from August 2021 to September 2021. Finally, Polyansky was identified as someone that would wire drug proceeds to individuals in Arizona.
Other conspirators included Scott Berndt, who was sentenced on December 20, 2023, to a term of imprisonment of 168 months. Rebecca Frankenstein was sentenced on December 7, 2023, to a term of imprisonment of 90 months. Tommy Meyer was sentenced on December 7, 2022, to a term of imprisonment of 244 months.
This case was investigated by the Lincoln Police Department.
Longmont Man Charged in Four Denver Area Bank RobberiesRead the Press Release
DENVER – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces that Nicholas Alfonso Archuleta, age 40, has been charged in connection with a series of bank robberies in the Denver metro area. Archuleta is charged with four counts of bank robbery.
According to allegations in the indictment, during the months of December 2023, and January 2024, Archuleta robbed three banks and attempted to rob a fourth in the cities of Thornton, Denver, Boulder, and Greenwood Village, Colorado.
The Defendant had his initial appearance before United States Magistrate Judge N. Reid Neureiter on February 21.
This case is being investigated by the FBI Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Task Force, the Thornton Police Department, the Denver Police Department, the Boulder Police Department, and the Greenwood Village Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Brian Dunn is handling the prosecution.
The charges in the indictment are allegations and the Defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Case Number: 1:24-cr-00052-CNS
Las Cruces Man Sentenced to More Than 4 Years in Prison for Federal Firearms Charges Relating to the Killing of Woman in 2023Read the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, and Jeffrey C. Boshek II, Special Agent in Charge of the Dallas Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, announced that David Anthony Aguilar was sentenced to 53 months in prison. Aguilar, 27, of Las Cruces, pleaded guilty in federal court to being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession of an unregistered firearm on Sept. 25, 2023.
According to publicly available court records, on Jan. 25, 2023, officers from the Las Cruces Police Department responded to a report of a gunshot victim at an apartment in Las Cruces. Upon arrival, officers located a deceased victim with a single gunshot to the head. A 12-gauge short barrel shotgun was located on the floor next to the victim. The victim’s neighbor reported to officers that they went to the victim’s apartment after hearing an argument followed by a loud bang. When the neighbor knocked on the front door, Aguilar answered holding the short barrel shotgun and told the neighbor to call 911 because the victim had shot herself. When the neighbor returned to their apartment, they witnessed Aguilar and another man identified as Margarito Serena fleeing the scene.
Aguilar and Serena were apprehended by officers that same day. During an interview, Aguilar claimed that he and the victim had physically fought over the shotgun and that he had accidentally discharged the firearm. Aguilar claimed that Serena had brought the shotgun to the apartment earlier that day and they had fled the scene because they were both convicted felons.
Serena, 30, of Las Cruces, pleaded guilty in federal court to being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession of an unregistered firearm on April 27, 2023. Serena was sentenced to six and a half years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
Upon his release from prison, Aguilar will be subject to three years of supervised release.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated this case with assistance from the Las Cruces Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Maria Y. Armijo and Ry Ellison are prosecuting the case.
Anyone experiencing domestic violence or who knows someone experiencing domestic violence can reach an advocate at the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or 1-800-787-3224 (TTY). In New Mexico, the Domestic Violence Resource Center is available by telephone at (505) 843-9123 or online at https://dvrcnm.org/.
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Kodiak man sentenced to 17 years for drug, firearm crimesRead the Press Release
ANCHORAGE, Alaska – A Kodiak man was sentenced to over 17 years in prison for possessing a controlled substance with the intent to distribute and possessing multiple firearms as a felon.
According to court documents, agents executed search warrants on Mark Nason’s vehicle and residence in September 2022. Agents found a total of roughly 1.6 kilos of meth, 1.5 kilos of fentanyl and 70 grams of heroin, and five firearms in his vehicle and in his bedroom. Law enforcement also recovered over $56,800 in cash proceeds from the defendant’s distribution of controlled substances.
After his arrest, Nason reached out to associates and asked them to retrieve drugs from his storage units in Anchorage and sell the drugs to make money for his bail. Law enforcement located roughly 4.9 kilos of meth, 1.2 kilos of fentanyl, 150 grams of heroin and five firearms. In total, law enforcement seized over 6.5 kilos of meth and 2.7 kilos of fentanyl that the defendant possessed with intent to sell. The sentencing memorandum alleges, in total, the defendant possessed over 1.3 million potentially lethal doses.
