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8 March 2024
Interpol Washington Awards Mexican Authorities for Assistance in Capturing Two ‘most Wanted’ FugitivesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Last week, INTERPOL Washington and members of the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) presented awards to the Fiscalía General de la República in Mexico City for their exceptional assistance in the capture of two individuals on the USMS 15 Most Wanted Fugitives list.
The fugitives, Edgar Salvador Casian-Garcia and Araceli Medina, were elevated to the list in February 2023, wanted by the Pasco Police Department in Franklin County, Washington, in reference to aggravated murder of a child, rape in the first degree of another child, and three counts of aggravated assault of a child in the first degree.
Acting on U.S. requests for provisional arrest for the purpose of extradition, and thanks to the diligent efforts of the Agencia de Investigación Criminal and INTERPOL Mexico, the pair was successfully arrested in Mexico on March 22, 2023, and subsequently extradited to the U.S. This operation also led to the recovery of five missing and endangered children. INTERPOL Washington issued two INTERPOL Red Notices and five urgent Yellow Notices regarding Casian-Garcia and Medina that were instrumental in their location and apprehension.
“It is a great privilege to honor the incredible work done by our partners in Mexico to bring these dangerous fugitives back to the U.S. to face justice for such heinous accusations,” said INTERPOL Washington Director Michael A. Hughes. “Criminals don’t stop at borders and neither do we. Through this remarkable example of international law enforcement collaboration, we have once again demonstrated that by working together, we can build a safer world.”
The charges came after Casian-Garcia’s biological daughters, 8 and 3 at the time, were found abandoned in Tijuana, Mexico, in mid-2020. Both girls showed signs of severe physical abuse. Subsequent forensic interviews done with one of the girls determined that Casian-Garcia and Medina had likely been physically abusing the children, as well as the girls’ seven-year-old brother, who is believed to have been tortured to death in Washington state and his body later dumped. His remains were found in a rural part of neighboring Benton County in February 2022.
After presenting the awards, INTERPOL Washington also visited INTERPOL Mexico to recognize its support and assistance in the case, as well as provide an operational update and discuss increased partnership opportunities.
A component of the U.S. Department of Justice co-managed by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, INTERPOL Washington—the U.S. National Central Bureau (USNCB)—is the designated U.S. representative to INTERPOL. It serves as the national point of contact and coordination for all INTERPOL matters, coordinating international investigative efforts among member countries and the more than 18,000 local, state, federal, tribal, and territorial law enforcement agencies.Hagerstown Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for a Series of CarjackingsRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Deborah L. Boardman sentenced Carlos Guardado-Eagle, age 22, of Hagerstown, Maryland, on March 5 to 10 years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for a series of armed carjackings and an attempted carjacking.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Acting Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) Baltimore Field Office; Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department; Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department; Anne Arundel County Police Chief Amal E. Awad; Commissioner Richard Worley of the Baltimore Police Department; Chief Kevin Davis of the Fairfax County, Virginia Police Department; Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney Anne Colt Leitess and Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy.
According to his guilty plea, between May 15, 2022 and June 1, 2022, Guardado-Eagle and a co-conspirator carjacked four victims at gunpoint. On June 6, Guardado-Eagle and his co-conspirator attempted a fifth carjacking, but the victim would not surrender the keys to the vehicle and Guardado-Eagle and the co-conspirator fled without obtaining the vehicle. On each occasion, Guardado-Eagle and the co-conspirator wore masks to conceal their identities and took BMWs. In three of the carjackings, after obtaining the keys to the BMW, Guardado-Eagle and the co-conspirator split up, with one driving the BMW and the other driving another vehicle.
Specifically, on May 15, 2022, Guardado-Eagle and his co-conspirator rear-ended a 2014 BMW in District Height’s Maryland. When the driver got out of the car to inspect the damage, Guardado-Eagle and the co-conspirator got out of their car, pointed guns at the victim, demanded the victim’s keys and directed the victim to run across the street. Guardado-Eagle and the co-conspirator then fled with one driving the BMW and the other driving the vehicle they used in the collision.
In addition, on May 19, 2022, Gardado-Eagle and his co-conspirator conducted an armed carjacking from a victim in Severn, Maryland; on May 26, 2022, Guardado-Eagle and his co-conspirator committed an armed carjacking in Silver Spring, Maryland, as that victim was stopped at a traffic light; and on June 1, 2022, Guardado-Eagle and his co-conspirator committed an armed carjacking in Tysons Corner, Virginia. Finally, on June 6, 2022, Guardado-Eagle and his co-conspirator attempted an armed carjacking in a parking garage in Baltimore. In the June attempted carjacking, Guardado-Eagle and his co-conspirator confronted their potential victim and when the victim refused to provide their car keys and attempted to flee, Guardado-Eagle and his co-conspirator assaulted this victim. The victim refused to surrender their keys and Guardado-Eagle and his co-conspirator fled in another vehicle.
The law enforcement investigation led to Guardado-Eagle’s arrest later in June, 2022.
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.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI, the Montgomery County Police Department, the Prince George’s County Police Department, the Anne Arundel County Police Department, the Fairfax, Virginia Police Department, the Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney’s Office and the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation and prosecution. Mr. Barron thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas F. Potter, who prosecuted the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psn and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Gun Supplier to Warring Gangs in Columbus Pleads Guilty to Theft of FirearmsRead the Press Release
A gun supplier who was stealing firearms from area pawn shops to sell to warring criminal street gangs in the Columbus community entered a guilty plea for his crimes in federal court last week, along with two co-defendants.
Joshua Holland aka “Lou,” 24, of Columbus, pleaded guilty to two counts of theft of firearms from a federal firearms licensee and faces a maximum sentence of ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each count; co-defendants James David Lowery, 28, of Columbus, and Jerry Starks aka “John Hill,” 31, of Columbus, both pleaded guilty to one count each of conspiracy to commit theft of firearms from a federal firearms licensee and face a maximum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The pleas were entered on Tuesday, Feb. 27. U.S. District Judge Clay Land is presiding over the cases. Sentencing dates will be determined by the Court. The defendants are not eligible for parole.
“Our office has zero tolerance for individuals caught supplying violent criminal organizations with firearms and will pursue federal charges for gun traffickers,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “As exhibited in this Project Safe Neighborhoods’ case, making our streets safer and holding individuals accountable for their crimes requires the partnership of law enforcement and community stakeholders at every level.”
“The unlawful acquisition and selling of firearms are serious crimes that feed and intensify the violence that plagues so many communities," said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Beau Kolodka. "This investigation illustrates the collective resolve of ATF and our law enforcement partners working together to make a safer community.”
According to court documents, Holland admitted to stealing firearms from area businesses in 2022 to sell to warring criminal street gangs in Columbus, including the Zohannon and the Marlo organizations. On Aug. 9, 2022, at approximately 1:35 a.m., Holland and his co-conspirators burglarized the Northside Money Mizer Pawn Shop on Manchester Expressway in Columbus. One of the burglars crashed a stolen car through the front door of the store. Holland entered the business and stole five firearms, while other co-conspirators assisted by carrying the stolen guns or acting as lookouts. Holland and the others ran away; some of the burglars were picked up by another car and driven away. On Sept. 7, 2022, around 1:46 a.m., Holland and his co-conspirators forced entry into A Better Pawn on 2nd Ave in Columbus and stole 19 firearms. On Sept. 16, 2022, the Money Mizer Pawn shop in Phenix City, Alabama, was burglarized by Holland and five others, who forced entry into the store and stole eight firearms. Holland and two others were captured and taken into custody by Phenix City Police Department officers.
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 Columbus Police Department, Phenix City Police Department and ATF.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Williams is prosecuting the case for the Government.
Gang Member Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison on Racketeering Charge and Related CrimesRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A member of the Rollin’ 60s Neighborhood Crips gang was sentenced today to 84 months in prison for his role a racketeering conspiracy, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today.
Amir Edmonds, aka “G Baby,” 22, of Newark, pleaded guilty on Sept. 13, 2023, before U.S. District Judge Susan D. Wigenton to a superseding indictment that charged him with Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) conspiracy, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Judge Wigenton imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From 2015 through Sept. 22, 2022, Edmonds was a member of the Rollin’ 60s Neighborhood Crips, a criminal enterprise responsible for acts of violence and the distribution of controlled substances in the District of New Jersey and elsewhere. Edmonds previously admitted to working with at least one other member of the enterprise to distribute controlled substances. On Jan. 7, 2020, Edmonds possessed with intent to distribute cocaine and fentanyl, and possessed a firearm in furtherance of that drug offense.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Wigenton sentenced Edmonds to four years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Cheryl Ortiz; special agents of IRS – Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Tammy Tomlins, and special agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Bryan Miller; investigators of the U.S. Marshals Service, under the direction of Marshal Juan Mattos; the Irvington Police Department, under the direction of Police Division Director Tracy Bowers; the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Acting Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens II; the Newark Police Department, under the direction of Public Safety Director Fritz Fragé; the Bloomfield Police Department, under the direction of Director of Public Safety Samuel A. DeMaio; the Essex County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Armando B. Fontoura; the East Orange Police Department, under the direction of Chief Phyllis L. Bindi; the Elizabeth Police Department, under the direction of Police Director Earl J. Graves; the Edison Police Department, under the direction of Chief of Police Tom Bryan; the New Jersey State Police, under the direction of Col. Patrick J. Callahan; the Union County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor William A. Daniel; the Spotswood Police Department, under the direction of Chief Philip Corbisiero; and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation Fugitive and Missing Person Task Force, which includes members of the FBI, with the investigations leading to the charges in the Rollin 60’s Neighborhood Crips investigation.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (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 https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Francesca Liquori of the Special Prosecutions Division.
Fort Myers Drug Trafficking Organization Leader Sentenced to Life in Prison for Killing an FBI Informant and Conspiracy to Distribute CocaineRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Hernandez Covington has sentenced Robert Lee Ward (55, Fort Myers) to life in federal prison for killing an FBI informant and conspiracy to distribute cocaine. A jury found Ward guilty of conspiracy to distribute cocaine on February 18, 2022. Another jury found Ward guilty of killing an FBI informant on September 29, 2023.
According to the evidence and testimony presented during the trials, Ward was the leader of a drug trafficking organization in Fort Myers that distributed cocaine in Fort Myers and other locations for over a decade until his arrest in 2018. Ward and his co-conspirators routinely purchased kilograms of cocaine from Ward’s supplier in Miami and distributed the cocaine in Fort Myers and Panama City.
Federal investigators used confidential informants to make multiple purchases of cocaine from Ward’s co-conspirators. A confidential informant that purchased cocaine from Ward was relocated by investigators after they learned of a threat against the informant’s life.
In 2012, the FBI obtained the assistance of Kristopher Smith, a member of Ward’s organization, who agreed to cooperate in the investigation against Ward. After learning about Smith’s cooperation with investigators, Ward solicited James Broomfield to kill Smith. Broomfield agreed to kill Smith for $30,000. Ward provided Broomfield with a loaded firearm and told him where to locate Smith.
On January 7, 2013, Broomfield and another individual followed Smith and his girlfriend as they drove to their son’s school. Smith remained in the car while his girlfriend entered the school. Broomfield and his accomplice parked their vehicle behind the informant’s car. Broomfield ran up to the car and shot Smith several times, killing him.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, the Fort Myers Police Department, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Panama City Police Department, the Bay County Sheriff’s Office, and the Tampa Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Michael Sinacore and Candace Rich.
