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Newest first across public DOJ and U.S. Attorney press releases.
12 December 2023
Virginia Man Sentenced for Securities Fraud ConspiracyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Virginia man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for participating in a pump-and-dump securities fraud scheme involving the Massachusetts-based company Cannabiz Mobile, Inc.
Anthony Jay Pignatello, 53, of Winchester, Va., was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge George A. OToole, Jr. to five months probation, with the first six weeks to be served on home detention. He was also ordered to pay $41,547 in forfeiture. In March 2021, Pignatello pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud.
Between 2012 and 2015, Pignatello and co-conspirator Christopher R. Esposito worked together to conceal their control over Cannabiz Mobile and to use backdated promissory notes and other false and misleading documents to fraudulently obtain free-trading shares in the company. Among other steps taken in furtherance of the scheme, Esposito caused another individual to be installed as the company’s chairman, president and CEO, and Pignatello then drafted numerous backdated and false documents for the executive to sign. In reality, the executive reported to Esposito. Pignatello and Esposito then arranged for a promotional campaign in October 2014 to artificially inflate the value and trading volume of Cannabiz Mobile, Inc’s stock so that they could secretly sell their shares. In total, Pignatello personally sold over 800,000 shares fraudulently obtained as part of the scheme.
On Nov. 14, 2023, Esposito was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Patti B. Saris to five years of probation, with three months to be served at a halfway house. Esposito was also ordered to pay $20,294 in forfeiture in connection with the pump-and-dump of Cannabiz Mobile. Additionally, he was ordered to pay $61,693.50 in restitution to investors who lost money in a separate purported business venture that Esposito pitched involving the company Code2Action, Inc. Between August 2019 and February 2020, Esposito represented to investors that he would take Code2Action, Inc. public via a reverse merger and he solicited investments in the company for that purpose. The reverse merger, however, never took place.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney James R. Drabick of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit prosecuted the case.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Enters Settlement with City of Fresno Regarding ADA Compliance at Amtrak StationRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — The City of Fresno has agreed to resolve findings of violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) at the Fresno Amtrak intercity rail station, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced today.
The rail station, located at 2650 Tulare Street, is owned by the City of Fresno, and serves passengers using trains to reach destinations up and down the San Joaquin Valley.
Under the agreement announced today, the city made accessibility modifications to exterior and interior portions of the station, including repairs to curb ramps, the waiting room, and the station’s restrooms. This agreement is part of a nationwide effort by the Department of Justice to improve accessibility at the nation’s rail stations. In 2020, the Department of Justice also entered into a nationwide settlement with Amtrak regarding ADA compliance at its stations.
“This agreement is a part of the Department of Justice’s ongoing efforts to bring entities that own or operate intercity rail stations into compliance with the ADA,” U.S. Attorney Talbert said. “Our office is pleased these changes have been made and will continue seeking to ensure that conditions at the station afford equal access to transportation, including as future remodeling takes place.”
This investigation was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emilia P. E. Morris. The U.S. Attorney’s office for the Eastern District of California is committed to investigating alleged violations of the ADA. Individuals who believe they may have been victims of discrimination may file a complaint in writing with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, online at www.ada.gov, or by calling the Department of Justice’s toll-free ADA information line at 800-514-0301 or 833-610-1264 (TTY).
amtrak_executed_settlement_agreement.pdfU.S. Attorney Alison Ramsdell Presents at White House Tribal Nations Summit in Washington, D.C.Read the Press Release
SIOUX FALLS – Alison J. Ramsdell, U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota and Chair of the Attorney General’s Native American Issues Subcommittee, participated in a panel discussion at the White House Tribal Nations Summit in Washington, D.C., on December 6, 2023. The panel, moderated by Deb Haaland, Secretary of the United States Department of Interior, focused on the Department of Justice’s engagement with tribes throughout the nation, as well as the Department’s response to recently published recommendations of the Not Invisible Act Commission (NIAC).Speaking at the Tribal Nations Summit, U.S. Attorney Ramsdell noted it has long been a priority of the Department of Justice to address the disproportionately high rates of violence experienced by American Indians and Alaska Natives, and relatedly, the high rates of Indigenous persons reported missing. The Department does so through the work of U.S. Attorney’s Offices (USAOs), which assign Assistant U.S. Attorneys (AUSAs) to prosecute federal crimes occurring in Indian country. Working with federal, tribal, state, and local law enforcement, AUSAs prosecute a range of violent crime, including murder, assault, sexual abuse, and domestic violence, as well as drug trafficking. USAOs further serve Indian country by convening monthly Multidisciplinary Team meetings to address cases involving child abuse with various community stakeholders, including law enforcement, social services providers, and medical personnel. At the invitation of tribal leadership, local law enforcement, and school administrators, USAOs also conduct extensive outreach with tribal partners, from addressing tribal councils and assisting in training efforts to making presentations at school assemblies.
As it relates to the topic at the center of the NIAC’s Report—Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP)—U.S. Attorney Ramsdell discussed the newly created MMIP Regional Outreach Program, which permanently places Assistant U.S. Attorneys and coordinators in five designated regions across the nation. USAOs will support the MMIP Regional Outreach Program and leverage the MMIP AUSAs and Coordinators to assist in resolving cases where federal jurisdiction exists and bridging gaps in communication that sometimes develop between federal, tribal, state, and local partners when an Indigenous person is reported missing.
U.S. Attorney Ramsdell also discussed the fact that all USAOs in federal judicial districts with Tribal lands, including Public Law 280 states, implemented Savanna’s Act guidelines in the Spring of 2022. These are law enforcement guidelines regarding interjurisdictional cooperation among law enforcement in cases related to missing persons. They set forth best practices in conducting missing persons searches; establish standards for the collection, reporting, and analysis of MMIP data and human remains; and ensure access to culturally appropriate victim services. Finally, U.S. Attorney Ramsdell discussed the Department’s work with individual tribes to develop Tribal Community Response Plans, which are cross-jurisdictional protocols that govern law enforcement responses to reports of missing persons within a Tribal community. Importantly, the process, which involves local and federal partners, is led by Tribes. This leadership role allows Tribes to incorporate culturally appropriate protocols in every aspect of their plans. USAOs and the MMIP Regional Outreach Program will support and assist Tribal communities who choose to develop their own TCRPs.
Two Men Charged for Operating $25M Cryptocurrency Ponzi SchemeRead the Press Release
A superseding indictment was unsealed yesterday charging an Australian national and a California man with operating a cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme that defrauded victims of more than $25 million.
According to court documents, David Gilbert Saffron, 51, of Australia, and Vincent Anthony Mazzotta Jr., 52, of Los Angeles, allegedly conspired to operate a fraudulent scheme to induce victims to invest in various trading programs that falsely promised to employ an artificial intelligence automated trading bot to trade victims’ investments in cryptocurrency markets and earn high-yield profits. Saffron and Mazzotta promoted the investment programs under various names including Circle Society, Bitcoin Wealth Management, Omicron Trust, Mind Capital, and Cloud9Capital. Rather than investing victims’ funds in cryptocurrency, Saffron and Mazzotta allegedly misappropriated victims’ funds to pay for personal expenses including private chartered jet flights, luxury hotel accommodations, private mansion rentals, a personal chef, and private security guards.
To execute the scheme, Saffron and Mazzotta allegedly created a fictious entity called the Federal Crypto Reserve. The indictment alleges that, after inducing victims to invest in one of the cryptocurrency investment programs, Saffron and Mazzotta fraudulently solicited victims to pay the Federal Crypto Reserve to investigate and recover the victims’ losses. To conceal his identity, Saffron often allegedly solicited victims under various aliases, including David Gilbert and Dave Gabe, and under various online personas, including the Blue Wizard and Bitcoin Yoda.
Saffron and Mazzotta also allegedly conspired to obstruct official proceedings by concealing assets, concealing or destroying evidence, and falsifying records. The defendants also allegedly conspired to conceal the source and location of victims’ cryptocurrency investments through various means, including using methods known as “blockchain hopping” and through services known as “mixers” or “tumblers” that are designed to prevent cryptocurrency tracing.
Saffron and Mazzotta are charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to obstruct justice, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and money laundering. Saffron is also alleged to have committed felonies while on pre-trial release. If convicted, they each face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering, 20 years in prison for each wire fraud count, 10 years for each money laundering count, and five years for conspiracy to obstruct justice. Saffron also faces up to 10 years in prison consecutive to any other sentence for committing felonies while on pre-trial release.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada for the Central District of California, and Special Agent in Charge Tyler Hatcher of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS:CI) Los Angeles Field Office made the announcement.
IRS:CI is investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Theodore Kneller and Siji Moore of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney James Hughes for the Central District of California are prosecuting the case.
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission previously charged Saffron by complaint.
If you believe you are a victim in this case, please contact the Fraud Section’s Victim Witness Unit toll-free at (888) 549-3945 or by email at [email protected]. To learn more about victims’ rights, please visit www.justice.gov/criminal/criminal-vns/victim-rights-derechos-de-las-v-ctimas.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Two Indicted in Scheme that Allegedly Laundered over $2 Million Generated by ‘Grandparent Scams’ Targeting Elderly VictimsRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – FBI agents this morning arrested a West Los Angeles man who is one of two defendants charged in a federal grand jury indictment alleging a scheme that laundered at least $2 million in proceeds obtained from victims of grandparent scams who were defrauded with bogus claims that their relatives were in distress and urgently needed funds.
James Wesley Jackson III, aka “Imperial,” 42, pleaded not guilty this afternoon to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud.
The two-count indictment unsealed this afternoon also charges Christopher Fagon (who had several aliases, mostly variations of “Christopher Broker”), 45, who at the time of the alleged scheme lived in the Beverly Grove neighborhood of Los Angeles, and who is now believed to reside in or near Toronto, Canada.
The indictment outlines how perpetrators of grandparent scams convince victims to send money – purportedly to help relatives, often their grandchildren, who are typically described as being in legal trouble – “to bank accounts, business entities, and physical addresses specified by the scammers, using interstate wires and cashier’s checks…, for the supposed purpose of assisting the relatives in distress.” The victims’ money often is initially handled by “money mules,” who allow their addresses or bank accounts to be used or agree to receive or negotiate cashier’s checks.
Fagon allegedly was a manager of money mules, including Jackson, who also recruited his own money mules. The indictment further alleges that Fagon created business entities and opened bank accounts using information stolen from identity theft victims.
Once money was in the accounts associated with the money mules or identity theft victims, Fagon and Jackson allegedly engaged in transactions designed to conceal the true nature of the funds, which had been obtained via wire fraud.
The indictment specifically alleges that the scheme laundered funds obtained from victims of grandparent scams who reside in California and as far away as Pennsylvania.
The bank fraud scheme alleged in the indictment involves fraudulently obtained funds that were held in suspense in an account that had been set up in the name of an identity theft victim. Fagon, Jackson and a co-conspirator allegedly worked together to contact the bank and impersonate the identity theft victim to secure the issuance of a check for nearly $83,000 that was remaining in the account.
At his arraignment this afternoon, Jackson was ordered released on bond, and a trial was scheduled for February 6, 2024.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The charge of conspiracy to commit money laundering carries a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison, and the charge of conspiracy to commit bank fraud carries a sentence of up to 30 years.
The FBI is conducting the investigation in this case. The Toronto Police Service in Canada provided assistance in the investigation.
Assistant United States Attorney Monica E. Tait of the Major Frauds Section is prosecuting this case.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Vulnerable Communities Task Force, which is focused on investigating and prosecuting individuals and entities that prey on communities that typically are less likely to report crimes to law enforcement and historically have had less legal recourse to address the offenders targeting them. These groups may include immigrants and migrant workers defrauded in immigration schemes, indigent individuals reliant on public benefits, the elderly, and those who have been reluctant to seek assistance from government authorities.
Tioga County Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – David P. VanHousen, age 54, formerly of Newark Valley, New York, pled guilty today to possession of child pornography, announced 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).
VanHousen admitted that, while civilly committed at the Central New York Psychiatric Center in Marcy, New York, following several sex offense and child pornography-related convictions, he possessed numerous images and videos of child pornography on a contraband phone.
VanHousen was previously convicted in 2001 of sexual misconduct and rape in the third degree in New York State and transportation of child pornography in federal court.
Sentencing is scheduled for April 18, 2024 before United States District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby. VanHousen faces a mandatory minimum term of 10 years in prison, a maximum term of 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. VanHousen will also be required to register as a sex offender after his release from prison.
This case was investigated by the FBI Mid-State Child Exploitation Task Force, comprised of FBI Special Agents and Investigators of the New York State Police, Bureau of Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adrian S. LaRochelle and Jessica N. Carbone are 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.
Thông Tin về Cuộc Họp Qua Mạng về Chương Trình Tiếp Cận Ngôn Ngữ của Cơ Quan Thực Thi Pháp Luật thuộc Bộ Tư PhápRead the Press Release
Hôm nay, nhằm thực hiện một phần trong Chương Trình Tiếp Cận Ngôn Ngữ của Cơ Quan Thực Thi Pháp Luật thuộc Bộ Tư Pháp, Ban Dân Quyền đã tổ chức một cuộc họp qua mạng với các đơn vị thi hành pháp luật để thảo luận về những nỗ lực của họ trong việc khắc phục các trở ngại về ngôn ngữ trong công tác kiểm soát và tạo dựng những chương trình tiếp cận ngôn ngữ hữu hiệu.
Chương trình này được phát động vào Tháng Mười Hai năm 2022, là một nỗ lực trên toàn quốc nhằm hỗ trợ các cơ quan thực thi pháp luật làm tròn bổn phận của họ trong việc đáp ứng nghiã vụ cung cấp ngôn ngữ có ý mghiã cho những cá nhân với trình độ Anh ngữ hạn chế (TĐANHC/ Limited English Proficiency/LEP) nhằm phục vụ và bảo vệ cộng đồng tốt hơn. Chương trình này cũng được lập ra trên nền tảng của những công việc lâu dài của Ban Dân Quyền để đảm bảo rằng các cơ quan thực thi pháp luật được liên bang hỗ trợ tài chính phãi tuân theo các nghĩa vụ liên bang chống kỳ thị của họ, theo Tiêu Đề VI của Đạo Luật Dân Quyền 1964 và Đạo Luật Kiểm Soát Tội Ác và An Ninh Đường Phố Omnibus.
