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Friday 8 December 2023
Anaconda man sentenced to more than 12 years in prison for attempted coercion, possession of child pornographyRead the Press Release
MISSOULA — An Anaconda man who was convicted by a federal jury of attempting to coerce and entice a minor into engaging in sexual intercourse and of possessing child pornography was sentenced today to 12 years and 10 months in prison, to be followed by 10 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.
After a three-day trial that began on July 24, the jury found Christopher Todd Boudreau, 42, guilty of attempted coercion and enticement and possession of child pornography.
U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy presided. The court also ordered $21,000 in restitution.
In court documents and at trial, the government alleged that in July 2022, law enforcement, working in an undercover capacity on the internet, received a “friend request” from Boudreau. The undercover provided a phone number, and Boudreau initiated a text conversation. The undercover identified herself as a juvenile girl. Communications progressed, and Boudreau arranged to meet the undercover in Missoula. Boudreau repeatedly indicated his interest to engage in intimacy and stated that intimacy meant “sex.” Law enforcement arrested Boudreau on July 28, 2022, when he arrived at a location to meet the undercover. Law enforcement served a search warrant on Boudreau’s residence and found electronic media that contained thousands of images and videos of child pornography.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zeno B. Baucus and Brian C. Lowney prosecuted the case. The FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force and Missoula County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
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Thursday 7 December 2023
York Man Sentenced for Receipt, Distribution and Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Jerry W. Lackey, 36, of York, Nebraska, was sentenced December 7, 2023, in federal court in Lincoln, Nebraska for receipt, distribution and possession of child pornography. Senior United States District Judge John M. Gerrard sentenced Lackey to a total of 64 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Lackey’s release from prison, he will begin a 7-year term of supervised release.
In December of 2022, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children reported a CyberTip to the Nebraska State Patrol that an individual was sending child pornography to others. The report included the email address, username, and IP address associated with the offending account, as well as several offending videos.
Investigators obtained subpoenas and were able to identify the subscriber as Lackey. A search warrant for the residence was obtained and executed. In executing the warrant, officers made contact with Lackey at the residence. In an interview with investigators, Lackey admitted to downloading and viewing the child pornography.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
This case was investigated by the Nebraska State Patrol.
Wounded Knee Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Wounded Knee, South Dakota, man convicted of Aiding and Abetting Second Degree Murder. The sentencing took place on December 1, 2023.
Spencer High Hawk, 27, was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
He was found guilty of Aiding and Abetting Second Degree Murder on September 8, 2023, following a four-day federal jury trial in Rapid City, South Dakota.
The conviction stems from High Hawk beating another man to death near Wounded Knee in June of 2022.
This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian Country be prosecuted in Federal court as opposed to State court.
This case was investigated by the FBI and the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety Criminal Investigation Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Lindrooth prosecuted the case.
The defendant was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Winston-Salem Woman Pleads Guilty to False Statements in Connection with Cares Act LoanRead the Press Release
WINSTON-SALEM – MICHELLE RENEE HOLLIS, of Winston-Salem, pled guilty today to one count of making a false statement related to fraudulently obtaining an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (“EIDL”) authorized under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act and administered by the Small Business Association (“SBA”), announced United States Attorney Sandra J. Hairston.
According to court documents, HOLLIS received an EIDL loan for a business called “Hollis House.” The loan application falsified the business’s gross revenues and number of employees. Based on the fraudulent representations, the SBA granted HOLLIS an EIDL loan of $134,900 and an EIDL grant of $5,000. Following disbursement of the loan, HOLLIS used the proceeds to purchase land in California and a 2017 Porsche Cayenne.
Sentencing is scheduled to take place on March 12, 2024, at 3:00 p.m. in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, courtroom number two, before United States District Judge Thomas D. Schroeder. At sentencing, HOLLIS faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison, a period of supervised release of up to three years, and monetary penalties.
The Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation is investigating the case, and it is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Waid.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice 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, among other methods, 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 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.
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Windsor Locks Man Who Victimized Teens Through Snapchat Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JUSTIN McKENNEY, 29, formerly of Windsor Locks, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer in New Haven to 240 months of imprisonment, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, for child exploitation offenses.
According to court documents and statements made in Court, in October 2021, Glastonbury Police began investigating the sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl by an individual she met on Snapchat. The investigation revealed that McKenney posed as a high school student on Snapchat. He began communicating with the minor victim in September 2021, and he subsequently enticed her to engage in sexual activity.
McKenney also used Snapchat to receive child pornography from three other minor females between the ages of 14 and 17.
McKenney has been detained since his arrest on March 17, 2022. On April 11, 2023, McKenney pleaded guilty to one count of enticement of a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity, and one count of receipt of child pornography.
This matter was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Glastonbury Police Department, the Windsor Locks Police Department, the Manchester Police Department, and the Connecticut Center for Digital Investigations, with the assistance of the Hudson (Mass.) Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nancy V. Gifford and Daniel E. Cummings.
This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com.
Wheeling woman sentenced to five years for cocaine traffickingRead the Press Release
WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – Rebecca Mae Blake, age 41, of Wheeling, West Virginia, was sentenced today to five years in federal prison for cocaine distribution.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Blake sold crack cocaine from her home on Fulton Street in Wheeling. Blake pled guilty to the charge earlier this year in connection to a larger drug operation in Ohio County led by Rocco Pandoli, also of Wheeling.
Blake has multiple prior felony drug convictions, to include a conviction in federal court for cocaine distribution in 2005, and three convictions in Ohio County (W.Va.) Circuit Court in 2017, also for cocaine distribution.
Pandoli was convicted earlier this year and sentenced to 51 months in prison.
The Ohio Valley Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated. This effort was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Carly Nogay prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.
U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey presided.
Wheeling man sentenced for federal fentanyl chargeRead the Press Release
WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA –Rashun Rafael Suncar, also known as “Blackie,” age 37, of Wheeling, West Virginia, was sentenced to 92 months for distribution of fentanyl.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Suncar sold pills counterfeit pills containing fentanyl near the Elks Playground in East Wheeling. Investigators searched Suncar’s residence and found additional drugs along with a 9mm Taurus pistol.
The Ohio Valley Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Carly Nogay prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.
U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey presided.
West Palm Beach Man Sentenced to 71 Months in Prison on Money Laundering, Gambling, Prostitution, and Tax Evasion ChargesRead the Press Release
MIAMI — On Dec. 6, Dion De Cesare, 54, of West Palm Beach, Florida was sentenced to 71 months in prison for operating an illegal sports gambling business, conspiring to commit money laundering, using a facility of interstate commerce to carry on prostitution activities, and tax evasion. As part of his sentence, U.S. District Court Judge Robin L. Rosenberg ordered De Cesare to pay restitution to the IRS in the amount of $$1,046,224.19.The Government is seeking approximately $10,000,000 in the forfeiture of numerous items and money, including two residential properties, two commercial properties, a storage facility, five condos, six vehicles, and a Rolex watch. The Court will hold a forfeiture hearing at a later date.
In a previous hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce E. Reinhart, De Cesare admitted that from around April 2008 to November 2022, he owned two social clubs: Whispers All Girls Staff and NXT. During various times, the businesses provided an array of prostitution services to its customers. De Cesare collected the proceeds from those businesses and laundered them through third party bank accounts and the payment of mortgages and expenses owed on several of his properties in West Palm Beach.
De Cesare also admitted that from about May 20, 2015 to October 2022, De Cesare also operated an online sports gambling business through a website whose server was located in Costa Rica. De Cesare laundered the gambling proceeds by having the gamblers send their debt payments to third party individuals and entities for De Cesare’s benefit. From 2011 to 2017, De Cesare owned Renegades, a restaurant and nightclub in West Palm Beach. From various times between 2011 and 2013, and from 2015 to 2016, De Cesare failed to pay personal and payroll taxes.
U.S Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida; Special Agent in Charge Anthony Salisbury of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Miami; Sheriff Ric Bradshaw of Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office (PBSO); and Special Agent in Charge Matthew D. Line of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Miami Field Office, made the announcement.
HSI West Palm Beach Office, PBSO, and IRS-CI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Dispoto and Trial Attorney Francesca Bartolomey of the Justice Department’s Tax Division are prosecuting it. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicole Grosnoff and Raemy Charest-Turken are handling asset forfeiture.
You may find related court documents and information 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 21-cr-80188.
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Wedgefield Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Martez Mandel Coleman, 44, of Wedgefield, was sentenced to a total of 12 years in federal prison yesterday. The sentence consists of 120 months for charges of felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition and possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and a quantity of marijuana stemming from an incident in Oct. 2022. Coleman also had 24 months revoked on his supervised release stemming from a 2001 federal murder conviction.
Evidence presented to the court showed that on the evening of Oct. 10, 2022, a deputy with the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office conducted a traffic stop of a Mercedes after observing a traffic violation. When the deputy approached the vehicle, he smelled marijuana and observed a baggy of what he believed to be illegal narcotics on the center console. Coleman, the sole occupant of the vehicle, admitted to having marijuana and a firearm in the vehicle. Deputies recovered a loaded 9mm handgun and several baggies of fentanyl and marijuana inside the vehicle. A drug analysis later showed that it was approximately 126 grams of fentanyl and approximately 47 grams of marijuana in the baggies. The investigation revealed the firearm as having been previously reported as stolen in Florence.
Coleman is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition based upon his 2001 federal convictions for murder in relation to felony drug offense, conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of 50 grams or more of crack cocaine and five kilograms or more of cocaine, possession with intent to distribute/distribution of crack cocaine, using/carrying a firearm during and in relation to drug trafficking crime, and causing death of a person through use of firearm. After being convicted following a jury trial, he was sentenced to life imprisonment. Later Coleman filed a motion for a reduced sentence pursuant to the First Step Act of 2018. The court reduced his sentence in 2020 to 300 months imprisonment with five years of supervised release. Coleman was released from federal prison in 2021 and was on federal supervised release at the time of the Oct. 2022 incident. Therefore, in addition to the new charges, Coleman faced a revocation of that federal supervised release.
Senior United States District Judge Joseph F. Anderson, Jr. imposed both the sentence and revocation. The Court ran 12 months of the 24-month revocation concurrent to the 120 months sentence and the other 12 months consecutive to that 120-month sentence. Upon completing the total terms of imprisonment, Coleman will be on supervised release for eight years.
This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Sumter County Sheriff’s Office, and the South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stacey D. Haynes prosecuted the case, as well as Coleman’s earlier 2001 case.
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U.S. Attorney’s Office Hosts Faith Leaders Forum as Part of Department of Justice’s United Against Hate InitiativeRead the Press Release
Philadelphia, PA – On Thursday, December 7, 2023, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania hosted faith leaders from across the region at the National Constitution Center to learn about resources for protecting houses of worship and preventing acts of hate, United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced today.
Church, mosque, synagogue, and temple leaders met with members of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to learn how federal and state laws are used to prosecute people who harm or threaten places of worship and their congregants, understand how and when to report acts of religious violence and discrimination, and get the resources and build the connections needed to combat and prevent acts of hate. U.S. Attorney Romero hosted the forum as part of the Department of Justice’s United Against Hate initiative.
“With religious-based violence and threats of violence on the rise across the country, our partnerships with our faith and other community leaders are essential,” said U.S. Attorney Romero. “Our ability to prosecute hate crimes to the fullest extent of the law depends on members of the community being willing to report acts of hate to our law enforcement partners for investigation. And one of the best ways to prevent crime fueled by religious bias is to be sure faith-based leaders have the information and resources they need to help protect their places of worship and their congregations, and help them forge connections with their fellow community leaders and law enforcement to help make our communities stronger than hate. That’s what our United Against Hate initiative, and today’s event, are all about.”
U.S. Attorney Romero was joined at the event by Kate McGowan, Supervisory Special Agent at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Charles Phillips, Regional Director of the U.S. Department of Justice Community Relations Service, and representatives from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office of Civil Rights. Members of the Pennsylvania State Police, the Philadelphia Police Department, and the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations were also in attendance and shared remarks.
