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6 December 2023
Long Island Pastor Charged with Sexual Exploitation of Children, Coercion and Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Jose Saez, Jr., a pastor at a church located in Brentwood, will be arraigned this afternoon at the federal courthouse in Central Islip on an indictment charging him with sexual exploitation of children, coercion and enticement of children, distribution of child pornography, and possession of child pornography. Saez was arrested on a complaint on September 28, 2023 and has been detained pending trial. Today’s arraignment will be held before United States Magistrate Judge James M. Wicks.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and James Smith, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the indictment.
“As alleged, despite the trust and respect placed in him by his community and his congregation, the defendant verbally abused children online and attempted to persuade minors to produce sexually explicit photographs and videos of themselves and send them to him via the internet,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “Protecting children from predators and those who sexually exploit them will always be a priority of this Office.”
Mr. Peace thanked the Suffolk County Police Department for their assistance with the case.
“When you go to church you expect to be safe and protected...but that's not what members of Pastor Jose Saez's congregation got. He allegedly possessed child pornography and sexually abused multiple children. This is unfathomable to the families and caused lasting harm to the children. The men and women of the FBI's Long Island Child Exploitation Task Force work tirelessly to protect our children but bad people are still out there. If anyone has any information on Saez or think they know someone who may be a victim, please call law enforcement,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Smith.
As set forth in court filings, while employed as a pastor at a church located in Brentwood, New York, Saez allegedly used an encrypted messaging service to engage in sexually explicit conversations with minors and with a law enforcement officer acting in an undercover capacity (the UC). In August of 2023, Saez had online conversations with the UC. During those conversations, the defendant stated that he had sexually abused an infant, that his “sweet spot” for molesting children was children between the ages of 11 and 15, and that he was able to find his younger victims at “church.” Pursuant to a court-authorized search, FBI agents recovered numerous images and videos of child pornography from the defendant.
Anyone with information about sexual exploitation by the defendant is asked to contact the FBI at tips.fbi.gov or 212-384-1000.
The charges in the indictment are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, Saez faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and up to 30 years in prison.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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
The government’s case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Long Island Criminal Division. Assistant United States Attorneys Mark E. Misorek and Adam R. Toporovsky are in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendant:
JOSE SAEZ, JR.
Age: 28
Brentwood, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No.: 23-CR-480 (JMA)
Local Business Owner Sentenced for Failure to Pay Employment Taxes and File Federal Tax ReturnRead the Press Release
DES MOINES, Iowa – A Bondurant man was sentenced today to 15 months in federal prison for failure to pay over employee trust fund taxes and failure to file a federal tax return.
According to court documents, from 2015 to 2020, Thomas James Morford, 50, who operated a local concrete business, failed to pay $355,049 in employment taxes to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). This included the failure to pay taxes that he had collected from employees through withholding, as well as matching employer contributions to Social Security and Medicare. Morford also failed to file federal tax returns for 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2020.
After completing his term of imprisonment, Morford will be required to serve three years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. Morford was also ordered to pay $355,049.68 in restitution to the IRS.
“Withholding employment taxes from employee wages and willfully failing to remit them to the IRS is a serious offense,” said IRS Criminal Investigation (CI) Special Agent in Charge Thomas F. Murdock. “Not only does this harm employees, but it also robs the Treasury of funds and that has the potential to harm all those who rely on support from government programs.”
United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division.
Justice Department Announces Proposed Revision of Application for Presidential PardonsRead the Press Release
Today, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland announced the Justice Department’s proposed revision of the application for presidential pardons for those who have completed their federal sentences. The Attorney General made the announcement during remarks at a convening of the White House Legal Aid Interagency Roundtable. Over the past year, the department’s Office of the Pardon Attorney (Pardon) has coordinated with the Office for Access to Justice (ATJ) to make the first major revisions to the application form in decades.
The revision is aimed at making the form more user-friendly and accessible. Pardon and ATJ extensively engaged with applicants, advocates, and stakeholders, and the revisions implement their important feedback. In revising the form, Pardon and ATJ have utilized a human-centered design approach and best practices in form design, incorporating access to justice principles and research. The revisions reflect ongoing work to expand access to justice through a department-wide effort to simplify public-facing forms and documents, consistent with the recommendations described in the 2022 and 2023 Legal Aid Interagency Roundtable Reports.
Notable changes to the proposed form include:
- Eliminating the requirement for notarized signature pages, to reduce the burden on applicants and their character references;
- Asking for less information about applicants’ histories, to streamline the application and make it easier to complete;
- Reframing questions using plain language and eliminating legal jargon; and
- Adding user-focused resources, including enhanced instructions and explanations, a checklist for completion and a table of contents.
Notice regarding the proposed revisions has been published in the Federal Register, and Pardon invites the public’s input on ways to continue to improve. Comments can be submitted through Jan. 16, 2024. The final form will be made available in the spring.
Pardon applications already submitted using the current form need not be resubmitted using the new form. Pardon will continue to process any application received using either form.
ATJ will continue to collaborate with Justice Department components to embed simplification principles and expand access to programs and activities across the department. To learn more about ATJ’s work, please visit the ATJ website. Updates on the work of the Pardon Attorney, or to learn more about the work of the Office of the Pardon Attorney, can be found at Office of the Pardon Attorney | Office of the Pardon Attorney (justice.gov).
Jacksonville Man Indicted for Attempting to Entice and Meet an 11-Year-Old Child to Engage in Sexual ActivityRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Amol Chandrashekhar Khedkar (58, Jacksonville) with using his cellphone and the internet to attempt to entice a minor child to engage in sexual activity. Khedkar faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 10 years and up to life in federal prison. Khedkar was arrested by FBI agents on November 29, 2023, in St. Johns County. On December 5, 2023, he appeared in federal court in Jacksonville and was ordered detained pending trial.
According to court documents and evidence discussed in open court, on November 28, 2023, an undercover FBI agent in Jacksonville was conducting an online undercover operation to identify adults who were seeking to make contact with and engage in sexual activity with children. Posing as the parent of an 11-year-old child, the undercover agent posted a notice in a public chat room of a particular online social messaging app. Minutes later, an individual using the app name “drbrownee,” who was subsequently identified as Khedkar, contacted the undercover agent using a private messaging feature of the app. After being advised of the “child’s” age, Khedkar confirmed that he would “love to see the ‘child.’” He asked the undercover agent a number of specific questions about access to the “child” and the “child’s” sexual experience. Khedkar and the undercover agent discussed meeting in person the next day at the “child’s” residence.
On November 29, 2023, Khedkar and the undercover agent exchanged text messages and confirmed that they would meet later that day at the predetermined location in St. Johns County. When Khedkar arrived at the location, he was arrested by FBI agents.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.
It is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue child victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
Gainesville man pleads guilty after fraudulently obtaining Unemployment Insurance benefits in more than 15 statesRead the Press Release
GAINESVILLE, Ga. - Ronald House, who applied for unemployment insurance in his name and the names of others in multiple states during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, has pleaded guilty to a wire fraud charge.
“House ran a multi-state scam stealing benefits allotted for those in need,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “COVID-19 pandemic funds provided vital aid for citizens who qualified for them. Congress did not intend for individuals to illegally profit from the CARES Act program. House compounded his fraudulent conduct by stealing the identities of others to perpetrate his scheme.”
“During the COVID-19 pandemic when so many Americans desperately needed unemployment assistance, Ronald House submitted numerous fraudulent unemployment insurance (UI) claims to multiple state workforce agencies in his own name, as well as in the names of his relatives, including a deceased family member. As a result, House collected over $170,000 in fraudulent UI payments; benefits which were intended for individuals adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.” said Mathew Broadhurst, Special-Agent- in-Charge, Southeast Region, US. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General. “We will continue to work with our federal and state law enforcement partners to safeguard unemployment benefits programs for those who need them.”
According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court: The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act provided emergency assistance and health care response for individuals, families, and businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The CARES Act created a new temporary federal program called Pandemic Unemployment Assistance that provided up to 39 weeks of unemployment benefits and funding to states for administration of the program. An individual receiving these benefits might also have received a $600 weekly benefit in federal funds under the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation program if he or she was eligible for such compensation for the week claimed.
To take advantage of the additional weekly federal benefit, House applied online for fraudulent unemployment insurance benefits using his personal identifying information in California, Colorado, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Washington State. He also applied for fraudulent unemployment insurance benefits using the personal identifying information of others in several states, including Georgia and Michigan. He fraudulently obtained more than $150,000 in benefits.
Sentencing for House, 66, of Gainesville, Georgia, is scheduled for March 8, 2024, at 10:00 a.m., before U.S. District Judge Steve C. Jones.
This case is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah E. Klapman is prosecuting the case.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
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.
Freer resident sent to prison for possessing cocaineRead the Press Release
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 35-year-old man has been sentenced following his conviction for possession with intent to distribute a substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Branden Lee Narvaiz pleaded guilty Sept. 13.
U.S. District Judge David S. Morales has now ordered Narvaiz to serve 60 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by four years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence that at the time of the offense, Narvaiz was on state parole for the same crime.
On April 11, law enforcement stopped Narvaiz for driving on the wrong side of the road. Authorities conducted a search of his vehicle and located cash, cocaine, scales and baggies.
Following the return of a federal indictment, authorities arrested him June 14. At that time, they again found cocaine, money and plastic bags.
As part of his plea, Narvaiz admitted he possessed 500 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine.
Narvaiz will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Homeland Security Investigations, Texas Department of Public Safety, Duval County Sheriff’s Department and Starr County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area task force conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Liesel Roscher prosecuted the case.
Four Russia-Affiliated Military Personnel Charged with War Crimes in Connection with Russia’s Invasion of UkraineRead the Press Release
War crimes charges against four Russia-affiliated military personnel were unsealed today in the Eastern District of Virginia. The charges include torture, inhuman treatment, and unlawful confinement of a U.S. national in Ukraine following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Suren Seiranovich Mkrtchyan, 45, Dmitry Budnik, Valerii LNU (last name unknown), and Nazar LNU were each charged in connection with their unlawful detainment of a U.S. national in the context of the armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine. The defendants are alleged to have interrogated, severely beaten, and tortured the victim. They also allegedly threatened to kill the victim and conducted a mock execution.
“As the world has witnessed the horrors of Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, so has the United States Department of Justice,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “That is why the Justice Department has filed the first ever charges under the U.S. war crimes statute against four Russia- affiliated military personnel for heinous crimes against an American citizen. The Justice Department will work for as long as it takes to pursue accountability and justice for Russia’s war of aggression.”
“Thanks to the tireless and unprecedented work of federal law enforcement agents from Homeland Security Investigations and the Justice Department, four Russian soldiers, accused of unthinkable, unacceptable human rights violations against an American citizen, have been charged with war crimes and will be brought to justice,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas. “The indictments unsealed today send a clear message to Russia – our government will spare no effort and spare no resource to hold accountable those who violate the fundamental human rights of an American.”
“Since the start of their unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, Russia has weaponized human rights abuses to wreak unimaginable tragedy,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “Today’s indictment – the first ever under the U.S. war crimes statute – makes clear that the FBI will work with the full cooperation of international law enforcement to bring justice to the victims of these atrocities. The human toll of the conflict in Ukraine weighs heavily on the hearts of the FBI, and we’re resolved to hold war criminals accountable no matter where they are or how long it takes.”
“Torturing and unlawfully confining a protected person are serious human rights abuses that must not go unpunished,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “These historic criminal charges – the first ever brought under the U.S. war crimes statute – are an important step in the Justice Department’s continuing efforts to pursue every avenue of accountability for those who commit war crimes and other atrocities in Ukraine.”
According to allegations in the indictment, Mkrtchyan and Budnik were commanding officers of military units of the Russian Armed Forces and/or the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic, and Valerii and Nazar were lower-ranking military personnel. The defendants are alleged to have been fighting on behalf of Russia in Ukraine when they allegedly committed war crimes.
In April 2022, Mkrtchyan and soldiers under his command allegedly abducted the victim, a U.S. national, from his home in the village of Mylove in the Kherson Oblast region in southern Ukraine and unlawfully confined him for at least 10 days. During the abduction, Mkrtchyan, Valerii, Nazar, and others allegedly threw the victim face down to the ground while he was naked, tied his hands behind his back, pointed a gun at his head, and severely beat him, including with the stocks of their guns. Mkrtchyan, Valerii, Nazar, and others then allegedly transported the victim to an improvised military compound in Mylove.
“These charges reflect that the defendants’ alleged actions are not only grave breaches of the Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, but also violations of U.S. law,” said U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia. “We are proud to be at the forefront of the Justice Department’s effort to hold perpetrators of war crimes violations accountable in Ukraine and will continue to pursue them. We thank our investigative partners on this case, the War Crimes Accountability Team, the FBI Washington Field Office, and Homeland Security Investigations for their outstanding efforts to gather evidence required for these charges.”
The indictment also alleges that Mkrtchyan and Budnik led and participated in at least two interrogation sessions during which the four defendants and others tortured the victim. During one interrogation, Mkrtchyan, Valerii, and Nazar allegedly stripped off the victim’s clothes and photographed him. The defendants and others then allegedly severely beat the victim, pointed guns at the back of his head, and threatened to shoot him. Budnik allegedly threatened the victim with death and asked for his last words. Shortly thereafter, Nazar and others allegedly conducted a mock execution. They allegedly forced the victim to the ground, put a gun to the back of his head, then moved the gun slightly and shot a bullet just past the victim’s head.
“These historic charges are the culmination of a complex investigation by the FBI and our partners that spans the globe,” said Assistant Director in Charge David Sundberg of the FBI Washington Field Office. “The FBI will continue to work alongside our domestic and international partners to pursue justice and hold those accountable who commit such atrocities against others.”
“Acting on behalf of the Russian Armed Forces and the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic, these four individuals allegedly violated the human rights of an American citizen,” said Executive Associate Director Katrina W. Berger of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). “According to the charges, they unlawfully detained and tortured the American citizen, and even went so far as to carry out a mock execution. The unsealing of these charges for war crimes is an important step in bringing the responsible parties to justice. HSI will continue to aggressively pursue anyone who violates the human rights of our American citizens – at home or overseas.”
