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Wednesday 29 November 2023
Central Georgia Man Pleads Guilty to Illegally Possessing FirearmRead the Press Release
MACON, Ga. – A Central Georgia resident pleaded guilty to illegally possessing an assault weapon he used during a 2022 shoot-out in Twiggs County, Georgia.
Jayvon Latrez Anthony, 30, of Jeffersonville, Georgia, pleaded guilty to one count of illegal possession of a firearm by a person under felony indictment before U.S. District Judge C. Ashley Royal on Nov. 28. Anthony faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release and a maximum $250,000 fine. Sentencing will occur at a date determined by the Court. The defendant is not eligible for parole.
“It’s fortunate no one was killed during this highly volatile shoot-out where the defendant was armed with an assault-style weapon, firing off at least 17 rounds,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “Through Project Safe Neighborhoods and our strong partnership with law enforcement at every level, violent convicted criminals caught illegally with assault weapons and other firearms will see their local cases get federal attention here in the Middle District of Georgia.”
“As a result of this guilty plea, Mr. Anthony will be off the streets and unable to possess or use firearms,” said ATF Assistant Special Agent in Charge Beau Kolodka. “ATF takes it very seriously when offenders illegally possess firearms, putting our community at risk.”
“I’m pleased to know that another violent offender is off the streets and is no longer a threat to our community,” said Twiggs County Sheriff Darren Mitchum. “I commend my deputies and investigators for the thorough job they did with this investigation. It was only by the grace of God that no lives were lost due to such a careless act.”
According to court documents, Anthony was armed with an AK-47 style pistol when he exchanged gunfire with Tre’Vonte Tharpe on July 22, 2022, on Shine Road in Jeffersonville (Twiggs County). Both Anthony and his mother were struck by bullets in the shoot-out; Anthony was treated and released by a hospital for his injuries. Officers recovered 17 spent rounds from Anthony’s assault pistol and one 9mm round fired by Tharpe. Officers executed a search warrant at the Shine Road residence and found the AK-47 style pistol and firearm magazine under the kitchen sink belonging to Anthony. The firearm was covered in blood and still had a loaded magazine in it with a live round in the chamber. Anthony has a criminal record, including a prior felony conviction for aggravated assault in Bibb County, Georgia, Superior Court.
This case is being 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.
The case was investigated by ATF and the Twiggs County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joy Odom is prosecuting the case for the Government.
Cambridge Man Sentenced to 6 Years for Penobscot County Drug Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
BANGOR, Maine: A Cambridge man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Bangor for his role in a conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, cocaine base, methamphetamine and cocaine in Penobscot County.
U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. sentenced Jeffrey Frost, 40, to 72 months in prison followed by four years of supervised release. Frost pleaded guilty on March 28, 2023.
According to court records, between January 2021 and April 2021, Frost conspired with others to distribute the drugs in the Penobscot County area and elsewhere. As part of the conspiracy, Frost regularly obtained drugs and supplied them to a local dealer, Jason Lee Lary, to sell for him. Frost came to investigators’ attention during jail house calls by and with Lary in which it was demonstrated that Frost was supplying drugs to sell, including the drugs recovered at the time of Lary’s arrest. Those drugs included 53 grams of cocaine base, 80 grams of fentanyl mixture, 25 grams of methamphetamine, and 40 grams of cocaine. In a later interview with investigators, Frost admitted that he had met Lary in 2021 through one of Frost’s customers and began supplying him with drugs after that introduction.
In September 2022, Lary was sentenced to two years in prison followed by five years of supervised release for his role in the conspiracy.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Somerset County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.
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California Man Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Shipping Marijuana to NebraskaRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Shawn Thomas, 34, of Roseville, California, was sentenced on November 29, 2023, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, for conspiracy to distribute 50 kilograms or more of marijuana. United States District Court Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Thomas to 60 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Thomas’s release from prison, he will begin a three-year term of supervised release.
Thomas was identified as being involved in drug distribution as a result of an ongoing investigation into Thomas’ co-conspirators. From approximately October 2018 to December 2020, conspirators regularly shipped multi-pound boxes of marijuana from the Sacramento, California, area to Omaha, where other conspirators would distribute it. These shipments were made via the United States mail and commercial shipping services like FedEx. A 22.5-pound box of marijuana was seized from an Omaha residence on December 18, 2020. Thomas was in the residence at the time of the search with three co-defendants.
Review of FedEx shipping records and conspirators’ cell phone messages determined that Thomas was responsible for mailing the packages. At the sentencing hearing, Judge Buescher found that Thomas was responsible for conspiring to distribute at least 100 kilograms (220.4 pounds) of marijuana.
The three other co-defendants were sentenced earlier this year. Aarion Jenkins, 29, and Marques Eiland, 29, both of Omaha were sentenced to 40 months and 31 months respectively. Julio Ayala, 33, of Sacramento was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Omaha Police Department, and Sacramento County (California) Sheriff’s Office.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and
transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Buffalo man sentenced for drug and gun chargesRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Rayshawn Miller, 40, of Buffalo, NY, who was convicted of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and acetyl-fentanyl, and possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking crimes, was sentenced to serve 204 months’ imprisonment by U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Evan K. Glaberson, who handled the case, stated that on July 20, 2021, the DEA executed a search warrant at Miller’s Broadway Street residence and seized 167 grams of a mixture containing fentanyl and acetyl fentanyl, 18 grams of fentanyl, 21 grams of crack cocaine, 124 grams of cocaine, two loaded firearms, including a Ghost Gun, ammunition, $15,380 in cash, and drug packaging materials.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Frank A. Tarentino III, New York Field Division, and the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia.
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Bridgeport man sentenced for taking nearly $650,000 in COVID Relief fundsRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – James Nolte, 52, of Bridgeport, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 21 months in federal prison for wire fraud.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Nolte fraudulently applied for and received CARES Act Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans totaling $645,717. To obtain these loans, Nolte falsely represented an interest in business or created the business and submitted fraudulent documents to obtain the loans. The loans were for PGO Veterans Services, PG Health, RJS Catering and Dental Care Plus. Nolte also obtained forgiveness from the Small Business Administration for these loans, falsely certifying that he used the money for payroll expenses. Nolte instead spent the money on personal expenses.
Nolte was also ordered to pay $684,154.44 to the Small Business Administration which includes the initial loan amounts, interest on the loans prior to forgiveness, and processing fees.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Conklin prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.
Anyone aware of COVID fraud can report it via email to [email protected], by telephone to 304-234-0100, or via regular mail to the U.S. Attorney, P.O. Box 591, Wheeling, WV 26003, Attn: COVID Fraud Unit.
Boulder Women Plead Guilty to Conspiracy to Import a Controlled SubstanceRead the Press Release
DENVER – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces that Grace Kohler, age 23, and Elizabeth Brown, age 24, both of Boulder, pleaded guilty today to a felony charge of Conspiracy to Import a Controlled Substance to the United States from Mexico.
According to the plea agreement, on August 12, 2021, Grace Kohler, Elizabeth Brown, and another woman traveled to Playa Del Carmen, Mexico, for a vacation. While there, the women went to a pharmacy. Kohler and Brown exchanged text messages and calls with a mutual friend in Boulder, Colorado, whose initials are J.B., to see what specific drugs he wanted them to get for him from the pharmacy. After considering the drugs the pharmacy advertised, J.B. asked the women to get him oxycodone. Kohler paid the pharmacy $300 for 30 pills of supposed oxycodone, using her credit card. J.B. later sent Kohler $300 as reimbursement via Venmo. Brown translated from English to Spanish while the women communicated with the employee at the pharmacy. The women believed the pills they purchased contained oxycodone because that is what the pharmacy and the employee represented the pills to be.
Before returning to the United States from Mexico, Kohler and Brown put the controlled substances they purchased—including the supposed oxycodone for J.B.—in other containers, such as a multivitamin container and a container for cold and flu medicine. On August 17, 2021, the women flew back into the United States on United Airlines and landed in Denver, Colorado. The women did not declare the controlled substances they purchased in Mexico and imported into the United States with U.S. Customs. The women drove from Denver International Airport to J.B.’s place of employment in Boulder, Colorado. In a parking lot, Brown handed J.B. the 30 tablets the women had obtained for him at the pharmacy in Mexico. J.B. put the pills in his shirt pocket and the women left.
On August 18, 2021, Boulder Police responded to J.B.’s residence because his roommate had found J.B. deceased in his bedroom. Within J.B.’s bedroom, police found a sandwich bag containing 29 pills. The pills had “M” and “30” stamped on them and looked like poorly pressed counterfeit oxycodone pills. Later laboratory analysis revealed the pills in the bag contained fentanyl and not oxycodone. On August 20, the Boulder County Coroner’s Office conducted an autopsy and determined J.B. died of fentanyl intoxication.