The United Against Hate initiative will continue well into the new year, U.S. Attorney Romero confirmed. “I will continue to meet with groups concerned about hate-motivated attacks and discrimination, and to work with these groups and our law enforcement partners to build the strong, safe, and resilient communities that people of all backgrounds—religious and otherwise—deserve,” she said.
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 tips.fbi.gov or 1-800-CALL-FBI. You can also report a hate crime, find resources, and learn more about the Department of Justice’s hate crimes prevention and enforcement work by visiting www.justice.gov/hatecrimes. Additional resources for houses of worship are available at www.cisa.gov.
U.S. Attorney Leary Joins Local, State and Federal Law Enforcement Leaders to Announce Project Safe Neighborhoods Efforts in 2023Read the Press Release
VALDOSTA, Ga. – The U.S Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia joined with local, state and federal law enforcement leaders at the Historic Lowndes County Courthouse this afternoon to discuss Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) cases targeting convicted felons caught reoffending while armed and crime prevention efforts.
There are currently 129 active cases involving firearms and violent crime offenses in the Middle District of Georgia. This calendar year to date, 29 PSN cases have been indicted in the Valdosta Division, which encompasses Berrien, Brooks, Clinch, Colquitt, Cook, Echols, Irwin, Lanier, Lowndes, Thomas and Tift counties. These law enforcement actions have removed firearms from the streets—including machine guns and firearm conversion devices known as “switches” that can turn handguns and semi-automatic weapons into a machine gun, allowing it to fire without repeatedly pulling the trigger.
“Reducing violent crime in Valdosta and across the District is the top goal of every law enforcement agency and community stakeholder involved with Project Safe Neighborhoods,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “These cases involve repeat reoffenders who are illegally armed. It’s a dangerous task our law enforcement partners take up every day, and we are thankful to them for their unyielding commitment to making our communities safer.”
“The FBI is actively working with our law enforcement partners to get violent repeat offenders off the streets,” said FBI Supervisory Senior Resident Agent Rich Bilson. “To the repeat convicted felons, drug dealers and others out there hurting our neighbors: Be warned, we are a team, we are prepared for this fight, and you will lose your battle to run our streets, spreading your violence and deadly drugs in our community.”
“Law enforcement at every level is united in the singular goal to make our communities safer and reduce violent crime,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Beau Kolodka. “Under Project Safe Neighborhoods, ATF stands together with all of our partner agencies and the communities we serve with a laser-sharp focus on the most urgent violent crime problems.”
“The GBI is proud to continue to work with our local and federal partners to keep our communities safe and seek justice for these crime victims,” said Special Agent in Charge Jamy Steinberg of GBI Region 9 – Thomasville Field Office. “We have enjoyed long standing relationships with the FBI, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia, the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office, the Valdosta Police Department and our other law enforcement partners across the District. We expect these long-established relationships to last well into the future to continue to combat crime in the South Georgia area.”
“Project Safe Neighborhoods has allowed our office to make progress in adjudicating cases charging convicted felons with illegal possession of firearms,” said Southern Judicial Circuit District Attorney Brad Shealy. “This year, 31 defendants from the Southern Judicial Circuit have been sentenced federally under PSN, receiving lengthy sentences without parole. Every month, the Valdosta PSN Task Force looks at approximately 20 cases to bring to PSN. Together, we can bring to justice our most violent, repeat offenders.”
“We are thankful for the relationships we maintain with federal, state and local law enforcement under Project Safe Neighborhoods to help get violent, repeat criminals off the streets,” said Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk. “It has been a fantastic collaboration in Lowndes County.”
“We are grateful for the partnership that we have with the U.S Attorney’s Office and the FBI with Project Safe Neighborhoods,” said Valdosta Police Chief Leslie Manahan. “Because of the efforts of everyone working together, numerous firearms and dangerous convicted felons have been removed from our community. “
Violent crime prevention efforts are a critical component of Project Safe Neighborhoods. PSN community outreach efforts this calendar year include regular PSN Task Force meetings in Valdosta and cities across the District; grant support and implementation of the Credible Messengers program in the Middle District of Georgia which provides mentors for young people in the Georgia Juvenile Justice system; educational training for law enforcement and community members on relevant safety and policing topics, including upcoming PSN Firearms and Narcotics trainings for law enforcement in Valdosta, Albany, Columbus, Warner Robins and Athens; and participation in Night to Unite and similar community building activities across the District. For more information on PSN, please visit: https://www.justice.gov/psn.
PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. This evidence-based program has proven to be effective at reducing violent crime by engaging a broad spectrum of stakeholders working together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in communities and developing comprehensive solutions that reduce crime. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses on prevention and intervention efforts through community engagement and problem-solving partnerships, strategic enforcement of the most violent offenders and locally based reentry programs to reduce recidivism.
Two Russian Nationals Working with Russia’s Federal Security Service Charged with Global Computer Intrusion CampaignRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury in San Francisco returned an indictment on Tuesday charging two individuals with a campaign to hack into computer networks in the United States, the United Kingdom, other North Atlantic Treaty Organization member countries and Ukraine, all on behalf of the Russian government.
According to court documents, Ruslan Aleksandrovich Peretyatko (Перетятько Руслан Александрович), an officer in Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) Center 18, Andrey Stanislavovich Korinets (Коринец Андрей Станиславович) and other unindicted conspirators employed a sophisticated spear phishing campaign to gain unauthorized, persistent access (i.e., “hack”) into victims’ computers and email accounts.
“The Russian government continues to target the critical networks of the United States and our partners, as highlighted by the indictment unsealed today,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “Through this malign influence activity directed at the democratic processes of the United Kingdom, Russia again demonstrates its commitment to using weaponized campaigns of cyber espionage against such networks in unacceptable ways. The Department of Justice will respond to such behavior with an even more determined commitment to disrupt those activities and to hold accountable the individuals responsible.”
“Today’s indictment is part of a coordinated international response to send a message to the conspirators that the whole of the United States government stands together and with our partners internationally to identify and disrupt cyber espionage actors, particularly those seeking to obtain government information and attempting to create chaos in democratic processes,” said U.S. Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey for the Northern District of California. “We are grateful to all of our partners for their assistance in addressing these threats posed by the FSB’s action in the Northern District of California, across the United States and around the world.”
“The FBI will not stand idly by as Russia continues to perpetuate this type of targeted malicious activity,” said Assistant Director Bryan Vorndran of the FBI’s Cyber Division. “Russian interference through malign foreign influence campaigns is deplorable, and we will not tolerate it in the United States or directed against our foreign partners. The FBI is dedicated to combating this pervasive threat and will tirelessly seek to prevent and disrupt these criminal acts carried out by Russia.”
The indictment, which was unsealed today, alleges the conspiracy targeted current and former employees of the U.S. Intelligence Community, Department of Defense, Department of State, defense contractors, and Department of Energy facilities between at least October 2016 and October 2022. In addition, the indictment alleges the conspirators – known publicly by the name “Callisto Group” – targeted military and government officials, think tank researchers and staff, and journalists in the United Kingdom and elsewhere, and that information from certain of these targeted accounts was leaked to the press in Russia and the United Kingdom in advance of U.K. elections in 2019.
As a common example, the conspirators used “spoofed” email accounts designed to look like personal and work-related email accounts of the group’s targets. The conspirators allegedly also sent sophisticated looking emails that appeared to be from email providers suggesting users had violated terms of service. These messages were designed to trick victims into providing their email account credentials to false login prompts. Once the conspirators fraudulently obtained the victim’s credentials, they were able to use those credentials to access the victims’ email accounts at will.
In addition to the indictment, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced that it has sanctioned both Peretyatko and Korinets for their roles in malicious cyber-enabled activity. Moreover, the United Kingdom has issued sanctions of its own, and the U.S. Department of State announced rewards of up to $10 million for information leading to the identification or location of Peretyatko and Korinets, as well as their conspirators.
In addition to the name “Callisto Group,” FSB Center 18 is known by cybersecurity investigators as “Dancing Salome” by Kaspersky Labs, “STAR BLIZZARD” by Microsoft Threat Intelligence Center and “COLDRIVER” by Google’s Threat Analysis Group.
The defendants are each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States, namely, computer fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison for PERETYATKO, and up to 10 years for KORINETS. The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencings of the defendants will be determined by the assigned judge.
The investigation was conducted jointly by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California, the National Security Cyber Section of the Justice Department’s National Security Division and the FBI San Francisco Field Office. The FBI’s Cyber Division, Cyber Assistant Legal Attachés, and Legal Attachés in countries around the world provided essential support. Numerous victims cooperated and provided valuable assistance in the investigation.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Note: This release has been updated to reflect the correct criminal offense and statutory penalties.
Peretyatko Korinets indictmentTwo Russian Nationals Working with Russia’s Federal Security Service Charged with Global Computer Intrusion CampaignRead the Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO – A federal grand jury in San Francisco returned an indictment on Tuesday charging two individuals with a campaign to hack into computer networks in the United States, the United Kingdom, other North Atlantic Treaty Organization member countries and Ukraine, all on behalf of the Russian government.
According to court documents, Ruslan Aleksandrovich Peretyatko (Перетятько Руслан Александрович), an officer in Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) Center 18, Andrey Stanislavovich Korinets (Коринец Андрей Станиславович) and other unindicted conspirators employed a sophisticated spear phishing campaign to gain unauthorized, persistent access (i.e., “hack”) into victims’ computers and email accounts.
“The Russian government continues to target the critical networks of the United States and our partners, as highlighted by the indictment unsealed today,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “Through this malign influence activity directed at the democratic processes of the United Kingdom, Russia again demonstrates its commitment to using weaponized campaigns of cyber espionage against such networks in unacceptable ways. The Department of Justice will respond to such behavior with an even more determined commitment to disrupt those activities and to hold accountable the individuals responsible.”
“Today’s indictment is part of a coordinated international response to send a message to the conspirators that the whole of the United States government stands together and with our partners internationally to identify and disrupt cyber espionage actors, particularly those seeking to obtain government information and attempting to create chaos in democratic processes,” said U.S. Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey for the Northern District of California. “We are grateful to all of our partners for their assistance in addressing these threats posed by the FSB’s action in the Northern District of California, across the United States and around the world.”
“The FBI will not stand idly by as Russia continues to perpetuate this type of targeted malicious activity,” said Assistant Director Bryan Vorndran of the FBI’s Cyber Division. “Russian interference through malign foreign influence campaigns is deplorable, and we will not tolerate it in the United States or directed against our foreign partners. The FBI is dedicated to combating this pervasive threat and will tirelessly seek to prevent and disrupt these criminal acts carried out by Russia.”
“Countering the persistent threat to critical infrastructure posed by state-sponsored Russian cybercriminals remains a top priority for the FBI,” said FBI San Francisco Division Special Agent in Charge Robert Tripp. “Today’s charging announcement underscores the FBI’s commitment to collaborate with our U.S. and international partners to disrupt these activities. We will identify those responsible and hold them accountable.”
The indictment, which was unsealed today, alleges the conspiracy targeted current and former employees of the U.S. Intelligence Community, Department of Defense, Department of State, defense contractors, and Department of Energy facilities between at least October 2016 and October 2022. In addition, the indictment alleges the conspirators – known publicly by the name “Callisto Group” – targeted military and government officials, think tank researchers and staff, and journalists in the United Kingdom and elsewhere, and that information from certain of these targeted accounts was leaked to the press in Russia and the United Kingdom in advance of U.K. elections in 2019.
As a common example, the conspirators used “spoofed” email accounts designed to look like personal and work-related email accounts of the group’s targets. The conspirators allegedly also sent sophisticated looking emails that appeared to be from email providers suggesting users had violated terms of service. These messages were designed to trick victims into providing their email account credentials to false login prompts. Once the conspirators fraudulently obtained the victim’s credentials, they were able to use those credentials to access the victims’ email accounts at will.
In addition to the indictment, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced that it has sanctioned both Peretyatko and Korinets for their roles in malicious cyber-enabled activity. Moreover, the United Kingdom has issued sanctions of its own, and the U.S. Department of State announced rewards of up to $10 million for information leading to the identification or location of Peretyatko and Korinets, as well as their conspirators.
