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21 February 2024
Campbell County Man Sentenced for Fraud Using Counterfeit MoneyRead the Press Release
COVINGTON, Ky. – A Melbourne, Ky., man, Timothy Noble, 35, was sentenced on Wednesday, by Chief U.S. District Judge Danny C. Reeves, to a total of 40 months incarceration, for passing counterfeit money with the intent to defraud.
According to court documents, on April 17, 2022, an individual claiming to be “James Michaels” responded to a post on Facebook Marketplace, which was offering a 2004 Chevrolet Avalanche for sale. The owner of the vehicle and “James Michaels” agreed on a sale price of $4,700, pending a test drive. After the test drive, “James Michaels” paid for the vehicle with 47 $100 dollar bills. The victim later discovered that 41 of the notes were not real, but rather movie prop notes. “James Michaels” was later identified by law enforcement as Noble.
An investigation into Noble continued and showed that, on at least three additional occasions in May 2022, Noble attempted to buy items on Facebook Marketplace using counterfeit money. When law enforcement apprehended Noble, they found over 400 counterfeit notes, an open Amazon package with a receipt for fake $20 bills inside, as well as several items still in boxes that were believed to be purchased with counterfeit money.
Under federal law, Noble must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for 3 years.
Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Robert Holman, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Secret Service; and Chief Tom Grau, Florence Police Department, jointly announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by U.S. Secret Service and Florence Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Spievack is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
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California Woman Sentenced to more than 5 Years’ Imprisonment for Methamphetamine and Cocaine ChargeRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Helen Nguyen, 31, of Culver City, California, was sentenced February 21, 2024, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine. United States District Court Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Nguyen to 66 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Nguyen’s release from prison, she will begin a 3-year term of supervised release.
In October of 2021, members of the Omaha DEA Tactical Diversion Squad began investigating a dark net marketplace (DNM) vender operating under the moniker DIRTYRUGS, a source of supply brokering deals of controlled substances, to include meth and cocaine. The vendor used the Dark Net/Peer to Peer (P2P) messaging smart phone application and shipped the products via the United States Postal Service around the United States of America, to include the District of Nebraska. On four occasions during the investigation agents ordered controlled substances, including meth, from the DIRTYRUGS’S vendor page. The agents’ four orders were received at an undercover Nebraska residence and included more than 50 grams of meth.
During the course of the investigation, agents learned that Helen Nguyen had sent the packages of meth received by the agents. A search warrant served on Nguyen’s iCloud account revealed that she was operating the DIRTYRUGS website and was conspiring with codefendant James Lau to deliver controlled substances on the Dark Net.
On June 2, 2022, a Nebraska complaint and arrest warrants were obtained for Helen Nguyen and James Lau. Search warrants were obtained for both of their California residences and executed on June 8, 2022. Nguyen was stopped as she was leaving her residence. During a search of her vehicle agents located multiple types of controlled substances, to include meth, Adderall pills, Xanax, and Farmapram. A search of Nguyen’s residence revealed multiple items consistent with the shipping of Dark Net market packages.
A search of Lau’s residence revealed approximately 1 kilogram of cocaine, counterfeit Adderall pills, and ecstasy pills. During a post arrest interview, Lau said he was working with Nguyen and knew she was using the Dark Net to distribute controlled substances. Lau said he was responsible for obtaining the drugs for sale, with the exception of the meth, which Nguyen was able to obtain.
James Lau previously pled guilty to the conspiracy charge and was sentenced to 47 months on January 4, 2024.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
California Man Sentenced to More than 11 Years in Prison on Drug Trafficking ChargesRead the Press Release
Richland, Washington - Vanessa R. Waldref, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced today that Ruben Galvan-Trujillo, was sentenced on February 7, 2024, after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine. United States District Judge Mary K. Dimke imposed a sentence of 136 months imprisonment to be followed by 5 years of supervised release.
According to court documents and information disclosed at sentencing, the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) developed information that Galvan-Trujillo was a member of a substantial drug trafficking organization with ties to Chicago, Atlanta, Boston, New York, Michigan, and Washington. Galvan Trujillo would coordinate large drug shipments and cultivate new drug shipment lines for the DTO. Galvan-Trujillo had a base of operations in Los Angeles and lived in in Rancho Cucamonga, California.
The DEA used a confidential informant to contact Galvan-Trujillo and arrange a drug sale. In February of 2022, Galvan-Trujillo offered to sell 20 pounds of methamphetamine to the informant and arrange for delivery to Pasco, Washington. Per Galvan Trujillo, this was meant to be a test run to establish a drug distribution line to this District wherein his Drug Trafficking Organization would begin to send regular drug shipments in excess of 50 pounds of methamphetamine, cocaine and other product.
A few days later, Galvan-Trujillo called the informant and said the couriers were on the way and told the informant to pay the couriers $10,000 for the drugs and $80,000 for the product. Later than evening, the couriers delivered the drugs to the informant at a storage facility in Pasco, Washington. The drugs were hidden in a sophisticated trap car, wrapped in 20 individual packages, each containing approximately one-pound quantities of crystal methamphetamine.
“Mr. Galvan-Trujillo was a large-scale drug trafficker who was responsible for pushing massive quantities of illegal narcotics not just into Eastern Washington – but across all the United States,” stated U.S. Attorney Waldref. “My office will continue to prioritize protecting our communities by aggressively prosecuting drug traffickers who attempt to profit off this poison.”
“Mr. Galvan-Trujillo led a wholesale methamphetamine distribution ring that sought to harm both our community in Eastern Washington as well as cities around the country,” said David F. Reames, Special Agent in Charge, DEA Seattle Field Division. “I am proud that the Drug Enforcement Administration and our partners could stop the flow of dangerous drugs through this defendant and the sentence in this case reflects the serious threat that Mr. Galvan-Trujillo posed to all of us.”
This case was investigated DEA Tri-Cities which includes DEA, USCBP, and Kennewick PD. The Metro Drug Task Force assisted. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie Van Marter.
Burlington Armed Drug Trafficker Sentenced to 60 MonthsRead the Press Release
Burlington, Vermont – The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that Terrence Anderson, 56, of Burlington, Vermont was sentenced today to a 5-year term of imprisonment, following his guilty plea to possessing with intent to distribute more than 40 grams of fentanyl. Chief United States District Judge Geoffrey W. Crawford also ordered Anderson to serve a 4-year term of supervised release following his term of imprisonment.
According to court records, on January 9, 2022, Burlington Police officers responded to a 911 call during which the caller reported her boyfriend had threatened her with a gun. Responding officers encountered the caller and defendant Anderson at Anderson’s residence. Officers located a Ruger EC9S handgun inside the apartment, which the caller stated Anderson had pointed at her while threatening to shoot her. While arresting Anderson for aggravated domestic assault in the first degree, Burlington Police officers located approximately 18 grams of fentanyl packaged in 57 baggies in Anderson’s pocket. Burlington Police thereafter obtained a warrant to search Anderson’s apartment. During the search, officers located inside a safe an additional 140 grams of fentanyl, over $17,300 of cash, and assorted opiate pills. Elsewhere in the apartment, officers located a digital scale, two loaded .45 caliber handgun magazines, a money counter, and jewelry. Subsequent investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration resulted in the seizure of approximately $194,000 of cash from two safe deposit boxes rented in Anderson’s name at local banks. Agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration also seized two additional handguns and approximately $16,000 in cash from storage units rented by Anderson. In total, law enforcement seized over $243,000 of cash, high-end jewelry, approximately 158 grams of fentanyl, three firearms, and dozens of rounds of ammunition.
United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest stated, “I commend the Burlington Police Department for their excellent work responding to the domestic violence perpetrated by Terrence Anderson. The Drug Enforcement Administration also did great work investigating and seizing Anderson’s guns, drugs, and proceeds of drug trafficking. The combination of domestic violence, drug trafficking, and illegal firearm possession in this case is appalling. This office, along with our law enforcement partners will continue our dogged efforts to disrupt these kinds of illegal behavior throughout Vermont.”
The prosecutors were Assistant United States Attorneys Zachary B. Stendig and Jonathan A. Ophardt. Anderson was represented by Assistant Federal Defender Mary Nerino, Esq.
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.
Bulk Fentanyl Trafficker Sentenced to 25 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A Georgia man was sentenced to 25 years in prison for conspiring to distribute fentanyl.
According to court documents, Howard Labadie Grant, 54, of Snellville, Georgia, was arrested in March 2022 while trafficking bulk fentanyl and marijuana. Specifically, on March 30, 2022, sheriff’s deputies stopped a pickup truck that Grant was driving with an attached U-Haul trailer for a traffic violation on Interstate 65 in north Baldwin County. During the traffic stop, Grant gave inconsistent statements about his travel itinerary and admitted that he was on federal probation for a prior drug trafficking conviction. Grant then admitted to deputies that he was hauling drugs in the trailer, which he had obtained from sources in California.
Deputies searched the trailer and found four vacuum-sealed bundles containing more than four kilograms of fentanyl, as well as several boxes containing more than 70 pounds of vacuum sealed marijuana. Inside the cabin of the pickup truck, deputies found, among other things, documents from Grant’s two prior federal drug-trafficking convictions, paperwork that Grant had submitted to his probation officer requesting permission to travel from Georgia to California for purported business purposes, and handwritten drug ledgers. Narcotics agents interviewed Grant, who admitted that he had made multiple trips to California to obtain marijuana and fentanyl beginning in the summer of 2021. Agents also searched Grant’s cell phones, which contained numerous text messages and other data detailing Grant’s numerous drug-trafficking trips.
In addition to the 25-year prison sentence, Chief United States District Judge Jeffrey U. Beaverstock ordered Grant to serve a 10-year term of supervised release upon his release from prison, during which time he will undergo drug testing and treatment. The court did not impose a fine, but Chief Judge Beaverstock ordered Grant to pay $100 in special assessments.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Roller prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
Browning man admits assaulting, strangling woman on Blackfeet Indian ReservationRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS — A Browning man accused of strangling and beating a dating partner, causing serious injury, admitted to assault charges on Feb. 20, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said today.
The defendant, Emerson John No Runner, Jr., 47, pleaded guilty to assault resulting in serious bodily injury and assault of a dating partner by strangulation and suffocation. No Runner faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing was set for June 20. No Runner was detained pending further proceedings.
The government alleged in court documents that in March 2022 in Browning, on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, No Runner and his then-girlfriend, identified as Jane Doe, had been drinking together and had slept at a relative’s trailer. The pair were alone when No Runner started arguing with Jane Doe about perceived infidelity. No Runner straddled Jane Doe on a mattress, placed his hands around her neck and applied pressure. Jane Doe lost consciousness and woke up after sunset. Jane Doe felt her head, realized she was bleeding and that there were pieces of wood in her hair. Officers seized a piece of wood with apparent blood and hair. Jane Doe suffered a brain injury and bruising on her neck. In a Facebook message to Jane Doe in December 2023, No Runner referenced the assault, stating, “the plan was to kill you that day should of, so bye bitch.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kalah A. Paisley is prosecuting the case. The Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services and FBI conducted the investigation.
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Armed Methamphetamine Trafficker Sentenced to 18 Years in Federal Prison After Violent Domestic AssaultRead the Press Release
INDIANAPOLIS- Cody Steele, 41, of Indianapolis, has been sentenced to 18 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to distributing of methamphetamine and carrying a firearm during a drug trafficking crime.
According to court documents, on May 27, 2021, IMPD officers responded to reports of shots fired on the southeast side of Indianapolis. Witnesses stated that the driver of a red Hummer shot at another vehicle and drove off. Officers quickly located the red Hummer and Cody Steele, who was the driver.
On the driver’s seat, officers found a plastic bag containing approximately 404 grams of pure methamphetamine. A .38 caliber revolver with five spent casings was found on the passenger seat floorboard. On the ground outside the Hummer, officers located a loaded 7.62mm assault rifle that had been stolen. A search of Steele’s person also revealed $1,853 in cash. The defendant admitted to possessing the methamphetamine with the intent to sell it and carrying the guns in furtherance of his drug trafficking.
During the course of this investigation, officers learned that the defendant was involved in an alleged domestic assault earlier on the day he was arrested. The victim reported that shortly after midnight on that day the defendant was arrested, she attempted to leave him. The struck her and told her that she could not leave, and if she tried, he would kill her dogs. Later that morning, she tried to leave again, and the defendant threw a dog chain at her, hitting her in the face. He damaged her vehicle, and she was unable to use it leave. When she started to walk away, the defendant followed her in his vehicle. He had control over her dog and told her to get in his car or he would kill her dog, scaring her into entering the car.
