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3 January 2024
Two Sentenced for Distributing Fentanyl Resulting in DeathRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Patrick Tylicki, 32, of Matthews, North Carolina, and his co-conspirator, Gregory Alan Kirk, 28, of Charlotte, were sentenced today for their role in distributing fentanyl that resulted in a victim’s death, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Tylicki was sentenced to 144 months in prison followed by four years of supervised release. Kirk was sentenced to 235 months in prison followed by six years of supervised release.
“Fentanyl kills,” said U.S. Attorney King. “It’s a lethal drug that devastates our communities and shatters families affected by accidental drug poisonings and fatal overdoses. Fentanyl dealers like Tylicky and Kirk will be brought to justice and held accountable for their role in bringing this deadly substance into our communities.”
“Dangerous drugs continue to flow into our communities at the expense of too many lives. This successful operation has ensured these drug traffickers have been taken off our streets, ultimately making the communities safer for everyone,” said Robert J. Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Field Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), which oversees the Charlotte District Office.
“Nothing will bring back the victim nor ease the unnecessary pain the family was subjected to from losing a loved one. However, I hope knowing these drug traffickers are off the streets helps the family with grieving and aiding in closure,” said Chief Joseph A. Hatley of the Mint Hill Police Department.
“It is sad to see the impact that this terrible drug has had across our nation. With the known devastation that the illegal use of fentanyl brings, it makes it that much harder to see that some are so willing to take part in profiting from it with no concern whatsoever for life,” said Interim Chief Roy Sisk of the Matthews Police Department. “We are grateful for the strong alliance with the United States Attorney’s Office and their commitment to helping protect the citizens of our community. We also want to thank the DEA for their continued partnership in investigating these types of crimes in our area. We hope that this collaborative effort of holding Tylicki and Kirk accountable for their crimes serves as a compelling deterrent for all others.”
According to filed court documents and court proceedings, on January 26, 2021, Tylicki sold fentanyl supplied by Kirk to an individual who later died from a drug overdose. Over the course of the investigation into the victim’s overdose death, law enforcement recovered text messages between the victim and Tylicki arranging the drug transaction. Court documents further show that law enforcement officers working undercover conducted multiple controlled fentanyl purchases from Tylicki and determined that Tylicki continued to sell fentanyl knowing that the victim had died due to a drug overdose from the fentanyl supplied by Kirk. According to court records, during a conversation with an undercover officer, Tylicki told the officer that the drugs came from Kirk, that the drugs were “strong,” that customers should be warned about their potency, and that people will “drop dead” if they don’t heed that warning.
Court documents further show that in addition to being Tylicki’s drug supplier, Kirk was present or nearby during Tylicki’s controlled fentanyl sales to undercover officers. As part of the investigation, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Kirk’s residence, where they recovered nearly a kilogram of fentanyl, which is approximately 10,000 usage units, 13 pounds of marijuana, digital scales, a pill press, a kilogram press used for preparing cocaine for large-scale distribution, and more than $4,800 in cash.
In August 2022, Tylicki pleaded guilty to fentanyl trafficking conspiracy resulting in death, distribution of fentanyl resulting in death, and distribution of fentanyl.
In September 2022, Kirk pleaded guilty to fentanyl trafficking conspiracy, distribution of fentanyl and aiding and abetting, and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. According to court records, at the time Kirk was engaged in the distribution of fentanyl, he had three prior felony drug trafficking convictions. As a result, Kirk’s sentence was enhanced due to his classification as a “career offender” under the United States Sentencing Guidelines.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney King commended the DEA, the Mint Hill Police Department, and the Matthews Police Department for their investigation of the case, and thanked the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department for assisting with the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven R. Kaufman of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50 times more potent than heroin and remains the deadliest drug threat in the United States. According to the DEA’s One Pill Can Kill public awareness campaign, the agency seized a record of 74.5 million fentanyl pills in 2023. Laboratory testing indicates that seven out of 10 pills seized by the DEA contained a lethal dose of fentanyl.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2022, more than two thirds (68%) of the reported 107,081 drug overdose deaths in the United States involved synthetic opioids and primarily fentanyl.
For information and resources related to substance use disorder, please call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) or visit the online treatment locator.
Two More Defendants Sentenced to Probation for Wire Fraud and Money Laundering ConspiracyRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – DILLON ARCENEAUX, age 33, a resident of Marrero, Louisiana, and ZEB SARTIN, age 37, a resident of Duson, Louisiana, were sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Jane Triche-Milazzo, after previously pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans. ARCENEAUX received 3 years of probation, with the first 12 months to be served in home confinement, a $10,000 fine, and he was ordered to pay $1,604,581 in restitution to the victim. SARTIN received 3 years of probation, with the first 12 months to be served in home confinement, and he was ordered to pay $2,100,690 in restitution to the victim from U.S. District Court Judge Jane Triche-Milazzo. ARCENEAUX and SARTIN were also ordered to pay a mandatory special assessment of fee $100 per count.
As according to court documents, ARCENEAUX and SARTIN conspired with RYAN MULLEN, DUANE DUFRENE, GRANT MENARD, and LANCE VALLO to use several shell Louisiana corporations that were devoid of assets, to defraud a Georgia based merchant cash company. MULLEN and DUFRENE helped establish ARCENEAUX, VALLO, MENARD, and SARTIN as the owners of the existing corporations. MULLEN and DUFRENE then created fake vendor accounts for the corporations, and MULLEN, along with another person, created falsified bank records for the corporations. MULLEN then used an alias and represented himself to be a broker for the shell corporations he helped create.
Through the aid of another broker, MULLEN supplied the victim merchant cash advance company with the fake vendor accounts and false bank records in order to obtain funding. The victim cash advance company approved the advances and electronically wired ARCENEAUX, VALLO, MENARD, and SARTIN millions of dollars in advances. ARCENEAUX, VALLO, MENARD, and SARTIN laundered a some of the funds by paying MULLEN and DUFRENE percentages of the funds. ARCENEAUX, VALLO, MENARD, and SARTIN then closed their non-existent corporations before fully repaying the victim merchant cash advance company, resulting in overall losses of approximately $6.4 million. ARCENEAUX was responsible for approximately $1.6 million in losses to the victim, and SARTIN was responsible for $2.1 million in losses.
U.S. Attorney Evans commended the special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and IRS-Criminal Investigation for their handling of the matter. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Edward J. Rivera of the Financial Crimes Unit and Andre J. Lagarde of the Public Integrity Unit.
Two California Men Sentenced for Insider Trading Using Information Stolen from LumentumRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that SRINIVASA KAKKERA and ABBAS SAEEDI were sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gregory H. Woods to 18 months and five months, respectively, for their participation in a scheme to commit insider trading based on material, non-public information (“MNPI”) that a third co-defendant, Amit Bhardwaj, misappropriated from Bhardwaj’s employer, Lumentum Holdings Inc. (“Lumentum”). Judge Woods previously sentenced Bhardwaj to 24 months in prison and a fine of $975,000.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Srinivasa Kakkera and Abbas Saeedi traded on valuable material, non-public information about Lumentum’s planned acquisitions, knowing that their friend had stolen this information from his employer, Lumentum. Kakkera and Saeedi used their informational advantage to make millions in combined illegal gains in the stock market. But insider trading is not easy money: if you try to illegally profit from material, non-public information, there’s a price to be paid.”
According to the allegations in the Indictment and statements made in public court proceedings:
In approximately December 2020, Bhardwaj learned that Lumentum was considering acquiring Coherent, Inc (“Coherent”). Based on this information, Bhardwaj himself purchased Coherent stock and call options, and Bhardwaj tipped three associates, including SAEEDI, and these individuals all traded in Coherent securities as a result.
In or about October 2021, Bhardwaj learned that Lumentum was engaged in confidential discussions with Neophotonics Corporation (“Neophotonics”) about a potential acquisition. Bhardwaj provided this information to KAKKERA, SAEEDI, and Ramesh Chitor, and these individuals all traded in Neophotonics securities. KAKKERA also caused other friends and family to purchase Neophotonics securities. When Neophotonics’ stock price increased substantially following the announcement of the Lumentum acquisition in November 2021, KAKKERA, SAEEDI, and Chitor closed their positions in Neophotonics securities and made collectively approximately $4.3 million in realized and unrealized profits. In particular, KAKKERA made $2,453,687.99 and SAEEDI made $691,104.73.
After they were interviewed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) and served with federal grand jury subpoenas on approximately March 29, 2022, Bhardwaj, KAKEKRA, and SAEEDI took steps to obstruct the federal investigation of their conduct. They met in person on multiple occasions and discussed, among other things, potential false stories that would conceal their insider trading scheme as well as creating false documents to buttress lies regarding payments that were, in reality, related to the insider trading scheme.
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In addition to the prison sentence, KAKKERA, 48, of Pleasanton, California, was ordered to forfeit $2,453,687.99. SAEEDI, 48, of Fremont, California, was ordered to forfeit $691,104.73.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding work of the FBI. He also acknowledged the assistance of the Securities and Exchange Commission, which separately initiated civil proceedings against KAKKERA and SAEEDI.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam Hobson and Noah Solowiejczyk are in charge of the prosecution.
Stanley County Man Pleads Guilty to Filing Fraudulent Tax ReturnRead the Press Release
GREENSBORO – BRANTLEY TODD FORREST, of Stanly County, appeared in federal court today on tax fraud charges, announced Sandra J. Hairston, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina. FORREST pleaded guilty to filing a false tax return, a violation of Title 26, United States Code, Section 7206(1), after an investigation revealed that he had withheld information from a tax return preparer regarding income related to his business.
According to court-filed documents, FORREST owned and operated a business known as Fence Pro of the Carolinas. The investigation revealed that during the years 2017-2021, FORREST concealed $2,068,864 in gross revenues from the Internal Revenue Service and his tax return preparer. The income that FORREST reported on his returns was so low that he qualified for tax credits designed for low-income, working individuals and COVID relief payments. FORREST’s conduct caused a tax loss of over $500,000.
“Federal income tax compliance should be equally shared among all Americans,” said Donald “Trey” Eakins, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Charlotte Field Office. “Conspiring to defraud the government by underreporting taxable income is unlawful. Mr. Forrest’s plea today serves as an important reminder that IRS CI is committed to bringing to justice those who dodge their federal income tax responsibilities.”
Sentencing is scheduled to take place on April 30, 2024, at 11:30 a.m. in Greensboro, North Carolina, courtroom number 1, before United States District Court William L. Osteen, Jr. At sentencing, FORREST faces a maximum sentence of three years in prison, a period of supervised release of up to one year, and monetary penalties.
Sandra J. Hairston, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina made the announcement after United States District William L. Osteen, Jr. accepted the plea. Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation is investigating the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Waid is prosecuting the case.
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St. Charles Felon Caught with Ammunition Sentenced to 57 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Wednesday sentenced a convicted felon accused of a 2021 shooting in St. Louis, Missouri to 57 months in prison.
After watching video of the shooting and its aftermath and hearing from a St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department detective and a special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Judge Schelp said it had been proven that Deantre Brown, 34, had fired into a crowd outside the Reign nightclub on Aug. 18, 2021.
Video showed the shooter leaving the scene and returning to a nearby parking garage with what appeared to be a gun. Evidence and testimony showed that the suspect used a key card belonging to the mother of Brown’s then-girlfriend to enter the garage and then leave in Brown’s Dodge Charger.