In addition to the name “Callisto Group,” FSB Center 18 is known by cybersecurity investigators as “Dancing Salome” by Kaspersky Labs, “STAR BLIZZARD” by Microsoft Threat Intelligence Center and “COLDRIVER” by Google’s Threat Analysis Group.
The defendants are each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States, namely, computer fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison for PERETYATKO, and up to 10 years for KORINETS. The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencings of the defendants will be determined by the assigned judge.
The investigation was conducted jointly by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California, the National Security Cyber Section of the Justice Department’s National Security Division and the FBI San Francisco Field Office. The FBI’s Cyber Division, Cyber Assistant Legal Attachés, and Legal Attachés in countries around the world provided essential support. Numerous victims cooperated and provided valuable assistance in the investigation.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
indictment.pdfTobyhanna Man Sentenced to 72 Months’ Imprisonment for Heroin, Fentanyl and Cocaine TraffickingRead the Press Release
SCRANTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Darius Jamal Scott, age 46, of Tobyhanna, PA, was sentenced on December 7, 2023, by United States District Judge Robert D. Mariani, to 72 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by a 4-year period of supervised release, for heroin, fentanyl and cocaine trafficking.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, from approximately April 2022 until June 15, 2022, Scott conspired with others to distribute and did distribute over 40 grams of a mixture of heroin and fentanyl, as well as over 100 grams of cocaine, in Tobyhanna and surrounding areas in Monroe County, PA. Scott was out on state parole for a prior handgun offense at the time of his commission of this federal narcotics offense. At his sentencing, Judge Mariani ordered that Scott’s 72-month federal sentence run consecutively to the 24-month sentence that Scott received for his parole violation.
“This investigation demonstrates HSI’s commitment to identifying the most determined recidivists that peddle poison and prey on the most vulnerable,” said Special Agent in Charge of HSI Philadelphia William S. Walker. “HSI will leverage every resource and partnership, especially our outstanding collaboration with the PA Office of the Attorney General - Bureau of Narcotics Investigations, to rid our communities of the drug traffickers that plaque them.”
This matter was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General’s Bureau of Narcotics Investigations (BNI). Assistant United States Attorney Jeffery St John 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.
This case was also brought as part of a district wide initiative to combat the nationwide epidemic regarding the use and distribution of heroin. Led by the United States Attorney’s Office, the Heroin Initiative targets heroin traffickers operating in the Middle District of Pennsylvania and is part of a coordinated effort among federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who commit heroin related offenses.
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Three Men Indicted for Environmental Crimes Committed in the Jobos Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve and Las Mareas Community of Salinas, Puerto RicoRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned two separate indictments yesterday charging three individuals for violations of the Clean Water Act. The charges relate to the illegal construction and deposit of material into the wetlands and waters of the United States in the Jobos Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (Jobos Estuarine Reserve).
Various federal agencies are involved in this ongoing investigation into environmental crimes in the Jobos Estuarine Reserve and Las Mareas community as part of the Caribbean Environmental Crimes Task Force, including the Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division (EPA-CID), FBI, U.S. Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division (Army-CID), U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Inspector General (DOC-OIG), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office of Law Enforcement (NOAA-OLE) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement (FW‑OLE).
According to the first indictment, from June 2018 to December 2023, Rafael Carballo-Díaz and Nathaniel Hernández-Claudio knowingly discharged fill material from excavation and earth moving equipment into the wetlands and waters of the United States in violation of the Clean Water Act. Carballo-Díaz operated a guesthouse business called El Cacique Resort on the property located at the southwest of Camino del Indio in the Las Mareas area of Salinas, Puerto Rico. Hernández-Claudio acted as a host and property manager at El Cacique Resort on the Property.
The second indictment charges Awildo Jiménez-Mercado with violations of the Clean Water Act and the Rivers and Harbors Act. Jiménez-Mercado knowingly discharged fill material from excavation and earth moving equipment into the wetlands and built a boat dock without authorization of the Secretary of the Army, in violation of the Rivers and Harbors Act. Jiménez-Mercado also operated a guest house business called “Hidden Paradise” on a separate property. Both El Cacique Resort and Hidden Paradise offered guests a pool, outdoor dining areas and housing units as short-term rentals.
The Clean Water Act was enacted by Congress in 1972 to protect and maintain the integrity of the waters of the United States. The Clean Water Act’s main purpose is to ensure the restoration and maintenance of the chemical, physical and biological integrity of the nation’s waters. It prohibits the discharge of any pollutant and fill material into waters of the United States except when a permit is obtained from the United States.
The Rivers and Harbors Act was originally enacted in 1899 and is generally considered the oldest environmental law in the United States. It serves to regulate and protect the navigable waters of the United States and prohibits the unpermitted construction of structures within those waters.
Both the Clean Water Act and the Rivers and Harbors Act protect the coastal waters within the Jobos Estuarine Reserve.
The Jobos Estuarine Reserve was designated as a National Estuarine Research Reserve by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in 1981 and is comprised of approximately 2,800 acres of coastal ecosystems in the southern coastal plain of Puerto Rico. The Jobos Estuarine Reserve contains mangrove islands, mangrove forests, tidal wetlands, coral reefs, lagoons, salt flats, dry forest and seagrass beds. It is also home to the endangered brown pelican, peregrine falcon, hawksbill turtle and West Indian manatee. The Jobos Estuarine Reserve is owned and operated by the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (PR‑DNER).
The three defendants were arrested and are scheduled to appear today before Magistrate Judge Marshal D. Morgan of the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico for their respective initial appearances. If convicted, the defendants are facing up to three years in prison for the Clean Water Act violations, fines and injunctive relief to remove violating structures. Jimenez-Mercado is also facing a maximum penalty of one year in prison for the River and Harbors Act violations.
Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) and U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow for the District of Puerto Rico made the announcement.
Senior Trial Attorney Patrick M. Duggan of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section and Environmental Litigation Coordinator and Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth A. Erbe for the District of Puerto Rico are prosecuting the case.
These indictments are part of an ongoing investigation that includes two indictments returned in May 2023. If you have any information related to this investigation or environmental crimes in the area, please contact enforcement officials, which may be done anonymously. The EPA can be contacted at (787) 977-5821 or at echo.epa.gov/denuncie-violaciones-ambientales. The FBI can be contacted at (787) 987-6500 or tips.fbi.gov/.
For more information on the Jobos Bay National Estuarine Reserve, please visit www.drna.pr.gov/jbnerr/ or coast.noaa.gov/nerrs/reserves/jobos-bay.html.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Three Men Indicted for Environmental Crimes Committed in the Jobos Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve and Las Mareas Community of Salinas, Puerto RicoRead the Press Release
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – On December 6, 2023, a Federal Grand Jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned two separate indictments charging three individuals for violations of the Clean Water Act. The charges relate to the illegal construction and deposit of material into the wetlands and waters of the United States in the Jobos Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (the “Jobos Estuarine Reserve”).
Various federal agencies are involved in this ongoing investigation into environmental crimes in the Jobos Estuarine Reserve and Las Mareas community as part of the Caribbean Environmental Crimes Task Force, including the Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division (EPA-CID), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), U.S. Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division (Army-CID), U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Inspector General (DOC-OIG), National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration Office of Law Enforcement (NOAA-OLE), and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement (FW‑OLE).
According to the first indictment, from June 2018 to December 2023, Rafael Carballo-Díaz and Nathaniel Hernández-Claudio knowingly discharged fill material from excavation and earth moving equipment into the wetlands and waters of the United States in violation of the Clean Water Act. Carballo-Díaz operated a guesthouse business called El Cacique Resort on the property located at the Southwest of Camino del Indio in the Las Mareas area of Salinas, Puerto Rico. Nathaniel Hernández-Claudio acted as a host and property manager at El Cacique Resort on the Property.
The second indictment charges Awildo Jiménez-Mercado with violations of the Clean Water Act and the Rivers and Harbors Act. Jiménez-Mercado knowingly discharged fill material from excavation and earth moving equipment into the wetlands and built a boat dock without authorization of the Secretary of the Army, in violation of the Rivers and Harbors Act.
Awildo Jiménez-Mercado also operated a guest house business called “Hidden Paradise” on a separate property. Both El Cacique Resort and Hidden Paradise offered guests a pool, outdoor dining areas, and housing units as short-term rentals.
The Clean Water Act was enacted by Congress in 1972 to protect and maintain the integrity of the waters of the United States. The Clean Water Act’s main purpose is to ensure the restoration and maintenance of the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation’s waters. It prohibits the discharge of any pollutant and fill material into waters of the United States except when a permit is obtained from the United States.
The Rivers and Harbors Act was originally enacted in 1899 and is generally considered the oldest environmental law in the United States. It serves to regulate and protect the navigable waters of the United States and prohibits the un-permitted construction of structures within those waters.
Both the Clean Water Act and the Rivers and Harbors Act protect the coastal waters within the Jobos Estuarine Reserve.
The Jobos Estuarine Reserve was designated as a National Estuarine Research Reserve by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in 1981 and is comprised of approximately 2,800 acres of coastal ecosystems in the Southern coastal plain of Puerto Rico. The Jobos Estuarine Reserve contains mangrove islands, mangrove forests, tidal wetlands, coral reefs, lagoons, salt flats, dry forest, and seagrass beds. It is also home to the endangered brown pelican, peregrine falcon, hawksbill turtle, and West Indian manatee. The Jobos Estuarine Reserve is owned and operated by the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (PR‑DNER).
The three defendants were arrested and are scheduled to appear today before Magistrate Judge Marshal D. Morgan of the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico for their respective initial appearances. If convicted, the defendants are facing up to three years of imprisonment for the Clean Water Act violations, fines, and injunctive relief to remove violative structures. Jimenez-Mercado is also facing one year in prison for the River and Harbors Act violations.
W. Stephen Muldrow, U.S. Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico, and Todd Kim, Assistant Attorney General of the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the U.S. Department of Justice made the announcement.
The case is being prosecuted by Senior Trial Attorney Patrick M. Duggan of the Environmental Crimes Section of the U.S. Department of Justice and Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth A. Erbe, Environmental Litigation Coordinator for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico.
These indictments are part of an ongoing investigation that include two indictments returned in May 2023. See https://www.justice.gov/usao-pr/pr/two-men-indicted-environmental-crimes-committed-jobos-bay-national-estuarine-research.
If you have any information related to this investigation or environmental crimes in the area, please contact enforcement officials, which may be done anonymously. The EPA can be contacted at (787) 977-5821 or at https://echo.epa.gov/denuncie-violaciones-ambientales. The FBI can be contacted at (787) 987-6500 or https://tips.fbi.gov/.
For more information on the Jobos Bay National Estuarine Reserve, please visit https://www.drna.pr.gov/jbnerr/ or https://coast.noaa.gov/nerrs/reserves/jobos-bay.html.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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23-441_gmm_indict_redacted.pdf 23-440_fab_indict_redacted.pdfTen indicted on federal charges in Augusta-area meth-trafficking operationRead the Press Release
AUGUSTA, GA: Ten defendants in the Augusta area have been indicted on federal charges for participating in a major methamphetamine trafficking operation.
The defendants in USA v. Walters et al. all are charged with Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Methamphetamine, along with multiple individual charges related to meth possession and distribution and illegal gun possession, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. Conviction on the conspiracy charge carries a statutory penalty of up to 20 years in prison, along with substantial fines and a period of supervised release upon completion of any prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
“The charges in this indictment succinctly spell out the danger that trafficking in illegal drugs presents to the safety of our communities – particularly when those engaged in drug trafficking also illegally possess weapons,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “We commend the challenging work of our law enforcement partners in identifying and disrupting these operations.”
The recently unsealed indictment charges:
- Edward Jake Walters, a/k/a “State Farm,” a/k/a “Jake from State Farm,” 29, of Grovetown, Ga.;
- Phillip Smith, 49, of Augusta;
- Dustin Bayles, 35, of Thomson, Ga.;
- Glen Taylor, 42, of Beech Island, S.C.;
- Linda Campbell, 52, of Augusta;
- Joshua Wasden, 35, of Thomson, Ga.;
- Brian Hilliard, 40, of Augusta;
- Gary Holcomb, 59, of Martinez, Ga.;
- Donnie Skillman, 46, of Augusta; and,
- Destiny Poole, 23, of Grovetown, Ga.