This case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identities, 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.
Former Treasurer of Illinois State Police Heritage Foundation Pleads Guilty to Defrauding FoundationRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – A Springfield woman, LeAnn Shirley, 57, of the 40 block of Pinto Drive, pleaded guilty on March 7, 2024, to wire fraud relating to funds belonging to the Illinois State Police Heritage Fund. Sentencing for Shirley has been scheduled for July 17, 2024, at the U.S. Courthouse in Springfield, Illinois.
In court before U.S. Magistrate Judge Karen McNaught, Shirley admitted that, in 2019 when she was the Foundation’s treasurer, she devised a scheme to defraud the Foundation by causing approximately $79,000 to be wired from a Foundation bank account in Illinois to an account in Vermont. After the money was transferred to the bank in Vermont, all but approximately $5,000 of it was then transferred into a cryptocurrency account by a third-party. To facilitate the initial transfer, Shirley falsely claimed to bank employees that the payment was being used to ship items for the Foundation and that the Foundation would be reimbursed in the next couple of weeks.
The Illinois State Police Heritage Foundation is a charity under Internal Revenue Service Section 501(c)(3) committed to preserving the history of the Illinois State Police.
The statutory penalties for wire fraud are up to 20 years’ imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, up to 3 years of supervised release, and a $100 mandatory special assessment.
The case investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Springfield Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tanner Jacobs is representing the government in the prosecution.
Federal Jury Convicts Two Methamphetamine TraffickersRead the Press Release
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – A federal jury in Asheville has convicted Keith Ryan Noles, 42, and Tina Jane Hill, 46, both of Marble, N.C., of trafficking methamphetamine and firearms offenses, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Ronnie Martinez, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in North Carolina and South Carolina, and Sheriff Dustin D. Smith of the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office join U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement.
According to filed court documents, trial evidence, and witness testimony, in February 2021, more than eight pounds of methamphetamine was intercepted by law enforcement in Texas. Trial evidence established that law enforcement learned the methamphetamine was intended for Hill and Noles in North Carolina from their source of supply. The jury heard testimony that, between 2020 and 2021, their source of supply or his representative made multiple trips to North Carolina to deliver packages of methamphetamine to Hill and Noles, and to pick up cash payments.
According to trial evidence, after the methamphetamine was intercepted in Texas, law enforcement planned a delivery of the methamphetamine to Hill and Noles as originally planned. Law enforcement arrested Noles soon after he arrived to assist with the delivery of the methamphetamine to his and Hill’s residence in Marble, North Carolina. Law enforcement subsequently arrested Hill at the residence.
The jury found Noles and Hill guilty of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Noles was also convicted of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Sentencing hearings for Noles and Hill have not been set.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney King commended HSI and the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office for their investigation of the case and thanked the Andrews Police Department and the Graham County Sheriff’s Office for their invaluable assistance.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Hess and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Annabelle Chambers of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville are prosecuting the case. Ms. Chambers is a state prosecutor with the office of the 43rd Prosecutorial District and was assigned by District Attorney Ashley Welch to serve as SAUSA with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville. Ms. Chambers is sworn in both state and federal courts. The SAUSA position is a reflection of the partnership between the office of the 43rd Prosecutorial District and the United States Attorney’s Office. The SAUSA position helps ensure the effective and vigorous prosecution of federal court cases that impact the counties within the 43rd Prosecutorial District.
Federal Jury Convicts Fresno Man of Sexual Exploitation of a MinorRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. – A federal jury has found Todd Eric Mumma, 60, of Fresno, guilty of actual and attempted sexual exploitation of a minor , U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced today.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Mumma used hidden digital video recording devices in a residence to create sexually explicit images of a minor. He edited recordings on a computer and then transferred the most sexually explicit images onto a cellphone where the images were stored in a password‑protected application and viewed numerous times.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Central Valley Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, specifically Homeland Security Investigations and the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney David L. Gappa and Trial Attorney McKenzie Hightower of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section are prosecuting the case.
Mumma was detained following the verdict. He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 17, 2024, by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston. Mumma faces a minimum statutory penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 30 years in prison for the count of sexual exploitation and a fine of up to $250,000 as well as possible forfeiture of property and mandatory restitution to a victim. The actual sentence, however, will 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.
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, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those 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.
Federal Indictment Charges Stockton Man with Drug and Gun OffensesRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a three-count indictment Thursday against Alexander Rey Diaz, 51, of Stockton, charging him with being a felon in possession of firearms, possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine, and possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, on Feb. 21, 2024, enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Diaz’s residence. In his bedroom, officers found more than 300 grams of methamphetamine, 150 grams of fentanyl, 170 grams of cocaine, and four loaded firearms. Diaz is prohibited from possessing firearms because of his prior criminal convictions.
This case is the product of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from the Stockton Police Department, the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin J. Gilio is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, Diaz faces a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison and a $5 million fine. 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 defendant is 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 Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF.
Federal Grand Jury Indicts Louisville Felon for Illegally Possessing a FirearmRead the Press Release
Federal Grand Jury Indicts Louisville Felon for Illegally Possessing a Firearm
Louisville, KY – A federal grand jury in Louisville returned an indictment on February 6, 2024, charging a Louisville man with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, Special Agent in Charge R. Shawn Morrow of the ATF Louisville Field Division, and Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel of the Louisville Metro Police Department made the announcement.
According to the indictment, Eric Nyandwi, 24, was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. On January 10, 2024, Nyandwi possessed a Sig Sauer, Model P239, .40 caliber pistol, and ammunition. Nyandwi was prohibited from possessing a firearm because he had previously been convicted of the following felony offenses.
On June 7, 2018, in Jefferson Circuit Court, Nyandwi was convicted of robbery in the second degree, complicity to receiving stolen property (firearm), and complicity to tampering with physical evidence.
The defendant made his initial court appearance this week before a U.S. Magistrate Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. The Court ordered the defendant detained pending trial. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
There is no parole in the federal system.
This case is being investigated by the ATF with assistance from the Louisville Metro Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Erwin Roberts 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. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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District Man Sentenced to 32 Months in Prison for Felony Second-Degree Theft for Stealing Multiple Packages after Multiple Prior Theft ConvictionsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Daniel Greene, 42, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 32 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release for two counts of felony second degree theft. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
On January 5, 2024, Greene pleaded guilty to both counts. At today’s sentencing, Superior Court Judge Erik Christian sentenced Greene to 16 months in prison for each count, to run consecutively.
According to the government’s evidence, on September 16, 2023, the defendant went up to residences in Northeast Washington, D.C. and stole packages that been delivered to residents’ front doors. Greene was indicted on October 12, 2023, on two counts of felony second degree theft. Greene had nine prior theft convictions, in the District of Columbia, and was therefore subject to enhanced penalties for his alleged theft, including a mandatory minimum sentence of one year in prison.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of those investigating the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Hannah Skopicki, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
District Man Indicted on Enhanced Second-Degree Theft for Multiples Thefts from CVSRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – On Wednesday, March 6, 2024, Quinton Thomas, 40, of Washington, D.C., was indicted by a grand jury in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on nine counts of felony second-degree theft and two counts of unlawful entry stemming from events occurring between October 2023 and November 2023, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) announced.
Thomas is to be arraigned on April 22, 2024, at a hearing before a Superior Court judge.
According to the government’s evidence, between October 2023 and January 2024, Thomas repeatedly stole from two CVS stores located in Northwest Washington D.C., returning on multiple occasions to steal thousands of dollars’ worth of merchandise. Thomas was later located and arrested after investigation by the Metropolitan Police Department.
Thomas has two or more prior theft convictions, though not from the same occasion, and therefore is subject to enhanced penalties for his alleged theft, including a mandatory minimum sentence of one year in jail for each count of theft for which he is indicted.
Since September 1, 2023, including the aforementioned case, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia has indicted 31 cases involving a felony second-degree theft charge based on a defendant’s two or more prior theft convictions, not from the same occasion.
This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. It is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin S. Kurland.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal laws and every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.
District Man Indicted on Enhanced Second-Degree Theft for Theft from Lidl in NorthwestRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – On Wednesday, March 6, 2024, Dwayne Bingham, 63, of Washington, D.C., was indicted by a grand jury in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on one count of felony second-degree theft stemming from events occurring on December 30, 2023, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) announced.
Bingham is to be arraigned on March 21, 2024, at a hearing before a Superior Court judge.
According to the government’s evidence, on December 30, 2023, Bingham took a range of merchandise without paying from the Lidl store at 3100 14th St NW, Washington, D.C. Bingham was quickly located and arrested by the Metropolitan Police Department.
Bingham has two or more prior theft convictions, though not from the same occasion, and therefore is subject to enhanced penalties for his alleged theft, including a mandatory minimum sentence of one year in jail for each count of theft for which he is indicted.
Since September 1, 2023, including the aforementioned case, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia has indicted 31 cases involving a felony second-degree theft charge based on a defendant’s two or more prior theft convictions, not from the same occasion.
This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. It is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan Jones.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal laws and every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.
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District Man Indicted on Enhanced Second-Degree Theft for Stealing Multiple PackagesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – On Wednesday, March 6, 2024, Demetrius Hamm, 55, of Washington, D.C., was indicted by a grand jury in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on three counts of felony second-degree theft stemming from events occurring on January 30, 2024, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) announced.
Hamm has been arraigned and has another hearing before a Superior Court judge on March 19, 2024.
According to the government’s evidence, on January 30, 2024, Hamm took packages off of a porch in Northwest Washington, DC. Hamm was quickly located and arrested by members of the Metropolitan Police Department.
Hamm has two or more prior theft convictions, though not from the same occasion, and therefore is subject to enhanced penalties for his alleged theft, including a mandatory minimum sentence of one year in jail for each count of theft for which he is indicted.
Since September 1, 2023, including the aforementioned case, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia has indicted 31 cases involving a felony second-degree theft charge based on a defendant’s two or more prior theft convictions, not from the same occasion.
This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. It is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Yee Yee Myint.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal laws and every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.
Crownpoint Woman Sentenced to 30 months in Prison for Involuntary ManslaughterRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, announced today that Ryntana Yazzie was sentenced to 30 months in prison. Yazzie, 34, of Crownpoint, and an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter on Nov. 2, 2023.
According to publicly available court documents, on August 4, 2020, Yazzie had been drinking alcohol and was driving south on Highway 371 outside Farmington when her vehicle veered into oncoming traffic and struck a semi-truck driven by John Doe, who was driving northbound. Yazzie crossed the center line into John Doe’s truck and did not brake prior to the crash. John Doe attempted to veer to the right to avoid Yazzie. The impact occurred head on, slightly off center.
John Doe died at the scene of the crash. OMI determined John Doe suffered from blunt force trauma to the head and neck. He suffered hemorrhage in the neck and head which would have been nearly immediately fatal.
Yazzie suffered a broken left arm and a broken leg from the crash and was transported to San Juan Regional Medical Center before she was flown to the University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque.
Upon her release from prison, Yazzie will be subject to 3 years of supervised release.
The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Department of Investigation and Department of Criminal Investigations and the New Mexico State Police. Assistant United States Attorney Nicholas J. Marshall is prosecuting the case.
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Court Sentences Texas Man to 87 Months Imprisonment in Multi-Defendant Interstate Methamphetamine Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – On March 6, 2024, United States District Court Judge, Callie V. S. Grande sentenced Daniel Castillo-Garcia to 87 months imprisonment for his role in a multi-defendant interstate drug trafficking conspiracy.