The victim told law enforcement that the defendant drove her around for several hours. Steele would not allow her out of the vehicle. She tried to open the door several times but defendant sped up the vehicle so she couldn’t exit. One time when she tried to leave, Steele bit her on the arm. Eventually they stopped at a parking lot and the victim called for help. Bystanders assisted her in retrieving one of her dogs from Steele during a physical struggle.
Employees of nearby businesses aided the victim. The victim did not call the police because she feared losing her dogs. She began to return to the residence to get her vehicle. Her vehicle had been damaged by Steele, so she had to drive slowly. As she drove, the defendant yelled at her, and she heard a gunshot. Steele pulled in behind her and rammed her vehicle, forcing her car into oncoming traffic. When she was able to pull it back into her lane Steele rammed her vehicle from behind. Steele fled the area, and a witness began to follow Steele and called 911.
Officers responded to the hospital and observed the victim to have visible bruising and swelling to her eye, a laceration and blood on her face, bruising on her arms, blood on her clothing, and seemed to have broken blood vessels in her right eye.
Steele has a lengthy criminal history, including felony convictions for domestic battery, child molestation of a ten-year-old victim, and escape. Each of these prior felony convictions prohibit Steele from ever legally possessing a firearm. The defendant was also convicted of a misdemeanor invasion of privacy for violating a no-contact order with his wife.
“This violent, repeat criminal is simply a menace to those close to him and to the community at large. His outrageous, violent conduct and armed trafficking of deadly drugs demonstrate the serious danger he poses to the public,” said Zachary A. Myers, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Guns in the hands of domestic abusers dramatically escalate the risk that they will murder those in their lives, law enforcement, or the public at large. Our community and this most-recent victim are safer today because of the excellent work of IMPD, the ATF, and our federal prosecutor to ensure this criminal is behind bars where he belongs.”
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and IMPD investigated this case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Matthew P. Brookman. Judge Brookman also ordered that Steele be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for 4 years following his release from federal prison.
U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant United States Attorney Pamela Domash, who prosecuted this case.
This case was brought as part of the LEATH Initiative (Law Enforcement Action to Halt Domestic Violence), named in honor of Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) Officer Breann Leath, who was killed in the line of duty while responding to a domestic disturbance call. A partnership among the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the IMPD, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana, the LEATH Initiative focuses federal, state, and local law enforcement resources on domestic violence offenders who illegally possess firearms.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
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Anchorage man sentenced to 10 years for drug distribution, firearm offensesRead the Press Release
ANCHORAGE, Alaska – An Anchorage man was sentenced to 10 years in prison for distributing controlled substances and possessing multiple firearms as a felon.
According to court documents, in December 2020, Jack Horsley, 64, sold four ounces of meth and five ounces of heroin to an individual working with law enforcement. When law enforcement executed a search warrant on the defendant’s home, they found more controlled substances and 11 firearms. Horsley possessed an additional 800 grams of heroin in his vehicle and $17,850 in cash.
Horsley was previously convicted by the State of Alaska in 2009 for misconduct involving controlled substances.
Horsley pleaded guilty in November 2023 to one count of distribution of controlled substances and one count of felon in possession of a firearm. Horsley was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison and five years’ supervised release.
U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker of the District of Alaska made the announcement.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) Seattle Field Division, the Alaska State Troopers (AST) and the Anchorage Police Department (APD) investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth Brickey prosecuted the case.
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23rd Annual Project Safe Neighborhoods Logo ContestRead the Press Release
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The United States Attorney's Office is sponsoring the 23rd Annual Project Safe Neighborhoods (“PSN”) Logo Contest. The statewide contest invites students to use their creativity to spark conversations on how to prevent gun violence in our schools by designing a logo for use on upcoming SC PSN publications. The theme is “Preventing Gun Violence in Our Schools – Know the Signs.”
The contest is open to all South Carolina grade school students, including homeschooled students, and entries will be categorized into four grade divisions. A winner will be selected from each of the four divisions, and each division winner will receive $50. An overall winning logo will be chosen from the four division winners and will receive an additional $50 prize for a total of $100. Click here to see last year’s winners.
The winning entries will be chosen by “The Insiders,” a select group of students from the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice, who travel throughout the state encouraging children and promoting community awareness of the consequences of juvenile crime. In addition to the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice, the United States Attorney’s Office is proud to partner with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Officers’ Association for this year’s contest.
Entries should be consistent with the theme “Preventing Gun Violence in Our Schools – Know the Signs.” The deadline for submissions is April 13, 2026. If your student is interested in participating, contact your local school as contest information has been sent to all South Carolina schools. Applications and contest rules may also be found on our website.
The centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts, PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime. The contest is an important prevention initiative that has proven to be an effective way to engage our students in meaningful conversation about preventing gun crimes among our young people and ensuring a safe learning atmosphere for our schoolchildren.
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2026_23rd_psn_logo_contest_entry_form_and_instructions.pdf
20 February 2024
Wiggins Man Sentenced to Nearly 20 Years in Prison for Possession with Intent to Distribute FentanylRead the Press Release
Gulfport, Miss. – A Wiggins man was sentenced to 237 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute 20 fentanyl pills.
According to court documents, Riley Alexander Wallace, 31, sold 20 fentanyl pills to an individual in Stone County on August 9, 2022. Wallace was indicted by a federal grand jury and pled guilty on October 27, 2023, to one count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.
According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, fentanyl is approximately 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin. The DEA reports that two milligrams of fentanyl can be lethal, and one kilogram of fentanyl has the potential to kill 500,000 people. More facts on fentanyl can be found at https://www.dea.gov/resources/facts-about-fentanyl and https://www.dea.gov/resources/facts-about-fentanyl.
U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee of the Southern District of Mississippi and Special Agent in Charge Eric DeLaune of Homeland Security Investigations made the announcement.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Erica Rose prosecuted the case.
Wichita man sentenced to 25 years in prison for causing fentanyl deathRead the Press Release
WICHITA, KAN. – A Kansas man was sentenced to 25 years in prison for giving a man a fentanyl pill which caused his death.
According to court documents, in October 2023, Tyler Ralls, 35, of Wichita pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of a controlled substance which resulted in death.
On July 31, 2019, Ralls gave Michael Marsalla, 35, a pill that Ralls knew was laced with fentanyl. Ralls admitted knowing that Marsalla wasn’t a user and thus didn’t have a tolerance for fentanyl. The next day when Ralls couldn’t reach Marsalla by phone, he drove to Marsalla’s house and found him unresponsive. Ralls dialed 911, and emergency responders pronounced Marsalla deceased at the scene. An autopsy determined the victim died of fentanyl toxicity.
“Michael Marsalla’s vibrant life was cut short because of a single pill,” said U.S. Attorney Kate E. Brubacher. “This 25-year prison sentence is one of the most severe handed down for a fentanyl causing death case in the history of the District of Kansas. Ideally this outcome will become a cautionary tale to fentanyl traffickers about the repercussions they face for their crimes, because our office is firmly committed to prosecuting those who peddle this poison in our communities.”
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Valley Center Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Katie Andrusak prosecuted the case.
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Violent Offender Who Illegally Possessed Firearm Sentenced to over 17 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—Montrel Hammond, a multi-convicted felon who has a violent criminal history, will spend over 17 years in federal prison for illegally possessing a firearm. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence, which was handed down today by United States District Judge James M. Moody, Jr.
On October 3, 2023, Hammond, 31, of North Little Rock, Arkansas, pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Judge Moody did not assess the defendant a fine but did sentence Hammond to also serve not more than five years of supervised released. Hammond, who has a prior conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm, was indicted on July 5, 2023, on one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. The maximum penalty Hammond faced was not less than 15 years and no more than life in prison and a fine of $250,000. There is no parole in the federal system.
Hammond’s sentence was based on the offense as well as his documented violent criminal history involving women and children. Hammond also has a prior conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm as well as prior convictions for domestic battery, possession of a controlled substance, and residential burglary.
On October 27, 2022, Little Rock Police Department officers stopped a 2008 black Santa Fe that matched the description of a vehicle suspected in the breaking and entering of several other vehicles in the area. The driver, Montrel Hammond, was taken into custody and interviewed regarding his involvement in the suspected breaking or entering offenses. He admitted at that time to breaking into a 2021 Toyota Rav4 and stealing several credit cards. The defendant’s vehicle was searched and the stolen credit cards were located. During this search, a 9 mm firearm was found under the driver’s seat.
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with assistance of the Little Rock Police Department.
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This news release, as well as additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
Additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
https://www.justice.gov/edar
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United States Obtains More Than $1.9 Million in Forfeitures from Illegal Gambling OperationsRead the Press Release
HONOLULU – In January 2024, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Hawaii (“USAO”) obtained an order forfeiting $307,523.32 to the United States. The forfeiture order was obtained as part of a settlement in a civil forfeiture action filed in 2020 against a residence located at 1649A Paula Drive in Honolulu. The United States alleged the residence was purchased using illegal gambling proceeds and the $307,523.32 was paid in lieu of forfeiting the residence.
Previously, in 2019, the USAO filed a civil forfeiture action seeking forfeiture of four real properties and other seized property. Both the Paula Drive forfeiture action and the 2019 action resulted from a joint criminal and civil investigation into an illegal gambling business operating at least nine illegal game rooms. The Department of Homeland Security (HSI), the Hawaii High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program (HIDTA), the Honolulu Police Department (HPD), and other law enforcement partners conducted the investigation, which began in 2018 and resulted in 12 criminal convictions, including operation of an illegal gambling business out of a single-family residence located at 94-103 Pupupuhi Street in Waipahu and another location in Pearl City. Federal search warrants executed at those locations, as well as another game room and other properties used in the gambling business, resulted in the seizure of U.S. currency, gaming machine paraphernalia, and other property. Simultaneously, seizure warrants were executed at several financial institutions for funds that constituted proceeds of gambling or funds involved in structuring.
The 2019 civil forfeiture action sought forfeiture of the seized property and the forfeiture of four real properties, including the Pupupuhi Street game room and an apartment located on South Street in Honolulu that was purchased with illegal proceeds. Ultimately, the civil forfeiture action resulted in the forfeiture of $885,070.14, which includes forfeiture of the seized U.S. currency and the proceeds of forfeiting the Waipahu game room and the South Street apartment. The amount also includes a $360,000 settlement payment to resolve the forfeiture claim as to a third real property located on Liliha Street.
“Forfeiture provides a critical tool for law enforcement in its efforts to disrupt illegal enterprises and reduce criminal activity in our community,” said U.S. Attorney Clare E. Connors. “Illegal gambling businesses cause significant harm and the successful forfeiture of more than $1 million from this illegal gambling operation reflects our commitment to pursuing both criminal and civil actions.”
Assistant U.S Attorneys Sydney Spector and Rachel Moriyama handled the forfeiture litigation.
U.S. and U.K. Disrupt LockBit Ransomware VariantRead the Press Release
The Department of Justice joined the United Kingdom and international law enforcement partners in London today to announce the disruption of the LockBit ransomware group, one of the most active ransomware groups in the world that has targeted over 2,000 victims, received more than $120 million in ransom payments, and made ransom demands totaling hundreds of millions of dollars.
The U.K. National Crime Agency’s (NCA) Cyber Division, working in cooperation with the Justice Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and other international law enforcement partners disrupted LockBit’s operations by seizing numerous public-facing websites used by LockBit to connect to the organization’s infrastructure and seizing control of servers used by LockBit administrators, thereby disrupting the ability of LockBit actors to attack and encrypt networks and extort victims by threatening to publish stolen data.
“For years, LockBit associates have deployed these kinds of attacks again and again across the United States and around the world. Today, U.S. and U.K. law enforcement are taking away the keys to their criminal operation,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “And we are going a step further — we have also obtained keys from the seized LockBit infrastructure to help victims decrypt their captured systems and regain access to their data. LockBit is not the first ransomware variant the Justice Department and its international partners have dismantled. It will not be the last.”