At the time of this conduct, the defendant was previously convicted of multiple felonies starting at the age of 20. These felonies included theft, larceny, assault and misconduct involving firearms. The court cited the defendant’s extensive criminal history, the impact of fentanyl on small communities and a priority to protect the community from potential future crimes when delivering the sentence. U.S. District Court Judge Joshua Kindred stated, “the distinction here is, though I appreciate his attempts to show how he has changed … at some point in time, someone’s criminal history becomes so voluminous that you can’t overlook it.”
The defendant is also required to serve 10 years’ supervised release as part of his sentence.
“The defendant has been incarcerated almost continuously since he was 20 years old and is a habitual violent offender,” said U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker for the District of Alaska. “My office will continue to work together with our law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute perpetrators who choose to commit illegal acts and pose a great public safety threat to Alaskans.”
“The Alaska State Troopers are committed to working with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to hold anyone that distributes dangerous drugs accountable for their actions,” said Captain Cornelius Sims, Commander of the Alaska State Trooper’s Statewide Drug Enforcement Unit. “Drug overdose claims the lives of hundreds of Alaskans each year, and law enforcement will continue to do our part to disrupt the tidal wave of illegal narcotics flowing into Alaska.”
“The Coast Guard Investigative Service in concert with our federal, state, and local partners are committed to protecting the citizens of Alaska and will continue to be aggressive in our fight to keep these dangerous drugs off the streets,” said Special Agent in Charge Paul Shultz of the Coast Guard Investigative Service Northwest Field Office.
The Coast Guard Investigative Service Northwest Field Office and Alaska State Troopers, with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration Seattle Field Division, investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Alana Weber prosecuted the case.
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Jury Finds Remaining Co-Defendants Guilty of Multi-State Drug Trafficking Conspiracy and Other Related ChargesRead the Press Release
Orlando, FL – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that a federal jury has found Alfred Lamar Shavers (49, Bunnell) and Tyrone James Jones (56, Palm Coast) guilty of conspiring to distribute controlled substances. Jones was also convicted of distributing methamphetamine on two separate occasions, and Shavers was convicted of possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Their sentencing hearings have been scheduled for May 28, 2024. Shavers, Jones, and seven co-conspirators were charged in a superseding indictment resulting from a joint, multi-state investigation Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation.
According to the evidence presented at trial, Jones and Shavers were local drug dealers who operated in Volusia and Flagler counties. They were part of a drug trafficking organization that imported large quantities of methamphetamine and cocaine from Mexico into California and Arizona, and then transported it in commercial trucks across the country into the Middle District of Florida. Jones distributed several pounds of methamphetamine on multiple occasions during the investigation.
During the investigation, Shavers purchased and sold distribution quantities of cocaine on several occasions from his Bunnell residence. On October 31, 2022, search warrants were executed at six locations in Palm Coast, Bunnell, and Daytona Beach—including Shavers’s residence. During the search of Shavers’s residence, law enforcement seized nine firearms, hundreds of rounds of ammunitions, cocaine, a digital scale, and small baggies. Shavers is a previously convicted felon and was prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law. Shavers stipulated to the forfeiture of all the firearms in the superseding indictment.
This case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, and the Volusia Bureau of Investigation which includes the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, the Daytona Beach Police Department, and the DeLand Police Department.
It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael Sartoian and Special Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Del Mastro.
Johnson County man sentenced to federal prison for lead role in drug trafficking conspiracyRead the Press Release
DUBLIN, GA: A Johnson County man has been sentenced to more than 16 years in prison after pleading guilty to drug trafficking, and awaits sentencing with other defendants after pleading guilty to dog fighting charges.
Travis Lee Martin, a/k/a “Fat,” 42, of Wrightsville, Ga., was sentenced to 200 months in prison after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine and 100 Grams or More of Heroin, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Judge Dudley H. Bowen ordered the sentence to run consecutively to a pending sentence Martin faces in a related dogfighting case, fined Martin $5,000 and ordered him to serve five years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
“This sentence is a testament to the outstanding investigation by the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and other law enforcement agencies that identified and dismantled Martin’s multi-county drug trafficking and dog fighting operations,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “These collaborations are vital in eradicating dangerous criminal activity in our communities.”
Martin and 11 co-defendants were named in a 27-count drug conspiracy indictment unsealed in December 2022, identifying an operation distributing methamphetamine and heroin in Laurens, Treutlen, Johnson, and Emanuel counties. The three-year investigation led to multiple searches of residences and vehicles, resulting in numerous seizures of drugs, cash and firearms. Martin’s guilty plea in the case acknowledges the forfeiture of $80,050 in cash seized during the investigation.