Brown, of St. Charles, pleaded guilty in October to two felony counts of being a felon in possession of ammunition. He admitted in his plea agreement that he was present at the shooting but disputed that he fired a gun. He did admit “both the power and the intention to exercise dominion or control over the ballistic cartridge casings” found at the shooting scene. He also admitted possessing ammunition in his vehicle when he was arrested on Sept. 22, 2021, at his parole officer’s office.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Szczucinski prosecuted the case.
Spokane Drug Trafficker sentenced to 14 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
Spokane, Washington - Vanessa R. Waldref, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced today that James P. LeBlanc, age 45, of Spokane, Washington was sentenced after pleading guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute 50 Grams of Actual (Pure) Methamphetamine. United States District Judge Mary K. Dimke imposed a sentence of 168 months imprisonment to be followed by 5 years of supervised release.
According to court documents and information disclosed at sentencing, in March of 2022, LeBlanc was involved in a car accident in Spokane. When the other driver attempted to exchange insurance information with LeBlanc, he took off running. Officers with the Spokane Police Department (SPD) attempted to locate LeBlanc but were unsuccessful. Officers then obtained a search warrant for Leblanc’s GMC Yukon and found two bags of cocaine, an amount of methamphetamine about the size of a softball, blue pills, two digital scales, ammunition, marijuana, extended magazines, a flash bang, and a Glock .40 caliber pistol that had been reported stolen out of Montana.
In August, following up on an anonymous tip to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), detectives found an additional $4,401 dollars located in a hidden compartment in the dashboard of the Yukon.
In September of 2022, SPD officers assigned to the Violent Crimes Task Force attempted to take LeBlanc into custody at a house in northeast Spokane, but LeBlanc ran off and again was able to avoid arrest. SPD executed a search warrant on a Lincoln MKX LeBlanc was driving and seized a Glock 9mm pistol, digital scales, drug paraphernalia, and plastic baggies used in drug distribution. A DEA agent collected 169 grams of methamphetamine, 38 grams of cocaine, and approximately 1,500 fentanyl pills.
In October of 2022, SPD officers responded to a domestic violence call involving LeBlanc. When officers arrived, LeBlanc tried running, but was arrested in the backyard of a home nearby.
SPD again executed a search warrant on LeBlanc’s vehicle, a Pontiac G6. Offices secured two pistols, which had been reported stolen. Officers also located a large sum of cash, a substantial amount of drugs and a shotgun with a pistol grip.
“Mr. Leblanc was involved in three separate instances where he was armed and in possession of a significant amount of deadly narcotics he planned to distribute on our streets. His actions contributed to the growing epidemic of drug use in our communities,” stated U.S. Attorney Waldref. “Mr. Leblanc attempted to run from the law, but our dedicated law enforcement team put an end to Mr. Leblanc’s spree of criminal activity.”
“This is another example of the success we can achieve through our cooperative approach in Eastern Washington,” said David F. Reames, Special Agent in Charge, DEA Seattle Field Division. “We are all stronger together and this sentence highlights how effective we can be as a team.”
“The arrest and subsequent sentencing of James LeBlanc highlights the incredible work the officers of the Spokane Police Department undertake every day,” stated Lt. Rob Booth, SPD Tactical Operations Commander. “This arrest is another example of the interagency cooperation that exist between the Spokane Police Department and our federal partners. The dedication and tireless efforts of the Violent Crimes Task Force have taken a significant threat off the streets and made Spokane safer.”
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Spokane Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick Cashman.
This case was 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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime.
Siblings convicted of purchasing 7,000 rounds of ammunition for transport across the borderRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – Three siblings have admitted to buying, transporting and concealing ammunition intended to be smuggled into Mexico, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Rolando Herrera, 26, pleaded guilty this morning in addition to another charge of conspiracy to smuggle ammunition with intent to promote a felony. His sisters, Ashley Herrera, 22, and Yamileth Herrera, 21, entered their guilty pleas Dec. 12, 2023. All are U.S. citizens and maintain residences in Laredo and in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico.
Between May 16, 2023, through May 24, 2023, the siblings placed orders at a local sporting goods store for 7,000 rounds of 5.56-millimeter ammunition. Ashley placed the first order of 3,000 rounds which she and Rolando picked up at the store. Ashley later placed a second order in another person’s name for 3,000 rounds who picked up that ammunition and delivered it to the Herreras’ parents’ home. Yamileth later ordered and picked up 1,000 rounds of ammunition.
Rolando admitted he intended to smuggle the ammunition to persons in Mexico, provided the funds for all purchases and requested his sisters order the ammunition for him.
Ashley transported cartons of 6,000 rounds of ammunition to her parents’ home where she and Yamileth moved them into a bedroom where it remained concealed until Rolando would pick it up to smuggle to Mexico.
Law enforcement intercepted Yamileth Herrera who was in possession of 1,000 rounds she had just purchased.
Authorities collected a total of 7,000 rounds of ammunition from the Herrera sibling’s smuggling operation.
U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo will impose sentencing in April. At that time, they each face up to 10 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine. Rolando also faces up to 15 years for the additional charge of conspiring to smuggle ammunition out of the United States to promote a felony.
All three have been permitted to remain on bond pending sentencing.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Department of Commerce and Bureau of Industry and Security’s Office of Export Enforcement conducted the investigation with the assistance of Homeland Security Investigations and the Laredo Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Homero Ramirez is prosecuting the case as part of the joint federal, state and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program. In May 2021, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland announced a new effort to reduce violent crime, including the gun violence that is often at its core. Integral to that effort was the reinvigoration of PSN, a two-decade old, evidence-based and community-oriented program focused on reducing violent crime. The updated PSN approach, outlined in the department’s Comprehensive Strategy for Reducing Violent Crime is guided by four key principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities and measuring the results of our efforts. The fundamental goal is to reduce violent crime, not simply to increase the number of arrests or prosecutions.
Shiprock Man Sentenced to 27 Months in Prison for Assault Against a ChildRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, announced that Myron Benally was sentenced to 27 months in prison. Benally, 39, of Shiprock, and a registered member of the Navajo Nation, pled guilty in federal court to assault resulting in serious bodily injury on Aug. 18, 2023.
According to court documents, on June 27, 2019, Benally assaulted a 13-month-old infant in his care, causing serious bodily injury including a broken arm.
Upon his release from prison, Benally will be subject to 3 years of supervised release.
The FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Police Department and Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Mark Probasco is prosecuting the case.
View the Indictment View the Plea Agreement# # #
24-6
Second Aryan Brotherhood Prison Gang Member Pleads Guilty to Murder in Aid of RacketeeringRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Pat Brady, 53, of Lake Forest, pleaded guilty today to murder in aid of racketeering as part of a long-running investigation into the California Aryan Brotherhood prison gang, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, between 2011 and 2016, Aryan Brotherhood (AB) members and associates engaged in racketeering activity, committing multiple acts involving murder, conspiracies to murder, and drug trafficking crimes. The charges allege that AB members oversaw a significant heroin and methamphetamine trafficking operation from their California prison cells using smuggled cellphones to direct drug trafficking activities, order murders, and oversee other criminal activities inside and outside of the prisons.
According to the plea agreement, on July 28, 2018, Brady murdered an inmate at High Desert Prison as part of an AB-related killing. Brady admitted that he committed the murder because the victim falsely claimed to be an AB member and had run up a significant drug debt at his previous prison — both violations of the AB’s expected codes of conduct. Brady willfully, deliberately, and with premeditation, murdered the victim in order to maintain his status within the gang.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration with assistance from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the Vallejo Police Department, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office, and the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jason Hitt, Ross Pearson, and David Spencer are prosecuting the case.
U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller is scheduled to sentence Brady on March 25, 2024. Brady faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison.
Four remaining defendants, Ronald Yandell, Billy Sylvester, Danny Troxell, and Jason Corbett are scheduled for trial in February 2024. The charges against them are only allegations; they are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information about Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF.
brady_-_plea_agreement_-_filed_-_ecf_1781.pdfSanta Domingo Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Sexual AbuseRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, announced today that Santiago Quintana was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Quintana, 70, of Santo Domingo, and a member of the Santo Domingo Pueblo, pleaded guilty to abusive sexual contact on Sep. 21, 2023.
According to court documents, on Jan. 25, 2023, the Bureau of Indian Affairs received an allegation involving the sexual abuse of children from a school principal. A Forensic Interviewer from the FBI interviewed the victim who stated that she and her sibling had been sexually abused by Quintana for about six years, beginning when they were 6 and 7 years old, and the siblings had both witnessed Quintana sexually abusing the other. In his plea agreement, Quintana admitted to engaging in sexual contact with the victim who was over the age of twelve years but had not yet attained the age of sixteen years.
Upon his release from prison, Quintana will be subject to 15 years of supervised release and must register as a sex offender.
The FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Assistant United States Attorney Robert James Booth II is prosecuting the case.
View the Indictment View the Plea Agreement# # #
24-7
Rhode Island Woman Sentenced to Federal Prison for Her Role in a Conspiracy to Traffick Drugs to New HampshireRead the Press Release
CONCORD – A Rhode Island woman was sentenced today in federal court in Concord for her role in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl in New Hampshire, U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young announces.
Maylerin Urena, a/k/a/ Janet, 40, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Steven McAuliffe to 27 months in prison and 3 years of supervised release. On May 10, 2023, she pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl.
“The distribution of large quantities of drugs from northern Massachusetts into New Hampshire is a persistent problem,” said United States Attorney Jane Young. The “Ronnie and Janet” drug organization had been a substantial contributor to this problem for some time, distributing many kilograms of fentanyl and crack into our state. Today’s sentence shows that the people who operate these organizations will receive substantial punishment for their criminal conduct.”
“Illegal drug distribution ravages the foundations of our families and communities here in New Hampshire,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Brian D. Boyle. “Let this sentencing serve as an example to those who distribute poisons like fentanyl and crack cocaine, that DEA will aggressively pursue and hold you accountable. This investigation demonstrates the strength and continued commitment of our local, state and federal law enforcement partners here in New Hampshire and our solid relationship with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.”
Urena’s husband, Marbin Cruz-Gonzalez, a/k/a “Ronnie” was the leader of the drug organization. Urena’s primary role was to operate the telephones maintained by the organization as a dispatcher to coordinate the meetings between drug customers and drug runners. The defendant also trained other people to work for the organization as dispatchers.
The United States Drug Enforcement Administration and the United States Department of Homeland Security led the investigation. Valuable assistance was provided by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the United States Marshal Service; the Nashua Police Department; the Manchester Police Department; the New Hampshire State Police; the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office; the Hudson Police Department; the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office; the Bedford Police Department; the Merrimack Police Department; the Keene Police Department; the Goffstown Police Department; the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Drug Task Force; the Massachusetts State Police; the Essex County Sheriff’s Department (Massachusetts); the Methuen Police Department (Massachusetts); the Haverhill Police Department (Massachusetts); the North Andover Police Department (Massachusetts); the Springfield Police Department (Vermont); the Maine State Police; the New Jersey State Police; the Essex County Sheriff’s Office (New Jersey); the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office (New Jersey); the Edison Police Department (New Jersey); the North Bergen Police Department (New Jersey); the Newark Police Department (New Jersey); the Bloomfield Police Department (New Jersey); the Edgewater Police Department (New Jersey); the Ridgefield Park Police Department (New Jersey); the Teaneck Police Department (New Jersey). Assistant U.S. Attorneys Seth Aframe and Jarad Hodes prosecuted the case.
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Prominent Lobbyist and Political Consultant Agree to Deferred Prosecution for FARA Violations for Undisclosed Work for Foreign GovernmentRead the Press Release
A Virginia lobbyist and a New Jersey political consultant have entered into Deferred Prosecution Agreements (DPAs) to resolve the government’s investigation into violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) and related offenses.