“This tragic death is only one example of the lethal epidemic of fentanyl overdoses,” said U.S. Attorney Cole Finegan. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to raise public awareness and deter distribution of this deadly poison.”
“The only safe and reliable place to get legitimate prescription medications is from a trusted and licensed pharmacist within the United States,” said DEA Acting Special Agent in Charge David Olesky of the Rocky Mountain Field Division. “The cartels are driving addiction across our country through the trafficking of fentanyl. This is precisely why DEA launched its One Pill Can Kill Campaign in 2021. Today, 70 percent of the pills seized by DEA contain a potentially deadly dose of fentanyl. We can’t say it enough – don’t purchase pills on social media or take a pill provided by a ‘friend’.”
“The influx of illegal drugs, and drugs containing fentanyl, in the United States has increased over the years and, unfortunately, we have seen incidents of overdoses and tragically we have also had deaths occur,” said Commander Nick Goldberger of the Boulder County Drug Task Force. “You should only obtain prescribed medication from a legitimate pharmacy, and under a doctor’s care, to reduce your risk of taking something that may contain fentanyl.”
“Fentanyl has taken and destroyed many lives in this country and sadly our community is not immune. I’m proud of the strong policework our officers did in this case to find the suppliers of these drugs,” Boulder Police Deputy Chief of Operations Steve Redfearn said. “We truly value the great relationships we have with our federal, state, and local partners in combatting this deadly epidemic.”
Brown is scheduled to be sentenced on March 1, 2024. Kohler is scheduled to be sentence on March 7, 2024. A United States District Judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office, and the Boulder County Drug Task Force are investigating the case. Assistant United States Attorneys Peter McNeilly and Alexander Duncan are prosecuting the case.
Case Number: 23-cr-00439-NYW
Bosnian War Criminal Sentenced to 70 Months in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – Sinisa Djurdjic, 50, a citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina (“Bosnia”) and a Tucson resident, was sentenced yesterday by United States District Judge Jennifer G. Zipps to 70 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. On May 19, 2023, after a nine-day trial, a federal jury found Djurdjic guilty of Visa Fraud and two separate counts of Attempted Unlawful Procurement of Citizenship.
The evidence at trial revealed that Djurdjic emigrated to Tucson under the United States refugee program in 2000. Nine years later, Homeland Security Investigations launched an investigation after receiving a roster of a Serbian police brigade suspected of various wartime atrocities during the 1990s. Djurdjic was listed as a member of the brigade. The multi-year international investigation, and the evidence presented at trial, showed that Djurdjic was indeed a member of that police brigade and other Bosnian-Serb military units and that he was a prison guard at two separate prison camps north of Sarajevo. Both prison camps were established by the “Republika Srpska,” the Bosnian-Serb military unit that espoused the idea of “ethnic cleansing” during the civil war. During that war, Bosnian Serbs sought to exclude all Bosnian Muslims and Catholic Croats to create a nation of only one ethnicity – Serbian.
During the trial, five Bosnian Muslims who were held at the prison camps testified that, as a prison guard, Djurdjic tortured prisoners in his custody for months in 1992. At trial extensive evidence demonstrated that Djurdjic obtained refugee status and permanent residence in the United States for two decades by lying about his prior military and police service. His lies prevented immigration authorities from making a fully informed decision regarding his applications for immigration benefits. As a result, Djurdjic secured a safe haven for himself in the United States to which he was not entitled and thereby escaped justice for his war crimes in Bosnia for over thirty years.
“Our lives were ruined by people like Sinisa but we managed to rebuild them and his conviction is one of the final bricks in our house of peace,” said one of the victims in his statement to the Court.
At sentencing, the judge found by clear and convincing evidence that Djurdjic committed the offenses to conceal his torture of prisoners of war as a prison guard in Bosnia and that he concealed his war crimes from immigration authorities.
Homeland Security Investigations, Tucson Field Office, conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant United States Attorneys Liza Granoff and Kevin Schiff, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-17-1658-TUC-JGZ
RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-188_Djurdiic# # #
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.Billings felon admits illegal possession of firearmRead the Press Release
BILLINGS – A Billings felon who was on state probation and led law enforcement on a vehicle chase before crashing admitted to illegally possessing a firearm that was found in the vehicle, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.
Christopher Samuel Fear, 38, pleaded guilty to prohibited person in possession of a firearm. Fear faces a maximum of 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.
U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing was set for March 27, 2024. Fear was released pending further proceedings.
The government alleged in court documents that on Jan. 11, after 2 a.m., a Montana Highway Patrol officer attempted a traffic stop of a vehicle for traveling 85 mph in a 65-mph speed zone. The trooper activated his emergency lights, but the driver of the vehicle accelerated and fled. The vehicle eventually crashed into a fence in Billings. Officers approached the vehicle and saw that it was empty. Officers noticed a pistol on the floorboard and found Fear hiding under the front end of the vehicle. Fear claimed others were in the vehicle but refused to identify them, and there was no evidence of other occupants. Fear was on state probation at the time for a drug conviction and had an outstanding probation violation arrest warrant. Law enforcement later searched the vehicle and found 216 fentanyl pills, 20 grams of methamphetamine and baggies and a loaded .357-caliber semi-automatic pistol.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lori Harper Suek is prosecuting the case. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force conducted the investigation.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
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Bay St. Louis Woman Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute 50 Dosage Units of Pills Containing FentanylRead the Press Release
Gulfport, Miss. – A Bay St. Louis woman pled guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 50 dosage units of pills containing fentanyl.
Emma Kate Stoute, 18, pled guilty in U.S. District Court in Gulfport on November 27, 2023.
According to court documents, on August 29, 2023, the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration followed up on a written complaint that alleged there was drug trafficking activity occurring at the Motel 6 in Bay St. Louis. Agents conducted surveillance on the motel and narrowed down the suspected parties and rooms. During surveillance, agents observed a red Toyota Camry arrive at the hotel to pick up two of the individuals suspected of selling drugs. Once the vehicle departed, agents conducted rolling surveillance of the vehicle and observed the occupants of the vehicle participate in what appeared to be a drug transaction in Louisiana. After the transaction, agents followed the vehicle back into Mississippi and conducted a traffic stop. Stoute was identified as one of the occupants of the vehicle. She was in possession of 50 dosage units of pills containing fentanyl. A subsequent search of her cellular device yielded messages confirming that Stoute was trafficking fentanyl pills in the Southern District of Mississippi.
Stoute is scheduled to be sentenced on March 21, 2024. She 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 W. Gee of the Southern District of Mississippi and Special Agent in Charge Brad L. Byerley of the Drug Enforcement Administration made the announcement.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Erica Rose is prosecuting the case.
Bangor Woman Sentenced for Stealing More than $27,000 from Native American Tribal OrganizationRead the Press Release
BANGOR, Maine: A Bangor woman was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Bangor for stealing from her employer, a tribal organization.
U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. sentenced Angelia Holt, 55, to three years of probation. She was also ordered to pay $27,979.78 in restitution.
According to court records, between June 2017 and April 2021, Holt stole more than $27,000 from her employer by using a credit card issued to another employee for unauthorized personal expenses and then altering the invoices to conceal the theft. Holt was employed as an accounting clerk for the organization.
The FBI investigated the case.
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Atlanta man sentenced in large-scale methamphetamine and fentanyl trafficking schemeRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Quintilis Davenport has been sentenced for his role in a drug trafficking operation involving large quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl that were intended for distribution in and around the Atlanta area. Davenport possessed three firearms, multi-kilogram quantities of methamphetamine, and nearly an entire kilogram of fentanyl at the time of his arrest.
“This sentence is a reflection of the seriousness of this conduct and the necessity to deter others from engaging in such dangerous drug trafficking activities,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “We are proud to work alongside our law enforcement partners to keep our community safer, especially from life-threatening narcotics like fentanyl.”
“This violent drug trafficker can no longer distribute dangerous drugs, such as methamphetamine and fentanyl, as he now faces the consequences for his poor choices,” said Robert J. Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division.
According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court: On August 24, 2022, Davenport planned to sell a kilogram of methamphetamine and 1,000 fentanyl pills to a DEA special agent acting in an undercover capacity. Davenport fled and tossed a firearm into a pond when law enforcement attempted to arrest him.
After eventually taking Davenport into custody, law enforcement searched his apartment in Union City and recovered 14 kilograms of methamphetamine, 1,500 fentanyl pills, nearly half a kilogram of fentanyl powder, and three firearms. According to the DEA, the amount of fentanyl was enough to kill thousands of people. One of the firearms was reported stolen and contained a 50-round drum magazine. Investigators also seized seven additional magazines and a large amount of ammunition from Davenport’s apartment.
