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31 January 2024
Protecting Places of Worship Forum Held to Prevent and Combat Hate Crimes, Acts of Religious Violence, and DiscriminationRead the Press Release
MIAMI – On Jan. 30, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida and the FBI, hosted a Protecting Places of Worship forum, facilitated by the Department of Justice’s Community Relations Service, with nearly 200 faith and community leaders as part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s United Against Hate initiative.
The Protecting Places of Worship forum brought together U.S. Department of Justice representatives and others, including faith-based leaders and congregants (from churches, mosques, synagogues, and temples), federal and state prosecutors, and law enforcement and public safety personnel to prevent and combat hate crimes and protect our local faith-based institutions. The attendees came together to learn about and discuss: best practices for protecting and securing places of worship; how local, state, and federal hate crimes laws are used to prosecute people who harm or threaten places of worship and their congregants; how and when to identify, report and prevent threats to places of worship, hate crimes, acts of religious violence, and faith-based discrimination; hate crimes statistics; strategies to prepare staff, clergy, and congregants for an active shooter situation; resources available to places of worship; as well as victim services and community concerns.
“In a time when we are witnessing a rise in religious-based violence, hate crimes, and threats to our places of worship, yesterday’s forum in support of the Department’s United Against Hate initiative could not be more imperative,” stated U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe. “One of the best ways to prevent crimes fueled by religious bias is to ensure that our faith-based leaders have the information and resources they need to help protect their places of worship and congregants. No one should live in fear because of their religious beliefs. We must all speak out against the insidious threats that strike at our right to practice our religious beliefs freely and safely. Remember, united, we are stronger than hate.” “Everyone who attends a religious service deserves to do so in peace,” said Jeffrey B. Veltri, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Miami.“Yesterday’s gathering marked another milestone in our ongoing partnership with faith-based community leaders to protect houses of worship from those intent on violence. Hate crimes are the highest priority of the FBI’s civil rights program. As such, we want our religious leaders to have the latest information on ways to secure their facilities and deal with threats that may come their way. We hope that the forum serves to further educate our faith communities about civil rights laws, maintain an open dialogue, and encourage ongoing cooperation between law enforcement and these important communities. Our common goal is to ensure people are safe.”
The Protecting Places of Worship forum fostered partnerships and engagement, while providing attendees with invaluable federal, state, and local resources, to include tools to help protect and secure places of worship. Forum partners included the Department of Justice Community Relations Service, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Defense Agency, the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office, the Broward State Attorney’s Office, the Broward Sherriff’s Office, the Miami-Dade County Asian American Advisory Board, the Miami-Dade County Interfaith Advisory Board, the Anti-Defamation League of Florida, and the Coalition of South Florida Muslim Organizations. The U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement and community partners will not stop working to protect everyone in South Florida from unlawful acts of hate.
In Sept. 2022, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland started the United Against Hate program to convene local forums that connect community groups to federal, state, and local law enforcement to increase community understanding and reporting of hate crimes; build trust between law enforcement and communities; and create and strengthen alliances between law enforcement and other government partners and community groups to combat unlawful acts of hate. The United Against Hate program represents a “whole of government” approach to combating hate crimes. To learn more visit https://www.justice.gov/hatecrimes/spotlight/united-against-hate.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida and our law enforcement partners are United Against Hate. Our united mission is to prevent, investigate and prosecute threats to places of worship and hate crimes through education, outreach, and the justice system. The U.S. Attorney’s Office Hate Crimes Public Service Announcement (PSA) can be viewed at https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl/media/1336351/dl?inline. For more information visit the Southern District of Florida’s Hate Crimes Prevention and Enforcement website at https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl/hate-religious-crimes.
In support of the United Against Hate mission, following the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel, U.S. Attorney Lapointe and Special Agent in Charge Veltri issued a statement highlighting the Department’s commitment to combat hate crimes and potential threats to the South Florida community. A copy of the statement can be found at https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl/pr/joint-statements-us-attorney-markenzy- lapointe-southern-district-florida-and-special.
In a Nov. 2023 program, U.S. Attorney Lapointe, FBI Special Agent in Charge Veltri, Broward County State Attorney Harold F. Pryor, and Miami-Dade County State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle addressed over 200 South Florida law enforcement officers during a day-long interactive training session. The program included a keynote address by Judy and Dennis Shepard of the Matthew Shepard Foundation, and a presentation by the Anti-Defamation League. More information regarding the training program is available by visiting https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl/pr/south-florida-law-enforcement-officers- receive-latest-hate-crimes-training.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office and FBI’s outreach, prevention, and enforcement efforts are ongoing.
If you have information about a possible threat to a place of worship or believe you are a victim of or a witness to a hate crime, contact your local law enforcement agency (911), then the FBI at www.fbi.gov/tips or 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225- 5324). You can also report a hate crime, find resources and grant information, and learn more about the Department of Justice’s hate crimes prevention and enforcement work by visiting www.justice.gov/hatecrimes.
###Postal Employee Indicted for Mail TheftRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that SHAKEITHA WILEY, age 41, of New Orleans, was indicted on January 25, 2024 for mail theft, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1709. According to the indictment, WILEY, a postal employee, stole gift cards from the mail and used those gift cards at a local store.
If convicted, WILEY faces up to five (5) years of imprisonment, followed by up to three (3) years of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000.00, and 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.
The case was investigated by the United States Postal Service, Office of the Inspector General. Assistant United States Attorney Christine Calogero of the General Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
Post Falls Man Sentenced for Fraud Related to Unemployment Insurance BenefitsRead the Press Release
COEUR D’ALENE – Jimmy Winebrenner, 79, of Post Falls, was sentenced for using or trafficking in unauthorized access devices in relation to an unemployment insurance scheme, U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit announced today.
According to court records, in Spring 2020, Winebrenner began receiving unemployment benefits cards in the mail from various state agencies, including cards from the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation (DETR). The unemployment benefit cards were debit cards and preloaded with unemployment benefit funds issued in other persons’ names. Winebrenner was specifically sentenced for using a debit card issued in another person’s name and obtaining $14,830 at an ATM in Coeur d’Alene from the debit card. Winebrenner did so with the intent to defraud. Between July and August 2020, Winebrenner obtained $81,180 from Nevada DETR debit cards issued in other persons’ names.
Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye sentenced Winebrenner to serve five years of probation, and to pay restitution in the amount of $81,180 to the Nevada DETR.
U.S. Attorney Hurwit commended the United States Postal Inspection Service for its investigation, which led to the charges. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Mazorol prosecuted the case.
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Port Trevorton Man Sentenced for Straw Purchase of FirearmsRead the Press Release
WILLIAMSPORT – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Dalon Sass-Maxwell, age 26, of Port Trevorton, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today by the Honorable Matthew W. Brann to serve two years of incarceration based upon his previously entered guilty plea to straw purchasing thirteen firearms for individuals who were prohibited from possessing firearms.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, on six separate occasions in 2020 and 2021, Sass-Maxwell purchased firearms from federally licensed firearms dealers and falsely stated at the time of the purchases that he was the actual purchaser.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Assistant United States Attorney Geoffrey W. MacArthur prosecuted the case.
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Pittsburgh Resident Pleads Guilty to Robbery and Firearms ChargesRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – On January 30, 2024, a resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of Hobbs Act robbery and violating federal firearms law, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.
Anthony Kendrick, 37, pleaded guilty to three counts before United States District Judge Cathy Bissoon.
In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that Kendrick had been one of three individuals involved in a string of robberies targeting gas stations, convenience stores, and fast-food restaurants in the Pittsburgh area between June and August of 2019. In particular, Kendrick pleaded guilty to armed robberies at two BP gas stations on the evening of August 4 and August 5, 2019. The Hobbs Act prohibits actual or attempted robbery or extortion affecting interstate or foreign commerce.
Judge Bissoon scheduled sentencing for June 5, 2024. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of up to 27 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Jeffrey R. Bengel is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Kendrick.
Pittsburgh Resident Indicted on Firearms ViolationRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on a charge of violating federal firearms laws, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.The one-count Indictment named Demond Pinkett, 45, as the sole defendant.
According to the Indictment presented to the Court, on January 17, 2024, Pinkett possessed a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. Federal law prohibits an individual who has been convicted of a felony from possessing a firearm or ammunition.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of up to 15 years in prison, a fine of not more than $250,000, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Katherine C. Jordan is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Pennsylvania State Police conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Pittsburgh Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Violate U.S. Export LawsRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court on January 30, 2024, to a charge of conspiring to violate federal export laws, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.
Derby Clerfe, 44, pleaded guilty to one count before United States District Judge William S. Stickman.
In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that Clerfe had purchased nine handguns and provided them to another individual who would arrange for their export to Haiti without filing the export information required by federal law.
Judge Stickman scheduled sentencing for May 30, 2024. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of up to five years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Jeffrey R. Bengel is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Department of Commerce and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Clerfe.
Phoenix Man Sentenced for Role in Fentanyl ConspiracyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Tut Chuol, 43, of Phoenix, Arizona, was sentenced on January 31, 2024, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, for conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl. United States District Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Chuol to 120 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Chuol’s release from prison, he will begin a four-year term of supervised release.
On December 2, 2022, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) intercepted a package at UPS Next Day Air that had been shipped from Arizona to Omaha. A narcotics trained canine indicated to the package. It was opened and the package contained 1,000 M30 pills that tested positive for fentanyl. A controlled delivery of the package was made to the addressee. A search of the addressee’s phone and Snapchat messages led to the identification Chuol as being the individual that sent the package.
A warrant was issued for Chuol’s arrest. On February 8, 2023, DEA agents went to Chuol’s residence in Phoenix to make the arrest. Chuol was home and taken into custody without incident. A search of his residence by law enforcement located two pounds of methamphetamine and two firearms.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Philadelphia Man Indicted for Targeting U.S. Army Servicemembers in Conspiracy to Commit Identity Theft and CyberstalkingRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Alpha Omega Mayhue, 39, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was charged today by indictment with one count of conspiracy to commit identity theft, seven counts of misuse of a Social Security number, seven counts of aggravated identity theft, twenty-one counts of false statements, and one count of cyberstalking.
The indictment alleges that from February 2018 to March 2021, Mayhue, who served in the United States Army with his victims, stole and used their personally identifiable information to harass and stalk them over past grievances he had with them in the military. Mayhue and his co-conspirators impersonated the victims and conducted numerous unauthorized transactions with banks, credit unions, the Federal Trade Commission, and other entities. In addition, Mayhue cyberstalked one victim, claiming he was surveilling her and subjecting her to sexual threats. If convicted of these offenses, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of 164 years’ imprisonment, three years of supervised release, a $9,250,000 fine, and a $3,700 special assessment.