Barry P. Bennett, 60, of Alexandria, Virginia, owned and operated Avenue Strategies Global LLC, a lobbying and consulting firm in Washington, D.C. Douglas Watts, 73, of Jersey City, New Jersey, is a former presidential campaign consultant who founded and ran a public relations company.
The charges arise from a scheme to wage a lobbying and public relations campaign designed to benefit one of Avenue Strategies’ clients—the government of a foreign country (Country A)—while concealing the foreign government’s connection to the effort. In 2017, Bennett signed a contract for Avenue Strategies to perform lobbying services for the embassy of Country A. As part of his lobbying strategy on behalf of Country A and for and in the interest of Country A, Bennett covertly operated Company A, a limited liability company founded by Watts at Bennett’s direction. As directed by Bennett and managed by Watts, Company A ran a lobbying and public relations campaign designed to cast one of Country A’s rivals in a negative light for its conduct, and thereby to improve Country A’s standing with the U.S. government and public relative to this rival.
Through the DPA, Bennett consented to the filing of a two-count criminal information charging him with a scheme to falsify, conceal, and cover up material facts from the Justice Department’s FARA Unit and with making false statements and material omissions in FARA filings. The information will be dismissed with prejudice after Bennett complies with the DPA’s terms, which include payment of a $100,000 fine, for 18 months.
Through the DPA Watts signed, he consented to the filing of a three-count criminal information charging him with acting as an agent of a foreign principal without registering under FARA and with making false statements to the FBI. The information will be dismissed with prejudice after Watts complies with the DPA’s terms, which include payment of a $25,000 fine, for 12 months.
Country A paid Bennett’s Avenue Strategies $2.1 million between September 2017 and December 2017 for lobbying services, and approximately 27% of those funds (i.e., approximately $773,000) financed the operations of Company A. In return, Company A conducted a social media campaign, published opinion articles in major newspapers, produced a documentary that was distributed through a national television network, sent direct mailings to American citizens, and lobbied Congress and the former president.
Company A took credit for directing 3,000 phone calls to members of the U.S. House of Representatives encouraging them to discontinue U.S. involvement in a coalition of Country A’s rivals. The House of Representatives eventually voted overwhelmingly to “deauthorize” U.S. involvement with the coalition.
Neither Watts nor Company A was registered under FARA.
FARA was enacted in 1938 to counter propaganda and promote transparency and disclosure. The Department of Justice recently described the purpose of the law to Congress as means of ensuring “that the American public and our lawmakers know the source of information that is provided at the behest of a foreign principal, where that information may be intended to influence U.S. public opinion, policy, and laws.”
Bennett’s consulting company, Avenue Strategies, failed to disclose in its FARA filings its creation of Company A. In addition, Avenue Strategies failed to disclose Bennett’s and Avenue Strategies’ affiliation with Company A, Avenue Strategies’ disbursements to Company A, and Watts’ work on behalf of Company A and Country A. These omissions thwarted FARA’s disclosure requirements.
During two separate interviews in February 2020, Watts made false and materially misleading statements to the FBI about his knowledge of Company A’s formation, its purpose and activities, and its connection to Country A.
If the case had gone to trial, the government would have sought to prove that Bennett engaged in a scheme to falsify, conceal, and cover up material facts from the Department of Justice’s FARA Unit. The government also would have sought to prove that Bennett made false statements and material omissions in filings under FARA.
In addition, the government would have sought to prove that Watts acted as an unregistered agent of a foreign principal and made false statements or representations to a department or agency of the United States.
The FBI’s Washington Field Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jolie F. Zimmerman for the District of Columbia and Deputy Chief Evan N. Turgeon of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are handling the case, with valuable assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason McCullough for the District of Columbia.
Bennett DPA Watts DPAProminent Lobbyist and Political Consultant Agree to Deferred Prosecution for FARA Violations for Undisclosed Work for Foreign GovernmentRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A Virginia lobbyist and a New Jersey political consultant have entered into Deferred Prosecution Agreements (DPAs) to resolve the government’s investigation into violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) and related offenses.
Barry P. Bennett, 60, of Alexandria, Virginia, owned and operated Avenue Strategies Global LLC, a lobbying and consulting firm in Washington, D.C. Douglas Watts, 73, of Jersey City, New Jersey, is a former presidential campaign consultant who founded and ran a public relations company.
The charges arise from a scheme to wage a lobbying and public relations campaign designed to benefit one of Avenue Strategies’ clients—the government of a foreign country (Country A)—while concealing the foreign government’s connection to the effort. In 2017, Bennett signed a contract for Avenue Strategies to perform lobbying services for the embassy of Country A. As part of his lobbying strategy on behalf of Country A and for and in the interest of Country A, Bennett covertly operated Company A, a limited liability company founded by Watts at Bennett’s direction. As directed by Bennett and managed by Watts, Company A ran a lobbying and public relations campaign designed to cast one of Country A’s rivals in a negative light for its conduct, and thereby to improve Country A’s standing with the U.S. government and public relative to this rival.
Through the DPA, Bennett consented to the filing of a two-count criminal information charging him with a scheme to falsify, conceal, and cover up material facts from the Justice Department’s FARA Unit and with making false statements and material omissions in FARA filings. The information will be dismissed with prejudice after Bennett complies with the DPA’s terms, which include payment of a $100,000 fine, for 18 months.
Through the DPA Watts signed, he consented to the filing of a three-count criminal information charging him with acting as an agent of a foreign principal without registering under FARA and with making false statements to the FBI. The information will be dismissed with prejudice after Watts complies with the DPA’s terms, which include payment of a $25,000 fine, for 12 months.
Country A paid Bennett’s Avenue Strategies $2.1 million between September 2017 and December 2017 for lobbying services, and approximately 27% of those funds (i.e., approximately $773,000) financed the operations of Company A. In return, Company A conducted a social media campaign, published opinion articles in major newspapers, produced a documentary that was distributed through a national television network, sent direct mailings to American citizens, and lobbied Congress and the former president.
Company A took credit for directing 3,000 phone calls to members of the U.S. House of Representatives encouraging them to discontinue U.S. involvement in a coalition of Country A’s rivals. The House of Representatives eventually voted overwhelmingly to “deauthorize” U.S. involvement with the coalition.
Neither Watts nor Company A was registered under FARA.
FARA was enacted in 1938 to counter propaganda and promote transparency and disclosure. The Department of Justice recently described the purpose of the law to Congress as means of ensuring “that the American public and our lawmakers know the source of information that is provided at the behest of a foreign principal, where that information may be intended to influence U.S. public opinion, policy, and laws.”
Bennett’s consulting company, Avenue Strategies, failed to disclose in its FARA filings its creation of Company A. In addition, Avenue Strategies failed to disclose Bennett’s and Avenue Strategies’ affiliation with Company A, Avenue Strategies’ disbursements to Company A, and Watts’ work on behalf of Company A and Country A. These omissions thwarted FARA’s disclosure requirements.
During two separate interviews in February 2020, Watts made false and materially misleading statements to the FBI about his knowledge of Company A’s formation, its purpose and activities, and its connection to Country A.
If the case had gone to trial, the government would have sought to prove that Bennett engaged in a scheme to falsify, conceal, and cover up material facts from the Department of Justice’s FARA Unit. The government also would have sought to prove that Bennett made false statements and material omissions in filings under FARA.
In addition, the government would have sought to prove that Watts acted as an unregistered agent of a foreign principal and made false statements or representations to a department or agency of the United States.
The FBI’s Washington Field Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jolie F. Zimmerman for the District of Columbia and Deputy Chief Evan N. Turgeon of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are handling the case, with valuable assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason McCullough for the District of Columbia.
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Philadelphia Man Sentenced to over 12 Years in Prison for Distributing Methamphetamine on the Choctaw Indian ReservationRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – A Philadelphia man was sentenced to 146 months in prison for possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute.
According to court documents, Roger Devonta Stokes, 41, distributed more than 5 grams of methamphetamine in the Pearl River Community of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians in July of 2021.
A federal grand jury indicted Stokes in a two-count indictment involving the distribution of methamphetamine on the Choctaw Indian Reservation. On September 7, 2023, Stokes entered a plea of guilty to one of those counts.
U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee, Regional Agent in Charge Whitney Woodruff of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and Special Agent in Charge Brad Byerly of the Drug Enforcement Administration made the announcement.
The case was investigated by the Choctaw Police Department of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, the U.S. Department of Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs, and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin J. Payne and Special Assistant United States Attorney Brian K. Burns.
Philadelphia Man Sentenced to 18 Years in Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – A Philadelphia man was sentenced today to 216 months in prison for trafficking methamphetamine and fentanyl in southern New Jersey and Philadelphia, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Glenn Long, 29, of Philadelphia, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Noel L. Hillman in Camden federal court to one count of a superseding indictment charging him with conspiring to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Long conspired with other individuals who acted as “runners” or “couriers” for a drug-trafficking organization that distributed methamphetamine and fentanyl. Drug customers would call Long to place orders for drugs, and the runners would deliver the drugs. Long admitted that on a date on which law enforcement agents executed search and arrest warrants in connection with the investigation into his conduct, Long’s conspirators possessed more than 2,700 grams of methamphetamine and 400 grams of fentanyl for the conspiracy. Long participated in this conspiracy while he was a fugitive on a federal drug trafficking indictment in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, to which he has since pleaded guilty.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Hillman sentenced Long to five years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration, Newark Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Cheryl Ortiz, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing. He also thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania; Drug Enforcement Administration, Philadelphia Division; U.S. Department of Homeland Security – Homeland Security Investigations; U.S. Marshals Service; FBI; Bensalem Police Department; Berlin Borough Police Department; Berlin Township Police Department; Bucks County District Attorney’s Office; Camden County Prosecutor’s Office; Clayton Police Department; Delaware County District Attorney’s Office Narcotics Task Force; Deptford Township Police Department; Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office; Gloucester Township Police Department; New Jersey State Police; New Jersey National Guard Counter Drug Task Force; Pennsylvania State Police; Pennsville Police Department; and Winslow Township Police Department for their assistance.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Bender of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Camden.
New Rochelle Man Pleads Guilty to Bronx ShootingRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that TYRIEK SKYFIELD pled guilty today to one count of illegally possessing ammunition after a felony conviction. The charge of conviction arises from SKYFIELD’s firing two shots at an individual (“Victim-1”), one of which hit Victim-1, on a residential street in the Bronx on July 22, 2023. SKYFIELD pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman and is scheduled to be sentenced on May 7, 2024.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “On a summer night in the Bronx last July, Tyriek Skyfield fired two shots from a handgun at an individual from close range. One shot struck the victim in the foot, injuring him. Today’s plea underscores an important priority of my Office: We will not tolerate gun violence in the Southern District of New York.”
According to court filings and statements made in court proceedings:
On or about July 22, 2023, at approximately 9:56 p.m., TYRIEK SKYFIELD fired two shots with a handgun at Victim-1 near the intersection of Needham Avenue and East 223rd Street in the Bronx, New York. Surveillance video from a building overlooking the scene showed SKYFIELD brandishing a firearm at Victim-1 seconds before shooting at him.
Surveillance video then captured SKYFIELD fleeing down Needham Avenue and onto East 222nd Street. During a canvass of the scene of the shooting on the following day, officers from the New York City Police Department recovered a 9mm Luger shell casing from one of the gunshots in the yard of a residential building near the shooting.
SKYFIELD was not permitted to possess ammunition because of prior felony convictions.