Each defendant has appeared in U.S. Magistrate Court for initial hearings and await further proceedings. Indictments contain only charges; defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the Georgia Bureau of Investigation; the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office; the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office; the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office; and the McDuffie County Sheriff’s Office; and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorney Bradley R. Thompson.
Standing Pine Woman Pleads Guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute over 50 Grams of MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
Jackson, MS – A Standing Pine woman pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute over 50 grams of methamphetamine.
According to court documents, on September 9, 2022, Shannen Marie Chapala, 31, distributed over 50 grams of methamphetamine in the Pearl River Community of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians. Chapala was indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2023.
Chapala is scheduled to be sentenced on March 8, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of twenty years in prison. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Todd Gee, Special Agent in Charge Brad Byerley of the Drug Enforcement Administration, and Regional Agent in Charge Whitney Woodruff of the Bureau of Indian Affairs made the announcement.
The case was investigated by the Choctaw Police Department, the U.S. Department of Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin J. Payne and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian K. Burns prosecuted the case.
St. Louis Man Accused of Nearly $600,000 Pandemic FraudRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis, Missouri has been accused in an indictment of fraudulently obtaining nearly $600,000 in pandemic relief loans.
Shahron Vaulx, 39, was indicted Wednesday in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on six counts of bank fraud and two counts of wire fraud. He appeared in court Thursday and pleaded not guilty.
The indictment accuses Vaulx of submitting nine fraudulent applications seeking a total of $649,000 in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and receiving about $595,000.
Vaulx made the applications on behalf of Fortunnett Financial LLC, SD Incorporation LLC, SV Collections LLC and SD Marketing LLC, the indictment alleges. The applications contained false information about monthly payroll and the number of company employees and was sometimes supported by fraudulent or misleading tax forms, the indictment says. Vaulx made bulk cash withdrawals and sent money to others and used other funds on unapproved personal expenses including personal credit card bills, clothing, advertisements and payments to OnlyFans, the indictment says.
The PPP loans were intended to help small businesses and their employees during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The bank fraud and wire fraud charges are each punishable by up to 30 years in prison, a $1 million fine, or both.
Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The U.S. Secret Service investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Casey is prosecuting the case.
St. Louis County Man Admits Federal Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS– A man who admitted tampering with a witness with information about a fatal hit-and-run in St. Louis pleaded guilty Thursday to a federal gun charge.
Martez D. Lindsey, 31, of St. Louis County, Missouri, pleaded guilty Thursday to being a felon in possession of a firearm. Lindsey admitted as part of his plea that while investigating a fatal hit-and-run, detectives performed a court-approved search of Lindsey’s apartment on April 25, 2023. In Lindsey’s bedroom, they found a stolen Taurus G3 pistol, .53 grams of cocaine base, .33 grams of methamphetamine, 1.14 grams of marijuana, a digital scale and $1,370 in cash. Lindsey admitted knowing that, as someone convicted of multiple felonies, he was barred from possessing a firearm.
In an attempt to avoid detention in jail after his arrest on the federal charge, Lindsey contacted a key witness in the hit-and-run investigation and pressured her to recant her original report to police. He wanted her to claim she was tricked or made up a story because she was mad at him, the plea agreement says. Lindsey believed her statement was the “only proof they got,” the plea says. The witness was an ex-girlfriend and Lindsey previously had thrown a brick through the rear window of a vehicle she owned and tossed in a firework that destroyed the front window, the plea says.
Lindsey is scheduled to be sentenced March 13, 2024. The charge carries a potential penalty of up to 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both prison and a fine.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Bluestone is prosecuting the case.
South Los Angeles Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Recruiting Teenage Girls for Commercial Sex Work and Sex Trafficking an AdultRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A South Los Angeles man was sentenced today to life in federal prison for recruiting and enticing teenage girls for whom he acted as a “pimp” and providing them for commercial sex work.
Donavin Dwayne Bradford, 32, was sentenced by United States District Judge John A. Kronstadt, who at today’s hearing described Bradford’s actions as “inexcusable” and “horrific.” Judge Kronstadt also ordered Bradford to pay $67,000 in restitution and an additional $900 in special assessments.
At the conclusion of a five-day trial, a jury on April 17 found Bradford guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking with a minor, three counts of sex trafficking of a minor, three counts of sexual exploitation of a minor for the purpose of producing a sexually explicit visual depiction, one count of possession of child pornography, and one count of sex trafficking through threats of force, fraud, or coercion.
From the summer of 2021 to February 2022, Bradford conspired with Layla Kalani Valdivia, 24, of Ventura, to cause one of the minor victims – a then-15-year-old girl – to be used for commercial sex acts. Bradford recruited the victim to work for him as a commercial sex worker. As the victim’s “pimp,” Bradford expected the girl to earn him $1,000 per night.
Bradford and Valdivia advertised the girl for commercial sex work on various websites, and customers who responded to the ads were directed to various hotels and motels where they engaged in commercial sex acts with the victim. Sometimes the minor victim would be required to perform sex acts with Valdivia and a sex client together. Customers paid Bradford for “dates” with the victim or she would be required to give Bradford or Valdivia her earnings.
Bradford assaulted the minor victim when she tried to stop working for him on two separate occasions. Bradford also filmed himself engaging in sex acts on two separate occasions with her.
From March 2021 to November 2021, Bradford recruited and enticed two other girls – ages 16 and 17 – to engage in commercial sex activity.
From May 2021 to August 2022, Bradford also recruited and sex trafficked an adult victim through threats of force, fraud or coercion, including multiple instances of violence.
Bradford and Valdivia have been in federal custody since August 2022.
“Bradford sex trafficked at least three minor girls and used threats of force and coercion to traffic a young adult – all for his own profit,” prosecutors argued in a sentencing memorandum. “To control his victims, he beat and berated them, pointed a gun in at least one victim’s face, intimidated them by referring to his gang membership, filmed himself having sex with them, took their money, and destroyed their property when they dared to leave him. With at least one victim, he took her earnings from sex customers as well as her financial aid from school.”
Valdivia pleaded guilty in December 2022 to one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a minor and one count of sex trafficking of a minor and is serving a federal prison sentence.
The FBI Los Angeles Field Office and the FBI Los Angeles Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force coordinated with multiple law enforcement partners and thanks them for their participation and assistance, including: the Los Angeles Police Department; the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department; the Inglewood Police Department; the Pomona Police Department; the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department; the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office; the Santa Maria Police Department; the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services; and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Assistant United States Attorneys Chelsea Norell and Kathy Yu of the Violent and Organized Crime Section prosecuted this case.
“Operation Cross Country,” an FBI-led nationwide effort which ran in August 2022, focused on identifying and locating victims of sex trafficking and investigating and arresting individuals and criminal enterprises involved in both child sex trafficking and human trafficking.
Schuylkill County Man Sentenced to 16 Months’ Imprisonment for Methamphetamine and Fentanyl TraffickingRead the Press Release
SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that John Bartel age 64, of Pottsville, Schuylkill County, was sentenced on December 7, 2023, by U.S. District Court Judge Malachy E. Mannion, to 16 months’ imprisonment on the charge of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Bartel previously pleaded guilty and admitted to possessing methamphetamine and fentanyl for further distribution. The charge stems from an investigation in which the Pennsylvania State Police made a traffic stop of a vehicle Bartel was driving on August 3, 2022, in Pottsville, and seized approximately 55 grams of methamphetamine, 1,371 packets of fentanyl and $1,974 in U.S. currency. Bartel was the sole occupant of the vehicle.
The charge against the defendant resulted from an investigation conducted by the Pennsylvania State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Safe Streets Task Force. Assistant United States Attorney Robert J. O’Hara 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.
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Rush City Woman Sentenced to Prison for Role in $1.8 Million Scheme Involving Romance Fraud and Federal Pandemic ProgramsRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – A Rush City woman has been sentenced to 21 months in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release, 100 hours of community service, and was ordered to pay $1.7 million in restitution for her role in multiple schemes that defrauded individuals throughout the United States, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
According to court documents, from 2017 through April 2022, Gayle Joyce Ferngren, 70, and others participated in a scheme to launder proceeds that were fraudulently obtained from victims throughout the United States, including the proceeds of romance fraud scams and schemes to defraud Federal Pandemic Assistance Programs. In total, Ferngren laundered at least $1.8 million in fraud proceeds.
According to her guilty plea, from approximately June 2020 through December 2020, Ferngren acknowledges that she received at least 68 debit cards containing approximately $1.3 million in fraudulent unemployment benefits from California and Nevada to which she was not entitled. After receiving the fraudulent proceeds, Ferngren kept a portion for herself and transmitted most of the funds to other scheme participants, including to individuals located overseas.
In addition, Ferngren participated in a “romance scam,” which is a type of fraud that targets persons looking for romantic partners or friendship on dating websites or other social media platforms. According to court documents, romance scammers create profiles using fictitious or fake names, locations, images, and personas, allowing the scammers to cultivate relationships with prospective scam victims. According to her guilty plea, Ferngren received funds from romance fraud victims under false and fraudulent pretenses after other scheme participants induced the victims to send money to Ferngren.
Ferngren was sentenced today in U.S. District Court before Judge John R. Tunheim. On May 22, 2023, she pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Department of Labor–Office of Inspector General, and the FBI.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew S. Ebert prosecuted the case.
Rhode Island Man Charged with Making Fake Bomb Threat on AirplaneRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the arrest and filing of a criminal complaint charging Evan Sims (41, Rhode Island) with false information and threats regarding the possession of an explosive on an airplane. If convicted, Sims faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison.
According to court documents, on December 5, 2023, Sims was traveling on a flight from Orlando to Providence, Rhode Island. While seated on the airplane, prior to takeoff, Sims began arguing with his travel companion. Sims told his travel companion that he had never heard of the airline for the flight and that he hoped the airplane did not “go down.” Sims stated that they would be “gone with the wind.”
During boarding and the airliner safety briefing, Sims made comments to his travel companion about needing to use the emergency doors and that the windows looked like they had not been used. Sims also told his travel companion that he hoped they did not have to use the windows. Further, Sims questioned the flight crew regarding the emergency life raft that was in the overhead storage compartment. Sims’s travel companion and the surrounding passengers were uncomfortable with Sims’s statements and Sims’s travel companion asked Sims to stop making his comments.
As the flight began the initial ascent into the air, Sims partially stood up in his seat and exclaimed that he wanted to get off the plane. While the flight was airborne, Sims stated approximately two times that his travel companion had a bomb on the plane. Thereafter, due to Sims’s repeated disturbances and escalating behavior, the flight was diverted to the Jacksonville International Airport. Bomb-detection dogs searched the plane but did not locate a bomb.
A complaint is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Transportation Security Administration, Jacksonville Aviation Authority Airport Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ashley Washington.
Download Criminal ComplaintRevere Man Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Drug and Firearm PossessionRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Revere man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for possessing cocaine and fentanyl as well as receiving a firearm while under indictment for felony charges.
Cesar Rivera, 24, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns to five years in prison followed by three years of supervised release. In December 2022, Rivera pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and fentanyl and one count of receipt of a firearm while under indictment for felony charges.
In December 2020, Rivera was wanted on outstanding warrants on multiple state gun cases for which he had failed to respond to court summonses or appear in court for over a year. On Dec. 22, 2020, Rivera was located at a carwash in Malden and subsequently arrested. At the time of his arrest, Rivera was carrying approximately 28 grams of crack cocaine, fentanyl and a Glock firearm.
In October 2020, two months prior to his arrest, while wanted on the outstanding warrants, Rivera and Phillips Charles had a brief encounter with a rival gang member, his girlfriend and their one-year-old child at the Square One Mall in Saugus. After the encounter, Rivera and Charles pursued the victim and his family and fired at least seven rounds into their vehicle. Following Rivera’s arrest, ballistics examination of the Glock firearm recovered from Rivera in December 2020 revealed that it had been used in the October 2020 shooting.