Additionally, the NCA, in cooperation with the FBI and international law enforcement partners, has developed decryption capabilities that may enable hundreds of victims around the world to restore systems encrypted using the LockBit ransomware variant. Beginning today, victims targeted by this malware are encouraged to contact the FBI at https://lockbitvictims.ic3.gov/ to enable law enforcement to determine whether affected systems can be successfully decrypted.
“Today’s actions are another down payment on our pledge to continue dismantling the ecosystem fueling cybercrime by prioritizing disruptions and placing victims first,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. “Using all our authorities and working alongside partners in the United Kingdom and around the world, we have now destroyed the online backbone of the LockBit group, one of the world’s most prolific ransomware gangs. But our work does not stop here: together with our partners, we are turning the tables on LockBit — providing decryption keys, unlocking victim data, and pursuing LockBit’s criminal affiliates around the globe.”
The Justice Department also unsealed an indictment obtained in the District of New Jersey charging Russian nationals Artur Sungatov and Ivan Kondratyev, also known as Bassterlord, with deploying LockBit against numerous victims throughout the United States, including businesses nationwide in the manufacturing and other industries, as well as victims around the world in the semiconductor and other industries. Today, additional criminal charges against Kondratyev were unsealed in the Northern District of California related to his deployment in 2020 of ransomware against a victim located in California.
Finally, the Department also unsealed two search warrants issued in the District of New Jersey that authorized the FBI to disrupt multiple U.S.-based servers used by LockBit members in connection with the LockBit disruption. As disclosed by those search warrants, those servers were used by LockBit administrators to host the so-called “StealBit” platform, a criminal tool used by LockBit members to organize and transfer victim data.
“Today, the FBI and our partners have successfully disrupted the LockBit criminal ecosystem, which represents one of the most prolific ransomware variants across the globe,” said FBI Director Christopher A. Wray. “Through years of innovative investigative work, the FBI and our partners have significantly degraded the capabilities of those hackers responsible for launching crippling ransomware attacks against critical infrastructure and other public and private organizations around the world. This operation demonstrates both our capability and commitment to defend our nation's cybersecurity and national security from any malicious actor who seeks to impact our way of life. We will continue to work with our domestic and international allies to identify, disrupt, and deter cyber threats, and to hold the perpetrators accountable.”
“I am proud to stand with our U.K. partners to announce the coordinated law enforcement actions announced today — including the disruption of the LockBit ransomware variant and charges against two Russian nationals for using LockBit to attack victims throughout the United States,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department's Criminal Division. “Through our attorneys in the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and our U.S. Attorney’s office partners, we have seized U.S.-based infrastructure used by LockBit actors, and the FBI, along with international partners, have developed tools to help victims whose systems have been encrypted. These actions send a clear message: the Justice Department and its law enforcement partners are united in the fight against cybercrime and are committed to using all available tools to disrupt ransomware activity and bring cybercriminals to justice.”
According to the indictment obtained in the District of New Jersey, from at least as early as January 2021, Sungatov allegedly deployed LockBit ransomware against victim corporations and took steps to fund additional LockBit attacks against other victims. Sungatov allegedly deployed LockBit ransomware against manufacturing, logistics, insurance, and other companies located in Minnesota, Indiana, Puerto Rico, Wisconsin, Florida, and New Mexico. Additionally, as early as August 2021, Kondratyev similarly began to allegedly deploy LockBit against multiple victims. Kondratyev, operating under the online alias “Bassterlord,” allegedly deployed LockBit against municipal and private targets in Oregon, Puerto Rico, and New York, as well as additional targets located in Singapore, Taiwan, and Lebanon. Both Sungatov and Kondratyev are alleged to have joined in the global LockBit conspiracy, also alleged to have included Russian nationals Mikhail Pavlovich Matveev and Mikhail Vasiliev, as well as other LockBit members, to develop and deploy LockBit ransomware and to extort payments from victim corporations.
“Today’s indictment, unsealed as part of a global coordinated action against the most active ransomware group in the world, brings to five the total number of LockBit members charged by my office and our FBI and Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section partners for their crimes,” said U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger for the District of New Jersey. “And, even with today’s disruption of LockBit, we will not stop there. Our investigation will continue, and we remain as determined as ever to identify and charge all of LockBit’s membership — from its developers and administrators to its affiliates. We will put a spotlight on them as wanted criminals. They will no longer hide in the shadows.”
With the indictment unsealed today, a total of five LockBit members have now been charged for their participation in the LockBit conspiracy. In May 2023, two indictments were unsealed in Washington, D.C., and the District of New Jersey charging Matveev with using different ransomware variants, including LockBit, to attack numerous victims throughout the United States, including the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department. Matveev is currently the subject of a reward of up to $10 million through the U.S. Department of State’s Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program, with information accepted through the FBI tip website at https://tips.fbi.gov. In November 2022, a criminal complaint was filed in the District of New Jersey charging Vasiliev in connection with his participation in the LockBit global ransomware campaign. Vasiliev, a dual Russian-Canadian national, is currently in custody in Canada awaiting extradition to the United States. In June 2023, Russian national Ruslan Magomedovich Astamirov was charged by criminal complaint in the District of New Jersey for his participation in the LockBit conspiracy, including his deployment of LockBit against victims in Florida, Japan, France, and Kenya. Astamirov is currently in custody in the United States awaiting trial.
Kondratyev, according to the indictment obtained in the Northern District of California and unsealed today, is also charged with three criminal counts arising from his use of the Sodinokibi, also known as REvil, ransomware variant to encrypt data, exfiltrate victim information, and extort a ransom payment from a corporate victim based in Alameda County, California.
The LockBit ransomware variant first appeared around January 2020 and, leading into today’s operation, had grown into one of the most active and destructive variants in the world. LockBit members have executed attacks against more than 2,000 victims in the United States and around the world, making at least hundreds of millions of U.S. dollars in ransom demands and receiving over $120 million in ransom payments. The LockBit ransomware variant, like other major ransomware variants, operates in the “ransomware-as-a-service” (RaaS) model, in which administrators, also called developers, design the ransomware, recruit other members — called affiliates — to deploy it, and maintain an online software dashboard called a “control panel” to provide the affiliates with the tools necessary to deploy LockBit. Affiliates, in turn, identify and unlawfully access vulnerable computer systems, sometimes through their own hacking or at other times by purchasing stolen access credentials from others. Using the control panel operated by the developers, affiliates then deploy LockBit within the victim computer system, allowing them to encrypt and steal data for which a ransom is demanded to decrypt or avoid publication on a public website maintained by the LockBit developers, often called a data leak site.
The FBI Newark Field Office is investigating the LockBit ransomware variant.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew M. Trombly, David E. Malagold, and Vinay Limbachia for the District of New Jersey and Trial Attorneys Jessica C. Peck, Debra Ireland, and Jorge Gonzalez of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section are prosecuting the charges against Sungatov and Kondratyev unsealed today in the District of New Jersey. The Justice Department’s Cybercrime Liaison Prosecutor to Eurojust and Office of International Affairs also provided significant assistance.
The disruption announced today was the result of a joint operation between the FBI; NCA South West Regional Organised Crime Unit; France’s Gendarmerie Nationale Cyberspace Command; Germany’s Landeskriminalamt Schleswig-Holstein and the Bundeskriminalamt; Switzerland’s Federal Office of Police, Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Canton of Zurich, and Zurich Cantonal Police; Japan’s National Policy Agency; Australian Federal Police; Sweden’s Polismyndighetens; Royal Canadian Mounted Police; Politie Dienst Regionale Recherche Oost-Brabant of the Netherlands; Finland’s Poliisi; Europol; and Eurojust.
The FBI Phoenix Field Office and Assistant U.S. Attorney Helen L. Gilbert are investigating and prosecuting the case against Kondratyev in the Northern District of California.
Additionally, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control announced today that it is designating Sungatov and Kondratyev for their roles in launching cyberattacks.
As mentioned above, victims of LockBit should contact the FBI at https://lockbitvictims.ic3.gov for further information. Additional details on protecting networks against LockBit ransomware are available at StopRansomware.gov. These include Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Advisories AA23-325A, AA23-165A, and AA23-075A.
Watch the Attorney General’s remarks:
Remote video URLAn indictment is merely an allegation. Under U.S. law, all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
IndictmentU.S. and U.K. Disrupt LockBit Ransomware VariantRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – The Department of Justice joined the United Kingdom and international law enforcement partners in London today to announce the disruption of the LockBit ransomware group, one of the most active ransomware groups in the world that has targeted over 2,000 victims, received more than $120 million in ransom payments, and made ransom demands totaling hundreds of millions of dollars.
The U.K. National Crime Agency’s Cyber Division, working in cooperation with the Justice Department, FBI, and other international law enforcement partners disrupted LockBit’s operations by seizing numerous public-facing websites used by LockBit to connect to the organization’s infrastructure and seizing control of servers used by LockBit administrators, thereby disrupting the ability of LockBit actors to attack and encrypt networks and extort victims by threating to publish stolen data.
“For years, LockBit associates have deployed these kinds of attacks again and again across the United States and around the world. Today, U.S. and U.K. law enforcement are taking away the keys to their criminal operation,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “And we are going a step further — we have also obtained keys from the seized LockBit infrastructure to help victims decrypt their captured systems and regain access to their data. LockBit is not the first ransomware variant the Justice Department and its international partners have dismantled. It will not be the last.”
“Today’s actions are another down payment on our pledge to continue dismantling the ecosystem fueling cybercrime by prioritizing disruptions and placing victims first,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. “Using all our authorities and working alongside partners in the United Kingdom and around the world, we have now destroyed the online backbone of the Lockbit group, one of the world’s most prolific ransomware gangs. But our work does not stop here: together with our partners, we are turning the tables on Lockbit — providing decryption keys, unlocking victim data, and pursuing Lockbit’s criminal affiliates around the globe.”
Additionally, the National Crime Agency, in cooperation with the FBI and international law enforcement partners, has developed decryption capabilities that may enable hundreds of victims around the world to restore systems encrypted using the LockBit ransomware variant. Beginning today, victims targeted by this malware are encouraged to contact the FBI at https://lockbitvictims.ic3.gov/ to enable law enforcement to determine whether affected systems can be successfully decrypted.
The Justice Department also unsealed an indictment obtained in the District of New Jersey charging Russian nationals Artur Sungatov and Ivan Kondratyev, also known as Bassterlord, with deploying LockBit against numerous victims throughout the United States, including businesses nationwide in the manufacturing and other industries, as well as victims around the world in the semiconductor and other industries. Today, additional criminal charges against Kondratyev were unsealed in the Northern District of California related to his deployment in 2020 of ransomware against a victim located in California.
Finally, the Department also unsealed two search warrants issued in the District of New Jersey that authorized the FBI to disrupt multiple U.S.-based servers used by LockBit members in connection with the LockBit disruption. As disclosed by those search warrants, those servers were used by LockBit administrators to host the so-called “StealBit” platform, a criminal tool used by LockBit members to organize and transfer victim data.
“Today, the FBI and our partners have successfully disrupted the LockBit criminal ecosystem, which represents one of the most prolific ransomware variants across the globe,” said FBI Director Christopher A. Wray. “Through years of innovative investigative work, the FBI and our partners have significantly degraded the capabilities of those hackers responsible for launching crippling ransomware attacks against critical infrastructure and other public and private organizations around the world. This operation demonstrates both our capability and commitment to defend our nation's cybersecurity and national security from any malicious actor who seeks to impact our way of life. We will continue to work with our domestic and international allies to identify, disrupt, and deter cyber threats, and to hold the perpetrators accountable.”
According to the indictment obtained in the District of New Jersey, from at least as early as January 2021, Sungatov allegedly deployed LockBit ransomware against victim corporations and took steps to fund additional LockBit attacks against other victims. Sungatov allegedly deployed LockBit ransomware against manufacturing, logistics, insurance, and other companies located in Minnesota, Indiana, Puerto Rico, Wisconsin, Florida, and New Mexico. Additionally, as early as August 2021, Kondratyev similarly began to allegedly deploy LockBit against multiple victims. Kondratyev, operating under the online alias “Bassterlord,” allegedly deployed LockBit against municipal and private targets in Oregon, Puerto Rico, and New York, as well as additional targets located in Singapore, Taiwan, and Lebanon. Both Sungatov and Kondratyev are alleged to have joined in the global LockBit conspiracy, also alleged to have included Russian nationals Mikhail Pavlovich Matveev and Mikhail Vasiliev, as well as other LockBit members, to develop and deploy LockBit ransomware and to extort payments from victim corporations.