Trong bài phát biểu khai mạc, Trợ Lý Bộ Trưởng Tư Pháp Kristen Clarke đã đưa ra cái nhìn tổng quát về những nỗ lực không ngừng của Ban Dân Quyền để cải thiện các cách giao tiếp giữa các cơ quan thi hành pháp luật và những người với TĐANHC/LEP. Ví dụ, bà công bố rằng Ban Dân Quyền đã đạt được một Thỏa Thuận về Nguyên Tắc với Văn Phòng Cảnh Sát Quận King (Washington) (KCSO) và khi đã hoàn tất, thỏa thuận này sẽ giải quyết những cáo buộc cho rằng KCSO đã có kỳ thị đối với những người có TĐANHC/ LEP. Theo thỏa thuận này, KCSO cam kết đảm bảo sự tiếp cận ngôn ngữ cho những người với TĐANHC/LEP, bao gồm việc đưa ra một chính sách về tiếp cận ngôn ngữ và thực hiện các thủ tục; phát triển chiến lược tiếp cận và tham gia với cộng đồng; lập ra một chương trình huấn luyện cho có ý nghiã; và nhiều hơn nữa. KCSO phục vụ hơn hai triệu người và cung cấp các dịch vụ thực thi pháp luật cho hàng chục thành phố khác trong quận hạt.
Bà cũng công bố rằng Ban Dân Quyền hôm nay đã gửi một bức thư đến các cơ quan thực thi pháp luật để nhắc lại những nghĩa vụ dân quyền thuộc cấp liên bang của họ trong việc cung cấp những dịch vụ hỗ trợ ngôn ngữ cho các cá nhân với TĐANHC/LEP, và cung cấp một sự giao tiếp hữu hiệu cho các cá nhân điếc và lãng tai. Cuối cùng, bà nhấn mạnh một số nguồn tài nguyên, bao gồm video huấn luyện và Tư Vấn về Quyền của FBI được dịch ra hơn 40 ngôn ngữ, để giúp các viên chức giảm bớt những trở ngại về ngôn ngữ, tạo tin tưởng trong cộng đồng và giữ an toàn cho các viên chức. Những nguồn tài nguyên này được đăng tại Cổng Thông Tin Điện Tử về Huấn Luyện của COPS. Được Văn Phòng Dịch Vụ Kiểm Soát Trật Tự Cộng Đồng (Văn Phòng COPS) tài trợ và Trung Tâm Đổi Mới về Kiểm Soát Trật Tự Quốc Gia cung cấp, Cổng Điện Tử này là một nền tảng miễn phí dành cho những nhân viên thực thi pháp luật và các đối tác trong cộng đồng để họ thực hiện việc huấn luyện tương tác và những nguồn tài nguyên về các đề tài về an toàn công cộng mới nổi lên cũng như những vấn đề về kiểm soát trật tự cộng đồng.
Sau bài phát biểu của Trợ Lý Bộ Trưởng Tư Pháp Clarke, các viên chức của Bộ Tư Pháp và lãnh đạo của các cơ quan thực thi pháp luật đã tham gia một nhóm để thảo luận về các chiến lược hữu hiệu xung quanh vấn đề tiếp cận ngôn ngữ, bao gồm việc phát triển các chính sách tiếp cận ngôn ngữ thích hợp cho cộng đồng và cơ quan cảnh sát; tránh sử dụng những thông dịch viên không đạt tiêu chuẩn và có thể thiên vị; bổ nhiệm một nhân viên điều phối tiếp cận ngôn ngữ để thực hiện các chính sách và thủ tục; phiên dịch những thông tin trọng yếu; huấn luyện các viên chức về thủ tục tiếp cận ngôn ngữ; và thiết lập những thủ tục khiếu nại cho có ý nghiã. Những người tham gia hội thảo cũng nhấn mạnh tầm quan trọng của sự tích cực tham gia của các bên liên quan và cộng đồng với TĐANHC/LEP.
Những người tham gia buổi thảo luận nhóm này gồm có Luật Sư Hoa Kỳ Breon Peace của Quận Đông New York; Trợ Lý Thứ Nhất Luật Sư Hoa Kỳ Matthew Kirsch thuộc Quận Colorado; Phó Giám Đốc Văn Phòng COPS Robert Chapman phụ trách việc Thúc Đẩy Kiểm Soát Trật Tự Cộng Đồng; Đơn Vị Trưởng Trent Glosson thuộc Bộ Phận Dịch Vụ Ngôn Ngữ của FBI; Cảnh Sát Trưởng Ron Thomas của Sở Cảnh Sát Denver; và Todd Delain, Cảnh Sát Trưởng Quận Brown, Wisconsin.
Buổi họp và những công bố của ngày hôm nay sẽ tiếp tục dựa trên sự cam kết lâu dài của Bộ Tư Pháp trong việc thúc đẩy sự tiếp cận ngôn ngữ. Vào Tháng Mười Một, Bộ đã công bố việc triển khai Nhóm Làm Việc về Tiếp Cận Ngôn Ngữ Liên Bang, một nỗ lực liên ngành mới nhằm phối hợp việc tiếp cận ngôn ngữ giữa các cơ quan chính phủ liên bang. Cùng với việc thành lập nhóm làm việc này, Bộ cũng công bố những kế hoạch tiếp cận ngôn ngữ của cơ quan liên bang được đăng tải trên trang mạng www.LEP.gov, nhân dịp kỷ niệm một năm kể từ ngày thực hiện bản ghi nhớ của Bộ Trưởng tư Pháp Merrick B. Garland về việc tiếp cận ngôn ngữ dành cho các cơ quan liên bang. Ban Dân Quyền cũng vừa phát hành tờ thông tin về tiếp cận ngôn ngữ cho tòa án phối hợp với hội thảo trực tuyến dành cho các tòa án tiểu bang. Để có được bản sao của thư gửi cho cơ quan thực thi pháp luật hoặc để tìm thêm thông tin về Chương Trình Tiếp Cận Ngôn Ngữ của Cơ Quan Thực Thi Pháp Luật, hãy vào trang www.lep.gov.
Three Gang Members Convicted of Murder PlotRead the Press Release
A federal jury in Norfolk, Virginia, convicted three men yesterday of conspiracy to commit murder and other crimes.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Ronald Jenkins, 42, of Franklin, Virginia; Japree Brooks, 40, of Murfreesboro, North Carolina; and Malik Newsome, 30, of Ivor, Virginia, participated in three shootings in 2017 and 2019 in Franklin, Virginia. All three men were members or associates of a Blood-affiliated gang that operated in Franklin. The gang engaged primarily in narcotics trafficking, as well as some robberies and beatings to protect their territory. When a high-ranking member of their gang was murdered by a rival Crip-affiliated gang, the gang hunted down and shot several members of the Crip-affiliated gang.
All three defendants were convicted of conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering; Brooks and Jenkins were convicted of attempted murder in aid of racketeering; Brooks was convicted of discharge, carry, and use of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence; Jenkins was convicted of being a felon in possession of ammunition; and Brooks and Newsome were each convicted of witness tampering. Jenkins faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and is scheduled to be sentenced on April 16, 2024. Brooks faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison, and is scheduled to be sentenced on April 18, 2024. Newsome faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and is scheduled to be sentenced on April 23, 2024. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia, Special Agent in Charge Craig Kailimai of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Washington Field Division, Special Agent in Charge Derek W. Gordon of Homeland Security Investigations, Chief Steve Patterson of the Franklin Police Department, and Southampton County Sheriff Josh Wyche Sr. made the announcement.
The ATF, HSI, the Franklin Police Department, and the Southampton County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Christopher Taylor of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen Taylor for the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case, with significant assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office legal intern Madison Albrecht.
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 www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
St. Petersburg Man Found Guilty of Distributing Fentanyl Resulting in DeathRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that a federal jury has found Kavon Jackasal (34, St. Petersburg) guilty of distribution of fentanyl resulting in death and possession of fentanyl with the intent to distribute it. Jackasal faces a minimum mandatory 20 years, up to life, in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for March 19, 2024. Jackasal had been indicted on June 28, 2022.
According to evidence presented at trial, a series of text messages showed that Jackasal had sold fentanyl to the victim multiple times between July and October 2020, when the victim resided in Pinellas County. In October 2020, the victim informed Jackasal that she had violated her probation and would be going to jail. She was released from jail on May 9, 2021, and moved to a residence in Tampa. Beginning on May 25, 2021, the victim began texting several people looking for drugs. In one of the texts to another individual, the victim requested fentanyl. After her attempts to get fentanyl from other sources were unsuccessful, she texted Jackasal. The victim told Jackasal she was out of jail and sent him an address. She sent him a text (“$$”) and indicated that she had cash, but she did not specify that she wanted fentanyl. Based on their previous text history, however, it was apparent that Jackasal knew she wanted fentanyl.
The text messages exchanged between Jackasal and the victim indicated that Jackasal had delivered a substance to the victim shortly after 1:00 a.m. on May 26, 2021. The victim’s cellphone call log and testimony from a roommate showed that the victim was talking on the phone at 10:00 a.m. that morning. Her roommates left the residence to run errands, and when they returned, they found her dead in her bedroom at approximately 1:25 p.m. The evidence showed that she died of an overdose caused by the use of fentanyl.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office responded and investigated the death. Investigators reviewed the victim’s message history and were able to determine, by process of elimination, that someone identified in her contacts as “Neq York” was likely the person that had delivered the fentanyl to her. Her text history with Jackasal showed that she referred to him as “New York.” Investigators lured the seller back to the residence by texting Neq York and asking for the “same from yesterday.” After responding and agreeing to another delivery, Jackasal arrived at the residence and was arrested. Inside his vehicle, investigators found a plastic bag containing fentanyl inside a cigarette box. DNA evidence was consistent with Jackasal’s touch DNA being present on the cigarette box.
Laboratory analysis confirmed that the substance in the cigarette box was fentanyl. A small amount of fentanyl was also found in a small baggie inside the victim’s bedroom. Despite differences in the color and compounds between the mixtures containing fentanyl from the cigarette box and from the victim’s bedroom, and differences in the packaging, the evidence from the victim’s cellphone made it clear that Jackasal was the only person who had agreed to bring her fentanyl the night before her overdose, and she did not attempt to acquire more fentanyl after the delivery from Jackasal.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, the Hillsborough Medical Examiner’s Office, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Michael Sinacore and Samantha Newman.
Springfield Sex Offender Pleads Guilty to Child PornographyRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Springfield, Mo., man who is a registered sex offender pleaded guilty in federal court today to receiving child pornography, which was discovered on his cell phone during an investigation into threats he made to a sheriff’s department employee.
Joshua Emanuel Wood, 45, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to one count of receiving and distributing child pornography. Wood is required to register as a sex offender due to his 2018 conviction of possessing child pornography.
The investigation began when Wood left 41 threatening voice mail messages on May 29 and 30, 2022, for the employee of the Greene County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department who was in charge of registering sex offenders. The sex offender registrar reported those threats and law enforcement officers arrested Wood on May 31, 2022.
Wood had a Google Pixel cell phone in his possession when he was arrested. Investigators found child sexual abuse material on the phone, including 107 images of child pornography, web searches for child pornography, and visits to suspected child pornography websites.
Under federal statutes, Wood is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison without parole, up to 40 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 Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie L. Wan. It was investigated by the Greene County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, Homeland Security Investigations, the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force, and the Springfield, Mo., Police Department.
Spokane Man sentenced to 48 Months in Prison for Armed Robbery at Spokane Valley MotelRead the Press Release
Spokane, Washington - Vanessa R. Waldref, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Christopher Bruce Gooch, 46, of Spokane, Washington, was sentenced after pleading guilty to Robbery Affecting Commerce. U.S. Senior District Judge Rosanna Malouf Peterson imposed a sentence of 48 months in prison to be followed by 3 years of supervised release. When imposing the sentence, U.S. Senior Judge Peterson noted Gooch’s lifelong criminal history beginning at age 11.
According to court documents, on the night of August 2, 2022, Agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) were conducting surveillance of suspected drug traffickers at the Oxford Suites in Spokane Valley. During that surveillance, just before midnight, agents observed one of the suspected drug traffickers arrive at the motel carrying multiple duffle bags.
A short time later, surveilling agents observed a unique van arrive in the motel parking lot. A man, later identified as Dominic Shears, was observed getting out of the van and entering the front door of the motel. Shears then opened a side door to the motel. At this point, two other men, later identified as Christopher Gooch and Christopher Jones, got out of the parked van and went into the motel through the now open side entrance.
A few minutes later, agents observed the same three men carrying what appeared to be the same duffle bags leave through a side door of the motel. All three men got into the van, and quickly left the area.
Around the same time, the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) received a 911 call from the motel reporting that a motel guest had been robbed at gunpoint. The caller also told Sheriff’s Deputies that three suspects with masks left the motel in a van.
Believing the suspected drug trafficker may have been the victim of the robbery, The surveilling agents followed the van and advised SCSO and the Spokane Police Department (SPD) that law enforcement was following those believed to be involved in the robbery. SPD joined in the pursuit, and when the van reached downtown Spokane, the driver of the van briefly stopped and both Gooch and Jones got out of the vehicle and attempted to flee on foot. Jones was carrying a duffle bag as he attempted to flee the scene. Ultimately, both men were apprehended. Inside the duffle bag, SPD officers recovered approximately 1.5 pounds of methamphetamine, 400 grams of fentanyl-laced pills, and 150 grams of heroin.
Around the time SPD officers apprehended and detained Gooch and Jones, SPD also attempted a to conduct a traffic stop on the van, which Shears was driving. Instead of stopping, however, Shears eluded police and ultimately fired shots at police, after crashing his van into a building in downtown Spokane. Shears then engaged in a multiple-hour stand-off with law enforcement. The standoff ended when Shears came out of the front windshield area of the vehicle and fired at the police. Police returned fire, and Shears died of his injuries.