The case was investigated by the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (“DCIS”) and the Federal Deposit Insurance Company Office of Inspector General (“FDC-OIG”) and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Josh A. Davison.
An indictment, information, or criminal complaint is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Philadelphia Man Charged in Connection with Eight Carjackings and Nine RobberiesRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Khalil Dickens, 20, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was arrested and charged by indictment with one count of conspiracy, eight counts of carjacking and aiding and abetting, and four counts of using a firearm during a crime of violence and aiding and abetting.
Between approximately June 2023 and July 2023, Dickens and others allegedly took part in eight armed carjackings and nine additional robberies, in the city of Philadelphia, several of which involved the perpetrators physically assaulting, or even shooting at, their victims.
If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of life imprisonment.
The case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Philadelphia Police Department.
An indictment, information, or criminal complaint is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Peace Ambassadors Leadership Program sees area high school students become leaders in school and communityRead the Press Release
MIAMI – For the first time since the COVID-19 outbreak, South Florida high school students are participating in the U.S. Attorney’s Office (USAO) Peace Ambassadors Leadership Program.
Some 110 students from 11 area high schools recently gathered in Miami Jackson Senior High’s auditorium to learn about the program and commit to seeing it through. Students will become leaders in both their schools and in their communities. The program is a collaboration between Miami-Dade School District and staff from the USAO for the Southern District of Florida. Students will have a monthly classroom challenge as well as a community challenge.
Past classroom challenges have included teaching conflict resolution skills to underclassmen and past community challenges have seen students pack “essentials bags” to distribute to the homeless as well as organize park cleanups.
“It’s rewarding when you find students who lean into it and make the most of the program,” said USAO Law Enforcement Coordination Specialist Michael L. Martinez. “It feels good to hear their success stories.”
The program teaches students to focus on core principles such as integrity, authenticity, and empathy to look within and take on projects that are personal to them. Creating positive environments and activities in communities that struggle with violence can have a snowball effect and may be able to offset some of the negativity these communities experience.
“How many here are happy with safety in your communities?” asked Law Enforcement Coordination and Community Outreach Section Chief J.D. Smith, USAO. “How many think it could be better?” Many student hands went up to signify that improvements could be made. “Why not you? That is the question. You could be the people who change your communities for the better … change your families for the better.”
According to Smith, the key is start small and focus on oneself. Strive to be better every day. By doing so, students can lay a foundation that will get stronger with every positive action taken. Only then can they move on to affect others in a positive manner.
“They should work on themselves first, then start working on their families, and then on to their schools and communities,” said Smith. “That is how it starts. You have to take those first steps. This is about the students in the program being positive role models. If they take anything away from this, be positive role models in your families and communities.”
Law Enforcement Coordination and Community Outreach Section Chief J.D. Smith presents to area high school students on the USAO Peace Ambassador Leadership Program. This program encourages and helps students become leaders in their communities.
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Ohio Man Arrested for Wire Fraud and Aggravted Identity Theft in Connection with Scheme on St. CroixRead the Press Release
St. Croix, VI – Mitch G. Stevenson, 61, who was indicted by a federal grand jury in the District of the Virgin Islands for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, was arrested yesterday by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States Attorney Delia L. Smith announced. After his arrest, Stevenson was brought before Magistrate Judge Stephanie Bowman of the Southern District of Ohio, who ordered that he be detained pending further judicial proceedings.
According to court documents, in the summer of 2023, Stevenson approached a Florida-based investor with a business proposition which involved the purchase of scrap electric and wire cable located at Port Hamilton on St. Croix. Stevenson proposed that the Florida-based investor pay Port Hamilton $83,200 for 9,200 feet of miscellaneous electric wire and cable, which would be secured by a bill of sale granting him ownership of the scrap electric and wire cable. Court documents further state that the scrap electric and wire cable would then be transported to Florida, where it would be processed to extract the copper, which would be re-sold for a profit. The two men would then equally split the profits from the sale of the extracted copper.
According to court documents, in order to effectuate this business transaction, Stevenson entered into a contract with Port Hamilton for the purchase of the scrap electric and wire cable. The contract, which was signed by a representative of Port Hamilton, did not include the Florida-based investor as a party to the agreement. Court documents further state that Stevenson concealed the source of the funding from the Port Hamilton representative and gave the Florida-based investor a fake bill of sale, purportedly signed by a representative of Port Hamilton. In reliance on the fake bill of sale, the Florida-based investor wired the $83,200 to Port Hamilton’s bank account. Upon receipt of the $83,200, Port Hamilton transferred ownership of the scrap wire and metal to Stevenson even though the Florida-based investor paid for it.
The United States Attorney reminds the public that an indictment is merely an allegation and that all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Evan Rikhye.
North Carolina Man, Who Sent Nude Picture to FBI Undercover, Pleads GuiltyRead the Press Release
HARRISONBURG, Va. – A North Carolina man, who sent a nude photograph to an employee of the Federal Bureau of Investigation whom he believed to be a 9-year-old girl, pled guilty yesterday to federal child pornography charges.
William “Willy” Alexander Korthals, 30, of Beaufort, NC, waived his right to be indicted and pled guilty yesterday to a one-count Information charging him with attempted transfer of obscene matter to a minor.
“One of the cornerstones of the Department of Justice’s mission is protecting the most vulnerable among us: our children.” United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh said today. “This case should serve as a warning to all predators lurking online seeking to exploit children: You are not invisible, and agents from the FBI and other federal agencies are actively hunting you in every corner of the internet in order to bring you to justice.”
“Protecting children from all forms of exploitation is one of our highest priorities,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge of the Richmond Field Office, Stanley M. Meador. “We will continue to fully investigate these crimes and work with our law enforcement partners to protect children from predators, hold them accountable and protect our communities. I want to thank the I-81 Human Trafficking and Crimes Against Child Task Force and our partners for their work on this case.”
According to court documents, in May 2022, Korthals was in a Kik chat room for “Active Parents,” in a group titled “Loving Family,” when he responded to a public group thread that read, “anyone want to come to Virginia to have sex with my daughter?”
Korthals reached out to the individual who posted the thread and inquired about the age of the “daughter” and was told she was nine years old. Unbeknownst to Korthals, the thread was posted by an undercover FBI employee posing as the girl’s father. In an effort to coax the “daughter” to send him pictures, Korthals sent a photograph of his erect penis.
For over a year, Korthals chatted with the undercover FBI employee and requested “live” photographs of the 9-year-old as well as other sexually explicit photographs and videos, and also attempted to Facetime with the undercover “father and daughter.” Additionally, Korthals described specific acts of sexual abuse he wanted the “father” to perform on his “daughter,” including oral, vaginal, and anal sex.
In preparation for an in-person meeting with the undercover father and his “daughter” in August 2022, Korthals sent his laboratory test results of his sexually-transmitted disease status to the undercover “father” so that Korthals could have unprotected sex with the 9-year-old “daughter.” Two days before the planned meeting, Korthals cancelled it.
At sentencing, Korthals faces a maximum statutory penalty of up to 10 years in prison and/or a fine of up to $250,000.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Melanie Smith is prosecuting the case.
The case is brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identity and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.
New Orleans Man Pleads Guilty to Cares Act FraudRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that DENT HUNTER, age 45, of New Orleans, pleaded guilty on January 30, 2024 before U.S. District Judge Darrel James Papillion to both making false statements and money laundering, related to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act).
On March 27, 2020, the President of the United States signed into law the CARES Act, which provided emergency assistance, administered by the United States Small Business Administration (SBA), to small business owners affected by the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The two primary sources of funding for small businesses were the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) program.
According to the charging documents, or about April 6, 2020, HUNTER, on behalf of a business, made false statements to an approved lender to obtain a $122,100 PPP loan. On or about July 22, 2020, HUNTER stole $149,900 from the SBA by using an application in the name of NexLevel ONE Realty. Finally, HUNTER committed two counts of money laundering by using these ill-gotten funds to buy two motor vehicles for family members.
Sentencing will be on May 14, 2024. At sentencing, HUNTER faces up to five years in prison for the false statement counts. He also faces up to ten years in prison for the money laundering count. All of the counts include up to $250,000 in fines, up to three years of supervised release and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
For more information on the Department of Justice’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus. Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
This case was investigated by an agent assigned to the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) Fraud Task Force. The PRAC was established to serve the American public by promoting transparency and facilitating coordinated oversight of the federal government’s COVID-19 pandemic response. The PRAC’s 21 member Inspectors General identify major risks that cross program and agency boundaries to detect fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement in the more than $5 trillion in COVID-19 spending. The PRAC Fraud Task Force brings together agents from 15 Inspectors General to investigate fraud involving a variety of programs, including the Paycheck Protection Program. Task force agents who are detailed to the PRAC receive expanded authority to investigate pandemic fraud as well as tools and training to support their investigations.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs - Office of Inspector General (a member of the PRAC) and the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation in investigating this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward J. Rivera of the Financial Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
Minnesota Woman Charged for Embezzling More Than $1 Million from EmployerRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – An Eden Prairie woman has been indicted for embezzling more than $1 million from her employer, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
According to court documents, Monica Svobodny, 51, worked as the Supply Chain and Engineering Manager at Sico, Inc, a furniture and home furnishing manufacturing company located in Edina, Minnesota. Svobodny used her position to embezzle funds and convert them to her own use and benefit.
According to court documents, Svobodny regularly used company credit cards for unauthorized personal expenses such as designer clothing, spa services, and luxury hotel stays. To cover her fraud, she left unapproved credit card expenses as “pending” for accounting purposes. On more than 300 occasions, she used company cards to transfer funds to herself via PayPal to cover personal expenses. Svobodny also edited PayPal transaction receipts and fraudulently listed some of the expenses as payments to a defunct company.
In total, Svobodny knowingly and willfully embezzled more than $1,137,000 from Sico, Inc. over a period of seven years.
Svobodny was charged with one count of wire fraud. She will make her initial appearance in U.S. District Court at a later date.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Edina Police Department and the FBI.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Chelsea A. Walcker is prosecuting the case.