Quintilis Davenport, 33, of Union City, Georgia, has been sentenced to 16 years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release. Davenport was convicted on these charges on August 22, 2023, after he pleaded guilty.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Cobb County Police Department, South Fulton Police Department, and Union City Police Department also assisted with the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bethany L. Rupert and Richard Beaulieu prosecuted the case.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta recommends parents and children learn about the dangers of drugs at the following websites: www.justthinktwice.gov; www.operationprevention.com/; www.dea.gov/onepill
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Arkansas Man Sentenced for Meth Conspiracy, Illegal FirearmRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – An Arkansas man has been sentenced in federal court for his role in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in Douglas County, Mo., and for illegally possessing a firearm.
Marcelino Sauseda, Jr, 44, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough on Tuesday, Nov. 28, to 13 years and four months in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Sauseda to forfeit to the government $24,830 in drug-trafficking proceeds that was seized by law enforcement.
On Sept. 13, 2022, Sauseda pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime. Sauseda admitted that he was in possession of a loaded Rossi firearm and methamphetamine at the time of his arrest.
On Oct. 10, 2020, a corporal with the Douglas County Sheriff’s Department was notified that Sauseda, a fugitive with Arkansas warrants for his arrest, was staying at the Twin Bridges Campground. Officers contacted Sauseda at a cabin in the campground and placed him under arrest. Officers found a black zip up bag, which contained 196 grams of methamphetamine, next to the back porch of the cabin. Officers also found a bag under the back porch with $24,820 in cash, which Sauseda admitted were the proceeds of illegal drug sales. Officers found the firearm in an air vent.
Sauseda had absconded from parole in Arkansas at the time of this federal offense, after being incarcerated for robbery, residential burglary, and theft of property related to robbing another person at gun point with an SKS rifle. Sauseda also has a prior felony conviction for possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Carney. It was investigated by the Howell County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Douglas County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Apopka Man Sentenced to 16 Years in Federal Prison for Producing Child Sexual Abuse MaterialsRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – United States District Judge Wendy Berger has sentenced Stephon K’Trell Anderson (29, Apopka) to 16 years in federal prison for producing a video of child sexual abuse. Anderson was also ordered to serve a 10-year term of supervised release and register as a sex offender. Anderson had pleaded guilty on September 13, 2023.
According to court documents, the Apopka Police Department received a cyber tipline report that originated from Twitter when a Twitter account was identified as uploading a video of child sexual abuse material. On March 10, 2023, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Apopka Police Department tracked down the address of the Twitter user and executed a search warrant at the residence in Apopka. Anderson was encountered at the residence and turned over two cellphones to law enforcement.
The FBI conducted a forensic search of the cellphones and located videos that Anderson had recorded involving a child victim. The videos were recorded by Anderson using his cellphone over a period of multiple weeks. One of the videos involved Anderson engaged in sexually explicit conduct with the child victim while the child victim slept.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Apopka Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John Gardella.
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 United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Tuesday 28 November 2023
Wisconsin Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Sex Trafficking ChargesRead the Press Release
A Wisconsin man pleaded guilty today in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin to one count of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, and one count of sex trafficking of a minor.
According to court documents, Austin Koeckeritz, 29, of River Falls, used force, threats of force, fraud and coercion to compel one adult victim into engaging in commercial sex acts in the River Falls area between August 2020 and August 2022. He also caused a minor victim to engage in commercial sex acts in between October 2021 and January 2022.
“Sex trafficking continues to be prevalent because traffickers see the profits they can make from exploiting the vulnerable victims they target,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This type of abuse — particularly of minors — will not be tolerated. The Justice Department remains committed to prosecuting human trafficking offenses and standing up for the victims exploited by these abusers.”
“My office will continue to work with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners to hold human traffickers accountable,” said U.S. Attorney Timothy M. O’Shea for the Western District of Wisconsin. “Sex trafficking and forced prostitution are heinous crimes and our priority is to restore freedom and dignity to the victims.”
“Sex trafficking has lasting and devastating impacts on victims and their families throughout the state of Wisconsin,” said Special Agent in Charge Michael E. Hensle of the FBI Milwaukee Field Office. “The investigation into Koeckeritz is just one example which highlights the dedication of the men and women of the FBI who work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners across the state to hold anyone accountable who chooses to exploit and harm others for profit.”
A sentencing hearing will be scheduled on a later date. Koeckeritz faces a minimum penalty of 15 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI Milwaukee Field Office and the River Falls Police Department investigated the case, with assistance from the Pierce County District Attorney’s Office.
Trial Attorneys Slava Kuperstein and Julie Pfluger of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit and Assistant U.S. Attorney Taylor Kraus for the Western District of Wisconsin are prosecuting the case.
Anyone who has information about human trafficking should report that information to the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information about human trafficking, please visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org. Information on the Justice Department’s efforts to combat human trafficking can be found at www.justice.gov/humantrafficking.
Watervliet Man Sentenced to 90 Months for Drug and Firearm CrimesRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Ronnie Robinson, age 29, of Watervliet, New York, was sentenced yesterday to 90 months in prison, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release, for possessing a firearm as a felon, possessing and intending to distribute marijuana, and for possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; James Smith, Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); and New York State Police Acting Superintendent Dominick L. Chiumento made the announcement.
As part of his guilty plea in June 2023, Robinson admitted that on November 30, 2021, he possessed approximately 268 grams of marijuana that he intended to distribute and that he possessed a firearm in order to protect the marijuana, drug proceeds, and his marijuana trafficking business. Robinson had been previously convicted of three felonies and was on supervised release for a 2015 conviction for unlawfully possessing a firearm as a felon when he was apprehended with the marijuana and the firearm in this case.
This case was investigated by the New York State Police and the FBI’s Westchester Safe Streets Task Force, which includes FBI Special Agents and members of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dustin C. Segovia and Cyrus P.W. Rieck prosecuted the case.
Washington County Sex Offender Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography OffensesRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Kevin Smurphat, age 35, of Whitehall, New York, pled guilty yesterday to charges of possessing, receiving, distributing and transporting child pornography.
United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.
Smurphat, a previously convicted sex offender, admitted that while on state parole in early November 2020, he used a cellphone to upload, to a file-hosting service, depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct and that he joined a group chat where he distributed child pornography to other individuals and received child pornography as well.
Smurphat faces a minimum of 15 years and up to 40 years in prison, a maximum $250,000 fine, and a term of post-imprisonment supervised release of at least 5 years and up to life. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors. Smurphat, whose prior conviction was for attempted sexual contact with a minor younger than 11, will again have to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison.
This case was investigated by the FBI and its Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes FBI Special Agents and state and local police investigators, including from the New York State Police. The New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision initiated this investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dustin C. Segovia is prosecuting this case as part of Project Safe Childhood.
Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorney’s offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Wagoner Resident Sentenced to Life for MurderRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announces that George McEntire Smith, age 23, of Wagoner, Oklahoma, was sentenced to two life sentences for murder and using a firearm to commit the murder. The sentences will be served concurrently.
The charges arose from an investigation by the Wagoner Police Department, the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Lighthorse Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
On August 5, 2022, a federal jury found Smith guilty at trial of one count of First Degree Murder in Indian Country, and one count of Causing the Death of a Person During a Crime of Violence with a Dangerous Weapon. During the trial, the United States presented evidence that on April 8, 2021, Smith entered the victim’s Wagoner home, then shot the victim once in the back of the head and once in the back of the neck. EMS responders pronounced the victim dead at the scene.
The crimes occurred in Wagoner County, within the boundaries of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The Honorable Timothy D. DeGiusti, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma, sitting by assignment, presided over the sentencing hearing in Muskogee, Oklahoma. Smith will remain in custody of the U.S. Marshal pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.
Assistant United States Attorney T. Cameron McEwen represented the United States at the sentencing hearing.
Wagner Woman Sentenced for Multiple Abuse CountsRead the Press Release
SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Lawrence L. Piersol has sentenced a Wagner, South Dakota, woman convicted of six counts of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon and two counts of Felony Child Abuse. The sentencing took place on November 27, 2023.
Tina Sully, age 53, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $800.
Sully was indicted by a federal grand jury in February of 2022. She was found guilty of six counts of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon and two counts of Felony Child Abuse, following a four-day jury trial in federal district court in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on September 15, 2023.
Sully was a foster and adoptive mother to several children. The jury convicted her of unlawfully assaulting and cruelly punishing two of them, including beating them with belts and hangers and withholding food from them for days, between the years of 2003 and 2021.
This case was investigated by the FBI, Yankton Sioux Law Enforcement, and the Charles Mix County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ann M. Hoffman and Elizabeth Ebert prosecuted the case.
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.
Sully was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Violent Boston Gang Member Who Posed with Firearms on Snapchat Pleads GuiltyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Boston-area man pleaded guilty today to illegally possessing a firearm while under house arrest on three state firearm charges.
Trevon Bell, 27, of Boston and Lynn, pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. U.S. District Court Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV scheduled sentencing for Feb. 29, 2024.
As part of a 2021 investigation into a violent Boston gang, law enforcement intercepted a Snapchat “chat” comprised of individuals who regularly displayed images of themselves in possession of firearms.
