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5 March 2024
District Woman Sentenced in Scheme that Stole from Non-Profit Affordable Housing Complex She RanRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Rowena Joyce Scott, 71, of Washington D.C., was sentenced today to 18 months in prison for a scheme to steal and embezzle money from the non-profit corporation she was entrusted to run for the benefit of some of the District’s economically disadvantaged residents. Scott – a minister and the former head of the Ward 8 Democrats – was convicted following a June 2023 jury trial on charges of wire fraud, credit card fraud, filing false tax returns, and failing to file tax returns.
The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Executive Special Agent in Charge Kareem Carter, of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation’s Washington D.C. Office, and Chief John Fowler of the D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue Criminal Investigation Division.
In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Robert L. Wilkins also ordered Scott to serve 24 months of supervised release and to pay restitution in the amount of $153,432.04 to the Park Southern Neighborhood Corporation (PSNC) and $47,726 to the Internal Revenue Service. She also was ordered to forfeit a $153,432.04 criminal money judgment.
From January 2010 through May 2014, Scott served as the president of the board of directors and manager of PSNC, a non-profit, non-member corporation that owned and operated the Park Southern apartment complex in Southeast Washington, D.C. According to the government’s evidence, Scott was hired to serve PSNC’s charitable mission of providing adequate, safe, affordable housing for the District’s underhoused and underprivileged residents. Instead, Scott engaged in a scheme through which she embezzled at least $125,000 from the organization’s coffers and used nearly $30,000 in additional funds to make purely personal, unauthorized purchases from third-party vendors. All the while, Scott collected $260,000 in “salary” (about $60,000 per year), lived in the building rent-free, and used the property’s common rooms, free of charge, to operate her own ministry. Scott failed to report all of the income she received from PSNC – legitimate or otherwise – for tax purposes. Meanwhile, under her watch, PSNC failed to finish renovations for Americans-with- Disabilities-Act compliant units and failed to make loan payments to the District.
This case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation, the DC Office of Tax and Revenue, Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn Rakoczy, and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Lallas.
It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian Kelly and Diane Lucas, and Paralegal Specialist Sona Chaturvedi.
District Man Receives Youth Rehabilitation Act Sentence for Carjacking at Gas StationRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Adam West, 19, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced on March 1, 2024, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to 4 ½ years in prison for carjacking, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). Over the government’s objection, West was sentenced under the Youth Rehabilitation Act, which permitted the Court to issue a sentence below the mandatory minimum of seven years.
On December 14, 2023, West pleaded guilty to carjacking, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years’ incarceration. During the plea hearing, West admitted that he carjacked the victim while he was at a Northeast Washington D.C. gas station. West further acknowledged that he approached the victim, who was seated in his car, and demanded that he get out of his car while patting his waistband, to suggest that he was armed. When the victim got out with his hands up, West took the key fob out of the victim’s pocket and drove off.
MPD responded immediately, and used the MPD helicopter to track the stolen vehicle. Shortly thereafter, Seat Pleasant, Maryland, Police Department officers spotted the carjacked vehicle and initiated pursuit. West drove back into Northeast D.C., where he drove over a median, and then onto a sidewalk in the 300 block of 20th Street Northeast, where the car was disabled. Thereafter, Seat Pleasant officers apprehended West and the District’s MPD officers placed him under arrest.
The government asked for eight years’ incarceration, a sentence within the applicable guidelines range and one year above the mandatory minimum. The government opposed imposition of the Youth Rehabilitation Act. The Honorable Errol Arthur sentenced West under the Youth Rehabilitation Act to serve a term of 4 ½ years’ incarceration, with an additional 1 ½ years suspended and a two-year period of probation.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney David “Will” Lawrence, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
District Man Convicted of Offenses Arising from Violent Armed Carjacking and ShootingRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Tavon Owens, 31, of Washington, D.C., was convicted by a jury today of armed carjacking, assault with significant bodily injury while armed, and associated firearms offenses for shooting and carjacking a woman on Newton St, NW, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). The Honorable Heidi Pasichow scheduled sentencing for May 3, 2024 in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.
According to the government’s evidence, in the middle of the afternoon of December 12, 2022, Owens approached the victim, who was sitting in the driver’s seat of her parked car on Newton St NW. Owens flung the car door open, pointed his firearm at the victim, and ordered her out of the car. The victim started to comply, but then tried to shut the car door to shield herself from Owens and the firearm. Owens then shot the victim in the knee. The victim fell onto the sidewalk, bleeding, and Owens jumped into the victim’s car and drove off.
MPD officers arrived immediately, and with the assistance of patrol officers on the ground and MPD’s Falcon helicopter in the sky, MPD tracked Owens to the 1400 block of Bangor St SE. Owens jumped out of the victim’s car while it was still moving, causing it to crash into a tree, and stashed his firearm behind a home before MPD officers apprehended him.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of MPD’s Fourth and Seventh District Detectives Units who investigated the case, Patrol Officers, and Falcon. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant United States Attorneys Anna Forgie and Daniel Bromwich, who prosecuted and tried the case.
Disbarred Real Estate Attorney Sentenced to Federal Prison for Stealing Millions from ClientsRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Matthew Allen Dickason, a disbarred attorney who was previously licensed to practice law in the State of Georgia, has been sentenced to federal prison for embezzling more than $3 million from his clients. Dickason used the money for personal purposes and created phony accounting records to cover up his theft.
“Dickason engaged in a long-running and shameful practice of abusing the trust placed in him by his clients and will now serve a prison sentence as a result of his crimes,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “This office will continue to work closely with its law enforcement partners to protect the public from attorneys who steal money from their clients.”
“As a lawyer, Dickason swore an oath to uphold the law and represent his clients with integrity. Instead, he violated their trust and defrauded innocent victims,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Hopefully, this sentence sends the message that the FBI will doggedly work to protect American citizens and the real estate market from predators who drag down our economy by deception for their own personal gain.”
“Closing attorneys serve a vital role for all real estate transactions in Georgia. They are entrusted with protecting their clients during the real estate transaction process. Dickason’s actions violated that trust and put many taxpayer-insured FHA mortgages at risk of default. HUD-OIG and our law enforcement partners consider this conduct egregious and hope that today’s sentence will deter anyone who contemplates engaging in this conduct,” said Tyrone Hardy, Acting Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General, Southeast Region.
“As a mortgage industry insider and attorney, Dickason had a fiduciary duty to his clients and the banks funding the mortgage transactions, but instead he illegally siphoned funds for himself and his mortgage-closing company,” said Edwin Bonano, Special Agent-in-Charge of FHFA-OIG’s Southeast Region. “Today, justice was served. We are proud to have worked alongside our partner agencies on this case to arrive at today’s conclusion.”
According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court: Matthew Allen Dickason was an attorney licensed to practice law in the State of Georgia and was the owner of Matthew A. Dickason, P.A., a law firm located in Atlanta, Georgia. Dickason specialized in real estate law and was responsible for overseeing hundreds of real estate sales transactions totaling tens of millions of dollars.
While employed as an attorney, Dickason knowingly devised and conducted a scheme to defraud and obtain money from clients under false pretenses. Specifically, Dickason misappropriated millions of dollars belonging to clients who trusted him to handle their real estate transactions. To conceal his scheme, Dickason took one client’s money and used it to pay his own or another client’s expenses. He used this deceptive practice again and again. This allowed the scheme to go undetected for years. Dickason also hid his fraud by causing false and misleading information to be entered into his law firm’s accounting system to make it appear that the firm had paid a client’s mortgage when, in fact, Dickason had used the money for fraudulent purposes.
Dickason, 48, formerly of Atlanta, Georgia, and now living in Wellington, Ohio, was sentenced to 27 months of imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $3,005,159.19. Dickason was convicted on these charges on October 16, 2023, after he pleaded guilty.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-Office of Inspector General, and the Federal Housing Finance Agency-Office of Inspector General.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Russell Phillips prosecuted the case.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6280. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Danbury Postmaster Who Operated Bribery, Kickback, and Embezzlement Scheme Sentenced to 4 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that EPHREM D. NGUYEN, 51, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to 48 months of imprisonment, followed by two years of supervised release, for operating a bribery, kickback, and embezzlement scheme while serving as the Postmaster of the Danbury Post Office.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Nguyen was employed by the U.S. Postal Service (“USPS”) as the Postmaster of the Danbury Post Office in Danbury, with responsibilities that included supervising the maintenance and repair of all equipment, facilities, and vehicles assigned to the post office. In November 2020, Nguyen required that all Danbury Post Office vehicle maintenance and repair work be performed by a certain vendor, identified in court documents as “Vendor-1,” even though Nguyen knew that another vendor already had a contract for with the Danbury Post Office for those services. Nguyen demanded that Vendor-1 provide free vehicle maintenance and repairs for himself, one of his children, a USPS employee, and employee of Nguyen’s personal business. In 2022, Nguyen solicited and received $90,000 in cash bribes from Michael D. Lutz, the general manager of Vendor-1. In exchange for these bribes, Nguyen caused the USPS to overpay Vendor-1 for vehicle maintenance and repair, which Nguyen characterized as a “raise.” Between approximately January 2022 and February 2023, Nguyen used USPS credit cards to pay Vendor-1 more than $1 million, or approximately $760,000 more than necessary to pay for legitimate maintenance and repair work.
In addition, Nguyen embezzled more than $80,000 from the USPS by using his USPS credit cards to rent vehicles for the personal use of himself and others, and he approved more than $8,000 in fraudulent travel expense reimbursement claims for a co-worker.
Through these schemes, Nguyen defrauded the USPS of approximately $933,553.42.
Judge Underhill ordered Nguyen to make full restitution.
On October 13, 2023, Nguyen pleaded guilty to honest services wire fraud.
Nguyen, formerly of Brookfield, has been residing in Quincy, Massachusetts, while released on a $100,000 bond. He is required to report to prison on May 30.
On February 21, 2024, Lutz pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud. He is awaiting sentencing.
This investigation is being conducted by the U.S. Postal Service, Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan N. Francis.
Connecticut Man Sentenced to 110 Months for Firearm and Drug Trafficking OffensesRead the Press Release
Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office stated that, on March 4, 2024, Rafael Ortiz, 47, of Hartford, Connecticut, was sentenced by United States District Judge William K. Sessions III to 110 months in prison and three years of supervised release following his guilty plea to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine base and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
According to court records, Ortiz was arrested in May 2021 in Lyndonville, Vermont, on two State of Vermont arrest warrants, for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and eluding a police officer. While leading Vermont State Police (“VSP”) officers on a foot chase, Ortiz discarded from his waistband a Sig Sauer 9-millimeter semi-automatic pistol with a defaced serial number and loaded with 14 rounds of ammunition. Ortiz continued to flee and refused to comply with commands, until VSP used a TASER to incapacitate him and effect the arrest. A small meat cleaver and a dagger-style knife, along with approximately $1500, were recovered from Ortiz’s person. Law enforcement located the discarded firearm and, from Ortiz’s backpack, recovered approximately 38 grams of cocaine base, 13 grams of fentanyl analogue fluorofentanyl, approximately 11 grams of fentanyl, and a quantity of heroin mixed with the fluorofentanyl.