The charges contained in the information are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Minneapolis Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Arson of Target Corporation HeadquartersRead the Press Release
ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Minneapolis man has been sentenced to 120 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for his role in the arson of the Target corporate headquarters in downtown Minneapolis, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
According to court documents, on Wednesday, August 26, 2020, Minneapolis experienced arson, rioting, and looting following the suicide of a suspect in a homicide, and in response to false rumors surrounding the man’s death. Leroy Lemonte Perry Williams, 37, and his co-defendants went to the Target Corporation’s corporate headquarters building (“Target Corporation building”) in downtown Minneapolis where dozens of other people had gathered. Williams and others broke into the Target Corporation building and repeatedly attempted to set fire both inside and outside the building.
On October 26, 2023, Williams was convicted on one count of arson. He was sentenced today in U.S. District Court before Judge Paul A. Magnuson.
This case is the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Minneapolis Fire Department, and the Minneapolis, Bloomington, and Richfield Police Departments.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chelsea A. Walcker and Nathan H. Nelson prosecuted the case.
Miami County Man Sentenced to 72 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
SOUTH BEND – Cody Shanks, 29 years old, of Bunker Hill, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Damon R. Leichty after pleading guilty to receipt of child pornography, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.
Shanks was sentenced to 72 months in prison followed by 5 years of supervised release.
According to documents in the case, between November 2022, and March 2023, Shanks, an elementary school teacher, received child sexual abuse material files via the internet.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from the Indiana State Police, the Miami County Sheriff’s Department, and the Howard County Sheriff’s Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys John M. Maciejczyk and Hannah T. Jones.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Mexican National Sentenced to 15 Years’ Imprisonment for Methamphetamine and Gun ChargeRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Israel Robledo-Cardenas, 48, of Michoacan, Mexico, was sentenced January 31, 2024, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. United States District Court Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Robledo-Cardenas to 120 months’ imprisonment on the drug charge, and a consecutive 60 months’ imprisonment on the gun charge. After Robledo-Cardenas’s release from prison, he will be deported to Mexico as he is not a United States citizen.
On November 15, 2022, a Butler County Deputy Sheriff observed Robledo-Cardenas driving a vehicle in Rising City, Nebraska. At the time the Deputy knew Robledo-Cardenas did not have a valid operator’s license. After a traffic stop, Robledo-Cardenas gave a false name and was placed under arrest. His vehicle was towed to an indoor facility where a canine was deployed and alerted to the odor of narcotics coming from within. A subsequent search revealed 104 grams of meth along with a 9 mm handgun in a compartment behind the center console.
This case was investigated by the Butler County Sheriff’s Office and the Columbus Police Department.
Mexican National Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Illegal Re-EntryRead the Press Release
DEL RIO, Texas – A Mexican national was sentenced in a federal court in Del Rio to 120 months in prison for illegal re-entry into the United States.
According to court documents, Gabriel Aguado-Contreras, 42, of Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico was encountered by U.S. Border Patrol agents near Brackettville in January 2019. During processing at the Brackettville Border Patrol Station, he was identified as having been previously deported multiple times since 2006. Additionally, Aguado-Contreras had previously been convicted of multiple felonies.
Aguado-Contreras was arrested Jan. 18, 2019 and has remained in federal custody since. His 10-year prison sentence includes credit for time served since his arrest.
“This defendant was not only a repeat offender on the illegal re-entry charge but carried with him numerous other felonies,” said U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas. “The lengthy sentence is certainly reflective of the charge, and I appreciate the work of our partners at the Border Patrol in helping us keep our communities and citizens safe.”
USBP investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Banister prosecuted the case.
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Mexican National Sentenced for Trafficking Cocaine into U.S. from MexicoRead the Press Release
PECOS, Texas – A Mexican national was sentenced in a federal court in Pecos to 41 months in prison for cocaine trafficking.
According to court documents, Ana Cristina Alarcon Rios, 24, of Chihuahua, was stopped for speeding along Highway 90 in Alpine by a Brewster County Sheriff’s Deputy. A canine search of her vehicle revealed 10 bundles containing 11.1 kilograms of cocaine destined for Denver, Colorado. Rios pleaded guilty on Aug. 25, 2023 to possession with intent to distribute cocaine.
“This sentence serves as a warning to anyone who would consider trafficking illicit drugs into the U.S.,” said U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas. “Thanks to our partners at the local and federal levels, these offenders run a high risk of being apprehended and prosecuted for their crimes.”
HSI and the Brewster County Sheriff’s Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Scott Greenbaum and Dustin Farahnak prosecuted the case.
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Meth, fentanyl trafficking in Havre and Billings send Minnesota man to prison for eight yearsRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS — A Minnesota man convicted by a federal jury for trafficking methamphetamine and fentanyl in Havre and Billings in 2021 was sentenced today to eight years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.
After a 2 ½ day trial in September 2023, a jury found Rembrandt Carlos Kemp, 33, of Fridley, Minnesota, guilty of conspiracy to distribute or possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, as charged in an indictment.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.
The government presented evidence at trial showing that in January 2021, law enforcement began investigating fentanyl distribution in Havre by two individuals identified as Kemp and co-defendant Chantel Azure. Investigators conducted a controlled buy of fentanyl pills from Azure. During the sale, law enforcement observed Azure arrive in a vehicle with two male passengers inside. Agents saw Azure get out of her car, get into another vehicle where the sale occurred, and return to her vehicle with the two men still inside.
Law enforcement then initiated a traffic stop of Azure and her two occupants. Kemp was located in the front passenger seat and his co-defendant, Martaveon Scott, was in the back seat. Azure and Kemp were arrested on warrants and Scott was arrested for providing a false name. Kemp was found with 4.32 grams of actual methamphetamine and a digital scale. Scott was found with 28.43 grams of actual methamphetamine and 100 pills of fentanyl. An additional 2.9 grams of actual meth was found in the trunk of the vehicle along with a .22 caliber AR-15 style rifle. Additionally, $1,378 was found with Kemp and Scott in the car, including the $800 cash used for the controlled buy.
Azure was sentenced to 28 months in prison for her conviction in the case. Scott is pending sentencing for his conviction in the case.
U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The Tri-Agency Task Force, Havre Police Department and Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
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Memphis Man Sentenced in Conspiracy to Sell Patient Information to Third PartiesRead the Press Release
Memphis, TN – A Memphis man has been sentenced in federal court for stealing patient information as part of a scheme to sell private information for personal gain. Roderick Harvey, 42, has been sentenced to five years of probation for his role in a conspiracy to violate the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, or HIPAA. United States District Judge Thomas L. Parker also ordered Harvey to serve one year of the probationary period in home detention and to pay a $50,000 fine. U.S. Attorney Kevin G. Ritz announced the sentence today.
In April 2023, Harvey pled guilty to conspiring with five former Methodist Hospital employees to unlawfully disclose patient information in violation of HIPAA.
According to information presented in court, between November 2017, and December 2020, Harvey paid Kirby Dandridge, Sylvia Taylor, Kara Thompson, Melanie Russell, and Adrianna Taber to provide him with names and phone numbers of patients who had been involved in motor vehicle accidents. Harvey then sold the information to third persons including personal injury attorneys and chiropractors.
HIPAA was enacted by Congress in 1996 to create national standards to protect sensitive patient information from being disclosed without a patient’s knowledge or consent. HIPAA’s provisions make it a crime to disclose patient information, or to obtain patient information with the intent to sell, transfer or use such information for personal gain.
Dandridge, Taylor, Taber, Thompson, and Russell were sentenced after pleading guilty in 2023 to disclosing patient information to Harvey. Dandridge was sentenced to one year of probation and ordered to pay a $2,500 fine. Thompson was sentenced to one year of probation and ordered to pay a fine of $3,000. Taylor was sentenced to two years of probation. Taber was sentenced to one year of probation and ordered to pay a $1,000 fine. Russell was sentenced to time served and placed on supervised release for six months.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
Assistant United States Attorney Carroll L. André III prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.
Massachusetts Resident Pleads Guilty to Traveling to Capital Region to Meet Minor for SexRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Martin Connearney, age 34, of Lenox, Massachusetts, pled guilty today to traveling across state lines to the Capital Region with the intent to engage in a sexual act with a minor. United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.
Connearney admitted that between April 6, 2022 and May 5, 2022, he communicated with an individual to discuss and plan Connearney’s sexual abuse of a 10-year-old girl in the Capital Region. Connearney and the individual ultimately devised a plan for Connearney to travel from Lenox to the Capital Region so Connearney could engage in sexual contact with the 10-year-old. On the morning of May 5, 2022, Connearney drove from Lenox to a location in Columbia County, New York, where he was encountered by law enforcement officials at a prearranged location and arrested.
Connearney is scheduled to be sentenced by United States District Judge Anne M. Nardacci on May 30, 2024. He faces a maximum term of 30 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, a term of supervised release of at least 5 years and up to life, and mandatory registration as a sex offender. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors. Connearney also agreed to forfeit the phone he used to commit the offense.
The FBI and its Child Exploitation Task Force investigated this case. The FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force includes members of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, including the Colonie Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin S. Clark is prosecuting the case as part of Project Safe Childhood.
Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorney’s 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 https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Man Pleads Guilty to Bank Secrecy Act Charges in $1B SchemeRead the Press Release
A New York man pleaded guilty today to failure to maintain an anti-money laundering program in violation of the Bank Secrecy Act as part of a scheme to bring lucrative and high-risk international financial business to a small, unsophisticated credit union.
According to court documents, from 2014 to 2016, Gyanendra Asre, 56, of New York, was a member of the supervisory board of the New York State Employees Federal Credit Union (NYSEFCU), a financial institution that was required to have an anti-money laundering program. Through the NYSEFCU and other entities, Asre participated in a scheme that brought over $1 billion in high-risk transactions, including millions of dollars of bulk cash transactions from a foreign bank, to the NYSEFCU.
In addition, Asre was a certified anti-money laundering specialist who was experienced in international banking and trained in anti-money laundering compliance and procedures, and represented to the NYSEFCU that he and his businesses would conduct appropriate anti-money laundering oversight as required by the Bank Secrecy Act. Based on Asre’s representations, the NYSEFCU, a small credit union with a volunteer board that primarily served New York state public employees, allowed Asre and his entities to conduct high-risk transactions through the NYSEFCU. Contrary to his representations, Asre willfully failed to implement and maintain an anti-money laundering program at the NYSEFCU. This failure caused the NYSEFCU to process the high-risk transactions without appropriate oversight and without ever filing a single Suspicious Activity Report, as required by law.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on May 3. 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 Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Erin Keegan of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York made the announcement.
HSI investigated the case.