Documents filed with the Court established that Castillo-Garcia was involved with five other persons to transport and distribute methamphetamine from Texas to Mobile County, Alabama. Castillo-Garcia served as a drug courier in the organization who on numerous occasions transported methamphetamine from Texas to Lafayette, Louisiana and Mobile County for the organization.
On December 7, 2020, the Mobile Police Department Narcotics Unit conducted a traffic stop on a 2007 Black Suburban bearing a Texas license plate and being driven by Castillo-Garcia. Following the stop, investigative team members conducted a search of the vehicle and seized approximately 491 grams of crystal methamphetamine. The seizure occurred after a recorded phone call was made from a confidential informant to another member of the conspiracy ordering a pound of methamphetamine and the dealer stating he would send his courier to Mobile to deliver the methamphetamine.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Mobile Police Department, Narcotics Unit, the Harrison and Hancock County, Mississippi, Sherriff’s Offices and the Galveston County Texas Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney George F. May.
Corporate Insider Sentenced to 60 Months in Prison for Conspiring with Long Island Boiler Room to Pump and Dump Stock on Elderly InvestorsRead the Press Release
Earlier today, in federal court in Central Islip, Michael Watts, a former registered broker who participated in a criminal conspiracy to promote and manipulate the price of shares in Hydrocarb Energy Corp. and other companies, was sentenced by United States District Judge Joanna Seybert to 60 months’ imprisonment for conspiracy to commit securities fraud, securities fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering conspiracy and money laundering. At an earlier proceeding, the Court ordered Watts to pay more than $560,000 in forfeiture and $4,430,354.03 in restitution. Watts was convicted by a federal jury in October 2019 following a three-week trial.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, announced the sentence.
“Michael Watts and his co-conspirators lined their pockets with the lifetime savings of hard-working folks across the country with ruinous results,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “Today’s sentence holds Watts accountable for the economic harm he intentionally inflicted on the victims, many of them senior citizens living on a fixed income, and should serve as a warning to others like him that there will be consequences for crimes of greed.”
Mr. Peace thanked the Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office, for its hard work and dedication in leading the investigation and expressed his appreciation to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc., Criminal Prosecution Assistance Group (FINRA CPAG), for their cooperation and assistance.
From 2014 to 2016, Watts and others working with a Melville, New York-based boiler room artificially inflated the price and trading volume of Hydrocarb stock. They did so through an illegal cold call campaign that used lies and high-pressure sales tactics to lure victims, including the elderly and the vulnerable, into purchasing stock. Watts, who was one of the largest shareholders in Hydrocarb and therefore knew that the business was in a downward spiral, also used the boiler room to dump more than $2 million of Hydrocarb shares that he owned or controlled on unsuspecting investors in the months leading to the company’s April 2016 bankruptcy. The conspiracy’s market manipulation fraudulently inflated the stock price of Hydrocarb and four other companies by more than $147 million.
All 16 defendants charged in this case have been convicted. Among those who have been sentenced, Jeffrey Chartier, Ronald Hardy and Brian Heepke each received 10 years’ imprisonment; Dennis Verderosa received six years; Lawrence Isen received five years; McArthur Jean received four years; Paul Ewer received three years; and Emin Cohen received two years.
The government’s case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Whitman G.S. Knapp and Kaitlin T. Farrell with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Peyton Jefferson. Assistant United States Attorney Tanisha Payne of the Office’s Asset Recovery Section is handling forfeiture matters in the case.
The Defendant:
MICHAEL WATTS
Age: 68
Sugarland, TexasDocket No. 17-CR-372 (JS)
Columbia Man Sentenced to 11 Years in Federal Prison for Drug Trafficking and Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Dominic Sinclair Ervin, 38, of Columbia, was sentenced to 11 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and heroin.
Evidence presented to the court showed that on July 16, 2019, Richland County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD) narcotics investigators conducted a controlled purchase of heroin from Ervin. Ervin was stopped a short time later by an RCSD deputy. Ervin’s car was searched, and deputies found approximately 24 grams of heroin and 15 grams of methamphetamine along with a digital scale hidden in Ervin’s car. A loaded .45 cal. pistol was found under the driver’s seat.
On May 10, 2022, City of Columbia Police Department (CPD) officers responded to a call of a man threatening people with a gun at an apartment complex near Bailey St., in Columbia. Ervin matched the description of the suspect given to police. When CPD officers encountered Ervin, he fled into an apartment at the complex. Ervin was eventually taken into custody and found in possession of two firearms, one of which had an extended ammunition magazine attached. Ervin was out on bond from a previous arrest at this time.
Ervin was prohibited from possessing a firearm and ammunition based on previous state and federal convictions. In 2008, Ervin was convicted of assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature. In 2009, he was convicted federally of knowingly using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of, a drug trafficking crime.
United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis sentenced Ervin to 132 months in prison, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.
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 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the City of Columbia Police Department (CPD) and the Richland County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD). Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher D. Taylor is prosecuting the case.
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Colorado Springs Man Sentenced in Three Colorado Bank RobberiesRead the Press Release
DENVER – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces that Aron Radej, 39, of Colorado Springs, was sentenced to 204 months in prison after pleading guilty to three counts of bank robbery, and one count of a being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
According to the facts in the plea agreement, Radej was on federal supervised release in April 2023 for a prior conviction of being a felon in possession of a firearm when he robbed three banks in Colorado Springs, Pueblo, and Thornton by threatening tellers at each location. Radej was identified by law enforcement and arrested on May 2, 2023, in the passenger seat of a rented minivan. Radej had two loaded firearms in a backpack at his feet at the time of arrest.
“This case and sentence demonstrate that we will not stand for repeat criminal offenders in our communities,” said United States Attorney Cole Finegan. “We continue to commend the work of our local, state and federal partners when helping to bring people like this to justice.”
"We appreciate the collaborative efforts of the Colorado Springs Police Department, Pueblo Police Department and Thornton Police Department in stopping this repeat offender's violent crime spree," said FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Mark Michalek. "FBI Denver and our law enforcement partners remain laser-focused on reducing gun violence and ensuring that those who victimize citizens for personal gain are brought to justice."
United States District Court Judge Regina M. Rodriguez presided over the sentencing on March 6, 2024. The FBI investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney Brian Dunn 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 Number: 15-CR-00037
Colombian National Extradited from Colombia to the United States to Face Charges of Murder Conspiracy and Attempted Murder of U.S. Army SoldiersRead the Press Release
MIAMI – On March 7, Ciro Alfonso Gutierrez Ballesteros, 32, made his initial appearance in federal court in Miami. Gutierrez Ballesteros was extradited from Colombia to the United States to face federal charges lodged against him in a federal indictment returned in 2022 by a Miami federal grand jury. Gutierrez Ballesteros was indicted for charges that include conspiring to murder members of the United States Uniformed Services and attempted murder of members of the United States Uniformed Services.
According to the indictment, Gutierrez Ballesteros, in concert with other co-conspirators, planned a bombing attack against U.S. Army soldiers present at the Colombian 30th Army Brigade Base in Cucuta, Colombia. Co-conspirator Andres Fernando Medina Rodriguez used his status as a medically discharged Colombian Army Officer to gain access to the base where he conducted surveillance. As part of the surveillance, Medina Rodriguez took photographs and video of the areas where the U.S. Army soldiers were primarily located.
Gutierrez Ballesteros instructed Medina Rodriguez to find and purchase a vehicle suitable for conducting a vehicle borne improvised explosive device (“VBIED”) attack at the base. Medina Rodriguez purchased a white SUV and Medina Rodriguez and Gutierrez Ballesteros then drove the vehicle to Venezuela where it was outfitted with the explosives.
On June 15, 2021, Medina Rodriguez drove the vehicle with the VBIED to the 30th Army Brigade Base in Cucuta, Colombia, where he parked it in front of the location where U.S. and Colombian military personnel were located. Gutierrez Ballesteros, riding a motorcycle, followed Medina Rodriguez to the Colombian military base. Medina Rodriguez pulled the detonation pin on the explosive and left the area on foot before fleeing on the motorcycle driven by Gutierrez Ballesteros. As a result of the detonated VBIED, three U.S. Army soldiers were injured.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI’s Miami Field Office announced the extradition of Gutierrez Ballesteros.
The FBI investigated the case. The FBI was assisted by the FBI Legal Attaché in Bogotá, the Fiscalía General de la Nación Colombia, and the National Police of Colombia. Assistant U.S. Attorney Randy A. Hummel, Assistant U.S. Attorney Andy R. Camacho, and the Justice Department’s National Security Division Trial Attorneys David C. Smith and Michael Dittoe are prosecuting the case.
The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section’s Office of the Judicial Attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Bogotá worked with Colombian authorities to secure the arrest and extradition of Gutierrez Ballesteros.
An indictment contains mere allegations, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
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 22-cr-20054.
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Cedar Rapids Woman Who Produced and Distributed Child Pornography Sentenced to 40 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
A woman who created child pornography videos and distributed them online was sentenced today to 40 years in federal prison.
Abigail Elizabeth Lambert, age 32, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after an October 12, 2023 guilty plea to one count of distribution of child pornography and one count of sexual exploitation of children.
At the guilty plea, Lambert admitted that she used, persuaded, induced, or enticed at least one minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing one or more visual depictions of the conduct. She also admitted that she knowingly distributed visual depictions of child pornography over the internet. Court documents reflect that, in June 2023, Lambert exchanged messages with an undercover officer over a fetish website. Lambert told the officer that she had committed sexual acts with two minors and that she had videos of the sexual acts. On June 29, 2023, Lambert sent the undercover officer some of the videos she had previously described.
Lambert was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Lambert was sentenced to 480 months’ imprisonment. She must also serve a five-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Lambert is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until she can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dan Chatham.
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, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 23‑CR‑00049‑CJW‑MAR.
Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Carleena Graham Sentenced for Defrauding Federal Program Funding RecipientRead the Press Release
Burlington, Vermont - The United States Attorney’s Office stated that Carleena Graham, 57, of Accokeek, Maryland, was sentenced today in United States District Court in Burlington to four years of probation following her guilty plea to a charge of wire fraud. As a condition of probation, Chief U.S. District Judge Geoffrey W. Crawford ordered that Graham make a final restitution payment of $209,000 within 60 days. Graham had previously paid $210,000 in restitution.
On May 31, 2023, the United States filed a one count information charging Graham with wire fraud. The defendant pleaded guilty to that charge last summer. According to the information, the victim, World Learning, is a non-profit global development and exchange organization that delivers educational and professional training programs, and people-to-people exchange opportunities around the world. World Learning had headquarters in Brattleboro, Vermont and Washington, D.C. World Learning received millions of dollars in federal funding from the United States Department of State and the United States Agency for International Development.
In 2014, World Learning hired Graham as the Director of Human Resources. She was subsequently promoted to Divisional Vice President of Human Resources and then to Vice President of Human Resources. Graham worked in World Learning’s Washington office. By reason of her positions of trust, Graham had access to a World Learning credit card that was to be used for human resources purposes.
At the time she was employed by World Learning, Graham also held positions at or had relationships with other non-profit and charitable organizations in the Washington, D.C. area (together the “third-party organizations”). Beginning in approximately 2016 and continuing until the middle of 2022, Graham orchestrated a scheme to defraud World Learning of hundreds of thousands of dollars. As part of the scheme, Graham arranged for goods and services to be delivered to the third-party organizations, and then fraudulently arranged for World Learning to pay for these goods and services via electronic transfers of funds from its Vermont bank account. Graham falsified invoices submitted by vendors for payment of the goods and services to make them appear as though World Learning was the recipient of the goods and services. Graham often misused her access to World Learning’s credit cards to cause World Learning to pay the expenses incurred by the third-party organizations. World Learning suffered a loss of $419,000 because of this fraud.