United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the efforts of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Vermont State Police; and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the investigation and prosecution of Ortiz.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Corinne Smith, Nicole Cate, John Boscia, and Jeff Davis handled the prosecution of Ortiz. Mark A. Kaplan, Esq., represented Ortiz.
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.
Clay County Man Sentenced to More Than 5 Years for Federal Drug and Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard has sentenced Lemuel Henry Crowder (53, Orange Park) to five years and six months in federal prison for possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Crowder entered his guilty plea on October 20, 2023.
According to court documents, on February 26, 2023, deputies with the Clay County Sheriff’s Office stopped a vehicle being driven by Crowder for a traffic violation. During the traffic stop, a law enforcement canine positively alerted for the presence of narcotics in the vehicle. Deputies searched Crowder’s vehicle and found over 20 grams of fentanyl, over 30 grams of cocaine, and a loaded firearm.
This case was investigated by the Clay County Sheriff’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Aakash Singh.
California man pleads guilty to transporting Highland County minor interstate to engage in criminal sexual activityRead the Press Release
CINCINNATI – A California man pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to transporting a minor interstate to commit third degree rape of the Ohio teenager.
Alex Roman Nguyen, 29, of San Diego, pleaded guilty to transportation with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct. The plea agreement includes a sentencing recommendation of up to 151 months in prison.
According to court documents, Nguyen met a 15-year-old girl from Hillsboro, Ohio, online and traveled from San Diego to Ohio to meet her in July 2022. Nguyen drove the minor to Kentucky to attempt to purchase airplane tickets and engaged in sex acts with the minor while in Kentucky.
Unable to obtain flight tickets, Nguyen and the minor boarded a Greyhound bus bound for San Diego and traveled on it until they were apprehended by law enforcement in El Paso, Texas.
Nguyen was charged by criminal complaint in the Southern District of Ohio the next day.
Sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the Court at a future hearing based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Cheryl Mimura, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; and Hillsboro Police Chief Eric Daniels announced the guilty plea entered on March 4 before Senior U.S. District Judge Susan J. Dlott. Assistant United States Attorneys Kyle J. Healey and Julie D. Garcia are representing the United States in this case.
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Buffalo man going to prison for 17 years on meth chargeRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Julien Johnson, 35, of Buffalo, NY, who was convicted of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, was sentenced to serve 204 months in prison by U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Adler, who is handling the case, stated that on September 17, 2020, after receiving information that Johnson was in possession of controlled substances, law enforcement officers conducted a traffic stop of the vehicle he was driving. Johnson exited the vehicle at the request of officers, who then observed in plain view a large clear plastic bag containing several smaller bags of crystalline and powder substances lying on the floorboard of the driver’s seat. Inside the bag, officers seized suspected methamphetamine, a heroin/fentanyl compound, and $1,117.00 in cash.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Scarpino, and the Jamestown Metro Drug Task Force, under the direction of Jamestown Police Chief Timothy Jackson.
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Bronx Man Sentenced to 80 Months’ Imprisonment for His Role as Lead Courier in “Grandparents” Mail Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
SCRANTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Josiah DeJesus, age 22, of Bronx, NY, was sentenced on February 29, 2024 by United States District Judge Robert D. Mariani to 80 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by a 3-year term of supervised release, for his role as the lead or coordinating courier in a Dominican Republic-based “grandparents” fraud scheme that preyed upon elderly American victims from states across the country.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, from approximately June 2020 to October 2020, along with a group of other men from Bronx, NY, that he recruited, DeJesus regularly traveled from New York City to locations in Pennsylvania to retrieve UPS and Fed Ex packages containing thousands of dollars in cash. These packages were sent by elderly victims, who were induced to send the money based upon false claims that their grandchildren had been arrested and charged with serious crimes and, consequently, were in immediate need of money. These false claims were made to the elderly victims in phone calls that they received from oversees co-conspirators in the Dominican Republic, who posed either as the victims’ grandchildren or as attorneys representing the victims’ grandchildren. At his sentencing, DeJesus was ordered to pay $366,303.28 in restitution to the victims of the scheme.
This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation –Philadelphia Division, and its state and local law enforcement partners in Berks County, PA. Assistant United States Attorney Jeffery St John prosecuted the case.
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Berkeley County Man Sentenced to 2.5 Years in Federal Prison for Bank FraudRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, S.C. —Cordero Prioleau, 35, of Ladson, was sentenced to two and a half years in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to bank fraud.
Evidence presented to the court showed that Prioleau deposited a fraudulent check into his Navy Federal Credit Union (NFCU) bank account in the amount of $24,679.55. Prior to the check being returned to NFCU as fraudulent, over a period of five days, Prioleau withdrew $22,700.00 from his bank account.
United States District Judge Richard Gergel sentenced Prioleau to 30 months imprisonment, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
This case was investigated by the FBI Columbia Field Office and the United States Secret Service with assistance from the Charleston Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy F. Bower is prosecuting the case.
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Berkeley County Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Federal Drug ChargeRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Javier Lewis Howard, age 41, of Martinsburg, West Virginia, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison to be followed by three years of supervised release for the distribution of cocaine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, during a traffic stop, officers found heroin, prescription pills, and $3,774 inside Howard’s vehicle. During Howard’s arrest, officers found fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine base on him. A subsequent search warrant at his home found suboxone strips, drug paraphernalia, eutylone, cocaine, fentanyl, and methamphetamine.
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.
Berkeley County Man Sentenced for Federal Firearms and Drug ChargesRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Austin M. Ferguson, age 28, of Martinsburg, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 72 months in federal prison for the distribution of fentanyl and possession of a firearm in connection with a drug trafficking crime.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Ferguson was selling heroin capsules when he flashed a 9mm pistol, removed the firearm magazine, and called the ammunition within the firearm “cop killers.” Officers searched Ferguson’s hotel room and found fentanyl capsules and 47 rounds of 9mm ammunition.
Ferguson will be on three years of supervised release following his prison sentence.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Eastern Panhandle Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated.
U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided.
Beckley Woman Pleads Guilty to Straw Purchasing FirearmsRead the Press Release
BECKLEY, W.Va. – Keniesha Brack, 27, of Beckley, pleaded guilty today to false statements made during the purchase of firearms.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on June 19, 2021, Brack purchased a Glock model 27 GEN5 .40-caliber pistol and a Glock model 30 .45-caliber pistol from a Mount Hope business. Brack admitted that she falsely certified on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Federal Firearms Transaction Records Form 4473 that she was the buyer of the firearms when she knew she was purchasing them for someone else.
On June 13, 2021, Brack attended the R+R Gun Show at the Beckley Armory in Beckley and purchased a Taurus model G3C 9mm pistol, a Taurus model G2C 9mm pistol and a Glock model 33GEN4 .357-caliber pistol from a Federal Firearm Licensee. Brack admitted that she falsely certified on the ATF Form 4473 that she was the buyer of the firearms when she knew she was purchasing them for someone else.
On June 25, 2021, Brack purchased a Glock model 36 .45-caliber pistol and a Glock model 43X 9mm pistol from a Beckley business. Brack admitted that she falsely certified on the ATF Form 4473 that she was the buyer of the firearms when she knew she was purchasing them for someone else.
Brack is scheduled to be sentenced on June 20, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
United States Magistrate Judge Omar J. Aboulhosn presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Troy D. Adams is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:24-cr-32.
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Beaumont postal employee sentenced for stealing mailRead the Press Release
BEAUMONT, Texas – A Beaumont woman has been sentenced to federal prison for stealing mail in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs.
Pamela Jo Rosas, 65, pleaded guilty to theft of mail by a postal employee and was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone on March 4, 2024.
According to information presented in court, in April 2020, postal inspectors began receiving complaints that a series of parcels containing valuable coins were missing after being placed in the post office for delivery. Federal agents conducted surveillance and identified a postal employee, Pamela Jo Rosas, as a subject involved in the theft after viewing her handling packages in a suspicious manner. Rosas was also found in possession of several pieces of stolen mail packages after leaving work. Rosas admitted to stealing many items from the post office during the previous three to four years. Agents were able to recover hundreds of valuable coins from her apartment, along with other items Rosas had stolen from the mail during the course of her employment.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service-OIG and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Russell James.
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Antigua Man Who Was Arrested 13 Years After Being Charged in Connection with Illegal Gambling Ring Pleads GuiltyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – An Antigua man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to his participation in a large-scale illegal gambling business which utilized an Antiguan Internet site, but operated in the continental United States. In total, defendant and co-conspirators collected over $22 million through an illegal gambling operation and laundered more than $10 million in checks and wire transfers.
Richard Sullivan, 74, of St. John’s, Antigua, pleaded guilty to operating an illegal gambling business and transmission of wagering information. U.S. District Court Judge Patti B. Saris scheduled sentencing for March 28, 2024. Sullivan was indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston in August 2010 and was arrested in August 2023 at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York upon his return to the United States from Antigua.
This prosecution marked one of the first times that individuals were charged with violating the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), and the first in Massachusetts. The UIGEA statute was enacted in 2006 to deter the use of the U.S. banking system to pay Internet gambling debts incurred by U.S. citizens. Sullivan and his co-defendants were originally charged with over 75 counts of engaging in U.S. banking transactions involving U.S.-based gamblers to pay gambling debts owed to Sports Offshore, an online gambling site licensed in Antigua that was actually operating in the United States.
Sullivan and his three co-conspirators – Todd Lyons, Robert Eremian and Daniel Eremian – operated Sports Offshore – which stretched from Massachusetts to Florida. Sports Offshore used an Internet site and toll-free telephone line registered in Antigua to service United States customers. The ring also employed approximately 50 gambling agents in the United States, who solicited hundreds of customers and collected gambling debts, forwarding the illegal gambling proceeds to Antigua.
To conceal the conspiracy, Sullivan and his co-conspirators created numerous fictitious entities with no legitimate business purpose to launder the proceeds of their illegal gambling business so that authorities could not detect U.S.-based financial transactions involving Sports Offshore.
Sullivan managed the daily activities of Sports Offshore at its gambling office in St. John’s, Antigua. In that capacity, Sullivan supervised employees who accepted wagers from customers in the United States that were placed over the telephone and the Internet. Sullivan helped direct collection activities regarding customers and agents located in the United States who owed money to Sports Offshore. Sullivan also served as an agent for Sports Offshore and was responsible for a group of Massachusetts customers who gambled with Sports Offshore, earning commissions on gambling losses incurred by those customers. Additionally, Sullivan used Massachusetts residents to collect money from his local customers which he had shipped directly to Antigua via the mail.