All of the remaining defendants have been sentenced after pleading guilty to related charges and are serving sentences of up to 87 months in prison.
During the drug trafficking investigation, authorities also rescued 96 dogs suspected to be part of a dog fighting operation from three Johnson County locations, a location in Laurens County and one in Washington County. Martin and four co-defendants await sentencing after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Violate the Animal Welfare Act, a charge that carries a maximum statutory penalty of up to five years in prison. Among those co-defendants is Sentell Eugene Carey, 40, of Wrightsville, Ga., who is serving four years’ probation after also pleading guilty in the drug trafficking case. Judge Bowen will schedule sentencing hearings after U.S. Probation Services completes pre-sentence investigations for each defendant.
The dogs were seized in a civil action brought by the Southern District of Georgia U.S. Attorney’s Office, and the U.S. Marshals Service contracted with an agency to provide veterinary service, care and rehabilitation of the rescued dogs.
“Illicit drugs like methamphetamine and heroin have destroyed countless lives,” Robert J. Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division stated, “Cases like this clearly demonstrate the resolve of the DEA to hold criminals accountable.”
“The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General-Investigations, actively investigates allegations of animal abuse. This agency has made animal fighting a high priority in order to demonstrate that these blatant acts of cruelty to animals will no longer be tolerated,” said Special Agent in Charge Miles Davis. “We would like to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica K. Rock for aggressively prosecuting perpetrators of animal fighting, and our federal, local state law enforcement partners, for their dedicated work in this investigation.”
The drug trafficking case was investigated by the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration, with the assistance of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Southeastern Regional Drug Enforcement Office, the Emanuel County Sheriff’s Office, the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, and the Ocmulgee Drug Task Force, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer J. Kirkland.
The criminal dog fighting prosecution was investigated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General, with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service and local law enforcement agencies, and prosecuted for the United States by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica K. Rock, while the civil forfeiture of the dogs was coordinated by Southern District of Georgia Civil Division Chief Shannon Heath Statkus.
Jacksonville Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Narcotics and Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan has sentenced Edgar Guintivano (52, Jacksonville) to 15 years in federal prison for possessing with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense. Guintivano entered a guilty plea on November 16, 2023.
According to court documents, on February 21, 2023, officers from the Jacksonville Beach Police Department conducted a traffic stop due to Guintivano not having a valid driver license. Guintivano had 256 grams of methamphetamine in his vehicle. In addition to the narcotics, Guintivano had a loaded Glock pistol on his person, as well as two batons. Inside the vehicle, there was an additional firearm, as well as seven knives in the driver’s door panel.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Jacksonville Beach Police Department, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John Cannizzaro.
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.
Indianapolis Man Sentenced to Nine Years in Federal Prison for Two Armed CarjackingsRead the Press Release
INDIANAPOLIS- Deandre Govan, 21, of Indianapolis, has been sentenced to nine years in federal prison after pleading guilty to carjacking and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.
According to court documents, on October 10, 2021, Victim 1 arrived to work at a restaurant on the West side of Indianapolis. As he walked to the door of the restaurant, he was approached by Deandre Govan. Govan brandished a black semiautomatic handgun and took the victim’s wallet and cell phone and ordered him to unlock it. Govan forced the victim to give him the keys to his car and fled the scene in the stolen car. The following day, IMPD officers found the victim’s car on University of Indianapolis (UIndy) campus.
On October 12, 2021, Victim 2 was parked on UIndy’s campus in her 2010 white Ford Focus with the window down, when Govan approached her vehicle and brandished a black semiautomatic firearm. Govan instructed her to hang-up her phone and unlock the device. Govan took her phone, money, and forced her out of the vehicle. Govan fled the scene in the stolen car.
Around the same time, IMPD received multiple reports of robberies at an apartment complex located at the intersection of South Keystone and East Hannah Avenues. On October 13, 2021, maintenance men at the apartment complex were standing outside of one of the residential buildings when Govan rode by on a bicycle. The men did not recognize him to be a resident within the complex, so they asked him what he was doing there. Govan became hostile and brandished a black semiautomatic pistol and pointed it at the face of one of the workers.
Shortly after, IMPD investigators located Govan at the intersection of South Keystone and East Hanna Avenues. Govan initially resisted arrest but was quickly detained. Investigators located a Glock 45 9mm semiautomatic pistol on Govan’s person and was able to identify him as the carjacker by his tattoos and clothes.