During interviews after the robbery, investigators learned Shears was a customer of the suspected drug trafficking law enforcement was surveilling. In fact, Shears placed a large order with the supplier, intending to rob the supplier. Shears then recruited Jones, who in turn recruited Gooch, to help with the robbery. When they arrived at the motel, all three men donned ski masks. Gooch remained in the hall, while Jones and Shears entered the supplier’s motel room and demanded the drugs. During the robbery, Shears had a black, semi-automatic firearm, which he put to the supplier’s head. Jones and Shears then grabbed two duffle bags from the room and left. A woman in the room was able to escape, run down the hall, and alert hotel staff.
Jones pleaded guilty to one count of Robbery Affecting Commerce on May 2, 2023, and was sentenced to 63 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release.
“I am thankful for the dedicated members of law enforcement who put themselves in harm’s way every day to keep our streets secure and our communities safe. This case is a stark reminder of the dangerous nexus of drug trafficking and violent crime,” stated U.S. Attorney Waldref. “The United States Attorney’s Office is committed to partnering with our federal, state and local partners to prosecute violent offenders and build safer, stronger, and more resilient communities.”
Assistant United States Attorney Caitlin Baunsgard, who prosecuted the case, stated, “Drug trafficking is most often characterized as a non-violent offense. However, based on my 15 years investigating and prosecuting drug trafficking crime, this not accurate. This case is a stark reminder of the violence that frequently occurs with the illegal distribution of controlled substances. The US Attorney’s Office is committed to supporting all our law enforcement partners and the important work they do for our community. Despite many obstacles, they put their lives on the line in pursuit of community safety. I applaud their dedication.”
“This case is a chilling reminder of the violence that accompanies drug trafficking and resolve of the agencies to protect our communities from these violent offenders,” said David F. Reames, Special Agent in Charge, DEA Seattle Field Division.
“This is a well-deserved sentence,” said ATF Seattle Special Agent in Charge Jonathan T. McPherson. “Mr. Gooch’s actions, along with those of his co-criminals, put the lives of area residents in great danger. We appreciate the support the Spokane Police Department and Sheriff’s Office’s support.”
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, the Spokane Police Department, and the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Caitlin Baunsgard.
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Seattle man convicted at trial of abusive sexual contact on Air France flight from Paris to SeattleRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 35-year 0ld Seattle man was convicted late Friday December 8, 2023, of abusive sexual contact on a flight from Paris to Seattle, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. Milan Edward Jurkovic was convicted following a three-day jury trial. The jury deliberated about three hours before reaching its verdict. Jurkovic faces up to two years in federal prison when he is sentenced by U.S. District Judge Robert S. Lasnik on March 21, 2024.
“Last summer, I joined with our law enforcement partners to call attention to a spike in sexual misconduct on aircraft – crimes such as this one that are traumatizing for victims,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Gorman. “This case should be a warning to anyone who thinks that in the confines of an aircraft cabin they can get away with unwanted sexual touching. We will prosecute and the penalties are significant.”
According to records filed in the case and testimony at trial, on July 3, 2022, Jurkovic was a passenger on an Air France flight from Paris to Seattle. Also on the flight was a school group from Western Washington. The students were returning from a class trip abroad. The 16-year-0ld victim was seated next to Mr. Jurkovic.
About three hours into the flight, Jurkovic reached under the Air France blanket covering the victim and began groping the victim’s thigh. The victim was shocked and frozen with fear. Jurkovic proceeded to rub her thigh for an extended period of time, touching her inner thigh, before the victim was able to pull away and seek assistance from a classmate and then her chaperone. The chaperone traded places with the victim for the duration of the flight.
The incident was reported to the flight crew, and Port of Seattle Police met the flight as it arrived at SEA Airport. The victim was interviewed by law enforcement. Jurkovic provided contradictory statements to different audiences. Initially, he told the chaperone he had been rubbing his leg due to bad circulation, suggesting that he inadvertently touched the victim. Later, after being told by a Port of Seattle officer that he was under investigation for allegedly assaulting the passenger seated next to him, Jurkovic said he did not hurt anyone. He later volunteered that he had an itch on his leg. He was indicted by a grand jury on January 4, 2023, and arrested January 30, 2023.
In closing arguments, prosecutors told the jury, Jurkovic assaulted the girl “for his own sexual gratification . . . The defendant was counting on (the victim) not being strong enough and brave enough to stop him.”
Abusive sexual contact is punishable by up to two years in prison.
The case was investigated by the FBI and the Port of Seattle Police.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Rachel Yemini and Brian Wynne.
San Pedro Man Sentenced to Nearly 15 Years in Federal Prison for Committing Armed Robbery Where a Victim Was Shot and WoundedRead the Press Release
SANTA ANA, California – A San Pedro man has been sentenced to 177 months in federal prison for – while on parole from a life sentence in state prison for armed robbery – robbing an armored truck in Harbor City last year in which the truck’s driver was shot and suffered serious injuries, the Justice Department announced today.
Gregory James, 48, was sentenced Monday afternoon by United States District Judge David O. Carter.
James pleaded guilty on June 12 to one count of Hobbs Act robbery and one count of discharge of a firearm in relation to a crime of violence. He has been in federal custody since October 2022.
On October 17, 2022, James and co-defendant Lamond Akins, 31, of Compton, robbed a Loomis armored truck after the truck driver had finished servicing an ATM at a Bank of America branch in Harbor City. James and Akins waited for the driver to finish his ATM work, and then – both brandishing firearms – approached the driver and robbed him.
During the robbery, the victim was shot and wounded. James and Akins stole a bag filled with approximately $145,000 in cash that belonged to the Loomis company – which operates in 40 states and three nations – before driving away from the scene.
The victim truck driver experienced significant bodily injury because of the shooting and required surgery.
Akins also pleaded guilty on June 12 to one count of Hobbs Act robbery and one count of discharge of a firearm in relation to a crime of violence. On October 27, Judge Carter sentenced Akins to 177 months in federal prison.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI investigated this matter. The Gardena Police Department provided substantial assistance.
Assistant United States Attorney Jeremiah M. Levine of the Violent and Organized Crime Section prosecuted this case.
Resumen de la Junta Virtual de la Iniciativa de las Fuerzas del Orden Público para el Acceso Lingüístico del Departamento de JusticiaRead the Press Release
Hoy, como parte de la Iniciativa de las Fuerzas del Orden Público para el Acceso Lingüístico del Departamento de Justicia, la División de Derechos Civiles organizó una junta virtual con las partes interesadas de las fuerzas de orden público para hablar sobre sus esfuerzos encaminados a abordar las barreras lingüísticas en sus prácticas policiales y para crear programas eficaces de acceso lingüístico.
La iniciativa, que se lanzó en diciembre de 2022, es una labor nacional que tiene el objeto de ayudar a los organismos del orden público a cumplir con su obligación de brindar asistencia lingüística significativa a las personas cuyo dominio del inglés es limitado (LEP, por sus siglas en inglés), a fin de servir y proteger mejor a las comunidades. La iniciativa también se basa en el trabajo a largo plazo de la división para garantizar que los organismos de las fuerzas orden público que reciben asistencia financiera federal cumplan sus obligaciones federales contra la discriminación conforme al Título VI de la Ley de Derechos Civiles de 1964 y la Ley Ómnibus de Control del Crimen y Calles Seguras.
En sus comentarios de apertura, la fiscal general adjunta Kristen Clarke presentó una sinopsis de los esfuerzos invariables que ha hecho la división para mejorar la manera en que los organismos de las fuerzas del orden público se comunican con las personas cuyo dominio del inglés es limitado. Por ejemplo, anunció que la división ha llegado a un acuerdo en principio con la Oficina del Alguacil del Condado de King (KCSO, por sus siglas en inglés) en el estado de Washington que, una vez finalizado, resolverá las acusaciones relativas a la discriminación por parte de la KCSO de las personas cuyo dominio del inglés es limitado. En virtud del acuerdo, la KCSO se compromete a garantizar el acceso lingüístico para las personas cuyo dominio del inglés es limitado, incluso a crear una política de acceso lingüístico e implementar procedimientos, formular una estrategia de participación y extensión comunitarias, y, entre otras cosas más, crear un programa sólido de capacitación. La KCSO atiende a más de dos millones de personas y presta servicios de aplicación de la ley a más de una decena de ciudades adicionales en el condado.
También anunció que la división emitió hoy una carta a los organismos de las fuerzas del orden público en la que reitera sus obligaciones federales con respecto a los derechos civiles de brindar servicios de asistencia lingüística a las personas cuyo dominio del inglés es limitado y de proporcionar comunicación eficaz a las personas que tengan discapacidades y dificultades auditivas. Por último, destacó varios recursos como, entre otros, un video de capacitación y traducciones de la “Notificación de Derechos” del FBI en más de 40 idiomas para ayudar a los oficiales a reducir las barreras lingüísticas, generar confianza en la comunidad y mantener a los oficiales seguros. Estos recursos se encuentran en el Portal de Capacitación de los Servicios Policiales Orientados a la Comunidad (COPS, por sus siglas en inglés). El portal, que es financiado por la Oficina de Servicios Policiales Orientados a la Comunidad (Oficina de COPS) e impulsado por el Centro Nacional para la Innovación Policial, es una plataforma libre de costos que presenta sesiones de capacitación interactivas y recursos en temas emergentes en materia de seguridad pública y servicios policiales comunitarios para profesionales de las fuerzas del orden público y socios de la comunidad.
Tras los comentarios de la fiscal general adjunta Clarke, los funcionarios del Departamento de Justicia y los líderes de las fuerzas del orden público participaron en una mesa de debate a fin de tratar las estrategias para el acceso lingüístico, incluida las maneras de formular políticas de acceso al idioma adaptadas a la comunidad y a los departamentos de la policía, evitar el empleo de intérpretes que no reúnan los requisitos necesarios y que podrían tener prejuicios, nombrar a un coordinador de acceso lingüístico para implementar políticas y procedimientos, traducir información vital, capacitar a funcionarios en procedimientos de acceso lingüístico y establecer procedimientos valiosos para presentar quejas. Los miembros de la mesa también destacaron la importancia de comprometerse de manera positiva con las partes interesadas y las comunidades que tengan personas cuyo dominio del inglés es limitado.
Entre los participantes que asistieron estuvieron Breon Peace, fiscal federal del Distrito Este de Nueva York; Matthew Kirsch, primer fiscal federal adjunto del Distrito de Colorado; Robert Chapman, subdirector de la Oficina de COPS, en pro del avance de los servicios policiales comunitarios; Trent Glosson, jefe de unidad en la Sección de Servicios Lingüísticos del FBI; Ron Thomas, jefe del Departamento de Policía de Denver; y Todd Delain, alguacil del condado de Brown en Wisconsin.
La reunión y los anuncios de hoy continúan basándose en el compromiso a largo plazo del Departamento de Justicia de promover el acceso lingüístico. En noviembre, el departamento anunció el lanzamiento del Grupo de Trabajo Federal de Acceso Lingüístico, un nuevo esfuerzo interinstitucional que coordinará el acceso lingüístico en todo el gobierno federal. Junto con la creación de este grupo de trabajo, el departamento también anunció la publicación de planes actualizados de acceso lingüístico de organismos federales en su sitio web www.LEP.gov, en el primer aniversario del memorando de acceso lingüístico del fiscal general Merrick B. Garland a los organismos federales. La División de Derechos Civiles también publicó recientemente una hoja informativa sobre el acceso lingüístico en los tribunales en coordinación con un seminario web para los tribunales estatales. Para obtener copias de la carta a las fuerzas del orden u obtener información adicional sobre la Iniciativa de las Fuerzas del Orden Público para el Acceso Lingüístico, visite www.lep.gov.
Readout of Justice Department’s Law Enforcement Language Access Initiative Virtual ConveningRead the Press Release
Today, as part of the Justice Department’s Law Enforcement Language Access Initiative, the Civil Rights Division hosted a virtual convening with law enforcement stakeholders to discuss their efforts to address language barriers in policing and build effective language access programs.
The initiative, launched in December 2022, is a nationwide effort to assist law enforcement agencies in meeting their obligation to provide meaningful language assistance to individuals with limited English proficiency (LEP) to better serve and protect communities. The initiative also builds on the division’s longstanding work to ensure that law enforcement agencies receiving federal financial assistance comply with their federal antidiscrimination obligations, under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act.
In her opening remarks, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke provided an overview of the division’s consistent efforts to improve how law enforcement agencies communicate with people with LEP. For example, she announced that the division has reached an Agreement in Principle with the King County (Washington) Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) that, once finalized, will resolve allegations that KCSO discriminated against individuals with LEP. Under the agreement, KCSO commits to ensuring language access for individuals with LEP, including creating a language access policy and implementing procedures; developing a community engagement and outreach strategy; creating a robust training program; and more. KCSO serves over two million people and provides law enforcement services to a dozen other cities in the county.
She also announced the division issued a letter today to law enforcement agencies reiterating their federal civil rights obligations to provide language assistance services to individuals with LEP, and to provide effective communication to deaf and hard of hearing individuals. Finally, she highlighted several resources, including a training video and translations of the FBI’s Advice of Rights in over 40 languages, to help officers reduce language barriers, build community trust and keep officers safe. These resources are housed on the COPS Training Portal. Funded by the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) and powered by the National Center for Policing Innovation, the Portal is a no-cost platform for law enforcement practitioners and community partners that features interactive training and resources in emerging public safety topics and community policing.
Following Assistant Attorney General Clarke’s remarks, Justice Department officials and law enforcement leaders participated in a panel discussion regarding effective strategies around language access, including the development of language access policies tailored to the community and police department; avoiding the use of unqualified and potentially biased interpreters; appointing a language access coordinator to implement policies and procedures; translating vital information; training officers on language access procedures; and establishing meaningful complaint procedures. Panelists also highlighted the importance of affirmatively engaging with stakeholders and communities with LEP.
Participants for the panel discussion included U.S. Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York; First Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Kirsch for the District of Colorado; COPS Office Deputy Director Robert Chapman for Community Policing Advancement; FBI Unit Chief Trent Glosson for the Language Services Section; Denver Police Department Police Chief Ron Thomas; and Brown County, Wisconsin, Sheriff Todd Delain.