In September 2022, Charles was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton to 78 months in prison and four years of supervised release.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Field Division; John E. Mawn, Jr., Interim Colonel of the Massachusetts State Police; and Malden Police Chief Kevin Molis made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police; the Middlesex County and Suffolk County District Attorney’s Offices; and the Boston Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip A. Mallard of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit prosecuted the case.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Repeat Felon Pleads Guilty to Armed Robbery of Two BusinessesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A previously convicted felon pleaded guilty yesterday in connection with the armed robberies of two Boston and Brockton businesses in March.
Fernando Bost, 32, of Boston, pleaded guilty to two counts of Hobbs Act robbery and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs scheduled sentencing for March 7, 2024. Bost was charged in September 2023.
On March 29, 2023 at approximately 11:05 p.m., a man entered RJ Smoke and Convenience Store in Dorchester, held the victim cashier at gunpoint and took cash before fleeing the store. While investigating the robbery, law enforcement learned that a 7-Eleven in Brockton was robbed approximately 40 minutes earlier that same day. Surveillance footage depicts the robber wearing the same unique clothing worn in the RJ Smoke and Convenience store robbery.
A subsequent investigation identified a Kia Sorento captured in the vicinity of both businesses prior to the robberies and leaving after each robbery took place. Records determined that the vehicle had been rented out to Bost’s girlfriend at the time of the robberies. It was also determined that Bost’s EBT card had been used at a gas station and a Target the same day of the robberies. Surveillance footage obtained from those locations show Bost wearing clothing identical to that worn by the robber.
Bost was arrested during a traffic stop near Springfield where a loaded Glock 43x with a high-capacity magazine was recovered in his sweatshirt.
Bost is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition due to two previous armed robbery convictions from 2012 and 2017. Additionally, at the time of the offense, Bost had several pending charges for armed and unarmed robbery as well as three outstanding warrants issued out of three different courts for armed robbery, assault with a dangerous weapon, breaking and entering daytime for felony, receiving stolen property and shoplifting.
The charge of Hobbs Act robbery provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition provides for a sentence of up to 15 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police Department; the Hamden County District Attorney’s Office; and the Boston and Brockton Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Luke A. Goldworm of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
Real Estate Promoter Pleads Guilty to Defrauding InvestorsRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that ELIEZER TILSON, a real estate promoter based in Israel, pled guilty to violating the Travel Act in connection with his embezzlement of $650,000 in investor funds.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Investment fraud, like all financial crimes, has the potential to turn lives upside down and breed distrust in vital economic sectors. Eliezer Tilson took advantage of real estate’s integral role in the U.S. economy, admitting today to defrauding innocent victims who believed their investments were secure when, in fact, their money was being used to pay off debts and other victims. This Office will continue to keep a watchful eye on the markets and prosecute those attempting to deceive the investing public.”
According to the allegations contained in the Information:
In October 2019, TILSON solicited investments from two investors in New York City in an investment fund that focused on multifamily residential real estate projects. The two investors together sent $650,000 to TILSON for investment in the fund. TILSON never transmitted any of the victims' money to the fund. Instead, he used most of the money to pay dividends to other investors in separate, unrelated real estate projects and pay down prior debt incurred by other, unrelated entities.
When the victims first asked why their funds had not arrived at the investment fund, TILSON falsely assured them that the fund had their money. He later told the victims that he had arranged to send their money to the fund by wire transfer but that the wire had not yet gone through. He subsequently sent the victims a document purportedly from his bank showing a balance of more than $800,000 in his account when, in fact, that account was overdrawn. The next day, TILSON sent the victims a purported bank document falsely indicating that he had wired the first victim's money back to him and another purported bank document falsely indicating that his account had a balance of more than $400,000 when the account was overdrawn. TILSON admitted to the victims that he had taken their money a few days later to make other payments.
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TILSON, 37, of Netanya, Israel, pled guilty to one count of violating the Travel Act, which prohibits the use of facilities in interstate and foreign commerce, including wire communications, to carry out unlawful activities such as engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from fraud in the sale of securities. It carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
The maximum potential sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as the sentence will be determined by a judge.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
This case is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney James McMahon is in charge of the prosecution.
Readout of Justice Department Participation in the 2023 White House Tribal Nations SummitRead the Press Release
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and other senior Justice Department officials today participated in the 2023 White House Tribal Nations Summit. The summit reiterated the importance of Nation-to-Nation relationships and provided an opportunity for members of the administration to discuss key issues that the Tribal Nations face.
Attorney General Garland provided updates on the Department’s work over the past year on issues unique to Tribal communities and how the Department’s broader work is taking into account Tribal interests. In his remarks, he announced that the U.S. Marshals Service has developed a legislative proposal to formalize its role in enforcing Tribal violent felony arrest warrants, which would expand the practice that the Marshals Service has piloted over the last year to serve Tribal warrants at the request of, and in close coordination with, Tribal law enforcement and the Department’s Office of Tribal Justice. He highlighted how the Department has expanded the Tribal Access Program, supporting 132 Tribes and over 450 Tribal government agencies, and has significantly increased the number of Assistant U.S. Attorneys dedicated to Indian Country prosecutions. He also discussed the Department’s efforts to combat the fentanyl crisis in close coordination with Tribal law enforcement partners. In addition, Attorney General Garland provided an update on the Justice Department’s lawsuit against the owners and operators of a hotel and bar in South Dakota for violating the Civil Rights Act of 1964. And he reaffirmed the Department’s commitment to working alongside Native American communities to fulfill the promise of equal protection under the law.
Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco and Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta participated in a Nation-to-Nation Talk with Tribal leaders, along with Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Environment and Natural Resources Division, Director Tracy Toulou of the Office of Tribal Justice, and Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brent Cohen of the Office of Justice Programs. These officials discussed a number of public-safety and justice issues with Tribal leaders, including special Tribal criminal jurisdiction, the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons crisis, law enforcement partnerships, and accessing funding and resources. Deputy Attorney General Monaco underscored the Justice Department’s commitment to working in partnership with Tribal law enforcement, including through the Tribal Special Assistant United States Attorney initiative and funding opportunities through the Office of Violence Against Women to support special Tribal criminal jurisdiction.
Associate Attorney General Gupta announced that the Environment and Natural Resources Division has established a dedicated email inbox for Tribal leaders to contact the Justice Department with litigation-related inquiries. She also described ongoing efforts to streamline the grantmaking process for Tribes and to explore the possibility of enhancing public safety in Tribal communities through Tribal compacting.
Associate Attorney General Gupta also spoke at a panel entitled “Substance Use and Mental Health in Tribal Communities,” alongside Tribal leaders and other senior administration officials. She emphasized the Justice Department’s commitment to supporting Tribal solutions for Tribal problems, and described how her meetings with Tribal leaders, including in Minnesota and Alaska earlier this year, have highlighted the importance of supporting Healing-to-Wellness Courts and other comprehensive services to address substance abuse and addiction in Tribal communities.
Associate Attorney General Gupta outlined ongoing efforts by the Justice Department’s grantmaking offices to make grants more readily accessible to Tribal communities, including through the Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation, which will be open in December 2023, and the Department’s Directory of Tribal Grants. She concluded by reaffirming the Justice Department’s commitment to supporting Tribes’ efforts not only in enforcement but also in prevention, support, recovery, and healing.
Yesterday, Director Rosie Hidalgo of the Office on Violence Against Women joined U.S. Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell for the District of South Dakota and Executive Assistant Director Timothy Langan Jr. of the FBI’s Criminal, Cyber, Response and Services Branch on a panel entitled “Next Steps to Address the Crisis of MMIP.” Director Hidalgo highlighted OVW’s commitment to addressing the crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons. Additionally, she announced that OVW released its first Notice of Reimbursement under the new Tribal Reimbursement Program, established in VAWA 2022, for expenses incurred in exercising special Tribal criminal jurisdiction over non-Indians who commit certain covered crimes in Indian country.
Pocahontas County Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
BECKLEY, W.Va. – Jose Dominguez, 42, of Snowshoe, pleaded guilty today to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on August 29, 2022, law enforcement officers conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle driven by Dominguez in Beckley. During the traffic stop, a police K-9 alerted to the presence of controlled substances in the vehicles. Officers observed an open bag containing methamphetamine on the driver’s side floorboard. Dominguez admitted that he possessed the approximately 659 grams of methamphetamine found in the bag, that he had just acquired the controlled substance and that he intended to distribute it within the Southern District of West Virginia.
Dominguez is scheduled to be sentenced on March 29, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release, and a $1 million fine.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Beckley/Raleigh County Drug and Violent Crime Unit, the Beckley Police Department, and the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Office. The Beckley/Raleigh County Drug and Violent Crime Unit consists of officers from the West Virginia State Police, the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Office, and the Beckley Police Department.
United States District Judge Frank W. Volk presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Timothy D. Boggess is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:23-cr-15.
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Pavion Company to Pay $1.75 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations of Small Business Contracting FraudRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. –A company located in Chantilly has agreed to pay $1.75 million to settle civil fraud allegations that it and its subsidiaries improperly obtained government contracts that were set-aside for small businesses.
The United States alleged that the Pavion Company (Pavion) ceased to qualify as a small business concern after its predecessor company was acquired in 2016 by the private equity firm Tower Arch Capital. The United States further alleged that, after its acquisition, Pavion, including two of its subsequently acquired subsidiaries, falsely certified themselves as qualified small businesses in the System for Award Management (SAM.gov). Following its acquisition by Tower Arch Capital, Pavion and its subsidiaries were awarded 117 set-aside small business contracts across twenty different federal agencies that they were ineligible to receive.
Pavion’s management submitted a written contractor disclosure to the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General in August 2023. The disclosure explained that Pavion discovered its conduct during post-acquisition integration and consolidation activities and described the corrective actions that Pavion has taken to prevent future misrepresentations concerning its size. Pavion cooperated in full during the ensuing investigation. This settlement resolves federal civil claims under the False Claims Act.
The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia; Department of Defense, Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service’s Mid-Atlantic Field Office; the General Services Administration, Office of Inspector General; the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations; the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General; U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division, Major Procurement Fraud Field Office; Naval Criminal Investigative Service Economic Crimes Field Office; the Department of Justice, Office of Inspector General; the Department of the Interior, Office of Inspector General; the Department of the Treasury, Inspector General for Tax Administration; the Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General; the Department of Commerce, Office of Inspector General; the Department of Energy, Office of Inspector General; the Coast Guard Investigative Service; the Department of Transportation, Office of Inspector General; the Federal Housing Finance Agency; the Department of State, Office of Inspector General; the National Transportation Safety Board; the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission; and the Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General, Major Frauds and Corruption Unit.
This matter was investigated by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tanya Kapoor.
The civil claims settled by this False Claims Act agreement are allegations only; there has been no determination of civil liability.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Ontario county man going to prison for bilking investors out of hundreds of thousands of dollarsRead the Press Release
ROCHESTER, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Thomas Corsaro, 60, of Bloomfield, NY, who was convicted of wire fraud, was sentenced to serve 48 months in prison by Chief U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford. Corsaro was also ordered to pay $1,447,809.19 restitution.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard A. Resnick, who handled the case, stated that between November 2020, and November 2022, Corsaro, acting as an investment adviser, executed a scheme to defraud eight individual investors who invested funds with him. Rather than invest the funds, as he represented he would do, Corsaro used the funds for his own personal use, depositing the funds into personal and business bank accounts. In total, Corsaro received $1,712,469.32 from the eight investors. He repaid $265,642.83 prior to the criminal investigation.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia.
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New Orleans Man Sentenced to 227 Months in Prison for Armed CarjackingRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LA – United States District Judge Lance M. Africk sentenced FURRELL JOHNSON, age 33, of New Orleans, to 227 months in prison for armed carjacking, announced United States Attorney Duane A. Evans.
JOHNSON pleaded guilty to two counts related to the carjacking of a Honda CRV on October 13, 2022, including carjacking and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. According to court records, JOHNSON approached the victim as the victim was returning to his vehicle and snatched a key from the victim’s hand. When the victim turned toward JOHNSON, JOHNSON pulled a black semi-automatic handgun from his waistband and pointed it at the victim. JOHNSON and a still unidentified accomplice then fled in the vehicle.