In total, Sullivan and his co-conspirators collected over $22 million for Sports Offshore through the illegal gambling operation and laundered more than $10 million in checks and wire transfers.
In December 2011, Lyons and Daniel Eremian were convicted following a five-week jury trial for their roles in the conspiracy. Lyons was sentenced to four years in prison, one year of supervised release and was ordered to forfeit $24.6 million. Daniel Eremian was sentenced to three years in prison, one year of supervised release and was ordered to forfeit $7.7 million.
The charge of operating an illegal gambling business provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, and up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of transmission of wagering information provides for a sentence of up to two years in prison, and up to one year of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Harry Chavis, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office; Brian Kyes, United States Marshal for the District of Massachusetts; and John E. Mawn, Jr., Interim Colonel of the Massachusetts State Police made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York and the Essex County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dustin Chao, Chief of the Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions Unit is prosecuting the case.
Albany Man Pleads Guilty to Armed Robbery of a Drug Dealer in GuilderlandRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Jorge L. Rosario, age 53, of Albany, pled guilty today to robbing a marijuana dealer and brandishing a pistol in furtherance of the robbery at the dealer’s residence in Guilderland.
United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; John B. DeVito, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF); and Guilderland Police Chief Daniel P. McNally made the announcement.
Rosario admitted that on January 23, 2022, at about 5 a.m., he and Alexander G. Madera, armed with a pistol and a rifle, respectively, entered a single-family residence in Guilderland with the goal of robbing a marijuana dealer. After entering the residence, Rosario remained on guard in the living room while Madera robbed the dealer of $172 in drug money, at gunpoint, in the dealer’s bedroom. Before they could leave the residence, however, another resident awoke and encountered Rosario, who pointed his pistol at the resident, warning the resident not to move or say anything. A struggle over the pistol ensued, with other residents joining in. In the course of the struggle, Rosario and Madera were disarmed. They were then restrained until the police arrived and arrested them. Bost have remained in custody since that time.
Rosario will be sentenced on July 9, 2024 by Chief United States District Judge Branda K. Sannes. Under the terms of Rosario’s plea agreement, the parties have jointly recommended that Rosario receive a prison term of between 168 and 188 months, and a 5-year term of post-imprisonment supervised release.
Madera previously pled guilty to armed robbery and brandishing charges, and is scheduled for sentencing on May 3, 2024. He faces a minimum term of imprisonment of 7 years, a maximum term of life, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to 5 years. 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.
This case was investigated by ATF and the Town of Guilderland Police Department, with the assistance of the Albany County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emmet O’Hanlon and Joshua R. Rosenthal are prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), 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.
4 March 2024
Washington, D.C. Man Convicted for the Armed Robberies of Two Phone Stores in MarylandRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – On Friday, March 1, 2024, after less than an hour of deliberation, a federal jury convicted Donte Antwaun Herring, age 24, of Washington, D.C., for the armed robberies of two phone stores in December 2020.
The guilty verdict was announced by Erek L. Barron, United States Attorney for the District of Maryland; Acting Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Chief Robert McCullough of the Baltimore County Police Department.
According to the evidence presented at his eight-day trial, on December 17 and December 23, 2020, Herring and his co-conspirators robbed phone stores in Halethorpe and Owings Mills, Maryland, respectively. In each robbery, Herring and his co-conspirators brandished firearms.
Specifically, according to trial testimony, on December 17, 2020, at shortly after 7:15 p.m., Herring and a co-conspirator entered a phone store in the 3900 block of Washington Boulevard, in Halethorpe, Maryland. After initially posing as customers browsing for cell phones, the co-conspirator and Herring announced a robbery and brandished firearms—pointing them in the direction of the victim employee. Trial evidence proved that Herring ordered the victim employee to take him and the co-conspirator to the store’s safe, then ordered the victim to open the safe. After the victim opened the safe, Herring and the co-conspirator removed various electronic devices from the safe, including multiple boxes of Apple cellular telephones, watches and iPads, along with cash from the store’s register. They then fled in a maroon minivan.
Witnesses testified that in the robbery on December 23, 2020, co-defendant Rico Dashiell entered a telephone store in the 10000 block of Reisterstown Road in Owings Mills, Maryland and acted like a customer. Herring and another co-conspirator then entered the store brandishing firearms and Dashiell pointed a gun at a victim employee. Witnesses testified that Herring and the co-conspirator pointed their guns at a victim customer and other employees and ordered them to get down on the floor. The victim customer was also ordered to empty his pockets and Herring and the co-conspirator took the victim’s wallet (containing his driver’s license and credit cards), along with his car keys, which were on an orange lanyard, and an Apple iPhone 8S plus, valued at approximately $350. Herring and the co-conspirator went to the back room and Dashiell escorted a victim employee to the back room at gunpoint and ordered the victim to open the store safe. The victim complied and Herring and the co-conspirator removed nearly all of the electronic devices from the safe—including Apple and Samsung Galaxy devices (76 devices total)—and placed them in large garbage bags they had brought with them. When Herring and the co-conspirator finished emptying the safe, they ordered the three victims from the main floor of the store to the room in the back of the store where the safe was kept. According to trial testimony, as Herring and the co-conspirator left the room, the co-conspirator sprayed pepper spray at the victims’ faces. In the meantime, Dashiell directed a victim employee to open the store’s cash register and stole $322 from the register.
Herring and his co-conspirators then fled in a vehicle that had been stolen earlier in the day and that had tags stolen from another vehicle. According to trial evidence, law enforcement was able to track the vehicle to a home in Catonsville, Maryland, where aviation units were able to film Herring, Dashiell and the co-conspirator unloading the stolen merchandise from the car and taking it into the residence.
As detailed in trial testimony, law enforcement officers arrived at the residence and attempted for hours to make contact with the suspects and any other occupants of the residence. After two young children who lived at the residence (who had no relation to the robbers) came out of the house, law enforcement executed a search warrant of the residence and arrested the robbers, who had been hiding in the attic. During a search incident to his arrest, law enforcement seized, among other things, $622.16 from the co-conspirator ($322 of which was proceeds from the robbery), along with a round of ammunition.
According to trial evidence, during their search of the residence, law enforcement also recovered, among other things, the clothing, gloves, and headwear worn by the robbers during the robbery; the 76 devices stolen during the robbery; the canister of pepper spray used to spray the victims during the robbery; the stolen wallet belonging to one of the victims of the robbery; and the three firearms used by Herring, Dashiell and the co-conspirator during the robbery; as well as a Polymer 80 Gray Grip with a black slide 9mm semi-automatic pistol, with no serial number, commonly known as a “ghost gun,” which was also loaded.
Electronic evidence presented at trial included multiple text messages in which Herring discussed his planning of the December 23, 2020 robbery. It likewise included photographs from a co-conspirator’s iCloud account that showed Herring holding large amounts of cash within hours of the robbery on December 17, 2020.
Co-defendant Rico Dashiell, age 25, of Fort Washington, Maryland, previously pleaded guilty to his role in the robbery and was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison.
Herring faces a maximum of 20 years in federal prison for each of two counts of interference with commerce by robbery and a mandatory minimum of seven years, consecutive to any other sentence, and up to life in federal prison for each of two counts of brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. U.S. District Judge Matthew J. Maddox has scheduled sentencing for May 31, 2024 at 10:00 a.m.
U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI and Baltimore County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron also thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Paul A. Riley and Michael Aubin, who are prosecuting 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 and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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US Attorney Tessa Gorman joins HSI for a roundtable on organized retail crimeRead the Press Release
Seattle- US Attorney Tessa M. Gorman and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agent in Charge Robert Hammer hosted an organized retail crime roundtable discussion on Thursday, February 29th. US Attorney Tessa Gorman and HSI Special Agent in Charge Robert Hammer gave opening remarks to retailers to discuss their work in investigating, disrupting, and prosecuting organized retail crime. Representatives from Walmart, Lowe’s, Ulta, Rite-Aid, Walgreens, Safeway, Fred Meyer, and Target were among the attendees at the roundtable.
“We have seen organized retail crime become more and more common in the country, and in Western Washington,” said US Attorney Tessa Gorman. “Retail theft impacts retailers of all sizes and communities across our District. It leads to customers feeling unsafe, puts security guards at risks, and causes significant losses to retailers. I am proud to partner with HSI, local law enforcement, and the retailers in Western Washington to put a stop to organized retail crime.”
“Organized retail crime does not only impact businesses, it undermines the well-being of our communities while threatening the safety and security of everyday people," said Special Agent in Charge Robert Hammer, who oversees HSI operations in the Pacific Northwest. “Those who commit these offenses, regardless of if they are a part of a criminal organization or acting individually, will not be allowed to wreak havoc upon our private sector partners unchecked. This meeting is an important step in what I hope is a continued partnership with businesses throughout the Pacific Northwest to catch and prosecute organized theft groups that are conducting, promoting, and profiting off this dangerous activity.”
In March of 2023, the United States Attorney’s office indicted a pair for a retail theft scheme, in which both defendants plead guilty to wire fraud. According to the plea agreement, they worked collaboratively to steal more than $800,000 of equipment from a large retailer through the retailer’s rental service. They rented the equipment under false identities, and then sold it on secondhand retail sites like OfferUp and Facebook Marketplace. As of Mach 2023, the defendants had rented equipment from over 190 different store locations in 23 states under 150 names. This case was investigated by HSI.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Collects over $18 Million in Civil and Criminal Actions and over $18 Million More in Asset Forfeiture Actions in Fiscal Year 2023Read the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina (USAO-EDNC) collected $18,157,710.06 in criminal and civil actions in Fiscal Year (FY) 2023. Of this amount, $11,126,086.93 was collected in criminal actions and $7,031,623.13 was collected in civil actions.
Additionally, EDNC worked with other U.S. Attorney’s Offices and components of the Department of Justice (DOJ) to collect an additional $72,909.66 in cases pursued jointly by these offices. This amount was collected in criminal actions.
“We are committed to using every tool available to aggressively collect restitution for victims, criminal fines, and recover taxpayer dollars lost to fraud and owed to government agencies,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “We are proud of the men and women in our office who have worked so hard to ensure justice through their collection efforts which ultimately restore funds to crime victims and support law enforcement.”