Acting Chief Margaret Moeser of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section (MLARS) and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan C. Harris and Francisco J. Navarro for the Eastern District of New York are prosecuting the case.
MLARS’ Bank Integrity Unit investigates and prosecutes banks and other financial institutions, including their officers, managers, and employees, whose actions threaten the integrity of the individual institution or the wider financial system.
Man Convicted of Illegally Possessing a Firearm and Ammunition Used in an Alexander City ShootingRead the Press Release
Montgomery, Alabama – On January 30, 2024, a federal jury in Montgomery, Alabama, convicted 57-year-old Vincent Darrell Bias, from Alexander City, Alabama, for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, announced Acting United States Attorney Jonathan S. Ross.
According to court records and evidence presented during Bias’s trial, on September 8, 2020, law enforcement officers responded to reports of a shooting at an Alexander City residence. Officers soon arrived at the scene and located the shooting victim. Statements taken from the victim and other witnesses indicated that Bias and the victim had an argument the day before, and that Bias returned to the residence the following day with a shotgun. According to witnesses, Bias shot the victim when the victim came outside. Bias then left the scene. The victim’s injuries were non-life threatening. Law enforcement officers then located Bias at his Alexander City residence. Investigators searched vehicles located on Bias’s property and found a shotgun matching the description of the firearm used in the shooting, along with ammunition.
Bias had multiple previous felony convictions and is prohibited by federal law from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Following this conviction, Bias faces a sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison with no parole. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled for Bias in the coming months. At that hearing, a federal district court judge will determine Bias’s sentence after considering the United States Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. If the judge determines that the Armed Career Criminal Act of 1984 qualifies in Bias’s case, his potential sentence range could be increased to 15 years to life in prison.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Alexander City Police Department investigated this case, which Assistant United States Attorneys Eric M. Counts and Christopher P. Moore prosecuted.
Man Charged with Arson Related to Fires at Clovis Lowe’s and WalmartRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, and Jeffrey C. Boshek II, Special Agent in Charge of the Dallas Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, announced that Jimmy Roberts Guillen appeared in federal court on an indictment charging him with attempted arson and arson. Guillen, 59, will remain in temporary custody pending a detention hearing.
According to the indictment, on Sept. 3, 2023, Guillen attempted to damage and destroy the Lowe’s store located on North Prince Street in Clovis, New Mexico, by means of fire. Also, on Sept. 3, 2023, Guillen damaged and destroyed the Walmart store located on North Prince Street in Clovis, New Mexico, by means of fire.
An indictment is only an allegation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, Guillen faces up to 20 years in prison.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated this case with assistance from the Clovis Police Department, Roosevelt County Sheriff’s Office, New Mexico State Fire Marshal’s Office, Ninth Judicial District Attorney’s Office and Criminal Investigators at the Ninth Judicial District Attorney’s Office, Curry County Sheriff’s Office, and Portales Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria Elena Stiteler is prosecuting the case.
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Long Island MS-13 Gang Member Sentenced to 520 Months in Prison for Participating in Two Murders, an Attempted Murder and Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
Earlier today, in federal court in Central Islip, Jonathan Hernandez, also known as “Kraken” and “Travieso,” a member of the Sailors Locos Salvatruchas Westside (Sailors) clique of La Mara Salvatrucha, also known as the MS-13, a transnational criminal organization, was sentenced by United States District Judge Gary R. Brown to 520 months’ imprisonment. Hernandez pleaded guilty in May 2022 to racketeering charges in connection with his participation in the January 28, 2016 murder of Michael Johnson, the April 29, 2016 murder of Oscar Acosta, an attempted murder on August 10, 2016, and a conspiracy to distribute cocaine and marijuana.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, James Smith, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), and Robert Waring, Acting Commissioner, Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD), announced the sentence.
“Today’s sentence is the result of choices the defendant made to commit serious crimes on behalf of the Sailors clique of the MS-13, including the brutal premeditated murders of two young men, assaults with dangerous weapons, attempted murders, and the distribution of drugs,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “The substantial period of incarceration imposed today will protect the public from more crimes committed by the defendant and it is my hope, deter young men from joining this depraved gang.”
“The significant sentence handed down today hopefully provides a sense of justice and closure for the families of the victims murdered by Jonathan Hernandez. The FBI’s Long Island Gang Task Force, along with our law enforcement partners, will remain relentless in our efforts to eliminate the threat posed by MS-13’s barbaric violence,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Smith.
“The actions of this murderer were barbaric, lack humanity and robbed families of a loved one,” stated SCPD Acting Police Commissioner Waring said. “This sentence ensures Hernandez will never have an opportunity to brutalize another person again. We will continue to collaborate with our law enforcement partners to disband this criminal enterprise and prioritize the safety of our community.”
According to court filings and statements made during Hernandez’s sentencing and guilty plea proceedings, Hernandez is a member of the Sailors clique of the MS-13 – one of the more powerful, violent, and well-established cliques on the East Coast of the United States – and committed the following crimes in order to maintain or increase his status in the gang: The January 28, 2016 Murder of Michael Johnson
On January 28, 2016, the local leader of the Sailors clique and other MS-13 members and associates were at the Jocorena Deli in Brentwood, where they saw 29-year-old Michael Johnson, and claimed to recognize him as a member of the rival Bloods street gang. At that point, Johnson was marked as their “food” – a reference to their intention to kill him.
After receiving the requisite approval from the New York leader of the Sailors clique to commit this murder, Hernandez and several other MS-13 members were contacted by the local clique leader, informed of the plan to kill Johnson and instructed to bring weapons, including a machete and a baseball bat, to a wooded area in Brentwood. Johnson was then lured to that secluded meeting location by the local clique leader under the guise of smoking marijuana. The MS-13 members and associates, including Hernandez, ambushed him from behind – striking Johnson with the baseball bat, stabbing him with a knife, and taking turns hacking him with the machete. They fled after hearing police sirens in the area. Subsequently, Hernandez and other MS-13 associates were promoted in rank for their participation in this murder.
Johnson was reported missing by family members. Less than one week after his murder, on February 2, 2016, members of the SCPD responded to a 911 call about a body found in the woods by a passerby, and recovered Johnson’s body. An autopsy determined Johnson’s cause of death to be sharp and blunt force injuries.
The April 29, 2016 Murder of Oscar AcostaIn early 2016, Hernandez and his fellow Sailors clique members decided to “green light” 19-year-old Oscar Acosta for murder because they suspected that he was associating with the rival 18th Street gang after previously aligning himself with the MS-13. The New York Sailors clique leader assigned roles as to which members would take the lead in planning and carrying out the murder.
On April 29, 2016, a number of MS-13 members met Acosta in a wooded area near an elementary school in Brentwood where he had been lured under the guise of smoking marijuana. They brutally beat Acosta with tree limbs, knocking him unconscious. They bound Acosta’s hands and feet, wrapped an article of clothing around his mouth to prevent him from making noise, and summoned other MS-13 members, including the local Sailors clique leader and Hernandez, who arrived together. The MS-13 members loaded Acosta into the trunk of a car and drove to a more secluded area in Brentwood near the abandoned Pilgrim State Psychiatric Hospital. They removed Acosta, who was still alive, from the car trunk and carried him into the woods where they took turns hacking him to death with a machete. The murder was supervised by the local Sailors clique leaders. The MS-13 members then buried Acosta’s body in a shallow grave.
Acosta’s body was discovered by law enforcement nearly five months later, on September 16, 2016, during a search for another MS-13 victim. His cause of death was homicidal violence, including sharp and blunt force injuries to his head and torso.
The August 10, 2016 Attempted Murder of Rival Gang MembersIn 2016, members of the MS-13 were engaged in a series of disputes with members of the Goon Squad, a rival gang in Brentwood. On August 10, 2016, two armed MS-13 members, including the local leader of the Sailors clique, drove through the neighborhood around Lukens Avenue in Brentwood, and spotted several men who they believed were members of the Goon Squad, outside of a house. The MS-13 members then rallied other members of the Sailors clique, including Hernandez, to kill the rivals.
The MS-13 members divided into two vehicles, and drove towards the house where the suspected Goon Squad members had been spotted. Hernandez and another MS-13 member, armed with a .40 caliber and .45 caliber handgun, exited the car and approached the group of suspected rivals. Both fired numerous shots in their direction. No one was hit, although a stray bullet entered a neighbor’s house and struck the headboard of a bed in which the neighbor was sleeping.
Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine and MarijuanaFor a year and a half, from approximately April 2016 through October 2017, in order to finance the illegal operations of the Sailors clique, Hernandez and his fellow MS-13 members and associates regularly sold street-level quantities of cocaine and marijuana in Brentwood and its surrounding areas, which they obtained from clique leaders. After the sales, the profits were turned over to the clique leaders, for use in, among other things, purchasing firearms for use by clique members, wiring money to MS-13 leaders in El Salvador and buying additional narcotics for further distribution. A conservative estimate of the amount of marijuana distributed attributable to Hernandez and his clique during this time period is between five and 10 kilograms.
Hernandez was previously sentenced in March 2018 by then-United States District Judge Joseph F. Bianco to 51 months’ imprisonment in connection with his earlier guilty plea to assault with dangerous weapons in aid of racketeering. That conviction related to assaults that Hernandez and several other MS-13 members and associates carried out at athletic fields adjacent to the Brentwood East Elementary and Brentwood East Middle Schools in October 2015. Hernandez and his fellow MS-13 gang members confronted a group of individuals who they suspected of being members of a rival gang, and when that group attempted to leave the area, Hernandez and several other MS-13 members surrounded them and began viciously attacking the group with baseball bats and pipes. Today’s sentence credited Hernandez for the time he spent in custody on the previously-imposed 51-month sentence toward the 520 months’.