“Armed criminals like this defendant who terrorize our communities must be held accountable,” said Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “The serious federal prison sentence imposed here demonstrates that there is no place in society for these violent crimes and that armed, violent criminals are a priority for federal prosecution. We are deeply committed to working closely with our partners at the FBI and IMPD to reduce gun violence in Indianapolis.”
“Carjacking is a violent crime that endangers the public and I hope this sentence will bring comfort to his victims knowing he is behind bars and not free to terrorize others,” said FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Herbert J. Stapleton. “It also demonstrates the teamwork between the FBI and our partners at the IMPD and should send a clear message that violent criminals preying on our community will not be tolerated.”
The FBI and IMPD investigated this case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson. Judge Stinson also ordered that Govan be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for 3 years following his release from federal prison.
U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant United States Attorney Corbin D. Houston, who prosecuted this 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.
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Indiana Man Charged with Impersonating Federal Officials and Making a False StatementRead the Press Release
Burlington, Vermont – The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that on February 22, 2024, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Brandon Anderson, 34, of Greenwood, Indiana, with two counts of impersonation of an officer or employee of the United States and one count of making a false statement to a department or agency of the United States.
Anderson entered a plea of not guilty to the charges during an arraignment on February 23, 2024 before United States Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle. Following his arraignment, Anderson remained on pretrial supervision subject to conditions of release.
According to court records, Anderson, while wearing a tactical uniform with black body armor and a holstered firearm, impersonated a federal law enforcement official on two occasions. Anderson was not in fact a federal law enforcement official during either occasion, but instead was a privately contracted security guard for a federal agency. In addition, investigation of Anderson revealed that, in becoming a security guard for the federal agency, he falsely stated that he had served in the United States Marines and received an honorable discharge, when in fact he had not served in the Marines at all.
The United States Attorney’s Office emphasizes that an indictment contains allegations only and that Anderson is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. Anderson faces up to five years of imprisonment if convicted of false statement and up to three years of imprisonment if convicted of false personation. The actual sentence, however, would be determined by the Court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the statutory sentencing factors.
United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the investigatory efforts of Homeland Security Investigations, the Chittenden County Sheriff’s Office, and the South Burlington Police Department.
The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Andrew C. Gilman. Anderson is represented by Assistant Federal Public Defender Sara Puls.
Husband and Wife from Knoxville Sentenced for Roles in Heroin and Meth ConspiraciesRead the Press Release
ABINGDON, Va. – A Knoxville, Tennessee couple, who conspired with others to traffic heroin and methamphetamine into Lee County, Virginia, were sentenced today to lengthy prison terms.
Billie Jo McGuire, 30, and her husband, Billy Justin King, 30, both pled guilty in October 2022 to one count of conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, one count of conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin, and one count of possession with the intent to distribute five grams or more of methamphetamine. Billy King also pled guilty to possessing a firearm in possession of a drug trafficking crime.
Today, King was sentenced to 15 years in prison and McGuire was sentenced to 24 months.
McGuire and King conspired with Robert Earl Warr, Robert Lee Jenkins, and others, including John Joel Foster, Ray Anthony McSwain, Garrett Lee Teffeteller, Darin Thomas, and David Edward Farmer, to sell heroin and methamphetamine in and around Lee County, Virginia, and the Knoxville, Tennessee area.
According to court documents, as part of the broader conspiracy, King and McGuire trafficked methamphetamine and heroin from Eastern Tennessee into Lee County, Virginia for redistribution. While King was the ‘leader’ between the pair, McGuire assisted her husband’s drug activities by weighing the drugs, counting money, answering King’s cell phone, and coordinating drug customers.
United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh and Craig B. Kailimai, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, made the announcement.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, the Wise County Sheriff’s Office, the Southwest Virginia Drug Task Force, the Knoxville, Tennessee Police Department, the Knox County, Tennessee Sheriff’s Office, the Sevier County, Tennessee Sheriff’s Office, and the Lee County Commonwealth Attorney’s Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lena L. Busscher prosecuted the case for the United States.
Huntingdon County Man Charged with Receiving Child PornographyRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Chris Weaver, age 50, of Spruce Creek, Pennsylvania, was charged on February 21, 2024, in a criminal information with receiving child pornography.
According to U.S. Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the information charges Weaver with being in receipt of child pornography between July 1, 2020 and January 31, 2023, in Huntingdon County.
The case was investigated by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney K. Wesley (Wes) Mishoe is prosecuting the case.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.
The maximum penalty upon conviction for the charged offense is 20 years imprisonment, a lifetime term of supervised release following imprisonment, a fine, and a special assessment. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by a judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
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