U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger“Today’s indictment, unsealed as part of a global coordinated action against the most active ransomware group in the world, brings to five the total number of LockBit members charged by my office and our FBI and Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section partners for their crimes. And, even with today’s disruption of LockBit, we will not stop there. Our investigation will continue, and we remain as determined as ever to identify and charge all of LockBit’s membership — from its developers and administrators to its affiliates. We will put a spotlight on them as wanted criminals. They will no longer hide in the shadows.”
“Sheer terror fills everyone at hospitals, schools, companies, and government offices when they log into their computer systems and see they’ve been hacked,” FBI – Newark Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy said. “There's an immediate mad scramble to figure out how to get back their most vital information, and then a heated debate begins about whether or not to pay the demanded ransom. The chaos is the point. Most of the criminals who operate LockBit are just after the cash, but for the most notorious, it’s all about being savvier and smarter than everyone else. This intense investigation shows the FBI Newark, and our international law enforcement partners are disrupting these cyber groups, and more importantly - we are getting victims their information back. It’s incredible to think even starting way behind them, we catch up.”
With the indictment unsealed today, a total of five LockBit members have now been charged for their participation in the LockBit conspiracy. In May 2023, two indictments were unsealed in Washington, D.C., and the District of New Jersey charging Matveev with using different ransomware variants, including LockBit, to attack numerous victims throughout the United States, including the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department. Matveev is currently the subject of a reward of up to $10 million through the U.S. Department of State’s Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program, with information accepted through the FBI tip website at www.tips.fbi.gov/. In November 2022, a criminal complaint was filed in the District of New Jersey charging Vasiliev in connection with his participation in the LockBit global ransomware campaign. Vasiliev, a dual Russian-Canadian national, is currently in custody in Canada awaiting extradition to the United States. In June 2023, Russian national Ruslan Magomedovich Astamirov was charged by criminal complaint in the District of New Jersey for his participation in the LockBit conspiracy, including his deployment of LockBit against victims in Florida, Japan, France, and Kenya. Astamirov is currently in custody in the United States awaiting trial.
Kondratyev, according to the indictment obtained in the Northern District of California and unsealed today, is also charged with three criminal counts arising from his use of the Sodinokibi, also known as REvil, ransomware variant to encrypt data, exfiltrate victim information, and extort a ransom payment from a corporate victim based in Alameda County, California.
The LockBit ransomware variant first appeared around January 2020 and, leading into today’s operation, had grown into one of the most active and destructive variants in the world. LockBit members have executed attacks against more than 2,000 victims in the United States and around the world, making at least hundreds of millions of U.S. dollars in ransom demands and receiving over $120 million in ransom payments. The LockBit ransomware variant, like other major ransomware variants, operates in the “ransomware-as-a-service” (RaaS) model, in which administrators, also called developers, design the ransomware, recruit other members — called affiliates — to deploy it, and maintain an online software dashboard called a “control panel” to provide the affiliates with the tools necessary to deploy LockBit. Affiliates, in turn, identify and unlawfully access vulnerable computer systems, sometimes through their own hacking or at other times by purchasing stolen access credentials from others. Using the control panel operated by the developers, affiliates then deploy LockBit within the victim computer system, allowing them to encrypt and steal data for which a ransom is demanded to decrypt or avoid publication on a public website maintained by the LockBit developers, often called a data leak site.
The FBI Newark Field Office is investigating the LockBit ransomware variant.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew M. Trombly, David E. Malagold, and Vinay Limbachia for the District of New Jersey and Trial Attorneys Jessica C. Peck, Debra Ireland, and Jorge Gonzalez of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section are prosecuting the charges against Sungatov and Kondratyev unsealed today in the District of New Jersey. The Justice Department’s Cybercrime Liaison Prosecutor to Eurojust and Office of International Affairs also provided significant assistance.
The disruption announced today was the result of a joint operation between the FBI; National Crime Agency, South West Regional Organised Crime Unit; France’s Gendarmerie Nationale Cyberspace Command; Germany’s Landeskriminalamt Schleswig-Holstein and the Bundeskriminalamt; Switzerland’s Federal Office of Police, Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Canton of Zurich, and Zurich Cantonal Police; Japan’s National Policy Agency; Australian Federal Police; Sweden’s Polismyndighetens; Royal Canadian Mounted Police; Politie Dienst Regionale Recherche Oost-Brabant of the Netherlands; Finland’s Poliisi; Europol; and Eurojust.
The FBI Phoenix Field Office and Assistant U.S. Attorney Helen L. Gilbert are investigating and prosecuting the case against Kondratyev in the Northern District of California.
Additionally, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control announced today that it is designating Sungatov and Kondratyev for their roles in launching cyberattacks.
As mentioned above, victims of LockBit should contact the FBI at https://lockbitvictims.ic3.gov for further information. Additional details on protecting networks against LockBit ransomware are available at StopRansomware.gov. These include Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Advisories AA23-325A, AA23-165A, and AA23-075A.
Watch the Attorney General’s remarks at www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jKykhKKMZw.
An indictment is merely an allegation. Under U.S. law, all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
prs_lockbit_remarks.pdf
lockbit.indictment.pdfU.S. Attorney’s Office warns of COVID fraud scamRead the Press Release
The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Wyoming would like to warn members of the public about a recent COVID fraud enforcement scam that has surfaced in other parts of the country. The victim receives a document or documents warning that he or she is being investigated for fraud under the Paycheck Protection Program (also known as PPP). The documents state that an arrest warrant has been issued and that in order to “lift the warrant” the victim needs to go to a crypto currency kiosk to make a designated payment. The documents purport to have been issued by the Department of Justice’s Civil Division-Commercial Litigation Branch.
The public is reminded that requests or demands for payment to third parties in exchange for quashing a warrant are never legitimate. If you or someone you know has been a target of this latest scam, please contact the FBI at 1-800-225-5324 (1-800-CALL-FBI).
U.S. Attorney's Office Announces Charges in Multi-State Meth and Money Laundering ConspiracyRead the Press Release
U.S. Attorney’s Office Announces Charges in Multi-State Meth and Money Laundering Conspiracy
First of 24 Co-Conspirators Sentenced to Ten Years in Federal Prison
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that 24 individuals have been indicted by a federal grand jury for Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine. On February 5, 2024, U.S. District Court Judge Karen E. Schreier sentenced the first of 24 co-conspirators, Marissa Apodaca, 36, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to 10 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Apodaca was further ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. She pleaded guilty to the charge of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance on October 30, 2023.
Additional Defendants charged in the widespread conspiracy include:
- Nathan Johnson, 38, of Denver, Colorado
- Michele Johnson, 48, of Steen, Minnesota
- Matthew Thomas, 51, of Denver, Colorado
- Jesse Richmond, 50, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota
- Tony Hunter, a/k/a “Ox,” 52, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota
- Lance Brunsting, 55, of Denver, Colorado
- Darrin Johnson, 42, of Denver, Colorado
- Hanna Felling, 39, of St. Cloud, Minnesota
- Nicholas Ganske, 44, of Tea, South Dakota
- Donald Wise, 42, of Crooks, South Dakota
- Jesus Salamo-Roche, 63, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota
- Misty Turner, 34, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota
- Jessica Knight, 45, of Presho, South Dakota
- Christopher Spider, 44, of Presho, South Dakota
- Sapphire Big Eagle, 29, of Lower Brule, South Dakota
- Sunny Big Eagle, 48, of Lower Brule, South Dakota
- Donald Wagner, 68, of Denver, Colorado
- Donovan Pinkston, 37, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota
- Destiny Wilson, 34, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota
- Caitlin Schmidt, 29, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota
- Nicholas Sherard, 35, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota
- Cody Schmidt, 35, of Steen, Minnesota
- Terry Rider, 48, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota
The grand jury also charged Nathan Johnson, Michele Johnson, Matthew Thomas, and Jesse Richmond with Conspiracy to Launder Monetary Instruments, and Tony Hunter with possession of a firearm by a felon. All individuals were indicted on August 8, 2023.
The Indictments allege that from an unknown date through July 26, 2023, the above-listed individuals conspired with others to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine in South Dakota and elsewhere. The money laundering charges allege that from an unknown date to July 26, 2023, the four above-listed defendants conspired to conduct financial transactions which involved the proceeds from this drug conspiracy. The charges are merely accusations, and the individuals are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. Since Indictment, each defendant has appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Veronica L. Duffy and pleaded not guilty.
Nathan Johnson, Michele Johnson, Matthew Thomas, Jesse Richmond, Tony Hunter, Nicholas Ganske, Donald Wise, Jesus Salamo-Roche, Donald Wagner, Nicholas Sherard, and Terry Rider all face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years upon conviction for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance and a maximum of life in federal prison. All other defendants face a penalty upon conviction for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance of up to 20 years in federal prison. The money laundering charge carries a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison.
The investigation is being led by the Drug Enforcement Administration with assistance from other law enforcement agencies such as: Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Sioux Falls Area Drug Task Force, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, Brookings Police Department, the South Dakota Highway Patrol, Rock County (MN) Sheriff’s Office, Worthington (MN) Police Department, and Mitchell Police Department. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paige Petersen.
###
U.S. and U.K. Disrupt Lockbit Ransomware VariantRead the Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO – The Department of Justice joined the United Kingdom and international law enforcement partners in London today to announce the disruption of the LockBit ransomware group, one of the most active ransomware groups in the world that has targeted over 2,000 victims, received more than $120 million in ransom payments, and made ransom demands totaling hundreds of millions of dollars.
The U.K. National Crime Agency’s (NCA) Cyber Division, working in cooperation with the Justice Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and other international law enforcement partners disrupted LockBit’s operations by seizing numerous public-facing websites used by LockBit to connect to the organization’s infrastructure and seizing control of servers used by LockBit administrators, thereby disrupting the ability of LockBit actors to attack and encrypt networks and extort victims by threatening to publish stolen data.
“For years, LockBit associates have deployed these kinds of attacks again and again across the United States and around the world. Today, U.S. and U.K. law enforcement are taking away the keys to their criminal operation,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “And we are going a step further — we have also obtained keys from the seized LockBit infrastructure to help victims decrypt their captured systems and regain access to their data. LockBit is not the first ransomware variant the Justice Department and its international partners have dismantled. It will not be the last.”
Additionally, the NCA, in cooperation with the FBI and international law enforcement partners, has developed decryption capabilities that may enable hundreds of victims around the world to restore systems encrypted using the LockBit ransomware variant. Beginning today, victims targeted by this malware are encouraged to contact the FBI at https://lockbitvictims.ic3.gov/ to enable law enforcement to determine whether affected systems can be successfully decrypted.
“Today’s actions are another down payment on our pledge to continue dismantling the ecosystem fueling cybercrime by prioritizing disruptions and placing victims first,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. “Using all our authorities and working alongside partners in the United Kingdom and around the world, we have now destroyed the online backbone of the LockBit group, one of the world’s most prolific ransomware gangs. But our work does not stop here: together with our partners, we are turning the tables on LockBit — providing decryption keys, unlocking victim data, and pursuing LockBit’s criminal affiliates around the globe.”
The Justice Department also unsealed an indictment obtained in the District of New Jersey charging Russian nationals Artur Sungatov and Ivan Kondratyev, also known as Bassterlord, with deploying LockBit against numerous victims throughout the United States, including businesses nationwide in the manufacturing and other industries, as well as victims around the world in the semiconductor and other industries. Additional criminal charges against Kondratyev were unsealed in the Northern District of California related to his deployment in 2020 of ransomware against a victim located in California.
Finally, the Department also unsealed two search warrants issued in the District of New Jersey that authorized the FBI to disrupt multiple U.S.-based servers used by LockBit members in connection with the LockBit disruption. As disclosed by those search warrants, those servers were used by LockBit administrators to host the so-called “StealBit” platform, a criminal tool used by LockBit members to organize and transfer victim data.
“Today, the FBI and our partners have successfully disrupted the LockBit criminal ecosystem, which represents one of the most prolific ransomware variants across the globe,” said FBI Director Christopher A. Wray. “Through years of innovative investigative work, the FBI and our partners have significantly degraded the capabilities of those hackers responsible for launching crippling ransomware attacks against critical infrastructure and other public and private organizations around the world. This operation demonstrates both our capability and commitment to defend our nation's cybersecurity and national security from any malicious actor who seeks to impact our way of life. We will continue to work with our domestic and international allies to identify, disrupt, and deter cyber threats, and to hold the perpetrators accountable.”
