Latest Records
Newest first across public DOJ and U.S. Attorney press releases.
24 October 2023
Harrah Man Sentenced to Serve 15 Years in Federal Prison for Illegal Firearm Possession Following High-Speed ChaseRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – Yesterday, HUNTER EUGENE BERRY, 23, of Harrah, was sentenced to serve 180 months in federal prison, the statutory maximum, for illegally possessing a firearm after a previous felony conviction, announced U. S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.
On March 9, 2023, a federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment against Berry, charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm and for possessing a stolen firearm. On May 17, 2023, Berry pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
On January 5, 2023, public records reflect that law enforcement responded to reports of a reckless driver in northeast Oklahoma County. After Berry refused to stop the vehicle, he led law enforcement on a high-speed chase that reached speeds of more than 100 miles per hour. Helicopters with the Oklahoma City Police Department and local news media observed Berry drive into oncoming traffic and run several vehicles off the road. A school bus was also run off the road. During the pursuit, Berry also stole a firearm from a vehicle parked in the driveway of a residence in Oklahoma County, and he later shot at law enforcement with that firearm. The vehicle driven by Berry had been reported as stolen earlier that day.
At the sentencing hearing yesterday, U.S. District Judge Patrick R. Wyrick sentenced Berry to serve 15 years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. In announcing the sentence, Judge Wyrick noted that Berry’s egregious conduct put members of the public in grave danger and described the high-speed chase as “horrifying and frightening.” Judge Wyrick also noted Berry’s criminal history. Public records reflect that Berry holds a felony conviction for burglary in the first degree in Oklahoma County District Court case number CF-19-336.
This case is the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Oklahoma City Police Department, the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office, the Jones Police Department, the Harrah Police Department, and the Luther Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Gridley prosecuted the case.
This case is part of operation “Shots Fired," the Western District of Oklahoma’s implementation of Project Safe Neighborhoods, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. “Shots Fired” targets cases involving individuals who discharge firearms as part of their criminal activity, such as drive-by shootings or when shots are fired during robberies, domestic disputes, or other incidents. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit https://justice.gov/psn and https://justice.gov/usao-wdok.
Reference is made to public record for more information.
Harford County Man Pleads Guilty to Using a Hidden Camera in His Bathroom to Produce Sexually Explicit Images of Five Minor Female VictimsRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Charles F. Wheat, III, age 38, of Bel Air, Maryland, pleaded guilty yesterday to producing sexually explicit images of five minor girls while they used a bathroom in his home, using a hidden camera.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge James C. Harris of Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”) Baltimore; and Sheriff Jeffrey R. Gahler of the Harford County Sheriff’s Office.
According to his plea agreement, between April and November 2020, Wheat used a hidden camera to produce sexually explicit images of five minor girls while they used a bathroom in his home. During that same time, Wheat was in communication with three female sex traffickers in the Philippines to whom Wheat provided payment in exchange for them sending Wheat images and videos of minors being sexually exploited.
As detailed in the plea agreement, Wheat sent sexually explicit images he produced of three of the minor female victims to two Filipino women. One of the women who received the images was also depicted in several videos found on Wheat’s phone engaged in sexual conduct with a prepubescent boy. Some of the videos also depict a prepubescent girl whom the woman encourages to engage in sex acts with the boy.
Wheat faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison and a maximum of 30 years in federal prison for production of child pornography. Chief U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar has scheduled sentencing for January 17, 2024, at 10:30 a.m.
As detailed in the plea agreement, upon his release from prison, Wheat will also be required to register as a sex offender in the places where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).
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 Attorney’s 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.justice.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc and click on the “Resources” tab on the left of the page.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the HSI and the Harford County Sheriff’s Office for its work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam K. Ake, who prosecuted the federal case.
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/project-safe-childhood and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
# # #
Halifax County Man Convicted on Federal Drug ChargesRead the Press Release
ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. – A federal jury convicted a Halifax County man last week on a charge of distribution of 5 grams or more of methamphetamine.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Taj’ma De’yong Ussery, also known as “Pop Off,” age 25, distributed 5 grams or more of methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance on December 21, 2022. The sale was a hand-to-hand transaction with a confidential informant.
The offense was the result of a drug investigation conducted by the Halifax County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics unit which utilized a confidential informant to make a controlled purchase of methamphetamine from Ussery. Ussery was identified as a regular dealer of fentanyl and methamphetamine in the community who worked within a network of others to distribute these dangerous drugs throughout Halifax County. This indictment resulted as part of a larger effort to combat dangerous drugs and gang-related violence in Halifax County North Carolina and was the result of coordination between the Halifax County Sheriff’s Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the United States Attorney’s Office.
“Drug traffickers are pushing high-purity meth and fentanyl, driving addiction and overdoses in some of North Carolina’s most vulnerable communities,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “We are partnering with law enforcement in all corners of Eastern North Carolina to dismantle dangerous drug organizations. The Halifax County Sheriff’s Office should be commended for their work and their commitment to keeping their community safe.”
“I want to thank our dedicated drug agents along with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their great job,” said Halifax County Sheriff Tyree Davis. “The Halifax County Sheriff’s Office will not tolerate people terrorizing our county or taking actions that cause citizens to live in fear. We will continue to work together with local, state, and federal partners to keep our community safe.”