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TYRIEK SKYFIELD, 31, of New Rochelle, New York, pled guilty to one count of possession of ammunition after a felony conviction, which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.
The statutory maximum penalty is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the New York State Police and the Special Agents and Task Force Officers of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, and he thanked the New York City Police Department for its assistance.
This case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam Z. Margulies and Joseph H. Rosenberg are in charge of the prosecution.
New Orleans Woman Pleads Guilty to Possessing Four Cars Stolen from Norfolk Southern RailyardRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – DARIAL MAYE, age 25, a resident of New Orleans, pleaded guilty on January 2, 2024 before U.S. District Judge Jay C. Zainey to four counts of possessing goods stolen from an interstate shipment, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 659.
According to court documents, MAYE participated in vehicle thefts from the Norfolk Southern Automotive Distribution Facility on two separate occasions in March of 2023. During those thefts, MAYE and others stole a 2023 Ford Explorer King Ranch, a 2023 Ford F-150 Raptor Crew Cab 4x4, a 2023 Ford F-150, and a 2023 Ford Bronco Sport Outer Banks from the Facility. The cars were moving as part of interstate shipments of freight and destined for Ford dealerships in Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi when MAYE and her accomplices stole them. During the following week, MAYE was captured on surveillance video driving or riding as a passenger in all four vehicles.
As to each count of possessing the stolen cars, MAYE faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years, up to a $250,000 fine, up to three years of supervised release and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
This case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, the Louisiana State Police, and the New Orleans Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Berman of the Violent Crime Unit.
New Orleans Man Pleads Guilty to Murder, and Drug, Firearm, and Hobbs Act Robbery ConspiraciesRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced today that on December 4, 2023 LARRY ROWEL, a/k/a “Lah, a/k/a “Lah Hood,” pled guilty to murder, as well as to various violations of the Federal Controlled Substances Act, the Federal Gun Control Act, and Hobbs Act robbery. Specifically, ROWEL pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo to Counts 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the superseding bill of information pending against him.
Count 1 charged ROWEL with conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute, a quantity of cocaine hydrochloride and marijuana, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 84l(a)(l), (b)(l )(C), (b)(1)(D), and 846. For this charge, ROWEL faces up to 20 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $1,000,000.00, at least three years of supervised release, and a mandatory $100.00 special assessment fee. Count 2 charged ROWEL with conspiracy to possess firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and crime of violence, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(o). For this charge, ROWEL faces up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000.00, up to three years of supervised release, and a mandatory $100.00 special assessment fee .
Count 3 charged ROWEL with causing death through the use of a firearm, stemming from his role in a December 2019 murder, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(j)(1). For this charge, ROWEL faces up to life in prison, a fine of up to $250,000.00, up to five years of supervised release, and a mandatory $100.00 special assessment fee.
Count 4 charged ROWEL with conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act Robberies, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1951. For this charge, ROWEL faces up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000.00, up to three years of supervised release, and a mandatory $100.00 special assessment fee.
According to court documents, in 2019, the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated a group for committing various violent crimes and illegal drug trafficking, primarily in New Orleans East and the Ninth Ward section of New Orleans. Thereafter, ROWEL, and nine others, were indicted, for conspiring to possess firearms, traffic drugs and commit armed robberies of drug dealers. ROWEL’S plea documents reveal he was a drug dealer who possessed firearms, robbed other drug dealers, and participated in a December 2019, murder.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New Orleans Police Department, and the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorneys Maurice Landrieu of the Narcotics Unit and Elizabeth Privitera, Chief of the Violent Crime Unit, are in charge of the prosecution.
New Orleans Man Indicted for Drug and Weapons ViolationsRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that on December 21, 2023, RAKHEEM KENNER, age 20, a resident of New Orleans, Louisiana, was indicted by a federal grand jury in a two-count indictment for drug and weapons violations.
In Count 1, KENNER is charged with possession with intent to distribute controlled substances in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C). If convicted, KENNER faces a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $1,000,000.00, at least 3 years of supervised release, and a mandatory special assessment of $100.00.
In Count 2, KENNER is charged with possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c). If convicted, KENNER faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, with the minimum being at least 5 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000.00, up to 5 years of supervised release, and a mandatory special assessment of $100.00. This sentence must be imposed consecutively to any other sentence.
According to a federal complaint previously filed against KENNER, on November 27, 2023, investigators obtained a signed search warrant for a vehicle involved in a shooting incident. Investigators collected various narcotics and firearms inside the vehicle. It was determined that KENNER was the driver of the vehicle.
U.S. Attorney Evans reiterated that an indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New Orleans Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Inga Petrovich of the Violent Crime Unit of the U.S. Attorney's Office.
New Haven Man Admits Committing Multiple Gunpoint Robberies in 2022Read the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that CHRISTIAN BORRERO, 20, of New Haven, pleaded guilty today in New Haven federal court to offenses stemming from his gunpoint robberies of Connecticut convenience stores and an armed carjacking last summer.
According to court documents and statements made in court, ATF and the New Haven Police Department investigated a series of gunpoint robberies and a carjacking that occurred in late June and early July 2022. The investigation revealed that Borrero committed an armed robbery of a Citgo Gas Station located at 957 Foxon Road in East Haven on June 29, 2022; an armed carjacking followed by an armed robbery of a 7-Eleven Convenience Store located at 1089 Campbell Avenue in West Haven on July 3, 2022; and an armed robbery on an Xpress Mart Gas Station located at 180 Wakelee Avenue in Ansonia on July 7, 2022. In addition, on July 6, 2022, Borrero and his associate, Robert Smith, committed an armed robbery of a Shell Gas Station located at 195 State Street in North Haven.
Borrero pleaded guilty to two counts of carrying, using, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, an offense that mandatory consecutive term of imprisonment of at least seven years, on each count. A sentencing date is not scheduled.
On September 28, 2023, Smith, of New Haven, pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting Hobbs Act robbery and one count of aiding and abetting the carrying, using, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. He also awaits sentencing.
Borrero has been detained since July 13, 2022, and Smith has been detained since January 3, 2023.
This matter has been investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) with the assistance of the New Haven, East Haven, West Haven, Ansonia, and North Haven Police Departments. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathaniel J. Gentile.
U.S. Attorney Avery thanked the State’s Attorneys for the Judicial Districts of New Haven and Ansonia/Milford for their cooperation in investigating and prosecuting this matter.
The prosecution is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
New Hampshire Man Pleads Guilty to Receiving Child PornographyRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Isaiah Lafoe, age 25, of Lancaster, New Hampshire, pled guilty today to receiving 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.
Lafoe admitted that on September 30, 2020, and between October 5, 2020, and February 15, 2021, he communicated with a 13-year-old child in Troy, New York, and coerced that minor to send him, via social media applications over the internet, images and videos that depicted the child engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Lafoe received these images and videos on his phone.
Sentencing is scheduled for May 3, 2024, before United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino. Lafoe faces at least 5 years and up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of between 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. Lafoe will also be required to register as a sex offender after his release from prison.
This case was investigated by the FBI Child Exploitation Task Force, comprised of FBI Special Agents, and state and local police investigators, including from the New York State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Wentworth-Ping is prosecuting the case as part of Project Safe Childhood.
Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS). Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Mission Man Sentenced for Domestic Assault by a Habitual OffenderRead the Press Release
PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court, has sentenced a Mission, South Dakota, man convicted of Domestic Assault by a Habitual Offender. The sentencing took place on January 3, 2024.
John Red Bird, age 41, was sentenced to two years and six 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.
Red Bird was indicted by a federal grand jury in May of 2023. He pleaded guilty on October 10, 2023.
On April 15, 2023, Red Bird got into an argument with his intimate partner at their shared residence in Mission, and he struck her in the face multiple times. A family member called 911 and Red Bird was subsequently arrested by Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services officers. At the time of this incident, Red Bird had six prior convictions in Rosebud Sioux Tribal Court for domestic assaults against the same intimate partner.
This case was investigated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson prosecuted the case.
Red Bird was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Mexican National Pleads Guilty to Illegally Entering U.S. for the Sixth TimeRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Mexican national in Branson, Mo., who has been deported five times pleaded guilty in federal court today to illegally reentering the United States.
Oscar Ignacio Lopez-Ortega, 40, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to one count of illegally reentering the United States after having been deported.
Branson, Mo., police officers attempted to apprehend Lopez-Ortega at a local hotel on March 1, 2022, but he jumped from a third-story balcony and fled into the woods. Although officers used a police dog to search for him, they were unable to track him.
Branson officers apprehended Lopez-Ortega at another local hotel on Nov. 26, 2022. Police officers were dispatched to assist a Missouri Department of Social Services, Children’s Division worker who had contacted Lopez-Ortega’s wife and children at the hotel. When the officer searched their hotel rooms, he found large bags fills with marijuana under one of the beds. Lopez-Ortega was found hiding under another bed and arrested.
Lopez-Ortega has been deported five times. Most recently, on May 17, 2021, he was deported from the United States to Mexico at Brownsville, Texas, after serving his prison sentence for illegally reentering the United States after having been deported.
Under federal statutes, Lopez-Ortega is subject to a sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Randall D. Eggert. It was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Branson, Mo., Police Department.
Mexican Citizen Extradited to United States on Narcotics Conspiracy ChargesRead the Press Release
NEWARK, NJ. – A citizen of Mexico who was extradited to the United States on narcotics trafficking charges had her initial appearance in New Jersey federal court, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today.
Norma Flores-Fernandez, aka “Norma Camarillo,” 55, is charged by indictment with one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and one count of conspiracy to distribute heroin. Flores-Fernandez was arrested in Mexico at the request of the United States on Sept. 24, 2023, and extradited to the United States. She had her initial appearance on Jan. 2, 2024, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Cathy L. Waldor in Newark federal court, pleaded not guilty, and was detained.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Flores-Fernandez was part of a Guadalajara, Mexico-based drug trafficking organization that distributed narcotics, including cocaine and heroin, throughout the United States from March 2018 through December 2019. Flores-Fernandez coordinated the distribution of approximately 15 kilograms of cocaine in Chicago and approximately 5.6 kilograms of heroin in New Jersey, both of which were seized by law enforcement.
Four of Flores-Fernandez’s conspirators – Oscar Alberto Flores-Fernandez, 53, Dario Camarillo, 60, Laura Vanessa Diosa-Giraldo, 30, and Emilio Gutierrez-Martinez, aka “Jose Silvetre-Soto,” 39 – previously pleaded guilty to narcotics offenses. Oscar Alberto Flores-Fernandez, who is also a Mexican citizen, was previously extradited to the United States from Peru.
The charges of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and conspiracy to distribute heroin each carry a statutory maximum sentence of life in prison and a statutory maximum fine of $10 million.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents and task force officers of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Cheryl Ortiz in Newark and Special Agent in Charge Sheila G. Lyons in Chicago, Illinois; and special agents of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, under the direction of Director of Field Operations Lafonda Sutton-Burke in Chicago, with the investigation leading to the charges. He also thanked the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in Lima, Peru; U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in Guadalajara, Mexico; and Homeland Security Investigations in Chicago; DEA - Los Angeles; and the U.S. Marshals Service; for their assistance in the investigation. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided substantial assistance in securing the arrest of Flores-Fernandez and her extradition to the United States. U.S. Attorney Sellinger thanked officials in Mexico for their assistance in the investigation.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys George M. Barchini of the OCDETF Unit and Mark J. Pesce of the Economic Crimes Unit in Newark.