According to the indictment obtained in the District of New Jersey, from at least as early as January 2021, Sungatov allegedly deployed LockBit ransomware against victim corporations and took steps to fund additional LockBit attacks against other victims. Sungatov allegedly deployed LockBit ransomware against manufacturing, logistics, insurance, and other companies located in Minnesota, Indiana, Puerto Rico, Wisconsin, Florida, and New Mexico. Additionally, as early as August 2021, Kondratyev similarly began to allegedly deploy LockBit against multiple victims. Kondratyev, operating under the online alias “Bassterlord,” allegedly deployed LockBit against municipal and private targets in Oregon, Puerto Rico, and New York, as well as additional targets located in Singapore, Taiwan, and Lebanon. Both Sungatov and Kondratyev are alleged to have joined in the global LockBit conspiracy, also alleged to have included Russian nationals Mikhail Pavlovich Matveev and Mikhail Vasiliev, as well as other LockBit members, to develop and deploy LockBit ransomware and to extort payments from victim corporations.
“Today’s indictment, unsealed as part of a global coordinated action against the most active ransomware group in the world, brings to five the total number of LockBit members charged by my office and our FBI and Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section partners for their crimes,” said U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger for the District of New Jersey. “And, even with today’s disruption of LockBit, we will not stop there. Our investigation will continue, and we remain as determined as ever to identify and charge all of LockBit’s membership — from its developers and administrators to its affiliates. We will put a spotlight on them as wanted criminals. They will no longer hide in the shadows.”
With the indictment unsealed today, a total of five LockBit members have now been charged for their participation in the LockBit conspiracy. In May 2023, two indictments were unsealed in Washington, D.C., and the District of New Jersey charging Matveev with using different ransomware variants, including LockBit, to attack numerous victims throughout the United States, including the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department. Matveev is currently the subject of a reward of up to $10 million through the U.S. Department of State’s Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program, with information accepted through the FBI tip website at https://tips.fbi.gov. In November 2022, a criminal complaint was filed in the District of New Jersey charging Vasiliev in connection with his participation in the LockBit global ransomware campaign. Vasiliev, a dual Russian-Canadian national, is currently in custody in Canada awaiting extradition to the United States. In June 2023, Russian national Ruslan Magomedovich Astamirov was charged by criminal complaint in the District of New Jersey for his participation in the LockBit conspiracy, including his deployment of LockBit against victims in Florida, Japan, France, and Kenya. Astamirov is currently in custody in the United States awaiting trial.
Kondratyev, according to the indictment obtained in the Northern District of California and unsealed today, is also charged with three criminal counts arising from his use of a ransomware variant to encrypt data, exfiltrate victim information, and extort a ransom payment from a corporate victim based in Alameda County, California.
The LockBit ransomware variant first appeared around January 2020 and, leading into today’s operation, had grown into one of the most active and destructive variants in the world. LockBit members have executed attacks against more than 2,000 victims in the United States and around the world, making at least hundreds of millions of U.S. dollars in ransom demands and receiving over $120 million in ransom payments. The LockBit ransomware variant, like other major ransomware variants, operates in the “ransomware-as-a-service” (RaaS) model, in which administrators, also called developers, design the ransomware, recruit other members — called affiliates — to deploy it, and maintain an online software dashboard called a “control panel” to provide the affiliates with the tools necessary to deploy LockBit. Affiliates, in turn, identify and unlawfully access vulnerable computer systems, sometimes through their own hacking or at other times by purchasing stolen access credentials from others. Using the control panel operated by the developers, affiliates then deploy LockBit within the victim computer system, allowing them to encrypt and steal data for which a ransom is demanded to decrypt or avoid publication on a public website maintained by the LockBit developers, often called a data leak site.
The FBI Newark Field Office is investigating the LockBit ransomware variant.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew M. Trombly, David E. Malagold, and Vinay Limbachia for the District of New Jersey and Trial Attorneys Jessica C. Peck, Debra Ireland, and Jorge Gonzalez of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section are prosecuting the charges against Sungatov and Kondratyev unsealed today in the District of New Jersey. The Justice Department’s Cybercrime Liaison Prosecutor to Eurojust and Office of International Affairs also provided significant assistance.
The disruption announced today was the result of a joint operation between the FBI; NCA South West Regional Organised Crime Unit; France’s Gendarmerie Nationale Cyberspace Command; Germany’s Landeskriminalamt Schleswig-Holstein and the Bundeskriminalamt; Switzerland’s Federal Office of Police, Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Canton of Zurich, and Zurich Cantonal Police; Japan’s National Policy Agency; Australian Federal Police; Sweden’s Polismyndighetens; Royal Canadian Mounted Police; Politie Dienst Regionale Recherche Oost-Brabant of the Netherlands; Finland’s Poliisi; Europol; and Eurojust.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Helen L. Gilbert and the FBI Phoenix Field Office are investigating and prosecuting the case against Kondratyev in the Northern District of California.
Additionally, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control announced today that it is designating Sungatov and Kondratyev for their roles in launching cyberattacks.
As mentioned above, victims of LockBit should contact the FBI at https://lockbitvictims.ic3.gov for further information. Additional details on protecting networks against LockBit ransomware are available at StopRansomware.gov. These include Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Advisories AA23-325A, AA23-165A, and AA23-075A.
Watch the Attorney General’s remarks at www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jKykhKKMZw.
An indictment is merely an allegation. Under U.S. law, all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
1_indictment.pdfTwo Men Indicted for Federal Firearm and Drug OffensesRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that on February 8, 2024, TEVIN MARCELIN, age 29, and DERRICK DOUGHTY, age 32, both from New Orleans, were charged in a seven-count superseding indictment for violations of federal gun and drug laws.
In Count 1, MARCELIN and DOUGHTY are charged with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, marijuana, and cocaine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(C). If convicted of Count 1, MARCELIN and DOUGHTY face up to 20 years imprisonment, up to a $1,000,000 fine, and at least three years of supervised release. In Count 2, MARCELIN and DOUGHTY are charged with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(A). If convicted of Count 2, MARCELIN and DOUGHTY face a mandatory minimum sentence of five years up to life imprisonment, to run consecutively to all other sentences, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to five years of supervised release. In Count 3, MARCELIN is charged with possession of a firearm by a felon, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1). In Count 4, DOUGHTY is charged with possession of a firearm by a felon, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1). If convicted of Counts 3 or 4, MARCELIN or DOUGHTY face up to 10 years imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release.
In Count 5, MARCELIN is charged with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, marijuana, cocaine and fentanyl, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(C). If convicted of Count 5, MARCELIN faces up to 20 years imprisonment, up to a $1,000,000 fine, and at least three years of supervised release. In Count 6, MARCELIN is charged with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(A). If convicted of Count 6, MARCELIN faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years up to life imprisonment, to run consecutively to all other sentences, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to five years of supervised release. In Count 7, MARCELIN is charged with possession of a firearm by a felon, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g). If convicted of Count 7, MARCELIN faces up to15 years imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release. As to each charged count against either MARCELIN or DOUGHTY, they also face payment of a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
U.S. Attorney Evans reiterated that the indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
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 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the New Orleans Police Department, and the Louisiana State Police. Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Dawkins of the Violent Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
Two Maryland Residents Found Guilty of Multimillion Dollar Scheme to Defraud Apple Inc. out of 5,000 iPhonesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Haotian Sun, 33, and Pengfei Xue, 33, both Chinese nationals, were found guilty today by a federal jury for participating in a sophisticated scheme to defraud Apple out of millions of dollars’ worth of iPhones, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves; Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Inspector in Charge Damon E. Wood, of the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) Washington Division; and Special Agent in Charge Derek W. Gordon, of Homeland Security Investigations, Washington Field Office.
Sun, of Baltimore, and Xue, of Germantown, MD, were found guilty by a federal jury in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and mail fraud, which carry a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. U.S. District Court Judge Timothy J. Kelly scheduled sentencing for June 21, 2024.
According to the government’s evidence, between May 2017 and September 2019, Sun, Xue, and other conspirators defrauded Apple Inc. by submitting counterfeit iPhones to Apple for repair to get Apple to exchange them with genuine replacement iPhones. Sun and Xue received shipments of inauthentic iPhones from Hong Kong at UPS mailboxes throughout the D.C. Metropolitan area. They then submitted the fake iPhones, with spoofed serial numbers and/or IMEI numbers, to Apple retail stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers, including the Apple Store in Georgetown. Trial evidence showed that conspirators submitted more than 5,000 inauthentic phones to Apple during the conspiracy, intending to cause a loss of more than $3 million to Apple.
Sun and Xue used various aliases during the scheme. They were arrested on December 5, 2019.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Homeland Security Investigations.
It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kondi J. Kleinman, with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, and Trial Attorney Ryan Dickey of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section. Essential work was provided by Paralegal Specialists Sona Chaturvedi, Liliana Villamizar, Mariela Andrade, and Amanda Rohde, as well as former Paralegal Specialist Michon Tart, all of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Two L.A. County Men Charged with Armed Robbery in Connection with Spree Targeting Massage Parlors in L.A. and Orange CountiesRead the Press Release
SANTA ANA, California – Two Los Angeles County men were charged today in a federal criminal complaint alleging they committed more than a dozen armed robberies of massage parlors in Los Angeles and Orange counties.
Andy Cuellar, 28, of Hawthorne, and Arturo Morales, 27, of Downey, were arrested last Friday and are scheduled to make their initial appearances tomorrow in United States District Court in Santa Ana.
The defendants are charged with interference with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act) and using and carrying a firearm during a crime of violence. Their arraignment is expected in the coming weeks.
According to an affidavit filed with the complaint, on the evening of February 16, Cuellar drove the getaway vehicle – a black Jeep Grand Cherokee – with Morales as the passenger to multiple massage parlors before robbing one such business in Torrance. After the robbery, Cuellar and Morales allegedly were located less than two miles away at a gas station, standing at the back of the Jeep and going through items taken in the robbery, throwing some of them in the trash.
Once law enforcement arrived on scene, the defendants allegedly fled on foot and discarded items they had stolen. At the time of his arrest, Morales was found to have approximately $4,000 in cash on his person while Cuellar carried $400 and was found to have the same type of clothing – including a blue Los Angeles Dodgers baseball cap – identified in previous robberies of massage parlors, the affidavit alleges.
After the defendants were arrested, law enforcement searched the Jeep, in which they found a .38-caliber firearm that had been reported stolen in 2018, according to the affidavit.
Law enforcement believes that Cuellar and Morales are responsible for at least 12 additional armed robberies, including the alleged robberies of massage parlors from January 12 to January 29 in Santa Ana, Reseda, Venice, Orange, Bellflower, and Redondo Beach.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
If convicted, Cuellar and Morales will face statutory maximum sentences of 20 years in federal prison for the robbery charge and life in federal prison for the firearm charge.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Orange County Violent Crime Task Force (OCVCTF) is comprised of federal and local law enforcement agencies, including the ATF, the Brea Police Department, the Santa Ana Police Department, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, and the Fullerton Police Department.
Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin J. Butler and Jena A. MacCabe of the Violent and Organized Crime Section are prosecuting this case.
Two Foreign Nationals Convicted of Multimillion-Dollar Scheme to Defraud Apple Inc. Out of 5,000 iPhonesRead the Press Release
A federal jury in the District of Columbia convicted two Chinese nationals today for participating in a sophisticated scheme in which they submitted more than 5,000 inauthentic phones to Apple Inc., intending to cause a loss of more than $3 million to Apple.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, from May 2017 to September 2019, Haotian Sun, also known as Hao Sun, Jack Sun, and Frank Sun, 33, of Baltimore, Maryland, and Pengfei Xue, 33, of Germantown, Maryland, along with their co-conspirators, submitted counterfeit iPhones to Apple for repair to get Apple to exchange them with genuine replacement iPhones. Sun and Xue received shipments of inauthentic iPhones from Hong Kong at UPS mailboxes throughout the D.C. Metropolitan area. They then submitted the fake iPhones, with spoofed serial numbers and/or IMEI numbers, to Apple retail stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers.
In 2017, Sun opened eight UPS Store mailboxes using his Maryland driver’s license and university identification card. U.S. postal inspectors arrested Sun and Xue in December 2019.