The defendants are charged with three war crimes – unlawful confinement, torture, and inhuman treatment – and one count of conspiracy to commit war crimes. If convicted, the defendants each face a maximum penalty of life in prison.
The FBI Washington Field Office and HSI Washington, D.C., Field Office, with assistance from the FBI’s International Human Rights Unit and HSI’s Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center, investigated the war crimes allegations in partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia and the Justice Department’s War Crimes Accountability Team, which is based in the Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP) of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.
HRSP Trial Attorney and Lead Prosecutor for the War Crimes Accountability Team Christian Levesque, HRSP Trial Attorney Patrick Jasperse, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander E. Blanchard for the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case, with significant assistance from Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas W. Traxler for the Eastern District of Virginia. HRSP historians and other staff provided substantial assistance in the investigation and prosecution.
The Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, Appellate Section, Office of Enforcement Operations, and Office of International Affairs, as well as the National Security Division, also provided valuable assistance. The Justice Department is grateful for the substantial assistance the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine has provided in furthering the investigation.
Members of the public who have information about human rights violators in the United States or the location of the defendants named in this indictment are urged to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or through the FBI online tip form or HSI at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or through the ICE online tip form. All are staffed around the clock, and tips may be provided anonymously.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
IndictmentFour Russia-Affiliated Military Personnel Charged with War Crimes in Connection with Russia’s Invasion of UkraineRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – War crimes charges against four Russia-affiliated military personnel were unsealed today. The charges include unlawful confinement, inhuman treatment, and torture of a U.S. national in Ukraine following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Suren Seiranovich Mkrtchyan, 45, Dmitry Budnik, Valerii LNU (last name unknown), and Nazar LNU were each charged in connection with their unlawful detainment of a U.S. national in the context of the armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine. The defendants are alleged to have interrogated, severely beat, and tortured the victim. They also allegedly threatened to kill the victim and conducted a mock execution.
“These charges reflect that the defendants’ alleged actions are not only grave breaches of the Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, but also violations of U.S. law,” said Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “We are proud to be at the forefront of the Department of Justice’s effort to hold perpetrators of war crimes violations accountable in Ukraine and will continue to pursue them. We thank our investigative partners on this case, the War Crimes Accountability Team, the FBI Washington Field Office and Homeland Security Investigations, for their outstanding efforts to gather evidence required for these charges.”
“As the world has witnessed the horrors of Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, so has the United States Department of Justice,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “That is why the Justice Department has filed the first ever charges under the U.S. war crimes statute against four Russia- affiliated military personnel for heinous crimes against an American citizen. The Justice Department will work for as long as it takes to pursue accountability and justice for Russia’s war of aggression.”
“Torturing and unlawfully confining a protected person are serious human rights abuses that must not go unpunished,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “These historic criminal charges – the first ever brought under the U.S. war crimes statute – are an important step in the Justice Department’s continuing efforts to pursue every avenue of accountability for those who commit war crimes and other atrocities in Ukraine.”
According to allegations in the indictment, Mkrtchyan and Budnik were commanding officers of military units of the Russian Armed Forces and/or the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic. Valerii and Nazar were lower-ranking military personnel. The defendants are alleged to have been fighting on behalf of Russia in Ukraine when they allegedly committed war crimes. In April 2022, Mkrtchyan and soldiers under his command allegedly abducted the victim, a U.S. national, from his home in the village of Mylove in the Kherson Oblast region in southern Ukraine and unlawfully confined him for at least 10 days. During the abduction, Mkrtchyan, Valerii, Nazar, and others allegedly threw the victim face down to the ground while he was naked, tied his hands behind his back, pointed a gun at his head, and severely beat him, including with the stocks of their guns. Mkrtchyan, Valerii, Nazar, and others then allegedly transported the victim to an improvised military compound in Mylove.
“Since the start of their unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, Russia has weaponized human rights abuses to wreak unimaginable tragedy,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “Today’s indictments – the first ever under the U.S. war crimes statute – makes clear that the FBI will work with the full cooperation of international law enforcement to bring justice to the victims of these atrocities. The human toll of the conflict in Ukraine weighs heavily on the hearts of the FBI and we’re resolved to hold war criminals accountable no matter where they are or how long it takes.”
“These historic charges are the culmination of a complex investigation by the FBI and our partners that spans the globe,” said Assistant Director in Charge David Sundberg of the FBI Washington Field Office. “The FBI will continue to work alongside our domestic and international partners to pursue justice and hold those accountable who commit such atrocities against others.”
The indictment also alleges that Mkrtchyan and Budnik led and participated in at least two interrogation sessions during which the four defendants and others tortured the victim. During one interrogation, Mkrtchyan, Valerii, and Nazar allegedly stripped off the victim’s clothes and photographed him. The defendants and others then allegedly severely beat the victim, pointed guns at the back of his head, and threatened to shoot him. Budnik allegedly threatened the victim with death and asked for his last words. Shortly thereafter, Nazar and others allegedly conducted a mock execution. They allegedly forced the victim to the ground, put a gun to the back of his head, then moved the gun slightly and shot a bullet just past the victim’s head.
“Acting on behalf of the Russian Armed Forces and the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic, these four individuals allegedly violated the human rights of an American citizen and his family,” said Executive Associate Director Katrina W. Berger of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). “According to the charges, they unlawfully detained and tortured the American citizen, and even went so far as to carry out a mock execution. The unsealing of these charges for war crimes is an important step in bringing the responsible parties to justice. HSI will continue to aggressively pursue anyone who violates the human rights of our American citizens – at home or overseas.”
The defendants are charged with three war crimes – unlawful confinement, torture, and inhuman treatment – and one count of conspiracy to commit war crimes. If convicted, the defendants each face a maximum sentence of life in prison.
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; David Sundberg, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; and Derek W. Gordon, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) made the announcement.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander E. Blanchard, Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP) Trial Attorney and Lead Prosecutor for the War Crimes Accountability Team Christian Levesque, and HRSP Trial Attorney Patrick Jasperse are prosecuting the case. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas W. Traxler provided significant assistance to this case. HRSP historians and other staff provided substantial assistance in the investigation and prosecution.
The FBI Washington Field Office and HSI Washington, D.C. Field Office, with assistance from the FBI’s International Human Rights Unit and HSI’s Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center, investigated the war crimes allegations in partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia and the Justice Department’s War Crimes Accountability Team, which is based in the Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.
The Justice Department’s Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property and Appellate Sections, National Security Division, Office of Enforcement Operations, and Office of International Affairs also provided valuable assistance. The Justice Department is grateful for the substantial assistance the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine has provided in furthering the investigation.
Members of the public who have information about human rights violators in the United States or the location of the defendants named in this indictment are urged to the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or through the FBI online tip form or HSI at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or through the ICE online tip form. All are staffed around the clock, and tips may be provided anonymously.
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. 3:23-cr-161.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Founder and Majority Owner of Cryptocurrency Exchange Pleads Guilty to Unlicensed Money TransmittingRead the Press Release
Anatoly Legkodymov, a Russian national also known as “Anatolii Legkodymov,” “Gandalf” and “Tolik,” pleaded guilty today in federal court in Brooklyn to operating a money transmitting business that transported and transmitted illicit funds. The charges stem from Legkodymov’s majority ownership of Bitzlato Ltd., a cryptocurrency exchange that served as a primary conduit for dark market purchasers and sellers, as well as a safe haven for ransomware criminals. As part of his plea agreement, Legkodymov agreed to dissolve Bitzlato and to release any claim over approximately $23 million in seized assets of Bitzlato. The proceeding was held before United States District Judge Eric N. Vitaliano.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Lisa O. Monaco, United States Deputy Attorney General, Nicole M. Argentieri, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, and James Smith, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the guilty plea.
“Legkodymov’s guilty plea today confirms that he was well aware that Bitzlato, his cryptocurrency exchange, was being used like an open turnstile by criminals eager to take advantage of his lax controls over illicit money transactions,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “The defendant may have thought he was operating from a safe haven overseas for his ‘No Questions Asked’ clearinghouse, but this prosecution and conviction demonstrate otherwise.”
“As alleged, Bitzlato advertised a safe haven for fraudsters, thieves, and other criminals to launder illicit proceeds—but their business model didn’t account for federal law enforcement,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco. “We are dismantling and disrupting the cryptocrime ecosystem using all tools available—including criminal prosecution. In January, the Department and our partners took down Bitzlato’s infrastructure and seized its cryptocurrency. Today’s conviction of Bitzlato’s founder is the latest product of our efforts.”
“Legkodymov operated a cryptocurrency exchange that was open for business to money launderers and other criminals,” stated Acting Assistant Attorney General Argentieri. “He profited from catering to criminals, and now he must pay the price. Transacting in cryptocurrency does not put you beyond the reach of the law. Legkdoymov’s plea demonstrates the consequences for those who would offer a safe haven for criminals and their ill-gotten gains.”
As alleged in public filings, Legkodymov is a senior executive and the majority shareholder of Bitzlato Ltd. (Bitzlato), a Hong Kong-registered cryptocurrency exchange that operated globally. Bitzlato marketed itself as requiring minimal identification from its users, specifying that “neither selfies nor passports [are] required.” On occasions when Bitzlato did direct users to submit identifying information, it repeatedly allowed them to openly provide information belonging to “straw man” registrants.
As a result of these deficient know-your-customer (KYC) procedures, Bitzlato became a haven for criminal proceeds and funds intended for use in criminal activity. Bitzlato’s largest counterparty in cryptocurrency transactions was Hydra Market, an online marketplace for narcotics, stolen financial information, fraudulent identification documents, and money laundering services that was the largest and longest running darknet market in the world. Hydra Market users exchanged more than 700 million dollars’ worth of cryptocurrency with Bitzlato, either directly or through intermediaries, until Hydra Market was shut down because of seizures made by U.S. and German law enforcement in April 2022. Bitzlato also received millions of dollars’ worth of ransomware proceeds. The defendant was repeatedly advised that cryptocurrency routed through Bitzlato represented the proceeds of crime and/or was intended for use in illicit transactions.
The investigation was jointly prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York and the National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team (NCET), which was established to combat the growing illicit use of cryptocurrencies and digital assets. Within the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, the NCET conducts and supports investigations into individuals and entities that are enabling the use of digital assets to commit and facilitate a variety of crimes, with a particular focus on virtual currency exchanges, mixing and tumbling services, and infrastructure providers. The NCET also works to set strategic priorities regarding digital asset technologies, identify areas for increased investigative and prosecutorial focus, and lead the Department’s efforts to collaborate with domestic and foreign government agencies as well as the private sector to aggressively investigate and prosecute crimes involving cryptocurrency and digital assets.
The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the FBI’s Legal Attaché in France provided critical assistance in the case, with support from the department’s Cyber Operations International Liaison. The department also thanks the Cyber Division of the Paris Prosecution Office and to France’s Gendarmerie Nationale Cyberspace Command (Cyber Crime Investigation Unit/ C3N).
The government’s case is being prosecuted by CCIPS/NCET Trial Attorney and EDNY Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Mindlin, CCIPS/NCET Trial Attorney Sarah Wolfe, and EDNY Assistant U.S. Attorney Artie McConnell are prosecuting the case, with substantial assistance from former NCET Trial Attorneys Scott Meisler and Matthew Blackwood.
The Defendant:
ANATOLY LEGKODYMOV (also known as “Gandalf” and “Tolik”)
Age: 41
Shenzhen, People’s Republic of ChinaE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 23-CR-496 (ENV)
Founder and Majority Owner of Cryptocurrency Exchange Pleads Guilty to Unlicensed Money TransmittingRead the Press Release
The founder and majority owner of Bitzlato Ltd. (Bitzlato), a cryptocurrency exchange that served as a primary conduit for dark market purchasers and sellers, as well as a safe haven for illicit transactions by ransomware criminals, pleaded guilty today to operating a money transmitting business that transmitted illicit funds.
In connection with his plea agreement, Anatoly Legkodymov, aka Anatolii Legkodymov, Gandalf, and Tolik, 41, who is a Russian national and resided in Shenzen, People’s Republic of China, agreed to dissolve Bitzlato and to release any claim over approximately $23 million in seized assets of Bitzlato.
“As alleged, Bitzlato advertised a safe haven for fraudsters, thieves, and other criminals to launder illicit proceeds — but their business model didn’t account for federal law enforcement,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco. “We are dismantling and disrupting the cryptocrime ecosystem using all tools available — including criminal prosecution. In January, the Department and our partners took down Bitzlato’s infrastructure and seized its cryptocurrency. Today’s conviction of Bitzlato’s founder is the latest product of our efforts.”
“Legkodymov operated a cryptocurrency exchange that was open for business to money launderers and other criminals,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “He profited from catering to criminals, and now he must pay the price. Transacting in cryptocurrency does not put you beyond the reach of the law. Legkdoymov’s plea demonstrates the consequences for those who would offer a safe haven for criminals and their ill-gotten gains.”
According to court documents, Bitzlato, a Hong Kong-registered cryptocurrency exchange that operated globally, marketed itself as requiring minimal identification from its users, specifying that “neither selfies nor passports [are] required.” On occasions when Bitzlato did direct users to submit identifying information, it repeatedly allowed them to openly provide information belonging to “straw man” registrants. As a result of these deficient know-your-customer (KYC) procedures, Bitzlato allegedly became a haven for criminal proceeds and funds intended for use in criminal activity.
“Legkodymov’s guilty plea today confirms that he was well aware that Bitzlato, his cryptocurrency exchange, was being used like an open turnstile by criminals eager to take advantage of his lax controls over illicit money transactions,” said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York. “The defendant may have thought he was operating from a safe haven overseas for his ‘No Questions Asked’ clearinghouse, but this prosecution and conviction demonstrate otherwise.”
Bitzlato’s largest counterparty in cryptocurrency transactions was Hydra Market, an online marketplace for narcotics, stolen financial information, fraudulent identification documents, and money laundering services that was the largest and longest-running darknet market in the world. Hydra Market users exchanged more than $700 million worth of cryptocurrency with Bitzlato, either directly or through intermediaries, until Hydra Market was shut down because of seizures made by U.S. and German law enforcement in April 2022. Bitzlato also received millions of dollars’ worth of ransomware proceeds. Legkodymov was repeatedly advised that cryptocurrency routed through Bitzlato represented the proceeds of crime and/or was intended for use in illicit transactions.