The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
floresfernandez.indictment.pdfMembers of Drug Trafficking Conspiracy in the Natchitoches, Louisiana Area Receive Federal Prison Sentences Totaling over 109 YearsRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, La. – Seven members of a drug trafficking conspiracy in the Natchitoches, Louisiana area have all been sentenced, announced United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown. United States District Judge Dee D. Drell sentenced all of the defendants for conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. The last remaining one was sentenced on December 22, 2023. The names of those defendants and their sentences are as follows:
James Christopher Weeks, 51, of Montgomery, Louisiana, was sentenced to 360 months (20 years) in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release. Weeks pleaded guilty to the charge on October 14, 2022.
Savannah Maria Weeks, 31, of Arcadia, Louisiana, was sentenced to 78 months (6 years, 6 months) in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release. S. Weeks pleaded guilty to the charge on June 29, 2022.
Eric Joseph Sandifer, 36, of Pineville, Louisiana, was sentenced to 120 months (10 years) in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release. Sandifer pleaded guilty to the charge on November 29, 2022.
Ashley Danielle Dowden, 39, of Natchitoches, Louisiana, was sentenced to 96 months (8 years) in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release. Dowden pleaded guilty to the charge on August 3, 2022.
Candiace Shree Bronson, 39, of Alexandria, Louisiana, was sentenced to 78 months (6 years, 6 months) in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release. Bronson pleaded guilty to the charge on September 26, 2022.
Louis Vernon Jackson, 39, of Natchitoches, was sentenced to 360 months (30 years) in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release. Jackson was the only defendant who went to trial and was convicted of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, felon in possession of firearms and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, by a jury in April 2023.
Adam James Johnson, 41, of Natchitoches, was sentenced to 235 months (19 years, 7 months) in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release. Johnson pleaded guilty to the charge on March 16, 2023.
In early March 2020, agents with the Natchitoches Multi-Jurisdictional Drug Task Force (“NMJDTF”) received information regarding a group of individuals selling large amounts of methamphetamine in the Natchitoches area. Law enforcement agents began an investigation into these illegal drug trafficking activities and learned that James Weeks, his daughter, Savannah Weeks, Adam Johnson, Louis Jackson, and Eric Sandifer, were major methamphetamine distributors in northwest Louisiana. Dowden and Bronson were working closely with them in this drug trafficking organization. Through their investigation, agents conducted surveillance of these defendants on numerous occasions and in both Natchitoches and Alexandria, Louisiana. They were also able to obtain information from other sources as to the drug trafficking activities of these defendants.
Through their investigation, agents learned that J. Weeks, who was serving a 192-month imprisonment sentence in the Yazoo City Medium federal prison facility on a Western District of Louisiana drug conspiracy conviction, was conducting drug trafficking operations from the federal prison facility. J. Weeks was communicating through Facebook Messenger with S. Weeks, Johnson, and other co-conspirators about methamphetamine trafficking. On March 26, 2020, a K9 utilized by HSI-Riverside, California, alerted on a package at the San Bernardino, California, shipping facility destined to J. Weeks’ mother and daughter, S. Weeks, in Arcadia, Louisiana. A state search warrant was obtained, and six pounds of methamphetamine were recovered. J. Weeks admitted to agents that he had met a methamphetamine source of supply through another inmate in prison and that he was involved in the package being sent to his mother’s residence. J. Weeks introduced these sources to Johnson, who purchased the methamphetamine from them on several occasions.
In March 2020, agents conducted surveillance on Johnson’s home in Natchitoches and observed Dowden arrive and enter the residence. Shortly thereafter, both Dowden and Johnson left in separate vehicles. They were subsequently stopped for a traffic violation and agents recovered suspected drugs in Dowden’s possession. A search warrant was also later executed at Johnson’s residence which resulted in the discovery of approximately 3,720 grams of methamphetamine in the attic of Johnson’s home. Dowden hid two large bags containing the suspected methamphetamine in the attic at the direction of Johnson and also took trips to Dallas with him to retrieve the methamphetamine in exchange for large amounts of cash. A chemical analysis conducted by the North Louisiana Criminalistics Laboratory determined the substance was in fact methamphetamine, having a total net weight of 3,716.7 grams and ranging between 89.4 and 98.4% purity level.
On March 3, 2020, while on supervised probation by Louisiana State Probation and Parole, Sandifer was arrested on a drug charge out of Oklahoma. Officers responded to his residence and found Sandifer who advised that there was methamphetamine in the vehicle in his yard and he admitted that he had been using the vehicle for several weeks. A search warrant was obtained and executed, and officers seized approximately 127 grams of actual methamphetamine, a digital scale, and baggies from inside the vehicle. Sandifer also had messages on his cell phone in which he was communicating with Johnson regarding methamphetamine trafficking in Natchitoches.
During their investigation, agents conducted surveillance at the Motel 6 in Natchitoches and the Best Western in Alexandria. On April 16, 2020, they observed Jackson pull into the parking lot of the Motel 6 and then depart the property. Agents obtained search warrants on those rooms which yielded 34 Tramadol pills, a Marlin rifle; model: 336CS; caliber: 30-30, a SCCY pistol; model: CPX-1, and several pieces of paperwork with Bronson’s name. On May 13, 2020, agents observed S. Weeks and a male arrive at the Best Western hotel and enter a room. S. Weeks departed and was subsequently pulled over in a traffic stop. Agents seized approximately 132 grams of actual methamphetamine from her, and it was confirmed to be actual methamphetamine.
A search warrant was obtained and executed on the Best Western hotel room, where Bronson and Jackson were present. Agents seized approximately 498 grams of methamphetamine, $11,300 in U.S. currency, and a purse belonging to Bronson. Bronson and Jackson were subsequently arrested. A chemical analysis was conducted on the suspected narcotics by the North Louisiana Criminalistics Laboratory and determined the substances seized from S. Weeks and the Best Western hotel room were in fact methamphetamine, having a net weight of 132.7 grams with 89.9% purity and 498.2 grams with 92.7% purity level, respectively.
“The successful investigation by the local and federal law enforcement agents in this case has resulted in over 20 pounds of methamphetamine being taken off the streets of northwest Louisiana,” stated U.S. Attorney Brandon B. Brown. “These types of investigations take a lot of hard work and man hours to develop, and our communities are much safer after getting these bad actors off the streets. I commend the efforts of these local and federal partners and we will continue to prosecute those who choose to traffic drugs in our district.”
“This investigation, and its subsequent successful prosecutions, were the result of a complete law enforcement team effort,” stated Natchitoches Parish Sheriff Stuart Wright. “The Natchitoches Multi-Jurisdictional Drug Task Force invested significant resources over the past three years and joined with other sheriff’s offices and federal law enforcement partners to take action and remove over 600 grams of methamphetamine from our community. And seven narcotics distributors are now in prison as a result of their dangerous criminal activity."
“We appreciate the diligent and ongoing effort of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in prosecuting these cases in federal court,” stated Natchitoches Parish District Attorney Billy Jo Harrington. “Some of the defendants, including Johnson, are also facing charges in Natchitoches Parish. I also commend our local law enforcement agencies for their hard work and effort in removing illegal narcotics from our parish."
This case was investigated by the Natchitoches Multi-Jurisdictional Drug Task Force (NMJDTF), Department of Homeland Security Investigations, FBI, ATF, Natchitoches City Police, and Rapides Area Drug Enforcement (RADE) Unit, and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Cytheria D. Jernigan and Brian C. Flanagan and United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown.
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Marksville Woman Sentenced to Federal Prison for Defrauding Rapides Parish Council on AgingRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, La. – United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced that Kayla M. Vead a/k/a Kayla Lachney, 41, of Marksville, Louisiana, has been sentenced by United States District Judge Dee D. Drell to 36 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release. Lachney pleaded guilty on July 20, 2023, to two counts of wire fraud as a result of embezzlement of funds. She was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $388,946.82.
According to information presented in court, Lachney began work for the Rapides Parish Council on Aging (“RPCOA”) as a bookkeeper on or about July 2018. Part of her duties included processing payroll, using the RPCOA credit card, and forwarding the Executive Director and their accounting firm with its financial records such as bank statements. Lachney had deposit accounts at financial institutions including Simmesport State Bank and Bank of Montgomery.
While employed at RPCOA, Lachney caused checks to be issued on its account, purportedly payable to vendors, but she actually forged endorsements and deposited those checks into her personal account. In order to conceal her theft, which occurred while she was obtaining a discharge of debts via Chapter 13 bankruptcy, Lachney concealed and mislabeled her fraudulent checks in RPCOA’s internal accounting ledger. For example, on September 11, 2019, Lachney caused a RPCOA check to be issued on RPCOA's bank account made payable to Kayla Vead in the amount of $4,700. This check was in addition to her regular payroll check and deposited into her personal Bank of Montgomery account on or about September 11, 2019, after which she converted the funds to her own use. In another instance of her embezzlement scheme, on August 3, 2020, Lachney caused a check to be issued on RPCOA’s bank account made payable to Kayla Vead in the amount of $1,800. This check was in addition to her regular payroll check and deposited into her Bank of Montgomery account, after which she converted the funds to her own use. Lachney provided an altered version of this check to RPCOA’s accounting firm, which made it appear as though this check had been issued to D&T Wholesale Office. During her three-year scheme, Lachney wrongfully obtained over $100,000 each year on average and used those funds to establish businesses such as Southern Sass Closet and Kay’s Bridal Boutique.
The case was investigated by the United States Secret Service and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Cytheria D. Jernigan.
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Laurel Man Pleads Guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute over 12 Grams of MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
Hattiesburg, Miss. – A Laurel man pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute 12.46 grams of a substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine.
According to court records, Danny Ray Cole, 46, was captured on audio and video recordings distributing pills to a buyer. It was determined that the pills contained methamphetamine.
Cole will be sentenced on April 16, 2024. He faces up to 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 Eric DeLaune of Homeland Security Investigations in New Orleans made the announcement.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Jones County Sheriff’s Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Allen is prosecuting the case.
Laredo resident admits to impersonating licensed nurseRead the Press Release
LAREDO– A 35-year-old woman has pleaded guilty to false statements related to health care matters, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Nora Nely Avila admitted that from January 2017 through December 2019, she impersonated a nurse and performed work she was not licensed to do at multiple hospitals and home health companies in the Laredo area.
These health care providers hired Avila after she fraudulently presented a nursing license of another individual. The patients and health care providers were part of the federally funded Medicaid and Medicare programs.
Avila also obtained employment as nurse trainer in the federally funded Job Corps program and was assigned to train future nurses.
In total, Avila received $52,241.66 in compensation for working as a licensed nurse when she was not licensed to do so.
U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo accepted the plea and has set sentencing for April 9. At that hearing, Avila faces up to five years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 fine.
Avila was permitted to remain on bond pending sentencing.
FBI, Department of Health and Human Services – Office of the Inspector General (OIG), Department of Labor – OIG, Homeland Security Investigations and the Texas Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit conducted the investigation. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn Olson is prosecuting the case.
Justice Department Secures Agreement with City of Miami Beach to End Premature Medical Exams of Police ApplicantsRead the Press Release
The Justice Department announced today that it has secured a settlement agreement with the City of Miami Beach, Florida, to resolve its claims that the city violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by asking police applicants to take medical and psychological exams too early in the hiring process.
“The ADA bars employers from asking applicants about health or disability until the end of the hiring process,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Our settlement with the City of Miami Beach will ensure that police applicants know that they are being evaluated based on their skills and qualifications, rather than on their disability.”
Under the ADA, employers are required to wait until a conditional job offer is made before asking about an applicant's health or disability, including medical and psychological exams. This requirement helps an applicant know if their health or disability led to their offer being revoked, so they may challenge potential disability-based discrimination.