One of the individuals identified in the chat was Bell – a member of the violent Boston-based Heath Street gang. Bell had been indicted on three separate unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition cases in state court for which he was released on home detention with location monitoring via GPS bracelet. However, the investigation revealed that, while on state pre-trial release, Bell had posted numerous videos of himself in possession of firearms to Snapchat, including a Nov. 24, 2021 video that showed him in possession of a black semi-automatic Glock 9 millimeter firearm. The firearm has since been recovered:
The charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of $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.
The operation was conducted is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations. More information on the OCDETF program is available here: https://www.justice.gov/ocdetf/about-ocdetf.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Division; and Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Division made the announcement. Special assistance in the investigation was provided by the Boston, Quincy and Lynn Police Departments and the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Pohl of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case.
Vancouver Man to Plead Guilty to Securities Fraud ConspiracyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A British Columbia resident has agreed to plead guilty to facilitating pump-and-dump securities fraud schemes by using nominee entities to conceal the common ownership of shares of microcap securities, also known as “penny stocks,” that he then sold on behalf of other conspirators.
Steve M. Bajic, 53, has agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud. A plea hearing has not yet been scheduled by the Court.
According to the charging documents, Bajic and his co-conspirators owned and/or controlled foreign corporations that they used to conceal the common ownership of shares of various publicly traded microcap companies. It is alleged that Bajic and his co-conspirators used these nominee entities to hold shares in blocks of just under five percent of the underlying companies’ total outstanding shares, in order to conceal from transfer agents and the investing public that the shares were under common control and subject to sale restrictions under the federal securities laws. Bajic and his co-conspirators then allegedly sold the shares at the control persons’ direction during promotional campaigns intended to create investor demand for the shares (conduct known as a “pump-and-dump”). Bajic and his co-conspirators also allegedly distributed the illicit proceeds for the control persons’ benefit while keeping commissions for themselves. In total, Bajic and his co-conspirators are alleged to have facilitated the sale of the securities of dozens of microcap companies for trading proceeds in the tens of millions of dollars, including over $6 million generated from the sale of shares of the company Blake Insomnia Therapeutics, Inc. (ticker symbol BKIT).
The charge of conspiracy to commit securities fraud provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. 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. Assistant U.S. Attorney James R. Drabick of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
United Kingdom National Pleads Guilty to Hacking, Securities Fraud, and other CybercrimesRead the Press Release
Earlier today, Idris Dayo Mustapha, a national of Nigeria and the United Kingdom, pleaded guilty to charges of computer intrusion, securities fraud, wire fraud and access device fraud based on his involvement in a ring of hackers and fraudsters who broke into Americans’ email and brokerage accounts in order to defraud and steal over $6 million from their victims. Mustapha was arrested in the United Kingdom in August 2021 and was extradited to the United States in August 2023. Today’s proceeding was held before United States District Judge Pamela K. Chen. When sentenced, the defendant faces up to 20 years in prison.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York and James Smith, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the guilty plea.
As set forth in the criminal information and court filings, between 2011 and 2018, Mustapha and his co-conspirators hacked into the computer servers of U.S. financial institutions, reviewed confidential user data, and placed malicious files on the servers. Using the stolen data and stolen passwords that they acquired, they executed various schemes to defraud U.S. victims. First, they accessed victims’ email accounts and, impersonating the victims, caused wire transfers of the victims’ funds for their own benefit. Second, they used their access to the victims’ securities brokerage accounts to steal securities outright by having them transferred out of the accounts. Third, Mustapha and his co-conspirators caused the victims’ brokerage accounts to execute unfavorable trades against accounts that Mustapha and his co-conspirators controlled, generating a profit for themselves at the victims’ expense. Losses attributable to the scheme were in excess of $6 million.
The government’s case is being prosecuted by the Office’s National Security and Cybercrime Section and the Business and Securities Fraud Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Alexander Mindlin, Sarah M. Evans, and Sara K. Winik are in charge of the prosecution. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided substantial assistance in securing the arrest and extradition from the UK of Mustapha.
The Defendant:
IDRIS DAYO MUSTAPHA
Age: 33
United KingdomE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 23-CR-440 (PKC)
U.S. Attorney’s Office Settles ADA Investigation Involving Service Animals at LexLiveRead the Press Release
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Kentucky announced Monday that it has reached a settlement with Big Picture Ventures, the owner and operator of the Lexington entertainment center LexLive, to resolve an allegation that it improperly excluded an individual with a disability accompanied by a service animal.
The investigation began after the U.S. Attorney’s Office received a complaint, from a veteran with a disability who uses a service animal, that alleged that a manager at LexLive’s Corner Bar forced her and her dining companions to leave the bar because she was accompanied by her service animal, in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”).
“Under the ADA, restaurants and bars, as public accommodations, are required to ensure proper access to their customers with disabilities,” said Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky. “This includes allowing service dogs, which are a necessary means for many with disabilities. We remain committed to ensuring that individuals with disabilities have proper access under the ADA, and we are pleased that LexLive has agreed to modify its policies and practices to comply with the Act.”
Under the settlement agreement, LexLive will adopt and implement a service animal policy; provide training on the service animal policy to employees and managers; post the policy in public areas; pay $1,000 in damages to the veteran; and pay a $500 civil penalty to the United States. LexLive cooperated with the government throughout the investigation.
Under federal law, private entities that own or operate places of “public accommodation,” including restaurants and bars, are required to modify their policies, practices, or procedures—such as a no pet policy—to permit the use of a service animal by an individual with a disability. A service animal generally may go wherever the public is allowed, and a public accommodation may not require documentation about the service animal.
This matter was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Carrie Pond, in coordination with the Disability Rights Section of the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division.
For more information on the Office’s civil rights efforts, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-edky/civil-rights. ADA complaints may be emailed to [email protected] or by contacting the U.S. Attorney's Office’s Civil Rights Hotline at (859) 685-4880.
More information about the ADA is available at the Justice Department’s toll-free ADA Information line at (800) 514 0301 or (800) 514 0383 (TTY) and on the ADA website at www.ada.gov.
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Two men are sentenced for distribution of fentanylRead the Press Release
Jonathan Castillo, age 29 of Casper, Wyoming, and Tucker Donald Wirfel, age 36 of Cody, Wyoming, were recently sentenced for their involvement in a drug trafficking ring that was responsible for bringing large quantities of fentanyl into the Cody area. Chief U.S. District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl imposed the following sentences:
- Jonathan Castillo pled guilty to distribution of fentanyl and was sentenced on Oct. 18 to 90 months’ imprisonment with four years of supervised release.
- Tucker Donald Wirfel pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and was sentenced on Nov. 27 to 92 months’ imprisonment with three years of supervised release. The judge also ordered him to make community restitution in the amount of $500.
According to court documents, the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) received information that Wirfel was engaged in the use and distribution of illegal controlled substances in the Cody area. During the investigation, DCI learned that Wirfel and unknown subjects were communicating via text message and the messages were consistent with the use and distribution of fentanyl. During a subsequent search of Wirfel’s residence, agents recovered 124 fentanyl pills. Further investigation revealed that Castillo arranged for fentanyl to be shipped from Arizona to Wirfel by mail. Investigators intercepted one of the shipments and found a stuffed animal with 1,000 fentanyl pills stitched inside. Castillo admitted that he acted as the intermediary between the fentanyl distributors in Arizona and buyers in Wyoming.
This crime was investigated by the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Forwood.
Case No. 23-CR-00029
Two South Carolina Men Charged with Hate Crimes for Bias-Motivated Armed Robberies Targeting Hispanic VictimsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A federal grand jury in Columbia, South Carolina, returned an indictment yesterday charging two South Carolina men with hate crimes in connection with a string of bias-motivated armed robberies targeting Hispanic victims.
According to court documents, beginning in Jan. 2021 and continuing through Feb. 2021, Charles Antonio Clippard, 26, and Michael Joseph Knox, 28, both of Columbia, conspired to target people the defendants identified as Mexican or Hispanic at places of public accommodation, including gas stations and grocery stores. After identifying these targets, the defendants would rob their victims at gunpoint. The indictment alleges that the defendants committed three armed robberies as part of the conspiracy, including one carjacking, because of the victims’ race and national origin and because those individuals were using places of public accommodation.
Clippard and Knox are charged with three hate crime counts, one count of conspiracy, one count of carjacking and three firearms offenses. If convicted, each faces a minimum penalty of 21 years in prison for the firearms offenses, a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on each hate crime count and a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison on the carjacking count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Adair F. Boroughs for the District of South Carolina and Special Agent in Charge Steven J. Jensen of the FBI Columbia Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI Columbia Field Office is investigating the case, with the cooperation of the Richland County Sheriff’s Department, Town of Lexington Police Department and Columbia Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ben Garner for the District of South Carolina and Trial Attorney Andrew Manns of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Two Men Indicted on Drug Trafficking ChargesRead the Press Release
WICHITA, KAN. – A federal grand jury in Wichita returned an indictment charging two men with drug trafficking crimes.