Legkodymov faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set. A federal judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI is investigating the case.
The investigation was jointly prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York (EDNY) and the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) and National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team (NCET), which was established to combat the growing illicit use of cryptocurrencies and digital assets. NCET conducts and supports investigations into individuals and entities that are enabling the use of digital assets to commit and facilitate a variety of crimes, with a particular focus on virtual currency exchanges, mixing and tumbling services, and infrastructure providers. The NCET also works to set strategic priorities regarding digital asset technologies, identify areas for increased investigative and prosecutorial focus, and lead the Department’s efforts to collaborate with domestic and foreign government agencies as well as the private sector to aggressively investigate and prosecute crimes involving cryptocurrency and digital assets.
CCIPS/NCET Trial Attorney and EDNY Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Mindlin, CCIPS/NCET Trial Attorney Sarah Wolfe, and EDNY Assistant U.S. Attorney Artie McConnell are prosecuting the case, with substantial assistance from former NCET Trial Attorneys Scott Meisler and Matthew Blackwood.
The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the FBI’s Legal Attaché in France provided critical assistance in the case, with support from the Department’s Cyber Operations International Liaison. The Department also thanks the Cyber Division of the Paris Prosecution Office and France’s Gendarmerie Nationale Cyberspace Command (Cyber Crime Investigation Unit / C3N).
Founder and Executive of Prior2IPO Indicted in Investment FraudRead the Press Release
A three-count indictment was unsealed this morning in federal court in Brooklyn charging Raymond John Pirrello, Jr., also known as “Ray John,” with securities fraud conspiracy, wire fraud conspiracy and securities fraud relating to a scheme to defraud investors and prospective investors in securities offered by Late Stage Management, LLC through several sales offices, including Prior2IPO which he controlled. Pirrello allegedly made material misrepresentations and omissions relating to, among other things, the existence and amount of fees paid by investors in stock offered by Late Stage. Late Stage offered investors “no fee” opportunities to invest in “Pre IPO” stocks, i.e., shares of stock in companies that anticipated an initial public offering (“IPO”) in the near term. Pirrello was arrested this morning and will be arraigned this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge James M. Cho.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and James Smith, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the charges.
“As alleged, the defendant lied to investors by claiming that the investments made through Late Stage carried no fees and that their full investment would be used to purchase stock, when in reality he was paying himself significant fees on each investment,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “This Office will vigorously prosecute those who think it is business as usual to abuse the trust of their clients and profit through fraud.”
Mr. Peace expressed his appreciation to the Securities and Exchange Commission, New York Regional Office, for their significant cooperation and assistance during the investigation.
"Lying and making material misrepresentations to investors is not just dishonest and bad business, but also a crime. Raymond Pirrello is alleged to have done just that when he advertised no-fee opportunities. In reality there were significant up-front fees from which he personally benefited. The FBI is committed to holding accountable those who seek to profit from lies,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Smith.
As set forth in the indictment and other court documents, Late Stage was a New Jersey based manager of investment funds that bought and sold stock issued by privately held companies that anticipated an IPO. Late Stage worked with several sales offices throughout New Jersey, New York and Florida in order to promote the investments. The salespeople used pitches devised by Pirrello and his co-conspirators which consistently touted that the investments carried no upfront fee, and claimed that the only time Late Stage profited was on exit, when the company made its IPO or sold to a larger company, in which case it would be entitled to a 20% share of the investor’s profits. In reality, Late Stage charged substantial fees in the form of markups of stock ranging from 10 to 50% of the stock’s actual per share price. In total, between approximately March 2019 and July 2022, sales offices working on behalf of Late Stage raised approximately $528 million from investors and diverted approximately $88.6 million in undisclosed upfront markups to Pirrello and his co-conspirators.
The charges in the indictment are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, Pirrello faces a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment.
In July 2022, Mr. Peace was selected as the Chairperson of the White Collar Fraud subcommittee for the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee (AGAC). As the leader of the subcommittee, Mr. Peace plays a key role in making recommendations to the AGAC to facilitate the prevention, investigation and prosecution of various financially motivated, non-violent crimes including wire fraud, such as the fraud that Pirrello allegedly committed.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Business & Securities Fraud Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Lauren Howard Elbert and Jessica Weigel are in charge of the prosecution.
If you believe that you or someone you know was victimized by Pirrello, please inform the FBI at the following website: www.fbi.gov/Pirrello or by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI.
The Defendants:
RAYMOND JOHN PIRRELLO, JR.
Age: 47
Sparta, New JerseyE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 23-CR-499
Fort Eisenhower woman indicted for murder in child’s deathRead the Press Release
AUGUSTA, GA: A U.S. Army spouse at Fort Eisenhower has been indicted on two counts of murder by a federal grand jury.
April Evalyn Short, 30, of Fort Eisenhower – formerly Fort Gordon – was indicted on charges of Premeditated Murder and Felony Murder, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.
The indictment alleges that on Nov. 15, 2023, at Fort Eisenhower, Short killed her 11-month-old child by “stabbing and cutting… with an edged weapon while engaged in the knowing and willful perpetration of child abuse.”
Short is in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service and awaits further proceedings. She is considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case is being investigated by Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division with assistance from the FBI, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Henry W. Syms Jr. and Patricia G. Rhodes.
Former Kentucky Federal Corrections Supervisor Sentenced to 66 Months for Leading Cover-Ups of Inmate Assaults and Making False ReportsRead the Press Release
A former Bureau of Prisons supervisor, Kevin X. Pearce, 39, was sentenced yesterday to 66 months in prison followed by one year of supervised release for leading two cover-ups of assaults of inmates held at U.S. Penitentiary Big Sandy. Pearce was convicted after a six-day trial. His co-defendants, former corrections officers Samuel Patrick and Clinton Pauley, previously pleaded guilty and were respectively sentenced to 36 and 40 months in prison.
“As a supervisor, this defendant was responsible for safeguarding the rights of thousands of inmates, but he abused his authority by leading cover-ups of two violent assaults of inmates in his custody,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department will continue to hold accountable law enforcement officials who violate federal civil rights laws or who cover up violations. We will protect the rights of all people, including those held inside our jails and prisons.”
“Not only did Pearce have a profound responsibility to protect people in his custody and care, he had an even greater one – to ensure that those under his supervision also protected them,” said U.S. Attorney Carlton S. Shier IV for the Eastern District of Kentucky. “He fell well short on both counts. Instead of honoring his obligations, he acquiesced in the abuse by his subordinates and then tried to cover it up. He now faces the consequences of this betrayal of the public trust placed in him.”
“Identifying and investigating law enforcement officials who deliberately violate the oath they take to protect and serve is of utmost importance at the FBI,” said Special Agent in Charge Michael E. Stansbury of the FBI Louisville Field Office. “Pearce not only carried a badge, but he was responsible for ensuring those under his supervision protected the civil rights of all inmates in their facility. FBI Louisville will continue to aggressively pursue public officials who choose to abuse their position of authority.”
“As a supervisor, Pearce had a duty to hold accountable Patrick and Pauley for assaulting inmates in their custody and care,” said Special Agent in Charge William J. Hannah of the Justice Department’s Office of the Inspector General (DOJ OIG) Midwest Region. “Instead, Pearce lied repeatedly to try to cover up these horrific crimes. The Justice Department's Office of the Inspector General will continue to aggressively investigate allegations of abuse in federal prisons and any efforts to conceal these heinous acts.”
According to court documents and evidence introduced at trial and sentencing, Pearce, who at that time held the rank of Operations Lieutenant, covered up assaults committed by his co-defendants, Patrick and Pauley, on March 30 and April 29, 2021. On March 30, Patrick and Pauley assaulted an inmate by spraying him in the face with pepper spray and kicking him in the head and upper body. Witnesses, including those who assaulted the inmates, testified that the inmate was not a threat and was compliant, and was assaulted for walking too slowly to his cell, rather than for any legitimate penological purpose. Pearce tried to cover up what happened by writing a false report and pressuring lower-ranking corrections officers to join the cover-up.
On April 29, 2021, Patrick and Pauley assaulted a second inmate by elbowing him in the head and punching him in the body. The victim of that assault had requested protection from other inmates. When the victim, who is white, revealed that he used to affiliate with Black gangs, Patrick referred to him as a “race traitor,” after which Patrick and Pauley both repeatedly struck him in the head and body. Pearce once again tried to cover up what happened by writing a false report and pressuring lower-ranking officers to join the cover-up. Pearce continued to stick with the cover-ups over a year later by making false statements to OIG and FBI agents who were investigating the assaults.
DOJ OIG and the FBI Louisville Field Office investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Thomas Johnson of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Dembo for the Eastern District of Kentucky and prosecuted the case.
Former Juneau Armored Transport Guard sentenced to over 2 years for stealing from banks, credit unionsRead the Press Release
JUNEAU, Alaska – A Juneau man was sentenced yesterday to two and a half years in prison and five years’ supervised release for stealing over $579,000 from three banks and two federal credit unions while serving as an armed transport guard.
According to court documents, Austin Nolan Dwight Rutherford, 29, was an armed transport guard for Axiom Armored Transport from January 2019 to March 2022. Axiom provided armed transportation of U.S. currency for several banks, credit unions and ATMs. Rutherford was transferred to Axiom’s Juneau branch in March 2020 and started stealing funds around that time.
An Axiom security camera recorded Rutherford taking a large amount of cash from Axiom property and into his personal vehicle, where he drove away. Bank records later showed that the defendant made multiple cash deposits into his personal bank account totaling over $338,000 and used the money for personal benefit.
The defendant was terminated in March 2022 but continued to make large cash deposits into his bank accounts through May 2022. An internal Axiom audit determined that Rutherford stole a total of $579,400 in bank and credit union funds.
Rutherford pleaded guilty to bank and credit union theft in June 2023. At the time of his plea, the defendant agreed to pay back all stolen funds through restitution. He is also required to pay over $86,000 in additional restitution claims for expenses related to Axiom’s investigation into Rutherford’s actions. The defendant will also serve five years’ supervised release.
“Mr. Rutherford broke the trust of his employer and the people of Alaska by stealing funds for his personal gain,” said U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker for the District of Alaska. “The United States Attorney’s Office will aggressively prosecute those individuals who threaten the security of our financial institutions and bring them to justice.”
The FBI Anchorage Field Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Schmidt prosecuted the case.
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Former IRS Employee Pleads Guilty to Money Laundering in Connection with COVID-19 FraudRead the Press Release
A Tennessee man pleaded guilty yesterday in connection with a scheme to defraud the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, a federal stimulus program authorized to provide loans to small businesses experiencing substantial financial disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
According to court documents, Brian Saulsberry, 47, of Memphis, was employed by the IRS as a Program Evaluation and Risk Analyst in the Human Capital Office. Saulsberry submitted false EIDL applications and obtained $171,400 in loan funds. After obtaining the fraudulent loan funds, Saulsberry transferred the funds to his personal checking account. He then used the loan funds for purposes not authorized by the EDIL program, but instead transferred $100,000 to an investment account, knowing that the property involved in the transaction was derived from unlawful activity.
Saulsberry pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering. He is scheduled to be sentenced on April 5, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. 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 Kevin G. Ritz for the Western District of Tennessee, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) J. Russell George, and Inspector General Hannibal “Mike” Ware of the Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General (SBA-OIG) made the announcement.
TIGTA and SBA-OIG investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Thomas D. Campbell and Assistant Chief Justin M. Woodard of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Carroll L. André III for the Western District of Tennessee are prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of an interagency effort to combat and prevent CARES Act fraud by federal employees. In October 2022, the Justice Department announced charges against five former IRS employees for defrauding federal COVID-19 relief programs. All five defendants have been convicted.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Justice Department in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The task force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please visit www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Justice Department’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Former Fugitive Sentenced in Odometer Tampering SchemeRead the Press Release
Gregory J. Haanstad, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on December 5, 2023, a Mexican national was sentenced in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin to 12 months and one day in prison for his role in a scheme to roll back odometers on used motor vehicles.
Israel Sanchez-Pulido, 41, of Mexico City, Mexico, pleaded guilty on September 6, 2023, to one count of odometer tampering, one count of making a false odometer statement, and one count of conspiracy.
As part of his plea agreement, Sanchez-Pulido admitted that, between 2009 and 2014, he purchased 146 high-mileage vehicles at Wisconsin auto auctions, rolled back the odometers, altered the mileage statements on the vehicle title paperwork, and then sold the vehicles with fraudulently low odometer readings to unsuspecting victims, who were primarily from Illinois. Sanchez-Pulido purchased the cars at auto auctions located in Wisconsin and drove them to a used car dealership in Evanston, Illinois. He then rolled back the odometers, reflecting a much lower mileage, and altered the vehicle title to match the false mileage, often by simply erasing the first digit of the mileage on the title or by writing over the accurate mileage reading. Sanchez-Pulido then represented to buyers the false mileage, which often exceeded 100,000 miles lower than the true mileage and sold the vehicles for more money than the vehicles were worth. The estimated fraud-loss of the 146 vehicles involved in this schemed exceeded $250,000.
On March 5, 2014, Sanchez-Pulido was arrested and charged by criminal complaint. During the subsequent detention hearing, he was granted release after posting a property-secured bond, and he was ordered to return to court for arraignment on April 14, 2014. Sanchez-Pulido never appeared.
He absconded and remained a fugitive for nearly ten years until June 2023, when local law enforcement stopped Sanchez-Pulido for a traffic violation in Illinois and discovered the outstanding arrest warrant from the Eastern District of Wisconsin.
Judge Lynn Adelman sentenced Sanchez-Pulido to 12 months and one day of incarceration. At the request of the government, restitution will be addressed on March 1, 2024.
“Individuals who engage in these types of schemes seek to line their own pockets at the expense of consumers who can least afford it,” stated U.S. Attorney Gregory J. Haanstad of the Eastern District of Wisconsin. “In addition, after being charged, this defendant absconded and avoided the consequences of his actions for the better part of a decade. I commend our hard-working federal and state partners who helped pursue justice for the victims in this case.”
This matter was investigated by the U.S. Department of Transportation National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Odometer Fraud Investigation, with assistance from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.