The successful collection efforts included the collection of substantial funds from joint and several co-defendants, George Garven, William Davis, and Robert Helms, fully satisfying a criminal restitution judgment awarding $1,850,442.00 to Baker Roofing Company (BRC), the victim of a fraudulent contract billing scheme. Specifically, BRC hired Garven in 2011 to serve as the Vice President and General Manager of its Charlotte, North Carolina, branch office. In 2014, Helms and Davis partnered together to provide roofing subcontracting services to BRC through Davis’s business, R&K Davis Holdings (R&K). Between 2015 and 2020, R&K was used as a vehicle to fraudulently bill BRC for subcontracting work that was never performed. Among other things, Garven obligated BRC to pay R&K by generating fake invoices and subcontracts in R&K’s name. The criminal proceeds were funneled into business bank accounts controlled by Helms and Davis and then disbursed to Garven in various forms, including gift cards and checks. The checks included fraudulent memo lines to make it appear they were related to legitimate business. Garven also directed Helms and Davis to use the embezzled funds to pay contractors to perform work on Garven’s residential properties. In furtherance of the scheme, Garven paid Helms and Davis each approximately $140,000 in cash. EDNC ultimately collected the full restitution amount from the defendants. An earlier press release about the underlying criminal case can be found at https://www.justice.gov/usao-ednc/pr/co-conspirators-sentenced-stealing-over-18-million-fake-billing-scheme.
In another example of successful enforcement, EDNC fully collected on a False Claims Act judgment in excess of $1 million against Jeffrey G. Hedges, related to false healthcare billing practices. Specifically, the government alleged that under Hedges’ control, a medical clinic located in Durham, North Carolina, systematically defrauded the Medicare Program in a variety of ways. But perhaps most egregiously of all, the clinic almost always billed medical services performed by non-physicians under the higher billing rate of the clinic’s nominal owner and medical director, even though she did not actually treat patients and was hardly ever physically present when services were provided. Based on evidence presented by the government, the Court concluded that Hedges and one of his companies violated the False Claims Act with respect to billing under the medical director and ordered them to pay $1,097,975.24 to the United States. After the Court entered judgment against Hedges and his company, the United States demanded payment, but Hedges failed to comply. The government therefore initiated enforced collection, obtained writs of garnishment and execution to liquidate funds and property, and moved for a statutory 10-percent surcharge, which the Court awarded. In the end, Hedges paid the United States a total of $1,207,772.76, which fully satisfied the False Claims Act judgment and the 10-percent surcharge.
The USAO-EDNC along with the department’s litigating divisions, are responsible for enforcing and collecting civil and criminal debts owed to the United States and criminal debts owed to federal crime victims. The law requires defendants to pay restitution to victims of certain federal crimes who have suffered a physical injury or financial loss. While restitution is paid to the victim, criminal fines and felony assessments are paid to the department’s Crime Victims Fund, which distributes the funds collected to federal and state victim compensation and victim assistance programs.
Additionally, the USAO-EDNC, working with partner agencies and divisions, collected $18,067,902 in asset forfeiture actions in FY 2023.
The EDNC’s successful forfeiture efforts included the criminal forfeiture of $4,635,346.24 in property derived from or traceable to health care fraud. Tanya Parrish Grant was criminally indicted on June 16, 2021, and charged with defrauding Medicare by submitting false and fraudulent claims for Durable Medical Equipment. After conviction, Grant was ordered to pay a forfeiture money judgment of $6,449,155.09, representing the total gross proceeds that she wrongfully obtained as a result of the fraud. Of this amount, law enforcement agents and financial investigators were able to trace criminally derived funds into real estate, numerous bank accounts, luxury vehicles and other personal property valued at approximately $4.6 million, which the government was able to seize, liquidate, and apply toward the forfeiture money judgment. Earlier press releases about the underlying criminal case can be found at https://www.justice.gov/usao-ednc/pr/ceo-raleigh-healthcare-company-pleads-guilty-multi-million-dollar-healthcare-fraud and https://www.justice.gov/usao-ednc/pr/ceo-raleigh-healthcare-company-sentenced-80-months-prison-multi-million-dollar.
In another example of a successful forfeiture effort in FY 2023, the EDNC civilly forfeited $198,400.47 seized from a bank account containing proceeds of a business-email-compromise scheme, where one or more criminal fraudsters used a spoofed email to fraudulently request that an eastern North Carolina law firm update bank account information for a legitimate real estate closing. Once the victim law firm updated the account information, real estate closing funds were diverted into a fraudulent account which was the subject of the civil forfeiture proceeding. The U.S. Secret Service was notified of the fraud and worked with the USAO-EDNC to freeze, seize, and forfeit the entire balance of the fraudulent account as proceeds traceable to wire fraud.
Forfeited assets deposited into the DOJ Assets Forfeiture Fund are used to restore funds to crime victims and for a variety of law enforcement purposes. The DOJ, for instance, restored $6,389,937 of forfeited assets in FY 2023, which is used to compensate the victims of crimes prosecuted by this office.
U.S. Attorney's Office Announces Participation in Justice Department's Nationwide Election Day ProgramRead the Press Release
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The United States Attorney’s Office announced today that Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) Mac Heavener will lead the efforts of the Office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming March 5, 2024, primary election. AUSA Heavener has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) for the Eastern District of Tennessee, and in that capacity is responsible for overseeing the Office’s handling of election day complaints of voting rights concerns, threats of violence to election officials or staff, and election fraud, in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.
The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring and combating discrimination and intimidation at the polls, threats of violence directed at election officials and poll workers, and election fraud. The Department will address these violations wherever they occur. The Department’s longstanding Election Day Program furthers these goals and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the electoral process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible federal election law violations.
Federal law protects against such crimes as threatening violence against election officials or staff, intimidating or bribing voters, buying, and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from interference, including intimidation, and other acts designed to prevent or discourage people from voting or voting for the candidate of their choice. The Voting Rights Act protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or inability to read or write in English).
In order to respond to complaints of voting rights concerns and election fraud during the upcoming election, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, AUSA Heavener will be on duty in this District while the polls are open. He can be reached by the public at the following telephone numbers: (423) 823-5009 or (423) 218-6652.
In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day. The local FBI field office can be reached by the public at (865) 544-0751.
Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC by phone at 800-253-3931 or by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/.
“Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the assistance of the American electorate, stated U.S. Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III. “It is important that those who have specific information about voting rights concerns or election fraud make that information available to the Department of Justice.”
Please note, however, in the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency.
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U.S. Attorney Graves Announces New Affirmative Civil Rights and Environmental Justice Unit in the District of ColumbiaRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves announced today the formation of an Affirmative Civil Rights and Environmental Justice Unit (the Unit) in the Civil Division of the United States Attorney’s Office of the District of Columbia. The new civil unit will focus on investigating and enforcing federal civil rights and environmental laws within the District, as well as conducting regular community outreach regarding civil rights and environmental justice concerns.
“Protecting civil rights within our district is a high priority for both the Department and our Office,” said U.S. Attorney Graves. “We recognize that communities of color and low-income communities too often feel the greatest effects of environmental contamination and pollution, so we are also committed to addressing those issues as part of this new unit, and we generally want to hear from our fellow community members when they believe their rights have been violated and legal action is needed.”
The unit will work to enforce federal civil rights laws regarding discrimination, housing, disability access, environmental justice, sexual harassment, and other matters. Coordinating the activities of the unit will be Deputy Civil Chiefs John Truong, the division’s Civil Rights Coordinator, and Diana Valdivia, the office’s Environmental Justice Coordinator. The unit will primarily be staffed with three Assistant U.S. Attorneys, Carlos Andino, Christopher Hair, and Sean Tepe. The unit will work closely with the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division and Environmental and Natural Resources Division and coordinate its activities with other Justice Department components and local, state, and federal agencies as appropriate.
The creation of the unit is part of the Justice Department’s initiative to confront discrimination through modern, comprehensive methods, prioritize community outreach, and make better use of civil enforcement mechanisms. Advancing environmental justice is also a priority for the Justice Department, which recently created the Office of Environmental Justice within the Environmental and Natural Resources Division with a mandate to engage all Justice Department bureaus, components, and offices in the collective pursuit of environmental justice. These efforts will promote the general welfare and secure the blessings of liberty for all District residents by working to ensure that they live and work in environmentally safe conditions and enjoy their full panoply of civil rights guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the United States.
The Office’s Civil Division welcomes information from the public regarding possible civil rights violations and concerns related to environmental, health, and climate impacts on individuals and communities in the district. You may submit information or concerns to [email protected], and learn more at https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/affirmative-civil-rights-and-environmental-justice.
Two-Time Carjacker Who Kidnapped Victims Sentenced to 30 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
A carjacker who kidnapped two people in an attempt to avoid law enforcement was sentenced Monday to 30 years in federal prison, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton.
Anthony Scott Gordon, 36, was indicted in November 2020 and pleaded guilty in September 2022 to kidnapping, carjacking, and brandishing a firearm in the commission of a crime of violence. He was sentenced Monday by U.S. District Judge Sam A. Lindsay.
In plea papers, Mr. Gordon admitted that on Aug. 6, 2020, he approached a Ford F150 parked off of Highway 20 in Fort Worth. With a gun in each hand, he ran up to the driver’s side door. As he shot one gun towards the street, he pointed the other at the driver, identified in court documents as M.G., and demanded she turn over the vehicle. Fearing for her life, M.G. exited the vehicle and he sped away.
Four days later, Mr. Gordon entered through rear door of a retail store in Richardson, pointed a gun at an employee, identified in court documents as A.J., and demanded her vehicle, which was parked outside. Fearing for her life, A.J. handed over her keys. Mr. Gordon told her he would shoot her if she tried to call the police, then got into the vehicle and drove away.
Mr. Gordon further admitted that in late August, he kidnapped a victim, identified in court documents as M.D., in an attempt to prevent her from disclosing his criminal activity to law enforcement.
Mr. Gordon refused to leave M.D.’s location, struck her in the head with a firearm, and crushed her iPhone in his bare hands, rendering it inoperable. The following day, he dragged her down a flight of stairs and forced her into his car at gunpoint. She screamed for help and attempted to fight back, but he pushed her into the backseat, then began driving her around Dallas, saying they needed to “get out of the state.” M.D. convinced him to park at a Motel 6, where she managed to flee.
Following her escape, the defendant messaged M.D., threatening, “I swear to god ima hurt you bad… I’m tellin u now ima find u I promised I’ll make it long and painful.”
In early September, he kidnapped yet another victim, identified in court documents as K.N., in an attempt to evade arrest.
Shortly after arriving in Fort Worth to conduct a drug transaction, Mr. Gordon spotted police and fled, jumping over multiple residential fences. He came upon K.N.’s house and entered through back door. He grabbed her by the neck, pointed a firearm at her, and led her at gunpoint towards the front of the house, where law enforcement was located. K.N. was able to break free and ran out the front door, where she was met by police.