Today’s convening and announcements continue to build on the Justice Department’s longstanding commitment to advancing language access. In November, the department announced the launch of the Federal Language Access Working Group, a new interagency effort that will coordinate language access across the federal government. Along with the creation of this working group, the department also announced the release of updated federal agency language access plans on its website, www.LEP.gov, on the one-year anniversary of the Attorney General Merrick B. Garland’s language access memorandum to federal agencies. The Civil Rights Division also recently issued a fact sheet on courts language access in coordination with a webinar for state courts. To obtain copies of the letter to law enforcement or find additional information about the Law Enforcement Language Access Initiative, visit www.lep.gov.
Readout from Multi-Agency United Against Hate WebinarRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – On December 5, 2023, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico, Albuquerque Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, New Mexico Department of Homeland Security & Emergency Management, Department of Justice’s Community Relations Service, and City of Albuquerque’s Office of Equity and Inclusion convened a United Against Hate webinar on identifying, reporting, and preventing acts of hate. The online event aimed to provide nonprofits, community leaders, businesses, educators and religious leaders with information on how to prevent and respond to hate crimes and bias incidents, including the definitions of each and the process for investigation, as well as highlighting the resources available to the public to help protect against these crimes and incidents.
The Department of Justice’s United Against Hate program connects federal, state, and local law enforcement with local communities, including those that have been historically marginalized and may be especially vulnerable to hate crimes and bias motivated incidents. The program not only educates community members about hate crimes and hate incidents, but also helps to build trust between community and law enforcement and strengthens local networks to combat unlawful acts of hate.
In his opening statement, U.S. Attorney Alexander Uballez said “…we are a single community that has to figure out how we live together in peace. The truth is that the answers are never simple, they are never one sided. The truth is punishment alone doesn’t work, but neither does leniency alone. There must be both consequences and forgiveness. Penance and reconciliation.” USA Uballez continued, saying, “We need to rise together as a community. We need to see no strangers. Never miss an opportunity to demonstrate who we can be. That’s why you’re here today. Be safe. Be brave. We do this together.”
Assistant United States Attorney Niki Tapia-Brito presented an overview of hate crime laws, explaining the federal statutes that protect against offenses that are motivated by “an individual’s bias against a race, religion, disability, ethnic/national origin, sexual orientation, gender or gender identity.” AUSA Tapia-Brito cautioned that it can be hard to tell if a given set of facts will result in successful prosecution, but that it is critically important for community members to report all hate crimes or bias incidents because information about these incidents help law enforcement recognize trends and patterns. AUSA Tapia-Brito stressed that just because law enforcement cannot prosecute an incident as a hate crime does not mean nothing can be done, and that other remedies may be available to victims under civil statutes.
Next, APD Deputy Chief Cecily Barker and Commander Kyle Hartstock highlighted the steps the Department takes to combat hate crimes and community resources, like APD’s Ambassador Program, which assigns officers to different communities, including faith-based, LGBTQ2+, Hispanic, Native American, refugees, veterans, senior citizens, African American, Americans with disabilities and youth groups. Ambassadors focus on building points of contact within the community and provide them with resources to bridge the gap between the community and law enforcement. Commander Hartstock provided examples of two recent cases where contact with community members and organizations proved to be critical to solving the cases and explained how they used the Department’s Ambassador Program, Crime Prevention Specialists and Language Access Coordinators to connect with the community. Deputy Chief Barker highlighted how they were able to leverage federal law enforcement partnerships throughout the investigation.
Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office Raul Bujanda talked about the FBI’s responsibilities as the lead federal investigative agency for civil rights matters and hate crimes. Special Agents stressed that it is more important to report a potential hate crime immediately than it is to report it to the correct agency, especially in the event of an imminent threat. They provided the two ways that people can report suspected hate crimes and/or bias incidents to the FBI: online via tips.FBI.gov or by phone at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324).
Marcella Benton from the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management discussed the Nonprofit Security Grant Program, which provides funding for physical and cyber security enhancements and other security-related actives to nonprofit organizations that are at high risk of being the target of a hate crime. Eligible nonprofits include houses of worship, private education facilities, medical facilities and other 501(c)(3) organizations.
Lastly, Kim Milstead from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Community Relations Service (CRS) explained CRS’ mission: to work with community groups to resolve community conflicts and prevent and respond to alleged hate crimes arising from differences of race, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion or disability. CRS provides impartial, voluntary, confidential and free services like mediation, consultation and training in partnership with federal, state, local, nonprofit, educational and community organizations. CRS’ work aims to leave a community better equipped to address incidents.
Executive AUSA Aja Brooks concluded the webinar by thanking both the presenters and participants for attending, stating that those in attendance were already part of the solution.
The webinar can be viewed here.
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Pittsburgh Resident Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison on His Revocation of Federal Supervised ReleaseRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA - A resident of Pittsburgh, PA, has been sentenced in federal court to a total of 10 years of imprisonment on his revocation of federal supervised release in connection with his violent conduct occurring in July of 2022, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.
United States District Judge W. Scott Hardy imposed the sentence on Damien Bradford, age 42.
According to information presented to the court, Bradford was previously convicted in the Northern District of Ohio of Interstate Stalking and Use and Carry of a Firearm during the Commission of a Felony. Those convictions related to Bradford’s killing of Dr. Gulam Moonda in May 2005. Bradford was initially sentenced to a 210-month term of imprisonment, followed by 5-years of federal supervised release. Upon his release from imprisonment, Bradford’s supervision was transferred from the Northern District of Ohio to the Western District of Pennsylvania. On July 29, 2022, the Pennsylvania State Police charged Bradford with numerous offenses, to include Attempted Homicide, Aggravated Assault – Fear of Imminent Serious Bodily Injury Designated Individual, Assault of Law Enforcement Officer, Disarming Law Enforcement Officer, and Possession of Firearms Prohibited. In November 2023, Bradford was convicted in the Beaver County Court of Common Pleas and sentenced to a term of imprisonment of 36 1/2 to 73 years.
Following that sentencing proceeding, a federal supervised release violation hearing was held. At the proceeding, the government introduced videos of Bradford’s conduct in July 2022. The videos depicted Bradford pointing a firearm at an individual, a bystander applying a torniquet to a Pennsylvania State Police Trooper who Bradford shot in the leg, and a bystander assisting another Pennsylvania State Police Trooper restrain Bradford as he grabbed the Trooper’s firearm and taser.
Bradford admitted to violating some conditions of his federal supervised release and requested that the Court impose a sentence to be served concurrently to his sentence in Beaver County. The government requested that the Court revoke Bradford’s supervised release, sentence him to the maximum term of imprisonment of 10-years, and to impose that sentence consecutively to the Beaver County sentence.
Judge Hardy imposed a total 10-year sentence, to be served consecutively to the Beaver County sentence. Prior to imposing sentence, Judge Hardy emphasized the seriousness of Bradford’s conduct, Bradford’s propensity for enduring violence, and the need to impose the maximum sentence authorized by law to protect the public from Bradford. Finally, Judge Hardy commended the bystanders who assisted the Pennsylvania State Police, as depicted in the videos introduced at the hearing.
Assistant United States Attorney Brendan J. McKenna prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Olshan commended the Pennsylvania State Police for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Bradford.
Oswego County Sex Offender Sentenced to 21 Months for Failing to Disclose his Email Address and Violating the Conditions of his Supervised ReleaseRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Anthony Charles Howe, Sr., age 60, of Oswego County, New York, was sentenced today to 21 months in prison, to be followed by 15 years of supervised release, for failing to disclose his email address to the New York Division of Criminal Justice Services, as required by the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (“SORNA”), and for violating the terms of his supervised release imposed as part of his 2012 conviction for distribution, receipt, and possession of child pornography.
United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and United States Marshal David L. McNulty made the announcement.
The imprisonment term, imposed by United States District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby, consists of 15 months in prison on the new criminal offense of failing to register the email account as required under SORNA, and a consecutive imprisonment term of 6 months for the supervised release violation of committing new criminal conduct, failing to truthfully answer questions from his probation officer, and having an undisclosed internet-capable device.
The United States Marshals Service investigated this case and Assistant United States Attorney Michael D. Gadarian prosecuted this case as part of Project Safe Childhood. Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorney’s offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS). Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Oahu Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Drug Trafficking and Weapons PossessionRead the Press Release
HONOLULU – Cyrus Croskery, 29, of Oahu, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge Derrick K. Watson to 25 years imprisonment for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, and for possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. Judge Watson also imposed five years of supervised release consecutive to Croskery’s prison term. Croskery had been detained since his arrest and will begin serving his prison sentence immediately.
According to information provided to the Court, Croskery, working with others, was responsible for bringing approximately 80 pounds of methamphetamine and 40,000 counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl from California to Hawaii from June 2021 to February 2022. On January 31, 2022, Croskery shot an individual, who survived, for allegedly stealing six pounds of methamphetamine from Croskery. On February 3, 2022, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), working in conjunction with the Honolulu Police Department, arrested Croskery at a hotel in Waikiki. At the time of his arrest, Croskery possessed at his hotel room, home, and other locations nearly two pounds of methamphetamine, over 2,000 counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl, one privately manufactured pistol, three additional pistols, two privately manufactured short-barrel rifles, one additional rifle, two firearm suppressors, a bump-stock device, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. Among the firearms recovered was the pistol that Croskery used in the January 31, 2022 drug-related shooting.
According to additional information provided to the Court, Croskery misrepresented fentanyl pills as oxycodone pills to drug purchasers. Some of his buyers included active-duty military members. As of 2023, 7 out of 10 pills recovered by the DEA nationally contained a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl.
“Our community continues to be plagued by the distribution of methamphetamine, and now increasingly, lethal doses of fentanyl,” said United States Attorney Clare E. Connors. “This defendant trafficked both drugs, and did so while possessing multiple firearms, making his conduct even more dangerous.”
“The DEA, working alongside and in-conjunction with our local law enforcement partners, is committed to safeguarding the health and safety of our communities, and to keeping all Americans safe from illicit narcotics and its accompanying violence. Dangerous and highly addictive synthetic drugs like methamphetamine and fentanyl are wreaking havoc on our communities and killing people at increasing rates. This case illustrates the collaborative work, alongside our local law enforcement partners, to target and hold drug traffickers accountable who drive addiction and threaten public safety,” said DEA Hawaii District Office Assistant Special Agent in Charge Victor Vazquez.
DEA, in partnership with the Honolulu Police Department, conducted the investigation that led to this conviction. Assistant U.S. Attorneys W. KeAupuni Akina and Michael F. Albanese prosecuted the case.
North Tonawanda man going to prison for receipt of child pornographyRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Michael Angstenberger, 48, of North Tonawanda, NY, who was convicted of receipt of child pornography, was sentenced to serve 87 months in prison and 10 years supervised released by U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles M. Kruly, who handled the case, stated that Angstenberger created and used a Snapchat account with the username “catybug1234,” to communicate with, and obtain sexually explicit images from, minor girls. When doing so, he posed as a minor girl. Angstenberger communicated with minor victims in other states and countries. For example, Angstenberger communicated with a victim located in Kentucky (Victim 1), who was 12 years old. On December 5, 2021, Angstenberger asked Victim 1 to send him sexually explicit photos, which she did. Angstenberger communicated with a second victim located in Arkansas (Victim 2), who was approximately 11-12 years old. Victim 2 also sent sexually explicit photos as Angstenberger’s request.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
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North Carolina Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Killing 3 Connecticut men in 2015Read the Press Release
EDWARD MICHAEL PARKS, also known as “Lee” and “Trouble,” 37, of Raleigh, North Carolina, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to three consecutive life sentences for federal offenses related to his kidnapping and murdering of two individuals in Hamden, and his killing of a third man in New Haven to stop him from notifying law enforcement.
Today’s announcement was made by United States Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery, New Haven State’s Attorney John P. Doyle, Jr., Special Agent in Charge Robert Fuller of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Hamden Police Chief Edward Page Reynolds, and New Haven Police Chief Karl Jacobson.
According to the evidence presented during his trial, on November 16, 2015, Parks was in an apartment on Shelton Avenue in New Haven to conduct an illegal sale of firearms. Damian Connor and Tamar Lawrence were also present in the apartment. When another individual left the apartment with firearms that he had not paid for, Parks, who was armed, held Connor and Lawrence against their will. Parks collected money and valuables from Connor and Lawrence, and then forced them to travel in Connor’s car to Hamden where Connor said he could get more money. They were followed in another vehicle by Devante Williams and another individual. After the vehicles arrived at 676 Mix Avenue in Hamden, Parks shot and killed Connor and Lawrence. Parks then left the scene with Williams and others in the second vehicle and returned to New Haven.
When Parks perceived Williams as being anxious about the murders of Connor and Lawrence, Parks shot and killed Williams in the area of Sherman Court in New Haven.
On January 19, 2023, Parks was found guilty of two counts of kidnapping resulting in death, and one count of witness tampering by killing.
“This is a necessary and appropriate sentence that provides justice for the victims and their loved ones, and will protect society from a ruthless killer,” said U.S. Attorney Avery. “Our office prioritizes the prosecution of those who illegally traffic, possess, and use guns, which wreaks havoc in our communities, especially our cities. I thank our partners in the FBI, Hamden Police Department, New Haven Police Department and New Haven State’s Attorney’s Office for their dedicated and collaborative efforts in this critically important investigation.”
“Today’s sentence is appropriate for the level of violence and murder this individual was responsible for while on our streets,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Fuller. “It is our sincere hope that this sentence brings the victim’s families one step closer to some degree of closure.”
“The New Haven State’s Attorney’s Office would like to thank the U.S. Attorney’s office, the FBI, and the Hamden and New Haven Police Departments for their work in this case,” said New Haven State’s Attorney Doyle. “This sentencing reflects that strong partnerships between law enforcement are invaluable in the pursuit of justice for victims and their grieving families. We look forward to this continued collaboration as we all strive each day to make our communities in greater New Haven safer.”