Trial Attorney Edward Dunn of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch, along with Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Koenig of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, prosecuted the case.
NHTSA estimates that odometer fraud in the United States results in consumer losses of more than $1 billion annually. Individuals with information relating to odometer tampering should call NHTSA’s odometer fraud hotline at (800) 424-9393.
More information on odometer fraud is available on the NHTSA website at https://www.nhtsa.gov/odometer-fraud and tips on detecting and avoiding odometer fraud are available at https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/811284.pdf.
For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts, visit its website at https://www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. For more information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-edwi.
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For Additional Information Contact:
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414-297-1700
Former Fairchild Airman Sentenced for Possession of Stolen AmmunitionRead the Press Release
Spokane, Washington – Vanessa R. Waldref, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that John I. Sanger, 31, of Rigby, Idaho, was sentenced after pleading guilty to Possession of Stolen Ammunition. United States District Judge Thomas O. Rice imposed a sentence of 24 months in prison to be followed by 3 years of supervised release.
According to court documents and information provided at sentencing, in August of 2021, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Air Force Office of Special Investigations (OSI) opened an investigation into Sanger, based on information Sanger was associated with two social media accounts − “awakened cascadian” and “problematicpatriot.” Sanger had used these accounts to discuss committing acts of violence to advance a political agenda. In December of 2020, Sanger used the “problematic pariot” account to call for the violent seizure of the U.S. Capitol building, stating, “They defrauded our election system and are still getting away with it. That means the system has run it’s course. People have to die.”
During the investigation, an Undercover Officer met with Sanger and discussed issues involving minorities, opposition to vaccines, and targeting of critical infrastructure. Specifically, the Undercover Officer and Sanger discussed targeting the Spokane County Public Health building and COVID-19 testing sites using a Molotov cocktail.
In March of 2022, Sanger told the Undercover Officer that multiple Air Force members stationed at Fairchild Air Force Base in Spokane were stealing ammunition from the Air Force and shooting the ammunition, which was paid for by taxpayers, for personal use. Sanger told the Undercover Officer that he was receiving stolen ammunition from another Air Force member, Staff Sergeant Nathan Richards, of the Fairchild 92nd Security Forces Squadron Combat Arms Training Management (CATM) section. Members of this section are trained in firearms and had access to ammunition.
On March 12th, 2022, Sanger, the Undercover Officer, Richards and Staff Sergeant Eric Eagleton, who also was a member of CATM, met to go target shooting at Fishtrap Lake. While at the range, Richards retrieved a plastic bag with hundreds of rounds of loose, green tip 5.56 M855 rounds and gave it to Sanger. Richards said that members of CATM would falsify records so that it appeared the stolen ammunition had been expended in the course of Air Force duties. After Sanger and others finished shooting, Sanger gave the Undercover Officer some of the stolen ammo Sanger received from Richards.
In April of 2022, Agents observed Sanger and Eagleton meet in the parking lot of the Northern Quest Resort and Casino. The agents observed Eagleton give Sanger a military-style ammunition can containing stolen ammunition. Following that meeting, Sanger sent the Undercover Officer text messages with photographs showing the stolen ammunition he had been given by Eagleton. A few days after the meeting, the UC and Sanger went to the Fishtrap shooting range and shot about 250 rounds of stolen ammunition.
Later that month, The Undercover Officer and Sanger met at the Undercover Officer’s RV. During the meeting, the Undercover Officer handed Sanger an unregistered gun suppressor Sanger had previously paid the Undercover Officer to buy for him. When Sanger exited the RV, he was arrested by the FBI and OSI special agents. Sanger was still in possession of the suppressor.
At the time Sanger was placed under arrest, the FBI and OSI special agents executed a series of search warrants at Sanger’s home. Agents located several firearms, firearm parts, empty firearm magazines and ammunition. They also found numerous patches, stickers, and paraphernalia associated with white supremacy and the neo-Nazi movement.
“Theft from the military is an affront to honorable men and women who dedicate their lives to government and military service in order to keep America safe and strong. I will not tolerate any abuse of trust by those charged to protect our great country,” stated U.S Attorney Waldref. “I applaud the tireless work and dedication of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Air Force Office of Special Investigations and our Federal Prosecutors in bringing Mr. Sanger to justice.”
“Like all who served the United States, Mr. Sanger took an oath when he enlisted in the military,” said Richard A. Collodi, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Seattle field office. “His actions violated that oath, and he violated the trust imparted to him by the American people. I am proud of the work of our investigators and partners to quickly bring an end to Mr. Sanger’s conduct before his violent rhetoric turned into action.”
The case was investigated by the FBI’s Seattle Field Office, Inland Northwest Joint Terrorism Task Force (“INJTTF”), and the United States Air Force Office of Special Investigations (OSI).
This case was prosecuted by Patrick J. Cashman, Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington.
2:22-cr-00052-TOR
Foreign Nationals Charged with International Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – December 6, 2023
SAN DIEGO – Three indictments were unsealed in the Southern District of California today charging 29 individuals with international drug trafficking offenses.
The unsealing of the indictments comes at the same time that the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced sanctions against nine of the defendants for their ties to the Beltran Leyva Organization, a violent, Mexico-based group involved in trafficking drugs to the United States for over two decades. Please see https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy1952
“These indictments have neutralized dozens of alleged maritime traffickers and prevented addictive, harmful, and increasingly often deadly drugs from reaching American shores and streets,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “Cases like this are critical for disrupting, disabling, and dismantling the sinister and deadly operations of foreign drug trafficking organizations in the United States.”
“Today’s announcement sends a clear message that Homeland Security Investigations and our law enforcement partners will use all available measures to investigate and dismantle transnational criminal organizations (TCO) responsible for the smuggling, transportation, and distribution of narcotics and illicit proceeds – wherever they attempt to operate” said Chad Plantz, special agent in charge for HSI San Diego. “HSI San Diego’s sophisticated and global investigation demonstrates law enforcement’s commitment to disrupting this TCOs criminal activities. We, along with our law enforcement partners, are committed to protecting the United States’ financial infrastructure from bad actors.”
Five related indictments were also unsealed today in the District of Columbia, Central District of California and Northern District of Illinois charging an additional 31 Mexican and foreign nationals with international heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine, fentanyl, and marijuana trafficking, bringing the total to 60 charged. Please see Office of Public Affairs | Sixty Foreign Nationals Charged with International Drug Trafficking | United States Department of Justice
“The eight indictments unsealed today charging 60 defendants are the latest installments in the Justice Department’s relentless pursuit of drug trafficking organizations that smuggle illicit narcotics into the United States,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco. “Together with our partners — across the U.S. government and around the world — we will use every tool at our disposal and target every link in the supply chain to dismantle the organizations that flood our communities with deadly narcotics.”
In San Diego, one indictment returned in September 2019, 19CR3736-GPC, charges Oscar Manuel Gastelum Iribe, Servando Lopez Lopez, and another individual with conspiring to distribute cocaine knowing it would be imported into the United States and a maritime drug conspiracy.
A second indictment returned in April 2023, 23CR0621-BAS, charges Juan Pablo Bastidas Erenas, Bogar Soto Rodriguez, Juvenal Leon Rodriguez, Mario German Beltran Araujo, Ulises Franco Figueroa, Oscar Aleman Meza, and 17 others with the same offenses.
The third indictment returned in April 2023, 23CR0699-GPC, charges Josue De Jesus Estrada Gutierrez, and two others with conspiring to import cocaine, methamphetamine, and fentanyl.
OFAC announced sanctions against Iribe, Lopez, Erenas, Soto Rodriguez (under the name Ricardo Estevez Colmenares), Leon Rodriguez, Araujo, Figueroa, Meza, and Gutierrez (under the name Jose De Jesus Estrada Gutierrez) on the same date the indictments were unsealed.
One defendant, Oscar Manuel Gastelum Iribe, aka Salgado and Musico, 49, is indicted in the Southern District of California , the District of Columbia and the Northern District of Illinois. As alleged in court documents, Gastelum Iribe coordinated deliveries of multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine and heroin into the United States and deliveries of millions of dollars of cash narcotics proceeds from customers in the United States for the Beltran Leyva Organization.
This case is supported by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF).
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua C. Mellor and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Allison B. Murray. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance.
DEFENDANTS Case Number 19cr3736-GPC
Oscar Manuel Gastelum Iribe *All Defendants are from Mexico
aka “El Musico,”
aka “Salgado,”
Servando Lopez Lopez
aka “El Huevo,”
Jose Fernando Zambada Ley
aka “El Chino”
Case Number 23cr-0621-GPC_
Juan Pablo Bastidas Erenas,
aka “Payo,”
Ugan Lopez Beltran,
aka “Kiwuas,”
aka “Prada,”
Bogar Soto Rodriguez,
aka “Loco,”
aka “Tio,”
Juvenal Leon Rodriguez,
aka “Gallo,”
Arnoldo Villa Sanchez,
aka “Arnol,”
Mario German Beltran Araujo,
aka “El Ninon,”
Jose Roberto
Navarrete Mendoza,
aka “Mono,”
Cesar Homero
Magallanes Gonzalez,
aka “Chayo,”
Ulises Franco Figueroa,
aka “Charco,”
Elvis Villatoro De La Cruz,
aka “Yogurt,”
Jesus Alonso Zamora Roman,
aka “Sobrino,”
Luis Antonio Espeleta Esparza,
aka “Negro Trailero,”
Jose Misael Macedo Alvarez,
Jose Francisco Osuna Osorio,
aka “Gabino,”
Eduardo Adalberto Sustaita Castaneda,
aka “Susto,”
Carlos Antonio
Pacheco Castaneda,
Jesus Sergio
Santiago Gonzalez,
aka “Zucaritas,”
Oscar Aleman Meza,
Lorenzo Mendez Sanchez,
aka “Lencho,”
Juan Manuel Hernandez Soto,
aka “Piki,”
aka “Guero,”
Pedro Rodriguez Moreno,
Francisco Ramon
Pelaez Luengas,
aka “Wawis,”
Eduardo Gabriel Ibarra Mone
Case Number 23cr-0699-GPC_
Josue De Jesus
Estrada Gutierrez,
aka “Barbas,”
aka “Barbon,”
Brayan Carrizoza Arredondo,
Alejo Lopez Perez,
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
International Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine – Title 21, U.S.C., Sections 959, 960 and 963
Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Cocaine on Board a Vessel - Title 46, U.S.C., Secs. 70503 and 70506(b)
Conspiracy to Import Controlled Substances - Title 21, U.S.C., Sections 952, 960 and 963
Maximum penalty: Life in prison with a 10-year mandatory minimum; $10 million fine
AGENCY
Homeland Security Investigations
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Drug Enforcement Administration
Coast Guard Investigative Service
*The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Federal Grand Jury A Indictments Announced - December 2023Read the Press Release
United States Attorney Clint Johnson today announced the results of the December 2023 Federal Grand Jury A.
The following individuals have been charged with violations of United States law in indictments returned by the Grand Jury.
The return of an indictment is a method of informing a defendant of alleged violations of federal law, which must be proven in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt to overcome a defendant’s presumption of innocence.Elgin Zip Adkins. Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition. Adkins, 23, of Tulsa is charged with possessing firearm and ammunition after he had previously been convicted of a felony in Tulsa County District Court. The Drug Enforcement Administration and Oklahoma Highway Patrol are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney David A. Nasar is prosecuting the case. 23-CR-389
Keenan Duke Lamont Brown, II; Isaac Emiliano Littleman-Ortega; Royal Dale Juan Brown. Robbery in Indian Country (count 1); Carrying, Using, and Brandishing a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence (counts 2 and 7); Carjacking (count 3); Carrying, Using, Brandishing, and Discharging a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence (count 4); Kidnapping in Indian Country (count 5); Obstructing, Delaying, and Affecting Commerce by Robbery (count 6) (superseding). K. Brown, 19, a member of Muscogee (Creek) Nation, Littleman-Ortega, 18, a member of Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes, and R. Brown, 20, each from Tulsa, are charged with using a firearm to commit robbery in Sept. 2023. They are further charged with brandishing and discharging a firearm during a carjacking and kidnapping. The FBI and Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua M. Carmel and Nathan E. Michel are prosecuting the case. 23-CR-339
Kyle Thomas Brown; Audryanna Gibbens; Julia Lydia Savage; Dustin Louis Palmer. Drug Conspiracy (superseding). Brown, 28, of Santa Maria, CA, Gibbens, 43, of Oceano, CA, Savage, 33 of Atascadero, CA, and Palmer, 39 of Arroyo Grande, CA, are charged with possessing and distributing methamphetamine from Aug. 2021 through Oct. 2021. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney John E. Brasher is prosecuting the case. 23-CR-309
Kacey J. Hamilton. Failure to Register as a Sex Offender. Hamilton, 32, of Tulsa, is charged with knowingly failing to register as a sex offender from Sep. 2021 through the date of the Indictment. The United States Marshal Service is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cheryl L. Baber is prosecuting the case. 23-CR-390
Jorge Hernandez Rubalcaba. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien; Failure to Register as a Sex Offender. Rubalcaba, 39, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been removed in Jun. 2023, at or near Laredo, Texas. He is also charged with failing to register as a sex offender from Jun. 2022 through the date of the Indictment. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Removal Operations, United States Marshal Service and Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elliot P. Anderson is prosecuting the case. 23-CR-393
Kevin David Kost. Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition; Possession of Fentanyl and Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drag Trafficking Crime. Kost, 34, of Tulsa is charged with possessing firearm and ammunition after he had previously been convicted of felonies in Tulsa County District Court. He is further charged with trafficking, possession and intent to distribute Fentanyl and Methamphetamine. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Cherokee Nation Marshal Service are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mandy M. Mackenzie is prosecuting the case. 23-CR-384
Jarrod Demar Mansker. Assault of an Intimate/Dating Partner by Strangling and Attempting to Strangle in Indian Country; Domestic Assault by an Habitual Offender in Indian Country (superseding). Mansker, 51, a member of Muscogee (Creek) Nation, is charged with strangling an intimate dating partner in Sep. 2023. He is further charged with habitual domestic assault after being convicted in Muscogee (Creek) Nation District Court as well as Tulsa County District Court. The FBI and Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mallory Richard is prosecuting the case. 23-CR-342
Edward Leon Pulley. Felon in Possession of Firearms and Ammunition; Possession of a Stolen Firearm. Pulley, 34, of Tulsa, is charged with possessing firearms and ammunition after he had previously been convicted of felonies throughout Oklahoma. He is further charged with possessing a stolen firearm in Aug. 2023. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Tulsa Police Department, Drug Enforcement Administration are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Niko Boulieris is prosecuting the case. 23-CR-391
Edgar Geovanny Rodriguez-Aranda. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Rodriguez-Aranda, 39, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been removed in Jul 2018, at or near Brownsville, Texas. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Removal Operations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cheryl L. Baber is prosecuting the case. 23-CR-392
Rudy Tyler Rudd. Kidnapping in Indian Country. Rudd, 39, of Adair and a member of the Osage Nation, is charged with knowingly and unlawfully kidnapping two victims in Aug. 2023. The FBI and Mayes County Sheriff’s Office are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mallory Richard is prosecuting the case. 23-CR-394
FCI Schuylkill inmate Charged with Assault of A Corrections Officer and Possession of Contraband in PrisonRead the Press Release
SCRANTON- The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Carlos Rodriguez-Cruz, age 32, formerly of Puerto Rico, and an inmate at the Federal Correctional Institution, Schuylkill, in Minersville, Pennsylvania, was indicted yesterday for assaulting a federal corrections officer and for possession of contraband in prison.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the indictment charges Rodriguez-Cruz with assaulting a corrections officer and possessing contraband on October 6, 2023. The charges stem from an incident in which Rodriguez-Cruz engaged in a physical confrontation with a corrections officer. After the confrontation, staff at FCI Schuylkill searched Rodriguez-Cruz and found him in possession of a dangerous prison-made weapon, commonly known as a “shank.”