A subsequent search of Mr. Gordon’s vehicle revealed a Smith & Wesson 40 caliber pistol and a stolen Mossberg 12-guage shotgun.
The Fort Worth Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas Field Office, and the Dallas Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph Lo Galbo and Melanie Smith (fmr.) prosecuted the case.
Three Individuals Charged with Conspiracy to Commit Bank FraudRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A federal grand jury indicted three individuals for their role in operating a scheme to defraud Chase Bank, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and U.S. Postal Inspection Service Inspector-in-Charge Scott D. Fix, Houston Division.
A three-count indictment filed in U.S. District Court charges Jon-Christopher Arrington Spencer, also known as “JC Spencer,” also known as “Money Mike,” 22, of Bessemer; Haley Monique Perkins, 21, of Pleasant Grove; and Jeffery Dwaine Moody, Jr., 22, of Birmingham with conspiracy and bank fraud. Spencer also was charged with theft of mail matter.
The indictment alleges that between May 2022 and August 31, 2022, Spencer, Perkins, and Moody conspired together to defraud Chase Bank. To achieve this goal, the defendants obtained three fraudulent checks drawn on three businesses’ banking accounts. These three businesses had deposited checks after hours into the blue depository boxes at the Meadowbrook U.S. Post Office. Those three checks were then stolen from the depository boxes. The fraudulent checks were made payable to Moody and deposited into a Chase Bank account controlled by him. The defendants attempted twice to withdraw money for personal use from this Moody-controlled bank account. The total value of the checks deposited into the bank account and drawn on the accounts belonging to three separate businesses was more than $7,000.
The maximum penalty for conspiracy to commit bank fraud is 30 years in prison. The maximum penalty for theft of mail matter is five years in prison.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brittney L. Plyler is prosecuting the case.
An indictment contains only charges. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Standoff with armed felon leads to firearm convictionRead the Press Release
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 35-year-old Corpus Christi resident has admitted to being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Robert Spencer was set to begin trial this week, but has instead opted to enter a guilty plea.
On Aug. 4, 2022, authorities responded to a murder reported to have occurred around the 1800 block of Van Loan Ave. in Corpus Christi. They observed Spencer in the area and appeared to be armed. When authorities approached him, Spencer fled into his nearby home which initiated an hour-long standoff.
During that time, Spencer yelled at law enforcement to leave the area. Authorities also heard two gunshots. He exited his home without a firearm, at which time, they arrested him.
Law enforcement obtained a search warrant for Spencer’s residence and discovered six pipe bombs, four firearms and boxes of ammunition in the attic. He admitted to personally assembling the pipe bombs.
As a convicted felon, he is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition per federal law.
Further testing confirmed the pipe bombs to be destructive devices as the law defines. The pipe bombs were not properly registered to Spencer in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.
U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos will impose sentencing June 4. At that time, Spencer faces up to 15 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.
He will remain in custody pending that hearing.
The Corpus Christi Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick Overman and John Marck are prosecuting the case.
St. Tammany Parish Man Pleads Guilty to Violating the Federal Controlled Substances ActRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that ALSKIIN MILLICAN, age 21, of Madisonville, Louisiana, pled guilty on February 29, 2024, to violating the Federal Controlled Substances Act before United States District Judge Susie Morgan.
MILLICAN pled guilty to Count 1 of the indictment that charged him with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute, 40 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount Fentanyl, a Schedule II controlled substance, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(B), and 846. MILLICAN also pled guilty to Count 4 of the indictment that charged him with distributing and possessing with the intent to distribute 40 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of Fentanyl, a Schedule II controlled substance, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(B).
According to court documents, MILLICAN sold 1000 fentanyl pills to an undercover agent on September 15, 2023.
For both Counts 1 and 4, MILLICAN faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years and up to 40 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $5,000,000, at least 4 years of supervised release, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00. MILLICAN’s sentencing is set for June 4, 2024.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Department. Assistant United States Attorney Lauren Sarver of the Narcotics Unit oversees the prosecution.
Spring Hill Resident Sentenced to Federal Prison for Trafficking Florida Box Turtles, Loggerhead Musk Turtles, and Ornate Diamondback TerrapinsRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday has sentenced Kevin Olbrych (48, Spring Hill) to 15 months in federal prison followed by 3 years of supervised release for Lacey Act trafficking of Florida box turtles, loggerhead musk turtles, and ornate diamondback terrapins. The Court also permanently enjoined Olbrych from possessing, caring for, transporting, selling, transferring, or distributing any animals, and ordered him to pay $7,500 to the Lacey Act Reward Fund. The Lacey Act Reward Fund is a Congressionally authorized fund available to pay for the care, treatment, and rehabilitation of wildlife pending their disposition at the conclusion of civil and criminal matters and to compensate witnesses and cooperators in criminal investigations. Olbrych entered a guilty plea on November 17, 2023.
According to court documents, the Tampa Police Department executed an unrelated search warrant at Olbrych’s residence in 2018. During the search, law enforcement discovered several 300-gallon pools filled with turtles and other containers for the rearing of turtles. In total, Olbrych unlawfully possessed 120 turtles. The animals were not housed properly, and Olbrych did not have proper licensure to possess them. Law enforcement confiscated the turtles and turned them over to an individual qualified to rehabilitate them on behalf of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
After the search, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service began investigating Olbrych and discovered that for years he had illegally sold turtles to a co-conspirator in Oregon who later sold them to buyers in China. Further investigation revealed that even after law enforcement seized the turtles from Olbrych’s home in 2018, he continued to traffic in turtles through 2021, including the ornate diamondback terrapin depicted below.
"Ensuring wildlife conservation through effective law enforcement, meeting regulatory requirements, and promoting compliance is paramount,” said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Special Agent in Charge Douglas Ault. “Our investigation led to another successful conviction in the continuous illegal turtle trade, highlighting the ongoing difficulties in safeguarding vulnerable species. These investigations underscore the vital need for rigorous law enforcement actions to uphold conservation laws and protect biodiversity worldwide.”
This case was investigated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, with substantial assistance from the Tampa Police Department and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Erin Claire Favorit.
Schenectady Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing Methamphetamine with Intent to DistributeRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Ocyris Morgan, age 36, of Schenectady, New York, pled guilty today to possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute it.
United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.
Morgan admitted that he intended to sell the 21.4 grams of methamphetamine law enforcement seized from his house on June 1, 2023, and when he overheard agents saying they found between one-half and one ounce of methamphetamine, Morgan corrected them, “21.7, to be exact.” Morgan also admitted to receiving $10,130 over the course of 12 instances in which he sold a total of 93 grams of methamphetamine and 50 grams of cocaine base to several customers. He further admitted to possessing a firearm and bullet proof vest.
When sentenced by Chief United States District Judge Brenda K. Sannes, Morgan faces a mandatory prison term of at least 5 years and up to 40 years, a fine of up to $5 million, and a term of supervised release of at least 4 years and up to life. 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.
The FBI’s Capital District Safe Streets Task Force – made up of FBI Special Agents, as well as members of other federal, state and local law enforcement agencies including the Schenectady Police Department – investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan S. Reiner is prosecuting the case.
Santa Fe Man Pleads Guilty to Drug Trafficking and Firearms ChargesRead 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 Mario Guizar-Anchondo pled guilty in federal court to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Guizar-Anchondo 21, of Santa Fe, will remain in custody pending sentencing, which has not been scheduled.
A federal grand jury indicted Guizar-Anchondo and his co-defendant, Werni Lopez-Perez, 27, of Santa Fe, on Jan. 11, 2022. According to publicly available court documents, at around 2:30 a.m. on Dec. 30, 2021, an officer from the Santa Fe Police Department conducted a routine traffic patrol on a vehicle driven by Guizar-Anchondo for driving without illuminated taillights. At the time, Lopez-Perez was in the passenger seat. Based on observations made during and after the traffic stop, the officer sealed the truck and the FBI sought and obtained a federal search warrant for the truck.
The truck was searched later that day at the FBI office in Albuquerque. Inside, agents found approximately 32,000 fentanyl pills, 1.7 kilograms of methamphetamine, five firearms, and $5,563 in cash. The investigation also uncovered evidence that both Guizar-Anchondo and Lopez-Perez were using Facebook to advertise and sell fentanyl and methamphetamine.
In his plea agreement, Guizar-Anchondo admitted that he intended to distribute the fentanyl pills to others, and that he possessed the firearms in the truck to protect himself, his drug supplies, and his drug proceeds.
At sentencing, Guizar-Anchondo is facing not less than 5 years and not more than life in prison.
Lopez-Perez remains in custody pending trial which is currently scheduled for April 1, 2024.
The Santa Fe Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Santa Fe Police Department. The United States Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case.
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San Diego Man is First in Nation to be Charged with Smuggling Potent Greenhouse Gases into the United StatesRead the Press Release
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – March 4, 2024
SAN DIEGO – Michael Hart of San Diego was arrested early today and charged with smuggling potent greenhouse gases into the United States from Mexico and then selling them for profit, in violation of regulations intended to curb the use of greenhouse gases and slow climate change. (Video short)
This is the first prosecution in the United States to include charges related to the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act of 2020 (AIM Act). The AIM Act prohibits the importation of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), commonly used as refrigerants, without allowances issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
“This office is at the forefront of environmental prosecutions, and today is a significant milestone for our country,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “This is the first time the Department of Justice is prosecuting someone for illegally importing greenhouse gases, and it will not be the last. We are using every means possible to protect our planet from the harm caused by toxic pollutants, including bringing criminal charges.”
“It is illegal to import certain refrigerants into the United States because of their documented and significantly greater contribution to climate change,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “We are committed to enforcing the AIM Act and other laws that seek to prevent environmental harm.”
“The illegal smuggling of hydrofluorocarbons, a highly potent greenhouse gas, undermines international efforts to combat climate change under the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol,” said David M. Uhlmann, EPA Assistant Administrator for the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “Anyone who seeks to profit from illegal actions that worsen climate change must be held accountable. This arrest highlights the significance of EPA’s climate enforcement initiative and our efforts to prevent refrigerants that are climate super pollutants from illegally entering the United States.”
“This case and subsequent arrest is a great example of multiple agencies collaborating to arrest an individual who allegedly smuggled illegal goods into the U.S. that harm our environment,” said Chad Plantz, special agent in charge for HSI San Diego. “We remain committed to keep these dangerous toxins from depleting our ozone.”
Hart made his first appearance in federal court this afternoon. The defendant was arraigned and entered a not-guilty plea. His next hearing is before U.S. District Judge Jeffrey T. Miller for motion hearing/trial setting on March 25, 2024, at 11 a.m.