According to court documents, Omar Cebreros, 42 and Mario Ahumada-Adame, 32, both of Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico, were indicted on two counts of possession with the intent to distribute cocaine, two counts of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, and two counts of possession with intention to distribute methamphetamine.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Kansas Highway Patrol are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Larry Fadler is prosecuting the case.
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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Trafficker admits to importing $800,000 of liquid methRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – A 53-year-old naturalized citizen residing in Mexico has pleaded guilty to importing nearly 91 pounds of meth from Mexico, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
On April 30, Manuel Ignacio Ley Villa approached the Hidalgo port of entry driving a maroon Chrysler Pacifica. Law enforcement noticed he appeared nervous and referred him to secondary inspection. There, an x-ray inspection revealed anomalies within the vehicle’s fuel tank.
Upon further investigation, law enforcement discovered a fuel tank filled with a liquid material which crystalized upon contact with the floor. The weight of the liquid meth was approximately 41.14 kilograms and had an estimated street value of $810,000.
U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez accepted the plea and set sentencing for Feb. 13, 2024. At that time, Ley Villa faces up to life in federal prison and a possible $10 million maximum fine.
He has been and will remain in custody pending sentencing.
Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of Customs and Border Protection. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jose A. Garcia is prosecuting the case.
Three Individuals Charged with Fentanyl and Heroin TraffickingRead the Press Release
SCRANTON- The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Tony Oliver, age 32, of Paterson, New Jersey; Rosa Duran, age 40, of Davenport, Florida; and Dewayne Hutton, age 23, of East Orange, New Jersey, were indicted by a federal grand jury on drug trafficking charges. The indictment was returned on October 10, 2023, but remained under seal until all defendants were arrested.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the indictment alleges that the defendants conspired to distribute fentanyl and heroin between April 2021 and September 2023, in Monroe County, Pennsylvania and elsewhere. Tony Oliver specifically was charged with conspiring to distribute over 400 grams of fentanyl, which is the equivalent of approximately 16,000 potentially lethal individual doses of fentanyl. The indictment also alleges that the defendants distributed and possessed with intent to distribute fentanyl on three dates in May, July, and September 2023.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General, Customs and Border Patrol, and the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Phillip J. Caraballo and Luisa H. Berti are prosecuting the case.
This case was 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.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
This case is also 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 penalties under federal law for the most serious offense charged against Tony Oliver are a minimum 10 years and maximum life of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. The maximum penalties under federal law for the most serious offenses charged against Rosa Duran and Dewayne Hutton are up to 20 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.
Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
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Sparta Man Sentenced for Meth Trafficking, Illegal FirearmRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Sparta, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing methamphetamine and a firearm.
Gabriel Eric Robinson, 32, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 11 years and five months in federal prison without parole.
On June 5, 2023, Robinson pleaded guilty to one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.
On Aug. 23, 2021, Robinson was found unconscious behind the driver’s seat of a black Ford Explorer that was parked in the grass at the rear of a residence in Reeds Spring, Mo. The vehicle was not running but the keys were in the ignition. A Stone County, Mo., sheriff’s deputy found a loaded Springfield Armory 9mm pistol lying on the passenger seat next to a bag that contained methamphetamine. The deputy also found a green cloth bag in the back seat that contained several additional bags of methamphetamine and a Ziploc bag of marijuana. The deputy also found $1,674 in cash in the center console. In total, Robinson was in possession of 188.8 grams of methamphetamine, 30 pills containing buprenorphine, and .64 grams of a powder that contained tramadol, fentanyl and methamphetamine.
Robinson had only been out of prison in connection with a drug trafficking offense for approximately two and a half months and was wearing an ankle monitor at the time of this federal offense. According to court documents, Robinson has three prior felony convictions for possession of a controlled substance, two prior felony convictions for tampering with a motor vehicle, and prior felony convictions for resisting arrest, unlawful possession of a firearm, receiving stolen property, and theft. In connection with these prior felony convictions, Robinson has fled from police officers on numerous occasions, once at speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour while in possession of a firearm.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica R. Eatmon. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Stone County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department.
Slingerlands Man Indicted for Sexual Exploitation of a ChildRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Daniel Fuino, age 73, of Slingerlands, New York, was indicted earlier this month on five counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of possession of child pornography. United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.
According to the indictment and the previously filed complaint, Fuino repeatedly molested a child born in 2016 who was under his care, and photographed the child’s genitals, between 2022 and May 2023. The victim reported the abuse to her elementary school in May after a presentation on inappropriate touching and sexual contact. The charges in the indictment are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Fuino, who has been in custody since May on the criminal complaint, waived his right to an arraignment and will remain detained pending trial before United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino.
The charges filed against Fuino carry a prison term of at least 15 years and up to life, as well as a term of post-imprisonment supervised release of at least 5 years and up to life. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors. If convicted, Fuino would also have to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison.
This case is being investigated by the FBI Albany’s Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes members of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, including the Colonie Police Department, Rotterdam Police Department, Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office and the New York State Police. Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin S. Clark is prosecuting the case as part of Project Safe Childhood.
Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorney’s offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), and is designed to marshal federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Sin City Deciples Members Convicted of Racketeering and Drug ConspiracyRead the Press Release
HAMMOND- Kenneth Christopher McGhee a/k/a “Sonny” and “Angel,” age 74, of Merrillville, Indiana, Richard White a/k/a “Ignorant Bastard,” age 56, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Brandon Romand Parks a/k/a “Baywatch,” age 45, of Chicago, Illinois, and Herman Troy Jefferson a/k/a “G-Rilla,” age 51, of Jacksonville, Arkansas, were each found guilty of various felony charges following an eighteen-day jury trial presided over by United States District Court Judge Philip P. Simon, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.
The jury found McGhee and Jefferson guilty of the racketeering conspiracy and the drug conspiracy and additionally found McGhee guilty of possessing a firearm while being an unlawful user of controlled substances. The jury further found White and Parks guilty of the racketeering conspiracy.
According to the Second Superseding Indictment, the Sin City Deciples, originally formed in 1967 in Gary, Indiana, is a motorcycle organization in which its members and associates engaged in acts of violence, extortion, and narcotics distribution in the Northern District of Indiana and elsewhere.
The agencies involved in the Sin City Deciples prosecution are: the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the East Chicago Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Gary Police Department, the Griffith Police Department, the Hammond Police Department, the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation Division, the Lake County Sheriff’s Department, Indiana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area officers and agents, the Merrillville Police Department, the Munster Police Department, and the Schererville Police Department. The Lake County Prosecutor’s Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Eastern District of Arkansas, Northern District of Illinois, Southern District of Indiana, Western District of Kentucky, and Western District of Pennsylvania also provided assistance.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David J. Nozick, Michael J. Toth, and Kimberly L. Schultz.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Shrewsbury Man Indicted for Child Pornography OffensesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Shrewsbury man was indicted today by a federal grand jury in Worcester for allegedly possessing and transporting child pornography.
Brian Lingard, 60, was charged with transportation of and possession of child pornography. Lingard was previously charged by criminal complaint on Oct. 27, 2023. He was released on conditions following his arrest on Oct. 30, 2023.According to the charging documents, on Oct. 19, 2023, Lingard flew from Paris to Boston. During a customs screening, it is alleged that Lingard was found to possess images depicting child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on his phone. A subsequent search of devices stored at Lingard’s residence revealed an additional collection of alleged CSAM.
Data extracted from the SD card of Lingard’s phone allegedly revealed approximately 23 images of CSAM depicting minors who appear to be under 10 years old. At least two of the images depict minors who have previously been identified by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children as child sexual abuse victims.
It is further alleged that a computer stored by the defendant at his Shrewsbury home contained approximately 135 videos depicting CSAM, depicting primarily females between the ages of three and 12 years old.
Members of the public who have questions, concerns or information regarding this case should call 617-748-3274.
The charge of transportation of child pornography provides for a sentence of not less than five years and up to 20 years in prison, up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of possession of child pornography provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of $250,000.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; and Michael McCarthy, Acting Director of Field Operations for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Boston Field Office made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen Noto of the Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.
The case is brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Seminole Resident Sentenced for Accessory After the Fact to Murder in Indian CountryRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Anastacia Phillinia Little, age 32, of Seminole, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 90 months in prison for her role as an accessory after the fact to Murder in Indian country.
The charges arose from investigations by the Seminole Police Department, the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, the Texas Rangers, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
On July 15, 2022, Little pleaded guilty to one count of Accessory After the Fact to Murder in Indian Country. According to investigators, on April 2, 2019, Little—aware that Coker Dean Barker had just completed the willful, deliberate, and malicious murder of a Seminole resident—helped Barker burn evidence of the crime, then drove him to the Mexican border in order to help him evade arrest and prosecution. Barker was convicted of Murder in Indian country by a federal jury at trial on April 10, 2023.