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Prisons Special Investigative Service. Assistant United States Attorney Robert J. O’Hara is prosecuting the case.
In this case, the maximum penalty under federal law is up to 13 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
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Española Trio Face Charges in Relation to String of Armed Robberies that Led to Shooting DeathRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, announced today that Ricky Eddie Martinez, Jr., Adelene Urquijo and Ashley Thompson have been charged in relation to a string of robberies in 2022 that culminated with the shooting death of a Blake’s Lotaburger employee on Aug. 16.
Martinez, 32, of Española, is charged with 3 counts of interference with commerce by robbery, 1 count of interference with commerce by attempted robbery, 2 counts of using, carrying and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, 1 count of discharging said firearm, and 1 count of felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Urquijo, 37, of Española, is charged with aiding and abetting an interference with commerce by attempted robbery. Urquijo and Thompson, 33, of Santa Fe, are charged with being accessories after the fact. Martinez and Urquijo are detained pending trial. Thompson was recently arrested and will be scheduled for a detention hearing at a later date.
According to the criminal complaint, from Aug. 9 through Aug. 16, 2022, Martinez allegedly robbed at least seven businesses in Española, Taos and Santa Fe. In each robbery, Martinez allegedly entered the business, brandished a pistol and demanded money. During a robbery of a Walgreens in Española, Martinez became agitated when a store employee had trouble opening the cash register. Martinez allegedly fired a shot in the direction of the employee, who sustained burns due to the proximity of the gun power from the shot.
On Aug. 16, Martinez allegedly entered a Blake’s Lotaburger in Española and, while ordering food, brandished a firearm and demanded money. Martinez then allegedly fatally shot an employee. Martinez allegedly climbed over the counter and pistol whipped another employee, striking the employee repeatedly in the back of the head. Martinez allegedly attempted to open the cash register, but failed and fled the building on foot.
According to the indictment, Urquijo aided and abetted Martinez during the Aug. 16 incident. Following the incident, Urquijo and Thompson allegedly provided Martinez with assistance in order to prevent his apprehension.
Martinez was previously convicted on three counts of shooting at or from a motor vehicle in 2013, assault resulting in serious bodily injury in Indian Country in 2019, and escape or attempt to escape from jail, aggravated assault upon a peace officer with a deadly weapon, aggravated fleeing a law enforcement officer, robbery and burglary of a vehicle in 2021. As a previously convicted felon, Martinez cannot legally possess a firearm or ammunition.
An indictment is only an allegation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, Martinez faces up to life in prison. Urquijo faces up to 20 years in prison and Thompson faces up to 10 years in prison.
The Santa Fe Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Española Police Department, Taos Police Department and New Mexico State Police. Assistant United States Attorneys Timothy Trembley and Brittany DuChaussee are prosecuting the case.
View the Superseding Indictment# # #
23-278
Escapee Sentenced to 18 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Floyd L. Marlow Jr., 29, Milwaukee, Wisconsin was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 18 months in prison for escape. Marlow pleaded guilty to this charge on September 13, 2023.
In March 2018, Marlow pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing with intent to distribute cocaine base and heroin and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. On May 24, 2018, Marlow was sentenced to a total of 70 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release.
In June 2022, as his federal prison sentence was nearing completion, Marlow transitioned from a correctional institution to a residential reentry facility. Then, in December 2022, Marlow transitioned from that facility to home confinement at a family member’s home. While on home confinement, Marlow continued to serve his sentence and remained under the rules of the reentry facility.
On February 20, 2023, Marlow became intoxicated and physically assaulted several family members before cutting off his GPS bracelet and fleeing his relative’s home without authorization. Marlow was placed on escape status that night.
Police tried to conduct a traffic stop of Marlow on April 4, 2023. Marlow refused to pull over and instead fled at a high rate of speed. Marlow eventually crashed into another car, that car burst into flames, and the driver of that car died. Police apprehended Marlow, and he has been in custody ever since.
Marlow is scheduled for a plea hearing on December 13, 2023 in his Milwaukee County case involving the flight, car crash, and death.
At sentencing, Judge Conley highlighted Marlow’s lack of impulse control and continuing danger to the community. Judge Conley ordered Marlow’s sentence today to run consecutive to the eight months Marlow has remaining on his sentence in his Eastern District of Wisconsin case, so Marlow will effectively serve 26 months in prison.
The charge against Marlow was the result of an investigation conducted by the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Anderson prosecuted this case.
Convicted handyman imprisoned for drive-by shooting at former clientRead the Press Release
CORPUS CHRISTI – A 44-year-old Corpus Christi resident has been sentenced for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Jason Jaime Merdes pleaded guilty Aug. 24.
U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos has now ordered Merdes to serve 120 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. In handing down the sentence, the court heard that not only did Merdes possess a firearm, but he also used the gun in a drive-by shooting the day prior to his arrest. Two victims of the shooting provided testimony to the court, both describing how the shooting has affected their lives and how close the shots were to the rooms where their children were sleeping.
On May 15, a homeowner woke up to the sound of gunshots outside his residence at approximately 3 a.m. and alerted authorities. Upon investigation, law enforcement discovered shell casings in the street and multiple bullet holes in the home and garage.
The homeowner named Merdes as a possible suspect. The resident had previously hired Merdes to complete a home repair and sent legal notice to him after the job was not completed.
Neighborhood cameras showed footage of a suspect vehicle. Law enforcement observed the same vehicle leaving Merdes’ residence and made a traffic stop. He was wearing a holster on his belt. Authorities also found a gun under his seat.
A search of his residence revealed nine additional firearms. Of the ten firearms possessed by Merdes, one matched the shell casings found at the scene of the shooting, and two others were consistent with bullet fragments recovered.
As a convicted felon, Merdes is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition per federal law.
Merdes will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
FBI and Corpus Christi Police conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Martin prosecuted the case.
Convicted felon going to prison for more than 12 years on child pornography chargeRead the Press Release
ROCHESTER, NY—U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Jason Koscielski, 35, of Rochester, NY, who was convicted of possession of child pornography by an individual with a prior sex offense conviction, was sentenced to serve 151 months in prison and 20 years supervised release by U.S. District Judge Charles J. Siragusa.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan K. McGuire, who handled the case, stated that in December 2011, Koscielski was convicted on federal charges of receipt, distribution, and possession of child pornography, and sentenced to serve 135 months in prison and 30 years supervised release, which prohibited him from possessing any unmonitored telephone. In November of 2021, Koscielski obtained a Tracfone, in violation of the terms of his supervised release.
Between November 2 and November 16, 2021, Koscielski used the phone to send and receive images of child pornography and to possess approximately 476 images of child pornography. Many of the images involved children younger than 12 years old and were sexually explicit in nature. On November 5, 2021, Koscielski also used the Phone to exchange sexually explicit photos with Minor Victim 1, a 15-year-old male.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the U.S. Probation Department, under the director of Chief Probation Officer Timothy Englert and the Federal Bureau of Investigation Child Exploitation Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia.
Commerce Township Man Sentenced in Pandemic Relief Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
DETROIT - Commerce Township resident Ryan T. Carruthers was sentenced to two years and three months in prison yesterday for defrauding the Small Business Administration and various banks out of approximately $851,000 as part of a pandemic relief fraud scheme, announced United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison. Carruthers was also ordered to pay $851,963 in restitution to his victims.
Ison was joined in the announcement by Angie Salazar, Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Office of Homeland Security Investigations.
Ryan Carruthers, 42, pleaded guilty in August 2023 to one count of wire fraud before United States District Judge Paul D. Borman. The guilty plea arose out of Carruthers’ participation in a wide-ranging scheme to obtain loans to which he was not entitled from two pandemic relief programs overseen by the Small Business Administration (SBA).
According to plea documents, in approximately April 2020, Carruthers began to submit electronic applications for pandemic relief loans in the names of various business entities he purported to own and control. Between April 2020 and April 2021, Carruthers submitted numerous loan applications through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which was an SBA-administered program that provided forgivable loans to businesses to encourage them to keep workers employed during the pandemic. Carruthers also submitted a loan application under the SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program (EIDL), which was a program that provided low-interest financing to businesses adversely affected by the pandemic. The PPP loan applications were submitted to various participating lenders of the program, while the EIDL loan application went directly to the SBA.
According to the plea documents, the loan applications contained numerous material misrepresentations and false statements. Carruthers’s business entities were shells that existed on paper only; they had no revenue, employees, or ongoing operations of any sort. However, Carruthers claimed in his applications that each of these entities had between three and 15 employees. The average monthly payroll amounts included in the applications were fictitious, as were representations about how the money would be spent. According to Court documents, Carruthers spent the money on personal investments and expenses, including the acquisition of personal watercraft.
“Ryan Carruthers stole nearly a million dollars from programs intended to help our economy stay afloat during an unprecedented public health emergency,” said U.S. Attorney Ison. “This prosecution reflects the seriousness with which my office takes this sort of fraud, and we will continue to pursue accountability for all of those who enrich themselves at the public’s expense.”
“This fraud goes against everything our community stands for,” said HSI Detroit Special Agent in Charge Angie M. Salazar. “Let this case be a warning to others who used these funds to line their own pockets. Our agents and partners are wholly committed to investigating these loans and ensuring that justice is served.”
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John K. Neal. The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations with the assistance of the Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General.
Cleveland Resident Pleads Guilty and is Sentenced to 72 Months in Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA – Donte Smith pled guilty and was sentenced to 72 months in federal prison for committing drug trafficking crimes, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.
Smith, age 44, of Cleveland, Ohio, pled guilty before, and was sentenced by, Chief United States District Judge Mark R. Hornak.
Smith pled guilty to committing the following crimes in New Castle, Mercer County, Pennsylvania: (1) conspiracy to distribute at least 40 grams of fentanyl, 50 grams of methamphetamine, 28 grams of cocaine base, a quantity of cocaine, and a quantity of heroin, from March 2020 to August 2021; (2) distribution of heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine base, on October 30, 2020; (3) possession with intent to distribute of at least 40 grams of fentanyl, 50 grams of methamphetamine, 28 grams of cocaine base, and a quantity of cocaine, on August 12, 2021; and (4) possession with intent to distribute of at least 40 grams of a mixture containing fentanyl and cocaine, and of another quantity of cocaine, on December 20, 2022.
Judge Hornak ordered Smith to serve four years of supervised release following his prison sentence.
Assistant United States Attorney Craig W. Haller prosecuted this case on behalf of the United States.
The Lawrence County Drug Task Force, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the New Castle Police Department, the Shenango Police Department, and the Hickory Township Police Department conducted the investigation leading to the convictions and sentence in this case.
Chester County Man Pleads Guilty in Federal Court to Illegally Possessing Guns and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
COLUMBIA, S.C. —Jonathan Neely, 34, of Fort Lawn, South Carolina has pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition.
Evidence obtained in the investigation revealed that on March 3, the Chester County Sheriff’s Office, United States Probation Office, and the United States Marshals Service obtained an arrest warrant for Neely for violation of his federal supervised release and a state search warrant for his residence, located in Ft Lawn. Neely was on federal supervised release based upon convictions for knowingly possession of an unregistered firearm, knowingly possession of an unregistered firearm silencer, knowingly possession of an unregistered firearm silencer without a serial number and possession of a firearm by an unlawful drug user. These convictions arose out of a federal conviction in Asheville, North Carolina in 2018.
A search of the residence resulted in the seizure of multiple rounds of ammunition, a Ruger pistol and a plastic baggie containing methamphetamine. Law enforcement then went to another residence in Fort Lawn where investigators noted a white colored trailer on the property. This was the same trailer that was reported to have been used by Neely to hide his firearms and that he had recently hidden on this property.
The police spoke to the property owner who stated that the trailer belonged to Neely, that he had dropped it off on the property, and that only Neely had access to it. The property owner stated that they did not have keys to the trailer or know what was inside of it. The police obtained a search warrant for the trailer.
During the search of the trailer, investigators recovered a large amount of ammunition and the following firearms:
• Rossi .22 caliber revolver;
• Makarov 9mm pistol;
• Palmetto State Armory AR-15 style rifle;
• New England Arms 20-gauge shotgun;
• Ruger pistol;
• Stevens Arms .20-gauge shotgun;
On March 14, the Marshals Service located Neely and placed him under arrest. Following his arrest, Neely acknowledged that he owned the firearms in the trailer and that he was aware that his felony convictions had prohibited him from possessing them.