According to the EPA, HFCs are potent greenhouse gases that cause climate change and are used in applications such as refrigeration, air-conditioning, building insulation, fire extinguishing systems, and aerosols. The global warming potential (GWP) of an HFC can be hundreds to thousands of times more potent than carbon dioxide. The use of HFCs has been rapidly increasing worldwide due to the global phaseout of ozone-depleting substances (ODS) and increased demand for refrigeration and air conditioning.
The indictment alleges that Hart purchased refrigerants in Mexico and smuggled them into the United States in his vehicle, concealed under a tarp and tools. According to the indictment, Hart posted the refrigerants for sale on OfferUp, Facebook Marketplace and other sites, and sold them for a profit. In addition to greenhouse gases, the indictment alleges Hart imported HCFC 22, an ozone-depleting substance regulated under the Clean Air Act.
The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (“Montreal Protocol”) is a treaty adopted in 1987 and ratified by virtually every country. The Montreal Protocol required the gradual phase out of ozone depleting substances, with different timetables for developed countries like the United States, and developing countries like Mexico. In the United States, the Montreal Protocol was implemented in 1990 by an addition to the Clean Air Act, which covers Stratospheric Ozone Protection. That addition identified HCFC 22 as a regulated ozone depleting substance. Before 2020, EPA regulations that governed ozone-depleting substances made it illegal for anyone to import a regulated ozone-depleting substance in an amount exceeding that individual’s consumption allowance, subject to certain exceptions. On January 1, 2020, consumption allowances for HCFC 22 were eliminated and it became illegal to import HCFC 22 for any purpose other than for use in a process resulting in their transformation or their destruction.
The Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol is another international agreement designed to phase down the production and consumption of greenhouse gases such as HFCs, which are commonly used alternatives to ozone-depleting substances and are already controlled under the Montreal Protocol. The Kigali Amendment seeks to phase down the production and consumption of HFCs by 80 to 85 percent by 2047. The AIM Act authorized the EPA to phase down the production and consumption of HFCs in a stepwise manner. As part of the AIM Act, Congress added an additional list of regulated substances, which include HFC 32, HFC-125, HFC-134, HFC-134a, HFC 143 and HFC 143a. Refrigerants marketed as HFC 404a, 407a, 407c and 410a contain these regulated substances. The listed HFCs are some of the most commonly used HFCs and all are saturated, meaning they have only a single bond between their atoms and therefore have longer atmospheric lifetimes. Beginning on January 1, 2022, EPA regulations prohibit any person from importing bulk regulated HFCs, except by expending, at the time of import, a consumption or application-specific allowance issued by the EPA. No person may sell or distribute, or offer for sale or distribution, any regulated HFC that was imported illegally.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Melanie K. Pierson and Department of Justice Environmental Crimes Section Senior Trial Attorney Stephen DaPonte.
DEFENDANT Case Number 24cr0383
Michael Hart Age: 58 San Diego, CA
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Count 1
Conspiracy – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 371
Maximum penalty: Five years in prison and $250,000 fine
Counts 2-6
Importation Contrary to Law – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 545
Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison and $250,000 fine
Counts 7-13
Sale of Merchandise Imported Contrary to Law – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 545
Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison and $250,000 fine
Criminal Forfeiture – Title 18, U.S.C., Sections 545 and 982
INVESTIGATING AGENCIES
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Criminal Investigation Division;
Homeland Security Investigations
*The charges and allegations contained in an indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty
Sacramento Man Sentenced to 7 Years in Prison for Being a Felon in Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Shaun Jones, 29, of Sacramento, was sentenced today to seven years in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, in August 2022, Jones and an associate sold a Glock 17, 9 mm gun to an informant working with law enforcement. In September 2023, Jones sold a Glock 17, 9 mm gun with an extended magazine to the same informant. Jones is prohibited from possessing firearms because he has previously been convicted of robbery, drug possession, and attempted burglary.
This case was the product of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emily G. Sauvageau and Justin Lee 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 U.S. Department of Justice 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.
Richmond Resident Charged with Smuggling Ammunition from United States to BrazilRead the Press Release
OAKLAND - A federal grand jury indicted Edijalma De Souza Ferreira, charging him with smuggling ammunition from the United States to Brazil without an export license, announced United States Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agent in Charge Tatum King.
According to the indictment, filed February 27, Ferreira, 46, of Richmond, Calif., smuggled thousands of rounds of ammunition in two container shipments that were exported from the Port of Oakland in 2021. Export of the ammunition was contrary to the Export Control Reform Act and associated regulations. The indictment charges Ferreira with a felony violation of 18 U.S.C. § 554.
Ferreira was arrested on February 29, 2024, and made his initial appearance in federal court in Oakland the same day. He was released on bond and his next appearance is scheduled for March 6, 2024, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Donna M. Ryu for identification of counsel.
An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, Ferreira faces a maximum sentence of ten years of imprisonment, and a fine of $250,000 for the 18 U.S.C. § 554 violation. However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle J. Kane is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Kathy Tat. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by HSI with assistance from the U.S. Department of Commerce, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Container Security Initiative, the HSI Brasilia Attaché Office, and the Customs and Revenue Service of Brazil.
Repeat Offender Sentenced for Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Thomas Janes, 29, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced on February 29, 2024, in federal court in Omaha for possessing child pornography. United States District Court Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Jane to 120 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Janes release from prison, he will begin a 10-year term of supervised release.
Janes was on supervised release following his release from prison for a previous child pornography possession offense when his probation officer developed suspicion Janes was using an unapproved internet connected device. A search was executed at his home and his electronic devices were later forensically searched, revealing Janes was in possession of child pornography.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Recidivist Pittsburgh Drug Trafficker Pleads Guilty to Large-Scale Cocaine Distribution ChargeRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.
Kevin Rucker, 53, pleaded guilty to one count before United States District Judge William S. Stickman IV.
In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that Rucker was responsible for distributing large quantities of cocaine in the Pittsburgh area, having distributed between 15 and 50 kilograms of the drug between July 2022 and June 2023. Rucker was previously convicted in 2015 in federal court in Pittsburgh of conspiring to distribute heroin.
Judge Stickman scheduled sentencing for July 2, 2024. As a result of Rucker’s criminal history, the law provides for a maximum total sentence of not less than 15 years and up to life in prison, a fine of up to $10 million, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history of the defendant.
Pending sentencing, the Court ordered that the defendant remain detained.
Assistant United States Attorney Douglas C. Maloney is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Drug Enforcement Agency, in conjunction with the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Rucker.
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.
Readout of Office for Access to Justice Director Rachel Rossi’s Trip to ArizonaRead the Press Release
Director Rachel Rossi of the Office for Access to Justice (ATJ) traveled to Tempe, Mesa and Phoenix, Arizona, to engage access to justice stakeholders and deliver open plenary remarks at the Access to Justice and Future of Justice Work Conference.
Director Rossi met with the U.S. Attorney Gary Restaino for the District of Arizona, where she discussed and applauded the office’s commitment to pro bono work. Additional meetings included the Federal Public Defender for the District of Arizona and the Director of Public Defense Services of Maricopa County to discuss support for criminal justice, public defense and access to justice.
She also met with the Arizona Access to Justice Commission and the Arizona Bar Foundation to discuss state-level efforts to promote and expand civil legal services and improve Arizonans’ access to civil justice, including the recently convened State Agency Forum on Access to Justice.
Additionally, Director Rossi and ATJ staff met with legal services organizations about the significant challenges they face in providing basic legal needs, particularly in Tribal communities. They met with stakeholders who are part of a collaboration among five legal services organizations that will use non-attorney community justice workers to provide disaster legal services in American Indian and Alaska Native communities. The meeting included leaders and staff from Montana Legal Services, Anishinaabe Legal Services, DNA People’s Legal Services, Oklahoma Legal Services and Alaska Legal Services Corporation.
Following the convening, Director Rossi and ATJ visited two cutting-edge legal services programs run by Innovation for Justice, a legal innovation lab based in Arizona and Utah. As part of the visit, Director Rossi met with representatives from the Housing Stability Legal Advocate Initiative and the Domestic Violence Legal Advocate Initiative. ATJ heard about needs of the community and learned about the programs’ empowerment of community members to provide legal help with housing and domestic violence matters. In the meeting, advocates presented examples of the community-based justice worker nonlawyer program and provided an overview of their legal services design process.
The Access to Justice and Future of Justice Work Conference focused on ways in which trained nonlawyers and community justice workers can play a significant role in advancing access to justice. In her opening plenary remarks, Director Rossi highlighted recent efforts of ATJ to advance bold and creative solutions to civil justice gap, including the 2023 Legal Aid Interagency Roundtable report, Access to Justice in Federal Administrative Proceedings: Nonlawyer Assistance and Other Strategies. She highlighted the report’s compilation of numerous, varied ways in which nonlawyers provide legal representation and advice in federal agency administrative proceedings and how those uses can serve as an example for access to justice efforts throughout the U.S.
Director Rachel Rossi and ATJ staff met with legal services organizations about the significant challenges encountered in providing basic legal needs to the communities. Director Rachel Rossi and ATJ staff met with Innovation for Justice, a legal innovation lab based in Arizona and Utah. Director Rachel Rossi delivers remarks during the Opening Plenary for the Access to Justice and the Future of Justice Work Conference.Raceland Man Sentenced for Violations of the Federal Gun Control ActRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JAMYREN RICHARD, age 23, of Raceland, Louisiana, was sentenced on February 29, 2024, after previously pleading guilty to two counts of being a felon in possession of firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1), and 924(a)(2).
According to court records, on March 26, 2021, RICHARD was a passenger in a vehicle that was pulled over by the Harahan Police Department. During the traffic stop, officers located two loaded firearms inside the vehicle and RICHARD admitted that he possessed both firearms.
On June 15, 2021, RICHARD was observed fleeing from a car that was being pursued by the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office. RICHARD fled while carrying a semiautomatic rifle, entered a female’s home, and hid the rifle under the master bed mattress. RICHARD admitted he possessed three firearms knowing he had a prior felony conviction.
As to both counts of Felon in Possession of a Firearm, RICHARD was sentenced to 77 months imprisonment, 3 years of supervised release upon release from imprisonment, and a $200 mandatory special assessment fee.
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, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Harahan Police Department, and the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office. The prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Lynn E. Schiffman of the Narcotics Unit.
Queens Man Convicted of Murdering and Dismembering Woman in Fraudulent Scheme to Collect Life Insurance BenefitsRead the Press Release
Today, a federal jury in Brooklyn returned a guilty verdict against Cory Martin on all counts of a superseding indictment charging him with murder-for-hire, murder-for-hire conspiracy, wire fraud conspiracy, aggravated identify theft and fraudulent use of identification relating to a scheme to fraudulently obtain life insurance policies in the name of a woman, murder her and collect the insurance proceeds. The verdict followed a two-week trial before United States District Judge Ann M. Donnelly. When sentenced, Martin faces a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, James Smith, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), and Edward A. Caban, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD), announced the verdict.