United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commends the excellent work of the Offices of Inspector General of both the U.S. State Department and the Agency for International Development, who partnered to investigate this case. These Offices are committed to protecting the people, programs and financial resources of the State Department and the Agency for International Development. “This result demonstrates the significant consequences for individuals who defraud organizations responsible for implementing critical U.S. foreign assistance programs,” said USAID OIG Special Agent in Charge Jason Donnelly and Chris Hileman, Special Agent in Charge of the State Department’s OIG. “Our agencies, through their global investigative activities, will continue to work with the Department of Justice and other law enforcement counterparts to detect, disrupt, and hold accountable those whose schemes compromise the work of the State Department and USAID around the world.”
Graham is represented by Walter Reynoso, Esq. of Coral Gables, Florida and Christina Nolan, Esq. of Burlington, Vermont. The prosecutor is Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Waples.
Cape Girardeau Man Sentenced to 14+ Years in Prison for Selling FentanylRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. on Thursday sentenced a Cape Girardeau, Missouri man to 175 months in prison for selling fentanyl.
Jimmy L. Hudson Jr., 47, pleaded guilty last year to distribution of fentanyl. He admitted selling fentanyl in April of 2023 to an informant working for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
This latest case represents Hudson’s third federal drug-trafficking conviction, according to court documents. At the time he sold the fentanyl, Hudson was on federal supervised release stemming from a 2015 conviction for distributing methamphetamine. After serving the nearly 15-year sentence, Hudson will once again be placed on supervised release.
The DEA investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Koester handled the prosecution for the government.
California man sentenced for multimillion-dollar fraud and money laundering schemesRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 45-year-old Nigerian national has been ordered to federal prison for his participation in two separate schemes to defraud victim homeowners and a corporation and launder the proceeds of those frauds.
Joseph Modile pleaded guilty Feb. 27, 2023, to charges of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft filed in the Eastern District of New York (EDNY) and charges of money laundering and wire fraud filed in the Southern District of Texas (SDTX) and subsequently transferred to the EDNY.
U.S. District Judge Diane Gujarati has now ordered Modile to serve 145 months in prison. As part of the sentence, Modile was also ordered to pay more than $1.5 million each in restitution and forfeiture.
“Although Modile took part in a complicated scheme, involving a cadre of runners and a series of fake documents and bank accounts, his goal was simple - steal from unsuspecting victims,” said U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani for the SDTX. “While his crimes stretched to all parts, from Brooklyn to Houston, thanks to the work of two U.S. Attorney’s Offices, Modile will spend several years in one place, a prison cell, no longer able to help fellow criminals prey on the innocent.”
“Modile checked all the boxes for a sophisticated fraud–stealing, deception, money laundering and identity theft. Today’s sentence checks the box for an appropriate penalty for his crimes of greed from Brooklyn to Texas,” stated U.S. Attorney Breon Peace for the EDNY. “I commend the prosecutors from my Office, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the SDTX and the special agents for their outstanding work unraveling Modile’s scheme.”
“Today’s sentencing is a positive step toward justice for Joseph Modile’s victims – homeowners, business owners and the everyday email users alike who were defrauded of over $15 million as a result of his sophisticated schemes. The defendant spearheaded at least three fraud schemes across the country and over the course of several years. His tactics, while sophisticated, were no match for Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York’s El Dorado Task Force Cyber investigators,” stated HSI New York Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Erin Keegan. “I commend HSI New York, the New York City Police Department, the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the EDNY and SDTX, as well as FBI Houston, for a job well done.”
“FBI Houston, along with our domestic and international law enforcement partners, led an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation on numerous prolific organized crime figures. Modile, for years, was an orchestrator of multi-million-dollar fraud schemes who stole from countless victims around the world,” stated FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Douglas Williams. “Dismantling large-scale criminal enterprises is what the FBI does, and Modile’s sentence should send a message to greedy criminals like him still out there, it’s just a matter of time before we get you too.”
In the SDTX case, from November 2017 until May 2018, Modile knowingly devised a scheme to defraud victims. Modile used his cellular phone to communicate with others about financial transactions for the purpose of executing his scheme. Modile directed an individual already convicted in Houston to withdraw cash from their bank account and provide it to others. Modile also directed the individual in Houston to lie to their financial institution regarding the reason for withdrawing money from their account. In February 2018, Modile orchestrated and directed a substantial amount of money into an account of the individual in Houston. The money derived from wire fraud, and Modile was aware the money came from unlawful activity.
In the case filed in the EDNY, from January 2014 and September 2018, Modile and others defrauded victims, businesses and financial institutions in the United States through a sophisticated home equity line of credit (HELOC) scheme involving a series of bank account takeovers. During this time, Modile and others also laundered proceeds from the bank account takeovers. In furtherance of the HELOC fraud scheme, Modile and others acquired personal identifying information (PII) of the actual holders of the targeted bank accounts at the financial institutions. The co-conspirators then used the PII to impersonate the actual holders of the targeted bank accounts, thereby gaining control of the accounts. In some cases, members of the conspiracy recruited “runners,” who impersonated the actual account holders inside bank branches using forged and fraudulent identification documents created at Modile’s direction. In most instances, the stolen funds were first deposited into fraudulent bank accounts co-conspirators set up and controlledin the names of the actual victims from whom the money had been stolen. In other cases, the bank accounts into which the stolen funds were first deposited were in the names of sham corporations, which were opened using false and fraudulent identification. In total, Modile and others stole at least $5 million as part of the HELOC fraud scheme.
In May 2018, Modile and others engaged in a separate business email compromise scheme using fraudulent emails and telephone calls to steal approximately $10.2 million from a victim company. The co-conspirators used a fraudulent email address to impersonate a contractor of an entity located in St. Paul, Minnesota, and directed representatives of that entity to deposit the funds in an account members of the conspiracy controlled. Modile and others then laundered those stolen funds through bank accounts that co-conspirators controlled.
FBI and Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation.
This effort is part of an 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
Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) Rodolfo Ramirez prosecuted the case along with EDNY AUSA David Pitluck.
California Woman Pleads Guilty to Leaving Threatening Anti-Semitic MessageRead the Press Release
MIAMI – Melanie Harris, 59 of Riverside, California, pled guilty to knowingly and intentionally transmitting a threatening communication in interstate commerce. Harris, who has been in custody since July 20, 2023, entered her guilty plea before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jared M. Strauss on March 4. Harris remains in custody and is scheduled for sentencing on May 23 before U.S. District Judge Roy K. Altman in Miami, where she faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
According to the facts admitted at the change of plea, on October 3, 2022, Harris made multiple calls to Victim 1’s cell phone, and left four separate threatening voicemails, with the intent to communicate a true threat and with the knowledge that the communications would be seen as true threats. In one of these four October 3 voicemails, Harris stated in relevant part: “I’ll cut your f------ head off kiker.” The term “kike” has long been used as an anti-Semitic slur aimed at Jews.
Neither Victim 1 nor his wife, Victim 2, knew the identity of the person (Harris) calling Victim 1 with these threatening and harassing calls and voicemails. Nor did they know where the calls were coming from because Harris concealed her phone number using the *67 feature. However, all of these calls originated from the Riverside, California area, where Harris lived at the time, and were received by Victim 1’s phone in the Southern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of FBI, Miami Field Office, announced the guilty plea.
The FBI's Miami Area Corruption Task Force, which also investigates civil rights violations, investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Edward N. Stamm and Nardia Haye are prosecuting the case, which was indicted by Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney Harry C. Wallace, Jr.
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-60050.
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California Man Sentenced to 145 Months in Prison for Multi-Million Dollar Fraud and Money Laundering SchemesRead the Press Release
Earlier today in federal court in Brooklyn, Joseph Modile, a Nigerian national, was sentenced by United States District Judge Diane Gujarati to 145 months in prison for his participation in two separate schemes to defraud victim homeowners and a corporation and launder the proceeds of those frauds. In February 2023, Modile pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft that were filed in the Eastern District of New York, and to charges of money laundering and wire fraud that were filed in the Southern District of Texas and subsequently transferred to the Eastern District of New York. As part of the sentence, Modile was also ordered to pay more than $1.5 million in restitution and more than $1.5 million in forfeiture. Modile pleaded guilty to both charging documents in February 2023.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Alamdar S. Hamdani, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, Erin Keegan, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge, Homeland Security Investigations, New York (HSI), and Douglas Williams, Special Agent-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Houston Field Office (FBI), announced the sentence.
“Modile checked all the boxes for a sophisticated fraud–stealing, deception, money laundering and identity theft. Today’s sentence checks the box for an appropriate penalty for his crimes of greed from Brooklyn to Texas,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “I commend the prosecutors from my Office, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas and the Special Agents for their outstanding work unraveling Modile’s scheme.”
Mr. Peace also expressed his thanks to the New York City Police Department which conducted this investigation as part of an enterprise Priority Transnational Organized Crime (PTOC) of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF), the FBI’s Boston Field Office, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Department of State, Diplomatic Security Service, New York County District Attorney’s Office, the Houston Police Department, and the Harris County District Attorney’s Office for their substantial assistance.
“While Modile took part in a complicated scheme, involving a cadre of runners and a series of fake documents and bank accounts, his goal was simple - steal from unsuspecting victims,” stated United States Attorney Hamdani for the Southern District of Texas. “Although his crimes stretched to all parts, from Brooklyn to Houston, thanks to the work of two U.S. Attorney’s Offices, Modile will spend several years in one place, a prison cell, no longer able to help fellow criminals prey on the innocent.”
“Today’s sentencing is a positive step toward justice for Joseph Modile’s victims – homeowners, business owners, and the everyday email users alike who were defrauded of over $15 million as a result of his sophisticated schemes. The defendant spearheaded at least three fraud schemes across the country and over the course of several years. His tactics, while sophisticated, were no match for HSI New York’s El Dorado Task Force Cyber investigators,” stated HSI New York Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Keegan. “I commend HSI New York, the New York City Police Department, the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Eastern District of New York and the Southern District of Texas, as well as FBI Houston, for a job well done.”
“FBI Houston, along with our domestic and international law enforcement partners, led an OCDETF investigation on numerous prolific organized crime figures. Modile, for years, was an orchestrator of multi-million-dollar fraud schemes who stole from countless victims around the world,” stated FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Williams. “Dismantling largescale criminal enterprises is what the FBI does and Modile’s sentence should send a message to greedy criminals like him still out there, it’s just a matter of time before we get you too.”
In a scheme that was charged in the Eastern District of New York, from January 2014 and September 2018, Modile and others defrauded victims, businesses, and financial institutions in the United States through a sophisticated home equity line of credit (HELOC) scheme involving a series of bank account takeovers. During this time, Modile and others also laundered proceeds from the bank account takeovers. In furtherance of the HELOC fraud scheme, Modile and others acquired personal identifying information (PII) of the actual holders of the targeted bank accounts at the financial institutions. The co-conspirators then used the PII to impersonate the actual holders of the targeted bank accounts, thereby gaining control of the accounts. In some cases, members of the conspiracy recruited “runners,” who impersonated the actual account holders inside bank branches using forged and fraudulent identification documents created at the direction of Modile. In most instances, the stolen funds were first deposited into fraudulent bank accounts set up and controlled by co-conspirators in the names of the actual victims from whom the money had been stolen. In other cases, the bank accounts into which the stolen funds were first deposited were in the names of sham corporations, which were opened using false and fraudulent identification. In total, Modile and others stole at least $5 million as part of the HELOC fraud scheme.