The department found that the city did not isolate medical and psychological exams at the end of the hiring process. Instead, it required police applicants to take medical and psychological exams before or at the same time as physical agility tests, and its review of information such as the candidate’s education, past employment, military service, finances, criminal history and social media posts.
Under the agreement, the city will ensure that its hiring practices comply with the ADA, including the timing of medical examinations, and will continue to train its employees on this requirement. When requested, the city will provide an applicant whose conditional job offer is revoked with the reason why, including any medical or disability-related reasons. The city will also host a training on the ADA and best practices for background investigations for representatives from Florida’s municipal and county law enforcement agencies. The city fully cooperated with the department’s investigation, including by voluntarily revising its background investigation process to fully align with the ADA.
This matter was handled by the Civil Rights Division’s Disability Rights Section. For more information on the ADA, please call the department’s toll-free ADA Information Line at 800-514-0301 (TTY 1-833-610-1264) or visit www.ada.gov. For more information on the Civil Rights Division, please visit www.justice.gov/crt. Individuals who believe they may have been victims of discrimination may file a complaint at www.civilrights.justice.gov.
agreement_between_the_us_and_the_city_of_miami_beach_executed_1_3_2024.pdfJustice Department Files Lawsuit Against the State of Texas Regarding Unconstitutional SB 4 Immigration LawRead the Press Release
The Justice Department today filed suit against the State of Texas to challenge Senate Bill 4 (SB 4) under the U.S. Constitution’s Supremacy Clause and Foreign Commerce Clause. The Constitution assigns the federal government the authority to regulate immigration and manage our international borders. Pursuant to this authority, Congress has established a comprehensive framework governing the entry of noncitizens into the United States and the removal of noncitizens from the country. Because SB 4 is preempted by federal law and violates the U.S. Constitution, the Justice Department seeks a declaration that SB 4 is invalid and an order preliminarily and permanently enjoining the state from enforcing the law.
“SB 4 is clearly unconstitutional,” said Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta. “Under the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution and longstanding Supreme Court precedent, states cannot adopt immigration laws that interfere with the framework enacted by Congress. The Justice Department will continue to fulfill its responsibility to uphold the Constitution and enforce federal law.”
“Texas cannot disregard the United States Constitution and settled Supreme Court precedent,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department's Civil Division. “We have brought this action to ensure that Texas adheres to the framework adopted by Congress and the Constitution for regulation of immigration.”
As outlined in the complaint, Texas’s law would create two new state crimes that attempt to regulate immigration, with charges ranging from a misdemeanor to a felony. Additionally, SB 4 would give state judges the ability to order removal from the United States. The Supreme Court, in Arizona v. United States, has previously confirmed that decisions relating to removal of noncitizens from the United States touch “on foreign relations and must be made with one voice.” SB 4 impedes the federal government’s ability to enforce entry and removal provisions of federal law and interferes with its conduct of foreign relations.
The suit was filed on behalf of the United States, including the Justice Department, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of State.
ComplaintJacksonville Man Pleads Guilty to Smuggling Firearms and Conspiring to Commit Murder-For-HireRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Antonio Jose Melean Reyes (29, Jacksonville) today pleaded guilty to smuggling firearms from the United States and conspiracy to use a facility of interstate commerce in the commission of a murder-for-hire. Reyes faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison for each offense. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to his plea agreement, on May 15, 2021, Reyes attempted to smuggle 3 firearms and 57 rounds of ammunition from Jacksonville to Venezuela. Reyes concealed the firearms and ammunition in a futon that he attempted to mail using a freight forwarding service. Employees from the freight service observed the firearms during a routine x-ray of the parcel carrying the futon and contacted law enforcement. On May 22, 2021, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents seized the 3 firearms, which included a Glock 17 pistol and 2 Smith and Wesson M&P 15 rifles. The Glock pistol and one of the Smith and Wesson rifles had obliterated serial numbers. Forensic technicians at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) restored the obliterated serial numbers, which allowed ATF agents to trace the firearms to a subject in Jacksonville. The shipping documents also included Reyes’s phone number and address.
Following Reyes’s arrest on unrelated state charges on August 11, 2023, federal agents from ATF, HSI, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) searched Reyes’s cellphone and found conversations between Reyes and another individual discussing trafficking firearms to Venezuela. From Reyes’s phone, agents also learned Reyes and others were involved in a murder-for-hire plot. Between July 12 and August 9, 2023, Reyes and others surveilled two intended victims to murder them based on a $60,000 debt. Reyes and others followed the two victims to various locations around Jacksonville, including outside their home. Reyes attempted to hire a hitman for $15,000, but federal agents prevented any murder from occurring by arresting Reyes on a criminal complaint.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Aakash Singh.
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.
Iowa Woman Sentenced for Methamphetamine ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Johana Madrid, 29, of Sioux City, Iowa, was sentenced today in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska for her involvement in a methamphetamine conspiracy. United States District Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Madrid to 150 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After her release from prison, she will begin a 5-year term of supervised release.
On August 17, 2022, in Wayne County, Nebraska, a call came in about two suspicious people attempting to get into a resident’s car. Nebraska State Patrol troopers responded and encountered Oscar Villa and Johana Madrid on the side of the road on Nebraska Highway 35 and 849 Road. Both claimed they were on their way to Iowa for drug treatment but couldn’t really explain how they wound up on the side of the road. Madrid admitted to having methamphetamine in her bookbag and a firearm was located on the ground nearby. They also found a large meth shard in the fitted sheet Madrid had originally draped over herself.
Villa and Madrid were taken into custody. While in custody, troopers searched Madrid’s phone which showed a map of a field near the intersection where the two were encountered which contained a location pin. Using that map and pin, troopers found a bookbag that was covered by soybean plants. Inside the bookbag was approximately 20 pounds of pure meth.
Villa was sentenced on November 29, 2023, to a term of imprisonment of 240 months.
This case was investigated by the Nebraska State Patrol.
Illinois Man Pleads Guilty to Failure to Register as a Sex Offender in MississippiRead the Press Release
Hattiesburg, Miss. – A Peoria, Illinois man pled guilty to failure to register as a sex offender in Mississippi.
According to court documents, Shontia Berry, 47, was convicted in 2009 of a sex offense that required him to register as a sex offender for life in any jurisdiction in which he resides, works, or attends school. The Mississippi Sex Offender’s registry showed Berry registering in Mississippi in July of 2022. Berry then relocated to Alabama and registered there, but then moved back to Lamar County, Mississippi and did not register or update his Mississippi Registration as required by law.
The United States Marshal Services located Berry in February, 2023, in the Hattiesburg, Mississippi area. An investigation revealed that Berry had been working and residing in Mississippi since July 29, 2022.
Berry will be sentenced on April 9, 2024, and faces up to 10 years in prison. A federal district judge will determine Berry’s sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Todd W. Gee and United States Marshal Mark Shepherd made the announcement.
The case was investigated by the United States Marshals Service.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Glenda R. Haynes is prosecuting the case.
Hartford Man Admits Trafficking Fentanyl and CocaineRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that LUIS IVAN DIAZ, 25, of Hartford, pleaded guilty yesterday in Hartford federal court before to a narcotics distribution offense.
According to court documents and statements made in court, the Connecticut State Police obtained an arrest warrant for Diaz after his DNA was found on a gun that was thrown from a vehicle during a State Police pursuit on March 8, 2022. The Drug Enforcement Administration’s Hartford Task Force had also identified Diaz as a fentanyl trafficker. Diaz was located and arrested on November 3, 2022. At the time of his arrest, Diaz possessed approximately 35 grams of fentanyl, 23 grams of cocaine, and five grams of crack cocaine.
Diaz pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years. He is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill on March 15 in Bridgeport.
Diaz has been detained since his arrest.
The DEA’s Hartford Task Force includes personnel from the DEA Hartford Resident Office, the Connecticut State Police, and the Bristol, Hartford, East Hartford, Enfield, Manchester, New Britain, Rocky Hill, Wethersfield, and Windsor Locks Police Departments. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jocelyn Courtney Kaoutzanis and Kenneth L. Gresham.
Hartford Felon Who Possessed Loaded Gun While on Federal Supervised Release Sentenced to 4 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that GABRIEL HORACE WILLIAMS-BEY, 35, of Hartford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Sarala V. Nagala in Hartford to 48 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for illegally possessing a handgun, and for violating the conditions of his supervised release from a prior federal conviction.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Williams-Bey’s criminal history includes a state firearms conviction, multiple state narcotics convictions, and a federal narcotics conviction for which he was sentenced, in June 2016, to eight years of imprisonment and four years of supervised release. He was released from federal prison in August 2021.
On June 30, 2022, Hartford Police attempted to stop William-Bey’s vehicle. Williams-Bey fled at a high rate speed, was eventually caught by police, and then attempted to flee again on foot. After Williams-Bey was apprehended, a search of his vehicle revealed a loaded semi-automatic handgun.
It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.
Williams-Bey has been detained in federal custody since July 12, 2022. On October 5, 2023, he pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.
Judge Nagala sentenced Williams-Bey to 37 months of imprisonment for the firearm offense, and a consecutive 11 months of imprisonment for violating the conditions of his supervised release.
This matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Hartford Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kenneth L. Gresham and Jocelyn Courtney Kaoutzanis through Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Greenacres Man Arrested for Threatening to Kill a U.S. Congressperson and the Congressperson’s ChildrenRead the Press Release
MIAMI – A 72-year-old man from Greenacres, Florida was arrested this morning on a criminal complaint charging him with threatening to kill a U.S. Congressperson and the Congressperson’s children.
According to the complaint, on December 19, 2023, Michael Shapiro left five voicemail messages for a U.S. Congressperson at the Congressperson’s congressional office in Washington, D.C. In one of the messages, Shapiro stated that he was going to “come after you and kill you …” In another message, he stated that he was going to “come and kill your children …” Shapiro allegedly placed the threatening calls from his home in Greenacres. The complaint further alleges that Shapiro pleaded guilty in federal court in 2019 for making threatening communications to another victim.
Shapiro made his initial appearance this morning before U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce E. Reinhart for the Southern District of Florida.
Markenzy Lapointe, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Roger B. Handberg, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida, and J. Thomas Manger, Chief of the U.S. Capitol Police (USCP), made the announcement.
The USCP is investigating the case, with assistance from USCP’s Tampa Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Dispoto for the Southern District of Florida and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Wheeler for the Middle District of Florida are prosecuting the case.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 23-mj-8623.
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Gaston County Methamphetamine Trafficker Is Sentenced to More Than 23 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Today, U.S. District Judge Max O. Cogburn Jr. sentenced Patrick Andrew Shomo, 42, of Gastonia, N.C., to 286 months in prison for trafficking methamphetamine and for violating the terms of his federal supervised release, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
According to filed documents and today’s sentencing hearing, between December 2021 and February 2022, Shomo was trafficking methamphetamine in and around Gaston County. Over the course of the investigation, law enforcement conducted several controlled drug buys of methamphetamine with Shomo. Law enforcement conducting surveillance also observed Shomo engage in drug transactions with other individuals. On December 15, 2021, law enforcement searched the hotel room where Shomo had been staying, from which they recovered digital drug scales, Xanax pills, fentanyl, more than half a kilogram of methamphetamine, and 17 rounds of ammunition.
During that time, Shomo was on federal supervised release after serving a term of imprisonment for an armed drug trafficking conviction. On February 15, 2022, law enforcement attempted to arrest Shomo at his residence on a supervised release violation arrest warrant. Shomo refused to comply and instead barricaded himself in the residence with two firearms. After several hours, law enforcement were able to arrest Shomo and recover from the residence the firearms and additional narcotics.