“It is fitting that that Martin faces a mandatory sentence to spend the rest of his life in prison for this ghastly, cold-blooded crime that was motivated by greed and executed after extensive planning,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “Martin saw the victim as a moneymaker, trafficking her for commercial sex, then after killing her with his bare hands, tossing out her slaughtered body parts like trash so he could profit from her death. Brandy Odom suffered an unthinkable death at the defendant’s hands, but her life mattered and I hope that this verdict holding the defendant responsible brings some measure of closure to her family.”
“Today’s guilty verdict is a message to anyone who, without fear of being held accountable, commits heinous acts of criminality in New York City,” stated NYPD Commissioner Caban. “The NYPD will continue to collaborate with the FBI and the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York to conduct meticulous investigations that lead to successful prosecutions, and ultimately deliver justice to victims.”
As proved at trial, Martin resided at a house in Rosedale, Queens, with the then-26-year-old victim, Brandy Odom, and a co-conspirator who were engaged in commercial sex work for the defendant who operated as their pimp. In March and December 2017, Martin and the co-conspirator fraudulently obtained two life insurance policies in Odom’s name. They made premium payments to the life insurance companies by Western Union money orders and by using a debit card in Odom’s name. At trial, Martin’s co-conspirator testified that prior to Odom’s murder, she and the defendant watched “The First 48,” a true-crime TV show about police tactics and they discussed “what not to do, and what things to do to avoid being caught by the police.” The co-conspirator testified that Martin also watched “Dexter,” a TV show about a serial killer who dismembered his victims, because the defendant was “looking for ways to commit the crime when he got rid of Brandy.”
In early April 2018, Martin strangled Odom in her bedroom. Martin and the co-conspirator then purchased cleaning supplies and a vacuum— to clean up the murder scene—at the Green Acres Mall on Long Island. On April 6, 2018, Martin searched Home Depot’s website for a “Dewalt 12-Amp Corded Reciprocating Saw,” described as featuring a “powerful 12 Amp motor designed for heavy-duty applications.” Later that evening, Martin searched YouTube for “how to insert blade for reciprocating saw” and “using reciprocating saw.” The co-conspirator testified that Martin used an electric saw to dismember the victim’s corpse in the bathtub after covering every surface in the bathroom with heavy-duty, black garbage bags to eliminate evidence of the killing.
In the early morning of April 8 and April 9, 2018, Martin disposed of Odom’s body parts in Canarsie Park with the assistance of his co-conspirator. On April 10, 2018, Martin conducted dozens of Internet searches for news articles, including “Search area expands after dismembered body found in Canarsie Park in Brooklyn.” Martin also accessed a Twitter post titled “Person walking dog discovers remains of woman in Brooklyn park.” The following day on April 11, 2018, Martin searched YouTube using the search term “exclusive interview of mother of girl found in park.” After Odom’s murder, at Martin’s direction, his co-conspirator made several unsuccessful attempts to claim benefits under Odom’s life insurance policies.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Organized Crime and Gangs Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Tanya Hajjar, Emily Dean and Andy Palacio are in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Theodore Rader.
The Defendant:
CORY MARTIN
Age: 36
Rosedale, QueensE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 20-CR-549(S-1) (AMD)
Princeton Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
BLUEFIELD, W.Va. – Kaleb Merritt, 27, of Princeton, was sentenced today to three years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on October 27, 2022, law enforcement officers arrested Merritt on a Virginia warrant at the Princeton business where he was working. Merritt told the officers that he had a firearm when they asked him if he had any weapons. Officers found a Glock model 43 pistol in Merritt’s pants pocket.
Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Merritt knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony conviction for first-degree arson in Mercer County Circuit Court on June 12, 2015.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the United States Marshals Service and the Cops United Felony Fugitive Enforcement Division (CUFFED) Task Force.
Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Timothy D. Boggess prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:22-cr-206.
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One Princeton Man Pleads Guilty, Another Sentenced to Prison in Federal Drug CaseRead the Press Release
BLUEFIELD, W.Va. – Today, Dailen Isaiah Defoe, 20, of Princeton, pleaded guilty to distribution of fentanyl and Malachi Damonte Cooper, 22, of Princeton, was sentenced to eight years in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on December 8, 2022, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at a Bluefield residence where Defoe and Cooper were staying. Officers found 734 grams of methamphetamine, approximately 130 grams of fentanyl, digital scales, a money counter, a Micro Draco 7.62mm semi-automatic pistol, a Glock 9mm pistol loaded with a 30-round magazine, and over $23,000. Defoe and Cooper admitted that they possessed the controlled substances and intended to distribute them.
Defoe further admitted to selling a quantity of fentanyl to a confidential informant in Princeton on August 19, 2021. Defoe also admitted to selling additional quantities of fentanyl to the confidential informant in Princeton on August 23 and August 31, 2021.
On August 31, 2022, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at a residence where Defoe was staying in Princeton. Officers found approximately 375 grams of methamphetamine, 774 grams of fentanyl, 13 grams of heroin, three semi-automatic handguns, two drum magazines, various other firearm magazines and ammunition, and several thousand dollars. Defoe admitted that he possessed the controlled substances and intended to distribute them.
Defoe is scheduled to be sentenced on June 10, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release, and a $1 million fine.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Southern Regional Drug and Violent Crime Task Force. The task force consists of members of the West Virginia State Police, the Bluefield Police Department, the Princeton Police Department, the Mercer County Sheriff’s Department, the McDowell County Sheriff’s Department, and the Wyoming County Sheriff’s Department.
Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber presided over the hearings. Assistant United States Attorney Andrew D. Isabell prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:23-cr-119.
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New Orleans Man Sentenced for Narcotics and Firearm ViolationsRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – TORY DUNCAN (“DUNCAN”), age 29, a resident of New Orleans, was sentenced on February 28, 2024, by U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo, to 144 months incarceration after previously pleading guilty to Counts 4 and 5 of a superseding indictment. Judge Milazzo also ordered that DUNCAN be placed on supervised release for five years following release from imprisonment and a pay a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
According to court records, on March 24, 2022, members of the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) responded to an anonymous tip of a man carrying a firearm in the River Garden neighborhood. Upon arrival at the 1900 block of St. Thomas Street, officers observed DUNCAN who then fled. DUNCAN jumped a fence with a black semi-automatic firearm in hand and ran to a nearby parking lot where he was caught and arrested by police. The officers recovered the firearm, a Glock Model 29, 10-millimeter pistol; $2,029 in U.S. currency; and a vehicle key fob from DUNCAN. The vehicle key fob corresponded to a gray Infiniti sedan in the parking lot where officers initially encountered DUNCAN. After searching the Infiniti, the officers discovered and seized 78.66 grams of fentanyl, 1002 multi-colored pills found to contain methamphetamine, 35 pills of Oxycodone, a digital scale, razor blades, loose plastic bags, and paperwork bearing DUNCAN’s name.
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.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the New Orleans Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Dawkins of the Violent Crime Unit.
New Orleans Man Sentenced for Mailing Threatening CommunicationRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that on February 29, 2024, SHAUN CHAPMAN (“CHAPMAN”), age 38, was sentenced by the United States District Judge Eldon E. Fallon to forty (40) months imprisonment. CHAPMAN previously pleaded guilty to mailing threatening communications, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 876(c).
According to court documents, CHAPMAN mailed a letter to the Robert Nixon Federal Courthouse in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that contained threats to the President and Vice-President of the United States, Supreme Court justices, and Department of Justice employees. A U.S. Secret Service investigation revealed that the letter was mailed from the Orleans Justice Center where CHAPMAN was incarcerated on unrelated charges.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the United States Secret Service in investigating this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory M. Kennedy of the Violent Crime Unit handled the prosecution.
Naples Man Sentenced to More Than Six Years for Possessing Child Sexual Abuse Images and VideosRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber has sentenced Gavin Michael Harold (23, Naples) to six years and six months in federal prison for possession of images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children. Harold was also sentenced to a lifetime of supervised release and ordered to register as a sex offender. Harold had entered a plea of guilty on November 29, 2023.
According to court documents, between December 2022 through January 2023, an FBI Task Force Agent using a peer-to-peer file sharing program connected to Harold’s computer and downloaded files depicting a child engaged in sexually explicit conduct. On March 20, 2023, the FBI executed a search warrant at Harold’s residence in Naples, Florida, and seized Harold’s laptop computer. A subsequent forensic examination of Harold’s laptop computer revealed in excess of 8,500 images and 450 videos depicting the sexual abuse of young children.
On March 20, 2023, during an interview with agents, Harold admitted that he had been downloading child pornography for a while. Harold told the agents that he did not let anyone use his laptop and told agents where he stored his collection on his laptop.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Fort Myers Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, which includes the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office which assisted with this investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Yolande G. Viacava.
This is another case 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.justice.gov/psc.
Michigan Business Owner Sentenced to Three Years in Prison for Money Laundering and Obstructing the IRSRead the Press Release
A Michigan man was sentenced to three years in prison today for money laundering and obstructing the IRS.
According to court documents and statements made in court, from approximately 2008 through 2017, Matthew D. Adams, of Grosse Point Park, sold illegal narcotics to Individual A. Individual A was the president of Company A. Individual A paid Adams for the illegal narcotics with funds embezzled from Company A. Adams and Individual A agreed to make the payments for illegal narcotics appear like they were payments from Company A to Adams’ company, MDA Property Services, for legitimate work performed by Adams’ business. From 2013 through 2017, Adams was paid more than $10 million by checks from Company A for illegal narcotics he sold to Individual A.
Adams did not report the millions of dollars in income he received from selling illegal narcotics on his 2013 to 2016 income tax returns and failed to file a 2017 income tax return. Adams deposited some of the checks into his personal and business bank accounts, and cashed the remainder, totaling approximately $5.3 million, at a local liquor store. Adams told his tax preparer about the deposits in just one of the bank accounts, which caused the preparer to file returns that did not report all of Adams’ income from his illegal narcotics sales.
In 2017, Adams and MDA came under audit by the IRS. During the audit, Adams lied to the IRS revenue agent multiple times, including by telling the agent that 90% of the money MDA Property Services was paid by Company A was for legitimate work, when the true figure was 3%.
Adams withdrew more than $1 million in cash of his illegal narcotics proceeds from his business bank accounts and used the funds to acquire real estate. He also spent over $1.25 million on personal expenses such as private flights, golfing, jewelry, gambling, court-ordered child support, hotels and to purchase a firearm. Adams purchased vehicles including a Cadillac Escalade, a Hummer and multiple classic cars.