In a related scheme charged in the Eastern District of New York, in May 2018, Modile and others engaged in a separate Business Email Compromise scheme, using fraudulent emails and telephone calls to steal approximately $10.2 million from a victim company. The coconspirators used a fraudulent email address to impersonate a contractor of an entity located in St. Paul, Minnesota, and directed representatives of that entity to deposit the funds in an account controlled by members of the conspiracy. Modile and others then laundered those stolen funds through bank accounts controlled by members of the conspiracy.
Finally, as set forth in the information filed in the Southern District of Texas, from November 2017 until May 2018, Modile knowingly devised a scheme to defraud victims.
Modile used his cellular phone to communicate with others about financial transactions for the purpose of executing his scheme. Modile directed an individual already convicted in Houston, Texas to withdraw cash from their bank account and provide it to others. Modile also directed the individual in Houston to lie to their financial institution regarding the reason for withdrawing money from their account. In February 2018, Modile orchestrated and directed a substantial amount of money into an account of the individual in Houston. The money derived from wire fraud and Modile was aware the money came from unlawful activity.This effort is part of an 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 government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Business and Securities Fraud Section. Assistant United States Attorney David Pitluck is in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Paralegal Specialist William Daniels, along with Assistant United States Attorney Rodolfo Ramirez of the Southern District of Texas.
The Defendant: JOSEPH MODILE
Age: 45
Los Angeles, CaliforniaE.D.N.Y. Docket Nos. 21-CR-108 and 23-CR-50 (DG)
California Man Sentenced for Drug ConspiracyRead the Press Release
WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – Christopher Jason Kirk, age 43, of Tracy, California, was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison for his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy in the Northern Panhandle.
Kirk pled guilty in October 2023 to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, 5 kilograms of cocaine, and 400 grams or more of fentanyl. According to court documents and statements made in court, Kirk worked with others in the Ohio Valley to sell large quantities of drugs in the Wheeling area. Kirk was one of the cash couriers for the operation, flying in and out of the Pittsburgh International Airport to San Diego, California, to deliver large amounts of drug sale proceeds.
Once he completes his prison sentence, Kirk will be required to report to the U.S. Probation Office for a period of five years of supervised release.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Carly Nogay prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.
The case was investigated by the Ohio Valley Drug Task Force, which includes officers from the Wheeling Police Department, the West Virginia State Police, the Ohio County Sheriff’s Department, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. The Belmont County (OH) Sheriff’s Office and the Belmont County Prosecutor’s Office assisted. The investigation was supported by the ATF, the Marshall County Drug Task Force, the Hancock-Brooke-Weirton Drug Task Force, the Allegheny County (PA) Police, and the U.S. Marshals Service.
U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey presided.
California man arrested, charged with cyberstalking and identity theftRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that a federal grand jury returned a nine-count indictment charging Max Yang Chen, 29, of San Jose, CA, with three counts of obtaining information from a protected computer, three counts of cyberstalking, and three counts of aggravated identity theft. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 36 years in prison.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan P. Cantil and Douglas A.C. Penrose, who are handling the case, stated that according to the indictment, between March 2021, and June 2023, Chen accessed the computers of three separate victims, without authorization, to obtain information about the victims. Chen then used that information to harass and intimidate the victims. In addition, Chen unlawfully accessed the social media accounts of the victims, and then stole data from those accounts.
Chen made an initial appearance in the Northern District of California and was held pending a detention hearing on March 11, 2024. He will be returned to the Western District of New York at a later date.
The indictment is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Bronx, New York Man Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison for Conspiracy to Commit Wire FraudRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Gregory Lorenzo, 32, of Bronx, New York, was sentenced on March 8, 2024, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska for conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Lorenzo to 60 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Lorenzo’s release from prison, he will begin a 3-year term of supervised release. Additionally, Lorenzo is ordered to pay $528,002.33 in restitution.
This case began in 2017 when Lorenzo, along with others, conspired and agreed together to enact a scheme to defraud Verizon Wireless. Members of the conspiracy did so by acquiring stolen identities of real United States citizens including at least three individuals from Nebraska. The conspiracy members would use the victims’ information to create Verizon accounts. Once accounts were created, they would purchase cellphones and accessories that would be billed to the accounts, causing financial loss to Verizon and potential credit damage to the individual whose identity was used. Once purchased, the phones would be shipped back to New York or New Jersey where they would be sold on the black market.
Different members of the conspiracy played different roles. For his part, Lorenzo would go to FedEx and retrieve packages of fraudulently purchased cellphones and electronic devices. would additionally send money to the “authorized user” members of the conspiracy when they were travelling to make fraudulent purchases. In January of 2019, Lorenzo travelled to the state of Washington where he went to Verizon stores to assist in the purchase of devices on fraudulently created accounts.
The conspiracy continued for years and Verizon Wireless suffered a loss of over $528,002.33. In February of 2019, two of the conspirators were arrested after attempting to purchase cellphones using the stolen identity of a Nebraska resident in Kearney, Nebraska thus beginning the investigation of this matter. Since the investigation began, Lorenzo and seven others have all been charged and convicted for their individual role within the conspiracy. Lorenzo is the last conspiracy member to be sentenced.
This case was investigated by Kearney Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Bridgeport Man Admits Role in Scheme that Defrauded Social Security AdministrationRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Sharon MacDermott, Special Agent in Charge of the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General, Boston – New York Field Division, announced that TROVOY DIXON, 31, of Bridgeport, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty today to an offense stemming from his role in a scheme to defraud the Social Security Administration.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in 2021, unidentified fraudsters engaged in a scheme to defraud the Social Security Administration (SSA) using stolen identities. The fraudsters would contact the SSA posing as legitimate Social Security recipients, often presenting the SSA with confidential personal information, like Social Security numbers and dates of birth, to validate their purported identities. They would then instruct the SSA to change the legitimate SSA recipients’ existing bank account deposit information so that monthly SSA payments would be deposited into bank accounts controlled by scheme participants.
In approximately August 2021, Dixon was contacted by phone by a scheme participant using a Jamaican based telephone number and was asked if he wished to make money through moving money. Dixon agreed, and was instructed to open bank accounts that he would control. After monies generated from the scheme were deposited into Dixon’s online bank accounts, he would withdraw cash from the accounts and use commercial money transfer services to wire a portion of the cash to designated bank accounts in either Jamaica or Mexico. Dixon admitted that he consciously avoided learning the monies were illegally obtained, although in time he knew them to be, and ultimately kept close to half of the monies for his personal use.
Between August 2021 and July 2023, more than $300,000 was deposited into bank accounts Dixon controlled. When accounts were closed due to suspicious fraudulent withdrawal activity, Dixon opened additional accounts to continue his illegal activity.
Dixon pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years. He has agreed to make restitution of $161,000.
Judge Oliver scheduled sentencing for June 30. Dixon is released on a $50,000 bond pending sentencing.
This investigation is being conducted by the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher W. Schmeisser.
Biloxi Man Sentenced to over 11 Years in Prison for Receipt of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Gulfport, Miss. -- A Biloxi man was sentenced to 136 months in prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, for receipt of child pornography.
Andrew Gilbert Landry, 51, was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Gulfport. In addition to Landry’s term of imprisonment, the Court ordered restitution for victims in the amount of $15,000, and imposed an assessment of $3,000 under the Amy, Vicky, and Andy Child Pornography Victim Assistance Act of 2018.
According to court documents, Landry was identified by law enforcement as an individual utilizing a peer-to-peer file sharing network and knowingly receiving via the internet at least one visual depiction of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Hard drives and a laptop computer recovered from Landry’s residence contained at least 800 videos and 80 still images of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct, to include those under 12 years of age.
Landry was indicted by a federal grand jury in September of 2022. He pled guilty on November 2, 2023, to receipt of child pornography.
U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee and Special Agent in Charge Eric DeLaune of Homeland Security Investigations made the announcement.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from the Cyber Crime Division of the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Jones 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 U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Billings felon sentenced to more than five years in prison for bank fraud, aggravated ID theft, illegal possession of firearmRead the Press Release
BILLINGS — A Billings man with seven prior felony convictions was sentenced on March 7 to five years and five months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for using a stolen bank card to make unauthorized purchases and for illegally possessing firearms, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said today.
James Kendall Wiles, 42, pleaded guilty in November 2023 to bank fraud, aggravated identity theft and prohibited person in possession of firearms and ammunition.
U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided. The court also ordered Wiles to pay $4,439 restitution.
In court documents, the government alleged that in September 2022, a victim, identified as Jane Doe 2, notified the Billings Police Department that her bank card had been stolen from her vehicle and successfully used by someone to make purchases around Billings. An investigation found that Wiles used the stolen bank card at Walmart to purchase a pre-paid gift card for $504. Later, in December 2022, a Montana Highway Patrol trooper observed Wiles stealing property from a vehicle in Billings. The trooper attempted a traffic stop of Wiles’ vehicle but stopped his pursuit because of safety concerns. Police officers found Wiles a short time later outside of a friend’s apartment and learned that Wiles had asked to store a few things in the residence because he was being chased. Officers located two semi-automatic pistols and various rounds of ammunition. One of these pistols was reported stolen from the vehicle the trooper had seen Wiles breaking into. Wiles had seven prior felony convictions and was prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The FBI and Billings Police Department conducted the investigation.
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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Arkansas Man Sentenced for Multi-State Check Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Ricky Ellis Lamb, age 66, originally from Arkansas, was sentenced on March 8, 2024, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska for passing a fictitious obligation. Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Lamb to a sentence of time served; Lamb has been in custody for related charges in multiple states since August 15, 2019. There is no parole in the federal system. After Lamb is released from custody on additional pending charges in multiple states, he will begin a 5-year term of supervised release. Lamb was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $55,653.16 to the victims of his offense.
From on or about January 15, 2019, through on or about July 15, 2019, Lamb traveled throughout the Midwest passing, uttering, presenting and offering fictitious securities to farm or hardware store. Specifically, Lamb passed, 72 fictitious checks at multiple stores throughout Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Minnesota, Oklahoma, and Colorado. The fictitious checks purported to be issued under the authority of 14 different fictitious organizations belonging to Lamb.
As a result of Lamb’s scheme, he caused a total loss of $64,651.27. Of that total loss, $7,243.37 occurred within the District of Nebraska across a span of 7 fraudulent transactions.
This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service in conjunction with numerous local law enforcement agencies across several states.
Arkansas Man Admits Exchanging Nude Pictures with GirlRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from Arkansas pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Friday and admitted exchanging nude pictures with a minor for five years, starting when she was 12.
Joseph D. Najera, 25, of Lincoln, Arkansas, pleaded guilty to one felony count of coercion and enticement of a minor.