Judge Africk sentenced JOHNSON to 71 months on the carjacking count, to be followed by three years of supervised release. On the brandishing a firearm count, Judge Africk sentenced JOHNSON to 156 months to be served consecutively to the 71 months on the carjacking count, for a total sentence of 227 months. Judge Africk imposed five years of supervised release on the firearm count. JOHNSON was also ordered to pay a mandatory $100 special assessment feeper count.
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.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the New Orleans Police Department in investigating this matter. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David Haller of the Violent Crime Unit.
New Orleans Man Pleads Guilty to Violating Federal Gun Control ActRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – DERRICK JOHNSON, age 26, a resident of New Orleans, pleaded guilty today before Chief United States District Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown to violating the Federal Gun Control Act, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.
According to court records, JOHNSON was arrested on a state warrant at a New Orleans motel. After the arresting officers saw two guns in the room, they called the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives for assistance. JOHNSON told the ATF agent who arrived that anything found in the room belonged to him. A female who rented the room consented to a search by the ATF agent. After searching, the agent found two handguns, a .380 pistol and a 9-millimeter pistol. JOHNSON admitted the guns were his. At the time, he had numerous prior felony convictions that prevented him from possessing a firearm.
Subsequently, JOHNSON pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of firearms, namely the two pistol founds during the search of the motel room. At his April 11, 2024 sentencing, JOHNSON faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years, up to a $250,000 fine, up to 3 years of supervised release, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco, and Explosives and the New Orleans Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Haller of the Violent Crime Unit.
New Orleans Man Pleads Guilty to Drug and Weapons ChargesRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that on December 6, 2023, GREGORY WILLIAMS, age 30, a resident of Orleans Parish, pled guilty to four counts of a seven-count superseding indictment for drug and weapons violations. Sentencing is set for April 3, 2024.
In Count 4, WILLIAMS is charged with possession with the intent to distribute a controlled substance, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(d). For this charge, WILLIAMS faces up to 5 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000.00, and at least 2 years of supervised release.
In Count 5, WILLIAMS is charged with possessing a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(i). For this charge, WILLIAMS faces a mandatory minimum sentence 5 years imprisonment up to life, which must run consecutively to any other term of imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000.00, and up to 5 years of supervised release.
In Count 6, WILLIAMS is charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2). For this charge, WILLIAMS faces up to 10 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000.00, and up to 3 years supervised release.
Finally, in Count 7, WILLIAMS is charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8). As to this charge, WILLIAMS faces up to 15 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000.00, and up to 3 years of supervised release. As to each charged count, WILLIAMS faces payment of a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00.
According to court documents, on February 10, 2022, Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office (“JPSO”) conducted a narcotics investigation in the Metairie Heights Apartment complex in Metairie, LA. Based on their observations, officers stopped a vehicle in the parking lot. During that stop, several individuals located in the parking lot fled from law enforcement. One of those individuals was later identified as WILLIAMS. Investigators identified WILLIAMS as the front-seat passenger of a Dodge Charger that was also located in the parking lot of the apartment complex. Officers obtained a search warrant for the vehicle and during the subsequent search, located a firearm and narcotics, as well as documentation linked to WILLIAMS. Additionally, on October 1, 2022, officers observed WILLIAMS in possession of two firearms outside of a residence in the 3600 block of Clio Street in New Orleans.
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.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the New Orleans Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Inga Petrovich of the Violent Crime Unit.
Monmouth County Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Making Threatening Communications and Calling in False Bomb ThreatsRead the Press Release
TRENTON, N.J. – A Monmouth County, New Jersey, man was sentenced today to 240 months in prison for making threatening telephone and email communications to New Jersey state officials, judges, law enforcement officers, and attorneys, and phoning in false bomb threats to local and state government offices, a police department, two law firms and a commercial establishment, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Eric G. Hafner, 32, formerly of Monmouth County, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Michael A. Shipp on May 17, 2022, to one count of making threating communications in interstate or foreign commerce with intent to extort, one count of making threatening communications in interstate or foreign commerce, and one count of conveying false information concerning the use of an explosive device. U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi imposed the sentence today in Trenton federal court.
U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger“This defendant repeatedly targeted public servants—elected representatives, judges, and law enforcement officials—and private citizens with threats and attempts at extortion. He further victimized these public officials, private citizens, and the public generally by calling in numerous false bomb threats to a courthouse, a police department, law firms, businesses, and an elected official’s office. These types of threating communications are unacceptable. They cause serious harm to victims, and will be met with a swift response by this Office. This defendant has now faced justice for these serious crimes.”
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Between July 2016 and May 2018, while residing outside the United States, Hafner communicated threats to numerous individuals located in and around Monmouth County and elsewhere. The victims were elected officials, judges, police officers, attorneys, and their families. Hafner sought to extort $350,000 from some of his victims. Hafner also made false bomb threats to an elected official’s office, a county courthouse, a police department, two law firms, and a commercial establishment.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Quraishi sentenced Hafner to three years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI, Newark Division, Red Bank Resident Agency, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing. He also thanked detectives of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office; officers of the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office; New Jersey State Police; the Bradley Beach Police Department; Fairhaven Police Department; Aberdeen Police Department; the Hazlet Police Department; Shrewsbury Police Department; the Red Bank Police Department; the Freehold Township Police Department; the Middletown Police Department; the Neptune Township Police Department; the Oceanport Police Department; the Deal Police Department; and the Manasquan Police Department for their assistance in the investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ian D. Brater of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Criminal Division in Trenton and R. Joseph Gribko, Deputy Chief of the Civil Rights Division.
Michigan Man Sentenced to More than 10 Years in Prison for Federal Drug CrimesRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Darrell Lamar Holcomb, also known as “Smiley,” 32, of Dearborn Heights, Michigan, was sentenced today to 10 years and one month in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and 400 grams or more of fentanyl and aiding and abetting the distribution of 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and 400 grams or more of fentanyl.
According to court documents and statements made in court, beginning approximately in or before 2019, Holcomb began supplying controlled substances including methamphetamine, heroin, fentanyl, cocaine and marijuana to an individual living in the Oak Hill area of West Virginia. Holcomb or a courier would transport the controlled substances to the individual from the Detroit, Michigan area approximately once or twice per month. Holcomb usually provided the controlled substances on consignment, accepting payment after the individual sold them. Holcomb also provided cell phones to the individual that he was to use only to communicate with Holcomb.
In early December 2021, Holcomb negotiated with the individual to sell him approximately 5 pounds of methamphetamine and 4.4 pounds of fentanyl along with approximately 2 pounds of a cutting agent to mix with the fentanyl and increase the sellable amount. The individual was required to pay Holcomb $60,000 from a prior shipment as part of this drug deal.
Co-defendant Nicole Christian Ball, 44, of Jackson, Michigan, admitted that she was the courier for the December 2021 transaction. Ball pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the distribution of 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and 400 grams or more of fentanyl on August 1, 2023, and awaits sentencing.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Central West Virginia Task Force.
Senior United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Joshua Hanks prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:22-cr-216.
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Mexican Citizen Sentenced to 46 Months for Transportation of Aliens and Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Ruben Altunar-Lopez, a/k/a “Hervin Lopez-Javier,” age 49, a citizen of Mexico who was residing in Indiana, was sentenced last week to 46 months in prison for the transportation of aliens and his illegal reentry to the United States subsequent to a felony conviction. United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Chief Patrol Agent Robert N. Garcia, United States Border Patrol, Swanton Sector, made the announcement.
As part of his prior guilty plea, Altunar-Lopez admitted that in the early morning of February 19, 2023, he picked up four aliens in the area of Mooers, New York, in his pickup truck, knowing that they did not have authorization to be in the United States. Altunar-Lopez intended to transport those individuals to other locations in the United States, including Indiana. Altunar-Lopez further admitted that he had two prior felony convictions, including a conviction in United States District Court for the District of Arizona for illegal reentry, for which he was still serving a term of supervised release.
At sentencing on November 30, Senior United States District Judge Lawrence E. Kahn also revoked Altunar-Lopez’s previously imposed term of supervised release and sentenced him to a 6-month term of imprisonment on his supervised release violations, to run consecutive to the 46-month term Altunar-Lopez received for new criminal conduct.
United States Border Patrol investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew J. McCrobie prosecuted the case.
McLaughlin Man Sentenced for Assault of an Intimate PartnerRead the Press Release
ABERDEEN - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann sentenced a McLaughlin, South Dakota, man convicted of Assault of an Intimate Partner Resulting in Substantial Bodily Injury. The sentencing took place on December 4, 2023.
Elias Glen Sims, age 19, was sentenced to two years and 10 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Sims was indicted by a federal grand jury in January of 2023. A Superseding Information was filed, and the defendant pleaded guilty on September 11, 2023.
The defendant was convicted of physically abusing his pregnant girlfriend in McLaughlin. On May 10, 2023, the defendant became angry and struck the victim about the body, strangled her, and punched her in the stomach. The defendant was 24 weeks pregnant at the time of the assault.
This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian Country be prosecuted in Federal court as opposed to State court.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs – Office of Justice Services, Standing Rock Agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Troy R. Morley prosecuted the case.
Sims was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Man Sentenced to Eleven Years for Illegally Possessing Firearm While Trafficking Fentanyl in ChicagoRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A man has been sentenced to eleven years in federal prison for illegally possessing a loaded handgun while trafficking fentanyl and cocaine in Chicago.
THOMAS L. GATES illegally possessed the gun and drugs on the evening of Nov. 16, 2021, in the Old Town neighborhood on Chicago’s North Side. Chicago Police officers detained Gates in the 1500 block of North Sedgwick Avenue after observing him display the firearm to another individual. The officers then discovered approximately 45 small, packaged baggies of fentanyl and cocaine in Gates’s jacket pocket.
Gates had previously been convicted of multiple felonies and was not lawfully allowed to possess a firearm.
Gates, 43, of Chicago, pleaded guilty earlier this year to federal drug and firearm charges. U.S. District Judge Edmond E. Chang imposed the sentence Tuesday after a hearing in federal court in Chicago.
The sentence was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Christopher Amon, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Larry Snelling, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department. Valuable assistance was provided by the FBI, DEA, and Illinois State Police.
“Possession with the intent to distribute controlled substances and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking are extremely serious offenses,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Beth E. Palmer argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum. “Defendant posed a severe threat to the community, which is already plagued by gun violence, when he carried a loaded semi-automatic weapon on a public street to protect his drug distributions.”
Machineguns, Long and Short-Barrel Rifles, Handguns, Ammunition Seized in Project Safe Neighborhoods Investigations and ArrestsRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – The United States Attorney’s Office has filed charging documents in federal court in three separate Project Safe Neighborhood cases, involving possession of a machine gun in furtherance of drug trafficking and illegal possession of an array of illicit firearms, including multiple machine guns, eleven silencers, three AR-15 rifles, two long-barrel and three short-barrel rifles, as well as dozens of firearm magazines and various rounds of ammunition, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
“Every illegal firearm loose in our communities is one too many, particularly when it comes to illicit automatic weapons that can inflict carnage on our families and neighbors with a single pull of the trigger,” remarked U.S. Attorney Cunha. “Combatting the proliferation of illegal firearms and keeping guns out of the hands of felons remains a core priority of this Office. These charges represent superb work by the ATF, HSI, USPIS and our local law enforcement colleagues, and reflect our resolve to keep illegal guns off Rhode Island’s streets and out of our communities.”
Brendan Farley
Smithfield, RI
On December 6, 2023, a federal criminal complaint was filed charging Brendan Farley, 39, of Smithfield, with possession of a firearm by a felon, possession of ammunition by a felon, and possession of unregistered firearm silencers.
According to charging documents, it is alleged that on November 29, 2023, United Parcel Service notified Homeland Security Investigations of a suspicious package in the mail stream addressed to Farley. An inspection of the contents of the package allegedly revealed several firearm components used to build or repair an AK-47 rifle. A further check by United Parcel Service indicated that 45 parcels were delivered to Farley’s residence between December 2022 and November 2023, of which at least sixteen were shipped from various firearm or firearm-related part vendors.