“I hope and pray that the families of these victims will be able to find some closure and peace,” said Hamden Police Chief Reynolds. “I thank and commend Hamden Sergeant Jomo Crawford, New Haven Assistant Chief Bertram Ettienne, the FBI Safe Streets Task Force, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the New Haven State’s Attorney Office including now Chief State’s Attorney Pat Griffin and current New Haven State’s Attorney Jack Doyle, Raleigh Detective I.O. Smith, and so many other law enforcement partners who assisted. I would also like to thank the Hamden and New Haven communities who worked with law enforcement to provide valuable information pertaining to these three homicides. This case demonstrated that by successful collaboration at the highest level and working together we were able to get a violent individual off the streets.”
“The New Haven Police Department is extremely grateful to our partners in the U.S. Attorney’s office, FBI, DEA, ATF, and the State’s Attorney’s office,” said New Haven Police Chief Jacobson. “A case like this cannot be brought to justice without this collaboration. I also want to thank then Detective and now Assistant Chief Bertram Ettienne, who was the NHPD lead, and then Detective Jomo Crawford, who is now Sergeant Crawford. These two and this team committed themselves to justice for the three victims. This shows a strong resolve to help stop the violence in our cities.”
Parks has been in custody since January 2016 and was previously convicted of federal drug and firearm offenses in the Eastern District of North Carolina.
This investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Hamden Police Department and New Haven Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nathaniel J. Gentile and A. Reed Durham, and Assistant State’s Attorney Seth Garbarsky, who was cross-designated as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney in this matter.
Nigerian Extradited to the District of Nebraska on Business Email Compromise Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced the extradition of Afeez Akinloye, 42, a Nigerian national, from South Africa to the District of Nebraska on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and access device fraud filed in July 2018. The United States requested Akinloye’s extradition in November 2021, and South African authorities arrested him based on the U.S. request in September 2022. Subsequently, a South African court ordered his extradition in May 2023, and the Minister of Justice ordered his surrender in September. In coordination with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, South African authorities ultimately surrendered Akinloye to the United States on December 8, 2023. Akinloye had an initial appearance on the Indictment on December 12, 2023. United States Magistrate Judge Michael D. Nelson ordered Akinloye remain detained pending trial.
The Indictment charges Akinloye with conspiracy to commit wire fraud in violation of Title 18, United States Code Section, 1349 and with access device fraud in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1029. It is alleged that Akinloye participated in a business email compromise (BEC) scheme from September 2016 to June 2017. The BEC scheme involved real estate transactions. Akinloye and his co-conspirators would learn of a real estate transaction closing and send fraudulent emails to have the wire proceeds wired to accounts they could access. As a result of this scheme, business in Nebraska and elsewhere were defrauded of over $1,850,000.
Akinloye is the first of the co-conspirators to appear on the Indictment.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided substantial assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of Akinloye.
New Orleans Man Sentenced for Violating Federal Gun Control ActRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – COREY HALE, age 32, a resident of New Orleans, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Eldon E. Fallon to 70 months incarceration after previously pleading guilty to a two-count indictment charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2). Judge Fallon ordered that HALE be placed on supervised release for three (3) years following release from imprisonment. HALE was also ordered to pay a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.
According to public records, on May 26, 2020, a Louisiana State Police (“LSP”) trooper was conducting speed enforcement near Marrero, LA. The trooper clocked a blue Chevrolet HHR vehicle driving at 101 mph in a 60 mph zone. After stopping the vehicle, the trooper determined that HALE did not have insurance and turned off the ignition. While doing so, the trooper saw and a marijuana and a Taurus Model G2c 9-millimeter firearm on the passenger floorboard of the car. HALE then fled the scene on foot and escaped. The trooper later learned the firearm was stolen and the temporary tag on the vehicle was fake.
On August 3, 2020, the Jefferson Parish District Attorney’s Office charged HALE with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, as well as possession of narcotics. On November 29, 2021, an attachment was issued for when HALE failed to appear in Jefferson Parish Criminal Court. A bail bondsmen eventually attempted to locate and arrest HALE at his residence. While doing so, they saw him flee into the backyard. As the bondsmen struggled to arrest HALE, they observed as he pulled a firearm from his waistband. Thereafter, a gun shot went off, striking one of the agents. Eventually, the bondsmen wrestled the firearm, a Bersa Model Thunder, .380 caliber semi-automatic handgun, out of HALE’s hands. HALE later admitted to possessing the handgun.
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, the Louisiana State Police, and the New Orleans Police Department in investigating this matter. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mike Trummel of the Violent Crime Unit.
Nampa Man Sentenced to 6 Years in Federal Prison for Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
BOISE – Jordan Brown, 28, of Nampa, was sentenced to 72 months in federal prison for possession of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit announced today.
According to court records, the investigation began in January 2021 when the Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force received a CyberTip involving the social media and messaging application Discord. A CyberTip is a report submitted to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). NCMEC gathers leads and tips regarding suspected online crimes against children and forwards them to the appropriate law enforcement agencies. ICAC determined that a Discord account, later identified as belonging to Brown, had uploaded child pornography.
ICAC obtained a search warrant for the contents of the Discord account and located numerous files of child pornography within the account. ICAC later contacted Brown and interviewed him. During the interview, Brown admitted to receiving and viewing child pornography.
ICAC seized Brown’s cellphone and obtained a search warrant to examine it. During the examination, ICAC located files of child pornography and evidence that Brown had distributed child pornography to others. ICAC also located evidence that Brown had engaged in online conversations with people who appeared to be juveniles.
U.S. District Judge Amanda K. Brailsford also sentenced Brown to ten years of supervised release and ordered Brown to pay $12,000 in restitution to the victims in the images he possessed. Brown will be required to register as a sex offender as a result of the conviction.
U.S. Attorney Hurwit commended the investigation by the Idaho Attorney General’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, which is a partially federally funded cooperative effort between the state, counties, cities, and the United States to protect children from sexual exploitation and online predators. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kassandra McGrady prosecuted this case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. As part of Project Safe Childhood, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho and the Idaho Attorney General’s Office partner to marshal federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
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Money launderer for cartel sent to prisonRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 40-year-old Mexican citizen has been sentenced for international drug trafficking and money laundering conspiracy, operating on behalf of the Gulf Cartel in Mexico, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Ezequiel Alanis Espitia pleaded guilty May 17.
Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane has now ordered Espitia to serve 324 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court noted the ongoing drug trafficking and money laundering conspiracies spanned over the course of eight years. The conspiracy involved 39 kilograms of cocaine, six kilograms of fentanyl, two and a half kilograms of heroin and more than 1,000 kilograms of marijuana. During the investigation, law enforcement seized $610,400 in drug proceeds. The court also heard Espitia was a leader of the criminal activity, maintained stash houses for the purpose of distributing drugs and was directly involved in the importation of controlled substances from Mexico into the United States.
“The Cartel del Golfo, aka the Gulf Cartel, is a brutal and violent Mexican drug trafficking organization that relies on money launderers and drug distributors, like Espitia, to wash its ill-gotten gains and infect local communities with drugs,” said Hamdani. “This substantial sentence serves as a warning to those who help launder monies and deliver dangerous drugs, such as fentanyl, that destroy our neighborhoods and kill our kids.”
Espitia’s associates, including his brother, Ramiro Alanis Espitia, 44, Mexico, was also sentenced for his role in the conspiracies and received 60 months in prison to be immediately followed by four years supervised release. Espitia’s wife, Brenda Natalie Alanis Duran, 39, Houston, and his sister, Maria Isabel Lara Alanis, 55, Mexico, were also convicted and will be sentenced on Dec. 13 and Jan. 17, 2024, respectively.
To date, a total of 16 have been convicted for their roles in the conspiracies and have received sentences between 12 and 81 months.
Espitia will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation along with the Drug Enforcement Administration, IRS-Criminal Investigation and the Houston Police Department.
This Operation, dubbed “Walking Eagle,” is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and transnational criminal organizations.
The specific mission of the Houston Strike Force is to disrupt and dismantle the drug trafficking organizations that designated Consolidated Priority Organization or Regional Priority Organization Targets head with their affiliates and that impact Houston and south Texas.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Casey N. MacDonald and Anibal J. Alaniz prosecuted the case.
Mexican Citizen Sentenced to 5 Years for Methamphetamine Trafficking in MadisonRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Emmanuel Herrera Sanchez, 41, Mexico, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 5 years in federal prison for distributing 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. The prison term will be followed by 5 years of supervised release. Herrera Sanchez pleaded guilty to this charge on September 26, 2023.
On April 14, 2022, a confidential informant coordinated with Emmanuel Herrera Sanchez to purchase 10 kilograms of methamphetamine for $49,000. Co-defendant Julio Alvarez Sanchez traveled to meet with the confidential informant at a parking lot in Madison and provided the confidential informant a toolbox containing 6.77 kilograms of methamphetamine. Alvarez Sanchez was arrested following the drug deal. Herrera Sanchez was arrested on June 13, 2022, by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers as he attempted to enter the United States from Mexico near Nogales, Arizona.
Alvarez Sanchez was interviewed by law enforcement and admitted to coordinating the April 14 delivery of methamphetamine with Herrera Sanchez and another associate, Juana Armenta Mora, who herself had delivered 973 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant about two weeks prior to the April 14, 2022 drug deal. Alvarez Sanchez also said he had completed additional deliveries of methamphetamine for Herrera Sanchez.
At sentencing, Judge Peterson noted that this was a very serious drug crime given the great quantity of methamphetamine involved and that it occurred in the context of an organized drug operation. In arriving at the five-year sentence, Judge Peterson weighed these aggravating factors against Herrera Sanchez’s lack of a prior criminal record.
Co-defendant Julio Alvarez Sanchez pleaded guilty to distributing 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and was sentenced by Judge Peterson to 60 months in federal prison on April 6, 2023. Juana Armenta Mora pleaded guilty to distributing methamphetamine and was sentenced by Judge Peterson to 15 months in federal prison on December 22, 2022.
The charge against Herrera Sanchez was the result of an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, Jefferson County Drug Task Force, and Madison Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Steven P. Anderson and Kathryn E. Ginsberg prosecuted this case.
Maximum Sentence for Crowbar AttackRead the Press Release
U.S. District Judge Gregory K. Frizzell sentenced Christopher Travon Brown, 32, a citizen of Muscogee (Creek) Nation from Tulsa to a statutory maximum term of 120 months imprisonment, followed by 3 years of supervised release. Brown was sentenced on two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to do bodily harm in Indian Country.
According to court documents, in June 2022, Christopher Brown drove himself and another person to the victim’s house. After arriving at the residence, Brown entered the victims’ garage, grabbed a 24-inch, steel crowbar, broke down a locked bedroom door and beat the victim and victim’s girlfriend with the crowbar.
Brown assaulted the male victim with repeated blows to the body and head. At one point during the attack, Brown wielded the crowbar over his head and hit the top of the male victim’s skull and fractured it. Brown also assaulted the victim’s girlfriend with the crowbar and struck her repeatedly, causing blunt force trauma to her arm. The male victim sustained injuries to his head, including a fractured skull, a subdural hematoma, a subarachnoid bleed, a laceration to the scalp, and a laceration to the right hand. He was transported to a hospital where he was placed in intensive care. After the assault, Brown wiped the blood off of the crowbar and fled from the scene. He was later found and arrested. At first, Brown claimed self-defense, but once he was confronted with evidence, he admitted to police that he broke through the door, assaulted both victims with a crowbar, and fled the scene.
Today at sentencing, the United States argued that Brown was a threat to public safety. Further, that because of Brown’s extensive criminal history, including both drug and assault convictions, the seriousness of the instant offense, the need to provide just punishment, and to deter future criminal conduct by Brown, the statutory maximum sentence of 120 months imprisonment was appropriate. Brown will remain in federal custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility.
The FBI and Broken Arrow Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Niko Boulieris prosecuted the case.
Maryland Tax Preparer Sentenced to More Than Two Years in Prison for Preparing False Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
A Maryland man was sentenced today to 27 months in prison for preparing and filing false tax returns on behalf of his clients following his conviction by a federal jury in Greenbelt.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Ronald Eugene Watson, also known as Sabir Muhammad, was a self-employed tax return preparer who operated SW Accounting Associates (SWAA) in Largo, Maryland. The evidence proved that from at least 2015 through 2017, Watson willfully prepared and electronically filed tax returns with the IRS on behalf of his clients, which falsely reported income and deduction information, including fictitious or overstated business and unreimbursed employee expenses. The false deductions reduced clients’ tax liability, often resulting in large, inflated refunds to which they were not entitled. According to witness testimony, Watson varied his preparation fees depending on the amount of the refund requested, with fees typically ranging from $500 to $1,500.
U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang also ordered Watson to serve one year of supervised release and to pay approximately $268,634 in restitution to the United States.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron for the District of Maryland made the announcement.
IRS Criminal Investigation investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Matthew L. Cofer of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Leah B. Grossi for the District of Maryland prosecuted the case.
Maryland Tax Preparer Sentenced to More Than Two Years in Federal Prison for Preparing False Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang sentenced Ronald Eugene Watson, also known as Sabir Muhammad, age 59, of Brandywine, Maryland, today to 27 months in federal prison, followed by one year of supervised release, for 23 counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation of false tax returns. Judge Chuang also ordered Watson to pay restitution of $268,634.35. Watson was convicted on March 9, 2023, after an eight-day trial.
The sentence was announced by Erek L. Barron, United States Attorney for the District of Maryland; Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division; and Special Agent in Charge Kareem A. Carter of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, Washington, D.C. Field Office.
According to the evidence presented at trial, Watson was a self-employed tax return preparer operating SW Accounting Associates (“SWAA”) in Largo, Maryland. The evidence proved that from at least 2015 to at least 2017, Watson prepared and electronically filed with the IRS fraudulent Forms 1040 and related Schedules A and C for his taxpayer-clients. Watson included inflated and fictitious tax deductions and fraudulent business profits and losses in order to obtain larger tax refunds to which the taxpayer-clients were not entitled. According to witness testimony, Watson varied his preparation fees depending on the amount of the refund requested, with fees typically ranging from approximately $500 up to approximately $1,500. The tax loss to the United States was $325,330. Additionally, Watson failed to file his own tax returns for two years and willfully filed false tax returns in three other years.
