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Wednesday 18 October 2023
Federal Jury Convicts Pocola Resident of Sexual Abuse in Indian CountryRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced today that that Daniel Matthew Matlock, age 28, of Pocola, Oklahoma, was found guilty by a federal jury of one count of Sexual Abuse in Indian Country and one count of Sexual Abuse of a Minor in Indian Country.
The jury trial began in Muskogee, Oklahoma, with testimony on Tuesday, October 17, 2023, and concluded on Wednesday, October 18, 2023, with the guilty verdicts.
During the trial, the United States presented evidence that in February of 2019, Matlock sexually abused a minor under the age of 16. The United States also offered DNA evidence to support the testimony of the victim at trial. The crimes occurred in Leflore County, within the boundaries of the Choctaw Nation Reservation of Oklahoma, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The guilty verdicts were the result of investigations by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the District 16 Violent Crimes Task Force, and the Pocola Police Department.
The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the trial in Muskogee and ordered the completion of a presentence report. The sentencing will be scheduled following completion of the report. Matlock was remanded to the custody of the United States Marshal, where he will remain until sentencing.
Assistant United States Attorneys Morgan Muzljakovich and Jessie Heidlage represented the United States.
Del Rio Armed Career Criminal Pleads Guilty to Possessing A FirearmRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Kenneth Lorenzo Jackson (48, Del Rio) has pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Jackson faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 15 years in federal prison under the Armed Career Criminal Act. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to the plea agreement, Jackson was indicted on September 7, 2022, in a separate federal case charging him with possessing ammunition as a convicted felon. Because of that indictment, Jackson was the subject of a federal arrest warrant. On October 18, 2022, officers from the Tampa Police Department were patrolling the Sulphur Springs neighborhood of Tampa when they encountered Jackson walking along the street. The officers were familiar with Jackson and were aware of his outstanding arrest warrant. When the officers arrested Jackson, they recovered a loaded firearm (Phoenix Arms HP22A .22 caliber pistol) that was tucked in the front waistband of his pants. The officers also found a crack rock in his pocket and a small quantity of MDMA. Jackson later admitted to possessing the firearm for two weeks for protection.
Jackson has multiple prior felony convictions for drug offenses and is therefore prohibited from carrying a firearm or ammunition under federal law.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Tampa Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David W.A. Chee and Shauna S. Hale.
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.
Dante Flowers Jr. Sentenced to 200-Month Prison Term for Drug Conspiracy and Firearm CrimeRead the Press Release
Burlington, Vermont – The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that Dante Flowers Jr., 30, formerly of Hartford, Connecticut, was sentenced yesterday in the United States District Court in Burlington to 200 months of imprisonment. United States District Judge Christina Reiss also ordered that Flowers Jr. to serve three years of supervised release following his period of incarceration. Flowers Jr. had previously pleaded guilty to participating in a drug conspiracy and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
According to court documents, in 2020, in the Orleans County area of Vermont, Dante Flowers Jr. (who was also known as “Fresh”), conspired with Jayquan Flintroy (who was also known as “Jay”) and Dante Flowers Sr. (who was also known as “Pops”), to distribute crack cocaine and fentanyl. During the conspiracy, Flowers Jr. and his coconspirators carried firearms and used violence to threaten and control people, including their drug customers and local drug re-distributors. On October 15, 2020, Flowers Jr., along with Dante Flowers Sr., seriously assaulted a man at his residence in Derby, Vermont, purportedly in a dispute over drug money. This assault internally decapitated the man and left him a paraplegic. The man is still paralyzed with little to no function of arms and no function of the lower part of his body.
Following the assault, Flowers Jr. and his coconspirators continued to sell drugs. On November 30, 2020, the group was together in a car in the parking lot of the Wendy’s Restaurant in Newport, Vermont. While in the parking lot, there was another dispute about drugs and Flowers Sr. was shot in the leg. Flowers Jr. and Flintroy were arrested after the shooting. Flowers Sr. recovered from the shooting and was also later arrested. Flowers Sr. and Flintroy have pleaded guilty in federal court to the drug conspiracy and a charge of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Flintroy and Flowers Sr. are awaiting sentencing.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Vermont State Police, Newport Police Department, Orleans County Sheriff’s Department, United States Marshal Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine, United States Border Patrol and Homeland Security Investigations.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Wendy L. Fuller represented the government. Mark D. Oettinger, Esq. represented Flowers Jr.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. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psn.
Crisp County Career Offender Sentenced to Prison for Meth TraffickingRead the Press Release
ALBANY, Ga. – A Cordele, Georgia, resident with prior serious felony drug convictions was sentenced as a career offender to serve 180 months in prison resulting from an investigation into drug trafficking in the community.
Alexis Sylvester Holton, 43, was sentenced to serve 180 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Leslie Abrams Gardner today after he pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of methamphetamine on April 11. Holton is not eligible for parole.
“The most disruptive repeat offenders in Crisp County and across the district will face the possibility of federal charges for their continued criminal actions causing significant harm in the communities where they reside,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “I want to commend the cooperation displayed by our local, state and federal partners in the Middle District of Georgia to make our communities as safe as possible.”
“This investigation has resulted in the disruption of a significant methamphetamine supply to the Cordele area. We are grateful for our partnership with the other investigative agencies and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for seeing this case through successfully,” said GBI Director Chris Hosey.
“It is always reassuring that when we identify major drug offenders in our community, we can rely on our state and federal partners to assist us in working and presenting the cases for prosecution,” said Crisp County Sheriff Billy Hancock. “It is a good day to know that our community is a little safer because justice was served.”
According to court documents and other public information, Holton sold a total of 279.51 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant (CI) working with GBI and Crisp County Sheriff’s Office investigators during nine exchanges, beginning in Oct. 2021, until his arrest on Feb. 9, 2022, in Cordele. Holton has several prior convictions, including two prior serious felony drug convictions in the Superior Court of Crisp County, Georgia.
This case was investigated by GBI, DEA and the Crisp County Sheriff’s Office and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Redavid.
Connecticut Man Arrested for Selling Hundreds of Fraudulently Obtained Gold CoinsRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Connecticut man was arrested today for fraudulently obtaining gold coins and transporting them outside of Massachusetts.
William Dawson, 51, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Worcester on one count of interstate transportation of property taken by fraud. Dawson was arrested this morning and released on conditions following an initial appearance in federal court in Worcester.
According to the indictment, Dawson held himself out as a property buyer and reseller. Person-1 operated a home cleanout business in Massachusetts that sold property contained in decedent estates.
It is alleged that in or around December 2022, Person-1 was retained by a decedent estate to clean out a residence in Shrewsbury. In that home, Person-1 found 170 Queen Elizabeth II Canadian Gold Maple Leaf Coins, collectively worth approximately $290,000. With approval from the estate, Person-1 allegedly agreed to sell 120 of the gold coins to Dawson.
In January 2023, Dawson allegedly met with Person-1 in Millbury and purchased the 120 gold coins with two checks totaling $198,800. However, it is alleged that Dawson had significantly less than $198,800 in the bank account when he wrote the checks to Person-1. Later that same day, Dawson allegedly called Person-1 claiming that his car had been broken into and that the gold coins had been stolen. The next day, Dawson allegedly traveled to a pawn shop in Pawtucket, R.I. where he sold 43 of the gold coins in exchange for $80,442. It is further alleged that, on several occasions in February 2023, Dawson traveled to a pawn shop in Cranston, R.I., where he sold 19 more of the gold coins in exchange for a total of approximately $35,094.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Andrew Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Secret Service, Boston Field Office made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Milford Police Department and the Worcester County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan O’Shea 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.
Columbia Man Sentenced for Fentanyl Conspiracy, Illegal FirearmRead the Press Release
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A Columbia, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for his role in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and for illegally possessing a firearm.
Ryan Edwad Knudsen, 31, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to 10 years in federal prison without parole.
On June 20, 2023, Knudsen pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime. Knudsen admitted that he obtained fentanyl from a source in St. Louis, Mo., and sold it to customers in Columbia. Knudsen told investigators he typically got between 350-400 capsules for about $1,400 and that each capsule contained about .1 gram of fentanyl.
Law enforcement officers were tracking Knudsen in August 2021 when he traveled to St. Louis, then on his return left a bag in a light pole at a Kingdom City, Mo., car wash. The bag, which was retrieved by officers, contained 22 fentanyl capsules. Officers later stopped the vehicle in which Knudsen was a passenger. Knudsen had a bag in his front pocket that contained hundreds of similar capsules. He also had a loaded Glock 9mm handgun and ammunition in his backpack. Officers seized a total of 384 capsules that contained approximately 34 grams of fentanyl.
According to government filings, Boone County ranks in the top ten among all Missouri counties for fatal overdose deaths, and fentanyl and other non-heroin opioids cause a significant majority of those deaths. Due to the potential for lethality and the inherently inconsistent quality of unregulated illegal fentanyl, the risk of overdose is present each time an individual uses street fentanyl – and each of the hundreds of capsules that Knudsen distributed had the potential to take a life.
This case was prosecuted by Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren E. Kummerer. It was investigated by the Columbia, Mo., Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Charlotte Woman Pleads Guilty to Producing Fake DocumentsRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Chaiya Maley-Jackson, 23, of Charlotte, pleaded guilty today to unlawful production of a false identification document, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Robert M. DeWitt, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Charlotte Division, joins U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement.
According to information to which Maley-Jackson pleaded guilty, other documents filed in this case and statements made in court, as early as January 2020, Maley-Jackson was the owner and operator of Diva Documents/CPN Services (Diva Documents). Diva Documents advertised the sale of false and fraudulent documents on Facebook as well as two websites, divadocuments.com and divadocuments.onuniverse.com. Court documents show that Maley-Jackson used her personal Facebook page under the name Yaya Flowers to advertise the types of documents she could produce and a pricelist for the fake documents. The documents listed on the document pricelist that Maley-Jackson could produce and transfer included paystubs, lease agreements, COVID-19 hardship letters, bank statements, W2 forms, Social Security Cards, and driver’s licenses, both digital and hard copies, among others. The prices for the fake documents ranged from $15 to edit a paystub to $150 for a hard copy of a driver’s license. Maley-Jackson required customers to pay half of the payment upfront and the balance upon completion of the fabricated documents.
According to court documents, Maley-Jackson was aware that she was producing and transferring fake documents and knew that customers would use the fake documents for PPP loan applications, car loan applications, and apartment rentals, among others. Maley-Jackson admitted that between January 2020 and August 2022, she created at least 400 Social Security Cards, eight driver’s licenses, and six COVID vaccine cards, and earned more than $320,000 in fees from producing, selling and transferring false documents.
Maley-Jackson was released on bond after her plea hearing. The maximum statutory penalty for the charge of unlawful production of a false identification document is 15 years in prison. A sentencing date has not been set.
The FBI in Charlotte investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Caryn Finley is in charge of the prosecution.
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 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and 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 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 www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Carolina Man Arrested for Child ExploitationRead the Press Release
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – A Carolina man was arrested on criminal charges related to his alleged child exploitation conduct.
On October 13, 2023, Special Agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Juan arrested Matthew John McGlone, a 33-year-old man from Carolina, P.R.