Najera and the victim met in 2017 via Kik Messenger when Najera sent her a friend request. At that time, the victim told Najera her age. During their online communications, Najera sent the victim artwork depicting nudity, pornography and graphic violence. He then had her draw artwork as well. His instructions about what to draw became increasingly complex and sexual. On numerous occasions, Najera told the victim to perform sex acts during video chats, and to create pornographic images and pictures, his plea agreement says. He sent her pornographic videos via TextNow and Facebook Messenger. Najera also had parental controls set up on the victim’s phone to monitor her online actions and told her she was not allowed to talk with boys at school. He had to approve her makeup, her clothes and whether she cut her hair. They discussed meeting in person but never did.
Najera is scheduled to be sentenced June 27. Both sides are recommending 10 years in prison.
The FBI, the St. Charles County Cyber Crime Task Force, the St. Charles County Police Department and the Montgomery City Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.Albany Man Indicted for Fentanyl SalesRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Jahvan Martin, age 28, of Albany, was arrested and arraigned yesterday on two counts of distribution of fentanyl.
United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Frank A. Tarentino III, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division, made the announcement.
Martin is charged with two counts of distributing fentanyl in June-July 2023. Both sales involved more than 40 grams of the controlled substance. The charges in the indictment are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
If convicted, Martin faces at least 5 years and up to 40 years in prison, and at least 4 years of supervised release after completing his term of imprisonment. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
Martin was arraigned yesterday in Albany, before United States Magistrate Judge Daniel J. Stewart, and detained pending a hearing on March 11.
The DEA and the Watervliet Police Department are investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph S. Hartunian is prosecuting the case.
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West Plains Woman Sentenced to 18 Years for Meth TraffickingRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A West Plains, Mo., woman was sentenced in federal court today for possessing methamphetamine to distribute.
Amanda J. Jones, 39, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 18 years and four months in federal prison without parole.
On Oct. 12, 2023, Jones pleaded guilty to one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.
A Howell County sheriff’s department officer contacted Jones on March 30, 2022, as she was driving a vehicle that did not have an operating registration lamp on the rear license plate. The officer searched the vehicle and found 226.72 grams of pure methamphetamine, 210 fentanyl capsules, 12.62 grams of cocaine, and $2,615 in cash.
At the time of the traffic stop, Jones was on bond after being charged in state court with drug trafficking and illegally possessing firearms. Law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at her residence in August 2021 and seized distributive amounts of fentanyl and psilocybin, along with multiple firearms and cash.
In June 2022, while Jones was on bond in two separate drug-trafficking cases, law enforcement officers again seized distributive amounts of methamphetamine and fentanyl from her residence.
According to court documents, Jones sold fentanyl that ultimately caused the death of a West Plains, Mo., man in September 2020.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica R. Eatmon. It was investigated by the Howell County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department and the South Central Drug Task Force.
Waterbury Gang Member Pleads Guilty to Racketeering ChargeRead the Press Release
LADERRICK JONES, also known as “Lexus,” 31, of Waterbury, pleaded guilty today in Bridgeport federal court to a racketeering offense stemming from his participation in the 960 gang, a violent Waterbury street gang.
Today’s announcement was made by Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut; Maureen T. Platt, State’s Attorney for the Waterbury Judicial District; Robert Fuller, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Boston Field Division; and Waterbury Police Chief Fernando C. Spagnolo.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in an effort to address drug trafficking and related violence in Waterbury, the FBI, ATF, and Waterbury Police have been investigating multiple Waterbury-based groups, including the 960 gang. On September 14, 2021, a federal grand jury in Hartford returned a 36-count indictment charging Jones and 15 other alleged 960 gang members with racketeering, narcotics trafficking, firearm possession, murder, attempted murder and assault, and obstruction of justice offenses.
In pleading guilty to one count of racketeering conspiracy, Jones admitted that he trafficked narcotics in furtherance of the 960 enterprise, and that he was aware that 960 members were engaged in violent activity and committed murders and attempted murders.
Jones has been detained since his arrest on June 27, 2019. He is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley on June 11, at which time he faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.
This investigation is being conducted by the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force, ATF and Waterbury Police Department, with the assistance of the Watertown Police Department, New Milford Police Department and Connecticut Department of Correction. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Geoffrey M. Stone, John T. Pierpont, Jr. and Natasha M. Freismuth, and Supervisory Assistant State’s Attorney Don E. Therkildesen, Jr. and Deputy Assistant State’s Attorney Alexandra Arroyo of the Waterbury State’s Attorney’s Office, who have been cross-designated as Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys in this matter.
This prosecution is a part of the Justice’s Department’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) and Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) programs.
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.
OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and transnational criminal organizations through a prosecutor-led and intelligence-driven approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Walla Walla Felon Sentenced to 7 Years in Prison for Trafficking MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
Richland, Washington - Vanessa R. Waldref, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced today that Seth Cory Cunha, 38, of Walla Walla, Washington, was sentenced after pleading guilty to one count of Possession with Intent to Distribute a Mixture and Substance Containing a Detectable Amount of Methamphetamine. United States District Judge Mary K. Dimke imposed a sentence of 84 months imprisonment to be followed by 4 years of supervised release.
According to court documents and information disclosed at sentencing, on the evening of January 10, 2021, Cunha was in a rental vehicle when he was arrested by Walla Walla Police (WWPD) on a felony arrest warrant from the Washington State Department of Corrections. A narcotics K-9 alerted to the presence of the odor of narcotics in the vehicle, and as a result, the vehicle was seized pending a search warrant. Investigators executed the search warrant and observed more than $3,500 in cash in the center console. No drugs were found in the vehicle.
On January 12, A detective with WWPD reviewed several phone calls made by Cunha while he was housed at the Walla Walla County Jail. Cunha made calls to his girlfriend and a roommate. During the phone calls, Cunha discussed the cash, his phones, and a storage unit. The WWPD Detective noted that anytime the storage unit was mentioned, Cunha became uneasy and redirected the conversation. Cunha would also refer to the storage unit in coded language only the person on the call could understand.
Through further investigation, detectives determined the location of the storage unit, and on January 13, Detectives obtained and executed a search warrant for the unit. During the search, detectives located several power tools, a Gatorade bottle that had been made into a smoking device and a small black safe. Inside the safe, detectives located five bags containing a methamphetamine, a loaded Smith & Wesson .45 caliber pistol, a spare magazine with bullets, and cash.
During the prosecution, Mr. Cunha challenged the admissibility of certain evidence against him. Ultimately, our prosecution team successfully established that the evidence was legally obtained through lawful search warrant.
“Mr. Cunha was a felon who trafficked narcotics and had access to firearms. Furthermore, he continued his drug trafficking while in the Walla Walla County jail,” stated U.S. Attorney Waldref. “Our office is working tirelessly to hold those who peddle poison in our community criminally accountable. We are working together with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to make Eastern Washington a safer place for everyone”
"Drug traffickers like Mr. Cunha have no regard for the safety of our communities,” said ATF Seattle Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Blais. “He exacerbated this by trying to continue his illegal actions while in jail. He also had access firearms to ‘protect’ his illegal actions, further endangering citizens. ATF will continue to work with our local, state and federal partners to investigate and take traffickers off the streets.”
“I am extremely proud of the work done by our team here at the Walla Walla Police Department,” said Walla Walla Police Chief Chris Buttice. “We are grateful for the continued partnerships within this valley and region of the state. We will remain committed to taking dangerous drugs and those who provide them off our streets.”
This case was investigated by the ATF, Walla Walla Police Department, and the College Place Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie Van Marter.
Vernon Man Charged with Enticing Minors He Communicated with on Snapchat to Send Him Sexually Explicit ImagesRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Robert Fuller, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, announced that DARYL TODD, 43, of Vernon, was arrested today and charged by criminal complaint with child exploitation offenses.
Following his arrest, Todd appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas O. Farrish in Hartford and was ordered detained pending a detention hearing that is scheduled for March 11.
As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, an investigation by the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force revealed that Todd used Snapchat to communicate with minor girls and entice them to send him sexually explicit images and videos of themselves, often in return for money that Todd sent the victims using the mobile payment service Cash App. Todd also sent sexually explicit images of himself to the minor victims.
Todd was arrested this morning after investigators executed a court-authorized search warrant at his residence and a preliminary review of his cellphone revealed sexually explicit images of minor females.
The complaint charges Todd with transfer of obscene material to minors, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years; receipt of child pornography, an offense that carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years; and enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity, an offense that carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of life.
U.S. Attorney Avery stressed that a complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This matter is being investigated by the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nancy V. Gifford through the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com.
Union County Man Sentenced to 41 Months in Prison for Role in Interstate Car Theft RingRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Union County, New Jersey, man was sentenced today to 41 months in prison for his role in a conspiracy to steal and transport across state lines luxury cars stolen from towns in New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey, U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger announced.
Malik Baker, 30, of Vauxhall, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Esther Salas to an information charging him with one count of conspiring to transport stolen vehicles in interstate commerce and one count of receiving a stolen vehicle that had crossed state lines after being stolen. Judge Salas imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court.
Baker’s conspirators – Hakeem Smith, Nafique Goodwyn, and Bilal Cureton – previously pleaded guilty to related charges. Smith was sentenced on April 25, 2023, to 41 months in prison. Goodwyn was sentenced on Feb. 27, 2024, to time served. Cureton is awaiting sentencing.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Since as early as July 2019, the defendants and others stole and conspired to steal at least 10 luxury cars from towns in New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey, and hid those cars at a location in Irvington, New Jersey. The cars include a 2019 BMW X4 M40i, stolen from Greenwich, Connecticut, on July 19, 2019; a 2017 BMW Alpina, stolen from Hewlett Bay Park, New York, on July 22, 2019; a 2017 Maserati GranTurismo, stolen from Manalapan, New Jersey, on Aug. 5, 2019; a 2018 Range Rover and a 2019 Porsche Cayenne, stolen from New City, New York, on Aug. 6, 2019; a 2017 Mercedes S550 and a 2019 Rolls Royce, stolen from Hewlett Bay Park, New York, on Aug. 13, 2019; a 2019 Land Rover, stolen from Kensington, New York, on Aug. 22, 2019; a 2019 Mercedes Maybach, stolen from Quogue, New York, on Aug. 29, 2019; a 2014 Lexus GS, stolen from West Long Branch, New Jersey, on Aug. 29, 2019; a 2017 BMW M4, stolen from Marlton, New Jersey, on Sept. 7, 2019; and a 2017 Mercedes AMG S63, stolen from Orangeburg, New York, in September 2019.
The defendants often used the stolen cars to steal more cars, and, in one instance, they used a Maserati GranTurisimo they stole from Manalapan to steal a Range Rover and a Porsche Cayenne. When law enforcement attempted to conduct a stop of the Maserati, the Maserati accelerated and crashed head-on into a police vehicle before the suspects fled the scene in another stolen vehicle. Law enforcement recovered one of the stolen cars in a shipping container at the port in Newark en route to Ghana, Africa.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Salas sentenced Baker to three years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy in Newark, and the Newark Police Department, under the direction of Public Safety Director Fritz G. Fragé. He also thanked officers with the Irvington Township Police Department, under the direction of Director Tracy Bowers; the Clarkstown Police Department, under the direction of Chief Jeffrey Wanamaker; the Wall Township Police Department, under the direction of Chief Sean O’Halloran; the Marlboro Township Police Department, under the direction of Chief Peter Pezzullo; the Tewksbury Township Police Department, under the direction of Chief Tim Barlow; the Port Authority Police Department, under the direction of Superintendent Edward Cetnar; the New Jersey State Police, under the direction of Col. Patrick J. Callahan; the Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Renée M. Robeson. He also thanked officers with Customs and Border Protection, New York Field Office, under the direction of Director of Field Operations Francis J. Russo; special agents of Homeland Security Investigations Newark, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Robert Kurtz; and the Department of Commerce-Office of Export Enforcement, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Carson in New York, with the investigation leading to the charges.