Homeland Security Investigations determined that Farley had previously been convicted on state felony firearm and narcotics charges and therefore is prohibited from receiving or possessing a firearm or ammunition.
On December 6, 2023, Homeland Security Investigations executed a court-authorized search of Farley’s residence and vehicle and, from his residence, seized an AR-15 fully automatic machinegun; AR-15 style rifle, AR-15 shotgun, five handguns, and two short-barrel rifles; eleven firearm suppressors or silencers, two of which were attached to firearms; two AR-15 lower receivers and various parts for an AK-47 rifle; 32 firearm magazines; and various supplies used to construct and/or repair firearms. Most of the firearms were privately made firearms, otherwise known as “ghost guns,” that bore no serial numbers or other manufacturer markings.
From Farley’s vehicle agents seized two firearm magazines, including a drum-style magazine.
The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with assistance from the Warwick Police Department, Providence Police Department, Pawtucket Police Department Portsmouth Police Department and Smithfield Police Department.
Jose Marrero
Woonsocket, RI
On December 6, 2023, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Jose Marrero, 35, of Woonsocket, with two counts of possessing a machine gun in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, two counts of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, and one count each of possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and possession with intent to distribute cocaine.
According to charging documents and information presented to the court, as part of an ongoing Project Safe Neighborhoods investigation into Marrero’s alleged illegal possession of firearms, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) agents executed a court-authorized search of Marrero’s residence and located two loaded firearms and assorted ammunition. The items were allegedly located on a bookshelf in a bedroom where two young children were asleep in cribs.
A semi-automatic firearm with a machinegun conversion device affixed to it, converting it into a machinegun, a semi-automatic handgun, assorted ammunition, fentanyl, and cocaine was also seized as result of this investigation.
According to court documents, it is alleged that the some of the firearms seized by law enforcement are identical to some firearms allegedly displayed by Marrero on a social media account he controlled.
According to court records, Marrero was convicted twice previously in Rhode Island state court on felony drug trafficking charges.
This matter was investigated by ATF, members of the ATF Violent Crime Task Force with substantial assistance from the Massachusetts State Police, and the Woonsocket and central Falls Police Department.
Joshua Pavao
Coventry, RI
On December 6, 2023, Joshua Pavao, 43, who frequently resides in Coventry, was charged by way of a criminal complaint with four counts of unlawful possession of a machinegun and four counts of possession of an unregistered firearm.
It is alleged in charging documents that Coventry Police Department and East Providence Police Detectives and ATF agents discovered eight long guns, including four machine guns, inside a duffel bag belonging to Pavao that was found stored inside a garage of the Coventry residence where he frequently resided.
The discovery of the firearms followed the arrest of Pavao by East Providence Police on state charges brought as the result of an investigation into a December 1, 2024 incident that included reports of shots fired; a car chase resulting in several motor vehicle crashes; as well as the discovery of three loaded firearms, 81 loaded rifle magazines, and a multitude of ammunition inside a vehicle driven by Pavao.
Federal criminal complaints and indictments are merely accusations. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Brendan Farley is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald R Gendron; Jose Marrero is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine D. Lowell; Joshua Pavao is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul F. Daly, Jr.
These cases have been brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) ongoing investigations. PSN brings 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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Lock Haven Man Convicted of Visa FraudRead the Press Release
WILLIAMSPORT - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Vinaykumar Patel, age 33, a citizen of the Republic of India, was convicted of multiple counts related to visa fraud and conspiracy following a three-day jury trial that concluded on December 6, 2023.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Patel was the manager of the Fuel-On convenience store in Lock Haven, PA. In June 2019, Patel contacted an associate of his in New Jersey and asked that person to hire someone to stage a robbery at the Fuel-On store. After the staged robbery occurred, it was investigated by the Pennsylvania State Police. Patel then used the PSP reports of the robbery to apply for a U-visa. The U-visa is a special visa offered by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to non-citizens who are victims of crime and who are cooperative with law enforcement. Patel had no lawful immigration status in the United States at the time of the staged robbery.
This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Clinton County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant United States Attorneys Geoffrey MacArthur and Alisan Martin prosecuted the case.
Patel faces a maximum penalty of 25 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
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Lead Defendant Pleads Guilty to International Human Smuggling and Cocaine Distribution ConspiracyRead the Press Release
A Pennsylvania man pleaded guilty today to his role in a scheme to illegally smuggle Honduran nationals into the United States and distribute cocaine in the United States.
According to court documents, Carl Allison, 47, of Pittsburgh, conspired with at least seven others to bring Honduran nationals and cocaine from Honduras to the United States. In February 2022, Allison and others attempted to illegally bring 23 Honduran migrants and at least 24 kilograms of cocaine from Utila, Honduras, to Cocodrie, Louisiana, aboard the M/V Pop, a vessel co-owned by Allison. The migrants each paid up to $20,000 to Allison or his co-conspirators to be smuggled into the United States. At some point during a voyage in February 2022, the M/V Pop had engine trouble in the Gulf of Mexico. Allison and others chartered a boat to bring fuel to the disabled vessel so that it could complete its journey to the United States. Before the chartered boat reached the disabled vessel, the U.S. Coast Guard interdicted the vessel approximately 95 miles off the coast of Grand Isle, Louisiana, and towed it to shore.
For approximately three years, Allison participated in the scheme to bring Honduran migrants from Honduras to the United States via vessels such as the M/V Pop. Allison and his co-conspirators smuggled at least 15 migrants into the United States on each voyage. Once the migrants reached the United States, Allison and his co-conspirators placed them in factories and other businesses knowing that the migrants lacked authorization to enter, remain, or work in the United States.
Allison pleaded guilty to conspiracy to unlawfully bring aliens to the United States for financial gain and conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine hydrochloride. He is scheduled to be sentenced on March 28, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Three co-conspirators, all Honduran nationals, pleaded guilty earlier this year for their roles in the scheme. Darrel Martinez, 41, and Josue Flores-Villeda, 36, pleaded guilty to the same charges as Allison. Lenord Cooper, 40, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to aid and assist aliens to enter the United States unlawfully and attempting to bring aliens to the United States for commercial advantage and private financial gain.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans for the Eastern District of Louisiana, and Special Agent in Charge David Denton of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New Orleans Field Office made the announcement.
HSI Houma, Louisiana, investigated the case, with assistance from HSI Pittsburgh, HSI Atlanta, and the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation. The U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine Operations, Louisiana State Police, Pennsylvania State Police, North Huntington Township Police, and Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office also provided valuable assistance.
The investigation is being conducted under Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA). Attorney General Merrick B. Garland created JTFA in June 2021 in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security to strengthen the Justice Department’s efforts to combat the rise in prolific and dangerous smuggling emanating from Central America and impacting our border communities. JTFA is comprised of detailees from U.S. Attorneys’ Offices along the southwest border. Dedicated support is also provided by numerous components of the Criminal Division that are part of JTFA, led by the Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and supported by the Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training; Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section; Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section; Office of Enforcement Operations; Office of International Affairs; and Violent Crime and Racketeering Section. JTFA also relies on substantial law enforcement investment from DHS, the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and other partners. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in over 260 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of human smuggling; over 170 convictions; significant jail sentences imposed; and forfeitures of substantial assets.
The investigation is also supported by the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and the Extraterritorial Criminal Travel Strike Force (ECT) program. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States 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 ECT program is a partnership between the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and HSI, and focuses on human smuggling networks that may present particular national security or public safety risks, or present grave humanitarian concerns. ECT has dedicated investigative, intelligence, and prosecutorial resources. ECT also coordinates and receives assistance from other U.S. government agencies and foreign law enforcement authorities.
Deputy Chief Rami Badawy and Trial Attorney Kate Wagner of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carter Guice and Ben Myers for the Eastern District of Louisiana are prosecuting the case.
La Crosse Man Sentenced to 7 Years for Firearm ViolationsRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Jerel D. Jenkins, 29, La Crosse, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to seven years in prison followed by three years of supervised release for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Jenkins pleaded guilty to this charge on September 1, 2023.
On April 27, 2022, Jenkins was driving a car in La Crosse with a passenger. An officer saw Jenkins’ car was not displaying proper license plates and attempted a traffic stop. Jenkins sped down an alleyway and jumped from the car, which crashed head-on into a detached garage with the passenger still in it. Jenkins fled and was not apprehended that evening. While responding to the scene, officers found a .380 caliber handgun, with a magazine inserted and loaded, on the ground near the driver-side door of the car. DNA from the trigger guard of the handgun matched Jenkins.
On October 12, 2022, Jenkins was charged federally with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Local law enforcement attempted to arrest Jenkins on several occasions, but he eluded capture, in one instance by driving his car through a detached garage and hitting an occupied squad car.
On February 16, 2023, officers from multiple local and federal law enforcement agencies coordinated efforts to arrest Jenkins. Officers saw Jenkins leave an apartment and get into an SUV parked in an alleyway. The officers activated their lights and sirens and attempted to box Jenkins’ SUV in the alleyway. Jenkins responded by accelerating toward one end of the alleyway. He hit a dumpster and then a vehicle driven by a Deputy U.S. Marshal. Jenkins hit the vehicle with such force that its airbags deployed and the Deputy U.S. Marshal was injured. Jenkins was extracted from the SUV and arrested. Two shotguns and ammunition were found in the SUV.
Based on the events surrounding his arrest, Jenkins was charged with illegally possessing the two shotguns and with assaulting a federal officer and causing injury. Jenkins ultimately pleaded guilty to possessing the two shotguns and agreed for the purposes of sentencing that he injured the Deputy U.S. Marshal and possessed the loaded .380 caliber handgun in April 2022.
At sentencing, Judge Peterson concluded that 84 months in prison was necessary to protect the public from Jenkins’ reckless behavior. Judge Peterson noted that Jenkins suffered from substance abuse and mental health issues, but emphasized that Jenkins had an obligation to manage those issues so not to present a danger to the public. Judge Peterson credited Jenkins’ good behavior while he was detained pretrial to encourage him to pursue sobriety and prosocial behavior.
The charges against Jenkins were the result of an investigation conducted by the La Crosse Police Department, the United States Marshals Service, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anita Marie Boor and Corey Stephan prosecuted this case.
This case has been brought 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.
Kenton County Man Sentenced to 78 Months for Marijuana TraffickingRead the Press Release
COVINGTON, Ky. – A Florence, Ky., man, Ryan Stivers, 30, was sentenced on Tuesday, to 78 months in prison, by Chief U.S. District Judge Danny Reeves, following his conviction for conspiracy to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana.
According to his plea agreement, beginning in 2017, law enforcement began investigating suspicious packages being mailed from California to multiple addresses in Northern Kentucky, which were associated with Stivers. During the investigation, law enforcement seized significant amounts of marijuana and cash proceeds of drug trafficking. Stivers admitted to his participation in the marijuana distribution conspiracy and that he was responsible for distributing at least 100 kilograms of marijuana.
Under federal law, Stivers must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for four years.
Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; and Lesley Allison, Special Agent in Charge, United States Postal Inspection Service, Pittsburgh Field Division; and Orville O. Greene, Special Agent in Charge, DEA, Detroit Field Division, jointly announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by USPIS and DEA.
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Kanawha County Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Randell Lee Proctor, 45, of Belle, was sentenced today to four years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for possession of a firearm by a person previously convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on December 29, 2022, Proctor possessed a Hi-Point, model C9, 9mm semi-automatic pistol in the Rand area of Kanawha County. Proctor fired two rounds with the firearm while outside a residence, one into the air and the other into the front porch ceiling of the residence while his girlfriend was inside. Law enforcement officers responding to complaints about the gunshots encountered Proctor inside the residence, where they recovered the firearm.
Federal law prohibits a person with a prior conviction for a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Proctor knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior convictions for domestic battery on September 15, 2016, November 26, 2013, January 24, 2005 and September 24, 2002, all in Kanawha County Magistrate Court.
The Court granted an upward variance from Proctor’s original sentencing range. The Court cited several factors including Proctor’s prior convictions and criminal history, the fact that he discharged the firearm during an active domestic violence altercation, and the danger to the community he posed by discharging a firearm in a residential area.