A federal grand jury indicted McGlone on October 12, 2023, with three counts for coercion and enticement of a minor, receipt of child exploitation material, and transfer of obscene material to a minor. This is an investigation led by the Puerto Rico Crimes Against Children Task Force (PRCACTF) in collaboration with the Puerto Rico Police Bureau.
According to court documents, between September 11, 2023, and October 5, 2023, McGlone used a cellular phone and an internet instant messaging platform to coerce a fourteen-year-old male minor to engage in sexual activity. During the same period, McGlone knowingly attempted to receive child exploitation material and transferred obscene material to the fourteen-year-old male minor.
McGlone also had multiple arrest warrants from the state of Georgia related to several charges including criminal attempt of child molestation.
“We will continue to track down those who engage in child exploitation and will hold them accountable for their criminal conduct,” said W. Stephen Muldrow, U.S. Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue its effort to protect the most vulnerable among us by aggressively prosecuting all those who prey on our children.”
Special Agent in Charge Rebecca González-Ramos stated: “The defendant is a wanted person in the state of Georgia for similar charges. HSI has zero tolerance for those who repeatedly engage in criminal behavior against children. In this case, thanks to the collaboration of parents, teachers, and social workers, our agents were able to identify suspicious child exploitation activities against a fourteen-year-old minor. As we have stated, the first line of defense to protect children is those who interact with them daily. HSI agents responded rapidly, and we successfully arrested the suspect to bring him before justice.”
Special Assistant United States Attorney Nadia Y. Pineda-Pérez of the Child Exploitation and Immigration Unit is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, the defendant faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years to life in prison for coercion and enticement of a minor; a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years up to 20 years for receipt of child exploitation material; and up to 10 years in prison for the transfer of obscene material to a minor. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
For more information about HSI’s efforts to protect children from sexual predators, visit https://www.ice.gov/topics/iGuardians; and to denounce suspicious activities call 787-729-6969.
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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About Homeland Security Investigations
HSI is the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel, and finance move. HSI’s workforce of more than 8,700 employees consists of more than 6,000 special agents assigned to 237 cities throughout the United States, and 93 overseas locations in 56 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.
# HSI #
California Man Indicted for Smuggling Fentanyl Aboard TrainRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Bakersfield, California, man was indicted by a federal grand jury today for smuggling more than six kilograms of fentanyl through Kansas City aboard a train enroute to St. Louis, Mo.
Cesar Angulo Ramos, 18, was charged with possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo. Today’s indictment replaces a federal criminal complaint that was filed against Ramos on Sept. 26, 2023.
Ramos was a passenger on a train from Los Angeles, Calif., passing through Kansas City, Mo., enroute to St. Louis on Sept. 25, 2023. According to an affidavit filed in support of the original criminal complaint, Ramos was contacted by members of the DEA Kansas City Interdiction Task Force and the Missouri Western Interdiction Narcotics (MOWIN) Task Force after a police dog reacted to the apparent odor of controlled substances as it pulled toward Ramos at the train station.
Officers searched Ramos’s duffle bag, the affidavit says, and found 43 clear plastic bags that contained counterfeit M30 pills with fentanyl, which weighed a total of approximately 4.769 kilograms. Officers also searched a pillow Ramos was carrying that contained two bundles of fentanyl wrapped in black tape, which weighed a total of approximately 2.123 kilograms.
The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney D. Michael Green. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department.
Butler Resident Indicted on a Charge of Violating Federal Postal LawsRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA - A resident of Butler, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on a charge of violating federal postal laws, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.
The one-count Indictment named Kelly Randolph, age 44, of Butler, PA, as the sole defendant.
According to the Indictment, while serving as a Rural Carrier Associate out of the Chicora, PA Post Office, on or about April 18, 2023, Randolph removed cash for her own personal use, from an envelope which was intended to be sent through the U.S. Mail.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of not more than five (5) years in prison, a fine of not more than $250,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Robert S. Cessar is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Brooklyn Gang Member Sentenced for Multiple Armed CarjackingsRead the Press Release
Dieuverson Caille, a/k/a “Savage,” was sentenced today by Second Circuit Judge Denny Chin, sitting by designation, in Brooklyn to 36 months plus an additional 21 years to run consecutively for committing multiple armed carjackings during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Caille was convicted in March where it was established that between August 28, 2020 and June 20, 2021, Caille, together with his co-conspirator gang members, carjacked four victims at gunpoint, kidnapped one of them, pistol whipped another, and stole their iPhones and money. Evidence at trial also showed that the defendant was a member of the Eight Tray Gangster Crip and Haitian Loc gangs when he committed these crimes.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Bryan DiGirolamo, Acting ATF NY Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and Edward A. Caban, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD), announced the verdict.
“The defendant terrorized Brooklyn by committing a string of violent crimes against random, innocent people during the height of the COVID pandemic,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “The city is a safer place because of today’s sentence and underscores that this Office will vigorously prosecute defendants who commit violent crimes.”
“The men and women of ATF NY and the NYPD successfully disrupted this senseless violent string of armed carjackings. Due to the hard work of law enforcement, a reckless individual is effectively removed from terrorizing more innocent people," stated Acting ATF NY Special Agent in Charge Bryan DiGirolamo. "No one should live in fear simply driving down the street. I am thankful for the collaboration of the men and women of ATF NY’s Strategic Pattern Armed Robbery Technical Apprehension group, NYPD’s Brooklyn Robbery Squad & the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. ATF NY will continue to work with our partners to aggressively pursue investigations to remove violent criminals from our communities. Working together is vital to our Violent Crime Reduction Strategy here and throughout NY State.”
“Today’s sentence appropriately punishes a brazen criminal who tormented unsuspecting New Yorkers at the peak of the pandemic, and amid a citywide and nationwide spike in motor vehicle thefts,” stated NYPD Commissioner Edward A. Caban. “Mr. Caille has now been held fully accountable for his actions. And I thank all of the talented NYPD and ATF investigators, and everyone involved from the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, for their dedication to ending his particular reign of terror.”
As proven at trial, Caille was involved in a series of violent and armed carjackings. On August 28, 2020, Caille carjacked a victim in Flatbush at gunpoint. Caille and two of his gang members forced the victim into the backseat of his own car, drove the victim to a drive-through ATM fifteen minutes away and attempted to force the victim to withdraw money. The victim escaped by jumping out of the car’s window because he thought if he stayed in the car he could be shot. On September 3, 2020, Caille and several accomplices carjacked a Chevrolet Malibu at gunpoint in Canarsie and attacked an occupant of the car by pistol whipping him. On November 15, 2020, Caille, acting alone, carjacked at gunpoint the driver of a BMW who was working as a rideshare driver in Flatbush. Finally, on June 20, 2021, the defendant, together with at least one other accomplice, carjacked at gunpoint the driver of a Porsche in East New York. The defendant posted pictures of the same make and model Porsche to his Instagram account “cali2savage” three days later.
During the course of the conspiracy, the defendant texted his fellow gang member “I need money” or “I need a V,” which was code for committing robberies or carjackings. The defendant instructed his co-conspirator to text in Creole to evade law enforcement.
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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
Assistant United States Attorneys Sara K. Winik, Ellen H. Sise, and Antoinette N. Rangel are in charge of the prosecution with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Magdalena St. Surin.
The Defendant:
DIEUVERSON CAILLE
Age: 22
Brooklyn, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 20-CR-547 (DC)
Bridgeport man sentenced to more than 12 years for methamphetamine traffickingRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Austin Lodge, age 31, of Bridgeport, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 151 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, officers engaged in a high-speed chase with Lodge in Harrison County, which ended with a foot chase. Lodge discarded a backpack during the chase containing methamphetamine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Zelda Wesley prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.
The Greater Harrison Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, and Harrison County Sheriff’s Office investigated.
Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.
Brian Pierce Sentenced to 24 Months and Vince Brown Sentenced to 20 Months in Federal Prison for Paying Bribes to Rick JohnsonRead the Press Release
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN – U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Mark Totten today announced that Brian Pierce and Vincent Brown were sentenced before U.S. District Court Judge Jane Beckering for paying bribes to Rick Vernon Johnson, the former Chairperson of the Michigan Medical Marijuana Licensing Board.
Pierce, 45, of Midland, Michigan, was sentenced to serve 24 months in federal prison, fined $25,000 and will serve two years on supervised release following his release from prison. Brown, 33, of Royal Oak, Michigan, was sentenced to serve 20 months in prison, fined $25,000 and will serve two years on supervised release following his release from prison.
“Mr. Pierce and Mr. Brown deliberately bribed Rick Johnson for their own personal gain,” said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten. “As I’ve said before, public corruption is a poison to our democracy and shatters the people’s trust in public officials. My office will hold offenders accountable – whomever, whenever, and wherever we find corruption and blatant disregard for the rule of law.”
Rick Johnson was a member and the Chairperson of the Michigan Medical Marijuana Licensing Board (MMLB) between May 2017 and April 2019. Prior to his appointment to that Board, Johnson worked as a lobbyist in Lansing, Michigan, and served as Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives.
Pierce and Brown worked as lobbyists in Lansing, Michigan, who did business together as Philip Alan Brown Consulting, LLC and Michigan Grower’s Consultants, LLC. Pierce and Brown lobbied on behalf of various businesses seeking operating licenses from the Medical Marijuana Licensing Board. Pierce and Brown admitted paying Johnson a total of $40,000 between June 2017 to November 2018 when Johnson was Chairperson of the licensing board, and at Johnson’s request, Pierce paid a total of $2,000 to a Detroit stripper who was having commercial sex with Johnson. The payments were made to influence and reward Johnson in connection with his official duties on the Board, including receiving his assistance for their clients who applied for licenses to operate in the newly developing marijuana industry.
"Public corruption is the top criminal investigative priority for the FBI,” said Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan. “I am thankful for the outstanding FBI personnel for their daily commitment to following the investigative facts wherever they lead, particularly in this case. My office continues to urge concerned citizens to report public corruption information they believe they may have by calling FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or submitting tips online at tips.fbi.gov."
Assistant United States Attorneys Chris O’Connor and Clay Stiffler are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
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MEDIA NOTE: U.S. Attorney Totten’s remarks following today’s sentencings can be viewed at @usao.wdmi on the U.S. Attorney’s Facebook Page.
Previous press releases concerning this case can be viewed by visiting the below links.
- Former Chair of Marijuana Board, Rick Johnson, Sentenced to 55 Months in Federal Prison for Bribery
Johnson Obtained More Than $110,000 in Bribe Payments; U.S. Attorney Mark Totten Affirms Commitment to Fight Public Corruption
- Oakland County Businessman Sentenced to 28 Months in Federal Prison for Paying Bribes to Rick Johnson
- Four Charged in State Bribery Scheme
Rick Johnson, former Chairperson of the Michigan Medical Licensing Board, and three others have agreed to plead guilty and cooperate in ongoing investigation
Bookkeeper Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud for $1.6 Million Embezzlement SchemeRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Marc Weiss, 48, of Charlotte, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge David C. Keesler today and pleaded guilty to wire fraud, for embezzling approximately $1.6 million from two companies, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Jason Byrne, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Secret Service, Charlotte Field Office and Sheriff Darren Campbell of the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office join U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement.