U.S. Attorney Barron and Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Goldberg commended the IRS-CI for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron and Mr. Goldberg also thanked Assistant United States Attorney Leah B. Grossi and Trial Attorney Matthew L. Cofer of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, who prosecuted the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Marion County Woman Pleads Guilty to More Than $600,000 Payroll Theft from Alternative SchoolRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Danielle Jane Liles (41, Summerfield) has pleaded guilty to eight counts of wire fraud. For each count, she faces a maximum of 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. Liles will also be ordered to forfeit $616,793.43, which represents the proceeds of her offenses. Her sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled.
According to court records, between January 11, 2016, and April 10, 2023, Liles devised a scheme to defraud Silver River Mentoring and Instruction (SRMI), an alternative school for middle and high school students. During this time, Liles handled the payroll at SRMI. Liles had 137 unauthorized paychecks issued in her name by logging false information into SRMI’s accounting software. She then received the paychecks through Automated Clearinghouse Services (ACH) wire transfers directly into her bank account. During a financial review with the school’s executive staff in April 2023, Liles admitted that she had been “paying [herself] extra money” and had become addicted to stealing the payroll funds.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Education – Office of Inspector General. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Hannah Nowalk.
Man Sentenced for Possessing Firearm After Prior ConvictionsRead the Press Release
U.S. District Judge Terence C. Kern sentenced Jacob Nolan Jessup, 35, a citizen of Muscogee (Creek) Nation, to 71 months of imprisonment followed by 3 years of supervised release.
Jessup was indicted in October of 2022 and ultimately plead guilty to two separate counts for felon in possession of a firearm. Both counts included violations that occurred within four and a half months of each other. In March of 2022, Tulsa Police Department responded to a 911 call of a suspicious vehicle in a parking lot. When officers arrived to investigate, they found Jessup asleep in his vehicle. Officers woke Jessup who then opened the door and then closed it on officers. After being asked again to step out of the vehicle, Jessup got out of the vehicle. Jessup provided officers with an ID card and admitted that his driver’s license was suspended. A record check that revealed Jessup had outstanding felony warrants. Jessup was searched and an empty holster was found on his waist band. Officers then searched the vehicle and found a loaded handgun. The firearm was reported stolen out of Broken Arrow.
The second charged offense occurred in August of 2020. In that incident, Tulsa Police officers responded to a 911 call of an assault in process. Officers arrived to see Jessup walking away from the area. The 911 caller had observed Jessup throwing something into a nearby dumpster nearby. Officers found the discarded loaded firearm in the dumpster.
Jessup will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Tulsa Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Dunn prosecuted the case.
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.
Man Convicted of Obtaining Money by Threat from Strip Club in Chicago SuburbRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A man has been convicted in federal court of obtaining money by threat from a strip club in a Chicago suburb.
ROMMELL KELLOGG, 71, of Harvey, Ill., was convicted Monday on all five counts against him, including conspiracy to commit theft and intimidation and causing the use of facilities in interstate commerce to promote theft and intimidation. The jury returned its verdicts after a week-long trial in U.S. District Court in Chicago.
Each count of conviction is punishable by up to five years in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman did not immediately set a sentencing date.
Evidence presented at trial revealed that Kellogg and a co-conspirator, COREY JOHNSON, 68, of Dolton, Ill., are cousins whose relatives served in high-ranking positions in Harvey government. From 2003 to 2018, Kellogg and Johnson conspired to regularly demand and collect payments from a Harvey strip club based on threats that the city of Harvey would potentially interfere with the club’s operations if the payments were not made. In exchange for the payments, the business was allowed to continue to operate, even though the conspirators and others knew that acts of prostitution were occurring onsite.
Johnson served as a bagman in the conspiracy, receiving bi-weekly $3,000 payments from the business and delivering the money to Kellogg. Johnson pleaded guilty to a theft charge prior to trial. He is awaiting sentencing.
The convictions were announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Robert W. “Wes” Wheeler, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI; Machelle L. Jindra, Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Office of Inspector General in Chicago; and Thomas J. Dart, Cook County Sheriff. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sean Franzblau and Megan DeMarco.
Lorain Man Sentenced to 14 Years for Possessing Methamphetamine and Being a Felon in Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
CLEVELAND - U.S. Attorney Rebecca C. Lutzko announced today that Brandon O. Chambers, 41, of Lorain, Ohio, was sentenced to 168 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Solomon Oliver after a jury convicted Chambers of one count of possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents and trial testimony, on October 28, 2021, Avon patrol officers stopped Chambers’ vehicle for speeding and having no license plates. Following his arrest, police found a firearm in Chambers vehicle along with approximately 218.7 grams of 99% pure methamphetamine. Chambers has multiple prior felony convictions and is therefore prohibited from possession of firearms.
The investigation preceding the indictment was conducted by Avon Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration. This case is prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Payum Doroodian and Vanessa Healy.
Leader of violent, cartel-connected, drug trafficking ring sentenced to 17 years in prisonRead the Press Release
Seattle – A top leader of a violent international drug trafficking organization that distributed heroin, fentanyl, and methamphetamine in the Puget Sound region, was sentenced today U.S. District Court in Seattle to 17 years in prison, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. Luis Arturo Magana-Ramirez, 35, of Fife, Washington, was arrested in July 2020 and pleaded guilty in July 2022. At the sentencing hearing U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour said Magana-Ramirez “had a leadership role in an organization bringing large quantities of drugs into the area, particularly fentanyl which is wreaking havoc in our community.”
“This defendant had a successful career as a contractor until he succumbed to the dark allure of drug money,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Gorman. “He not only flooded our communities with dangerous drugs, he sought out firearms to impose his will on rivals and debtors and to keep the dollars flowing to him and to his bosses in the cartel. He has earned this lengthy prison term.”
Magana-Ramirez led a transnational drug trafficking organization. Law enforcement has linked the organization to a cartel in Mexico. Magana-Ramirez was responsible for bringing large amounts of heroin, methamphetamine, and fentanyl into Western Washington. Magana-Ramirez also pursued those who owed drug debts to the organization. At various times on the wiretap, federal law enforcement heard Magana-Ramirez threatening to beat or murder those who owed the organization money. In at least one instance, law enforcement moved in to protect a target of Magana-Ramirez’ threats of violence.
When Magana-Ramirez was arrested on July 28, 2020, he possessed two firearms – one of them had been reported stolen and the other had an obliterated serial number. Magana-Ramirez could not legally possess firearms as he is a Mexican national who is illegally present in the U.S.
In all, this drug ring was responsible for bringing more than 120 pounds of meth into the region as well as heroin, fentanyl pills, and cocaine.
In asking the court to impose a 17-year prison term, prosecutors wrote, “Magana-Ramirez oversaw the redistribution of hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of drugs in our community. He drove the success of this drug trafficking organization (DTO) through fear by organizing, directing, and arming subordinates and himself, and then using threats and violent confrontations to ensure that the DTO and its members continued to turn profits. Month after month, investigators intercepted Magana-Ramirez and his coconspirators plotting to kidnap and murder debtors, and even fellow DTO members.”
“This lengthy sentence highlights the seriousness of Mr. Magana-Ramirez’ leadership role in a group that brought despair to our community,” said David F. Reames, Special Agent in Charge, DEA Seattle Field Division. “Our community is a little safer today because of this sentence.”
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 www.justice.gov/OCDETF
The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Tacoma Resident Office in partnership with Tahoma Narcotics Enforcement Team (TNET), Kent Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, SeaTac Police Department, Thurston County Narcotics Team (TNT), the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Amy Jaquette and C. Andrew Colasurdo.
Jury Convicts Gang Members in Murder PlotRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A federal jury convicted three men yesterday on charges of conspiracy to commit murder and other crimes.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Ronald Jenkins, 42, of Franklin; Japree Brooks, 40, of Murfreesboro, North Carolina; and Malik Newsome, 30, of Ivor, participated in three shootings in 2017 and 2019 in Franklin. All three were members or associates of a Blood-affiliated gang that operated in Franklin. The group engaged primarily in narcotics trafficking, as well as some robberies and beatings to protect their territory. When a high-ranking member of their group was murdered by a rival Crip-affiliated gang, the group hunted down and shot several members of the Crip-affiliated group. One of the victims was shot in the hand and leg, two more victims received gunshots to their torsos, leaving each with colostomy bags and other permanent injuries.
Jenkins faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison when he is sentenced on April 16, 2024. Brooks faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years, and a maximum penalty of life in prison when sentenced on April 18, 2024. Newsome faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison when sentenced on April 23, 2024. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Nicole M. Argentieri, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Craig Kailimai, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division; Derek W. Gordon, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Homeland Security Investigations; Steve Patterson, Chief of Franklin Police; and Josh Wyche Sr., Southampton County Sheriff, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Jamar K. Walker accepted the verdict.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen Taylor and Trial Attorney Christopher Taylor of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division are prosecuting the case. Significant assistance was provided by law student Madison Albrecht.
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.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:22-cr-101.
Jury Convicts Arlington Doctor of Illegal Opioid DistributionRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A federal jury today convicted an Arlington woman of illegally prescribing and distributing oxycodone pills, a controlled substance.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Kirsten Van Steenberg Ball, 69, issued prescriptions for over one million oxycodone pills. Ball was a primary care physician who operated a medical practice out of her home in Arlington. She conspired with her office manager, Candy Marie Calix, 41, of Front Royal, to shield from law enforcement and regulatory authorities the fact that she was dispensing vast quantities of oxycodone to her patients—contrary to ordinary standards of medical care.
“Dr. Kirsten Ball’s actions, as detailed by the evidence presented at trial and accepted by the jury, are a perversion of the role of medical practitioners in prescribing opioids,” said Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Medication meant to be carefully provided to people in severe pain was instead prescribed excessively – with no regard for patients’ safety or where the pills would end up. For over a decade, Dr. Ball was at the epicenter of a conspiracy to distribute oxycodone via a network of individuals posing as patients who were prescribed over a million pills. She blatantly abused legitimate healthcare procedures, despite clear knowledge of the law and warnings from regulatory agencies of the danger her actions posed to patients. I am very grateful to the EDVA trial team and the FBI for their work to hold Dr. Ball accountable.”
“Today’s verdict demonstrates the seriousness of illegal opioid distribution and the commitment of law enforcement to bring to justice those who chose to endanger the lives of others,” said David Geist, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division. “Kirsten Ball knew her actions were illegal yet, for years, she abused her position of trust by providing individuals in chronic pain with excessive amounts of oxycodone. Ball’s conviction affirms that a medical professional's disregard for their patient's well-being and the law will not be tolerated. I’m grateful for those who worked tirelessly to hold her accountable.”
The Virginia Department of Health Professions (DHP) investigated Ball in 2014 and 2015, then again in 2021 for excessive and improper prescribing of oxycodone. Evidence and testimony presented at trial showed that Ball falsified records that she submitted to DHP to cover up the fact that she was prescribing oxycodone to patients for no legitimate medical purpose and outside the usual course of professional practice.
Court records showed that Calix was herself a patient of Ball. Ball prescribed Calix approximately 50,000 oxycodone pills over a period of approximately 10 years. Following the first DHP investigation, Ball directed Calix to use a false name in her capacity as office manager to hide the fact that Calix was receiving oxycodone from Ball.
Additionally, evidence presented at trial revealed that Ball directed Calix to recruit other individuals—including several of Calix’s immediate family members—to become pain patients of Dr. Ball’s so that she could prescribe similarly large quantities of oxycodone to them. Calix, in turn, then sold the tens of thousands of oxycodone pills that Ball prescribed to them.
Evidence and testimony presented at trial showed that Ball prescribed oxycodone to drug traffickers and drug addicts in exchange for hundreds of dollars. In addition, several patients became addicted while receiving oxycodone. Ball generally did not accept new patients unless an established patient vouched for them. This was because, as Ball told Calix, she feared that an unvetted new patient could be an undercover law enforcement officer.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was able to introduce an undercover individual, purporting to be the nephew of an existing patient. In recorded conversations, the undercover told Ball that he was sharing pills with his family members. In response, Ball told the undercover that was “a felony,” that she would simply not write it down in his patient file, and not to tell anybody else. She continued to prescribe escalating quantities of oxycodone to the undercover.
Additional evidence presented at trial from Ball’s own medical files revealed that, even after the Virginia Board of Medicine sanctioned Ball in 2015 for her prescribing practices, Ball continued to prescribe oxycodone to patients showing blatant signs of drug dependence, abuse, diversion, and addiction. For example, she continued to prescribe to multiple patients who submitted urine tests that were positive for illegal drugs, writing that the failed drug tests were caused by eating poppy seeds and using hand lotion containing cocaine. Ball also continued to prescribe to multiple patients that had been arrested and convicted for selling illegal drugs as well as for selling the oxycodone that she prescribed. Further, Ball continued to prescribe to multiple patients who asked for early refills of oxycodone based on unsubstantiated claims of lost or stolen pills. She prescribed multiple patients as many as 360 oxycodone 30-mg tablets per month, and prescribed similarly high quantities of oxycodone to multiple members of families, spouses, and close friends.
Ball was also shown to have paid patients to perform manual labor on her home and vehicles, sometimes while concurrently prescribing the patients oxycodone, ostensibly for long-term pain. She had three of her patients providing unpaid cleaning services at her home bi-weekly for a number of years during the conspiracy.
Evidence adduced at trial revealed that Ball told multiple patients that they would never be able to find another doctor who would prescribe as much oxycodone as she would, and told one that no other doctor would prescribe oxycodone for him at all.
Ball was convicted on 20 counts and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison as to each count of conviction when sentenced on February 27, 2024. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Calix was sentenced to seven years in prison on September 28, 2022, for conspiring to distribute oxycodone.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and David Geist, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema accepted the verdict.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katherine E. Rumbaugh and Heather D. Call are prosecuting the case.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:23-cr-80.