“With the upward variance granted by the Court, today’s sentence reflects the seriousness of this defendant’s crime and protects the public,” said United States Attorney Will Thompson. “This defendant has a significant criminal history of domestic violence crimes dating back two decades. The fact that he fired shots in this incident raises grave concerns that his tendency toward violence in his domestic relationships is escalating.”
Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office.
“This case shows why domestic abusers should not possess firearms. They pose extreme danger to intimate partners, family and to the public,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Shawn Morrow of the Louisville Division which covers all of West Virginia. “ATF prioritizes these cases and will work alongside our law enforcement partners, including the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, to protect the community and send these dangerous offenders to federal prison, where they belong.”
United States District Judge Irene C. Berger imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Troy D. Adams 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.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:23-cr-74.
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Justice Department Secures Agreement with Florida Restaurant to Resolve Claims of Employment DiscriminationRead the Press Release
The Justice Department announced today that it secured a settlement agreement with OSI/Fleming’s LLC, which owns and operates the Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar (Fleming’s) restaurant in Sandestin, Florida. The agreement resolves the department’s determination that Fleming’s violated the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) by discriminating against a lawful permanent resident when checking whether he had ongoing permission to work.
“Employers that discriminate against workers by rejecting their valid documents or requiring that they show unnecessary documents to prove they can continue to work violate federal law,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department will continue to hold employers accountable for unlawfully discriminating against workers because of citizenship, immigration status or national origin.”
After opening an investigation based on a worker’s complaint, the department concluded that Fleming’s discriminated against a lawful permanent resident by rejecting the valid documents the worker originally provided and unnecessarily requiring him to present a document with an expiration date to prove his citizenship status. When he failed to do so, Fleming’s fired him, according to the department. Federal law allows workers to choose which valid, legally acceptable documentation to present to demonstrate their identity and permission to work, regardless of citizenship, immigration status or national origin. Employers cannot demand more documents than are necessary or specify documentation they prefer to see as part of this process.
After the department started its investigation, Fleming’s rehired the worker and paid him lost wages. Under the agreement, Fleming’s will pay a civil penalty to the United States, train its human resources staff on the INA’s requirements and provide an alternative way of accepting a worker’s documentation if the company’s software will not accept a worker’s valid documentation.
The Civil Rights Division’s Immigrant and Employee Rights Section (IER) is responsible for enforcing the anti-discrimination provision of the INA. Among other things, the statute prohibits employment discrimination based on citizenship status and national origin in hiring, firing or recruitment or referral for a fee; unfair documentary practices; retaliation; and intimidation.
Find more information on how employers can avoid discrimination when verifying someone’s permission to work on IER’s website. Learn more about IER’s work and how to get assistance through this brief video. Applicants or employees who believe they were discriminated against based on their citizenship, immigration status or national origin in hiring, firing, recruitment or during the employment eligibility verification process (Form I-9 and E-Verify); or subjected to retaliation, may file a charge. The public can also call IER’s worker hotline at 1-800-255-7688 (1-800-237-2515, TTY for hearing impaired); call IER’s employer hotline at 1-800-255-8155 (1-800-237-2515, TTY for hearing impaired); email [email protected]; sign up for a live webinar or watch an on-demand presentation or visit IER’s English and Spanish websites. Subscribe for email updates from IER.
fnl_-_executed_settlement_agreement_flemings_redacted_ocred.pdfJury Convicts Akron Man of Meth ConspiracyRead the Press Release
A man who conspired to distribute methamphetamine was convicted by a jury on December 6, 2023, after a three-day trial in federal court in Sioux City.
Britt Lander, 42, from Akron, Iowa, was convicted of conspiring to distribute more than 50 grams of pure methamphetamine. The verdict was returned after about 1 hour of jury deliberations. In 2012, Lander was previously convicted of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Iowa.
The evidence at trial showed that Lander, along with others, conspired to receive methamphetamine by mail and vehicle from California and Mexico to distribute in the Sioux City and Akron, Iowa areas. Evidence also showed Lander assisted others in the unloading of 5-10 pound loads of methamphetamine transported to rural properties associated with Lander. Evidence also included an audio/video recording of Lander and another using cutting tools to remove 7 kilograms of methamphetamine from inside a spare tire that was used to transport the methamphetamine from Mexico.
Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Lander remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. Lander faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment, a $20,000,000 fine, and 10 years up to life of supervised release following any imprisonment.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and was investigated by the Tri-State Drug Task Force based in Sioux City, Iowa, that consists of law enforcement personnel from the Drug Enforcement Administration; Sioux City Police Department; Homeland Security Investigations; Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office; South Sioux City, Nebraska, Police Department; Nebraska State Patrol; Iowa National Guard; Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; United States Marshals Service; South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation; and Woodbury County Attorney’s Office.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 22-4071.
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Joliet Man Sentenced to More Than Two Years in Federal Prison for Illegally Possessing Firearm While on Court-Supervised ReleaseRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A federal judge has sentenced a Joliet man to more than two years in prison for illegally possessing a loaded handgun while on court-supervised release for a drug conviction.
GARY MCDONALD, 50, illegally possessed the gun on Oct. 8, 2023, in a vehicle parked in the 1000 block of Sherman Street in Joliet. McDonald had been released from federal prison in 2020 after serving time for a drug conspiracy conviction. He was to remain on court-supervised release until 2025, during which time he was not allowed to, among other things, possess a firearm or commit another federal or state crime.
After a hearing in federal court on Nov. 30, 2023, U.S. District Judge John Robert Blakey found that McDonald violated the conditions of supervised release. Judge Blakey revoked McDonald’s release and sentenced him to an additional two years and three months in federal prison.
The government was represented at the hearing by Assistant U.S. Attorney Misty N. Wright. Valuable assistance with the supervised release prosecution was provided by the Joliet Police Department and the FBI.
“Violating supervised release by possessing a loaded firearm is a serious offense that carries with it serious consequences,” said Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to prosecute serious violations of supervised release as appropriate.”
Houstonian admits to $935,000 international money laundering schemeRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 31-year-old local man has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
From July 2018 to November 2018, Baudelaire Tchouala laundered money into several bank accounts and withdrew the money to send to others. He used a business account to conceal the fraudulent activity.
Victims believed they paid for goods and services from legitimate individuals and companies but were tricked into sending the money to Tchouala’s accounts. On July 23, 2018, a victim wired $64,000 from their bank account to Tchouala’s account based on instructions they received via email. The victim sent the money, believing it was for the purchase of a house.
On Oct. 29, 2018, another victim directed $198,955 into Tchouala’s account for a down payment on a condominium. The receiving account was just opened Oct. 12, 2018.
In addition, several companies also fell victim to the scheme. One had communicated via email with someone pretending to be from another company. On Oct. 4, 2018, that person sent an email requesting that payment be sent to an updated bank account. Based on that email, the victim company sent approximately $645,711 to Tchouala’s bank account.
The victims reside in various countries including the United States, South Korea and Japan.
Tchouala withdrew most of the money via cash, card purchases, checks and transfers. Tchouala’s fraudulent financial activity totaled approximately $935,000.
U.S. District Judge Alfred H. Bennett accepted the plea and set sentencing for March 7, 2024. At that time, he faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a possible $500,000 maximum fine.
Tchouala was permitted to remain on bond pending sentencing.
FBI conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rodolfo Ramirez and Shirin Hakimzadeh is prosecuting the case.
Heritage-Crystal Clean LLC to Pay More Than $1.1 Million in Penalties and Implement Compliance Measures for Violations of Hazardous Waste RegulationsRead the Press Release
Today, the Justice Department and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a settlement with Heritage-Crystal Clean LLC (HCC) to resolve pending claims of the United States on behalf of the EPA, the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) and the State of Indiana for violations of requirements governing management of hazardous waste, as well as a violation of used oil management requirements, at current or former HCC facilities located in Indianapolis; Shreveport, Louisiana; Atlanta; Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania and Denver. Under the settlement, HCC commits to pay civil penalties totaling $1,162,500 and to implement various measures to ensure that HCC facilities will not treat, store or dispose of parts-washing solvents that qualify as hazardous waste unless and until HCC receives a hazardous waste permit authorizing it to manage hazardous waste. Plaintiffs estimate that the compliance measures required under the settlement will cost at least $1,628,502.
“While federal law encourages responsible recycling of hazardous waste, recyclers must still comply with legal requirements designed to ensure the health and safety of our communities,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). “This settlement reflects our commitment to ensuring that hazardous waste recycling operations are conducted in accordance with the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and its regulations.”
“Companies that manage hazardous wastes for other companies are required to ensure that those wastes are handled properly, which Heritage Crystal Clean repeatedly failed to do,” said Assistant Administrator David M. Uhlmann of the EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “EPA is committed to fair and robust enforcement of our hazardous waste laws to ensure that our communities and the environment are protected from mismanaged hazardous wastes.”
In January 2022, a 21-count complaint was filed against HCC in federal district court in the Northern District of Illinois under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and applicable state law. The complaint states that in the course of providing parts-washing services to customers throughout the United States, HCC accepted some used solvent that qualified as hazardous waste, but HCC did not transport and manage those solvents in accordance with applicable hazardous waste management requirements. In particular, the complaint states that HCC (1) transported hazardous waste without required hazardous waste manifests, (2) stored hazardous waste at various HCC facilities without required permits, (3) failed to make required hazardous waste determinations after mixing used solvents from different parts-washing customers, (4) failed to comply with certain requirements for reducing air emissions from certain hazardous waste tanks and equipment, and (5) failed to maintain adequate secondary containment for certain hazardous waste tanks. The complaint alleges that some used solvents managed by HCC were hazardous waste because HCC needed to subject the material to systematic gravity separation to make the used material suitable for resale. Plaintiffs contend HCC evaded hazardous waste requirements by improperly claiming that the unusable solvents were products instead of wastes.
As part of the settlement, HCC must perform compliance measures at multiple HCC facilities to achieve and maintain compliance with RCRA. As one element of the compliance program, the proposed settlement requires HCC to implement measures to ensure one type of used solvent referred to by HCC as “106 solvent” is acceptable for re-use without prior reclamation and that it is legitimately reused. The settlement will also prohibit gravity separation (removing water and solids while recovering the valuable solvent component) of used 106 solvent in order to meet re-use solvent customer product specifications or to otherwise render the material suitable for reuse. Used solvents that are legitimately reused for their solvent properties without prior reclamation are not subject to regulation as hazardous waste.
Another central element of the proposed settlement is a sampling program to determine whether another type of parts-washing solvent – referred to by HCC as “142 solvent” – exhibits hazardous waste characteristics. HCC must promptly remove from its facilities any 142 solvent drums and consolidation containers that exhibit hazardous waste characteristics, and HCC must thereafter manage such characteristic wastes in accordance with applicable hazardous waste management requirements.
The proposed settlement also requires HCC to apply for a RCRA permit at its Indianapolis facility. Pending issuance of the permit and construction of certain hazardous waste management units, the settlement requires HCC to implement specified interim measures at the Indianapolis facility, including frequent inspections of tanks and containers, as well as elimination of open venting of tanks containing used 142 solvent.
Finally, the proposed settlement includes numerous other provisions, including provisions that require HCC to distribute educational materials to parts-washing customers in specified circumstances, and provisions for HCC to retain a third party to conduct audits at designated HCC facilities to ensure future compliance.
The five HCC facilities included in this settlement are recognized by EPA to be located within communities with potential environmental justice concerns. Nearby communities will benefit from the improved controls and new work practices that will be implemented at HCC facilities as required by the consent decree. These new controls and practices will reduce emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and reduce risk of exposure to hazardous wastes managed at these facilities.
The proposed consent decree, lodged in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, is subject to a 30-day federal public comment period and approval by the federal court. The consent decree can be viewed on the Justice Department's website at www.justice.gov/enrd/consent-decrees.
For more information about this settlement, please visit Heritage-Crystal Clean LLC Settlement Information Sheet on EPA’s web page.
EPA is investigating the case.
Attorneys from ENRD’s Environmental Enforcement Section are prosecuting the case.