Neely faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison. He also faces a fine of up to $250,000, restitution, and three years of supervision to follow the term of imprisonment. United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis accepted the guilty plea and will sentence Neely after receiving and reviewing a sentencing report prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.
This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
This case was investigated by U.S. Probation Office, U.S. Marshals Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Chester County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney William K. Witherspoon is prosecuting the case.
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Charleston Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Gun CrimesRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Joshua Azale Mitchell, 21, of Charleston, was sentenced today to five years and three months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for stealing firearms from two Kanawha County businesses.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on November 9, 2022, Mitchell broke into a Dunbar business and stole a Diamondback Firearms DB15 5.56 caliber rifle and a Smith and Wesson M&P 15-22 .22-caliber rifle. On November 10, 2022, Mitchell broke into a Charleston business and stole a Custom Arms & Accessories LD-15 5.56 caliber rifle and a DPMS Panther Arms A-15 5.56 caliber rifle.
Mitchell pleaded guilty to two counts of theft of firearms from a federal firearms licensee and aiding and abetting the thefts. Co-defendant Keara Kilpatrick, 21, of Charleston, was sentenced to six months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, on October 4, 2023, after pleading guilty to two counts of theft of firearms from a federal firearms licensee and aiding and abetting the thefts. Kilpatrick drove Mitchell to and from the two Kanawha County businesses where Mitchell broke in and stole the firearms.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office and the Charleston Police Department.
United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorneys Ryan A. Keefe and Brian Parsons prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:23-cr-28.
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California Man to Serve 17 Years for Supplying Fentanyl Causing Wise County OverdosesRead the Press Release
ABINGDON, Va. – A California man, who supplied the fentanyl linked to teenage overdoses that occurred in Wise County, Virginia, was sentenced yesterday to 17 years in federal prison.
Alexander Ortiz, 26, a.k.a. “LoLife,” of Fullerton, Calif., pleaded guilty in January 2023 to one count of conspiring to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
According to court documents, Ortiz and his co-conspirators, Jorge Efrain Perez and Destiny Raeann Perez, were the suppliers of fentanyl for Paul Mason Perkins, Aaron Stidham, Austin Jeremiah Lane, Cheyenne Cassie Carico, and others, all of Southwest Virginia.
Between November 2020, and June 2022, Ortiz sold thousands of pressed pills containing fentanyl to Perkins and others. Ortiz sold 1,000 pills at a time to Perkins using the social media platforms Snapchat and Instagram, making sales to Perkins every few weeks. Ortiz had the pills mailed to Perkins at his residence in Big Stone Gap, Virginia. Perkins then distributed the pills to other individuals in Wise County, including multiple sales to co-conspirators Lane and Carico. Jorge Perez and Destiny Perez assisted Ortiz in mailing the illicit packages from California to Virginia, as well as other locations throughout the country.
On November 24, 2021, Perkins sold Carico and Lane three pressed pills. Lane and Carico had purchased two of the pills for a 17-year-old female the two knew from school. Later that night, the 17-year-old female was hospitalized due to a drug overdose. Later the same night, an 18-year-old male who had purchased pressed pills containing fentanyl from Perkins was hospitalized due to a drug overdose. Further investigation revealed that pills from both overdoses were linked to Ortiz.
Search warrants executed at Ortiz’s residences in Los Banos and Santa Ana, California, resulted in the recovery of over 6,000 pressed pills containing fentanyl, approximately $60,000 cash, and 13 firearms.
United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh, Craig B. Kailimai, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Washington Field Division, and Tommy D. Coke, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Atlanta Division made the announcement.
The Wise County Sheriff’s Office, Norton Police Department, Southwest Drug Task Force (consisting of the Wise County Sheriff’s Office, Scott County Sheriff’s Office, Lee County Sheriff’s Office, Norton Police Department, Big Stone Gap Police Department, and Virginia State Police), Orange County (CA) Sheriff’s Department, Stanislaus County (CA) Sheriff’s Department, Santa Ana (CA) Police Department, Anaheim (CA) Police Department, United States Postal Inspection Service, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lena Busscher is prosecuting the case.
Browning man sentenced to prison for manslaughter in death of woman struck by vehicle on Blackfeet Indian ReservationRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS — A Browning man who admitted to striking a woman with his vehicle and killing her in 2021 on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation was sentenced today to one year and a day in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.
Jordan Joseph Morgan, 31, pleaded guilty in July to involuntary manslaughter.
In a plea agreement in the case, the parties agreed that a specific recommendation of 12 months and one day imprisonment was appropriate.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided. The court also ordered $10,600 in restitution.
In court documents, the government alleged that on the evening of Nov. 8, 2021, Morgan encountered the victim, identified as Jane Doe, who was known to him, in Browning. The two argued. Morgan got into his vehicle, while Jane Doe stayed by the open window at Morgan’s door. Morgan pulled forward with Jane Doe still at his door and holding onto the open window. After a short distance, the vehicle pulled to the right, throwing Jane Doe under the vehicle. Morgan continued driving and ran over Jane Doe.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lori Harper Suek and Kalah A. Paisley prosecuted the case. The FBI, Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services and Montana Highway Patrol conducted the investigation.
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Bronx Gang Member Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for MurderRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that JALEEL SHAKOOR, a/k/a “Midnight,” was sentenced today to 30 years in prison in connection with the murder of Gerry Mazzella on June 3, 2021, in the Bronx, New York. SHAKOOR previously pled guilty to racketeering conspiracy and interstate transportation of a firearm before U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon, who imposed today’s sentence.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Jaleel Shakoor murdered 26-year-old Gerry Mazzella by shooting him in the back of the neck from point-blank range. Mazzella’s death was senseless. New Yorkers must be able to lead their lives free from the threat of gang violence. Gang members who commit violent crimes will be apprehended and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
As alleged in the Indictment and other documents filed in federal court and based on statements made in public court proceedings:
From at least 2020 to 2022, SHAKOOR was a member of the Untouchable Gorilla Stone Nation (“Gorilla Stone”), which is a set of the national Bloods gang. Gorilla Stone operated primarily in the northeast United States, including in the Bronx, and in the jails and prisons of New York City and the State of New York.
Members of Gorilla Stone committed robberies and distributed controlled substances in order to enrich themselves. They also murdered and assaulted members of rival gangs and members of Gorilla Stone in order to resolve disputes within the gang. Gorilla Stone members promoted and celebrated the gang’s criminal conduct — including drug distribution, acts of violence, and firearms usage — on social media.
On June 3, 2021, in the vicinity of West 165th Street and Woodycrest Avenue in the Bronx, SHAKOOR shot Mazzella in the back of the neck, causing Mazzella’s death. SHAKOOR committed this murder to retaliate against one of Mazzella’s friends, with whom SHAKOOR had an ongoing, gang-related dispute.
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In addition to his prison sentence, SHAKOOR, 28, of the Bronx, New York, was sentenced to three years of supervised release.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the New York City Police Department.
This case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Violent & Organized Crime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick R. Moroney, Christopher D. Brumwell, and Emily A. Johnson are in charge of the prosecution.
Bomb hoaxes lead to indictment of Chatham County manRead the Press Release
SAVANNAH, GA: A Chatham County man has been indicted for making bomb hoaxes targeting a Savannah mosque and an office park.
Mohammed Arafat Afaneh, 27, of Savannah, was indicted by a U.S. District Court Grand Jury on two counts of False Information and Hoaxes, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. Afaneh was located and arrested on state charges in Louisville, Kentucky, and remanded to the custody of U.S. Marshals after an initial appearance hearing in federal court in the Western District of Kentucky.
The indictment alleges that on Nov. 17, Afaneh conveyed information that a bomb that would detonate at 3 p.m. at an office park on Chatham Parkway in Savannah, near the federal court building, and that a bomb would detonate seven minutes before Maghrib, or afternoon prayers, inside the Islamic Center of Savannah.
Responding law enforcement agencies determined both warnings were hoaxes.
Indictments contain only charges. Afaneh is considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case is being investigated by the FBI, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorney Darron J. Hubbard.
Blackstone Man Arrested for Defrauding Former EmployerRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Blackstone man was arrested today in connection with a fraudulent scheme to steal money from his former employer – a company that operates a national chain of second-hand retail stores.
Anthony Prizio, 48, was indicted on six counts of wire fraud. Prizio will make an initial appearance in federal court in Worcester today at 2 p.m. today before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge David H. Hennessy.
According to the indictment, from January 2019 until July 2021, Prizio served as the manager of the company’s Worcester store location. In this position, Prizio had access to the store’s timekeeping system for employees’ working hours, human resources panel, and un-activated payroll paycards issued to certain employees for wages. It is alleged that Prizio used his position as the store manager to engage in a scheme to defraud the company by repeatedly falsifying working hours for employees, including employees who no longer worked there. Prizio would then allegedly take some or all of the wages for his own use on personal expenditures, including his home’s utility expenses, vehicle registration fees and veterinary services. It is further alleged that Prizio took steps to conceal his fraud by misrepresenting the productivity of the Worcester store to make it appear that the store processed more items, as well as by entering false paid sick and bereavement for employees to fraudulently cause payment for fictitious hours without adversely affecting the productivity measurement of the store.
The charge of wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gross loss involved. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Boston Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kaitlin J. Brown of the Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the indictment are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Belgian National Faces Federal Charges for Illegally Procuring Critical U.S. Technology for End Users in China and RussiaRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.—A federal indictment was unsealed Tuesday in the District of Oregon charging a Belgian national in connection with the export of sensitive, military-grade technology from the United States to end users in the People’s Republic of China.
Hans Maria De Geetere, 61, of Knokke-Heist, Belgium, has been charged with one count of obtaining goods intended for China in violation of the Export Control Reform Act (ECRA) and four counts of making false statements.
“Export control laws and regulations serve an important role in protecting our national security. This case demonstrates our commitment to holding individuals accountable wherever they reside,” said Natalie Wight, U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon. “We urge anyone with information about violations of export control laws to contact OEE and the FBI immediately.”
“The Office of Export Enforcement (OEE) is focused on aggressive enforcement of violations of U.S. export controls. Today’s indictment of De Geetere for seeking to export controlled items with military and aerospace applications to China demonstrates OEE’s commitment to focusing our investigative efforts on transactions of the highest national security significance,” said John D. Masters, Special Agent in Charge, Office of Export Enforcement, San Jose Field Office, Bureau of Industry and Security, US Department of Commerce.
“According to this indictment, Hans De Geetere was breaking laws and risking national security to benefit himself, the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation,” said Kieran L. Ramsey, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Portland Field Office. “This investigation was a well-coordinated effort between the FBI and our federal and international partners, and it demonstrates how far we will go to prevent the illegal transfer of military-use technology to our adversaries.”
According to court documents, between April 2021 and August 2023, De Geetere, who owned and operated a Belgium-based supply chain management and procurement services company called Knokke Heist Support Corporation Management (KHSCM), attempted to illegally procure for export to China controlled accelerometers valued at more than $930,000.
On or about April 9, 2021, a company in the United States shipped approximately $13,249 worth of accelerometers to a German reseller to fulfill an order for KHSCM. On or about April 14, 2021, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), Office of Export Enforcement detained the shipment for inspection to confirm its end user and avoid potential diversion and improper military use.
OEE contacted the German reseller to request that its customer, KHSCM, complete a required BIS form identifying its end user for the accelerometers and how the devices would be used. On or about April 15, 2021, De Geetere is alleged to have completed the form and in it falsely claim the accelerometers were for use by Agentschap Wegen en Verkeer, a government agency in the Flemish region of Belgium. Later, on a phone call with an OEE special agent and in an email to the agent written by De Geetere falsely claiming to be a Flemish export control official, De Geetere again falsely stated the accelerometers were for use in Belgium when, in truth, he intended to divert the items to China.
Accelerometers are electronic devices that measure the vibration, tilt, and acceleration of structures in industrial, aerospace, and military systems. In aerospace and military applications, accelerometers play a critical role in structural testing and monitoring, impact survival tests, flight control systems, weapons and craft navigation systems, active vibration dampening, stabilization, and other systems. The export of these accelerometers to certain countries, including China and Russia, is restricted under U.S. law.
In a separate indictment unsealed Tuesday in the Eastern District of Texas, De Geetere and a co-defendant are alleged to have conspired with one another to illegally smuggle from the United States export-controlled field programmable gate array circuits to Russia and short-wave infrared surveillance cameras to China.
De Geetere was arrested Tuesday in Belgium by Belgian authorities.
Obtaining goods in violation of ECRA and making false statements in connection with or during an export enforcement investigation are each punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison and a $1 million fine, per count of conviction.
This case was investigated by OEE with assistance from the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). It is being prosecuted by Greg Nyhus, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.
An indictment is only an accusation of a crime, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Today’s actions were coordinated through the Disruptive Technology Strike Force, an interagency law enforcement strike force co-led by the Departments of Justice and Commerce designed to target illicit actors, protect supply chains, and prevent critical technology from being acquired by authoritarian regimes and hostile nation-states. Under the leadership of the Assistant Attorney General for National Security and the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Enforcement, the Strike Force leverages tools and authorities across the U.S. Government to enhance the criminal and administrative enforcement of export control laws.
23-cr-374-de_geetere-indictment_unsealed.pdfBelgian National Charged with Crimes Related to Scheme to Illegally Procure Critical U.S. Technology for End Users in China and RussiaRead the Press Release
In two separate indictments unsealed yesterday, Hans Maria De Geetere, 61, of Knokke-Heist, Belgium, is charged with crimes related to a years-long scheme to unlawfully export sensitive, military-grade technology from the United States to end users located in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Russian Federation.
Concurrent with the unsealing, authorities in Belgium, in coordination with the FBI’s Legal Attaché Office in Brussels, Belgium, executed search warrants and arrested De Geetere and others for questioning on Dec. 5 in connection with a Belgian investigation into De Geetere’s global illicit procurement scheme.
In addition, the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) and the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) added De Geetere and his companies, Knokke-Heist Support Management Corporation and European Trading Technology BV, to the BIS Entity List and the OFAC Specially Designated and Blocked Person (SDN) List for acquiring and illicitly diverting U.S.-origin electronic components used in missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles, electronic warfare receivers, and military radar on behalf of parties in the PRC and Russia.