According to filed court documents and today’s plea hearing, 2016 to 2022, Weiss engaged in a scheme to defraud two Mooresville, N.C. companies, where he was employed as a bookkeeper. Over the course of the scheme, Weiss abused his position and access to the companies’ financial accounts to make more than 120 fraudulent transfers totaling $1.6 million from the companies’ accounts into bank accounts under Weiss’s control. To disguise the fraud, Weiss created fake entries in the victim companies’ books and records, categorizing the fraudulent transfers as payments to existing vendors for software development, and advertising and marketing expenses.
As Weiss admitted in court today, he generally used the embezzled funds to pay for personal expenses, including to pay for a luxury apartment in Charlotte, to make payments for high-end vehicles, and to pay for travel and vacations.
Weiss was released on bond following today’s plea hearing. The wire fraud charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A sentencing date for Weiss has not been set.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney King thanked the U.S. Secret Service and the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office for their investigation of the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jenny G. Sugar of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte is prosecuting the case.
Billings woman sentenced to more than two years in prison for drunken driving crash that injured passenger on Northern Cheyenne Indian ReservationRead the Press Release
BILLINGS — A Billings woman was sentenced today to two years and three months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for a drunken driving crash that seriously injured her passenger, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.
Jamie Nicole Selage, 27, pleaded guilty in June to assault resulting in serious bodily injury.
U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided.
The government alleged in court documents that on Jan. 16, 2022, Selage was driving drunk and had a blood-alcohol concentration of .316 percent when she swerved into the wrong lane on U.S. Highway 212, ran off the road and crashed in a ditch as she approached Lame Deer, on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation. Both Selage and her passenger had to be extricated from the vehicle. The passenger suffered serious injuries and required hospitalization.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lori Harper Suek prosecuted the case. The FBI and Bureau of Indian Affairs conducted the investigation.
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Baltimore Man Pleads Guilty to a Scheme to Fraudulently Obtain Almost $18 Million in COVID-19 CARES Act LoansRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Ahmed Sary, age 45, of Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit wire fraud affecting financial institutions, relating to the submission of more than $17.9 million in fraudulent CARES Act loan applications. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act was a federal law enacted in March 2020 to provide emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering from the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite of the Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General, Eastern Region; and Chief Robert McCullough of the Baltimore County Police Department.
“Sary will now pay the price for living luxurious from stolen pandemic relief funds that others needed to keep a business open or to keep a roof over their heads,” said United States Attorney Erek L. Barron.
Financial assistance offered through the CARES Act included forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses, through the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”), administered through the Small Business Administration (“SBA”), and SBA-approved lenders. The SBA also offered an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (“EIDL”) and/or an EIDL advance to help businesses meet their financial obligations. An EIDL advance did not have to be repaid, and small businesses could receive an advance, even if they were not approved for an EIDL loan. The maximum advance amount was $10,000.
According to the plea agreement, from April 2020 through January 2022, Sary and his co-conspirators prepared false and fraudulent PPP loan and EIDL applications for a number of borrowers in exchange for a kickback of typically ranging from 20 percent to 30 percent of the loan amount. The fraudulent PPP and EIDL loan applications prepared by Sary, and his co-conspirators grossly inflated the purported businesses’ number of employees, monthly payroll costs, and revenue numbers, including for businesses that didn’t exist in any legitimate capacity
As detailed in the statement of facts, Sary and his co-conspirators filed 85 false and fraudulent PPP loan applications seeking a total of over $14,807,609.37 and 57 false and fraudulent EIDL applications seeking a total of over $3,093,670.50. All the loans were ultimately funded. After the loan funds were received, the recipient would typically provide Sary multiple, sometimes up to seven, checks that were signed by the loan recipient and that listed a payment amount and date but that left the payee name blank. Sary would then write a payee name on each of those checks and deposit them.
In connection with some of the fraudulently obtained PPP loans for purported businesses, Sary also assisted the loan recipients with setting up payroll services with Payroll Processor 1 to make it appear that the fraudulently obtained PPP loan funds were being used for permissible purposes when they, in fact, were not. The payroll services also facilitated the creation of documentation that could be used to substantiate a request for each of the PPP loans to be forgiven.
In addition to the loan kickback fees, Sary received $959,559 in PPP/EIDL funds for purported businesses he controlled, including a purported financial services business, a purported meatpacking business, a purported clothing company and a purported talent agency. In fact, none of these businesses existed in any legitimate capacity. Sary admitted that he used the fraudulently obtained funds to travel to Dubai and Egypt on multiple occasions, to stay at luxury hotels, including the Four Seasons, while there, to purchase property in Egypt and to, among other things, open a beachfront restaurant in Alexandria, Egypt called Sary’s Kitchen.
Sary and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Sary will be sentenced to between 60 months and 114 months in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett has scheduled sentencing for February 1, 2024 at 11:00 a.m.
The District of Maryland Strike Force is one of five strike forces established throughout the United States by the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute COVID-19 fraud, including fraud relating to the CARES Act. The CARES Act was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The strike forces focus on large-scale, multi-state pandemic relief fraud perpetrated by criminal organizations and transnational actors. The strike forces are interagency law enforcement efforts, using prosecutor-led and data analyst-driven teams designed to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief funds.
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.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI, the SBA-OIG and the Baltimore County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul A. Riley, who is prosecuting the case. He also recognized the assistance of the Maryland COVID-19 Strike Force Paralegal Specialist Joanna B.N. Huber.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao/md.
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Armed Man Arrested for Attempted Kidnapping on the Blue Ridge Parkway Is Indicted by A Federal Grand JuryRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A Whittier, N.C., man arrested on a federal complaint for attempted kidnapping on the Blue Ridge Parkway has been formally charged by a grand jury in Charlotte, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. The indictment charges Evan William Blankenship, 22, with kidnapping, two counts of assault with intent to commit a felony, two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to do bodily harm, and possession and discharge of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
Debra A. Flowers, Acting Chief Ranger of the Blue Ridge Parkway, joins U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement.
According to allegations in the indictment and information contained in the affidavit filed with the criminal complaint, in the early morning hours of September 28, 2023, L.P. and a second victim, L.M., were sitting in a parked vehicle at Water Rock Knob Overlook off the Blue Ridge Parkway. The affidavit alleges that Blankenship drove his vehicle to where the victims were located and pointed a semi-automatic pistol at them. Blankenship tried to pull L.P. out of the vehicle by the hair and arm. Over the course of the incident, Blankenship allegedly threatened to hurt both victims, and hit L.P. in the face causing her temporary hearing loss. Blankenship also allegedly fired his firearm into the air, before pointing it again at the victims.
According to allegations in the affidavit, L.M. eventually convinced Blankenship to let them go. Shortly thereafter, the victims reported the incident to law enforcement. L.P. told investigators that she knew Blankenship through Snapchat and believed Blankenship had used Snapchat’s location sharing feature to find her on the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Blankenship was arrested on October 11, 2023, and remains in federal custody. The charge of kidnapping carries a maximum penalty of life in prison. Each assault charge carries a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison. The charge of possession and discharge of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence carries a minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum of life in prison. The actual sentence of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the federal sentencing guidelines and other applicable statutory factors.
The charges against Blankenship are allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt in a court of law.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney King thanked the National Park Service for the investigation which led to the charges and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance with the case.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville is prosecuting the case.
Armed Hillsborough County Fentanyl Trafficker Sentenced to 25 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge Mary S. Scriven today sentenced Randell Alexander Love (48, Hillsborough County) to 25 years in federal prison for possession of fentanyl with the intent to distribute it and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The sentence consists of 20 years’ imprisonment on the fentanyl charge and a consecutive five-year sentence for the firearm offense. Love had pleaded guilty on July 31, 2023.
According to court documents, Love was a prolific and violent fentanyl trafficker who carried a loaded firearm to conduct and protect his illicit drug business. Love used violence and intimidation to resolve disputes with his drug suppliers and customers, and to keep them in line. He harmed others to get his way. For example, he punched a potential witness against him in the face, knocking her teeth out. The woman subsequently died of a fentanyl and heroin overdose. Love pistol-whipped one of his drug sources of supply and also battered a man with a metal pipe. Love trafficked enough fentanyl to kill 45,000 people.
During a traffic stop on October 5, 2021, deputies from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office pulled over a car driven by Love, and subsequently found and seized nearly an ounce of fentanyl and a loaded 9mm handgun.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christopher F. Murray.
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.
Amherst Man Arrested for Child Pornography OffensesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – An Amherst man has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Springfield for allegedly distributing and possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
Bradley Driscoll, 25, was indicted on one count of distribution of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. Driscoll was arrested this morning and will appear in federal court in Springfield later today.
According to the indictment, in August 2022, Driscoll possessed CSAM in the form of videos and knowingly distributed CSAM that depicted a minor victim under 12 years old.
The charge of distribution of child pornography provides for a sentence of at least five years and up to 20 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of possession of child pornography provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
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 Michael J. Mazur of the Springfield 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.
Alabama Man Sentenced to over 15 Years in Federal Prison for His Role in Murder-For-Hire ConspiracyRead the Press Release
FLINT — Julius K. Jordan, 26, of Mobile, Alabama was sentenced yesterday to over 15 years in federal prison following his conviction for conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and possession of an unregistered short barrel rifle, U.S. Attorney Dawn N. Ison announced.
Ison was joined in the announcement by James Deir, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ Detroit Field Division, and Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Detroit Field Office.
U.S. District Court Judge F. Kay Behm imposed sentence on Jordan following his guilty plea to conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and possession of an unregistered short barrel rifle.
According to court documents, on February 7, 2022, an individual identified as Person-1 solicited Jordan and his co-defendant Reginald L. Hunter to travel from Alabama to Flint, Michigan, to murder someone in exchange for money. Person-1 sent money to Hunter and Jordan to travel to Michigan. Once Jordan and Hunter arrived in Michigan, they met with Person-1 who provided Jordan and Hunter with assault rifles. They later began looking for the individual who they were hired to kill.
On the evening of February 15, 2022, as Jordan and Hunter drove through a neighborhood looking for their intended victim, Jordan failed to stop at a stop sign. Michigan State Police troopers saw Jordan roll through the stop sign and conducted a traffic stop. During the stop, the troopers saw the assault rifles in the car. They seized a short barrel semi-automatic rifle with a collapsible stock from the floorboard near Jordan’s feet. They also seized another semi-automatic rifle from the front passenger floorboard near Hunter’s feet. Both rifles were loaded with chambered rounds and high-capacity magazines.
“This investigation is a great example of good police work by Michigan State Police; they thwarted a fatal shooting,” stated U.S. Attorney Ison. And cooperation between our state and federal partners remains strong, as ATF and the FBI continue to work diligently to hold all of those responsible accountable. This sentence should send a strong message to those within our boundaries or beyond that we will put our strongest effort to removing violent offenders from our streets.”
“This case represents a tale as old as time - choices have consequences. Julian Jordan made a choice to come up to Michigan from Alabama to murder someone. Now, he will have many years to reflect about his life choices behind bars. The message is simple - if you commit gun crime in Michigan, you should pack your bags for prison,” said Special Agent in Charge Deir.
"The thwarted murder-for-hire plot in this case underscores the significance of collaborative efforts between law enforcement agencies to ensure the safety of the citizens in our community," said Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan. "Had it not been for the combined efforts of the ATF, Michigan State Police, and Flint Police Department working together as part of the Genesee County Safe Streets Task Force, the consequences could have been far more catastrophic. The FBI is committed to investigating violent crimes such as this and we remain steadfast in our goal of making Michigan's streets safer for everyone."