Jefferson Parish Man Indicted for Federal Weapons OffenseRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that RONALD TAYLOR, age 31, of New Orleans, Louisiana, was indicted for being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8). According to the indictment, TAYLOR was in possession of three firearms and ammunition.
If convicted, TAYLOR faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison, up to a $250,000 fine, at least three years of supervised release, as well as a $100.00 mandatory special assessment fee.
U.S. Attorney Evans reiterated that the indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorney Christine Calogero of the General Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
Indictment Charges Mexican National with Illegally Reentering U.S. after DeportationRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that CARLOS FERNANDEZ-BARRITOS, also known as “Ricardo Fernandez,” 30, a citizen of Mexico formerly residing in East Hartford, has been charged by indictment with illegally reentering the U.S. after being deported.
As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, on December 11, 2014, Fernandez was sentenced in Bridgeport federal court to approximately 14 months of imprisonment, time already served, for his role in a narcotics trafficking ring. Fernandez was deported and removed from the U.S. to Mexico in January 2015.
It is further alleged that Fernandez subsequently illegally reentered the U.S. On November 4, 2022, Fernandez was arrested by Hartford Police for disorderly conduct, threatening, assault in the third degree, reckless endangerment in the first degree, and interfering with police. He was released on a $20,000 bond shortly thereafter. On March 15, 2023, the East Hartford Police Department responded to a report that Fernandez had stabbed his domestic partner. Fernandez fled before police arrived, and an arrest warrant charging him with assault in the second degree, violation of a restraining order, and disorderly conduct is still outstanding.
Fernandez has been detained since August 15, 2023, when he was arrested on federal criminal complaint charging him with illegally reentering the U.S. On November 20, 2023, a federal grand jury in Bridgeport returned an indictment charging him with the offense. Fernandez appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert A. Richardson in Hartford and entered a plea of not guilty.
If convicted of the charge of illegal reentry, Fernandez faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.
U.S. Attorney Avery stressed that an indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This matter is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie T. Levick and Jessica Casey.
IT consultant sentenced to federal prison for filing false tax returnsRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Angela Brady has been sentenced for filing false tax returns in connection with her IT consulting business. Brady falsely claimed she incurred millions of dollars in contract labor expenses, and despite making millions of dollars in income, sought and received refunds during tax season.
“Brady’s criminal greed coupled with business savvy allowed her to skirt her tax obligations for years,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “This sentence reflects the seriousness of such greed-based offenses and should serve as a reminder that we all have an obligation to be truthful in tax filings.”
“As people prepare for the 2024 tax season, this sentencing serves as an important reminder that willfully filing false tax returns is defrauding the U.S. government,” said Lisa Fontanette, Assistant Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Atlanta Field Office. “IRS-Criminal Investigation in partnership with the US Attorney’s Office is ensuring those who do defraud the government are held accountable.”
According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court: Brady operated a profitable IT software consulting business, AB Williams & Associates. While she had no full-time employees, she often contracted her work out to contractors in India, who she paid via PayPal. Between 2013 and 2018, Brady claimed that she incurred millions of dollars more than she actually incurred paying these contractors via PayPal. As a result, she was able to reduce her taxable income by her claimed business expenses, and in some years, obtained a tax refund from the IRS despite earning more than $1 million in income.
Brady accomplished this fraud by providing false spreadsheets to her tax preparer and later provided a similar false spreadsheet to IRS agents. Brady’s fraud resulted in a loss of close to $1.1 million in unpaid taxes.
Angela Brady, also known as “Angela Brady-Williams,” 51, of Atlanta, Georgia, has been sentenced to two years, nine months in prison to be followed by one year of supervised release, and she was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $1,080,606.44. Brady was convicted on these charges on June 12, 2023, after she pleaded guilty.
This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany Dillingham and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Krepp 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.
Houstonian sent to prison after two violent armed robberiesRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 51-year-old man has been sentenced following his convictions for committing two armed robberies in 2019, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
A federal jury deliberated for approximately two hours after a three-day trial before convicting Hezron Benjamin Stuart, March 15 on two counts of interference with commerce by robbery and two counts of discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.
U.S. District Judge Lee Rosenthal has now handed Stuart a 128-month term of imprisonment for the robberies. He also received 120 months for each firearms charge which must be served consecutively to the other sentence imposed. The total 368-month prison term will be immediately followed by five years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence about Stuart’s lengthy and violent criminal history, as well as three additional armed robberies he committed in 2019.
“Bank robbery is not a victimless crime,” said Hamdani. “Mr. Stuart spent his entire life committing violent crimes in our city. In multiple armed robberies he shot a gun and seriously injured a store clerk. This sentence will ensure the citizens of Houston are protected from his brazen criminal conduct in the future.”
The jury heard evidence that on May 18, 2019, Stuart robbed the Corner Food Mart located on Mangum Street and discharged his firearm.
On May 23, 2019, Stuart robbed a Citgo Gas Station located at South Loop East. The store clerk refused to give up the cash and was ultimately shot.
At trial, the jury heard from witnesses in both cases, including the surviving shooting victim. The victim identified Stuart as the person who robbed and shot at them.
In addition, an examiner compared Stuart’s fingerprints to those left at the Citgo gas station robbery and ultimately determined them to be the same.
Stuart represented himself during the trial and claimed he was not the individual who committed the robberies. The jury did not believe those claims and found him guilty as charged.
Stuart has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the FBI conducted the investigation as part of the ATF Houston Crime Gun Strike Force with the assistance of the Houston Police Department (HPD) and the Houston Forensic Science Center. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carolyn Ferko and Britni Cooper prosecuted the case.
The ATF Houston Crime Gun Strike Force was created as a joint effort between the ATF And HPD to combat the growing trend in crimes involving firearms.
Honduran National Charged with Illegal Re-Entry and Firearm PossessionRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – VAIRON LOBO-BARAHONA, age 30, a native of Honduras, was indicted for being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(g)(5)(A), and illegal re-entry by a removed alien, in violation of Title 8, United States Code, Section 1326(a), announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.
According to the indictment, on or about November 23, 2023, LOBO-BARAHONA, an alien illegally present in the United States, was found in possession of a Smith and Wesson handgun.
For the charge of being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm, LOBO-BARAHONA faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years, a fine of up to $250,000, up to three (3) years of supervised release, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00. For the charge of illegal re-entry by a removed alien, LOBO-BARAHONA faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 2 years, up to one (1) year of supervised release, and up to a $250,000 fine. He also faces payment of a $100 mandatory special assessment fee as to each charge.
U.S. Attorney Evans reiterated that an indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Carter K.D. Guice, Jr. of the General Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
Hollywood Hills Man and Australian Man Face Federal Charges Alleging They Ran $25 Million Cryptocurrency Ponzi SchemeRead the Press Release
FIRST SUPERSEDING INDICTMENTLOS ANGELES – A superseding indictment was unsealed yesterday charging an Australian national and a Hollywood Hills man with operating a cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme that defrauded victims of more than $25 million.
According to court documents, David Gilbert Saffron, 51, of Australia, and Vincent Anthony Mazzotta Jr., 52, of the Hollywood Hills area of Los Angeles, allegedly conspired to operate a fraudulent scheme to induce victims to invest in various trading programs that falsely promised to employ an artificial intelligence automated trading bot to trade victims’ investments in cryptocurrency markets and earn high-yield profits. Saffron and Mazzotta promoted the investment programs under various names including Circle Society, Bitcoin Wealth Management, Omicron Trust, Mind Capital, and Cloud9Capital. Rather than investing victims’ funds in cryptocurrency, Saffron and Mazzotta allegedly misappropriated victims’ funds to pay for personal expenses including private chartered jet flights, luxury hotel accommodations, private mansion rentals, a personal chef, and private security guards.
To execute the scheme, Saffron and Mazzotta allegedly created a fictious entity called the Federal Crypto Reserve. The indictment alleges that, after inducing victims to invest in one of the cryptocurrency investment programs, Saffron and Mazzotta fraudulently solicited victims to pay the Federal Crypto Reserve to investigate and recover the victims’ losses. To conceal his identity, Saffron often allegedly solicited victims under various aliases, including David Gilbert and Dave Gabe, and under various online personas, including the Blue Wizard and Bitcoin Yoda.
Saffron and Mazzotta also allegedly conspired to obstruct official proceedings by concealing assets, concealing or destroying evidence, and falsifying records. The defendants also allegedly conspired to conceal the source and location of victims’ cryptocurrency investments through various means, including using methods known as “blockchain hopping” and through services known as “mixers” or “tumblers” that are designed to prevent cryptocurrency tracing.
Saffron and Mazzotta are charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to obstruct justice, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and money laundering. Saffron is also alleged to have committed felonies while on pre-trial release. If convicted, they each face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering, 20 years in prison for each wire fraud count, 10 years for each money laundering count, and five years for conspiracy to obstruct justice. Saffron also faces up to 10 years in prison consecutive to any other sentence for committing felonies while on pre-trial release.
United States Attorney Martin Estrada for the Central District of California, Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, and Special Agent in Charge Tyler Hatcher of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS:CI) Los Angeles Field Office made the announcement.
IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Assistant United States Attorney James Hughes of the Major Frauds Section, and Justice Department Trial Attorneys Theodore Kneller and Siji Moore of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and are prosecuting the case.
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission previously charged Saffron by complaint.
If you believe you are a victim in this case, please contact the Fraud Section’s Victim Witness Unit toll-free at (888) 549-3945 or by email at [email protected]. To learn more about victims’ rights, please visit www.justice.gov/criminal/criminal-vns/victim-rights-derechos-de-las-v-ctimas.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
High-Level Trafficker Pleads Guilty to International Cocaine TraffickingRead the Press Release
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – December 12, 2023
SAN DIEGO –Augusto Jean Carlo Castillo-Hernandez of Guatemala pleaded guilty in federal court today, admitting that he and his co-conspirators coordinated the smuggling of multi-ton quantities of cocaine from South America to Guatemala with an ultimate destination of the United States.
Castillo-Hernandez was arrested on August 31, 2021, in Guatemala and extradited to the United States in February 2022 along with two others. He is scheduled to be sentenced on February 23, 2024 at 9 a.m. before Chief U.S. District Judge Dana M. Sabraw.
Court documents described Castillo-Hernandez as an organizer and leader in the conspiracy to distribute cocaine in Guatemala and elsewhere. The conspiracy spanned at least 2017 to July 2020.
The defendants were arrested as part of a multi-year investigation targeting high-level cocaine traffickers operating in northwest Guatemala and which exposed the inner workings of cocaine trafficking in that country. The probe involved multiple countries, multiple law enforcement agencies around the United States, and multiple federal districts.
“This case demonstrates the impact of dedicated partnerships across the United States, reaching into Guatemala to prevent immeasurable amounts of cocaine from arriving on our streets,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “While Mr. Castillo-Hernandez is being held accountable today, the bigger message is to the organizers who push this poison north. The long arm of American justice will reach across the globe to protect our communities.”
“This guilty plea of a known drug trafficker is the culmination of years of collaborative efforts between HSI and our partners at the Department of Justice,” said HSI San Diego Special Agent in Charge Chad Plantz, “The joint effort has significantly impacted this international criminal organization’s ability to import dangerous drugs into the United States.”
The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided substantial assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of the defendant.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Mokhtari.
DEFENDANT Case Number 20cr2242-DMS
Augusto Jean Carlo Castillo-Hernandez Age: 34 Guatemala
aka “Metal” aka “Joker”
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine Intended for Unlawful Importation into the United States–
Title 21, U.S.C., Sections 959, 960, 963Maximum penalty: Life in prison and $10 million fine
Criminal Forfeiture – Title 21, U.S.C., Sections 853
AGENCIES
Homeland Security Investigations
Homeland Security Investigations Attaché, Guatemala
U.S. Department of Justice, Office of International AffairsU.S. Department of Justice, Office of Enforcement Operations
Department of Justice, Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF)Harnett County Man Sentenced to 50 Years for Exploitation of a Child and Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
GREENSBORO – A Dunn man was sentenced today to 600 months in prison after pleading guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of a child and one count of distribution of child pornography, announced United States Attorney Sandra J. Hairston of the Middle District of North Carolina (MDNC).
According to court records, JOSHUAH TAYLOR BRADSHAW, 33, was arrested after his roommate discovered a series of disturbing photos and videos associated with his email account. After the Hoke County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) was notified of possible criminal activity, they executed a search warrant on BRADSHAW’S personal devices where they discovered evidence that he had abused a minor as well as 150 videos and 200 images of child pornography. BRADSHAW was subsequently arrested in August 2020.
In June 2021, the HCSO contacted the FBI for additional assistance investigating the case. A review of forensic files revealed over 600 images and 500 videos of sexually explicit content including minors. The files also included instances of BRADSHAW abusing a minor that he then distributed to other individuals.
BRADSHAW was sentenced to a 600-month term of imprisonment followed by 25 years of supervised release by the Honorable Catherine C. Eagles, United States District Judge in the United States District Court for the MDNC. In addition to prison time, BRADSHAW was ordered to pay restitution to victims totaling $27,500.00 and special assessments totaling $5,200.00. He pleaded guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of a child and one count of distribution of child pornography on June 20, 2023.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Hoke County Sheriff’s Office and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney K. P. Kennedy Gates.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to 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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Grand Jury - December 2023Read the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced the federal Grand Jury for the District of Nebraska has returned nine unsealed Indictments charging 11 defendants. Indictments are charging documents that contain one or more individual counts that are merely accusations, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
* Ravier Olivas-Valenzuela, age 32, of Phoenix, Arizona, and Carlos Daniel Ruelas, age 21, of Phoenix, are charged in a two-count Indictment. Count I charges Olivas-Valenzuela with possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture of methamphetamine on or about July 31, 2023. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 10 years’ and up to life imprisonment, a $10,000,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than five years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment. Count II charges Ruelas with possession with intent to distribute 5 kilograms or more of a mixture of cocaine on or about July 31, 2023. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 10 years’ and up to life imprisonment, a $10,000,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than five years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment.