Today’s sentence is the latest achievement in a series of federal prosecutions by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York targeting members of the MS-13, a violent, transnational criminal organization. The MS-13’s leadership is based in El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico, but the gang has thousands of members across the United States. With numerous branches, or “cliques,” the MS-13 is the most violent criminal organization on Long Island. Since 2003, hundreds of MS-13 members, including dozens of clique leaders, have been convicted on federal felony charges in the Eastern District of New York. A majority of those MS-13 members have been convicted on federal racketeering charges for participating in murders, attempted murders and assaults. Since 2010, this Office has obtained indictments charging MS-13 members with carrying out more than 65 murders in the Eastern District of New York, resulting in the convictions of dozens of MS-13 leaders and members in connection with those murders. These prosecutions are the product of investigations led by the FBI’s Long Island Gang Task Force, which is comprised of agents and officers of the FBI, SCPD, Nassau County Police Department, Nassau County Sheriff’s Department, Suffolk County Probation Office, Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office, the New York State Police, the Hempstead Police Department, the Rockville Centre Police Department and the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Long Island Criminal Division. Assistant United States Attorneys Paul G. Scotti, Justina L. Geraci and Megan E. Farrell are in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendant:JONATHAN HERNANDEZ (also known as “Kraken” and “Travieso”)
Age: 26
Brentwood, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 16-CR-403 (GRB)
Little Rock Man Sentenced to Maximum 20 Years in Prison for ArsonRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—A Little Rock man was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for arson. United States District Judge Lee P. Rudofsky sentenced Trent Tyrone Smith, age 50, late Monday to the maximum sentence allowable under the federal statute based upon both his crimes in this case and his history of violence. Smith was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release.
“A maximum sentence was sought in this case because both the victim and the public deserve to be safe from this defendant for as long as the law would allow,” said Jonathan D. Ross, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas. “Given this defendant’s depraved crimes in the present case and his violent criminal history, we are grateful that the Court agreed with our request for the maximum sentence and sentenced this defendant to 20 years in federal prison. Protecting victims and the public from violent criminals is our office’s number one priority, and so our office will not hesitate to continue to seek maximum prison sentences against criminals who use violence to destroy lives, businesses, and our fundamental right to safety.”
On March 3, 2022, the Little Rock Fire Department (“LRFD”) responded to several calls for service at two separate locations of The Grind Coffee Bistro: Pleasant Ridge Town Center, Cantrell Road, and East 21st Street, both in Little Rock, Arkansas. At the Pleasant Ridge Town Center location, the LRFD responded to a water flow alarm but were unable to locate the source. A water flow alarm is indicative a fire suppression sprinkler system is activated. Shortly thereafter, a fire was reported at the intersection of East 21st and Commerce Streets. Upon arrival of the LRFD, they found the front door locked but observed The Grind Coffee Bistro on fire and smoke in the windows of the business.
The LRFD responded a second time to The Grind Coffee Bistro’s location in the Pleasant Ridge Town Center later in the evening. Upon arrival, they could see smoke emitting from the business. The firefighters were able to enter through the unlocked front door of the business and observed two fires in the kitchen and one in the storage room. While extinguishing the fire, they located an overturned can of gas in the bathroom, which was similar to the two 2-gallon Scepter-brand gas cans Smith purchased from Walmart’s East McCain Boulevard location.
An investigation revealed that the owner (victim) of The Grind Coffee Bistro had recently ended her relationship with Smith. On February 26, 2022, Smith physically assaulted the victim. The following day, the victim changed the locks and Smith removed his personal belongings from the residence. On the same day as the fires, Smith attempted to contact the victim several times in the afternoon, and later that day, the juvenile son of the victim called his mother to advise her that their residence had been shot at, although it was later determined that an unknown object was used to strike the window. The victim returned to her residence at that time.
Through the investigation, it was learned that spare keys to the business were missing. It was also learned that Smith, who is on parole, drove a gold Buick Lacrosse that is registered to his mother. In a review of surveillance footage from the business’s Cantrell location, Smith is observed at the location from 9:21 p.m. until 9:43 p.m. and approximately one minute later, the LRFD was notified of a water flow activation alarm. The Fire Department was dispatched to a fire at the East 21st Street location, approximately 19 minutes after Smith departed the Cantrell location.
Smith has a substantial and violent criminal history. He was convicted in 2016 in Saline County for aggravated assault on a family or household member and terroristic threatening in the first degree after he attacked a victim, threatened to kill her, and drove a car into the residence attempting to strike her. Smith fled to Kentucky where he fled from law enforcement at speeds of 110 miles per hour and ultimately almost struck multiple officers with his vehicle, for which he was convicted of first-degree wanton endangerment. Smith also had prior convictions for aggravated assault and second-degree battery for an incident where multiple officers were injured, battery in the third degree involving domestic violence, and unlawfully possessing a firearm.
During the sentencing, the victim told the Court how hard she worked to build these businesses as a single mother and spoke about the violence inflicted by Smith against her. The victim indicated that she hoped to protect others from Smith by coming forward to speak.
Smith was indicted by a federal grand jury on April 5, 2022, in a two-count indictment charging him with use of a fire/explosive to damage or destroy property with injury to persons. He pleaded guilty to one count on July 25, 2023, and the remaining count was dismissed.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
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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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Latin King gang member sentenced to 380 months in prison for sex trafficking, obstruction and use of interstate facilities in aid of racketeeringRead the Press Release
MIAMI – Today, a Latin King gang member was sentenced to 380 months in prison by Chief District Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga after having been convicted at trial of two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, obstruction of sex trafficking enforcement, and use of interstate facilities in aid of racketeering.
Jason Wagner, aka “King Ace,” of Miami, Florida, forced several women to engage in commercial sex since as early as 2003. To make his adult and underaged victims engage in commercial sex, Wagner locked them in his apartments, took their personal identification documents, subjected them to violence and threats of violence, and provided them with drugs. Wagner initially came to the attention of law enforcement after a woman alerted a good Samaritan that she was being held hostage in Wagner’s home. After Wagner’s arrest in this case, he repeatedly asked the woman to drop the charges and refuse to testify in court.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge Anthony Salisbury of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Miami, and Director Stephanie V. Daniels of the Miami-Dade Police Department (MDPD), announced the sentence.
HSI Miami, in partnership with MDPD’s Human Trafficking Squad and the South Florida Human Trafficking Task Force, investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lacee Elizabeth Monk and Jessica Kahn Obenauf prosecuted it.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Divisions Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate better, 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.
To report suspected human trafficking or to obtain resources for victims, please call 1-888-373-7888; text “BeFree” (233733), or live chat at HumanTraffickingHotline.org. The toll-free phone, SMS text lines, and online chat function are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Help is available in English, Spanish, Creole, or in more than 200 additional languages. The National Hotline is not managed by law enforcement, immigration, or an investigative agency. Correspondence with the National Hotline is confidential, and you may request assistance or report a tip anonymously.
To learn more about the National Resource Hotline, visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org. To learn more about the U.S. Department of Justice’s efforts to combat human trafficking, visit www.justice.gov/humantrafficking.
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-20124.
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Last member of car theft ring sentencedRead the Press Release
ROCHESTER, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Dennis L. Jones, 33, of Fort Lauderdale, FL, who was convicted of bank fraud, was sentenced to serve 57 months in prison, by U.S. District Judge David L. Larimer. Jones is the final defendant in a series of “smash and grab” car robberies to be sentenced.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa M. Marangola, who handled the case, stated that between December 2021, and March 2022, Jones and three others drove up the East Coast from Florida to Rochester, NY, for the purpose of stealing purses from unoccupied vehicles in gym parking lots, retail parking lots, hiking trails and residential neighborhoods. The defendants used stolen driver’s licenses to cash stolen checks totaling $55,310 at local banks. Over 20 victims were identified in the Rochester Area, as well as additional victims along the East Coast.
In addition, defendant Liza J. Freiman, 33, of Boston, MA, was sentenced to serve 12 months in prison; defendant Allen Clark, 34, of Fort Lauderdale, FL, was sentenced to 84 months in prison; and defendant Ja’Cari Robinson, 22, also of Fort Lauderdale, FL, was sentenced to six months in prison.
The sentencing is the culmination of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia.
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Las Vegas Resident Sentenced to Prison for COVID-19 Relief Loan Scheme Committed While on Supervised ReleaseRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS – A Las Vegas man was sentenced today by United States District Judge Andrew P. Gordon to two years and six months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release for devising a scheme to fraudulently obtain more than $42,000 in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) loan applications that the Small Business Administration (SBA) guaranteed under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
According to court documents, in June 2020, Shavonte Hill (36) — while serving a term of federal supervised release for a 2017 felony conviction — devised a scheme to defraud the SBA. As part of the scheme, Hill submitted on behalf of businesses that did not exist loan applications that contained false information, including false revenue amounts for non-existent companies and false certifications that Hill would spend the loan money on business expenses, such as payroll costs, interest on mortgages, rent, and utilities. He also provided fraudulent documentation in support of his loan applications. The loss caused by Hill’s scheme was about $42,082.
In November 2023, Hill pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud. In addition to imprisonment, Hill was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $42,082.
United States Attorney Jason M. Frierson for the District of Nevada; Special Agent in Charge Spencer L. Evans for the FBI; Special Agent in Charge Jon W. Ellwanger for the Western Region, Office of Inspector General for the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (FRB-CFPB OIG); Western Region Special Agent in Charge Weston King for the Small Business Administration, Office of Inspector General (SBA OIG); and IRS CI Phoenix Field Office Acting Special Agent in Charge Carissa Messick for the IRS Criminal Investigation made the announcement.
The FBI, FRB-CFPB OIG, SBA OIG, IRS CI, and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorneys Kimberly Frayn and Jessica Oliva prosecuted the case.
In May 2021 the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Justice Department in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The task force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please visit www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
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Kentucky Man Sentenced to 120 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
FORT WAYNE – Keondre Bradley, 28 years old, of Lexington, Kentucky, was sentenced by United States District Court Chief Judge Holly A. Brady, after pleading guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.
Bradley was sentenced to 120 months in prison followed by 5 years of supervised release.
According to documents in the case, on or about March 7, 2022, Bradley possessed 400 grams or more of Fentanyl with the intent to distribute.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration with assistance from the Indiana State Police and the Allen County Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lesley J. Miller Lowery.
Jury Convicts Federal Prisoner of Assaulting His Cellmate Causing Serious Bodily HarmRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that a federal jury has found Walter Lamar Jackson (43, Georgia) guilty of assault within the special maritime or territorial jurisdiction of the United States resulting in serious bodily harm. Jackson faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 20, 2024, before Senior United States District Judge John Antoon II. A grand jury returned an indictment against Jackson on August 16, 2022.
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, Jackson was an inmate at the Federal Correctional Complex Coleman in Sumter County. On July 15, 2021, he was housed in a special housing unit cell with another inmate. At approximately 5:50 p.m., correctional officers responded to an emergency alarm and discovered Jackson’s cellmate lying on the floor unconscious. Jackson was standing over his cellmate’s body, slamming his cellmate’s head into the concrete, which resulted in severe injuries. The officers immediately stopped the assault and placed Jackson in handcuffs. Jackson stated to medical personnel that he had attacked his cellmate after giving him three warnings to be quiet.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Prisons. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Hannah Nowalk and William S. Hamilton.