This investigation is part of the Violent Crime Initiative (VCI) in Newark. The VCI was formed in August 2017 by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, and the City of Newark’s Department of Public Safety to combat violent crime in and around Newark. As part of this partnership, federal, state, county, and city agencies collaborate and pool resources to prosecute violent offenders who endanger the safety of the community. The VCI is composed of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the FBI, the ATF, the DEA New Jersey Division, the U.S. Marshals, the Newark Department of Public Safety, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, the Essex County Sheriff’s Office, N.J. State Board of Parole, Union County Jail, N.J. State Police Regional Operations and Intelligence Center/Real Time Crime Center, N.J. Department of Corrections, the East Orange Police Department, and the Irvington Police Department.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Amore, Chief of the General Crimes Unit.
U.S. Attorney and FBI Cleveland Warn About COVID Fraud Enforcement ScamRead the Press Release
CLEVELAND - A new twist on an old scam is targeting consumers and businesses throughout Northeast Ohio. The United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Ohio, and FBI Cleveland are warning the public about a scam that combines aspects of tech-support fraud with government impersonation.
In this scam, the victim receives a document or documents resembling an official court document both in its format and language, sent through an email, the U.S. Mail, a text, or website pop-up. The document and/or accompanying notice state that the victim is being investigated for Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) fraud and that an arrest warrant has been issued. The notice asserts that the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch has issued it, and it states that, to “lift the warrant,” the victim must go to a cryptocurrency kiosk and make a designated payment. Such notices and documents are fake, and persons who receive them should report receiving them to the FBI at https://www.ic3.gov.
“Fraudsters are often quite sophisticated. Time and again, we see these criminals refine their schemes to make their false claims seem more believable, and then succeed in cheating our community members of their hard-earned money,” said U.S. Attorney Rebecca C. Lutzko. “Recently, we are seeing more and more scammers impersonate law enforcement officers, government agencies, banks, and companies, and use these false personas to convince their victims to hand over money, gold, or other things of value. The United States Attorney’s Office, the FBI, and our other law enforcement partners will continue to pursue such scammers aggressively, but we would much rather prevent a scam than prosecute one. Please remain vigilant, treat unsolicited emails, texts, and pop-up ads with suspicion, and check in on friends or loved ones who you think might be particularly susceptible to these types of scams. And if you believe that either you or someone you know has been the victim of a scam, promptly report it to the FBI or, if appropriate, call the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-FRAUD-11 [1-833-372-8311].”
“Scammers are becoming increasingly clever in the way they are portraying government agencies and banking and financial institutions,” said FBI Cleveland Special Agent in Charge Greg Nelsen. “This scam-- creating bogus documents designed to look like a court summons and compelling the victim to oblige or face arrest, jail time, or further action, highlights the efforts the criminals will take to dupe unsuspecting victims. We can’t stress enough to the public that the government will not contact you via email or text with a summons for action, payment, or arrest and instead, urge residents to place a phone call with the publicly listed phone number of the government agency, not the number or email listed in the [bogus] document, to confirm if a communication was sent by that agency. Typically, it’s a scam. And in that case, we ask that you report it to the FBIs Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.”
In addition to COVID Fraud Enforcement and PPP Resolution scams, internet-based crimes continue to target all Americans. According to information from the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, last year, consumers in Toledo, Akron, Cleveland, Youngstown, and beyond reported that they received notifications that their computer or Amazon account was compromised. These alerts came in the form of websites or pop-ups. Victims believed they were talking to tech support staff from Microsoft or Amazon and then were transferred to other individuals who represented themselves as an "officer of the law" or staff from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) or Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) who then requested tens of thousands of dollars to remedy the situation. The victims were asked to put the cash in a package and then meet with a “federal marshal” for the pickup. The locations where the victims met the couriers were areas like gas stations, fast food restaurant parking lots, and even their own homes. Sometimes the victims were shown educational videos about fraud by the scammers and thanked for “doing the right thing” and supporting law enforcement efforts. Victims were often older consumers who lost tens of thousands of dollars. While tech support scams are not new, this newest trend is quite frightening because scammers are requesting face-to-face meetings for cash pickups while impersonating law enforcement. Both seniors and their families should be aware of this and other, similar scams.
Consumers who are asked to wire, pay, or transport large amounts of cash or crypto currency to avoid arrest, jail time, or fix a tech support or some type of business-related account issue should cease communications, and instead contact the FBI directly by filing a report online at the Internet Crime Complaint Center (https://www.ic3.gov).
Additionally, consumers should always try to verify questionable correspondence with a government agency or member of law enforcement by a separate means—such as contacting them directly using information found on an official website.
U.S. Army Intelligence Analyst Arrested and Charged with Conspiracy to Obtain and Disclose National Defense Information, Export Control Violations and BriberyRead the Press Release
Korbein Schultz, a U.S. Army soldier and intelligence analyst, was arrested today at Fort Campbell following an indictment by a federal grand jury charging him with conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defense information, exporting technical data related to defense articles without a license, conspiracy to export defense articles without a license, and bribery of a public official.
“Mr. Schultz, a member of the U.S. Army, stands accused of conspiring to obtain and provide national defense information to an individual overseas. As part of the conspiracy, the defendant provided sensitive government information to his coconspirator in exchange for thousands of dollars, placing personal profit above the security of the American people,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “Today’s arrest shows that such a betrayal does not pay — the Department of Justice is committed to identifying and holding accountable those who would break their oath to protect our nation’s secrets.”
“Protecting national defense information is absolutely critical to our country’s safety and security,” said U.S. Attorney Henry C. Leventis for the Middle District of Tennessee. “The unauthorized sale of such information violates our national security laws, compromises our safety, and cannot be tolerated. Today’s indictment should serve as a reminder of the Justice Department’s vigilance in protecting the United States against any threat to national security, foreign or domestic.”
“The American people rely on our military personnel and clearance holders to serve and protect U.S. interests,” said Executive Assistant Director Larissa L. Knapp of the FBI's National Security Branch. “The conduct alleged in today's indictment represents a grave betrayal of the oath sworn to defend our country. Instead of safeguarding national defense information, the defendant conspired with a foreign national to sell it, potentially endangering our national security.”
“Today’s arrest underscores the unwavering commitment of the Army Counterintelligence Command, our partners at the Department of Justice, and the broader intelligence community in safeguarding our Nation’s secrets,” said Brigadier General Rhett R. Cox, Commanding General of the Army Counterintelligence Command. “We cannot tolerate any betrayal of trust, and we remain vigilant in our mission to protect national defense information crucial to our security. We encourage all members of the Army team, past or present, to remain vigilant and report any potential suspicious activity."
The indictment alleges that from June 2022 until the time of his arrest today, Schultz conspired with an individual, identified as Conspirator A, to disclose documents, writings, plans, maps, notes, and photographs relating to national defense as well as information relating to national defense which Schultz had reason to believe could be used to injure the United States or used to the advantage of a foreign nation. Conspirator A recruited Schultz, who possessed a Top Secret security clearance, and frequently tasked him to gather documents and sensitive U.S. military information. Specifically, Conspirator A tasked Schultz with gathering information related to a variety of U.S. military weapons systems, including classified information, and information related to the United States’ potential plans in the event that Taiwan came under military attack. Some of the information that Schultz provided to Conspirator A included documents related to the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), information on hypersonic equipment, studies on the future development of U.S. military forces, studies on major countries such as the People’s Republic of China, and summaries of military drills and operations. In exchange for the documents and information, Conspirator A made at least 14 payments to Schultz that totaled approximately $42,000. Throughout the entirety of the conspiracy, Conspirator A represented to Schultz that he lived in Hong Kong and worked for a geopolitical consulting firm based overseas.
During the course of the conspiracy, Schultz also sent Conspirator A three documents that violated the Arms Export Control Act (AECA). The three documents included an Air Force Tactics Techniques and Procedures manual for the HH-60W helicopter, an Air Force Tactics Techniques and Procedures manual for the F22-A fighter aircraft, and an Air Force Tactics Techniques and Procedures manual for intercontinental ballistic missiles.
The FBI and the U.S. Army Counterintelligence Command investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Josh Kurtzman for the Middle District of Tennessee and Trial Attorneys Adam Barry and Christopher Cook of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Schultz IndictmentU.S. Army Intelligence Analyst Arrested and Charged with Conspiracy to Obtain and Disclose National Defense Information, Export Control Violations and BriberyRead the Press Release
NASHVILLE – Korbein Schultz, a U.S. Army soldier and intelligence analyst, was arrested today at Fort Campbell following an indictment by a federal grand jury charging him with conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defense information, exporting technical data related to defense articles without a license, conspiracy to export defense articles without a license, and bribery of a public official, announced Henry C. Leventis, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee.
The indictment alleges that from June 2022 until the time of his arrest today, Schultz conspired with an individual, identified as Conspirator A, to disclose documents, writings, plans, maps, notes, and photographs relating to national defense as well as information relating to national defense which Schultz had reason to believe could be used to injure the United States or used to the advantage of a foreign nation. Conspirator A recruited Schultz, who possessed a Top Secret security clearance, and frequently tasked him to gather documents and sensitive U.S. military information. Specifically, Conspirator A tasked Schultz with gathering information related to a variety of U.S. military weapons systems, including classified information, and information related to the United States’ potential plans in the event that Taiwan came under military attack. Some of the information that Schultz provided to Conspirator A included documents related to the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), information on hypersonic equipment, studies on the future development of U.S. military forces, studies on major countries such as the People’s Republic of China, and summaries of military drills and operations. In exchange for the documents and information, Conspirator A made at least 14 payments to Schultz that totaled approximately $42,000. Throughout the entirety of the conspiracy, Conspirator A represented to Schultz that he lived in Hong Kong and worked for a geopolitical consulting firm based overseas.
During the course of the conspiracy, Schultz also sent Conspirator A three documents that violated the Arms Export Control Act (AECA). The three documents included an Air Force Tactics Techniques and Procedures manual for the HH-60W helicopter, an Air Force Tactics Techniques and Procedures manual for the F22-A fighter aircraft, and an Air Force Tactics Techniques and Procedures manual for intercontinental ballistic missiles.
“Protecting national defense information is absolutely critical to our country’s safety and security,” said United States Attorney Henry C. Leventis. “The unauthorized sale of such information violates our national security laws, compromises our safety, and cannot be tolerated. Today’s indictment should serve as a reminder of the Justice Department’s vigilance in protecting the United States against any threat to national security, foreign or domestic.”
“Mr. Schultz, a member of the U.S. Army, stands accused of conspiring to obtain and provide national defense information to an individual overseas. As part of the conspiracy, the defendant provided sensitive government information to his coconspirator in exchange for thousands of dollars, placing personal profit above the security of the American people,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “Today’s arrest shows that such a betrayal does not pay - - the Department of Justice is committed to identifying and holding accountable those who would break their oath to protect our nation’s secrets.”
“As alleged, Korbein Schultz betrayed his oath to defend and protect U.S. national security for personal gain,” said Special Agent in Charge Douglas DePodesta of the FBI Memphis Field Office. “Today’s charges are the first step in holding him accountable for his alleged crimes. The FBI and our partners remain steadfast in our commitment to protecting the American people and U.S. national security."