The crimes occurred in Seminole County, within the boundaries of the Seminole Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The Honorable John F. Heil, III, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing in Muskogee. Little will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshal pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.
Assistant United States Attorney Kevin Gross represented the United States.
Schenectady Man Sentenced to 240 Months for Drug and Firearm CrimesRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Ramel Gulley, age 28, of Schenectady, New York, was sentenced yesterday to 240 months (20 years) in prison, to be followed by 15 years of supervised release, for possessing and intending to distribute 400 grams or more of a substance containing fentanyl and to possessing multiple firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.
As part of his previous guilty plea in June 2023, Gulley admitted that on February 28, 2022, he possessed heroin-fentanyl mixtures weighing a total of 2,035 grams that he intended to distribute. Gulley also admitted that he possessed four firearms in order to protect the drugs, $12,625 in drug proceeds, and his drug trafficking business.
This case was investigated by the FBI’s Capital District Safe Streets Gang Task Force, which includes FBI Special Agents and members of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dustin C. Segovia prosecuted the case.
Schenectady County Sex Offender Sentenced to 300 Months for Attempted Enticement of a MinorRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Matthew Peters, age 49, of Schenectady, New York, was sentenced today to 300 months in prison for attempting to entice a minor to engage in unlawful sexual activity and for committing a felony offense involving a minor while required to register as a sex offender. United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.
As part of his guilty plea, Peters admitted that between October 2 and October 7, 2020, he initiated and exchanged sexually explicit text messages with someone he believed to be a 14-year-old child. After learning the apparent child was 14 years old, Peters repeatedly asked the minor for “nudes” and “live” pictures. Peters also asked the minor to meet him on multiple occasions and discussed engaging in various sexual acts with the minor when they met. On October 7, Peters arrived at the prearranged meeting location near Albany, where he was encountered by law enforcement officers and arrested. Peters was a registered sex offender at the time of the offense; he had three prior sex offense convictions, two felony convictions in 2000 and one in 2012, each involving the sexual abuse of a child he had met online.
Senior United States District Judge Gary L. Sharpe also imposed a life term of post-imprisonment supervised release. Peters will again have to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison.
This case was investigated by the FBI Albany’s Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes members of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, including the Colonie Police Department, Rotterdam Police Department and the New York State Police. Assistant United States Attorney Alexander P. Wentworth-Ping prosecuted this case as part of Project Safe Childhood.
Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorney’s offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS). Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
SSNDOB Marketplace Administrator Who Sold Millions of Social Security Numbers Sentenced to Eight Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle has sentenced Vitalii Chychasov (37, Ukraine) to eight years in federal prison for his administration of SSNDOB Marketplace, a series of websites that operated for years and were used to sell personal information, including the names, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers belonging to individuals in the United States.
On June 7, 2022, seizure orders were executed against the domain names of the SSNDOB Marketplace—BLACKJOB.BIZ, SSNDOB.CLUB, SSNDOB.VIP, and SSNDOB.WS—effectively ceasing the website’s operation. As part of his sentence, the court also entered an order of forfeiture in the amount of $5 million, the proceeds of the fraud, and ordered Chychasov to forfeit his interest in the BLACKJOB.BIZ, SSNDOB.CLUB, SSNDOB.VIP, and SSNDOB.WS domains.
Chychasov was arrested in March 2022 while attempting to enter Hungary. He was extradited to the United States from Hungary in July 2022.
According to court records, Chychasov and other Marketplace administrators advertised on dark web criminal forums for the Marketplace’s services, provided customer support functions, and regularly monitored the activities of the sites, including monitoring when purchasers deposited money into their accounts. The administrators also employed various techniques to protect their anonymity and to thwart detection of their activities, including strategically maintaining servers in various countries, and requiring buyers to use digital payment methods. The SSNDOB Marketplace listed for sale the personal information for millions of individuals in the United States, generating more than $19 million USD in sales revenue.
Stolen Social Security numbers, like those sold on the Marketplace, are used to commit a variety of frauds, including U.S. tax fraud, unemployment insurance fraud, loan fraud, and credit card fraud. Sales on the Marketplace skyrocketed during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, when federal and state governments began to disburse monies—through a variety of programs—to American businesses and families at a time of a national (and international) emergency.
The U.S. investigation was led by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Cyber Crimes Unit and the Federal Bureau of Investigation – Tampa Division, with assistance from the IRS-Criminal Investigation’s Tampa Field Office. Substantial assistance was also provided by the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, the FBI’s Legal Attaché Offices responsible for Latvia and Cyprus, the Latvian Police, the Hungarian authorities, and the Cypriot authorities.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Rachel Jones and asset forfeiture is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Suzanne Nebesky.
Rockland Man Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography OffensesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Rockland man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to distributing and possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
Donald J. Caruso, 42, pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. U.S. District Court Judge Patti B. Saris scheduled sentencing for March 8, 2024. Caruso was initially arrested and charged in November 2022 and subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury in December 2022.
In early November 2022, Caruso used an online communication platform to send an undercover agent multiple links to videos depicting the sexual abuse of children. On Nov. 7, 2022, a laptop hard drive was seized from Caruso’s residence and his cell phone was seized from Caruso’s person. Both devices were found to contain hundreds of images and over three thousand videos depicting CSAM. Additionally, during the search, Caruso admitted to sending and receiving child pornography using his cell phone and laptop.
The charge of distribution of child pornography provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to 20 years in prison, a mandatory minimum of five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of possession of child pornography provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, a mandatory minimum of five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of $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; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of the Homeland Security Investigation’s in New England; Rockland Chief of Police Nicholas Zeoli; and Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanne Sullivan Jacobus of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
River Falls Man Pleads Guilty to Sex TraffickingRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – A River Falls, Wisconsin man pleaded guilty today in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin to one count of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, and one count of sex trafficking of a minor.
According to court documents, Austin Koeckeritz, 29, of River Falls, used force, threats of force, fraud and coercion to compel one adult victim into engaging in commercial sex acts in the River Falls area between August 2020 and August 2022. The defendant also caused a minor victim to engage in commercial sex acts in between October 2021 and January 2022.
“Sex trafficking continues to be prevalent because traffickers see the profits they can make from exploiting the vulnerable victims they target,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This type of abuse — particularly of minors — will not be tolerated. The Justice Department remains committed to prosecuting human trafficking offenses and standing up for the victims exploited by these abusers.”
“My office will continue to work with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners to hold human traffickers accountable,” said U.S. Attorney Timothy M. O’Shea for the Western District of Wisconsin. “Sex trafficking and forced prostitution are heinous crimes and our priority is to restore freedom and dignity to the victims.”
“Sex trafficking has lasting and devastating impacts on victims and their families throughout the state of Wisconsin,” stated Special Agent in Charge Michael E. Hensle of the FBI Milwaukee Field Office. “The investigation into Koeckeritz is just one example which highlights the dedication of the men and women of the FBI who work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners across the state to hold anyone accountable who chooses to exploit and harm others for profit.”
A sentencing hearing will be scheduled on a later date. Koeckeritz faces a minimum penalty of 15 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI Milwaukee Field Office and the River Falls Police Department investigated the case, with assistance from the Pierce County District Attorney’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Taylor Kraus of the Western District of Wisconsin and Trial Attorneys Slava Kuperstein and Julie Pfluger of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit are prosecuting the case.
Anyone who has information about human trafficking should report that information to the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information about human trafficking, please visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org. Information on the Justice Department’s efforts to combat human trafficking can be found at www.justice.gov/humantrafficking.
Repeat Violent Criminal Sentenced to 22 Years in Federal Prison for Armed Robbery of an Indianapolis Gas StationRead the Press Release
INDIANAPOLIS- Damon Smithson, 54, of Indianapolis has been sentenced to twenty-two years in federal prison after pleading guilty to interference with commerce by robbery, brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, and unlawfully possessing a firearm.
According to court documents, on November 28, 2022, Smithson entered a Shell Gas station located on the northeast side of Indianapolis. Upon entering, he did not find anyone working, so he walked around the building until he found an employee sweeping outside. At that time, Smithson brandished a small revolver and ordered the employee to enter the business and give him all the money in the cash register. The employee complied with the demand and opened the register drawer. Smithson removed all the money from the register and fled the gas station.
On December 13, 2022, Smithson was arrested by IMPD. During the arrest, officers found a small .38 caliber revolver, which matched the revolver brandished during the robbery.
At the time of his arrest, Smithson had been previously convicted of multiple felonies, including armed robbery and two separate counts of robbery. As a convicted felon, he is prohibited under federal law from ever possessing a firearm.