Reginald Hunter is currently scheduled to proceed to trial on December 5, 2023. The investigation of Person-1 remains ongoing.
This investigation was conducted by troopers of the Michigan State Police and special agents of the ATF’s Flint Field Office and the FBI’s Flint Resident Agency. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jules M. DePorre and Anthony P. Vance.
Accused Drug Dealers Arrested and Prosecuted for Illegal Drug Possession and Distribution Charges, 14,000 Fentanyl Pills SeizedRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY – A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City returned an indictment today that charges two foreign nationals for illicit drug possession, including fentanyl, with intent to distribute.
According to court documents, Juan Robles-Ramos, 22, of Clearfield, Utah, and Pedro De Jesus Figueroa-Roman, 19, of Clearfield, knowingly possessed narcotics with the intent to distribute. Beginning in July 2023, the FBI Wasatch Metro Drug Force (WMDTF) began a criminal investigation into Figueroa-Roman and Robles-Ramos, and other members of a drug trafficking organization believed to be distributing large quantities of narcotics in the District of Utah. Pursuant to a controlled purchase of heroin, agents identified Robles-Ramos and learned that the two defendants lived together. On October 6, 2023, during the execution of a search warrant of Robles-Ramos’ and Figueroa-Roman’s residence, agents recovered approximately 1,444 grams of fentanyl, over 1,400 grams of heroin, and over $4,000 in cash. In a separate area of the residence, agents also recovered 1,292 grams of heroin. Robles-Ramos and Figueroa-Roman are in custody.
Robles-Ramos is charged with possession of heroin with intent to distribute. Figueroa-Roman is charged with possession of heroin with intent to distribute and possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute. The defendant’s initial court appearance on the indictment is scheduled for Oct. 19, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. in courtroom 8.4 before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.
U.S. Attorney, Trina A. Higgins, of the District of Utah made the announcement.
The FBI Wasatch Metro Drug Task Force (WMDTF) consisting of the FBI and Davis Metro Narcotic Strike Force (DMNSF) are investigating the case.
United States Attorney Brent Andrus of the District of Utah is prosecuting the case.
The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Tuesday 17 October 2023
York County Man Sentenced to 12 Months in Prison for Identity TheftRead the Press Release
SCRANTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Ronald Geraldo Molina, age 37, of York, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to 12 months’ imprisonment by United States District Court Judge Christopher C. Conner for aggravated identity theft.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Molina sold counterfeit debit cards to an undercover Pennsylvania State Trooper holding account and pin information from various financial institutions encoded on the magnetic strips. Investigators determined that the account information was likely stolen from a single gas station in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. In all, the scheme included 82 debit cards containing stolen identification information from consumers.
The case was investigated by the Homeland Security Investigation and the Pennsylvania State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd K. Hinkley prosecuted the case.
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York County Man Charged with Drug Trafficking and Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Charles N. Lenhart, age 43, of York, Pennsylvania, was indicted on October 11, 2023, by a federal grand jury on drug trafficking and firearms offenses.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the indictment charges Lenhart with possession with intent to distribute cocaine hydrochloride and fentanyl. Lenhart is further charged with possessing an Anderson Arms .223 caliber Am15, a Stevens 12-gauge shotgun, and an ESS .38 revolver in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The indictment also charges Lenhart with unlawful possession of firearms by a convicted felon. The offenses took place on May 31, 2023, in York County.
The case was investigated by the Lower Windsor Township Police department, York County Drug Task Force, Pennsylvania State Police, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney William Behe is prosecuting 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.
The maximum penalty for these offenses is up to life in prison, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
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Wisconsin Jury Convicts Corn Milling Company Officials for Workplace Safety Violations Following Deadly Mill ExplosionRead the Press Release
On Friday, Oct. 13, a federal jury in Madison, Wisconsin, convicted current and former Didion Milling Inc. officials of workplace safety, environmental, fraud and obstruction of justice charges following a deadly explosion in 2017 at a corn mill that Didion Milling operated in Cambria, Wisconsin. The explosion killed five workers and seriously injured others.
Didion Milling Vice President of Operations, Derrick Clark, was convicted of conspiring to falsify documents, making false Clean Air Act compliance certifications as Didion’s “responsible official” and obstructing the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) investigation of the explosion at the corn mill by making false and misleading statements during a deposition.
Former Didion Milling Food Safety Superintendent, Shawn Mesner, was convicted of participating in a fraud conspiracy against Didion Milling’s customers and conspiring to obstruct and mislead OSHA for his role in falsifying sanitation records used at Didion to track the completion of cleanings designed to remove accumulations of corn dust at the mill.
“The trial and convictions in this case show that compliance matters, and attempting to hide non-compliance, is not just a ‘technical’ violation,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). “Managers and officers who enable corporate cultures that tolerate, encourage or cover up violations, and who participate in falsifying documents and obstructing agency investigations, will and must be held accountable in addition to the corporations.”
“The tragic loss of life in this case shows the terrible consequences that can result when companies fail to implement required health, safety and environmental measures,” said Assistant Administrator David M. Uhlmann of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “The convictions of Didion Milling senior managers sends a clear message that EPA and our law enforcement partners will investigate and prosecute companies that put profits above the health and safety of their workers.”
“Derrick Clark and Shawn Messner chose to intentionally mislead OSHA investigators and made false statements about their knowledge of working conditions at the plant to protect themselves and cover their mistakes,” said OSHA Regional Administrator Bill Donovan in Chicago. “Their blatant actions demonstrated a callous disregard for the loss of life, injuries and property damage that occurred under their leadership at the Didion Mill. Both Clark and Messner ignored their legal and moral obligation to protect workers before and after the explosion. OSHA is committed to taking all necessary action to hold employers responsible for protecting workers on the job.”
Grain dust can be explosive, and OSHA safety standards require grain milling facilities like the Didion Milling corn mill to develop and implement housekeeping programs, including regular cleanings, to reduce grain dust accumulation. Didion Milling maintained its master sanitation schedule to record the performance of required cleanings. Clark and Mesner were convicted of participating in a conspiracy to falsify that cleaning log, including directing others to backfill entries for uncompleted cleanings.
Federal law gives OSHA six months to gather facts and issue appropriate citations after a safety violation occurrence. In matters involving worker deaths, evidence that corporate managers knew about violations can result in issuance of a “willful” citation and a criminal referral. OSHA subpoenaed Clark’s testimony in September 2017, during the corn mill explosion fatality investigation. Clark gave false and misleading testimony about his knowledge of problems with the dust collection system at Didion’s corn mill, his knowledge of explosion hazards and his knowledge of prior fires at the facility.
Additionally, a permit issued under the Clean Air Act required compliance by Didion Milling at its corn mill including the operation of baghouses equipment, which are designed to limit the release of particulate matter like corn dust into the environment. The permit also required a “responsible official,” a senior manager with authority, to periodically certify the mill’s compliance with air pollution control permit conditions and disclose known permit violations. Clark falsely certified Didion’s compliance without disclosing that baghouse logs – documentation on maintenance of baghouse equipment – had been systematically falsified to conceal permit violations.
Didion Milling sold its milled corn products to food and beverage manufacturers. Sanitation at food manufacturing facilities is necessary for food safety, and excessive accumulations of grain dust can cause food safety problems. Through deceptive means, including repeatedly presenting a falsified cleaning log to food safety auditors, Mesner conspired to deceive Didion’s customers about its sanitation practices. As food safety superintendent, Mesner directed operations personnel to falsify the log to make it appear as if the cleaning schedule was being followed.
The jury on Friday also acquitted former Didion Milling environmental manager James Lenz of charges relating to falsifying environmental records and conspiring to make false statements and obstruct agency proceedings.
Didion Milling previously pleaded guilty to falsifying the cleaning logs and baghouse logs at the mill and agreed to pay a criminal fine of $1 million and restitution of $10.25 million to the victims of the 2017 explosion. Didion Milling shift superintendents Nicholas Booker, Michael Bright and Joel Niemeyer previously pleaded guilty to false statement charges for participating in the falsification of the cleaning logs and baghouse logs. Didion Milling shift superintendent Anthony Hess pleaded guilty to obstructing OSHA by making false and misleading statements about the accuracy of the cleaning log during a sworn statement taken as part of OSHA’s investigation into the mill explosion. Former Didion Milling environmental manager Joseph Winch previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to conceal environmental violations from regulators by falsifying compliance certifications and providing falsified logs to regulators.
Sentencing hearings for each of the defendants before U.S. District Court Judge James D. Peterson for the Western District of Wisconsin will be scheduled at a later date.
The EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Samuel Charles Lord and Joel LaBissonniere and Senior Trial Attorney Richard J. Powers of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section are prosecuting the case, with logistical and victim services support from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Wisconsin.
United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Alabama’s Offers Stand Against Firearm Endangerment (SAFE) Student Pledge to SchoolsRead the Press Release
MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA — Acting United States Attorney Jonathan S. Ross announced that this week the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Alabama is working with schools across the district to encourage students to participate in the Stand Against Firearm Endangerment (SAFE) Student Pledge. With a focus on keeping schools and communities safe, students in middle school and high school are signing a voluntary pledge promising that they will assume that any gun they see might be loaded, they will never take a gun to school, they will never resolve a dispute with a gun, and they will use their influence to prevent friends from using guns to resolve disputes. Elementary school children are making a similar commitment—pledging that they will not play with a gun and that, if they see a gun, they will not touch it and they will tell a teacher or a trusted adult. Students are making the SAFE Student Pledge this week in conjunction with the National Day of Concern for Young People and Gun Violence, which will be observed on October 18, 2023.
The SAFE Student Pledge recognizes the role young people play in reducing gun endangerment and violence by making responsible decisions. The pledge also seeks to foster discussions among students and their families about the necessity of gun safety and non-violent ways to resolve disputes.
“Each year, far too many lives are lost due to accidents and poor choices,” stated Acting United States Attorney Ross. “This initiative seeks to encourage young people to make responsible decisions and, as a result, cut down on the number of needless injuries and deaths.”
The United States Attorney’s Office reached out to schools in the Middle District of Alabama to make the pledges available. Schools or youth organizations may also participate in the SAFE Student Pledge throughout the year by visiting www.justice.gov/usao-mdal/safe-student-pledge and submitting a request.
The SAFE Student Pledge initiative is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a national program that has been historically successful in bringing together law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Schools participating in the SAFE Student Pledge this week are located in a variety of counties within the Middle District of Alabama, including Autauga, Chambers, Chilton, Coffee, Coosa, Elmore, Geneva, Henry, Macon, Montgomery, Pike, and Randolph.
U.S. Attorney’s Office and Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division Announce Investigation of City of Trenton and Trenton Police DepartmentRead the Press Release
TRENTON, N.J. – U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger for the District of New Jersey and Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke for the Civil Rights Division announced today that the Justice Department has opened a civil pattern or practice investigation into the City of Trenton and the Trenton Police Department (TPD).
The investigation will seek to determine whether there are systemic violations of the Constitution and federal law by TPD. The investigation will focus on TPD’s use of force and its stops, searches and arrests. The investigation will include a comprehensive review of TPD policies, training and supervision, in addition to complaint intake, internal investigation protocols, complaint reviews, complaint adjudications and disciplinary decisions.