In addition to the term of imprisonment, U.S. District Judge Matthew F. Leitman for the Eastern District of Michigan sentenced Adams to three years of supervised release and ordered him to pay $3,354,973 in restitution to the IRS.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement.
IRS Criminal Investigation investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Sam Bean and Jeffrey McLellan of the Tax Division prosecuted the case.
Man convicted of multimillion-dollar international advance fee schemeRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A federal jury has convicted an Indiana man for his role in a multimillion-dollar international advance fee scheme orchestrated from Nigeria, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
The jury deliberated for 45 minutes before convicting Tochukwu Nwosisi, 52, Indianapolis, Indiana, following a six-day trial.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, from at least February 2015 to January 2018, Nwosisi participated in an advance fee scheme involving fraudulent offers of investment funding and inheritances to victims around the world. Co-conspirators based in Nigeria induced victims to make large wire payments to bank accounts in the United States on the false belief that payment of the purported advance fees was necessary before the bank would release their funding or inheritance. Nwosisi served as a money launderer who accepted victim funds into his U.S. bank accounts and directed the proceeds to the ringleaders in Nigeria.
The jury heard that victims around the world have lost a combined total of more than $5.6 million.
“Those who enable fraudsters by helping them move and hide money taken from victims are just as responsible for their crimes as the people who run the scam themselves,” said U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani. “Nwosisi took nearly $1 million from victims to enrich himself and his co-conspirators. He deserves to face the consequences for his crimes.”
The jury convicted Nwosisi of conspiracy to commit money laundering and concealment money laundering. He will be scheduled for sentencing at a later date. At that time, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
To date, six others have been convicted for their roles in the scheme.
Nwosisi was permitted to remain on bond pending sentencing.
The FBI and Department of State - Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christian Latham is prosecuting the case along with Trial Attorney Philip Trout of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section of the Department of Justice.
Justice Department Statements on JetBlue Terminating Acquisition of Spirit AirlinesRead the Press Release
JetBlue Airways Corporation (JetBlue) announced today that it has abandoned its $3.8 billion acquisition of Spirit Airlines Inc. (Spirit). In January, the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts blocked the transaction because it violated “the core principle of antitrust law: to protect the United States’ markets – and its market participants – from anticompetitive harm.”
“Today’s decision by JetBlue is yet another victory for the Justice Department’s work on behalf of American consumers,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The Justice Department proved in court that a merger between JetBlue and Spirit would have caused tens of millions of travelers to face higher fares and fewer choices. We will continue to vigorously enforce the nation’s antitrust laws.”
“Our win in court is a victory for U.S. travelers who deserve lower prices and better choices,” said Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “We fought this case to protect consumers who, as the court recognized, ‘otherwise would have no voice.’ I am incredibly proud of the Antitrust Division’s team and our state law enforcement partners’ tireless advocacy.”
The District Court blocked the acquisition after a 17-day trial that began in October 2023. In March 2023, the Justice Department, California, Maryland, Massachusetts, New, Jersey, New York, North Carolina, and the District of Columbia sued to stop the merger under Section 7 of the Clayton Act. The Department alleged that if the acquisition was allowed to proceed, prices would increase on routes where the two airlines currently compete as JetBlue sought to acquire and eliminate its main ultra-low-cost competitor, depriving travelers of choice.
Joseph Daniel White Sentenced to 276 Months for Methamphetamine and Firearms ConvictionsRead the Press Release
GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – On March 4, 2024, Joseph Daniel White, 39, currently of Kingsport, Tennessee, was sentenced to 276 months by the Honorable J. Ronnie Greer, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Greeneville.
As part of the plea agreement filed with the court, White agreed to plead guilty to Possession of 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(A) and Brandishing a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Offense, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(A)(ii). Following his incarceration, White will be on eight years of supervised release. White forfeited $23,668 in cash, as well as seven firearms and ammunition.
According to the plea agreement and evidence presented at the sentencing hearing, officers with the Bristol Tennessee Police Department responded to The Pinnacle shopping area on December 23, 2021. Upon arrival, officers encountered White, who appeared intoxicated and smelled of marijuana. During a search of White and his vehicle, officers located three bags containing 309 grams of methamphetamine, four loaded firearms, $13,861 in cash, drug paraphernalia, psilocybin mushrooms, and various narcotic pills.
On January 10, 2022, law enforcement received a tip that White, who had outstanding arrest warrants, was at a convenience store in Blountville, TN. When law enforcement went to arrest White, he displayed a firearm. Officers were able to grab the firearm and White was arrested. Officers recovered $9,807 in cash, three firearms, heroin, marijuana, and 352 grams of methamphetamine from the defendant.
U.S. Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III of the Eastern District of Tennessee, and Special Agent in Charge, Marcus Watson of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives made the announcement.
The criminal indictment was the result of an investigation by the Bristol Tennessee Police Department and the ATF. This investigation was led by ATF Special Agent Jamie Jenkins.
Assistant United States Attorney B. Todd Martin represented the United States.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a comprehensive national strategy that creates local partnerships with law enforcement agencies to effectively enforce existing gun laws. It provides more options to prosecutors, allowing them to utilize local, state, and federal laws to ensure that criminals who commit gun crimes face tough sentences. PSN gives each federal district the flexibility it needs to focus on individual challenges that a specific community face.
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Joplin Man Charged with Child PornographyRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Joplin, Mo., man has been charged in federal court with receiving and distributing child pornography.
Reagan Elijah Alexa Garcia, also known as Elijah Hicklin, 22, was charged in a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Springfield on Thursday, Feb. 29, with one count of receiving and distributing child pornography. Garcia remains in federal custody pending a detention hearing on Tuesday, March 5.
According to an affidavit filed in support of the federal criminal complaint, an FBI task force officer on the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force in Washington, D.C., entered a private Kik group known as a place where people meet, discuss, and trade original images and videos of children. On Jan. 13, 2024, a user later identified as Garcia entered the group and engaged the undercover officer in a private chat.
Garcia told the undercover officer that he had pornographic images he produced himself, the affidavit says, including images of a 3-year-old child victim that he sent to the undercover officer. Garcia also sent an image of child pornography to the undercover officer that he claimed was produced by giving the child sleeping pills.
On Feb. 21, 2024, Garcia allegedly sent multiple files of child pornography to the undercover officer. According to the affidavit, a child in one of those images is depicted with various restraint devices. In the text conversation, Garcia told the undercover officer that he had sexually assaulted a female child within the past couple of days.
On Feb. 28, 2024, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Garcia’s residence. When an FBI agent began patting down Garcia, he began actively resisting. Garcia refused to put his hands behind his back and was taken to the ground, with his hands and arms underneath him. He repeatedly refused to obey commands to put his arms behind his back. Multiple law enforcement officers assisted to force Garcia’s hands and arms behind his back and place him in handcuffs. Multiple broken pieces of a microSD card, which Garcia later admitted to destroying, were found in the area where the struggle with Garcia occurred.
The FBI is asking for the public’s assistance regarding the ongoing investigation into Garcia. If you have any concerns or information you believe relevant to this investigation, please email [email protected] . Additionally, if you know of someone else who has relevant information, please encourage them to contact the FBI via the link provided. Any information provided is voluntary but would be useful in the federal investigation.
The charge contained in this complaint is simply an accusation, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charge must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Wan. It was investigated by the FBI.
Project Safe Childhood
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."
Huntington Woman Pleads Guilty to Role in Illegal Gambling BusinessRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Allison Jones, 46, of Huntington, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to conduct an illegal gambling business.
According to court documents and statements made in court, from September 20, 2020 until October 1, 2022, Jones was the online host for an illegal gambling business. Jones admitted to conducting online games of chance for the illegal gambling business on Facebook Live from her Huntington residence.
Jones further admitted that two primary administrators/organizers owned, directed, managed and controlled the illegal gambling business and that it also had several moderators who supervised the online games and handled any customer problems that arose during the games. Jones was among dozens of hosts who conducted the online games. The other members of the illegal gambling business were customers, online gamblers located throughout the United States who played the online games conducted by the illegal gambling business primarily by purchasing pull tabs from hosts.
Jones paid a monthly fee to the administrators/organizers and agreed to the terms they set in exchange for the right to conduct games in the illegal gambling business. Jones admitted that she typically hosted two to three online games per week and made money as a host by selling pull tabs. Online customers would comment in the online comment section for the illegal gambling business to indicate how much money they were wagering and then transfer money to Jones via an external online payment system. Jones would then pull the tabs while the customers watched on Facebook Live. When a customer won prize money, Jones would send the winnings to the customer via the external online payment system.
Jones received about 25 percent of the net sales of each box of pull tabs as her profit. Each box typically contained 4,000 tabs that Jones typically sold to customers for $1 a tab, earning her $600 to $800 per box. Jones further admitted that she purchased the pull tab games from a Charleston-area business about once per week with her profits from hosting online games.
Jones is scheduled to be sentenced on June 17, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorneys Andrew J. Tessman and Kristin F. Scott are prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:24-cr-21.
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Huntington Woman Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Christina Lynn Perkins, also known as “Christina Lynn Jack-Davis,” “Cece,” “Christi Jack,” “Ice Queen,” and “CJ,” 51, of Huntington, pleaded guilty today to distribution of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on July 24, 2020, Perkins sold approximately 1 ounce of methamphetamine to a confidential informant for $800. The transaction occurred at Perkins’ apartment. Perkins admitted to the transaction and to arranging it with the confidential informant beforehand. Perkins further admitted to arranging for another individual to sell approximately 28 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant on July 23, 2020, and to selling approximately 13.71 grams of methamphetamine for $350 to a confidential informant in Huntington on December 3, 2020.
Following the December 3, 2020, transaction, law enforcement officers conducted a traffic stop of the vehicle Perkins was driving. Officers seized approximately 314 grams of methamphetamine, 27 grams of cocaine, 6 grams of fentanyl and digital scales. Perkins admitted that she intended to sell the seized controlled substances in exchange for money.
On December 4, 2020, officers searched a residence in Huntington where Perkins stayed as a guest. Officers seized approximately 123 grams of fentanyl, 449 grams of methamphetamine, 139 grams of cocaine and four firearms. Perkins admitted to possessing the firearms and to intending to sell the seized controlled substances.
Perkins is scheduled to be sentenced on June 17, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release, and a $1 million fine.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Ona Violent Crime and Drug Task Force West, and the West Virginia State Police.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie Taylor is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:21-cr-178.
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Huntington Man Sentenced to Prison for Fentanyl CrimeRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Jimmie Lee Holbrook, 43, of Huntington, was sentenced today to three years and one month in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for distribution of fentanyl.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on April 10, 2023, Holbrook sold a quantity of fentanyl to a confidential informant in a vehicle outside of a service station in Huntington.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Cabell County Sheriff’s Department.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie Taylor prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:23-cr-149.
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