“Many gun crimes are committed by repeat criminals who have no legal business having a firearm,” said Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana “The serious prison sentence imposed here demonstrates that armed, repeat criminals will be held fully accountable in federal court when they terrorize our communities. Our community will be safe from this defendant for decades thanks to the hard work of the FBI, IMPD, and our federal prosecutor.”
“The defendant had a pattern of violent activity including armed robbery and this sentence will ensure residents of our community will no longer have to fear they may be a victim of his violence,” said FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Herbert J. Stapleton. “This is another great example of the power of partnerships between agencies to protect our residents.”
FBI and IMPD investigated this case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson. Judge Stinson also ordered that Smithson be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for three years following his release from federal prison and pay a $700 fine.
U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy C. Fugate, who prosecuted this case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
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Repeat Offender Sentenced to 6 Years for Heroin TraffickingRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Robert Seymour, 37, Madison, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 6 years in federal prison for distributing heroin. Seymour pleaded guilty to this charge on August 31, 2023.
In May 2023, an informant told police that Seymour was trafficking heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine from an apartment in Madison and regularly carried a firearm. This information was quickly corroborated when, on May 31, and June 23, 2023, the informant made two controlled buys of heroin from Seymour, totaling over 70 grams. The heroin from the second buy was later determined to contain fentanyl. Upon searching Seymour’s apartment, police found more heroin and three loaded firearms.
Seymour has a lengthy criminal history, including a prior federal conviction for possessing a firearm as a felon. Further, he was on state court bond for drug trafficking at the time he committed this offense.
In sentencing Seymour, Judge Peterson stated that this was a highly aggravated crime involving dangerous drugs and firearms. He further explained that armed drug traffickers, like Seymour, pose a serious risk to the community. Lastly, Judge Peterson highlighted Seymour’s recent poor performance on federal supervision as a justification for a sentence above the advisory sentencing guideline range.
The charge against Seymour was the result of an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. Reinhard prosecuted this case.
Recidivist Fraudster Sentenced to 212 Months in Prison in Connection with $40 Million Ponzi Scheme and Other FraudsRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that FRANKLIN RAY was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres to 212 months in prison for engaging in multiple fraud schemes, including a $40 million Ponzi scheme and two COVID-19 loan fraud schemes, and committing aggravated identity theft in connection with one of those schemes. RAY previously pled guilty to four counts of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “In the span of less than two years, Franklin Ray engaged in four separate fraudulent schemes, including a $40 million Ponzi scheme that victimized hundreds of people and schemes that stole funds intended for those in need during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ray even had the audacity to continue his Ponzi scheme while on pretrial release after his arrest in March 2022, stealing approximately $2 million from unsuspecting victims after he was charged with federal crimes. Today’s sentence shows that engaging in fraudulent conduct will have severe consequences.”
As alleged in the previously filed Complaint and Indictment and other court documents:
Beginning in at least June 2021, FRANKLIN RAY began to offer investors an opportunity to invest in his trucking and logistics company, CSA Business Solutions LLC (the “Truck Investment Scheme”). Specifically, RAY and the investors entered into contracts pursuant to which CSA Business Solutions LLC would procure and operate a truck in its trucking business for each $20,000 contributed by the investor. RAY told investors that the trucks would perform delivery services for a multinational e-commerce company and/or a multinational shipping company and that the investors would be entitled to 77% of the net income of the trucks. In reality, CSA Business Solutions LLC operated few trucks and had minimal revenues from trucking activities. Instead, investors in the Truck Investment Scheme received payments from new investments into the scheme or from other sources. After the investors purchased the rights to trucks from CSA Business Solutions LLC, RAY sent them falsified spreadsheets at regular intervals, purporting to show the performance of their trucks during the relevant period. RAY ultimately persuaded approximately 275 investors to invest at least $40 million and fraudulently claimed to have purchased over 2,000 trucks with the investments.
RAY also carried out fraudulent schemes to obtain over $1.9 million in government-guaranteed loans designed to provide relief to small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic on behalf of CSA Business Solutions LLC and another Michigan-based trucking company (the “SBA Loan Fraud Schemes”). In connection with the SBA Loan Fraud Schemes, RAY submitted false information and forged documents to the Small Business Administration and commercial lenders. RAY claimed that these businesses engaged in significant trucking business, but they had minimal revenues and trucking activity. RAY also committed aggravated identity theft with respect to one of the SBA Loan Fraud Schemes.
In addition, RAY fraudulently induced a New York City-based real estate company (the “Company”) to pay $175,000 in startup costs for a joint venture (the “Joint Venture”) between the Company and CSA Business Solutions LLC. In order to persuade the Company to enter into the Joint Venture and pay the $175,000, RAY lied about his personal business experience and the trucking business conducted by CSA Business Solutions LLC. Rather than pay for startup costs, RAY spent the funds on personal expenses, including private airplane trips. The Joint Venture was never formed.
RAY was arrested in early March 2022, and a CSA Business Solutions LLC bank account was seized at that time. After his arrest, up until his Indictment in April 2022, RAY continued to operate the Truck Investment Scheme. RAY hid the fact of his arrest and the seizure of the bank account and lied to investors about why he did not make expected payments after his arrest. During the period after his arrest, RAY opened new bank accounts on behalf of CSA Business Solutions LLC and continued to solicit and accept investor funds for trucks that did not exist. In the post-arrest period alone, RAY defrauded investors into paying at least $1.9 million into his scheme.
RAY previously pled guilty to bank fraud and wire fraud in the Eastern District of Michigan. He received a two-year sentence in connection with those crimes and was released from federal custody in 2010.
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In addition to the prison term, RAY, 52, of Canton, Michigan, was sentenced to five years of supervised release and ordered to forfeit $42,128,912.00 and several assets, including a 1968 Chevy Camaro. The defendant was also ordered to pay restitution in an amount to be determined.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
This case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Weinberg is in charge of the prosecution.
Raytown Man Indicted for Producing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Raytown, Mo., man was indicted by a federal grand jury today for sexually assaulting a child victim to produce child pornography.
Cecil L. Pulluaim, 53, was charged in an 11-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo. Pulluaim was previously charged in a related case by the Jackson County, Mo., Prosecutor’s Office.
Today’s indictment charges Pulluaim with 10 counts of using a minor victim to produce videos of child pornography on 10 separate occasions from April 27 to June 15, 2023. Pulluaim is also charged with one count of possessing child pornography on June 16, 2023.
The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David Luna. It was investigated by the Raytown, Mo., Police Department and the U.S. Secret Service.
Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
Rapid City Woman Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for Cocaine ConspiracyRead the Press Release
RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. Chief District Judge Roberto Lange has sentenced a Rapid City, South Dakota, woman convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine. The sentencing took place on November 27, 2023.
Carlie Wolf, 25, was sentenced to two years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Wolf was indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine by a federal grand jury in April of 2023. She pleaded guilty on September 15, 2023.
Based on a previous relationship, Wolf had a source for obtaining cocaine in Colorado. Beginning late in 2022, Wolf began travelling to Colorado to purchase ounces of cocaine, which she then brought back to Rapid City. Wolf then sold the cocaine in Rapid City to others for use and further distribution. Wolf did this on at least four occasions which amounted to at least 700 grams of cocaine.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn N. Rich prosecuted the case.
Wolf was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Rapid City Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange has sentenced a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor and Receipt of Child Pornography. The sentencing took place on November 27, 2023.
Michael Douglas McKillip, 33, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for the Sexual Exploitation conviction to run consecutively to five years in federal prison for the Child Pornography conviction, followed by seven years of supervised released. McKillip was also ordered to pay $50,000 in restitution, a $200 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund, and will be required to register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.
McKillip was indicted for Receipt of Child Pornography and Possession of Child Pornography by a federal grand jury in April of 2022. He pleaded guilty on August 23, 2023.
McKillip was federally indicted following a Cybertip from the National Center of Missing and Exploited Children in relation to a download of suspected child pornography on McKillip’s Microsoft account. The Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce executed a search warrant on McKillip’s residence and located multiple electronic storage devices. A forensic examination of those devices found thousands of images of child pornography, as well as multiple minors McKillip had direct communications with and from whom he sought images of 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 the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
This case was investigated by the Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, and the Rapid City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah B. Collins prosecuted the case.
McKillip was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Rapid City Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court, has sentenced a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. The sentencing took place on November 27, 2023.
Eric Jaramillo, 35, was sentenced to 15 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.
Jaramillo was indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance by a federal grand jury in July of 2021. He pleaded guilty on August 18, 2023.
Between March and June of 2021, in Rapid City, Jaramillo conspired with two other individuals to distribute methamphetamine by assisting in coordinating large quantities to be brought from California to South Dakota for further distribution.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, and the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson prosecuted the case.
Jaramillo was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Rapid City Man Sentenced for Illegal Possession of FirearmRead the Press Release
RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court, has sentenced a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted of Possession of Firearm by a Prohibited Person. The sentencing took place on November 27, 2023.