On July 26, 2022, Shomo pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and distribution of methamphetamine. He is currently in federal custody and will be transferred to the custody of the federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney King credited an investigation led by the Western District’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), and thanked the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Gastonia Police Department, the Gaston County Police Department, and the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction’s Division of Community Supervision for their investigative efforts.
Assistant United States Attorney Steven R. Kaufman of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.
OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles criminal organizations using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/ocdetf.
Four Gang Members Charged with Multiple Shootings and Armed CarjackingsRead the Press Release
A superseding indictment was filed today in federal court in Brooklyn charging Amaury Guzmán, Ian Diez, Ruffi Fernández and Jonathan Rodríguez, members of the Trinitarios street gang, with a string of violent crimes including multiple shootings and armed carjackings between November 2022 and February 2023. The defendants were previously arrested and will be arraigned on the superseding indictment at a later date.
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 charges.
“As alleged, the defendants repeatedly and violently terrorized the community with multiple shootings and armed carjackings,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “Members of our community should not have to live in fear of gun violence in their homes, on the streets, or in their cars. My Office is dedicated to ensuring the safety of the community and bringing those who shoot and rob community members to justice.”
“Taking violent offenders off the street should send a message to Trinitarios members and their associates that violence and senseless murder will not be tolerated” said James Smith, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI New York Field Office. “New Yorkers should have the opportunity to live, work, and play without fear, and we ask the community to join us in our stand against violence. You can make a difference. If you have information about crime in your community, call our tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324), or submit information online to tips.fbi.gov to help ensure a safe environment in all our neighborhoods,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Smith.
The November 19, 2022 Shooting
As alleged in the indictment and other court filings, Guzmán, Fernández and others conspired to rob a marijuana dealer in Queens on November 19, 2022. Guzmán approached the victim as he sat inside his parked car with a companion in the passenger seat. Guzmán fired a shot into the victim’s car, wounding the passenger in the neck. The passenger survived but underwent extensive surgery to remove the bullet from his neck.
The November 20, 2022 Murder
The following day, on November 20, 2022, shortly after midnight, Guzmán and others stole a white Mercedes Benz sedan from the driveway of a residence in Carteret, New Jersey and drove it to Queens. Later that evening using the stolen Mercedes, Guzmán and Rodríguez approached the driver of a parked BMW sports coupe. Rodriguez approached the driver at gunpoint and fired in his direction as the victim attempted to flee. The victim was shot once in the back, quickly lost control of his car and then flipped over onto a sidewalk. The victim was shot once in the back and died from the gunshot wound moments later.
The November 22, 2022 Armed Carjacking
Two days later, on November 22, 2022, Guzmán, Rodríguez and others once again used the stolen Mercedes to approach a victim who had recently parked his BMW X5 on a residential block in Queens. The crew attacked the victim at gunpoint and stole the keys to his BMW X5. They then fled in the stolen Mercedes and in the victim’s BMW X5 only to crash into each other minutes later. Rodríguez was arrested near the scene of the collision, but Guzmán managed to escape. A 9mm ghost gun was recovered from the wrecked Mercedes which, based on ballistic analysis, was the same gun used in the fatal and non-fatal shootings days earlier based on ballistic analysis.
The December 12, 2022 Shooting
Several weeks later, on December 12, 2022, Guzmán, Fernández and Diez approached the driver of a Range Rover in Queens intending to carjack him. Diez menaced the driver with a hard object. As the victim attempted to flee, Fernández fired a gun towards the Range Rover causing a bullet to lodge in the center console of the victim’s car.
The February 1, 2023 Armed Carjacking
On February 1, 2023, Guzmán and others attacked a victim at gunpoint on a residential block in Queens and struck him in the head with their guns while stealing the keys to his Ford Mustang. They fled in the victim’s Mustang and in a stolen Dodge Charger that they used to carry out the carjacking. Lacerations to the victim’s head required hospitalization.
If convicted, Guzmán and Rodriguez are facing up to a life sentence, Fernandez is facing up to 20 years, and Diez is facing up to 15 years. The charges in the indictment are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Organized Crime and Gangs Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Andy Palacio and Gabriel Park are in charge of the prosecution with assistance from Paralegal Specialists Stephanie Heyward and Theodore Rader.
The Defendants:
AMAURY GUZMÁN
Age: 24
Brooklyn, NYIAN DIEZ (also known as “Gallina”)
Age: 19
Brooklyn, NY
RUFFI FERNÁNDEZ (also known as “Mojatoto”)
Age: 26
Staten Island, NY
JONATHAN RODRÍGUEZ
Age: 22
Queens, NYE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 23-CR-107 (MKB)
Former Georgia Bankers Association accountant sentenced to two years in prisonRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Gino Lassiter has been sentenced to prison for embezzling approximately $700,000 from the Georgia Bankers Association (“GBA”) and Georgia Bankers Association Trust (“GBA Trust”) between 2014 and 2021.
“Professionals, like Lassiter, who exploit their positions of trust to steal from their employers cause financial harm as well as institutional damage to the organizations they commit to serve,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “It is regrettable that Lassiter’s previous conviction for fraud did not deter him from engaging in further criminal conduct. But thanks to an investigation by the Department of Labor he has been held accountable and will return to prison.”
“The extent of this fraudulent scheme represents the lengths to which these individuals went to harm hard-working employees who depend on benefits they have rightfully earned,” explained Employee Benefits Security Administration Acting Regional Director Crystal Coleman in Atlanta. “This type of fraud creates great public mistrust, hurts participants who depend on their essential benefits and the employers who provide their coverage, and increases healthcare costs for all of us.”
According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court: The GBA is a trade and professional organization headquartered in Atlanta that represents the interests of banks and thrift organizations in Georgia. The GBA’s membership includes virtually every FDIC-insured institution doing business in the state. The GBA Trust is an ERISA-covered multiple employer welfare arrangement (or “MEWA”). As a MEWA, the GBA Trust offered a variety of insurance plans for the employees of the GBA’s members.
Lassiter, who had been previously convicted for federal bank fraud in the mid-1990s, served as the GBA’s accountant from May 1998 to March 2021. For approximately seven years, Lassiter embezzled hundreds of thousands of dollars from the GBA and GBA Trust by using a GBA-issued credit card to make improper and unauthorized purchases. As the GBA’s accountant, Lassiter was able to conceal his embezzlement in a variety of ways, including by making fictious entries, misrepresenting the nature of payments, and overstating the number of payments in the GBA’s general ledger.
For example, Lassiter would record in the ledger overinflated payments that supposedly reflected other employees’ legitimate credit card expenditures. In actuality, the amount would be the exact same amount that Lassiter embezzled over a given period. Lassiter was also able to conceal his scheme by overinflating invoices that GBA issued to the GBA Trust. This was possible because the GBA was responsible for paying off the credit card expenses of the GBA Trust’s employees. The GBA Trust would in turn reimburse the GBA for these expenses. Lassiter inflated these invoices by the amount of his fraudulent credit card purchases.
Gino Lassiter, 58, of St. Petersburg, Florida, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Eleanor M. Ross to two years in prison, to be followed by one year of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $450,148.10. On July 12, 2023, Lassiter pleaded guilty to one count of embezzlement from an employee benefit plan.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Labor.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex R. Sistla prosecuted the case.
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.
Former EKU Professor Pleads Guilty to Attempting to Produce Child PornographyRead the Press Release
FRANKFORT, Ky. — A Richmond, Ky., man, Kyle Knezevich, 36, pleaded guilty on Tuesday, before U.S. District Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove, to attempting to produce child pornography.
According to his plea agreement, on September 7, 2023, an Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) student located a hidden camera in a men’s bathroom on campus. An investigation revealed that the camera had been placed in the bathroom by Knezevich, who at the time was a professor at the University. After the discovery, law enforcement obtained a search warrant for Knezevich's home and electronic devices.
A search of those devices revealed that Knezevich knowingly produced surreptitious recordings of both adult and minor males, from approximately 2009 through 2023. The videos were recorded in bathroom settings, including locker rooms, urinals, and the bathroom of his personal residence. In these videos, minor males can be seen in various states of nudity, including using the restroom, undressing, and showering. As part of his plea, Knezevich admitted that his intent in creating the videos was to capture the minor males engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Michael Stansbury, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Office; Phillip J. Burnett, Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police (KSP); and Chief Brandon Collins, EKU Police Department, jointly announced the guilty plea.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI, KSP, and EKU Police Department. The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Roth.
Knezevich is scheduled to be sentenced on April 16, 2024. He faces a minimum of 15 years and a maximum of 30 years in prison. However, any sentence will be imposed by the Court, after its consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal sentencing statutes.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted this case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
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Former Airline Pilot Accused of Threatening to Shoot Delta Captain During Flight is Scheduled to Appear in Federal CourtRead the Press Release
UPDATE
Upon motion of the United States, the indictment described in the press release below against Jonathan J. Dunn in this case was dismissed on August 16, 2024.
SALT LAKE CITY – A former pilot accused of threatening to shoot his co-pilot is scheduled to appear at a Salt Lake City Federal District Court Thursday. The pilot was serving on active duty with the U.S. military overseas at the time he was indicted in October 2023.
According to court documents, Jonathan J. Dunn, 42, of Rapid City, North Dakota, and a former Delta Airlines First Officer, threatened to shoot the flight’s captain during a flight from Atlanta to Salt Lake City on Aug. 22, 2022. Dunn, a former Federal Flight Deck Officer, was a pilot authorized by TSA to carry a firearm on the flight deck for security. During the flight, a passenger had a medical issue and the flight’s captain advised Dunn the flight could be diverted to Grand Junction, Colorado, if the passenger’s condition worsened. Dunn objected to the contingency plan and described in substantial detail how he would shoot the captain multiple times for “going crazy” and he would later explain he had to shoot all the rounds he possessed because the captain was “still twitching.”
Dunn is charged with interference with a flight crew. His initial court appearance on the indictment is scheduled for Jan. 4, 2024, at 3:00 p.m. in courtroom 8.4 before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.
U.S. Attorney, Trina A. Higgins, of the District of Utah made the announcement.
The U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General (DOT-OIG) is investigating the case.
Assistant United States Attorney Michael Kennedy of the District of Utah 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.
jonathan_dunn._dismissal_of_felony_indictment_without_prejudice.pdf jonathan_dunn.motion_for_leave_to_dismiss_indictment.pdf jonathandunn_detentionmemo.pdf
Florida Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Sale of Fentanyl, Methamphetamine, and FirearmsRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Susan Bucklew has sentenced Yvens Philone (36, Sarasota) to 10 years in federal prison for possessing firearms as a convicted felon and possessing with the intent to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine. Philone had pleaded guilty on October 30, 2023.
According to court documents, between May 5 and 20, 2022, Philone sold 6 firearms, including one that Philone had described as a “Mac-10 machine gun,” to a confidential informant working with ATF and the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office. Philone also sold the confidential informant nearly 60 grams of methamphetamine and 11 grams of fentanyl. Before possessing the firearms that he sold, Philone had previously been convicted of multiple felony offenses, including robbery, burglary, and grand theft of a motor vehicle. As a previously convicted felon, Philone is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.
This case was investigated by the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David P. Sullivan.
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.
Fitchburg Man Sentenced to Four Years for Illegal Gun PossessionRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Calvin Henderson, 46, Fitchburg, Wisconsin was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to four years in federal prison for illegally possessing a firearm as a felon. Henderson pleaded guilty to this charge on October 19, 2023.