“As alleged, Hans Maria De Geetere orchestrated multiple smuggling schemes to unlawfully re-export advanced U.S. technologies to China and Russia,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “The Justice Department is committed to working with partners, including through our leadership of the Disruptive Technology Strike Force, to hold accountable those who violate U.S. export control laws, and place personal profit over the security of the United States and our allies. We are grateful to the Belgian authorities for their coordination with U.S. law enforcement as they work to hold the defendant accountable under Belgian law.”
“Hans De Geetere allegedly acquired and illicitly diverted U.S.-origin electronic components to China and Russia that can be used in missiles, drones, and military radar,” said Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement Matthew S. Axelrod. “These coordinated actions, which include the unsealing of federal indictments against De Geetere, his arrest abroad, and additions to our Entity List, demonstrate our commitment to cutting off the flow of critical U.S. electronics to the PRC and Russia.”
“These indictments of Hans Maria De Geetere highlight years of deceit and deception for the benefit of the governments of the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation,” said Executive Assistant Director Larissa L. Knapp of the FBI’s National Security Branch. “These charges demonstrate the commitment of the FBI and our partners to coordinate and make the world safer, together, by preventing the illegal transfer of military-use technology to our adversaries.”
U.S. v. De Geetere et al., Eastern District of Texas
According to court documents in the Eastern District of Texas, between March 2016 and February 2018, De Geetere and co-defendant Eddy Johan Coopmans, 62, of Ponte Verda, Florida, conspired to illegally smuggle from the United States export-controlled field programmable gate array (FGPA) circuits to Russia and short-wave infrared surveillance (SWIR) cameras to the PRC. As alleged, the defendants wired partial payments totaling over $1.2 million in an attempt to acquire these items. Coopsmans pleaded guilty to the conspiracy on Oct. 5, 2022, and is pending sentencing.
“As alleged, Mr. De Geetere conspired with others to violate U.S. export controls and illegally smuggle sensitive American-made technologies to Russia and the PRC,” said U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs for the Eastern District of Texas. “This indictment should be an example that the Eastern District of Texas will aggressively pursue and prosecute those — no matter where they are in the world — who seek to avoid U.S. export laws to supply Russia and the PRC with microelectronics that can be used for nefarious purposes.”
U.S. v. De Geetere, District of Oregon
Separately, according to court documents in the District of Oregon, between April 2021 and August 2023, De Geetere attempted to illegally procure for export to the PRC controlled accelerometers valued at more than $930,000. Accelerometers are electronic devices that measure the vibration, tilt and acceleration of motion of a structure and are often used in aerospace and military systems. During an investigation into De Geetere’s activities, he falsely told a BIS agent that the accelerometers were intended for export to Belgium, whereas in truth, he sought to obtain them for end users in the PRC.
“Export control laws and regulations serve an important role in protecting our national security and this case demonstrates our commitment to holding individuals accountable wherever they reside,” said U.S. Attorney Natalie Wight for the District of Oregon. “We urge anyone with information about violations of export control laws to contact OEE and the FBI immediately.”
In the Eastern District of Texas, De Geetere is charged with one count of conspiring to smuggle goods and one count of conspiring to launder funds. He is further charged with three counts of making false statements and one count of smuggling goods in the District of Oregon. If convicted, he faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison for conspiracy to smuggle goods and for each count of making false statements, 10 years in prison for smuggling of goods, and 20 years in prison for conspiracy to launder funds.
The case in the Eastern District of Texas was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Dallas and the FBI’s Dallas Field Office, with assistance from BIS’s Office of Export Enforcement (OEE), Department of Defense Criminal Investigative Services (DCIS), the Internal Revenue Service–Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), and the United States Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the Eastern District of Texas are prosecuting the case with assistance from Trial Attorney Derek Shugert of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section (CES).
The case in the District of Oregon was investigated by OEE, with assistance from the FBI Portland Field Office and HSI Oregon. Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg Nyhus for the District of Oregon is prosecuting the case, with assistance from CES Trial Attorney Derek Shugert.
These actions were coordinated through the Disruptive Technology Strike Force, an interagency law enforcement strike force co-led by the Departments of Justice and Commerce designed to target illicit actors, protect supply chains, and prevent critical technology from being acquired by authoritarian regimes and hostile nation-states. Under the leadership of the Assistant Attorney General for National Security and the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Enforcement, the Strike Force leverages tools and authorities across the U.S. Government to enhance the criminal and administrative enforcement of export control laws.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
De Geetere Texas Indictment De Geetere Oregon Indictment Belgian Federal Prosecutor’s Office Press ReleaseAtlanta-area man sentenced to federal prison for attempted stolen-car smuggling operationRead the Press Release
SAVANNAH, GA: A Douglas County, Ga., man has been sentenced to prison after pleading guilty in a scheme to smuggle stolen cars to Africa.
Prince Bediako, 41, of Douglasville, Ga., was sentenced to 28 months in prison after pleading guilty to Smuggling, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Judge William T. Moore Jr. also fined Bediako $1,000 and ordered him to serve three years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term.
There is no parole in the federal system.
“This sentence is a credit to our law enforcement partners who work hard every day to detect, intercept, and prevent the theft of goods and identities alike, and to hold those accountable who would attempt to smuggle goods through one of our nation’s busiest ports.” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “We applaud our law enforcement partners who safeguard this vital gateway to the United States.”
As described in court documents and testimony, on multiple occasions in 2020, Bediako aided a co-conspirator in the use of false and stolen identities and credit cards, including both fictional identities and those of unwitting individuals. The co-conspirator, using a false identity, would contact a dealership online and contract with them to ship vehicles from another state, after which the credit card payment would “bounce,” and the dealership would be left without payment.
Nineteen dealerships across the Southeast were identified as victims of this type of theft. Bediako arranged to transport the fraudulently obtained vehicles to the Port of Savannah, and then used the false and stolen identities to attempt to smuggle those vehicles to Ghana while concealing his own identity or participation in the scheme.
Personnel at the Port of Savannah intercepted the shipments.
“The Bureau of Industry and Security will not tolerate efforts to undermine the integrity of our export control system through the submission of false or misleading information,” said John Johnson, Special Agent in Charge, Miami Field Office, Office of Export Enforcement. “The Office of Export Enforcement will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to apply the investigative resources and utilize the authorities necessary to ensure compliance with U.S. export laws.”
“Our CBP Officers continually refine their skills, knowledge and awareness of current trends and techniques utilized by bad actors. These skills led to the interdiction and recovery of these stolen vehicles,” said Henry Deblock, Area Port Director in Savannah. “Their sustained efforts, training, and analysis, along with valuable collaboration among law enforcement agencies led to the success in this case. At the Port of Savannah, we take pride in our officer’s abilities to go past the point of seizure and build out the entire criminal network. That extra step is vital in dismantling these criminal organizations and putting these bad actors behind bars.”
The case was investigated by the U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security Office of Export Enforcement; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; the Georgia Ports Authority Police Department; and the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office; and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jenna G. Solari and Darron J. Hubbard.
Army Civilian Employee Indicted in San Antonio for Alleged $100 Million Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
SAN ANTONIO – A federal grand jury in San Antonio returned an indictment today charging a San Antonio woman with 10 counts related to a fraud scheme she allegedly conducted while working as a civilian financial program manager at Fort Sam Houston.
According to court documents, Janet Yamanaka Mello, 57, allegedly stole more than $100 million in Army funds by regularly submitting fraudulent paperwork that indicated an entity she controlled, Child Health and Youth Lifelong Development (CHYLD), was entitled to receive funds from the Army. Mello claimed that CHYLD provided services to military members and their families, when, in reality, CHYLD did not provide any services. The indictment alleges that Mello instead used the funds to buy millions of dollars in jewelry, clothing, vehicles, and real estate. Additionally, Mello is alleged to have falsified the digital signature of one of her supervisors on multiple occasions.
Mello is charged with five counts of mail fraud, four counts of engaging in a monetary transaction over $10,000 using criminally derived proceeds, and one count of aggravated identity theft. She is scheduled for her initial court appearance Dec. 14 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Henry J. Bemporad of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas. If convicted, Mello faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each fraud charge, up to 10 years in prison for each spending statute charge, and a mandatory minimum of two years in prison for the aggravated identity theft charge. The indictment also includes a notice of forfeiture for the proceeds and property that Mello obtained as a result of the criminal conduct alleged. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza of the Western District of Texas made the announcement.
IRS Criminal Investigation and the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin Simmons and Antonio Franco are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Arizona Man Arrested on Two Counts of Interstate ThreatsRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Donald Day, Jr., 58, of Heber, was arrested on Friday, on a federal arrest warrant after a federal grand jury indicted him on two counts of Interstate Threats.
From January 2022 to February 2023, Day used social media platforms to express a desire to incite violence and threaten a variety of groups and individuals, including law enforcement and government authorities. As to Count One, following the killing of two Queensland (Australia) Police Service officers in December 2022, Day posted a video on YouTube threatening any law enforcement official who came to his residence. Separately, as to Count Two, Day threatened to kill a victim (the Director General of the World Health Organization) in February 2023 on the video platform BitChute, calling on others to join him.
Each count carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release.
An indictment is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, is handling the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-23-8132-PCT-JJT
RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-196_Day# # #
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.Adams County Man Sentenced to 300 Months’ Imprisonment for Producing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Michael Sealover, age 45, of Adams County, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on December 5, 2023, by United States District Court Judge Jennifer P. Wilson to 300 months’ imprisonment for producing child pornography. Judge Wilson also ordered Sealover to serve 15 years on supervised release after the conclusion of his prison sentence and to pay $5,100 in assessments.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Sealover previously pleaded guilty and admitted to contacting multiple pre-adolescent girls online in July 2020, and coercing and enticing them to send him sexually explicit images at his direction. As part of the scheme, Sealover often posed as a teenage boy to gain the girls’ trust and then enticed his victims to send him sexually explicit images, falsely promising to give the victims cell phones as compensation. When Sealover’s victims resisted his instructions or expressed despair at being exploited, Sealover would threaten to publish their images online unless they complied with his demands.
The matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Adams County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Christian T. Haugsby prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.
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16-year-old Virginian charged as an Adult for October 21, 2023, murder of 24-year-old D.C. ResidentRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Ashton Inabinet, 16, of Alexandria, Virginia, was arrested yesterday on Second Degree Murder While Armed charges stemming from the homicide of 24-year-old Diamonte Lewis on October 21, 2023, in front of Nellies Bar at 9th and U Streets NW, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves announced.
Inabinet, who was a student at West Potomac High School in Alexandria, Virginia, was arraigned on a charge of second degree murder while armed in D.C. Superior Court, Courtroom C-10, earlier today, where he entered a plea of not guilty. Judge Nolan found probable cause that the defendant committed the murder and held him without bond pending a preliminary hearing on December 13, 2023 before Judge Robert Okun.
An arrest on a complaint is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal laws and every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.
In announcing the arrest, U.S. Attorney Graves commended the work of those investigating the case from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and Assistant United States Attorney Erin DeRiso for her efforts in prosecuting this case.
5 December 2023
Woman Sentenced to 30 Months in Federal Prison for Robbing West Hartford BankRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JALANIA PANTANO, 28, formerly of Middletown, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer in New Haven to 30 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for robbing a West Hartford bank last year.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on July 20, 2022, Pantano and her boyfriend, Gino Rizzo, entered the People’s United Bank located inside the Stop & Shop at 176 Newington Road in West Hartford and presented to two different tellers notes stating “Give us the money with no dye packs or GPS.” The tellers provided Pantano and Rizzo with approximately $1,599 in cash and they exited the bank and supermarket.
Rizzo, using notes demanding cash, had previously robbed People’s United Bank branches located in Stop & Shop supermarkets in Glastonbury on July 16, 2022, and in Newington on July 18, 2022.
Rizzo was arrested on July 21, 2022, and Pantano was arrested on August 30, 2022. On April 11, 2023, while on pre-trial release, Pantano and Rizzo each disconnected their GPS electronic monitoring bracelets and absconded from their court-mandated rehabilitation centers.
Pantano has been detained since her rearrest on May 24, 2023. On August 23, 2023, she pleaded guilty to one count of bank robbery.
Rizzo has been detained since his rearrest on May 22, 2023. He pleaded guilty on July 25, 2023, and is awaiting sentencing.
This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Middletown, Glastonbury, Newington, and West Hartford Police Departments. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie T. Levick and Robert S. Dearington.
Wichita man sentenced after dealing narcotics out of hotelRead the Press Release
WICHITA, KAN. – A Kansas man was sentenced to five years in prison for having firearms while dealing illegal narcotics.
According to court documents, Alexander Schultz, 36, of Wichita pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
In February 2023, the Sedgwick County Sherriff’s Office (SCSO) learned that Schultz was selling narcotics at a hotel in Wichita. Through surveillance, SCSO detectives observed Schultz dealing out of his hotel room and from his car in front of the hotel. Law enforcement arrested Schultz on an outstanding warrant and searched his vehicle. Detectives discovered baggies with blue "M30" pills with later tested positive for fentanyl with a total net weight of 138.89 grams. Law enforcement also found methamphetamine (29.40 grams), two firearms, $2,878 in U.S. Currency, and several zipper bags containing raw marijuana inside the vehicle.
In Schultz’s hotel room, deputies found approximately 12 grams of methamphetamine, a small amount of crack cocaine, marijuana, and drug paraphernalia. They also found a rifle under the mattress.
Schultz admitted the items located inside of the vehicle and hotel room were his, and that he intended to distribute the methamphetamine and fentanyl. He told investigators he had the firearms to protect himself and the drugs he was trafficking.
“Wherever there are illegal narcotics sales and guns there will likely be violence at some point. The defendant chose to deal drugs from a hotel showing he had no regard for the safety of the staff and other guests,” said U.S. Attorney Kate E. Brubacher. “Law enforcement was able to arrest Alexander Schultz and stop him from selling fentanyl and methamphetamine which may have saved lives.”
The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office and Wichita Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ola Odeyemi and Deb Barnett prosecuted the case.
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Wayne Man Pleads Guilty to Lying to DEA Task Force OfficerRead the Press Release
BANGOR, Maine: A Wayne man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Bangor to intentionally making false statements to a federal law enforcement agent.