The jury convicted Sun and Xue of mail fraud and conspiracy to commit mail fraud. They are scheduled to be sentenced on June 21 and each face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia, Inspector in Charge Damon Wood of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) Washington Division, and Special Agent in Charge Derek W. Gordon of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington Field Office made the announcement.
USPIS and HSI investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Ryan Dickey of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kondi J. Kleinman for the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case.
Twice convicted felon pleads guilty to new gun chargeRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Willis Bowles, 36, of Geneva, NY, pleaded guilty before Chief U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford to being a felon in possession of a firearm, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Everardo A. Rodriguez, who is handling the case, stated that on June 23, 2023, the Ontario County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at Bowles’ Geneva residence. During the search, investigators seized a loaded Smith and Wesson rifle. A high capacity 30 round magazine, containing 22 rounds of ammunition was also seized. In 2006 and 2007, Bowles was convicted of gun felonies in the State of Florida and is legally prohibited from possessing a firearm.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the Ontario County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff David Cirencione, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge John B. DeVito, New York Field Division, and the Geneva Police Department, under the direction of Chief Matt Colton.
Sentencing is scheduled for June 10, 2024, before Judge Wolford.
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Trafficker Who Brutally Assaulted Victims Sentenced to 30 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
A DeSoto man who sex trafficked women for more than a decade was sentenced last week to 30 years in federal prison, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton.
Phillip Jay Curlett, 34, was indicted in October 2023 and pleaded guilty later that month to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking through force, fraud, and coercion. He was sentenced Friday by U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman.
“Human trafficking is one of the most egregious crimes the HSI investigates,” said Homeland Security Investigations Dallas Special Agent in Charge Lester R. Hayes Jr. “HSI’s role is simple; we will find and prosecute those who force victims into this degrading and inhumane lifestyle.”
According to court documents, Mr. Curlett trafficked multiple women, brutally beating several.
According to court documents, one victim told investigators that when she first met Mr. Curlett, he gave her a fake name and asked her to spend the night with him. Believing they were embarking upon a dating relationship, she consented.
He then drove her to a local motel and ordered her to “go to work.” That same night, she saw her first two commercial sex customers.
Mr. Curlett went on to advertise the victim’s commercial sex services online and forced her to tun her proceeds over to him, threatening to hurt her if she did not make enough money for him. He forced her to use methamphetamine so that she could stay awake to maximize profits, and assaulted her on multiple occasions, including after she tried to leave.
Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of the North Texas Trafficking Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandie Wade prosecuted the case.
Three Individuals Found Guilty of Child Neglect, Endangerment on the Red Lake ReservationRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – Three individuals living on the Red Lake Indian Reservation have been convicted by a federal jury of felony child neglect, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
According to evidence presented at trial, between February 2022 and January 2023, Robin John Roy, 55, Nicole Robyn Roy, 29, and Harrison Edwin Dudley Sr., 36, willfully deprived the minor victims of necessary food, clothing, shelter, health care, or supervision despite their reasonable ability to make the necessary provisions, resulting in substantial harm to the minor victims’ physical, mental, and emotional health.
On February 16, 2024, following a six-day trial before U.S. District Judge Nancy E. Brasel, all three defendants were found guilty of felony child neglect. Nicole Roy and Dudley were also found guilty of felony child endangerment. Sentencing hearings for the defendants will be scheduled at a later time.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lindsey E. Middlecamp and Rachel L. Kraker tried the case.
Terrebonne Parish Man Sentenced for Conspiring to Distribute CocaineRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – ANTHONY MONREAL-FABELA, age 22, a resident of Houma, Louisiana, was sentenced on February 15, 2024 to 36 months imprisonment, five (5) years of supervised release, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans. MONREAL-FABELA previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a quantity of cocaine, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(C) and 846.
According to court documents, MONREAL-FABELA was arrested on July 27, 2022, for conspiring with his co-defendant, Diogo Hernandez, to possess with intent to distribute twenty kilograms of cocaine that had been smuggled into the Port of New Orleans via container ship.
This case was investigated by the United States Homeland Security Investigations, the United States Customs and Border Protection, and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney J. Benjamin Myers of the Financial Crimes Unit.
Teen Admits Role in Several New Haven Gang Shootings, Pleads Guilty to Racketeering ChargeRead the Press Release
DEVIN SUGGS, also known as “JB,” 19, of New Haven, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in New Haven to a racketeering offense stemming from his role in a violent New Haven street gang.
Today’s announcement was made by Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut; John P. Doyle, Jr., State’s Attorney for the New Haven Judicial District; James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Boston Field Division; Robert Fuller, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration for New England; and New Haven Police Chief Karl Jacobson.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in an effort to address violence in New Haven, the ATF, FBI, DEA and New Haven Police Department, working closely with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and New Haven State’s Attorney’s Office, have been investigating an ongoing gang war between members and associates of the Exit 8 street gang and rival gangs in the Hill section and other areas of the city. The Exit 8 gang is named after the geographic area accessed by exiting Interstate 91 at Exit 8 in New Haven. Recently, younger members of Exit 8 are identifying themselves with the word “Honcho,” which is derived from the street name of an Exit 8 member who was murdered on Quinnipiac Avenue in February 2020.
The investigation revealed that Suggs and other members of the Exit 8 gang engaged in drug trafficking, used and shared firearms, and, since June 2018, have committed at least three murders and 16 attempted murders. Exit 8 members and associates also stole vehicles, at times from outside of the state, and used those stolen vehicles when committing acts of violence. Gang members also promoted, coordinated, facilitated, and celebrated their narcotics distribution and acts of violence through text messaging and the use of social media applications and websites including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube.
Suggs pleaded guilty to conspiracy to engage in a pattern of racketeering activity, and specifically admitted that he took part in five shootings of rival gang members between April 2021 and January 2023. As a result of these shootings, on April 27, 2021, a rival gang member was shot in the leg; on May 14, 2021, a rival gang member was shot in the leg and torso; and on May 20, 2021, one victim was shot in the back and another victim was shot in the leg. On January 20, 2023, Suggs and other Exit 8 members stole an SUV in Scarsdale, New York, and, later that day, committed a drive-by shooting of a rival gang member in New Haven. The victim was shot in the head, but survived the attack.
At sentencing, which is not scheduled, Suggs faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years. Suggs has been detained since August 3, 2023.
This investigation is being conducted by ATF, the FBI, the DEA, the New Haven Police Department, the Hamden Police Department, and the New Haven State’s Attorney’s Office, with the assistance of the Connecticut State Police and the Connecticut Forensic Science Laboratory. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tara E. Levens, Rahul Kale and Jocelyn C. Kaoutzanis.
This prosecution is a part of the Justice’s Department’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), Project Longevity, and Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) programs.
PSN is a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone. Project Longevity is a comprehensive initiative to reduce gun violence in Connecticut’s major cities. Through Project Longevity, community members and law enforcement directly engage with members of groups that are prone to commit violence and deliver a community message against violence, a law enforcement message about the consequences of further violence and an offer of help for those who want it. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and transnational criminal organizations through a prosecutor-led and intelligence-driven approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
St. Lucie County robber sentenced to federal prisonRead the Press Release
MIAMI – On Feb. 15, a St. Lucie County woman was sentenced to 36 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for attempted Hobbs Act robbery, after previously pleading guilty in November 2023.
On April 21, 2023, Jennifer Scee, 48, of St. Lucie County, Florida, entered a pharmacy in Port St. Lucie, approached a pharmacy associate, who was behind the counter, and demanded Dilaudid, a brand name for hydromorphone, an opioid. When the associate asked Scee for her prescription, Scee displayed a weapon while she continued to demand the medication. When the associate told Scee that she did not have any Dilaudid, Scee jumped over the counter and pointed the weapon at the associate’s chest. After the associate started yelling and banging on the counter, Scee fled the scene.
Port St. Lucie Police Department officers obtained video surveillance from the plaza where the pharmacy is located, which shows Scee wearing a long-sleeved white shirt, black leggings, a black hat covering, and a surgical mask covering her face entering and fleeing the pharmacy on foot. Later, law enforcement officers also obtained surveillance footage showing a 2001 – 2005 Honda Civic Coupe with a sunroof and dark tinted windows pulling into the parking lot at the nearby plaza shortly before the robbery and leaving the parking lot shortly after the robbery. Law enforcement officers confirmed that a 2004 Honda Civic Coupe was registered to Scee in Port St. Lucie, Florida. Later, law enforcement arrested Scee at her residence in Port St. Lucie.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of FBI, Miami Field Office and Chief Richard R. Del Toro, Jr. of the Port St. Lucie Police Department (PSLPD) announced the sentence imposed by U.S. District Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks.
FBI Miami and PSLPD investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael D. Porter prosecuted it.
This case stems from Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that brings together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. In 2017, PSN was reinvigorated as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 23-cr-14043.
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South Texan imprisoned for producing child pornography of two minors for over a yearRead the Press Release
BROWNSVILLE, Texas – A 34-year-old Weslaco man has been sentenced for possession of child pornography and sexual exploitation of a child, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Ulysses Rubalcava pleaded guilty Oct. 31, 2023.
U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. considered victim impact statements and imposed a total of 360 months in federal prison. At the hearing, the court noted Rubalcava’s remorse, but explained how society deems these crimes as particularly heinous and that the court must protect children and the public to deter this type of crime. Garza was further ordered to serve 24 years on supervised release following the completion of his sentence. During that time, he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. He will also be ordered to register as a sex offender. A restitution hearing has been scheduled for April 23.
The investigation began in June 2021 when authorities learned of concerning behavior and photos believed to be the sexual assault of a child.
Law enforcement conducted a search of Rubalcava’s cellphone in which they discovered numerous saved child pornography files including the sexual assault of two minors. Following an investigation, authorities determined Rubalcava had been grooming and abusing two minor girls for more than a year. He eventually began producing child pornography images and videos of himself with the young girls.
Rubalcava will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ana C. Cano prosecuted the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources tab on that page.
South Florida Man Arrested in Relation to Shooting at the Palm Beach Gardens MallRead the Press Release
MIAMI - Kamarcio Mitchell, 28, of West Palm Beach, had his initial appearance this morning before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in West Palm Beach on a criminal complaint charging him with unlawfully possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. Mitchell’s arrest, on Feb. 16, was the result of a joint response by local, state, and federal law enforcement partners following a shooting that occurred at the Palm Beach Gardens Mall (The Gardens Mall) on Valentine’s Day.
According to allegations in the criminal complaint, on Feb. 14, Mitchell was at The Gardens Mall with a firearm. Surveillance video captured Mitchell on the second level of The Gardens Mall near a retail store. Mitchell followed another male onto the escalator and was manipulating an object under his shirt. Mitchell was then fired upon by the other male and shot. Mitchell fled the mall to the parking lot, leaving a trail of blood. A loaded firearm that had been disassembled was found in the parking lot by police, near the blood trail. Mitchell was later treated for his injury at a local hospital where he admitted to being shot. The investigation by law enforcement determined that the firearm found in The Gardens Mall parking lot was a loaded handgun that had previously travelled in interstate commerce.
Mitchell is a convicted felon and based upon his prior criminal history is charged in the criminal complaint as an Armed Career Criminal. If convicted, Mitchell faces a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 15 years to a maximum sentence of life.
The United States has sought the pretrial detention of Mitchell. A detention hearing has been scheduled before the West Palm Beach Duty Magistrate Judge on Feb. 27. An arraignment hearing is scheduled for March 5.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of FBI, Miami Field Office, Special Agent in Charge Christopher A. Robinson of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Miami Field Division, U.S. Marshal Gadyaces S. Serralta of the U.S. Marshals Service, Chief Clinton Shannon of the Palm Beach Gardens Police Department, and Sheriff Ric Bradshaw of the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office announced the arrest and charges.
The Office of State Attorney Dave Aronberg for the 15th Judicial Circuit – Palm Beach County provided invaluable assistance. Assistant United States Attorney John McMillan is prosecuting the case.
This prosecution is a part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program. PSN is the centerpiece of the Department’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through the PSN program a broad spectrum of law enforcement and community 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 to reduce violence crime and gun violence, and to make our local neighborhoods safer for everyone.
A criminal complaint contains allegations, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 24-8057-BER.
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South Bend Man Sentenced to 87 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
SOUTH BEND – Tyshawn Kellogg, 29 years old, of South Bend, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Damon R. Leichty after pleading guilty to felon in possession of a firearm, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.