U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger“Police officers have the difficult job of keeping us safe, and most officers do this work with honor and distinction. But if police officers abuse the trust the community places in them and fail to respect the constitutional rights of those in the community, and if the community feels threatened by those who wear the badge, it undermines public safety and endangers the very citizens they swore to protect and serve. Unfortunately, we have reviewed numerous reports that Trenton police officers may have used force inappropriately and conducted stops, searches, and arrests with no good reason in violation of individuals’ constitutional rights. Today’s announcement reflects our office’s commitment to ensuring effective, constitutional policing in Trenton and throughout New Jersey. Trenton residents should be assured that we will conduct a thorough and impartial investigation of the Trenton Police Department, and that we will address any unlawful conduct we find.”
“The public must have trust and confidence that police officers will treat them fairly and with respect,” said Assistant Attorney General Clarke. “The Justice Department is opening an investigation into the Trenton Police Department after an extensive review of publicly available information and other information provided to us suggesting that officers used force, stopped motorists and pedestrians and conducted searches of homes and cars in violation of the Constitution and federal law. Such conduct, if true, creates an environment of distrust between police officers and the community. The Justice Department will conduct a full and fair investigation into these allegations, and if we substantiate those violations, the department will take appropriate action to remedy them.”
Before this announcement, officials from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey and the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division notified Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora, Director Steve Wilson of TPD and Director Wes Bridges of the Trenton Law Department, who have all pledged to cooperate with the investigation. As part of this investigation, the Justice Department and U.S. Attorney’s Office will conduct outreach to community groups and members of the public to learn about their experiences with TPD.
The U.S Attorney’s Office and the Special Litigation Section of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division will jointly conduct this investigation pursuant to the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, which prohibits state and local governments through their law enforcement officers from engaging in a pattern or practice of conduct by law enforcement officers that deprives people of rights protected by the Constitution and federal law. If the Justice Department has reasonable cause to believe that the law enforcement officers of a state or local government have engaged in a prohibited pattern or practice, the department is authorized to bring a lawsuit seeking court-ordered changes to remedy the violations. In this investigation, the department will assess the law enforcement practices under the Fourth and 14th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.
Individuals with relevant information are encouraged to contact the Justice Department via email at [email protected] or by phone at 973-645-2801. Individuals can also report civil rights violations regarding this or other matters using the reporting portal of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, available at www.civilrights.justice.gov or the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey’s civil rights reporting portal, available at www.justice.gov/usao-nj/civil-rights-enforcement/complaint.
Additional information about the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division is available on its website at www.justice.gov/crt. Additional information about civil rights enforcement at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, including the Office’s Civil Rights Division, is available at www.justice.gov/usao-nj/civil-rights-enforcement.
prs_remarks_trenton.pdfU.S. Attorney’s Office Affirms the Significance of Supporting National Night Out EventsRead the Press Release
St. Thomas, VI – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of the Virgin Islands joins community organizers, neighbors, and law enforcement partners in recognition of National Night Out held throughout the territory in October. For this year’s National Night Out, the Virgin Islands Law Enforcement Planning Commission and the Virgin Islands Juvenile Justice State Advisory Group Board have organized several events territory-wide.
One event was held in Buddhoe Park, St. Croix on October 7th and another at the Franklin Powell Bandstand on St. John on October 13th. The following additional events are scheduled on St. Thomas:
- October 27th, 2023, at 5 p.m. – Community Prayer & Praise Day – Promenade by the Waterfront
- October 28th, 2023, at 4 p.m. – Emile Griffith Park to Emancipation Garden
“National Night Out events are a vital opportunity to reaffirm the close partnership between law enforcement and the communities we serve,” United States Attorney Delia Smith said.
National Night Out was established in 1984 with funding from the U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance. It is an annual community-building campaign that promotes partnerships and camaraderie between law enforcement and the communities they serve to make neighborhoods safer places to live. Millions take part in National Night Out across thousands of communities throughout the country. The program is administered by the National Association of Town Watch, a nationwide non-profit organization.
In the Virgin Islands, the program is coordinated by local law enforcement and trained volunteers and brings police and neighbors together under positive circumstances. Neighborhoods host block parties, cookouts, festivals, parades, safety demonstrations, seminars, youth events, visits from emergency personnel, and more. The goal is to send a message that neighbors are united and working together to keep their communities and each other safe.
To register as a provider at a local National Night Out event, please contact the Virgin Islands Law Enforcement Planning Commission: Jacqueline Freeman or Ana Creque at (340) 774-6500 ext. 210 or 209.
For more information, please visit https://natw.org/.
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U.S. Attorney Hamdani to participate in discussion on national security and protecting American technologiesRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – The Greater Houston Partnership and U.S. Commercial Service are hosting a forum Thursday, Oct. 19 from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. to support engagement for the Disruptive Technology Strike Force with business leaders in Houston.
U.S. Attorney Hamdani will participate in a session entitled Global Trade Threats and National & Economic Security featuring leadership from the Department of Justice’s National Security Division (NSD) and Department of Commerce.
Other speakers on varying topics include personnel from FBI and Homeland Security Investigations.
Speakers will discuss best practices to protect U.S. companies from hidden threats that can compromise sensitive information and leave them vulnerable to a host of security attacks. Topics include global trade threats, cyber threats, theft of trade secrets, economic espionage and more.
Under the leadership of the NSD and BIS, the strike force was launched to protect U.S. advanced technologies' critical technological assets that are at risk of being illegally acquired by foreign adversaries. The strike force operates in 14 metropolitan regions across the United States including Houston and Dallas with oversight from the local U.S. Attorneys’ Offices.
According to the DOJ, nation-state adversaries such as the People’s Republic of China, Iran, Russia and North Korea can use advanced technology to enhance its military capabilities, improve calculations in weapons design and testing and develop algorithms to break encryptions that protect sensitive data and classified information.
Registration is $40 to attend and the registration form is available online. Open to the public and media, the discussions will be held at Partnership Tower, 701 Avenida De Las Americas Houston, TX 77010.
Click here for more information on the Disruptive Technology Strike Force.
Two sentenced for federal drug crimes in West VirginiaRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Two people were sentenced for drug trafficking charges in the Northern District of West Virginia.
Brandy Hanshaw, also known as Brandy Deberry, age 40, of Lumberport, West Virginia, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and distribution of methamphetamine. According to court documents, Hanshaw sold methamphetamine in Harrison County. The investigation connected at least 1.5 kilograms of methamphetamine to Hanshaw.
In a separate case, Lewis Johnson, age 35, of Detroit, Michigan, was sentenced to two years in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. According to court documents and statements made in court, Johnson was one of 11 defendants charged in a drug trafficking conspiracy that stretched from Detroit to Monongalia County. Investigators conducted a search warrant of Johnson’s hotel room and vehicle in Morgantown and found fentanyl.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Cogar prosecuted the Hanshaw case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zelda Wesley prosecuted the Johnson case on behalf of the government.
The Greater Harrison Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated the Hanshaw case. The Johnson case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Mon Metro Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative.
Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.
Two Sentenced for Federal Methamphetamine Distribution ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Paducah, KY – Two members of a methamphetamine distribution conspiracy were sentenced yesterday for their roles in the conspiracy. Both were also convicted of possessing with the intent to distribute methamphetamine on two occasions.
U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, Special Agent in Charge J. Todd Scott of the DEA Louisville Field Division, Sheriff Matt Hillbrecht of the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office, and Commissioner Phillip Burnett, Jr. of the Kentucky State Police made the announcement.
According to court documents, Angela Dawn Moore, 43, of Marshall County, Kentucky, and Kevin Bellamy, 44, of Paducah, Kentucky, were sentenced for conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute and to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine in the Western District of Kentucky. Both defendants were also sentenced for possession with the intent to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine based upon seizures made by the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office in January of 2021 and the Kentucky State Police in March of 2021.
Moore was sentenced to 12 years and 6 months in prison followed by 5 years of supervised release. Bellamy was sentenced to 4 years in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was investigated by the DEA Paducah post of duty, the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office, and the Kentucky State Police.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth Hancock, Chief of the U.S. Attorney’s Paducah Branch Office, prosecuted the case.
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Two Men from Mississippi and Alabama Sentenced for Actions During Jan. 6 Capitol BreachRead the Press Release
Thomas Harlen Smith, 45, of Mathiston, Mississippi, was sentenced to 108 months in prison and 36 months of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton. A jury convicted Smith of 11 charges, including nine felonies and two misdemeanors, on May 5, 2023.
Donnie Duane Wren, 44, of Athens, Alabama, was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison and 24 months of supervised release by Judge Walton. A jury convicted Wren of two felonies and one misdemeanor on May 5, 2023.
According to evidence presented during the trial and court documents, on Jan. 5, 2021, Smith traveled from his home in Mississippi to Washington, D.C., to attend a rally held by former President Trump the next day and picked up his cousin, defendant Wren, from his home in Alabama along the way. On the morning of Jan. 6, 2021, Smith and Wren attended the rally and afterward made their way toward the U.S. Capitol building. Before entering Capitol grounds, Smith climbed a column near the African American History Museum with the outdated Mississippi state flag.
Smith and Wren arrived on the restricted Capitol grounds and observed other rioters climbing scaffolding erected around the stage for the Presidential Inauguration. The two then climbed the structure and made their way to the Lower West Terrace Tunnel. Smith pushed toward the front of a group of rioters and used a flagpole like a spear to try to break a window next to the Lower West Terrace doors. Smith thrust his flagpole at the window five times. He then surged through the doorway, where he and a mass of other rioters pushed into a line of Metropolitan Police Department (“MPD”) officers attempting to hold the door shut.
Smith then exited the Tunnel and reunited with his cousin, Wren, who had witnessed the violence directed by other rioters against police officers in the area. The two posed for a photograph together on the Lower West Terrace. Smith and Wren then climbed up a railing to the Upper West Terrace and confronted a line of police officers using riot shields and attempting to clear the area. Smith and Wren pushed back against the police line, placing their hands on the officer’s shields and leaning back into the police. Wren leaned all his weight into the riot shield, preventing the police officer from advancing. Wren’s push against the riot shield was an early assault on the Terrace that instigated the fight between rioters and police attempting to clear the area.
While this occurred, Smith witnessed an object fly past him and hit an officer. Smith yelled at the officer, “You deserve that, you piece of s—!” At 4:35 p.m., Smith kicked an MPD officer in the back—sending the officer to the ground. Smith then picked up a metal pole-like object and threw it toward the line of police, striking two MPD officers in the head.
Later that day, on Facebook, Smith described the assault on the Capitol: “Patriots stood together and battled the tyrannical cops throughout the entire afternoon.”
Smith was convicted of 11 charges at trial, including felony offenses of assaulting officers with a dangerous weapon; obstruction of an official proceeding; two counts of civil disorder; two counts of assaulting, impeding, or resisting officers; entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon; and engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds with a dangerous weapon. He was also convicted of two misdemeanors: disorderly conduct in the Capitol grounds or buildings and an act of physical violence in the Capitol grounds or buildings.
Wren was convicted of civil disorder and assaulting, impeding, or resisting officers, both felonies, and a single misdemeanor charge of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds.