“Today’s arrest underscores the unwavering commitment of the Army Counterintelligence Command, our partners at the Department of Justice, and the broader intelligence community in safeguarding our Nation’s secrets,” said Brigadier General Rhett R. Cox, Commanding General, Army Counterintelligence Command. “We cannot tolerate any betrayal of trust, and we remain vigilant in our mission to protect national defense information crucial to our security. We encourage all members of the Army team, past or present, to remain vigilant and report any potential suspicious activity."
The FBI and the U.S. Army Counterintelligence Command investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Josh Kurtzman for the Middle District of Tennessee and Trial Attorneys Adam Barry and Christopher Cook of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Two Men Charged for Causing the Death of A Seven-Year-Old Boy and A 48-Year-Old Woman in Hudson River Boat CapsizingRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Rear Admiral John Mauger, Commander of the First Coast Guard District, announced today the arrests of RICHARD CRUZ and JAIME PINILLA GOMEZ for causing the death of a seven-year-old boy and a 48-year-old woman after the vessel CRUZ and GOMEZ were operating in the Hudson River capsized. The two passengers drowned after being trapped underneath the vessel. CRUZ and GOMEZ were arrested today in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and will be presented later today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ona T. Wang.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Federal regulations and safety protocols exist to ensure that captains and operators of commercial vessels keep passengers safe. The defendants allegedly flouted those regulations, recklessly disregarded safety protocols, operated the vessel at an unsafe speed in hazardous conditions, and overloaded the vessel with too many passengers onboard. And the result was tragic — a young boy and a woman were trapped under the vessel and drowned after the vessel capsized.”
Rear Admiral John Mauger said: “This case demonstrates the deadly consequences of illegal passenger operations. Our thoughts are with the families of the victims today. Through this complaint, the Coast Guard and our partners from the U.S. Attorney’s Office affirm our steadfast commitment to preventing similar tragedies by investigating and holding violators accountable. We urge the public to assist in this detection and deterrence by notifying the Coast Guard of vessel owner and operators suspected of engaging in illegal passenger operations at the following email address: CGIS TIPS at https://www.p3tips.com/878.”
According to the allegations contained in the Complaint:[1]
On or about July 12, 2022, at approximately 2:40 p.m., the motor vessel Stimulus Money capsized in the Hudson River resulting in the death of two passengers — a seven-year-old boy (“Victim-1”) and a 48-year-old woman (“Victim-2”). At the time of the capsizing, RICHARD CRUZ was the owner and captain of the vessel and JAIME PINILLA GOMEZ was the pilot of the vessel. CRUZ had purchased the vessel approximately three months before the capsizing. CRUZ and GOMEZ conducted boat “tours” for paying customers onboard the vessel on multiple occasions in the months leading up to the capsizing, although they did not have the required United States Coast Guard (“USCG”) credentials and certifications to do so.
CRUZ’s and GOMEZ’s negligent actions and omissions caused the capsizing and the deaths of Victim-1 and Victim-2. At the time of the capsizing, among other things: (i) CRUZ and GOMEZ operated Stimulus Money with 13 people on board, exceeding the vessel’s maximum allowable capacity; (ii) CRUZ and GOMEZ operated Stimulus Money at a high rate of speed during a Small Craft Advisory in high winds and heavy seas; (iii) neither CRUZ nor GOMEZ had obtained a required USCG certification to operate the vessel with paying customers on board; (iv) CRUZ and GOMEZ operated Stimulus Money without a valid USCG Certificate of Inspection, which is required for a vessel to operate with paying customers on board; (v) GOMEZ, an insufficiently experienced mariner, piloted Stimulus Money in a dangerous manner, including by rapidly accelerating one engine of the vessel immediately before the capsizing, which contributed to the overturning of the vessel; and (vi) GOMEZ, at the time of the capsizing, failed to properly wear a safety device that should be worn around the pilot’s wrist or life vest, which contributed to the vessel’s engine continuing to operate even after GOMEZ shifted from the helm console (at which the vessel was operated).
All 13 people on board Stimulus Money were thrown overboard during the capsizing. Shortly after the capsizing, boats from the New York City Police Department’s (“NYPD”) Harbor Unit and the New York City Fire Department’s (“FDNY”) Dive Rescue Team, and ferries operating nearby, arrived at the scene of the capsizing to render emergency assistance. 10 passengers and GOMEZ were recovered conscious and in varying medical conditions. They were subsequently transferred to hospitals in Manhattan and survived the capsizing. Approximately 25 minutes after the capsizing, members of the FDNY Dive Rescue Team recovered Victim-1 and Victim-2 from the Hudson River. They were trapped underneath the capsized vessel and found unconscious. Emergency medical personnel subsequently pronounced Victim-1 and Victim-2 deceased. The cause of death was drowning. Photos of the capsized boat are below:
Please report any illegal passenger charters to the USCG at https://www.p3tips.com/878.
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CRUZ, 32, and GOMEZ, 25, both of Elizabeth, New Jersey, are each charged with one count of misconduct and neglect of a ship officer resulting in death, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by a judge.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the USCG Investigative Service and the Special Agents and NYPD Detectives assigned to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.
This case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey W. Coyle is in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Complaint and the description of the Complaint set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
Tulsa Man Sentenced for Second Degree Murder of a JuvenileRead the Press Release
Today, U.S. District Judge Gregory K. Frizzell sentenced Christian James Harrison, 21, of Tulsa to 300 months imprisonment, followed by 5 years of supervised release for Second Degree Murder in Indian Country.
According to court documents, in December 2021, Tulsa Police Officers responded to a “shots fired” call. Upon arrival, officers found a juvenile victim with three gunshot wounds. Officers interviewed several witnesses. Each witness identified Harrison as the shooter. According to the witnesses, Harrison was arguing with the victim’s brother. As the argument escalated, Harrison pulled a gun from his waistband. Harrison shot approximately seven times toward the brother, missing him, and hitting the victim. The juvenile victim later succumbed to the injuries and died.
Harrison is a citizen of the Seminole Nation. He will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility.
The FBI and Tulsa Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Briden prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.
Three-Time Convicted Felon Indicted for Possessing A FirearmRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida–United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return by a grand jury of an indictment charging Dominick Yvon Louissaint, (19, Lake Mary) with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. If convicted Louissaint faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison. The indictment also notifies Louissaint that the United States intends to forfeit the firearm and ammunition involved in the offense.
According to the indictment, Louissaint has previously been convicted of felonies on three occasions. Despite knowing this fact, the indictment alleges that Louissaint possessed a Taurus firearm on January 24, 2024. As a convicted felon, he is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.
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, with valuable assistance from the Sanford Police Department. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Richard Varadan.
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.
Texas Woman Sentenced to 2 Years in Federal Prison for Defrauding Indiana Pharmaceutical Company Out of over $640,000Read the Press Release
INDIANAPOLIS- Courtney Anguiano, 37, of Texas, has been sentenced to 2 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud.
According to court documents, Business 1, based in Indianapolis, Indiana, developed prescription medicines and then created savings card programs for the medicines. The savings card programs were designed to lower the out-of-pocket costs incurred by patients purchasing the medicines. After obtaining a savings card, patients were able to use it at the time of purchase or after the fact, by seeking reimbursements.
Between September 1, 2017, and July 26, 2020, Anguiano led seven other individuals in a conspiracy to defraud Business 1 by submitting fraudulent reimbursement requests under three savings card programs. The conspirators claimed that they had incurred significant costs when they purchased the drugs at issue, but none of them were actually prescribed the drugs during the relevant period.
Members of the conspiracy submitted 189 false reimbursement requests. Anguiano herself personally submitted 65 false claims. Acting through a contractor, Business 1 approved the fraudulent requests and paid the members of the conspiracy $648,528.22. Anguiano and her co-conspirators stole over 90% of the savings card program funds for one of the medications.
In an effort to avoid detection, Anguiano submitted some of her reimbursement requests under an alias or an altered version of her true name.
“This heinous fraud scheme stole nearly $650,000 from savings programs were created to help patients struggling to afford specialty medications,” said U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Myers. “For years, these scammers targeted the program intended for financially vulnerable patients with utter disregard for the harm they caused. The serious federal prison sentence imposed here demonstrates that our office will continue to work with closely with the FBI to investigate healthcare fraud schemes and hold the perpetrators accountable.”
“Investigating fraud and identifying those who perpetrate is one of our top priorities and this sentence should put others on notice that this illegal activity will not be tolerated,” said FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Herbert J. Stapleton. “We will continue to work with our partners to ensure those to who take advantage of the system for their own greed are held accountable.”
The FBI investigated this case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Court Judge James P. Hanlon. Judge Hanlon also ordered that Anguiano be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for 2 years following her release from federal prison and pay $648,528.22 in restitution.
U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew B. Miller, Meredith Wood, and Kyle Sawa, who prosecuted this case.
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Texas Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Selling FentanylRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Quintel N. Owens, age 39, of Katy, Texas, was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison for selling fentanyl in the Eastern Panhandle.
According to court documents, Owens sold more than 780 grams of fentanyl in Berkeley County over a period of several months.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.
The Eastern Panhandle Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated.
U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided.
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Seminole Resident Pleads Guilty to Accessory After the Fact to Murder in Indian CountryRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Scott William Lanham, age 45, of Seminole, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to Accessory After the Fact to Murder in Indian Country.
According to the Indictment, on April 2, 2019, Lanham knowingly assisted Coker Dean Barker in hindering and preventing Barker’s apprehension, trial, and punishment for murder. On April 10, 2023, Barker was convicted by a federal jury at trial for that murder. Lanham’s crime occurred in Seminole County, within the boundaries of the Seminole Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The charges arose from investigations by the Seminole Police Department, the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, the Texas Rangers, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The Honorable D. Edward Snow, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report. Lanham will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshal pending sentencing.
Assistant United States Attorney Kevin Gross represented the United States.
Saint Martin Man Pleads Guilty to Narcotics and Firearms ChargesRead the Press Release
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A Saint Martin citizen residing in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of violating federal narcotics and firearms laws, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.
Hector Concepcion, 35, pleaded guilty to Counts One and Eleven of the Superseding Indictment before United States Senior District Judge Kim R. Gibson on March 6, 2024.
In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that, from in and around August 2019 to in and around April 2021, in the Western District of Pennsylvania, Concepcion conspired with others to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 28 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine base, in the form commonly known as “crack”, and quantities of heroin and cocaine. Further, in and around July 2021, Concepcion, an illegal alien who is unlawfully in the United States, possessed a firearm and ammunition. Federal law prohibits anyone who is illegally or unlawfully in the United States, or who is an alien admitted to the United States under a non-immigrant visa, from possessing a firearm. Concepcion was intercepted on a federal wiretap obtaining quantities of crack-cocaine, heroin, and cocaine that he distributed to others.
Judge Gibson scheduled sentencing for July 8, 2024. The law provides for a total maximum sentence of at least five years and up to 40 years in prison, a fine of up to $5 million, 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 Maureen Sheehan-Balchon is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Laurel Highlands Resident Agency, and Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Concepcion. Additional agencies participating in this investigation include the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, United States Postal Inspection Service, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, Pennsylvania State Police, Cambria County District Attorney’s Office, Indiana County District Attorney’s Office, Cambria County Sheriff’s Office, Cambria Township Police Department, Indiana Borough Police Department, Johnstown Police Department, Upper Yoder Township Police Department, Richland Police Department, Ferndale Police Department, and other local law enforcement agencies.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.