Jackson Man Sentenced to over Ten Years in Federal Prison for Carjacking and Brandishing a Firearm in Relation to a Crime of ViolenceRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – A Jackson man was sentenced to 121 months in federal prison for carjacking and brandishing a firearm in relation to a crime of violence.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Russell Emmett Gibbs, 46, carjacked a male victim at gunpoint on Edgewood Terrace in Jackson, Mississippi in November 2020. Gibbs was indicted by a federal grand jury on June 6, 2023, and entered a guilty plea on October 26, 2023.
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 ATF and the Jackson Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly T. Purdie prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Indiana Man Charged with Obstructing Gambling InvestigationRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – An Indiana man has been charged with obstructing a federal grand jury investigation in the Northern District of Alabama, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and FBI Special Agent in Charge Carlton L. Peeples.
A one-count information filed earlier today in United States District Court charges Bert Eugene Neff, 49, of Indianapolis, Indiana, with one count of obstruction of justice. The charge arose from a scheme to impede an investigation into suspicious gambling activity surrounding a National Collegiate Athletic Association baseball game.
According to the Information, Neff engaged in a multi-month obstruction scheme that began in May 2023 and continued until January 2024. During the course of the scheme, Neff destroyed his cell phone, encouraged witnesses to destroy their cell phones and delete encrypted messaging applications, and provided false statements to federal investigators. The scheme culminated in October 2023 when Neff participated in a one-hour twenty-one-minute telephone call concerning topics related to the investigation with two witnesses the day before they were scheduled to testify before a grand jury in the Northern District of Alabama. All of this activity was designed to interfere with ongoing grand jury investigation.
According to the plea agreement, also filed today, Neff has agreed to plead guilty to the charge, The Court will set a date for Neff to enter his guilty plea.
The maximum penalty for obstruction of justice is ten years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorneys Edward J. Canter and Lloyd C. Peeples are prosecuting the case.
An information contains only charges. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Honduran National Previously Deported Three Times Admits to Illegal Reentry, Social Security FraudRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – A Honduran national who repeatedly entered the United States illegally and was removed in 2007, 2018, and October 2019, admitted to a federal judge today in Providence that he had entered the United States illegally for a fourth time prior to his most recent arrest in Providence in January 2023, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
At the time of his arrest in Providence, Belfran Joel Najera-Chirinos, 42, was employed by a local shipbuilder, working under the name of and using the Social Security of another individual. When arrested, Najera-Chirinos provided law enforcement with yet a different name, and produced a Puerto Rican driver’s license in the name of that person.
Najera-Chirinos today pleaded guilty to charges of illegal reentry after deportation and Social Security fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced on April 16, 2024. The defendant’s sentences will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ronald R. Gendron.
The matter was investigated by the Homeland Security Investigations and the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General/Office of Investigations.
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Honduran National Pleads Guilty to Aggravated Identity TheftRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Allan Gomez-Zelaya (43, Honduras) has pleaded guilty to aggravated identity theft. Gomez-Zelaya faces a minimum mandatory penalty of two years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to the plea agreement, E-Verify is a web-based system through which employers electronically confirm the employment eligibility of their employees. E-Verify is administered by the Social Security Administration (SSA) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The SSA and USCIS check the submitted information against the records of actual persons who are authorized to work in the United States. E-Verify is a voluntary program for employers and requires documents such as a Social Security number and photo identification of a prospective employee.
From at least 2018 through October 2022, Gomez-Zelaya used another person’s means of identification in order to defeat the E-Verify system and to commit the felony offenses of misuse of a Social Security number and false claim of United States citizenship for employment purposes.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Department of Transportation – Office of Inspector General, the Social Security Administration – Office of the Inspector General, the United States Border Patrol, the Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christopher F. Murray.
Hawaii Man Indicted on Multiple Civil Rights Charges Including Sex TraffickingRead the Press Release
A federal judge in the District of Hawaii unsealed a 20-count indictment charging a Hawaii man with five counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; one count of sex trafficking of a minor; three counts of obstructing and interfering with a sex trafficking investigation; 11 counts of interstate travel and transportation in aid of racketeering enterprises and one count of interstate transportation of the purposes of prostitution. The indictment also charges a co-defendant with three counts of interstate transportation for purposes of prostitution.
According to the indictment, Isaiah McCoy, 37, used force, fraud and coercion to cause four adult women and one minor to engage in commercial sex acts in Hawaii between May 2019 and May 2023. The indictment also alleges that co-defendant Anwar Al-Rasul, 60, used cell phones and the internet to discuss booking commercial sex acts and collected payments from commercial sex acts between October 2019 and November 2019.
The charge of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years, a maximum penalty of life in prison, up to five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Restitution is also mandatory upon any conviction for sex trafficking. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence upon any conviction after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and Special Agent in Charge John F. Tobon of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Honolulu Field Office made the announcement.
HSI investigated the case with the assistance of the Honolulu Police Department.
Trial Attorneys Maryam Zhuravitsky and Meghan Tokash of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit are prosecuting the case.
HSI is asking anyone with information about McCoy and Al Rasul to contact the HSI Honolulu Field Office at 808-529-1900 and Press “2” for the duty agent. Anyone who has information about human trafficking should report that information to the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information about human trafficking, please visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org. Information on the Justice Department’s efforts to combat human trafficking can be found at www.justice.gov/humantrafficking.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Greenville man sentenced for possessing a machinegunRead the Press Release
Greenville, MS – A Greenville man was sentenced today to 2 1/2 years in prison for illegal possession of a machinegun.
According to court documents, Johnny Watkins a/k/a Lil Munk, 19, committed a string of violent crimes in the Greenville-area leading to the execution of a search warrant at his residence. Watkin’s social media account showed that Watkins bragged about gang activity, posed with numerous firearms and illicit narcotics, and threatened rival gang members. Based on the pictures posted on social media and the recent string of crimes committed by Watkins, law enforcement officials obtained authorization to search Watkin’s residence. During the search of his residence, law enforcement recovered a Glock 10mm pistol with a 23-round magazine. Attached to the Glock pistol was a machinegun conversion device (“MCD”) commonly referred to as a “switch.” In addition to possession of a machinegun, the district court considered Watkins use of firearms in other related crimes including the shooting of a Greenville Police Department officer’s residence.
Following a sentencing hearing, Chief U.S. District Court Judge Debra M. Brown sentenced Watkins to 30 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release.
“The proliferation of these devices presents a clear and present danger to Mississippians,” said U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner. “We hope that this sentence sends a clear message that those who engage in criminal activity will be held accountable for their illegal acts and for their use and possession of automatic weapons.”
“The illegal possession of machinegun conversion devices, that readily convert firearms into machineguns, are a significant threat to our communities and remain a top priority for ATF,” said ATF New Orleans Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson. “The sentence imposed today sends a message to the community that the law enforcement community will hold offenders accountable, and ATF will remain focused on reducing violent gun crime while disrupting access to these illegal machineguns by the criminal element.”
“The Greenville Police Department is committed to ensuring the safety of the community,” said Greenville Police Chief Marcus Turner. “We will continue our efforts to rid out countless acts of violence, specifically done by altered weapons. We are actively out daily fighting to reduce crime and gun violence.”
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 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives as well as the Greenville Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sam Stringfellow prosecuted the case.
Grand Jury Returns Five IndictmentsRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. - A federal grand jury in the Western District of Wisconsin, sitting in Madison, returned the following indictments today. You are advised that a charge is merely an accusation and a person named as defendant in an indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Federal Inmate Charged with Assaulting Prison Employee
Gregory Brown, 41, Pekin, Illinois, is charged with forcibly assaulting, resisting, opposing, impeding, intimidating, and interfering with an employee at the Federal Correctional Institution in Oxford, Wisconsin. The indictment alleges that that conduct occurred on October 12, 2023. If convicted, Brown faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
The charge against Brown was the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Remington is handling the case.
Two Charged with Firearms Offenses
Damion L. Haynie, 40, La Crosse, Wisconsin, is charged with possessing a firearm and ammunition as a felon. The indictment alleges that Haynie possessed a Taurus PT 738 .380 caliber handgun and Aguila .380 caliber ammunition on November 30, 2023. If convicted, Haynie faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.
The charge against Haynie is the result of an investigation by the La Crosse Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Colleen Lennon is handling the case.
Jaison L. Coleman, 41, Marshfield, Wisconsin, is charged with possessing firearms and ammunition as a felon. The indictment alleges that Coleman possessed a Springfield Arms 9mm handgun, a Ruger 9mm handgun, and 9mm ammunition on or about April 20, 2023. If convicted, Coleman faces a maximum penalty of ten years in prison.
The charge against Coleman is the result of an investigation by the Marshfield Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Central Wisconsin Narcotics Task Force, which is comprised of investigators from the FBI, Wisconsin State Patrol, Lincoln County Sheriff's Office, Marathon County Sheriff's Office, Portage County Sheriff's Office, Everest Metro Police Department, Wausau Police Department and Wisconsin National Guard Counter Drug Program. The Marathon County District Attorney’s Office also assisted. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven P. Anderson is handling the case.
The cases against Haynie and Coleman were bought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the U.S. Justice Department’s program to reduce violent crime. The PSN approach emphasizes coordination between state and federal prosecutors and all levels of law enforcement to address gun crime, especially felons illegally possessing firearms and ammunition and violent and drug crimes that involve the use of firearms.
Two Charged with Illegally Reentering the Unites States Following Deportation
Minervo Vences Cardoso, 44, a citizen of Mexico, is charged with illegally reentering the United States after having previously been deported and removed. The indictment alleges that Vences Cardoso was found in the United States on October 16, 2022. If convicted, Vences Cardoso faces a maximum penalty of ten years in prison.
The charge against Vences Cardoso was the result of an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Wegner is handling the case.
Alonso Garcia-Jimenez, 35, a citizen of Mexico, is charged with illegally reentering the United States after having previously been deported and removed. The indictment alleges that Garcia-Jimenez was found in the United States on January 16, 2024. If convicted, Garcia-Jimenez faces a maximum penalty of ten years in prison.
The charge against Garcia-Jimenez was the result of an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Taylor L. Kraus is handling the case.