This case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the National Security Division's Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Northern District of Mississippi, the Northern District of Alabama, and the Southern District of Florida.
This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington and Birmingham Field Offices and the Homestead, Florida and Oxford, Mississippi Resident Agencies, which listed Wren as #219 on their seeking information photos. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police, the Metropolitan Police Department, and the Prince George’s County Police Department.
In the 33 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,100 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 400 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.
Troy Resident Charged with Communicating ThreatsRead the Press Release
GREENSBORO – Sandra J. Hairston, United States Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina, announced today that JEFFREY SCOTT HOBGOOD, of Troy, was arrested yesterday and charged with communicating threats.
According to publicly filed court documents, on or about October 11, 2023, HOBGOOD sent an email to an address associated with a Jewish organization stating, in part, “I am going to take out every one of you.” On October 13, 2023, after being contacted by law enforcement, HOBGOOD sent a second email to the same address saying, in part, “Guess what happens to traitors? . . . Public execution. . . . We are at war . . . . If you think you semite pieces of s[***] are going to win, then you are delusional.”
Court documents further allege that in June 2022, HOBGOOD sent multiple threatening emails to a family member.
HOBGOOD is charged with a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 875(c), transmitting in interstate commerce a communication containing a threat to injure the person of another. If convicted, HOBGOOD faces a maximum term of 5 years of imprisonment, a fine not to exceed $250,000, or both.
“No one in America should be threatened based on their race, nationality, religion, gender, or other protected characteristics,” said United States Attorney Sandra J. Hairston. “Individuals who target other community members will be held accountable for their actions.”
“No one should be threatened with violence or acts of hate because of who they are or how they worship. The FBI partners with communities of faith across North Carolina. Crimes driven by hate have no place in our state,” said Robert M. DeWitt, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in North Carolina.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys JoAnna McFadden and Ashley Waid.
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Tishomingo Resident Sentenced for Sexually Abusing A ChildRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Dustin Kane Adams, age 43, of Tishomingo, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 264 months in prison for abusive sexual contact of a minor in Indian country.
The charges arose from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
On September 13, 2022, Adams pleaded guilty to one count of Abusive Sexual Contact in Indian Country. At the plea hearing, Adams pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a minor under the age of 12 years old. The crimes occurred in Johnston County, within the boundaries of the Chickasaw Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The Honorable John F. Heil, III, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearings in Muskogee. Adams will remain in custody of the U.S. Marshal pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.
Special Assistant United States Attorney Debra L. Barnett represented the United States.
Three Springfield Men Sentenced for Conspiracy to Distribute Nearly 38 Kilos of FentanylRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Three Springfield, Mo., men were sentenced in federal court today for their roles in a conspiracy that distributed nearly 38 kilograms of fentanyl in southwest Missouri and resulted in several overdose deaths.
Darryl Turner, also known as “D,” 59, Elmer E. Freeman, also known as “Duck,” 56, and Robert D. Huddleston, 49, were sentenced in separate appearances before U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips. Turner was sentenced to 23 years and eight months in federal prison without parole. Freeman was sentenced to 18 years in federal prison without parole. Huddleston was sentenced to five years in federal prison without parole.
Turner and Freeman each pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl in Greene County from Jan. 31, 2019, to May 18, 2020. Huddleston pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the distribution of fentanyl.
Co-defendant James D. Collins, also known as “Red,” 49, of Battlefield, Mo., was the leader of the drug-trafficking conspiracy. Collins transported at least 300 grams of fentanyl by vehicle from either St. Louis, Mo., or Chicago, Illinois, to Springfield twice a week. Collins then distributed fentanyl to co-conspirators, including Turner, who is described in court documents as Collins’s right-hand man. Turner distributed fentanyl to Freeman, who then distributed fentanyl to others.
During the time of the conspiracy, according to court documents, Turner was participating in the Greene County, Mo., drug court program. One call intercepted by investigators revealed Turner conducting fentanyl business with Collins while he was simultaneously on the computer completing tasks associated with the drug court program.
According to court documents, Collins is responsible for the distribution of 37.8 kilograms of fentanyl. Multiple overdose deaths occurred related to Collins’s distribution of fentanyl. After he was incarcerated in the Greene County Jail, Collins bragged to his cellmate about multiple overdoses caused by the drugs he was distributing. Court documents cite three individuals, who are not identified by name, who overdosed and died.
For example, in March 2020, Freeman sold fentanyl (supplied by Turner) to Randi Highfill, who in turn, distributed the fentanyl to an individual identified in court documents as “J.G.” J.G. died, and Highfill pleaded guilty in state court to involuntary manslaughter and delivery of a controlled substance in connection with this incident. On Oct. 22, 2019, another individual identified in court documents as “J.W.” overdosed and died.
Collins was sentenced on June 21, 2023, to 30 years in federal prison without parole. Ten defendants in this case have been sentenced and two defendants have pleaded guilty and await sentencing.
According to court documents, Collins led a conspiracy that was distributing significant amounts of fentanyl laced with an assortment of other dangerous substances, including xylazine. The DEA recently issued a Public Safety Alert warning about the newly widespread threat of fentanyl mixed with xylazine. Xylazine, also known as “Tranq,” is a powerful sedative that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved for veterinary use. Because xylazine is not an opioid, naloxone (Narcan) does not reverse its effects. As a result, xylazine and fentanyl drug mixtures place users at a higher risk of suffering a fatal drug poisoning. Moreover, people who inject drug mixtures containing xylazine also can develop severe wounds, including necrosis—the rotting of human tissue—that may lead to amputation.
Lab results indicate that fentanyl seized from Collins’s residence contained fentanyl, tramadol, cocaine, and xylazine. Fentanyl seized from one of his co-conspirators contained fentanyl, tramadol, and xylazine.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica R. Eatmon and Cameron A. Beaver. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Springfield, Mo., Police Department, the Greene County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, and the Phelps County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department.
Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force
This case is part of an Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Tahlequah Resident Pleads Guilty to Possession of Firearm with Obliterated Serial NumberRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Billy Lee Murphy, age 76, of Tahlequah, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to one count of possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
The Indictment alleged that on January 19, 2023, Murphy knowingly possessed a revolver that had been shipped and transported in interstate commerce, from which the manufacturer’s serial number had been removed, altered, and obliterated.
The charges arose from an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The Honorable D. Edward Snow, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea, and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report. Murphy was allowed to remain on bond pending sentencing.
Assistant United States Attorney Edith A. Singer represented the United States.
Tahlequah Resident Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug OffenseRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Miranda Pauley, age 31, of Tahlequah, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to one count of Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, punishable by up to life in prison.
The indictment alleged that on or about January 11, 2023, Pauley knowingly and intentionally possessed methamphetamine with the intent to distribute it in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(A).
The charges arose from an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office.
The Honorable Gerald L. Jackson, Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report. Pauley will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals pending her sentencing.
Assistant United States Attorney Ryan Bondura represented the United States.
Starke Couple Sentenced to Federal Prison for Theft of MailRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Marcia M. Howard has sentenced Connor Lee Austin (31, Starke) to 18 months in federal prison for theft of mail. His term of imprisonment will run consecutive to his current sentence of 36 months in Florida State Prison. Austin’s co-defendant, Maranda Ann Stewart (26, Starke), was sentenced to 6 months in federal prison for theft of mail. The court ordered the pair to pay restitution to the victims in the case. Stewart had pleaded guilty on June 27, 2023, and Austin had pleaded guilty on July 12, 2023.
According to court documents and public records, in late April 2022, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) received multiple reports of mail being stolen from mailboxes in the Keystone Heights area. Surveillance footage from homes in that area captured a truck containing two individuals driving down roads and stealing mail from mailboxes. Law enforcement subsequently identified the driver as Stewart and Austin as the passenger. On May 6, 2022, the Baker County Sheriff's Office (BCSO) arrested Austin and Stewart for their involvement with a fraudulent check. During the arrest, the BCSO conducted an inventory search of the truck used by Stewart and Austin and located more than 100 pieces of mail that had been stolen from various addresses in Clay County.
Follow up investigation by the Clay County Sheriff’s Office and the United States Postal Inspection Service – Jacksonville Office determined that after stealing mail, Austin and Stewart used Austin’s phone in an effort to deposit stolen checks into their bank accounts through mobile deposit. They also obtained funds by forging signatures on checks stolen from the mail and subsequently cashing the fraudulent checks. Law enforcement recovered mail stolen by Austin and Stewart from Baker, Bradford, Clay, Duval, and Putnam Counties.
Austin appeared in federal court on April 19, 2023, pursuant to a writ bringing him to Jacksonville from Florida State Prison where he is serving a prison sentence of 36 months for grand theft, grand theft from a dwelling, and burglary. The Court ordered Austin detained. After initially releasing Stewart, the court ordered her detained on August 15, 2023.
This case was investigated by the Clay County Sheriff’s Office and the United States Postal Inspection Service – Jacksonville Office with valuable assistance from the Baker County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin C. Frein.
St. Louis County Man Sentenced to 13 ½ Years in Prison for Providing Deadly FentanylRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Ronnie L. White on Tuesday sentenced a man who provided the fentanyl that killed a Florissant, Missouri woman in 2020 to 13 ½ years in prison.
Jerome Middleton, 46, of Calverton Park, pleaded guilty in June to a felony charge of knowingly distributing fentanyl, resulting in death. He admitted supplying the fentanyl that killed the Florissant woman on Nov. 27, 2020. Middleton, a “runner,” would collect money from people, buy drugs and keep some of the drugs for himself for making the trip. Middleton bought six capsules containing fentanyl in St. Louis and kept three for himself, his plea says. Middleton also admitted going to the victim’s home on the four days preceding her death to provide her with narcotics.
Florissant police found the victim dead after family friends became concerned about her. She left behind a 4-year-old daughter and a 20-month-old son. “No child should have to face the death of their mother at such a young age,” the victim’s mother said in court Tuesday.
“DEA takes deaths by illegal drugs very seriously," said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Colin Dickey, lead of Drug Enforcement Administration investigations in Eastern Missouri. "We can't say it often enough: if you are a drug dealer and your poison kills someone, we will do everything to make sure you spend time in jail. This sentence is proof of that objective."
This case was investigated by the Florissant Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Springfield Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Child PornographyRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Springfield, Mo., man who possessed thousands of videos and photos of child pornography was sentenced in federal court today for trading those images of child sexual abuse over the internet.
Craig Allen Rhoden, 55, was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips to 15 years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Rhoden to pay $150,000 in restitution to 30 victims.
The court also sentenced Rhoden to 15 years of supervised release following incarceration. Rhoden will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison and will be subject to federal and state sex offender registration requirements, which may apply throughout his life.
On April 18, 2023, Rhoden pleaded guilty to one count of receiving and distributing child pornography.
Law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Rhoden’s residence on Jan. 5, 2023, after receiving CyberTip reports from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that Rhoden had uploaded hundreds of images of child pornography. Rhoden admitted that he participated in the exchange of child pornography, including trading images and videos of infant victims, and that he uploaded images of child pornography to a website. Rhoden also admitted that he took “upskirt” photos of children at the Walmart where he was employed and uploaded those photos to a website he operated.
A forensic analysis of Rhoden’s electronic devices found more than 16,000 videos and photos of child pornography.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie L. Wan. It was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force, and the Springfield, Mo., Police Department.
Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
Smyrna Detective Arrested on Child Exploitation ChargesRead the Press Release
WILMINGTON, Del. – A detective with the Smyrna Police Department was arrested and charged yesterday with violations of federal child sexual exploitation laws.
According to court documents, Michael Anthony Kealty, 33, distributed child pornography via his Snapchat account in August 2023. Federal agents executed a search warrant at his residence on September 22, 2023. Subsequently, they discovered additional child pornography in his Snapchat account.
Kealty has been charged via Complaint with Distribution and Possession of Child Pornography. If convicted of distributing child pornography, Kealty faces a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, with a maximum penalty of 20 years. If convicted of possession, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
David C. Weiss, U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Briana Knox is prosecuting the case. With the cooperation of the Smyrna Police Department, the case is being investigated by the FBI Baltimore Field Office.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Delaware. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the District of Delaware or on PACER.
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.
Rhode Island Man Sentenced to over One Year in Prison for Wide-Ranging Drug ConspiracyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Rhode Island man was sentenced today in federal court in Worcester for his role in a wide-ranging cocaine trafficking conspiracy.
Hector Matos, 32, of Pawtucket, R.I, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge Timothy S. Hillman to 13 months in prison and two years of supervised release. In May 2021, Matos pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine.
Following a fatal fentanyl overdose in September 2018, an investigation began into a drug trafficking organization in the Fitchburg area. Beginning in July 2019, court authorized interceptions of wire and electronic communications to and from telephones used by members and suppliers of the drug trafficking organization revealed that Torres was a cocaine dealer who supplied cocaine to the drug trafficking organization.
Over the course of the investigation, over 1.8 kilograms of a heroin/fentanyl mixture, over 3.6 kilograms of cocaine, over 50 grams of crack cocaine, a stolen loaded handgun, drug manufacturing equipment and over $376,000 in U.S. currency were seized.
Matos is the 14th defendant to be sentenced in this case. All 18 defendants have been convicted – either by guilty plea or jury conviction following trial. The remaining convicted defendants are scheduled to be sentenced in October and November 2023.Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Commissioner Carol Mici of the Massachusetts Department of Correction; and John E. Mawn Jr., Interim Colonel of the Massachusetts State Police made the announcement today. The Fitchburg and Lunenburg Police Departments, U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Massachusetts State Police provided valuable assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alathea Porter and Sarah Hoefle of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Prisoner Sentenced to 27+ Years for Directing Meth Distribution from Behind BarsRead the Press Release
ATHENS, Ga. – A Georgia Department of Corrections (DOC) prisoner and Sureños 13 gang member was sentenced to serve 330 months in a federal prison this week for his involvement in a large armed drug trafficking conspiracy directed out of jail facilities in Mexico and Georgia that is responsible for distributing more than 100 kilograms of methamphetamine.
David Zavala aka “Toro,” 30, of Mexico, was sentenced to serve 330 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge C. Ashley Royal on Oct. 16 after he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine on Dec. 11, 2020. Zavala is not eligible for parole.
“David Zavala was relentless in his efforts to direct a dangerous methamphetamine distribution network from behind bars, threatening both the safety of our communities and all those living and working in the prison with him,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “Law enforcement at every level is committed to dismantling these types of criminal organizations and helping us hold them accountable.”
“It’s alarming to think that these criminals were brazen enough to distribute dangerous drugs while behind bars,” said Robert J. Murphy, the Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Division. “But they must now face the consequences.”
According to court documents, law enforcement officers in the Middle District of Georgia began investigating Zavala’s drug trafficking organization in 2016, along with related criminal networks operating from jail facilities in Mexico and Georgia. On May 30, 2016, co-defendant Andrew Young was arrested in Oglethorpe County, Georgia, for possession of a stolen car out of McAllen, Texas, and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Agents discovered communications between Andrew Young and Zavala, a Georgia DOC inmate, detailing trips between McAllen, Texas, and Georgia that Young took at Zavala’s behest to pick up methamphetamine and drop it at locations named by Zavala.
Zavala and co-defendant Bruce Hicks served as so-called “plugs” in the prison system, linking Mexican cartel drug distributors to customers and associates on the outside. Additional co-defendants linked to the conspiracy, including co-defendants Malcody Dinges, J.C. and T.O., were also Georgia DOC inmates at the time of the investigation. These inmates used social media and contraband cell phones to conduct and direct drug sales and move the drug proceeds to other members of the conspiracy.
While in custody, Zavala conducted methamphetamine transactions using contraband cell phones and social media platforms. Zavala would message his associates to direct and coordinate deliveries of methamphetamine to individuals and instruct others on how to make payments to him. In this case, Zavala is being held personally responsible for the distribution of between 15 and 30 kilograms of methamphetamine. The entire criminal network tied to him is responsible for distributing more than 100 kilograms of methamphetamine. Zavala is a confirmed Sureños 13 gang member and has been in Georgia DOC custody since 2012 for prior state convictions for armed robbery and false imprisonment. For more information about this case, please visit: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdga/pr/three-defendants-sentenced-prison-directed-armed-drug-trafficking-conspiracy.
The following co-defendants in related cases have been sentenced:
Bruce Hicks, a/k/a “Bruno,” a/k/a “Bruce Incc,” of Athens, was sentenced to serve 260 months in prison on Jan. 8, 2020, after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine on Jan. 1, 2019;
Malcody Dinges aka “Cody” aka “Yes, Sir Cody,” 44, was sentenced to serve 240 months in prison (to run consecutive to any state-imposed sentence) to be followed by three years of supervised release on May 12, 2022, after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine on Dec. 16, 2021;
Joey Fowler 42, of Royston, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 235 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute;
Adonias Sales Temaj aka “Alacran,” 29, a citizen of Guatemala and resident of Norcross, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 210 months in prison on March 7 after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine on July 14;
Frankie Baza, of Gwinnett County, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 200 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release on June 3, 2021, after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine;
Johnathan Powell 43, of, Athens, was sentenced to serve 188 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute on July 17, 2017;
Mathew Shaver, 47, of Oglethorpe County, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 168 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute;
Ervin Sales Temaj aka “Milton Aguilar,” 35, a citizen of Guatemala and resident of Norcross, was sentenced to serve 121 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release on July 14, 2022, after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine on April 13, 2022;
Laura Yazmine Garcia Guerro, aka “Yazmin Garcia,” aka “Yaz,” 30, a citizen of Mexico and a resident of Duluth, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 120 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release on July 18 after she previously pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine on July 13, 2021;
Carrie Kasper, 32, of Athens, was sentenced to serve 120 months in prison on July 10 after she pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine on July 15, 2021;
Cindy Stamey, 50, of Danielsville, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 120 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release on Sept. 18, after a federal jury found her guilty of one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and one count of possession of methamphetamine on Sept. 21, 2022;
Garret Wolford, 37, of Athens, was sentenced to serve 120 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute;
Jeris Dove aka “Jeris Southers,” 29, of Athens, was sentenced to serve 110 months in prison to be followed by four years of supervised release on Jan. 20, 2022, after he pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine on Oct. 18, 2021;
Peggy Bentley, 52, of Watkinsville, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 100 months after she pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute;
Steven Turbeville 42, of Winder, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 95 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute;
Russel Huckaba, 46, of Lawrenceville, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 70 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute;
Mechelle Morris, 48, of Oglethorpe County, was sentenced to serve 55 months in prison after she pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute;
Christopher Wilson, 42, of Hull, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 55 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release on Sept. 18 after he previously pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute on April 13, 2022;
Justin Maddox, 45, of Athens, was sentenced to serve 30 months in prison on Jan. 11, 2023, after he pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine on Aug. 3, 2021;
Ricky Keith Young aka “Ricky Bobby,” of Monroe, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 29 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to illegal use of communication devices;
Joey Arguelles aka “Chief,” 28, of Lavonia, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 24 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute;
Katlyn Lackey, 22, of Commerce, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 20 months in prison on Jan. 12, 2023, after she pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine May 12, 2022; and
James Andrew Young aka “Drew,” 29, of Arnoldsville, Georgia, was sentenced to serve nine months in prison after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute.
The following co-defendant is awaiting sentencing:
Brendan R. Gates, 38, of Commerce, was found guilty by a federal jury of one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime on Sept. 21, 2022, and faces a maximum of life imprisonment. Sentencing will occur at a date determined by the Court.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
These cases are being investigated by DEA Macon Resident Office, FBI Middle Georgia Safe Streets Gang Task Force, Athens-Clarke County Police Department, Clarke County Sheriff's Office, Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office, Hart County Sheriff’s Office, Madison County Sheriff’s Office, Oconee County Sheriff’s Office, Greene County Sheriff’s Office, Oglethorpe County Sheriff’s Office, Georgia Department of Corrections and Northeast Regional Drug Task Force.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tamara Jarrett is prosecuting the cases for the Government.
Pocatello Man Sentenced to over 44 Years in Prison for Producing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
POCATELLO – Hector Aguayo, 31, of Pocatello, was sentenced to 530 months in federal prison for sexual exploitation of a child and possession of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit announced today. Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye also sentenced Aguayo to 15 years of supervised release, which will commence upon completing his prison sentence. Aguayo also will be required to register as a sex offender. Aguayo pleaded guilty on May 4, 2023.
According to court records, law enforcement seized Aguayo’s iPad after a concerned citizen reported it contained child pornography. A search of the iPad identified 550 images and 198 videos of child pornography.
Upon reviewing the images and videos, law enforcement discovered that Aguayo had produced child pornography with a prepubescent handicapped child. Videos show Aguayo raping the child. He later distributed the videos of this child on an internet messaging application.
“This sentence shows our commitment to protecting the most vulnerable members of our society, our children,” said U.S. Attorney Hurwit. “Disabled children especially need our protection, and I am proud of our law enforcement partners whose tireless efforts led to a successful prosecution.”
“HSI special agents won’t ever relent when it comes to protecting children and arresting individuals who prey on our most vulnerable,” said Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Robert Hammer, who oversees HSI operations in the Pacific Northwest. “Child sex abuse is one of the most serious crimes HSI investigates due to the lasting psychological and physical damage it can inflict on victims. We are proud to work closely with our law enforcement partners to make communities safer.”
U.S. Attorney Hurwit credited the cooperative efforts of Homeland Security Investigations in Idaho Falls, the Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, the Idaho Falls Police Department, the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office, and the Pocatello Police Department, which led to the charges. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John Shirts.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. As part of Project Safe Childhood, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho and the Idaho Attorney General’s Office partner to marshal federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
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Paw Paw Man Charged with Two Counts of Felon in PossessionRead the Press Release
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN — U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Mark Totten today announced that a grand jury returned a superseding indictment against Eric Nathan Deryke, 34, of Paw Paw, Michigan, for possessing firearms as a convicted felon.
“Gun violence is an epidemic across America and here in Michigan that inflicts immense trauma on communities when guns end up in the wrong hands,” said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten. “That’s why my office is committed to getting illegal guns off of the streets and out of the hands of felons.”
The original indictment charged Deryke with one count for Felon in Possession of a Firearm on April 16, 2022. The superseding indictment adds a Felon in Possession of a Firearm charge after Deryke possessed a different firearm on July 25, 2023. The maximum statutory penalty for count one is 10 years in prison and 15 years imprisonment for count two.