Kellogg was sentenced to 87 months in prison followed by 2 years of supervised release.
According to documents in the case, in January of 2023 Kellogg led police officers on a high-speed chase that ended when Kellogg crashed his car into a fence. Kellogg ran from the car, leaving behind a handgun, heroin, fentanyl, cocaine, and other controlled substances. Kellogg had previously been convicted of felony offenses and, as such, was prohibited from possessing the firearm in this case.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with assistance from the South Bend Police Department, Indiana State Police, and St. Joseph County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Katelan McKenzie Doyle.
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.
Sex Offender Charged with Child Exploitation OffensesRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Robert Fuller, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, announced that a federal grand jury in New Haven returned an indictment today charging MICHAEL SZWARC, 36, of Derby, with child exploitation offenses.
As alleged in the indictment and in court filings, Szwarc was convicted in 2013 in state court of possession of child pornography in the second degree, and in 2022 in federal court of receipt of child pornography. In January 2024, while Szwarc was on federal supervised release, his federal probation officer conducted an unannounced visit to his home and discovered him in possession of an unauthorized laptop. The probation officer seized the laptop. A subsequent examination of the device by the FBI revealed multiple images of child pornography.
The indictment charges Szwarc with receipt of child pornography, an offense that carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 15 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 40 years, and with possessing and accessing with intent to view child pornography, an offense that carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years. The penalties in this matter are enhanced because of Szwarc’s prior federal and state convictions for possessing child pornography.
Szwarc has been detained since his arrest on February 9, 2024.
U.S. Attorney Avery stressed that an indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel E. Cummings.
This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com.
Riverton man convicted of first-degree murderRead the Press Release
Francis James Acebo Jr., age 34, of Riverton, Wyoming, was convicted on Feb.16 by a federal jury of first-degree murder and using, carrying, and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. The trial lasted five days and was held before U.S. District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson in Cheyenne.
Acebo was indicted by a federal grand jury and pleaded not guilty to the charges in May 2023. According to evidence presented at trial and witnesses to the crime, Acebo entered the victim’s Riverton residence in the morning of Mar. 25, 2023, and shot the victim in the back of the head.
Sentencing has been set for May 6, 2024. Acebo faces a mandatory life sentence for the first-degree murder conviction, another 10 years to life imprisonment for the firearm offense, and up to $500,000 in fines. A federal district court judge will determine and impose the sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Special agents with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the FBI investigated this crime. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kerry Jacobson and T.J. Forwood prosecuted the case.
Case No. 23-CR-00081
Pulaski County Man Sentenced to 20 Years for Receiving Child PornographyRead the Press Release
LONDON, Ky. – A Eubank, Ky., man, Floyd Adams, 48, was sentenced on Tuesday, by U.S. District Judge Claria Horn Boom, to 20 years in prison, for receiving child pornography.
According to his plea agreement, in December 2021, law enforcement began investigating Adams, after he showed up for an internet-arranged meeting with a fictitious 11-year-old girl, at a Somerset movie theatre. Law enforcement later searched his electronic devices and his residence and found images of child pornography on his devices. Adams admitted to downloading sexually explicit pictures of minors.
Under federal law, Adams must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for 10 years.
Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Michael E. Stansbury, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Office; and Sheriff Bobby Jones, Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office, jointly announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by FBI and Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Pearce Nesbitt is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted this case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
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Portsmouth Felon Sentenced for Possessing Multiple FirearmsRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A Portsmouth man was sentenced today to five years in prison for possessing multiple firearms and a machinegun conversion device as a convicted felon.
According to court documents, on June 9, 2022, after a lengthy investigation into several individuals suspected of being involved in the distribution of narcotics, law enforcement officers executed a court-authorized search warrant at the Portsmouth residence of Michael Jerrod Scott, 40. During the search, officers recovered three firearms, multiple firearm magazines and ammunition, approximately six ounces of marijuana and related edible products, items associated with the manufacturing and distribution of drugs, and $2,920 in cash.
One of the firearms had a machinegun conversion device installed at the rear of the slide, which made it a “machinegun” as defined by federal law. Scott had previously been convicted of several felony offenses, to include robbery, use of a firearm in the commission of robbery, statutory burglary of a dwelling while armed, use of a firearm in the commission of armed burglary, and possession of a schedule I or II drug.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Jason S. Miyares, Attorney General of Virginia; Craig Kailimai, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division; Stephen Jenkins, Chief of Portsmouth Police; and Mark G. Solesky, Chief of Chesapeake Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Elizabeth W. Hanes.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Comstock and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Marc West prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department 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.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:23-cr-74.
Portland Man Sentenced to 16 Years for Child Sexual Exploitation and Drug OffensesRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Maine: A Portland man was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Portland today for sexually exploiting a child and drug trafficking.
U.S. District Judge Nancy Torresen sentenced Sebastian Demers, 32, to 15 years on the child exploitation count and one year on the drug count, to be served consecutively, followed by 10 years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay the victim and the victim’s family $15,843.27 in restitution. Demers pleaded guilty on December 9, 2022.
According to court records, in November 2020, Demers befriended a 14-year-old child online and soon thereafter began engaging in illegal sexual contact with the victim. Even after the victim’s parents obtained a protection order against Demers, Demers continued to pressure the victim to see him and threatened to harm the victim and the victim’s family if the victim did not comply. Demers took several sexually explicit photos and videos of the victim, which investigators later found on Demers’ cell phone. Demers also plied the victim with alcohol and drugs and told the victim that he sold drugs. In April 2022, federal agents executed a search warrant at Demers’ residence and found cocaine and other evidence of drug trafficking.
Homeland Security Investigations and the Portland Police Department investigated the case
Reports of child sexual exploitation are increasing: In 2022, The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) CyberTipline received approximately 32 million reports of suspected child sexual exploitation. That included more than 80,500 reports of online enticement of children for sexual acts and more than 31 million reports of child sexual abuse materials. Victimization can take place across every platform, including social media, messaging apps, gaming platforms, etc. To make a CyberTipline Report, visit https://report.cybertip.org/. If you are in Maine and you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted or abused, you can get help by calling the free, private 24-hour statewide sexual assault helpline at 1-800-871-7741.
Project Safe Childhood: This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.
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Palm Beach County Armed Career Criminal and Drug Dealer Sentenced to 45 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
MIAMI – A Palm Beach County man was sentenced to 45 years in federal prison. The sentence comes after a federal jury in West Palm Beach convicted him on multiple drug trafficking and firearms charges related to his participation in a conspiracy to sell a synthetic opioid, commonly sold as fentanyl, cocaine, and Eutylone (a synthetic cathinone with effects akin to Methylenedioxymethamphetamine), and his possession of a machinegun in furtherance of those crimes.
On or about March 3, 2022, the West Palm Beach Police Department executed a search warrant at a West Palm Beach residence. Willie Boone, 24, was detained on scene. During the search, officers recovered multiple controlled substances, including N-Pyrrolidino Etonitazene, Eutylone, and cocaine. Other evidence included two of Boone’s cellphones and two firearms, one of which was a Glock Model 17 pistol with a machinegun conversion device. That conversion device, commonly known as a “Glock Switch” rendered the pistol fully automatic. Boone had previously been convicted of three felony drug-trafficking offenses and was prohibited from possessing a firearm, including the unregistered machinegun. Forensic evidence recovered from the cellular telephones and Boone’s DNA on the Glock Model 17 pistol confirmed his possession of the firearm and possession in the charged drug conspiracy.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge Christopher A. Robinson of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Miami Field Division, and West Palm Beach Police Department Chief Frank Adderley announced the conviction.
ATF and the West Palm Beach Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Shannon O’Shea Darsch and Alexandra Chase are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gabrielle Charest-Turken for the Southern District of Florida is handling asset forfeiture.
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.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 22-cr-80175.
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Omaha Man Sentenced for Methamphetamine ConspiracyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Orlando Brewer, 54, of Omaha, Nebraska was sentenced today in federal court in Omaha for his involvement in a methamphetamine conspiracy. Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Brewer to 120 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After his release from prison, he will begin a 5-year term of supervised release.
As part of a long-term investigation into a Mexican-based Drug Trafficking Organization (DTO), DEA identified Maria Reyes-Monge as a meth distributor for the Omaha metro area. As part of the investigation, Reyes-Monge was kept under electronic and physical surveillance. She was observed on numerous occasions meeting with local dealers and supplying them with Mexican-imported meth.
On October 5, 2022, Reyes-Monge was observed going to the Walgreen’s parking lot at 1606 S. 72nd Street. Reyes-Monge was observed meeting with Brewer and conducting what appeared to be a hand-to-hand narcotics transaction. A traffic stop was done on Brewer leaving the meeting, and it was determined that he had active felony arrest warrants. On the passenger side rear floorboard was a bag with 361 grams pure meth.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
This case was investigated by the DEA, Omaha Police Department, and Bellevue Police Department.
Ocean Springs Man Sentenced to over 17 Years in Prison for Possession with Intent to Distribute over 1200 Grams of MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
Gulfport, Miss. – An Ocean Springs man was sentenced to 211 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute 1,231 grams of methamphetamine.
Dante Ladon Evans, 48, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Gulfport.
According to court documents, Evans was on supervised release when a probation officer went to his residence and discovered narcotics. Further investigation revealed that Evans was in possession of 1,231 grams of methamphetamine.
Evans pled guilty on November 6, 2023, to possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.
U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee and Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives made the announcement.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Erica Rose.
Muskogee Resident Sentenced for Federal Crime of ArsonRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Daniel Lewis Moon, age 26, of Muskogee, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 72 months in prison for one count of Arson.
The charges arose from investigations by the Wagoner County Sheriff’s Office, the Oklahoma State Fire Marshal’s Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
On November 9, 2022, a federal jury found Moon guilty at trial of Arson. According to investigators, on March 28, 2020, Moon, an employee at the Dollar General in Porter, Oklahoma, turned in his two-week resignation notice then purposefully lit a fire in a store aisle during business hours. Employees successfully evacuated shoppers and staff, but the fire caused significant damage before firefighters were able to extinguish it.
The Honorable Charles B. Goodwin, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma, sitting by assignment, presided over the hearing in Oklahoma City. Moon will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshal pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.
Assistant United States Attorney Patrick M. Flanigan represented the United States.
Montgomery Man Sentenced to Prison and Ordered to Pay Nearly $370,000 for Schemes Targeting Elderly VictimsRead the Press Release
Montgomery, Alabama – Today, Acting United States Attorney Jonathan S. Ross, along with Alabama Securities Commission Director Amanda Senn, announced that a federal judge sentenced Nicholas Houston Allen, 36, a resident of Montgomery, Alabama, to 76 months in prison for fraud targeting the elderly. The United States Secret Service and the Alabama Securities Commission Enforcement Section provided valuable assistance in the investigation and prosecution of this case.
Previously, Allen pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud after scamming an elderly victim of approximately $250,000 between 2020 to 2021. Allen convinced the victim to give him money to remodel a home Allen claimed to have inherited from his mother. However, those claims were false, and Allen used the money for his own personal benefit. Court records show that this victim was not the only one to be targeted by Allen. During Allen’s sentencing hearing, four other elderly victims were identified. Allen solicited money and made numerous misrepresentations to each of them. He then used their funds for his own benefit.
During the February 15, 2024, sentencing hearing, the judge characterized Allen’s conduct towards the victims as “cruel” and concluded that Allen’s conduct warranted a sentence even greater than the highest sentence recommended by the advisory Sentencing Guidelines. In addition to a prison sentence, the judge ordered Allen to pay restitution in the amount of $369,703.60.
“Each year, far too many seniors are financially exploited,” said Acting United States Attorney Ross. “Crimes like this one can be devastating, depriving individuals of their resources, their independence, and their dignity. I am grateful to the other agencies involved in this case for identifying Nicholas Allen’s crimes and providing justice to his victims.”
“The Alabama Securities Commission has no higher priority than fighting the scourge of elder abuse,” said Alabama Securities Commission Director Senn. “We are dedicated to working with our fellow federal and state law enforcement partners to eradicate this monstrous behavior. We will leave no stone unturned to find and punish its heartless perpetrators.”