Gassem Belhage, 26, was sentenced to three 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.
Belhage was indicted for Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person by a federal grand jury in June 2023. He pleaded guilty on August 21, 2023.
In April of 2023, in Rapid City, Belhage, a previously convicted felon who is prohibited from possessing firearms, was found in possession of a loaded Sturm, Ruger & Company Incorporated, model AR-556 caliber, semi-automatic rifle, along with two loaded 26 round magazines for the rifle, which were found after Belhage came into contact with law enforcement during a traffic stop.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Rapid City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson prosecuted the case.
Belhage was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
President of Brisbane Recycling Company and Its Former Counsel Sentenced to Prison for Tax FraudRead the Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO - Joseph Nubla and Henry Ku were sentenced today to 36 months and 30 months in prison, respectively, following their convictions by a jury at trial in April 2023 on charges of conspiracy to defraud the United States and tax evasion, announced United States Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey and Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Acting Special Agent in Charge Mark Silva of the Oakland Field Office. The sentences were handed down by the Hon. Richard Seeborg, Chief U.S. District Court Judge for the Northern District of California.
Nubla, 45, of Danville, California, is—and at all relevant times was—President of Brisbane Recycling Company, Inc. (“Brisbane”), a rock-crushing business located in Brisbane, California. Ku, 56, of Pleasanton, California, was formerly counsel for Brisbane and Nubla. Both defendants were convicted by a jury on April 7, 2023, following a two-week trial on charges that they conspired to defraud the United States from 2008 through 2016, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371. Nubla was also convicted of one count of tax evasion, in violation of 26 U.S.C. § 7201, for failing to report more than $5.8 million in income on his 2014 federal tax return.
The evidence at trial showed that Nubla ran daily operations at Brisbane and that Ku owned and controlled several businesses, including Pegasus Aggregate, Inc., Jupiter Prime Monarch, and JPM Energy, Inc. (collectively, “Ku’s entities”). Between February 20, 2009, and March 30, 2015, Ku and his entities deposited checks written by Nubla from Brisbane and totaling more than $18 million. To avoid paying corporate income taxes for Brisbane, Nubla expensed Brisbane’s payments to Ku’s entities as royalties for the use of heavy equipment purportedly owned by Ku’s entities. In fact, however, Ku had used the funds from Brisbane to purchase that equipment. Ku also returned the funds he received from Brisbane to Nubla in a variety of ways: (i) by regular money transfers from 2009 through 2016; (ii) by purchasing three homes for Nubla; and (iii) by writing cashier’s checks totaling $7 million pursuant to a fake loan. Nubla did not declare the funds given to him by Ku as personal income, even though they originated from Brisbane and thus were taxable, constructive dividends.
“These defendants skirted paying their taxes out of pure greed,” said U.S. Attorney Ramsey. “Today’s sentences send a clear message to those who try to avoid paying their fair share that our office will always marshal its resources to protect the public treasury.”
“The schemes orchestrated by Mr. Nubla and Mr. Ku seeking to defraud the United States and evade our tax system were rooted in blatant greed,” said IRS-CI Acting Special Agent in Charge Silva. “Today’s sentencing reaffirms that IRS-CI special agents are superbly motivated and equipped to disrupt, foil, and eliminate future nefarious attempts to defraud and evade our government. Just outcomes like today’s sentencing help protect responsible law-abiding business owners and taxpayers.”
In addition to the custodial sentences, Chief Judge Seeborg ordered Nubla and Ku to pay fines of $15,000 and $10,000, respectively, and $9,322,549.20 in restitution—a sum for which the defendants are jointly and severally liable.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Kassabian and Trial Attorney Christopher J. Carlberg of the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division are prosecuting the case, with assistance from Helen Yee, Veronica Hernandez, and Amala James. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by IRS-CI.
Picayune Man Pleads Guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute 27 Grams of MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
Gulfport, Miss. – A Picayune man pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute 27 grams of methamphetamine.
According to court records, Conel Lamont Holloway, 40, sold 27 grams of methamphetamine for $700 during a controlled sale by the Drug Enforcement Administration in Picayune, MS. He was indicted by a federal grand jury on September 7, 2022, for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
Holloway is scheduled to be sentenced on March 5, 2024. He faces a mandatory minimum of 5 years with a maximum penalty of up to 40 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 W. Gee and Special Agent in Charge Brad L. Byerley of the Drug Enforcement Administration made the announcement.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security Investigations.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Erica Rose.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor- led, intelligence driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Pediatric Physician Indicted for Child PornographyRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – An Overland Park, Kansas, pediatric physician faces an additional charge after being indicted by a federal grand jury today for producing and possessing child pornography.
Brian Michael Aalbers, 49, of Kansas City, Mo., was charged in a two-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City. Today’s indictment replaces a federal criminal complaint that was filed against Aalbers on Nov. 15, 2023, and includes an additional charge.
Aalbers, a pediatric neurologist at Overland Park Regional Hospital in Overland Park, Kan., remains in federal custody without bond until his trial.
Today’s indictment retains the original charge of attempting to produce child pornography from Dec. 28, 2020, to Oct. 28, 2023, and includes an additional charge of possessing child pornography on Oct. 28, 2023.
The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Maureen A. Brackett. It was investigated by the FBI, the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, the Lenexa, Kan., Police Department, the Merriam, Kan., Police Department, and the Overland Park, Kan., Police Department, with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Kansas.
Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
One-Time Orange County Tax Preparer Convicted of Tax Fraud Scheme that Sought over $10 Million from IRS and Dozens of State GovernmentsRead the Press Release
SANTA ANA, California – A former Orange County tax preparer was convicted today of federal criminal charges for leading a multi-year tax fraud conspiracy that spanned three continents and claimed more than $10 million from the IRS and dozens of state tax authorities.
Stephen Jake McGonigle, 66, of Victorville, was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and one count of aggravated identity theft. A federal jury returned the guilty verdicts at the conclusion of an eight-day trial.
According to evidence presented during the trial, McGonigle recruited others, including two co-defendants who previously pleaded guilty, to help convince the IRS and dozens of state governments to issue millions of dollars in fraudulent tax refunds.
To perpetrate the massive fraud scheme that began in 2013, McGonigle sent one co-defendant to Thailand to obtain fake identification documents that used stolen victim identities, and then he directed co-conspirators to use those fake identifications to obtain prepaid debit cards, as well as numerous commercial mailboxes across Orange County and elsewhere. After having the prepaid debit cards sent to these untraceable mailboxes, McGonigle and his co-conspirators filed fraudulent tax returns using the identity theft victims’ Social Security numbers. Those fraudulent tax returns sought millions of dollars in tax refunds to be deposited into these prepaid debit cards or other bank accounts that they controlled.
With more than a decade of tax preparation experience in Southern California, McGonigle used his knowledge to lead the fraud scheme. The IP addresses used to file the fraudulent returns were traced back to various office spaces leased by McGonigle and to Costa Rica, where law enforcement surveillance and travel records showed that McGonigle and his co-conspirators opened an office and hired employees to help file additional fraudulent returns.
United States District Judge James V. Selna scheduled a March 4, 2024 hearing, at which time McGonigle will face a statutory maximum sentence of 22 years in federal prison. Prosecutors have secured guilty pleas from two co-defendants, who are also scheduled to be sentenced in the coming months.
IRS Criminal Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and the United States Postal Inspection Service investigated this matter. The Missouri Department of Revenue and the U.S. Secret Service provided substantial assistance during the investigation.
Assistant United States Attorneys Sue Bai of the Terrorism and Export Crimes Section and Colin Scott of the General Crimes Section are prosecuting this case.
Ohio Diesel Shop Owner Pleads Guilty to Emissions TamperingRead the Press Release
An Ohio man pleaded guilty yesterday to removing emissions control devices required by the Clean Air Act from customers’ vehicles after previously agreeing to a civil resolution with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for similar misconduct.
According to court documents, David Owens, 33, of Cleves, was previously a co-owner and operator of a diesel shop based in North Bend, Ohio. In 2020, Owens entered a consent agreement and final order with the EPA regarding allegations that he knowingly removed or rendered inoperative various emissions control devices. As part of this civil resolution, Owens agreed to cease removing these devices. Instead, Owens continued this activity through another company, this time called Cincy Diesel, at the same North Bend location.
The act of removing or disabling a vehicle’s emissions control system can increase particulate matter emissions by a factor of 40 times, nitrogen oxides by a factor of 310 times, carbon monoxide by a factor of 120 times, and non-methane hydrocarbons by a factor of 1,100 times.
Owens pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the tampering with a monitoring device required under the Clean Air Act. He will be sentenced on a future date. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) and U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker for the Southern District of Ohio made the announcement.
The EPA, Criminal Investigation Division and Ohio Attorney General’s Office, Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Environmental Enforcement Unit are investigating the case.
Senior Trial Attorney and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Cullman of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio are prosecuting the case.