* Jaime Ramos-Gonzalez, age 63, of Lexington, Nebraska, is charged with possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture of methamphetamine on or about September 20, 2023. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 15 years’ and up to life imprisonment, a $20,000,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than five years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment.
* Brian I. Gonzalez, age 44, of Omaha, Nebraska, is charged in a two-count Indictment. Count I charge Gonzalez with receipt and distribution of child pornography from between on or about March 27, 2023, and on or about November 15, 2023. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 5 years’ and up to 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 5 years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment. Count II charges Gonzalez with possession of child pornography on or about November 15, 2023. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 5 years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment.
* James L. Hatten, II, age 52 of Omaha, Nebraska, is charged in a five-count Indictment. Counts I and II charge Hatten with sex trafficking of a minor and production of visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct from on or about May 1, 2022, through September 1, 2022. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 10 years’ and up to life imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 5 years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment. Count III charges Hatten with sexual exploitation of children from on or about May 1, 2022, through September 1, 2022. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 15 years’ and up to 30 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 5 years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment. Counts IV and V charge Hatten with distribution of a controlled substance to a person under the age of 21 from on or about May 1, 2022, through September 1, 2022. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 1 year and up to 40 years’ imprisonment, a $2,000,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 6 years, and a $100 special assessment.
* Gene Milton Jr., age 27, of Omaha, Nebraska, is charged in a three-count Indictment. Count I charges Milton with possession with intent to deliver 400 grams or more of fentanyl on or about December 4, 2023. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 10 years’ and up to life imprisonment, a $10,000,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than five years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment. Count II charges Milton with possession of a machine gun in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime on or about December 4, 2023. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 30 years’ up to life imprisonment consecutive, a $250,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than five years, and a $100 special assessment. Count III charges Milton with being a felon in possession of a firearm on or about December 4, 2023. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 15 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than three years, and a $100 special assessment.
* Ronnie James Colvin, III, age 21, of Omaha, Nebraska and Jonathan Ayer, age 20, of Omaha, Nebraska, are charged in a five-count Indictment. Count I charges Colvin and Ayer with conspiracy to commit bank fraud from no later than January 31, 2023, and continuing to December 7, 2023. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not more than 30 years’ imprisonment, a $1,000,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not more than five years, and a $100 special assessment. Counts II and III charges Colvin and Ayer with bank fraud on or about May 5, 2023, and on or about May 12, 2023. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not more than 30 years’ imprisonment, a $1,000,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not more than five years, and a $100 special assessment. Count IV charges Colvin with robbery of mail, money, or other property of the United States on or about January 31, 2023. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not more than 25 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not more than three years, and a $100 special assessment. Count V charges Colvin with using, carrying, or possessing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence on or about January 31, 2023. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 7 years’ and up to life imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than three years, and a $100 special assessment.
* Neon Chang, age 41, of Omaha, Nebraska, is charged in a four-count Indictment. Counts I and II charge Chang with production of visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct on or about January 18, 2019, and or about February 17, 2019. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 15 years’ and up to 30 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 5 years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment. Count III charges Chang with receipt or distribution of visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct from at least on or about April 5, 2022, and continuing to on or about March 4, 2023. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 5 years’ and up to 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 5 years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment. Count IV charges Chang with possession of visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct on or about November 30, 2023. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not more than 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 5 years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment.
Georgia Man Sentenced for Misuse of a Social Security Number and for Stealing the Identity of a Syracuse University GraduateRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Gregory William Hill, age 39, of Georgia, whose many aliases include Gregory Allen Davis, Gregory William Davis, Gregory Davis Dutton, and John Martin Hill, was sentenced today to 45 months in prison after previously pleading guilty to misuse of a social security number and aggravated identity theft.
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.
Hill previously pled guilty and admitted that in 2018 he impersonated a graduate of Syracuse University and fraudulently attempted to obtain copies of the victim’s final transcript and diploma from the university. In furtherance of his scheme, Hill sent the university a copy of a Virginia driver’s license displaying Hill’s picture and the victim’s name. Hill also fraudulently presented his own social security card as the victim’s and attempted to convince Syracuse University officials that the university needed to update its files with respect to the victim’s social security number. Hill also admitted that he applied for a job with a non-profit health care company based in Virginia while posing as the victim and falsely claiming to be a Syracuse University graduate. Hill never attended Syracuse University, and he is currently serving a 7-year prison sentence in Georgia for a serial romance fraud scheme that caused some to call him the “Sweetheart Swindler.”
Hill’s federal sentence will run consecutive to the 7-year prison term he is currently serving in Georgia. Hill will be on federal supervised release for 3 years following his release from imprisonment.
The FBI investigated this case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael F. Perry prosecuted this case.
Fort Myers Felon Sentenced to More Than 33 Years in Prison for Carjacking Spree and Firearms OffenseRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell today sentenced Edward James Bess III (29, Fort Myers) to 33 years and 4 months in federal prison for carjacking causing serious bodily injury, discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and carjacking. The court also ordered Bess to forfeit the firearm and ammunition he used and illegally possessed. Bess pleaded guilty to the offenses on July 6, 2023.
According to court documents, on the night of November 24, 2021, Bess approached Victim 1 in the parking lot of a business located on Cleveland Avenue in Fort Myers while Victim 1 was standing near his pickup truck. Bess confronted Victim 1 and demanded Victim 1’s keys while brandishing a Cobra model CA380, .380 firearm. As Victim 1 moved towards the front driver door area of his vehicle to retrieve a firearm for protection, a struggle ensued, and Bess shot Victim 1 in his lower abdomen area. After being shot, Victim 1 ran to the other side of the vehicle and Bess entered Victim 1’s truck. Very shortly after, Bess exited the truck and chased Victim 1 while holding and pointing Victim 1’s firearm, a .40 caliber Smith & Wesson. Bess then shot Victim 1 in the leg using Victim 1’s firearm and retrieved Victim 1’s car keys. Bess entered the pickup truck again and fled the area.
The next day, Bess abandoned Victim 1’s truck along I-75 in Sumter County. That evening, around 6:30 p.m., Bess approached Victim 2 as he was unloading luggage from his SUV in a hotel parking lot in Wildwood. Bess approached Victim 2, brandishing a black firearm, and demanded that Victim 2 hand over his wallet, phone, and car keys. Bess entered Victim 2’s SUV and fled the area. Deputies from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) immediately responded to the area. Moments later, SCSO deputies located Bess driving Victim 2’s vehicle near County Road 229. As deputies attempted to initiate a traffic stop, Bess sped off and a high-speed chase ensued. The stolen vehicle eventually came to a stop, after it crashed through a fence and drove into a wooded area. Bess exited the vehicle and eventually surrendered to SCSO deputies.
The next day, a Cobra .380 firearm was found at the entrance of a residence near the area of the high-speed chase. The firearm did not have a magazine in its magazine well. A SCSO Crime Scene Specialist later located a .380 magazine under the front driver seat of Victim 2’s stolen vehicle. DNA evidence later linked Bess to the .380 firearm. Additionally, ballistic testing revealed a .380 casing recovered from the Fort Myers carjacking incident and shooting matched a test-fired cartridge casing from the Cobra .380 recovered in Sumter County. Additionally, DNA swabs taken from inside of Victim 1’s stolen truck, as well as items left in the truck, were also linked to Bess’s DNA.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Fort Myers Police Department, and the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Trent Reichling.
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.
Former global diversity executive at Facebook pleads guilty to defrauding company out of more than $4 millionRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Barbara Furlow-Smiles, a former global diversity executive at Facebook, has pleaded guilty to stealing more than $4 million from the company utilizing an elaborate scheme involving fraudulent vendors, fictitious charges, and cash kickbacks.
“This defendant abused a position of a trust as a global diversity executive for Facebook to defraud the company of millions of dollars, ignoring the insidious consequences of undermining the importance of her DEI mission,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “Motivated by greed, she used her time to orchestrate an elaborate criminal scheme in which fraudulent vendors paid her kickbacks in cash. She even involved relatives, friends, and other associates in her crimes, all to fund a lavish lifestyle through fraud rather than hard and honest work.”
“Furlow-Smiles used lies and deceit to defraud both vendors and Facebook employees,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “The FBI works hard to make sure greed like this doesn’t pay off and those who commit fraud are held accountable.”
According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court: Barbara Furlow-Smiles served as Lead Strategist, Global Head of Employee Resource Groups and Diversity Engagement at Facebook, Inc., now known as Meta Platforms, Inc., doing business as Meta. From about January 2017 to September 2021, she led Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs at Facebook and was responsible for developing and executing DEI initiatives, operations, and engagement programs. In her position, Furlow-Smiles had access to company credit cards. She also maintained authority to submit purchase requisitions and approve invoices for authorized vendors of Facebook.
Furlow-Smiles used her position at Facebook to cheat and defraud the company. She caused Facebook to pay numerous individuals for goods and services never provided to the company. Those individuals then paid kickbacks to Furlow-Smiles, often in cash. Her scheme operated in two ways.
First, Furlow-Smiles linked PayPal, Venmo, and Cash App accounts to her Facebook credit cards and used those accounts to pay friends, relatives, and other associates for goods and services purportedly provided to Facebook. But these individuals did not provide goods or services to the company. Most of them did not know that the payments came from Facebook. To conceal the bogus charges on her Facebook credit cards, Furlow-Smiles submitted fraudulent expense reports, falsely claiming that her associates or their businesses performed work on programs and events for Facebook, such as providing swag or marketing services when, in fact, they had not done so.
After these associates received payments from Facebook, they returned most of the money to Furlow-Smiles. They paid these kickbacks in cash and through transfers to accounts held in her husband’s and others’ names. Associates paid cash kickbacks in person and by Federal Express or mail, sometimes wrapping the cash in other items, such as T-shirts. To further conceal her actions, Furlow-Smiles also directed associates to pay one another, or others who she owed money.
Second, Furlow-Smiles caused Facebook to onboard several vendors that were owned and operated by friends and associates who also paid her kickbacks. After Facebook approved contracts for these vendors, Furlow-Smiles approved purchase requisitions for these purported vendors to work for Facebook. Furlow-Smiles then approved fraudulent and inflated invoices to pay the vendors. After Facebook paid the invoices, Furlow-Smiles directed the vendors to return a portion of the money to her.
Furlow-Smiles recruited numerous individuals to receive money and pay kickbacks as part of the scheme. These individuals included friends, relatives, former interns from a prior job, nannies and babysitters, a hair stylist, and her university tutor. She also caused Facebook to make payments for her benefit to others who did not pay kickbacks. For example, Furlow-Smiles caused Facebook to pay nearly $10,000 to an artist for specialty portraits and more than $18,000 to a preschool for tuition.
In total, Furlow-Smiles stole more than $4 million from Facebook based on fictitious charges and fraudulent invoices for which goods and services were never provided to the company. She used the money to live a luxury lifestyle in California and Georgia.
Sentencing for Barbara Furlow-Smiles, also known as “Barbara Furlow,” 38, of Atlanta, Georgia, is scheduled for March 19, 2024, before U.S. District Judge Steven D. Grimberg.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Meta provided valuable assistance and cooperation during the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen H. McClain and Bernita B. Malloy are prosecuting 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.
This release has been edited to correct the defendant's former position title.
Former Police Officer Sentenced to 5 Years in Federal Prison for Distribution of Child Sex Abuse MaterialsRead the Press Release
FLORENCE, S.C. — Douglas Perdick, 47, of Allentown, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to five years in federal prison after pleading guilty to distribution of child sex abuse materials.
Evidence presented to the Court showed that on Nov. 23, 2020, an FBI online covert employee accessed a group on a mobile application while working in an undercover capacity and observed a link which had been posted by another user. The FBI employee accessed the link, which ultimately led to a folder containing multiple videos of child sex abuse materials. During the investigation, FBI discovered that the user was Perdick, who was a former police officer. FBI obtained the IP address used by Perdick to share the link to the child sex abuse materials and linked the IP address to his residence in Conway, South Carolina. FBI executed a search warrant at Perdick’s residence, and during execution of the search warrant, Perdick admitted to sharing child sex abuse materials from his phone multiple times.
United States District Judge Joseph Dawson, III sentenced Perdick to 60 months imprisonment, to be followed by a lifetime term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system. Perdick was court-ordered to pay $9,000.00 in restitution to the victims.
“The production and distribution of child sex abuse materials is egregious child exploitation,” said Adair F. Boroughs, U.S. Attorney for the District of South Carolina. “We will prosecute those who put our children at risk.”
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the U.S. Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc.
This case was investigated by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Hummel is prosecuting the case.
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Former Operator of Two Municipal Golf Courses Found Guilty of Tax Conspiracy and Making False Statement to Financial InstitutionRead the Press Release
A federal jury convicted a Massachusetts man Monday for conspiring to defraud the United States and making a false statement to a financial institution related to his purchase of real estate. He was acquitted of embezzlement from a local government receiving federal benefits, wire fraud, money laundering and unlawful monetary transactions.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Kevin M. Kennedy, of East Longmeadow, conspired with two individuals in western Massachusetts to evade taxes Kennedy owed on money he received from his ownership of a company that managed two municipal golf courses on behalf of the City of Springfield. Kennedy paid for, mostly in cash, the construction of two custom homes in East Longmeadow and on Cape Cod. To induce the bank to provide him a mortgage for part of the East Longmeadow home, Kennedy submitted a home purchase contract to the bank that falsely reflected a total purchase price reduced by the $160,000 cash downpayment he had made.
Just prior to trial, Kennedy pleaded guilty to four counts of filing a false individual income tax return for 2011 through 2014, during which he also admitted to filing a false return in 2009 and 2010. For each of those years, Kennedy did not report to his return preparer all of the cash and checks his management company received from his operation of the golf courses.
Kennedy is scheduled to be sentenced on March 1, 2024, and faces maximum penalties of 30 years in prison for making a false statement to a financial institution, five years in prison for conspiracy to defraud the United States and three years in prison for each count of filing a false tax return. He also faces a period of supervised release, criminal forfeiture and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy for the District of Massachusetts made the announcement.
IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Assistant Chief Eric B. Powers of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil Desroches for the District of Massachusetts are prosecuting the case.