According to court records, in November 2022, Victor Sousa, 24, was questioned by a Task Force Officer with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) regarding two subjects of a federal narcotics investigation. After denying that he knew either suspect, Sousa called Suspect A from jail multiple times. Court records further indicated that Sousa had previously lived with Suspect A and that Suspect B had supplied Sousa with narcotics in the past.
Sousa faces up to up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The DEA investigated the case.
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Wausau Man Indicted for Drug Offenses in Two North-Central Wisconsin Tribal CommunitiesRead the Press Release
Gregory J. Haanstad, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on November 28, 2023, a federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment charging Charles A. Parham a/k/a “Red,” a/k/a “Cuzzo,” with drug crimes taking place on the Menominee Indian Reservation and at a tribal casino on land owned by the Ho-Chunk Nation.
The indictment charged Parham, a 41-year-old formerly of Wausau, as follows:
COUNT
DATE
CHARGE
PENALTY
One
On or about September 29, 2023
Distribution of Heroin, 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C)
Maximum of 20 years in prison; up to $1 million fine
Two
On or about October 12, 2023
Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl, 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(b)
Mandatory minimum 5 years, up to 40 years in prison; up to $5 million fine
Parham also faces terms of supervised release and special assessments of $100 per count if convicted.
According to filed court documents, on or about September 29, 2023, Parham distributed heroin to another person at a location on the Menominee Indian Reservation. Count Two relates to Parham’s possession with intent to distribute at least 40 grams of a mixture and substance containing Fentanyl, which was at a tribal casino in western Shawano County.
The case was investigated by multiple agencies as part of the Safe Trails Task Force (STTF) and Native American Drug and Gang Initiative (NADGI). NADGI and STTF allow federal, tribal, state, and local law enforcement to partner in an effort to combat drug trafficking and violent crime on the Menominee Indian Reservation. STTF members are deputized federal officers who identify and target for prosecution individuals who are involved in distribution of dangerous drug on the Menominee Indian Reservation. Coordination of state resources through NADGI permits efficient communication and evidence processing, which are essential to swift but fair prosecution of offenders.
The Menominee Tribal Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case, with assistance from the Central Wisconsin Narcotics Task Force, Shawano County Sheriff’s Office, and the Wisconsin State Crime Laboratory. Assistant United States Attorney Andrew J. Maier will prosecute the case in U.S. District Court in Green Bay.
An indictment is only a charge and not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
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For Additional Information Contact:
Public Information Officer
414-297-1700
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Waubay Man Sentenced for Escaping from CustodyRead the Press Release
SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Waubay, South Dakota, man convicted of Escape from Custody. The sentencing took place on November 28, 2023.
Levi Ambrose Locke, age 32, was sentenced to nine months in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.
Locke was indicted by a federal grand jury in May of 2023. He pleaded guilty on August 25, 2023.
The conviction stemmed from an incident on April 13, 2023, when Locke was in the custody of the Bureau of Prisons at Dismas Charities, an institutional facility located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Locke was at Dismas Charities based on a felony conviction. On April 13th, Locke left Dismas Charities to go work his shift at his place of employment, but instead of going to work, Locke escaped and did not return to the facility that same day as required.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ann M. Hoffman prosecuted the case.
Locke was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Waterloo Felon and Domestic Abuser Sentenced to Federal Prison for Discharging Stolen FirearmRead the Press Release
A Waterloo man who discharged a stolen firearm during an argument was sentenced today to more than five years in federal prison. Dean Eugene Smith, age 54, from Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison term after a July 10, 2023 guilty plea to one count of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.
In a plea agreement, Smith admitted that, on April 16, 2023, he was involved in an argument with a woman. During the argument, Smith discharged a stolen firearm into the air. After he discharged the firearm, Smith held the firearm behind his back while he shouted at the woman, until she ran away. Smith also admitted that, prior to April 16, 2023, he had previously been convicted of several offenses that prohibited him from possessing firearms and ammunition, including third‑degree sexual abuse, domestic abuse assault causing bodily injury, domestic abuse assault causing bodily injury (second offense), first‑degree theft, multiple third‑degree burglary offenses, and several failures to comply with sex offender registry requirement offenses.
Smith was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams. Smith was sentenced to 63 months’ imprisonment, and he must also serve a three‑year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
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.
Smith is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dillan Edwards and investigated by a Federal Task Force composed of the Waterloo Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms assisted by the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office and Cedar Falls Police Department.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 23-CR-02031-CJW.
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Washington Parish Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug ViolationsRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – KELVIN WARREN, age 30, a resident of Bogalusa, Louisiana, pled guilty on Thursday November 30, 2023, before U.S. District Judge Barry Ashe to possession with the intent to distribute over 500 grams of methamphetamine and over 40 grams of fentanyl, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(A). He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and up to a maximum sentence of life. He also faces a fine of up to $10,000,000.00, at least 5 years of supervised release, and a mandatory $100.00 special assessment fee. The sentencing will be held on March 14, 2024.
According to court documents, on January 27, 2022, WARREN was in a vehicle that was stopped by police. During a subsequent search of the vehicle, police located a bag containing approximately 1.7 pounds of methamphetamine, 5.8 ounces of fentanyl, a scale, and other drug paraphernalia on the front passenger floorboard near WARREN’s feet.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Maurice E. Landrieu, Jr. of the Narcotics Unit.
U.S. Attorney's Office Warns About Common Holiday ScamsRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. –U.S. Attorney Dena J. King issued a warning today to alert consumers about a potential uptick in online scams during the holiday season, and cautioned against financial schemes that target older adults. To further the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s efforts to protect seniors from online scams, federal prosecutors hosted a game of Fraud Bingo today, to educate older Americans about online fraudsters and internet schemes that specifically target the elderly.
“December is the month of giving, but it’s also the time of year when cybercriminals try to take advantage of consumers, quickly turning a joyous season into a living nightmare,” said U.S. Attorney King. “Whether shopping online for a gift, choosing a charity for a donation, or applying for seasonal work to earn extra money, it is imperative for everyone to stay vigilant against online scams and identity theft schemes. It’s important for all of us to do all we can to protect our hard-earned money and our personal information from financial predators.”
2023 Holiday Scams
According to the FBI’s 2022 Internet Crimes Report, North Carolina is ranked among the top 20 States for online financial fraud, both in the number of victims and in monetary losses. The report notes that in 2022 Americans lost a combined total of over $281 million to internet scams, including online shopping and “non-delivery” schemes, that generally spike during the holiday season.
Here are the most common scams that consumers may encounter during the holiday season this year:
Fake Online Stores or “Lookalike Stores.” Be on the lookout for online stores that are either entirely fake or made to look like a legitimate store. Watch out for red flags, such as deeply discounted prices especially for in-demand items, like electronics, jewelry, and clothing. Be particularly careful with social media ads that link you to bogus online stores or product listings. These scams target shoppers looking to buy luxury or hard-to-find items at an affordable price. Consumers may end up with stolen credit card information or paying for an item that is never received.
Missed Delivery/Non-Delivery Notification. With the rise in online shopping, lots of packages arrive at our front door during the holiday season. Beware of fake delivery notification emails or text messages alerting you of a missed package delivery. Do not be quick to click on the link provided in a text or email, as you may be directed to a website designed to steal your information. Make sure you pay attention to the domain address of the link to ensure it is a reputable delivery site and be especially cautions with delivery websites that ask for your personal or payment information in order to complete a package delivery.
Gift Card Scams. Gift card scams involve either scamming consumers into buying fake gift cards or tricking consumers into using gift cards to pay for fraudulent goods or services. For example, avoid online stores or advertisements that purport to sell commercial gift cards at deeply discounted prices. While they may have you believe you are buying a gift card on sale, in fact you may end up receiving a gift card with zero money value. Instead, purchase gift cards from reputable retailers.
Fake Charities. During the holidays, cybercriminals seek to take advantage of consumers’ generosity through fraudulent charities, GoFundMe campaigns, and other charitable causes. These types of scams can be particularly difficult to decipher, so before donating money be extra cautious about selecting a charity. If donating online, research the charity thoroughly, check with the Better Business Bureau, and take a look at the charity’s URL and website for telltale signs of fraud, including misspellings, bad grammar, and no contact information. For GoFundMe type of donations research the organizer or the group behind the campaign before making a donation.
Phishing Emails or Texts. Cybercriminals take advantage of the hustle and bustle of the holiday season to dupe consumers via phishing emails or texts that contain suspicious links. Be particularly mindful of purported communications from your bank or credit card company, warning you that your account has been compromised. These phishing emails or texts generally prompt you to click on the provided link to log into your account to update your compromised information, so scammers can steal your information. Also avoid clicking on emails that promise free giveaways, prompt you to claim a prize, or ask you to confirm a reservation or other booking. If you receive this type of communication do not use the provided link. For example, if it’s an email related to a compromised bank account, instead of using the link in the email, go to your bank’s main website to log into your account.
Fraudulent Seasonal Jobs. Employment scams tend to increase during the holiday season, as scammers prey on individuals seeking to make extra money. Be mindful of fake job ads, especially online job listings that offer really good money for very little work. Do not ever pay upfront for any equipment or training you need for a new job. Also, do not readily provide your personal identifying information (social security number, date of birth, address, etc.) or your financial and banking information without confirming the job is legitimate. Be particularly mindful of money mule schemes, in which a fake employer asks you to cash a check through your bank, keep a portion of the money, and then send the rest of the money back to the employer.
Scams Targeting Older Adults
U.S. Attorney King also noted that older adults are particularly vulnerable of becoming victims of online fraud, not only during the holidays, but throughout the year. According to the FBI’s 2022 Internet Crimes Report, adults 60 years and older reported the highest financial losses last year, with a combined $3.1 billion in money lost to financial fraud.
In an effort to educate older adults about online scams and financial fraud, today the U.S. Attorney’s Office hosted a scam alert seminar at the Rutherford County Senior Center, during which participants were presented important information about financial fraud. Following the presentation, the attendees played a game of “Fraud Bingo,” a fun activity designed to deliver information and practical tips on how to prevent the financial exploitation and victimization of older adults by scammers.
“Online scams that target seniors are a growing concern in North Carolina,” said U.S. Attorney King. “We have a responsibility to protect our vulnerable older population from financial fraud and from scammers that victimize seniors and threaten to leave them in financial peril. Elder Fraud Bingo is an entertaining way to help older adults understand how scams operate and to educate them on how to protect themselves from financial ruin.”
Some examples of financial fraud targeting seniors are:
- Lottery Phone Scams – in which the callers convince seniors that a large fee or taxes must be paid before they can receive lottery winnings.
- Grandparent Scams – which convince seniors that their grandchildren are in trouble and need money to make rent, repair a car, or even money for bail.
- Romance Scams – which lull victims to believe that their online paramour needs funds for a U.S. visit or some other purpose.
- Tech Support Scams – which convince victims to pay for non-existent problems with their computers.
- IRS Imposter Scams – which defraud victims by posing as IRS agents and claiming that victims owe back taxes.
- Sham Business Opportunities – which convince victims to invest in lucrative business opportunities or investments.
Below are some tips shared with participants during the seminar on how to avoid falling victim to a financial scam:
- Don’t share personal information with anyone you don’t know.
- Don’t pay a fee for a prize or lottery winning.
- Don’t click on pop-up ads or messages.
- Delete phishing emails and ignore harassing phone calls.
- Don’t send gift cards, checks, money orders, wire money, or give your bank account information to a stranger.
- Don’t fall for a high-pressure sales pitch or a lucrative business deal.
- If a scammer approaches you, take the time to talk to a friend or family member.
- Keep in mind that if you send money once, you’ll be a target for life.
- Remember, it’s not rude to say, “NO.”
- A good rule of thumb is, if it’s too good to be true, it’s likely a scam.
To report elder fraud please call the Justice Department’s Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-FRAUD-11 (833-372-8311). If you believe you are the victim of an online scam call the FBI and file a report with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at IC3.gov or contact local law enforcement.
Two Busby residents sentenced to prison for meth trafficking, firearm crimes on Northern Cheyenne Indian ReservationRead the Press Release
BILLINGS — Two Busby residents convicted of methamphetamine and firearms crimes after the drug and guns were found in a vehicle in which they were traveling were sentenced to prison terms today, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.
Jamesey Maria Jefferson, 33, was sentenced to seven years in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release.
Co-defendant Ivan Eaglefeathers, 21, was sentenced to six years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release.
Both defendants pleaded guilty in May to possession with intent to distribute meth and to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided.
In court documents, the government alleged that on Sept. 12, 2021 on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, law enforcement officers stopped a car that had run two stop signs, was traveling at a high rate of speed and was believed to have been seen at an earlier shooting. Officers detained Jefferson, Eaglefeathers and two others who were in the car. A federal search warrant was served on the car, and officers found approximately 48 grams of meth, $2,000 in cash, drug paraphernalia, ammunition and three firearms. The guns were a .17-caliber rifle, an AR-style 5.56mm rifle and a 9mm handgun. Jefferson admitted to investigators that she possessed the meth, the .17-caliber rifle and the 9mm handgun. A video of Eaglefeathers and a co-defendant shows Eaglefeathers outside of the vehicle on the same day with a gun in his hand. Eaglefeathers admitted to having one of the rifles in the car and to having shot it in the air.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The FBI and Bureau of Indian Affairs conducted the investigation.
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Tucson Man Sentenced to 63 Months in Prison for Illegal Possession of FirearmRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – Michael Elton Tillman, 55, of Tucson, was sentenced last week by United States District Judge Rosemary Márquez to 63 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Tillman pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm on March 27, 2023.
On May 5, 2022, Tillman, a convicted felon, sold a loaded Arsenal 7.62x39 mm pistol and 100 rounds of ammunition for $1,000 to a federal agent. After the sale, agents executed a search of Tillman’s apartment and found a loaded Taurus 9 mm pistol, 9 mm ammunition, .380 caliber ammunition, 7.62x39 mm ammunition, narcotics, narcotics paraphernalia, and bulk United States currency. Analysis of the firearms and ammunition confirmed they passed through interstate commerce. Prior to possessing and selling the pistol to the agent, Tillman had been convicted of multiple Arizona felonies, including manslaughter.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Bolling, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR 22-01262-RM-AMM
RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-193_Tillman# # #
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
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