Combatting elder abuse and financial fraud targeted at seniors is a key priority of the Department of Justice. The mission of the Department’s Elder Justice Initiative is to support and coordinate the Department’s efforts to combat elder abuse, neglect, and financial fraud scams that target our nation’s seniors. To learn more, visit https://www.justice.gov/elderjustice. The public is encouraged to report victimization and suspected fraud schemes by calling the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311).
The United States Secret Service and the Alabama Securities Commission investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney Michelle R. Turner and Special Assistant United States Attorney Louis V. Franklin, Sr., of the Alabama Securities Commission prosecuted the case.
Man and woman charged in elder fraud conspiracyRead the Press Release
MIAMI – On Feb. 1, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging a man and a woman for their alleged involvement in an elder fraud conspiracy.
Monique C. Clarke, aka Monique Clark-Mootoo, aka Rebecca White, and aka Mark Hilton, 28, a Jamaican national, and Jon-Michael Hudson, 33, a resident of Jamaica, were charged in federal court by indictment with conspiracy to commit money laundering. Allegedly, the criminal enterprise targeted a total of 51 elderly victims throughout the United States and incurred in a total loss of more than $6.6 million dollars.
According to the allegations in the indictment, court documents, and statements made during court hearings, from October 2020 through January 2021, Clarke and Hudson were allegedly engaged in laundering proceeds from a criminal enterprise that targeted elderly victims throughout the United States. As alleged in a court document, members of the criminal enterprise engaged in a lottery scam.
The co-conspirators made telephone calls to elderly victims and told them that they had won a lottery contest prize of millions of dollars. The victims were told that to collect the prize, they must pay fees for shipping, taxes, insurance, and customs processing, among other things. The co-conspirators then asked the victims to send the funds (generally, via personal checks and cashier’s checks) to third-party individuals, commonly known as money mules, who are known for receiving and moving money that is fraudulently acquired from victims. Then, these individuals allegedly deposited the checks into their bank accounts, withdrew the cash and sent it to Clarke and other co-conspirators via a courier service.
A court document further alleges that Clarke received over $500,000 of $1,653,473 from the proceeds of five victims’ losses. Clarke and Hudson allegedly deposited a portion of the fraudulently obtained proceeds into Clarke’s bank accounts. Later, Clarke allegedly wired transferred $150,000 to a car dealer’s bank account in Jamaica for the purchase of a 2020 AMG GT 63 S Coupe Mercedes Benz.
On Feb. 14, Clarke and Hudson made their initial appearances in federal court. On Feb. 20, Hudson had his detention hearing. Clarke’s detention hearing was continued to Feb. 23. If convicted, Clarke and Hudson each face up to 20 years in federal prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines along with other mitigating, aggravating, and statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Anthony Salisbury of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Miami, made the announcement.
HSI Ft. Lauderdale investigated the case with assistance from the Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO) and U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS). Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph A. Cooley is prosecuting it. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara Klco is handling asset forfeiture.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of elder fraud, help is standing by at the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-FRAUD-11 (833–372–8311). Victims or witnesses can also contact the HSI Tip Line by calling (866) 347-2423. If you have received a scam phone call, email, or message, you may also report it to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov.
The Department of Justice is committed to helping protect American seniors. The public is encouraged to remain vigilant and not to provide personal identifiable information (PII), such as a social security number, or money in response to false claims. For information regarding the Department’s Elder Justice Initiative visit https://www.justice.gov/elderjustice. The Department of Justice also offers a variety of resources relating to elder fraud victimization through its Office for Victims of Crime at https://www.ovc.gov.
An indictment contains mere allegations, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 24-cr-60023.
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Leader of drug trafficking organization imprisoned for international cocaine distribution schemeRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 44-year-old local man has been sentenced for his involvement in an ongoing cocaine distribution scheme that spanned more than nine years, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Francisco Rene Luna pleaded guilty April 11, 2022.
U.S. District Andrew S. Hanen has now ordered Luna to serve 216 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court found Luna to be a leader and organizer of the drug trafficking conspiracy who maintained three locations in Houston he used to stash drugs and drug proceeds. In handing down the sentence, the court noted Luna was directly involved in the importation of the drugs.
“The Gulf Cartel is one of the most violent and brutal drug trafficking organizations, posing a threat to the citizens of both the United States and Mexico,” said Hamdani. “Luna, a trusted associate of this criminal enterprise, participated in the importation of thousands of kilograms of dangerous drugs into our country for sale in our communities. Today’s sentence reflects our commitment to dismantling destructive drug trafficking organizations, wherever they are.”
Luna admitted he was a leader of a drug trafficking organization while residing in Houston. His role was to oversee the receipt of cocaine smuggled in from in vehicles on a monthly basis during the course of the eight-year conspiracy. The Gulf Cartel supplied the cocaine.
The drugs were eventually further distributed to others across the United States.
In December 2015, law enforcement seized 176 kilograms of cocaine, two kilograms of meth and $3.5 million in drug proceeds after executing search warrants at stash houses in Houston the organization controlled.
Luna was a fugitive for four years until his arrest in Monterrey, Mexico, in June 2019 as part of a joint Mexican and American law enforcement operation. He was subsequently removed from Mexico and transported to Houston for prosecution.
While he was a fugitive, Luna continued to run his drug operations from Mexico.
To date, 15 have been convicted in relation to the conspiracy.
Luna will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Houston Police Department conducted the investigation.
This Operation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and transnational criminal organizations.
The specific mission of the Houston Strike Force is to disrupt and dismantle the drug trafficking organizations that designated Consolidated Priority Organization or Regional Priority Organization Targets head with their affiliates and that impact Houston and south Texas.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Casey N. MacDonald and Anibal J. Alaniz prosecuted the case.
Kent, Washington man who illegally purchased and trafficked more than 100 firearms pleads guilty to gun crimesRead the Press Release
Seattle – A South King County man pleaded guilty last week in U.S. District Court in Seattle to multiple firearms offenses for his purchase of more than 100 firearms in a “straw purchaser” scheme, announced U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. Dion Jamar Cooper, 31, of Kent, Washington was arrested in April 2023, following an investigation by Seattle Police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives. U.S. District Judge Ricardo S. Martinez scheduled sentencing for May 17, 2024.
“Mr. Cooper lied on purchase forms and then trafficked more than 100 firearms on the streets of our community. He trafficked to those who are prohibited from possessing guns, because of their criminal history. It is not surprising that more than two dozen of the firearms have been linked to crimes,” said U.S. Attorney Gorman. “Congress has responded to the epidemic of gun violence with new laws targeting such “straw purchasing” and we are using them in this case.”
According to the criminal complaint, the investigation began in late January 2023, with the assault and attempted robbery of a woman in Rainier Valley. The victim was able to flee in her car. Police found a firearm in her vehicle that had been dropped by one of the assailants. A check of the firearm revealed it had been purchased by Dion Jamar Cooper on December 10, 2022. That recovery led the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF) to check Cooper’s purchase history. Cooper had purchased 107 firearms since June 2021. On 24 different instances he purchased multiple firearms – sometimes four or more. Of the 107 firearms identified as being purchased in this scheme, 26 of the guns have been recovered and linked to crimes.
During March and April 2023, agents surveilled Cooper as he made arrangements to purchase additional firearms. Agents identified De’ondre Lamontia Phillips as the person who drove Cooper to the gun shops where he purchased the firearms. Phillips is prohibited from purchasing and possessing firearms due to convictions for distribution of heroin (2014) and convictions for illegal firearms possession and two counts of assault (2009). Surveillance of the two revealed Cooper turning the firearms over to Phillips who stored them in his residence.
Cooper pleaded guilty to two counts of making a false statement in connection with the acquisition of firearms, one count of straw purchasing firearms and one count of trafficking in firearms. Phillips pleaded guilty last month to drug and gun possession crimes. He is scheduled for sentencing April 26, 2024.
Straw Purchasing of Firearms and Trafficking in Firearms are both punishable by up to 15 years in prison. Making a false statement in connection with a firearms acquisition is punishable by up to ten years in prison.
The case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF) and the Seattle Police Department.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Todd Greenberg.
Jefferson County Man Admits Recording Sexual Abuse of a MinorRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from Pevely, Missouri on Tuesday admitted recording his sexual abuse of a minor.
Matthew Gamel, 36, admitted that on at least four occasions, he recorded his sexual abuse of the victim. She was under 14 years of age at the time. He also acknowledged possessing more than 1,700 media files containing child sexual abuse material that he obtained online, in addition to the files documenting his abuse of the victim. Gamel pleaded guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of receipt of child pornography.
Gamel is scheduled to be sentenced May 22. As part of the plea, both sides have agreed to recommend a sentence of 25 years in prison.
The Pevely Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Hayes is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Huntington Man Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl CrimeRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Melvin Pearson Jones, 40, of Huntington, pleaded guilty today to distribution of fentanyl.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on August 3, 2023, Jones sold a quantity of fentanyl to a confidential informant at his Huntington apartment for $300. Jones admitted to the transaction, and to arranging it beforehand with the confidential informant. Jones further admitted to selling approximately 6.11 grams of heroin and fentanyl to the confidential informant in Huntington on August 9, 2023.
Jones 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 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Huntington Police Department.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney 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. 3:24-cr-1.
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Huntington Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Stephen Michael Wolford, 32, of Huntington, pleaded guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on March 29, 2023, a law enforcement attempted to initiate a traffic stop of a vehicle driven by Wolford near the intersection of 27th Street and Ninth Avenue in Huntington. Wolford admitted that he fled in the vehicle, speeding in excess of 90 miles per hour before wrecking the vehicle and flipping it on its roof on the 1400 block of 28th Street. Wolford further admitted that he attempted to flee on foot before he was caught and arrested.
Officers found a Smith & Wesson Model M&P .40-caliber pistol at the location of the vehicle crash. Wolford admitted to possessing the firearm and further admitted to bringing the firearm into a Huntington business on March 28, 2023, and showing it to a store employee while shopping for accessories for the firearm.
Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Wolford knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony conviction for grand larceny in Cabell County Circuit Court n August 15, 2017.
Wolford is scheduled to be sentenced on June 20, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Huntington Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Joseph F. Adams is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:23-cr-84.
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Huntington Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Kenard Jerlonnie Moore, also known as “Lonnie,” 41, of Huntington, pleaded guilty today to distribution of a quantity of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on September 28, 2023, Moore sold approximately 16 grams of methamphetamine and approximately 63 grams of a substance that Moore represented was fentanyl to a confidential informant for $1,400. The transaction occurred behind Moore’s 28th Street residence. Moore admitted to the transaction, and further admitted that he arranged the transaction when the confidential informant contacted him earlier that day about purchasing fentanyl and methamphetamine. A forensic analysis confirmed that the methamphetamine had a net weight of 16.6 grams and the suspected fentanyl contained no controlled substances.
Moore 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 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
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. 3:24-cr-3.
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Gulfport Woman Sentenced to over 17 Years in Prison for Possession with Intent to Distribute 264 Grams of MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
Gulfport, Miss.– A Gulfport woman was sentenced to 225 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute 264 grams of methamphetamine.
According to court documents, on July 1, 2020, law enforcement agents received information that packages containing narcotics were being delivered to Mary Lou Harmon, 61, at an address in D’Iberville, Mississippi. Harmon and a co-conspirator would receive the packages at the address and then distribute the narcotics. On July 8, 2020, two packages were sent to the address and law enforcement stopped the distribution. One of the packages addressed to Mary Lou Harmon contained 264 grams of pure methamphetamine.
Harmon was indicted by a federal grand jury, and she pled guilty on November 2, 2023, to possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.
U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee of the Southern District of Mississippi and Acting Special Agent in Charge Mike Arnett of the Drug Enforcement Administration made the announcement.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security Investigations.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Erica Rose prosecuted the case.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. 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.
Glendale Man Sentenced for Using Credit and Debit Card Skimmers at Gas Stations to Steal Nearly $200,000 in Fresno and Southern CaliforniaRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — Akop Dongelyan, 47, of Glendale, was sentenced today to 364 days in prison for conspiring to commit credit and debit card fraud, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, in November 2015, Dongelyan and co-defendant Artak Vardanyan went on a crime spree in Fresno and Southern California where they stole multiple victims’ credit and debit card information through skimmers placed at gas stations. They then used that information to make counterfeit credit and debit cards and stole over $195,000 from the victims’ accounts.
On Feb. 12, 2024, Vardanyan was sentenced to 11 months in prison.
This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph Barton and Arelis Clemente prosecuted the case.