On January 26, 2023, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Henderson’s apartment in Fitchburg and recovered three handguns, along with drug packaging. Henderson admitted that one of the handguns was his. He also admitted that he flushed cocaine down the toilet just before law enforcement entered the apartment. Henderson cannot legally possess firearms because he has prior felony convictions for offenses including substantial battery and possessing a firearm as a felon.
In selecting a four-year sentence, Judge Conley noted Henderson’s lengthy and violent criminal history beginning when he was 18 years old. When Henderson was 27 years old, he pistol-whipped another person in what Judge Conley described as a horrific beating. Finally, Judge Conley pointed to the danger associated with Henderson’s possessing firearms while dealing drugs.
The charge against Henderson was the result of an investigation conducted by the Fitchburg Police Department, Dane County Sheriff’s Office, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The prosecution of the case has been handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Corey Stephan.
This case has been brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the U.S. Justice Department’s program to reduce violent crime. The PSN approach emphasizes coordination between state and federal prosecutors and all levels of law enforcement to address gun crime, especially felons illegally possessing firearms and ammunition and violent and drug crimes that involve the use of firearms.
Eastern District of Pennsylvania Reaches Agreement with Temple University Health System to Provide Greater Education and Equal AccessRead the Press Release
U.S. Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced today that Temple University Health System, Inc. (“Temple Health”) has reached an agreement with the United States to improve employee training and awareness of the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”), to resolve allegations that Temple Universal Hospital – Episcopal Campus (“Episcopal Hospital”) violated the ADA by denying full and equal access to Episcopal Hospital’s Emergency Department (“ED”) based on an individual’s disability and use of a service animal.
Under the ADA, all hospitals, as places of public accommodation, must provide emergency services to members of the general public. This resolution arises out of an investigation into whether Episcopal Hospital denied an individual with a service animal access to its ED, which is in violation of the ADA.
“All individuals, including individuals with disabilities who require the use of service animals, should have equal access to all hospital services, especially vital emergency services.” said U.S. Attorney Romero. “Episcopal Hospital cooperated with the investigation and has recognized the importance of raising awareness of the ADA and service animals.”
To resolve the matter, Episcopal Hospital has agreed to make improvements to both the timing and frequency of employee training related to the ADA and service animals. Specifically, it will require all newly hired staff and security contractors to review its service animal policy, and complete ADA training, within the first week of employment with Episcopal Hospital and on an annual basis thereafter. Episcopal Hospital has further agreed to post a quick-reference reminder about the ADA and service animals at the entrance of the ED.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania is committed to investigating alleged violations of the ADA. Those interested in learning more about obligations under the ADA may access www.ada.gov or call the Department of Justice’s toll-free information line at (800) 514-0301 or (800) 514-0383 (TDD). Information about filing a complaint, including instructions for filing a complaint online, can be found at https://www.justice.gov/crt/how-file-complaint.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mansi G. Shah and Deborah W. Frey handled the matter.
Drug trafficking indictment charges 18 defendants with meth and heroin distribution conspiracyRead the Press Release
STATESBORO, GA: Eighteen defendants from the Laurens and Toombs County, Ga., area are in custody awaiting further legal proceedings after their initial court appearances from a 55-count drug trafficking indictment in U.S. District Court.
Each of the 18 defendants is charged with Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Methamphetamine and Heroin, with others additionally charged with possession and distribution of drugs and illegal firearms use and possession, along with multiple charges related to the use of cell phones inside and outside Georgia prison facilities to advance the conspiracy, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.
“This case once again demonstrates that small communities are not immune from the disastrous consequences of drug trafficking,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “The continued vigilance of our law enforcement partners helps ensure illegal drug distribution operations are identified and disrupted.”
The case, investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, began in response to significant drug trafficking activity in Toombs and Laurens counties. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation, along with local law enforcement agencies, coordinated with the Drug Enforcement Administration to infiltrate the network and obtain evidence to prosecute the defendants named in the indictment.
Those named in the indictment include:
- Brett Youmans, 45, of Dublin, Ga. Youmans currently is an inmate at the Coffee County Correctional Facility serving the remainder of a state sentence for illegal gun possession.
- Woodrow Scott, 52, an inmate at Macon State Prison where he is serving a life sentence for murder.
- Constance Marie Scott, 51, of Brookhaven, Ga., sister of Woodrow Scott.
- Patrick Portwood, 42, of Dublin, Ga. Portwood currently is an inmate at the Burress Correctional Training Center serving the remainder of a state sentence for methamphetamine distribution.
- Jermaine Maurice Brown, 46, of Vidalia, Ga.
- John Taylor Jackson, 35, of Vidalia, Ga.
- Brittany Nicole Cook, 33, of Lyons, Ga.
- Joshua Brown, 22, of Vidalia, Ga.
- Stacy NeeSmith, 40, Dublin, Ga.
- Cordell Stallings,55, of Lyons, Ga.
- Joshua James Carlo, 47, of Uvalda, Ga.
- Willie Brown, 52, of Vidalia, Ga.
- Jody Ivey, 42, of Ivey, Ga.
- Antone Victoria, 43, of Vidalia, Ga.
- Tiffany Marie Turbyfill, 33, of Twin City, Ga.
- Laquanta King, 35, of Atlanta.
- Wesley McRae, 40, of Hawkinsville, Ga.
- Jaquan Collier, 24, of Vidalia, Ga. Prior to his arrest, Collier worked as a jailer at Toombs County Detention Center.
In addition to drug charges, several of the defendants are charged with illegal gun possession. The indictment includes notice of forfeiture of 16 firearms seized during the investigation.
Indictments contain only charges. Defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.
The case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the FBI, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office, the Toombs County Sheriff’s Office, and the Vidalia Police Department, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorney John P. Harper III.
District Man Found Guilty of Assault and Other Firearms Related Charges for Threatening Several People Inside a Wawa in NorthwestRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Charles Edwards, 48, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty on Jan. 2, 2024, after a trial by a Superior Court jury of two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, two counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and other firearm-related charges arising from threatening another man and a cashier with a loaded gun inside the Wawa at Thomas Circle NW in the early morning hours of January 22, 2022, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
The Honorable Errol Arthur scheduled sentencing for February 23, 2024.
According to the trial evidence, Edwards got into an argument with another man near the Wawa. That man ran into the store to escape Edwards, but Edwards followed him and again confronted him. A Special Police Officer (SPO) working at Wawa escorted Edwards out of the store. Minutes later, Edwards went back to the store and again chased the man around the store, and then pulled out a loaded handgun and pointed it at both that man and the Wawa’s cashier who was standing in front of him. Edwards eventually left the store, and threatened the SPO, who was on the phone with 911.
Police arrived within minutes, and subsequently apprehended Edwards nearby, and recovered the loaded weapon in his tent.
Edwards was later arrested on August 17, 2022.
This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department.
The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
Colchester Man Who Defrauded Technology Company SentencedRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that MYRON WARE, 49, of Colchester, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in New Haven to three years of probation for defrauding a computer technology company.
According to court documents and statements made in court, between 2017 and 2020, Ware identified companies and organizations that previously had purchased computer parts and components from a Texas-based computer technology company. On approximately 30 occasions, Ware contacted the victim company and falsely represented himself to be speaking on behalf of a customer he had identified. Ware typically reported that a previously delivered part or component was not functional and requested a replacement. After the victim company shipped a replacement item to an address Ware had provided, and which was in the vicinity of the customer he was posing as, he traveled to the address to receive delivery of the package. Ware sold most of the parts and components he received to others and kept some for his own use.
Ware stole tens of thousands of dollars in products from the victim company through this scheme. Judge Bolden ordered Ware to pay restitution of $77,068.40.
On March 9, 2023, Ware pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud.
This investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the U.S. Secret Service. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine E. Boyles.
Charlotte Man Is Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for COVID-19 Fraud, Drug Distribution, and Illegal Firearms PossessionRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Donte O’Neill Clements, 35, of Charlotte, was sentenced today to 10 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay $993,081 in victim restitution for participating in a COVID-19 fraud scheme, drug distribution, and illegal gun possession, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Jason Byrnes, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service, Charlotte Field Office, Ronnie Martinez, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in North Carolina and South Carolina, and Chief Johnny Jennings of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) join U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement.
According to filed court documents and today’s sentencing hearing, from June 2020 to September 2021, Clements conspired with Kaila Leaann Shanteau-Jackson to defraud the U.S. Department of Labor and the State of Arizona, by fraudulently receiving and cashing COVID-19 unemployment insurance (UI) payments diverted to Clements by Jackson. During the relevant time period, Jackson was employed as a vendor-contractor and held the position of Pre-Paid Claims Initiation Agent for a financial institution that serviced the UI benefit program in Arizona. As part of her employment, Jackson had access to the financial institution’s Pre-Paid Administration System (PAS) and was responsible for mailing UI benefits to qualified recipients in the form of pre-paid debit cards.
According to court documents, Jackson used her employment credentials to divert and re-route UI benefits payments intended for 138 victims to Clements, herself, and others. To effectuate the scheme, Jackson changed in the PAS database the rightful recipients’ address information to addresses in Charlotte to which Clements and others had access. Once Clements and others received the re-routed pre-paid debit cards, they either withdrew the benefits in cash from ATMs or conducted retail purchases with the stolen funds. During the scheme, Clements and Jackson diverted approximately $993,000 in UI benefits to themselves.
In August 2022, Clements pleaded guilty to wire fraud for the COVID-19 fraud scheme. In addition, Clements pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute cocaine base and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, stemming from criminal charges brought against him under a separate indictment filed in the Western District of North Carolina.
Clements remains in federal custody. He will be transferred to the custody of the federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.
In July 2022, Jackson pleaded guilty to wire fraud for her role in the COVID-19 scheme and is awaiting sentencing.
The U.S. Secret Service, HSI, and CMPD investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Warren of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte is in charge of the prosecution.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Butte fentanyl trafficker sentenced to four years in prisonRead the Press Release
MISSOULA — A Butte woman who admitted to trafficking fentanyl pills in the Bozeman area was sentenced today to four years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.
Amber Marie Cody, 40, pleaded guilty in August 2023 to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided.
In court documents, the government alleged that in July 2022 in Bozeman, Cody sold 100 fentanyl pills to an individual. A Gallatin County Sheriff’s deputy later stopped a vehicle in which Cody was a passenger for a traffic violation. Cody was arrested on a parole violation and placed in a patrol car, while officers searched her backpack. Officers located a large sum of cash and methamphetamine in the backpack. When the deputy returned to the vehicle, he noticed a bag of pills in the door pocket. Cody denied knowledge of the pills, but a patrol car video showed that Cody slipped one hand out of her handcuffs and removed a large quantity of pills from her bra. Cody then placed the pills in the door pocket and slipped her hand back into the handcuff.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer S. Clark prosecuted the case. The Missouri River Drug Task Force and Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation.
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Bay St. Louis Man Pleads Guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute over 68 Grams of MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
Gulfport, MS – A Bay St. Louis man pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute over 68 grams of methamphetamine.
According to court documents, On July 13, 2023, the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by Charles Jamaal Nichols, 37. Nichols led agents on a foot chase and agents observed him throwing things as he ran. Agents recovered large shards of methamphetamine on the trail where Nichols ran. The methamphetamine was scattered throughout the grass, within gutters that were laying behind a business, and along the fence line. Agents were able to recover 68.5 grams of what was sent to the lab and confirmed to be 97% pure methamphetamine.
Nichols will be sentenced on April 2, 2024, and faces a maximum 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.