“The FBI is committed to leveraging its assets in collaboration with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to keep our communities safe from gun violence,” said Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan. “We are proud to work cooperatively to stop felons from illegally possessing firearms. We also need the public’s assistance to help us in this mission. Please come forward if you believe you have any information related to violent crimes as outlined in this case by contacting 1-800-CALLFBI (1-800-225-5324) or submitting tips online to http://tips.fbi.gov.”
“Unfortunately, small town America is not immune to the violence that plagues some of our big cities. That violence came to the town of Paw Paw on April 16, 2022, when a shooting took place where Deryke has been charged with Felon in Possession of a Firearm and a second individual has also been charged with their involvement,” said Paw Paw Police Department Interim Police Chief Eric Rottman. “With our strong working relationship with neighboring agencies, we will continue to combat violent crime in our area that effects the way of life of our citizens. It is our utmost goal to ensure the safety and well-being of our community."
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney LaToyia T. Carpenter and was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Michigan State Police, the Paw Paw Police Department, and the Van Buren County Sheriff's Office.
A copy of the superseding indictment is attached. The charges in an indictment are merely accusations, and a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law.
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Park Hill Resident Pleads Guilty to MurderRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Xavier Sean Wilson, age 22, of Park Hill, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to one count of Murder in the Second Degree in Indian Country, punishable by a term of imprisonment of up to Life.
The Information alleged that Xavier Sean Wilson, with malice aforethought, unlawfully killed the victim in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1111(a), 1151, and 1153. At the plea hearing, Wilson admitted that on April 30, 2022, he caused the death of the victim by stabbing the victim with a knife. The crime occurred in Cherokee County, within the boundaries of the Cherokee Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The charges arose from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, and the Cherokee Nation Marshal Service.
The Honorable Jason Robertson, Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea, and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report. Wilson remains in the custody of the U.S. Marshal pending sentencing.
Assistant United States Attorney Edith A. Singer represented the United States.
Over 29,000 South Carolina Students to Participate in State’s 22nd Annual National Day of Concern & Student Pledge Against Gun ViolenceRead the Press Release
COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA ---- United States Attorney, Adair F. Boroughs, stated that tomorrow, Wednesday, October 18, 2023, the United States Attorney’s Office (USAO), along with their local, state, and federal law enforcement partners, will support schools across the state as they participate in South Carolina’s 22nd Annual Student Pledge Against Gun Violence. With a focus on keeping our schools and communities safe, students in middle school and high school are signing a voluntary pledge promising that they will never take a gun to school, will never resolve a dispute with a gun, and will use their influence to prevent friends from using guns to resolve disputes. Elementary school children are making a similar commitment—pledging that if they see a gun, they will not touch it, they will tell a teacher or a trusted adult, and they will assume that any gun they see might be loaded.
The Student Pledge Against Gun Violence is a national program that recognizes the role young people, through their own decisions, can play in reducing gun violence. The program provides a means for beginning the conversation with young people about gun violence and encourages important conversations about gun safety and respectful ways to resolve disputes. Students from around the country will join together in pledging to do their part. For additional information concerning the pledge, visit the national Student Pledge website at www.pledge.org.
As it has done since 2002, the USAO reached out to all South Carolina law enforcement agencies and schools to make the pledges available to interested schools. The pledge effort is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a national program that has been historically successful in bringing together law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.
The following South Carolina schools and law enforcement agencies are participating in this year’s pledge. For information on events scheduled for a particular school, please contact the respective school or local law enforcement agency.
Participating Law Enforcement Agencies
Allendale Sheriff’s Department
Beaufort County Sheriff’s Department
Cayce Police Department
Central Police Department
Charleston County Sheriff’s Office
Chester County Sheriff’s Office
Chesterfield County Sheriff’s Office
City of York Police Department
Columbia Police Department
Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office
Easley Police Department
Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office
First Circuit Solicitor’s Office
Georgetown Police Department
Greenville Police Department
Greenwood County Sheriff’s Office
Hampton County Sheriff’s Department
Landrum Police Department
Lexington County Sheriff’s Department
Marion County Sheriff’s Office
Myrtle Beach Police Department
North Myrtle Beach Police Department
Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Department
Richland County Sheriff’s Department
St. George Police Department
Sumter County Sheriff’s Office
Town of Lexington Police Department
West Columbia Police Department
Participating Schools
Alcorn Middle School
Allendale-Fairfax High School
American Leadership Academy
Barnwell High School
Battery Creek High School
Beech Hill Elementary School
Bonds MSAP
Brookdale Elementary School
Brookland Cayce High School
C. A. Johnson High School
Cayce Elementary School
Central Academy of the Arts
Cheraw Intermediate School
Chester Senior High School
Chester Middle School
Chester Park Elementary Inquiry
Chester Park Elementary Colt
Chester Park Elementary Arts
Chester County Career Center
Chicora Elementary School
Creek Bridge Stem Academy
Denmark-Olar Elementary School
Donaldson MSAP
Eau Claire High School
Ebenezer Middle School
Edwards Elementary School
Fairfield Magnet School for Math and Science
Fairfield Middle School
Forest Heights Elementary School
Forest Lake Elementary NASA Explorer School
Georgetown Middle School
Greg Mathis Charter High School
Great Falls High School
Great Falls Elementary School
H. B. Rhame Elementary School
Hammond Hill Elementary School
Hampton County High School
Hand Middle School
Heyward Gibbes Middle School
High Hills Elementary School
Jefferson Elementary School
Lewisville High School
Lewisville Middle School
Lewisville Elementary School
Lexington Elementary School
Lexington High School
Logan Elementary School
McBee Elementary School
McBee High School
McCrorey-Liston School of Technology
McKissick Academy of Science and Technology
Marion High School
Memminger Elementary School
Midlands Technical College
Myrtle Beach Middle School
New Prospect Elementary School
Ocean Drive Elementary School
Pageland Elementary School
Pendergrass Fairwold High School
Plainview Elementary School
Ridge View High School
Ruby Elementary School
Sandlapper Elementary School
Septima P. Clarke Academy
St. George Middle School
St. John's High School
Sterling Academy
Swansea Freshman Academy
The Learning Center Elementary School
The Learning Center Middle School
Turning Point Academy
W. A. Perry Middle School
W. G. Sanders Middle School
Ware Shoals Middle School
Whittaker Elementary School
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Orlando Man Indicted for Possessing and Receiving Child Sex Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
Orlando, FL – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Pietro Devine (37, Orlando) with three counts of receiving child sex abuse material and one count of possessing child sex abuse material. If convicted on all counts, Devine faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 5 years, up to 20 years, in federal prison. The indictment also notifies Devine that the United States intends to forfeit certain digital media devices, which are alleged to have been used by him to commit the offenses with which he is charged.
According to the indictment, Devine received child sex abuse material on August 21, September 3, and September 8, 2023, and possessed child sex abuse material on September 14, 2023.
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.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It will be prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Rachel Lyons.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Norwich Man Sentenced to Prison for Fraud and Tax Offenses Stemming from Scheme that Victimized Women Through Social Media AccountsRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that DEXTER ENWEREM, 36, of Norwich, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in New Haven to 30 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for fraud and tax offenses stemming from a scheme that defrauded women approached through their social media accounts.
According to court documents and statements made in court, between approximately September 2019 and March 2021, Enwerem participated in a scheme to defraud individuals, primarily women, who were contacted through their Facebook and Instagram accounts. As part of the scheme, a co-conspirator of Enwerem used a false identity and made false representations to approach and befriend victims through the social media platforms. As the relationship progressed, the co-conspirator sometimes moved the communication to Google Hangouts, an online platform that allows users to communicate by video call or direct chat message. Eventually, the co-conspirator requested money from victims based on various false representations of need. The victims then sent money by wire transfers, checks, money orders, and cash. Some of the money was wired into bank accounts that Enwerem controlled, and some was sent in packages to an address where Enwerem could receive them.
Through this scheme, Enwerem and his co-conspirators defrauded victims of approximately $450,000. Enwerem wired approximately $220,000 of these funds to bank accounts in Nigeria. In response to bank officials who questioned the nature of these wire transfers, Enwerem falsely stated that the recipients were family members and that the funds were intended to take care of his grandmother, and for household expenses.
Enwerem also failed to pay taxes on the income he fraudulently obtained.
Judge Bolden ordered Enwerem to pay restitution of $449,189 to his victims, and $127,299 in back taxes for the 2019 and 2020 tax years.
Enwerem was arrested on related state charges on March 24, 2021. On May 23, 2023, He pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud, and one count of tax evasion.
This investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Connecticut Cyber Task Force (CCTF), the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division, and the Norwich Police Department, with the assistance of the Hartford Police Department.
The FBI’s CCTF is staffed with detectives from the Connecticut State Police’s Cyber Crimes Investigation Unit and the Bristol, Hartford, Stamford, and UConn Police Departments, as well as an agent from the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division. To contact the CCTF or report a cyber incident, please call the FBI’s New Haven Field Office at 203-777-6311 or file a complaint with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at https://www.ic3.gov.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael S. McGarry.
New Orleans Woman Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud and Misprision of a FelonRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that JASMINE GRIFFIN pled guilty to Counts 1 and 2 of a superseding bill of information before the U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo.
Count 1 charged GRIFFIN with Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1343 and 371. Count 2 charged GRIFFIN with Misprision of a Felony, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 4.
As to Count 1, GRIFFIN faces up to five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000.00, up to three years of supervised release, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee. As to Count 2, GRIFFIN faces a sentence of up to three years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000.00, up to one year of supervised release, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee. Her sentencing is scheduled for January 17, 2024.
According to public documents, in 2019, the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated a group responsible for committing violent crimes and illegal drug trafficking, primarily in New Orleans East and the Ninth Ward. GRIFFIN, along with nine others, were indicted in December 2021, for their involvement in conspiracies to possess firearms, traffic drugs and commit armed robberies of drug dealers. Along with his co-conspirators, GRIFFIN committed wire fraud and misprision of a felony.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New Orleans Police Department, and the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Maurice Landrieu of the Narcotics Unit and Elizabeth Privitera, Chief of the Violent Crime Unit.
New Britain Man Sentenced to 6 Years in Federal Prison for Fentanyl Trafficking and Gun Possession OffensesRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that THOMAS RIVERA, 30, of New Britain, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer in New Haven to 72 months of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release, for fentanyl distribution and firearm possession offenses.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on June 3, 2022, Hartford Police stopped a vehicle Rivera was operating and found him in possession of a bag containing approximately 140 grams of fentanyl, approximately 370 sleeves of fentanyl, a 9mm semiautomatic pistol with a loaded 15-round magazine, and $1,323 in cash. Rivera was arrested on state charges at that time.
Rivera’s criminal history includes state felony convictions for firearm possession and drug distribution offenses. It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.
Rivera has been detained since his federal arrest on August 2, 2022. On January 9, 2023, he pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl, and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
This investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Hartford Task Force and the Hartford Police Department’s Vice, Intelligence and Narcotics Division. The DEA Task Force includes personnel from the DEA Hartford Resident Office and the Bristol, Hartford, East Hartford, Enfield, Manchester, New Britain, Rocky Hill, Wethersfield, and Windsor Locks Police Departments.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert S. Ruff.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.