Glastonbury Psychologist Admits Defrauding Medicaid of More Than $1.6 MillionRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, Roberto Coviello, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and Robert Fuller, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, announced that MICHAEL B. PINES, 75, of Avon, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Sarala V. Nagala in Hartford to health care fraud.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Pines is a psychologist who owned and operated Michael B. Pines, Ph.D., P.C., located in Glastonbury. Pines provided psychotherapy to young children, adolescents, adults, and he was enrolled individually as a Behavioral Health Clinician provider in the Connecticut Medicaid Program (“Medicaid”).
Between January 2017 and October 2023, Pines submitted and caused to be submitted fraudulent claims to Medicaid for psychotherapy services that were purportedly provided to his Medicaid clients. Specifically, Pines submitted claims for dates of service when no services of any kind had been provided to the Medicaid clients identified in the claims, including when he was traveling, on vacation, recovering from surgery, or otherwise not working. He also submitted claims when an appointment had been canceled, when the claimed client was in the hospital, when he had stopped treating the claimed client, and when the claimed client had never been his client. In addition, when Pines treated multiple Medicaid clients in the same family at the same time, he billed Medicaid for the group visit as multiple individual claims, a practice that he knew was not permitted by Medicaid.
Through this scheme, Pines defrauded Medicaid of $1,617,679. As part of his plea, Pines has agreed to pay full restitution. He also has agreed to forfeit several jewelry items that were seized during the investigation.
Judge Nagala scheduled sentencing for May 6, at which time Pines faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.
Pines is released on a $250,000 bond pending sentencing.
This investigation has been conducted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David T. Huang.
People who suspect health care fraud are encouraged to report it by calling 1-800-HHS-TIPS.
Georgia Precious Metals Dealer Convicted of Tax FraudRead the Press Release
A federal jury in Atlanta today convicted Saleem Hakim, 54, of tax evasion and failing to file tax returns.
According to court documents and evidence introduced at trial, from 2011 through 2013, Hakim brokered the sale of precious metals to his clients. Hakim earned more than $1 million in commissions from the sales, which enabled him to fund a lavish lifestyle that included purchases of high-end watches, jewelry, designer accessories and furs. Despite earning substantial income, he did not file income tax returns for tax years 2011 through 2013.
The evidence introduced at trial also showed that from 2020 through 2022, Hakim and his wife worked for businesses in Atlanta that bought and sold jewelry and luxury handbags. The Hakims earned a combined income of more than $260,000 for those years yet did not file tax returns. The evidence established that Hakim attempted to hide his and his wife’s income from the IRS by diverting his income into a trust that he established after being initially charged with tax crimes for tax years 2011 through 2013.
In addition, Hakim attempted to obstruct the investigation into his tax misconduct for 2020 through 2022. A witness testified that after he received a grand jury subpoena for records relating to income that the witness paid to Hakim and his wife, Hakim drafted a letter for the witness falsely stating he did not have any business records in his possession relating to the Hakims and asked the witness to send the letter. The witness sent the letter to federal prosecutors and IRS agents.
Sentencing is scheduled for April 30. Hakim faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for each tax evasion charge and one year in prison on each failure to file charge. He also faces a period of supervised release, restitution and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement.
IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Melissa S. Siskind and Colleen McCarthy of the Justice Department’s Tax Division prosecuted the case. Paralegal Robert Resto of the Tax Division assisted at trial. Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Goldberg also thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia for the substantial assistance they provided in the investigation and prosecution of this matter.
Four indicted in university athletic billing scheme and COVID-19 billing schemeRead the Press Release
PLANO, Texas – Four individuals, including two physicians, have been indicted in the Eastern District of Texas charged with federal violations involving a university athletic billing scheme, announced U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs today.
Mouzon Bass, III, also known as Muzzy Bass, 58, of Highland Park; Lance West Wilson, 54, of Allen; and Robert Brent Scott, 59, of La Quinta, CA; were indicted by a federal grand jury in January 2024 and charged with conspiring to commit wire fraud, conspiring to commit healthcare fraud, and conspiring to commit money laundering.
In a separate indictment returned in October 2023, Kyle Kelly Carter, 61, of Keller, was charged with conspiring to commit wire fraud. The defendants have all made initial appearances in federal court this month.
According to the indictments, from approximately 2014 through 2023, the defendants are alleged to have been involved in a university-centered athletic department billing scheme. Bass and Wilson used their company, Vivature, to submit false claims to private insurance carriers representing that physicians, like Scott and Carter, were providing medical services for injured student-athletes at universities across the country. In reality, these physicians did not see or treat these student-athletes, and in many instances, were physically hundreds of miles away from where the student-athletes were receiving treatment. The services were actually performed by athletic trainers employed by the universities’ athletic departments—who, most times, were specifically excluded from insurance companies’ reimbursement policies. At the direction of Bass and Wilson, Vivature submitted thousands of false claims to the insurance companies, named Scott, Carter, and other physicians as the servicing providers, and used their NPI numbers on the claims’ paperwork. In exchange for allowing the fraudulent use of their NPI and credentials, Vivature made regular payments to Scott, Carter, and other physicians.
A separate conspiracy involved only defendants Bass, Wilson, and Scott, who executed a scheme to fraudulently obtain Health Resources and Services Administration (“HRSA”) government funds earmarked for COVID-19 testing provided to uninsured Americans. The defendants partnered with international resorts hosting American travelers abroad, offering to manage the billing and claims process for COVID-19 testing provided to these American travelers. Then, the defendants submitted thousands of reimbursement claims to HRSA for such travelers, even though such travelers were privately insured and ineligible under the HRSA program.
In total, the defendants are alleged to have collectively obtained over $70 million from the two schemes. With these funds, they paid themselves millions of dollars; purchased real property including a multi-million dollar home, lakehouse, and international residence; and bought a multi-million dollar yacht.
This case is being investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by assistant U.S. attorneys in Plano.
A grand jury indictment is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Four Additional Defendants Plead Guilty to Bid Rigging in Michigan Asphalt IndustryRead the Press Release
Two Michigan companies and two individuals have pleaded guilty for their roles in conspiracies to rig bids for asphalt paving services contracts in the State of Michigan. According to court documents and proceedings, four defendants — Asphalt Specialists LLC, its former Vice-president, Bruce F. Israel, Al’s Asphalt Paving Company Inc. (Al’s Asphalt) and its president, Edward D. Swanson — conspired with each other and other co-conspirators to rig bids in each other’s favor from March 2013 through November 2018.
Asphalt Specialists and Israel also participated in a separate conspiracy with F. Allied Construction Company Inc. (Allied) and its employees from July 2017 through May 2021. Al’s Asphalt and Swanson participated in a separate conspiracy of their own with Allied and its employees from June 2013 through June 2019. Allied and two of its executives previously pleaded guilty in August 2023 for their participation in the conspiracies with Asphalt Specialists LLC and Al’s Asphalt.
Each conspiracy operated in much the same way: the co-conspirators coordinated each other’s bid prices so that the agreed-upon losing company would submit intentionally non-competitive bids. These bids gave customers the false impression of competition when, in fact, the co-conspirators had already decided among themselves who would win the contracts.
“Asphalt paving is a key component of our transportation infrastructure,” said Deputy Assistant Attorney General Manish Kumar of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “The division and our law enforcement partners will continue to prosecute corporations and individuals who undermine the competition that is crucial to responsible taxpayer spending and providing transportation services throughout Michigan.”
“Through these guilty pleas, the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General (DOT OIG) holds accountable two executives and two Michigan companies that engaged in this bid rigging scheme,” said Special Agent in Charge Andrea M. Kropf of the DOT OIG, Midwestern Region. “We will continue to partner with our law enforcement and prosecutorial colleagues to pursue and prosecute those who attempt to stifle competition by violating federal antitrust laws.”
“The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division, along with our other federal law enforcement partners, secured a victory today in our fight against bid-rigging and collusion,” said Executive Special Agent in Charge Kenneth Cleevely of the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General (USPS OIG). “The USPS OIG will vigorously investigate those who would engage in harmful anticompetitive practices and hold accountable those companies that subvert the competitive process for personal gain and corporate greed.”
The defendants each pleaded guilty to two counts of violating Section One of the Sherman Act. The maximum penalty for individuals is 10 years in prison and a $1 million criminal fine. The maximum penalty for corporations is a $100 million criminal fine. The fine may be increased to twice the gain derived from the crime or twice the loss suffered by the victims of the crime if either amount is greater than the maximum fine. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The Antitrust Division’s Chicago Office, DOT OIG and USPS OIG investigated the case, as part of an ongoing federal antitrust investigation into bid rigging and other anticompetitive conduct in the asphalt paving services industry.
The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division prosecuted the case.
Anyone with information in connection with this investigation should contact the Antitrust Division’s Complaint Center at 888-647-3258, or visit www.justice.gov/atr/report-violations.
Former Law Enforcement Officer Sentenced to 21 Years for Armed Robbery of Multiple PharmaciesRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – Visiting United States District Judge Larry A. Burns from the Southern District of California has sentenced Jesse Rance Moore (46, Bell) to 21 years in federal prison for four counts pertaining to Hobbs Act robberies and three counts for brandishing a firearm during the robberies. The court also ordered Moore to forfeit his firearm, which was used to commit the offenses. A jury had found Moore guilty on November 2, 2023.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, the FBI first learned of a masked man robbing a string of pharmacies in the Columbia County area after the North Florida Pharmacy of Fort White was robbed at gun point on January 13, 2022. This masked individual was captured on surveillance cameras walking into the pharmacy with a black handgun, and demanding controlled substances, specifically, oxycodone, OxyContin, and Percocet.
After holding up multiple store employees and taking the controlled substances, the masked man exited the pharmacy and drove southbound on US Highway 27. Unbeknownst to the robber, a good Samaritan in the pharmacy’s drive-thru followed the getaway vehicle and captured the license plate number, which led back to Moore. The FBI also later discovered that the vehicles used in previous three robberies (North Florida Pharmacy of Fort White on August 2, 2021; North Florida Pharmacy of Chiefland on November 20, 2021; and the Baya West Pharmacy in Lake City on December 29, 2021) either matched the description of a white Ford F-350 registered to Moore or matched the vehicles Moore’s wife rented just days prior to the robberies.
According to trial testimony and evidence, law enforcement seized articles of clothing, multiple masks, the firearm, handwritten notes, and brown boots associated with the robberies. In addition, and despite Moore’s many disguises, witnesses testified to the robber’s physical appearance, clothing, interactions, and demeanor during the robberies.
During trial, evidence seized from Moore’s cellphone was presented to demonstrate that he had Googled medications stolen from the pharmacies, store hours of pharmacies, and a variety of key word searches, including the question “do drug stores get robbed in florida,” which he Googled just weeks prior to the first robbery.
According to court documents, Moore was employed as a Florida Highway Patrol Trooper from January 13, 2003, to February 27, 2017. Moore had several disciplinary issues during his term of employment, where he was twice terminated, but later reached settlement agreements to convert his dismissals to suspensions.
This case was investigated by the FBI, the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, the Lake City Police Department, the Chiefland Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Florida Highway Patrol. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kirwinn Mike.
Former Federal Agent Sentenced for Making False Statements in Connection with a Sexual Relationship with a Victim WitnessRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Melissa Saurwein, 45, of Martinez, was sentenced today to two months in prison for making a false statement in connection with a sexual relationship she had with a victim witness in a separate federal criminal case, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, Saurwein was formerly a Special Agent with Homeland Security Investigations in Northern California. While working in that capacity in a separate human trafficking case, Saurwein developed a romantic sexual relationship with a victim witness. In preparation for Saurwein’s testimony at trial, prosecutors asked Saurwein if she had a personal relationship with any witness or victim in the case. Saurwein lied in response to the questioning in order to conceal her sexual relationship with the victim witness. The human trafficking case went to trial and both Saurwein and the victim witness testified. The relationship between Saurwein and the victim witness did not come to light until after the trial and sentencing of the defendant in the human trafficking case were complete.
This case was the product of an investigation by the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office of Professional Responsibility. The U.S. Attorney’s office for the Northern District was recused from this case, which is proceeding in the U.S. District Court in San Francisco. Special Attorney to the Attorney General Audrey B. Hemesath prosecuted the case.
Former Employee of Eye for Change Youth and Family Services Sentenced to Prison for Fraudulent Medicaid Billing PracticesRead the Press Release
CLEVELAND – Eric King, 35, of Cleveland, Ohio, was sentenced today to 36 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Pamela A. Barker, U.S. Attorney Rebecca C. Lutzko announced today. King was also sentenced to 3 years of supervised release, $1,800 in special assessments, and restitution of $483,165.38.
King, a former employee of Eye For Change Youth and Family Services, Inc., a non-profit corporation in Cleveland, was previously found guilty after a jury trial of 13 counts of health care fraud, one count of false statement relating to health care matters, and five counts of aggravated identity theft.
According to court documents, trial testimony, and today’s sentencing hearing, from June 2018 through May 2021, King defrauded Medicaid by causing Medicaid to be billed for services not actually performed or for services that were not actually performed for the amount of time the billing codes reflected; for falsifying progress notes into Medicaid beneficiary electronic records; for creating false progress notes; and for using the identities of clients without authorization to bill Medicaid. As a result of King’s conduct, Medicaid paid over $483,000 for fraudulent billings.
The investigation preceding the indictment was conducted by the Cleveland Division of the FBI, the Department of Health and Human Services -- Office of the Inspector General and the Ohio Attorney General’s Healthcare Fraud Section. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Edward D. Brydle and Brian M. McDonough, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan L. Metzler.
Former D.C. Metro Transit Police Officer Sentenced for Federal Civil Rights Violation in Beating of Unarmed Transit RiderRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Andra Vance, 49, a former Metro Transit Police (MTPD) officer, was sentenced yesterday to one year and one day in prison for unlawfully beating an unarmed transit rider with a metal baton on Feb. 16, 2018.
The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clark of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, and MTPD Chief Michael Anzallo.
“This violent, brutal beating of a citizen by someone cloaked in police powers deserves significant punishment and condemnation,” said U.S. Attorney Graves. “The vast majority of officers in the District execute their duties in an exemplary manner. Their jobs only get harder when officers like this one betray their position and damage the trust the community should have in these public servants.”
In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Randolph D. Moss ordered Vance to serve 12 months of supervised release.
“This sentencing should make clear that officers who abuse their authority will be held accountable, regardless of whether their actions occur on public streets or inside public transit systems,” said Assistant Attorney General Clark. “The department will continue to aggressively prosecute law enforcement officers who willfully violate the civil rights of our community members.”
The Metro Transit Police Department conducted a routine review of Vance’s use of force within hours of the incident. Based on the review, the department immediately suspended Vance’s police powers, launched an internal investigation, and notified federal authorities.
“MTPD strongly condemns the actions of any officer who abuses their authority in the use of excessive force. This case is an aberration against the good MTPD officers who keep the system safe for our customers and employees every day,” said MTPD Chief Anzallo. “What happened is disgraceful, which is why we immediately relieved the former officer of his duties and investigated. We appreciate the U.S. Attorney in the District and investigators with the Office of Professional Responsibility and Inspections for their part in bringing justice for this criminal act. No law enforcement officer is above the law.”
According to the government’s evidence, the victim -- identified as D.C. -- attempted to use an invalid Metro card to board a train at the Anacostia Metro station. The card was confiscated by Metro Transit personnel and D.C. became angry. D.C. complained to Vance and briefly walked away from the fare gate. When D.C. returned to the fare gate, Vance used his metal baton to hit D.C. in the head without legal justification. When D.C. fled, Vance chased him and continued to swing the baton at D.C.’s head and neck.
A fellow officer who witnessed the assault and who helped handcuff D.C. testified that D.C. was not a threat to Vance or anyone else at the station at the time that Vance struck D.C. in the head. D.C. was taken to Howard University Hospital where he was treated for head injuries.
The Metro Transit Authority investigated the case.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Gauri Gopal and Civil Rights Division Trial Attorney Maura White.
Former D.C. Metro Transit Police Officer Sentenced for Federal Civil Rights Violation in Beating of Unarmed Transit RiderRead the Press Release
Former Washington, D.C., Metro Transit Police (MTPD) Officer Andra Vance was sentenced today to one year and one day in prison and one year of supervised release for unlawfully beating an unarmed transit rider with a metal baton on Feb. 16, 2018.
“This sentencing should make clear that officers who abuse their authority will be held accountable, regardless of whether their actions occur on public streets or inside public transit systems,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The department will continue to aggressively prosecute law enforcement officers who willfully violate the civil rights of our community members.”
“This violent, brutal beating of a citizen by someone cloaked in police powers deserves significant punishment and condemnation,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia. “The vast majority of officers in the District execute their duties in an exemplary manner. Their jobs only get harder when officers like this one betray their position and damage the trust the community should have in these public servants.”
“MTPD strongly condemns the actions of any officer who abuses their authority in the use of excessive force. This case is an aberration against the good MTPD officers who keep the system safe for our customers and employees every day,” said MTPD Chief Michael Anzallo. “What happened is disgraceful, which is why we immediately relieved the former officer of his duties and investigated. We appreciate the U.S. Attorney in the District and investigators with the Office of Professional Responsibility and Inspections for their part in bringing justice for this criminal act. No law enforcement officer is above the law.”
During Vance’s trial in November 2022, evidence showed that the victim, identified as D.C., attempted to use an invalid Metro card to board a train at the Anacostia Metro station. When the card was confiscated by Metro Transit personnel, D.C. became angry. D.C. complained to Vance and briefly walked away from the fare gate. When D.C. returned to the fare gate, Vance used his metal baton to hit D.C. in the head without legal justification. When D.C. fled from the fare gate, Vance chased him and continued to swing the baton at D.C.’s head and neck.
A fellow officer who witnessed the assault and who helped handcuff D.C. testified that D.C. was not a threat to Vance or anyone else at the Anacostia Metro Station at the time that Vance struck D.C. in the head. D.C. was taken to Howard University Hospital where he was treated for injuries to his head.
The Metro Transit Authority investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Maura White of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Gauri Gopal for the District of Columbia prosecuted the case.
Former Board Member of Failed Washington Federal Bank in Chicago Sentenced to Prison for Falsifying Records and Obstructing RegulatorsRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A former board member of the failed Washington Federal Bank for Savings in Chicago was sentenced today to 18 months in federal prison for conspiring to falsify bank records to deceive the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and for filing false tax returns.
WILLIAM M. MAHON, 57, of Chicago, pleaded guilty last year to conspiracy and tax charges. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Kendall ordered Mahon to pay a fine of $75,000.
Washington Federal, which was based in Chicago’s Bridgeport neighborhood, was shut down in 2017 after the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency determined that the bank was insolvent and had at least $66 million in nonperforming loans. When the OCC was evaluating Washington Federal’s loan portfolio prior to its failure, Mahon and other board members made and caused to be made false entries in bank records and provided them to the OCC with the intent to deceive the agency and obstruct its examination. They also falsified records to make it appear that Washington Federal was operating in compliance with banking rules and internal policies and controls.
The sentence was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Vincent R. Zehme, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Region of the FDIC’s Office of Inspector General; Machelle L. Jindra, Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Office of Inspector General in Chicago; Justin Campbell, Special Agent-in-Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in Chicago; Catherine Huber, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Central Region of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Office of Inspector General; Robert W. “Wes” Wheeler, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI; Andrea Peacock, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Department of the Treasury, Office of Inspector General; Deborah Witzburg, City of Chicago Inspector General; and Kathryn B. Richards, Chicago Housing Authority Inspector General. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Trustee Program. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michelle Petersen, Kristin Pinkston, and Jeffrey Snell, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Netols.
The federal criminal investigation into the bank’s collapse led to criminal charges against 16 defendants, including the bank’s Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer, and other high-ranking employees, for conspiring to embezzle at least $31 million in bank funds. Four defendants were convicted after jury trials, while ten defendants pleaded guilty and two entered into deferred prosecution agreements.
Much of the money was transferred to Chicago attorney ROBERT M. KOWALSKI and real estate developers MIROSLAW KREJZA and MAREK MATCZUK without all of the required documentation and often without any documentation whatsoever. Juries last year convicted Robert Kowalski, Krejza, and Matczuk on embezzlement and fraud charges. They are awaiting sentencing. Robert Kowalski’s sister, JAN R. KOWALSKI, also an attorney, pleaded guilty and was sentenced in 2023 to more than three years in prison for fraudulently enabling her brother to conceal more than $357,000 from creditors and the trustee in his bankruptcy case.
Chicago attorney PATRICK D. THOMPSON was convicted by a jury in 2022 of making false statements to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. regarding the amount of money he received from Washington Federal via a purported loan and other unsecured payments. He was also convicted of filing tax returns in which he falsely deducted interest that he had not actually paid to Washington Federal. Daley was sentenced to four months in federal prison.