Ussery faces a mandatory minimum of 5 years and up to 40 years in prison when sentenced in January 2024.
Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle accepted the verdict. Halifax County Sheriff’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ashley Foxx and Phil Aubart prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:23-cr-00034-BO-RJ-1.
Haitian Gang Leader Charged with Hostage Taking Offenses that Resulted in the Death of a U.S. Citizen in Haiti in October 2022Read the Press Release
Note: View the indictment, the wanted poster, and the reward poster here.
An indictment, filed in the District of Columbia, was unsealed today charging Vitel’homme Innocent, a Haitian national and leader of the Kraze Barye gang, for his alleged role in the October 2022 armed hostage taking, in Haiti, of two U.S. citizens, one of whom was killed during the event.
According to the indictment, Innocent and the Kraze Barye gang operate in the Ouest department of Haiti to include Delmas, Torcelle, and Tabarre. The gang actively participates in kidnappings for ransom, extortion, and car thefts.
Innocent ordered gang members to kidnap Jean Franklin and Marie Odette Franklin from their home in Haiti on Oct. 7, 2022. On that date, armed gang members forced entry into the Franklin residence and attempted to kidnap the couple by force. During the kidnapping, Marie Odette Franklin was shot and killed by the gang members. Her husband was taken into captivity and held at an undisclosed location in Haiti. While Jean Franklin was in captivity, Innocent participated in ransom negotiations in exchange for Jean Franklin’s release. Jean Franklin was released from captivity on Oct. 28, 2022, following ransom payments made to the gang on behalf of his family.
“As alleged in the indictment, Vitel’homme Innocent, a leader of the Kraze Barye gang in Haiti, directed gang members to kidnap two American citizens for ransom, ultimately resulting in the death of one of the victims,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The Justice Department is vigorously pursuing those who harm or endanger Americans living in Haiti.”
“We remain steadfast in our mission to hold those responsible for violent crimes committed against U.S. citizens in Haiti,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves for the District of Columbia. “The gangs and gang leaders in Haiti must be held accountable for their atrocities committed against innocent civilians. We will utilize all methods at our disposal to apprehend and prosecute those who commit such heinous acts.”
“The indictment unsealed today demonstrates the FBI’s commitment to follow the evidence wherever it leads and to work our way up to the leaders of criminal plots wherever they are,” said Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI Miami Field Office. “Neither time nor distance will weaken our resolve. We will use all tools available and go to the farthest reaches of the globe to bring to justice those who seek to harm Americans.”
Innocent remains at large and is believed to reside in Tabarre, Haiti. Innocent faces additional charges in the District of Columbia related to his role in the kidnapping of 16 U.S. citizens in the Fall of 2021, for which he was indicted. In the fall of 2022, the U.S. State Department announced a reward offer of up to $1 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Vitel’homme Innocent. The reward is being offered under the Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program.
If convicted, Innocent faces a maximum penalty of life in prison or could face the death penalty. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI Miami Field Office investigated the case, with assistance fromthe FBI Legal Attaché Office in Haiti and the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack F. Korba with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Michael Watts for the District of Columbia.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendant are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Haitian Gang Leader Charged with Hostage Taking Offenses that Resulted in the Death of a U.S. Citizen in Haiti in October 2022Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON – An indictment, filed in the District of Columbia and unsealed today, charges Vitel’homme Innocent, a Haitian national and leader of the Kraze Barye gang, for his alleged role in the October 2022 armed hostage taking, in Haiti, of two U.S. citizens, one of whom was killed during the event.
The indictment was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and FBI Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri, of the Miami Field Office.
According to the indictment, Vitel’homme Innocent and the Kraze Barye gang operate in the Ouest department of Haiti to include Delmas, Torcelle, and Tabarre. The gang actively participates in kidnappings for ransom, extortion, and car thefts.
Vitel’homme Innocent ordered gang members to kidnap Jean Franklin and Marie Odette Franklin from their home in Haiti on October 7, 2022. On that date, armed gang members forced entry into the Franklin residence and attempted to kidnap the couple by force. During the kidnapping, Marie Odette Franklin was shot and killed by the gang members. Her husband was taken into captivity and held at an undisclosed location in Haiti. While Jean Franklin was in captivity, Vitel’homme Innocent participated in ransom negotiations in exchange for Jean Franklin’s release. Jean Franklin was released from captivity on October 28, 2022, following ransom payments made to the gang on behalf of his family.
“As alleged in the indictment, Vitel’homme Innocent, a leader of the Kraze Barye gang in Haiti, directed gang members to kidnap two American citizens for ransom, ultimately resulting in the death of one of the victims,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The Justice Department is vigorously pursuing those who harm or endanger Americans living in Haiti.”
“We remain steadfast in our mission to hold those responsible for violent crimes committed against U.S. citizens in Haiti,” said U.S. Attorney Graves. “The gangs and gang leaders in Haiti must be held accountable for their atrocities committed against innocent civilians. We will utilize all methods at our disposal to apprehend and prosecute those who commit such heinous acts."
“The indictment unsealed today demonstrates the FBI’s commitment to follow the evidence wherever it leads and to work our way up to the leaders of criminal plots wherever they are,” said Special Agent in Charge Veltri. “Neither time nor distance will weaken our resolve. We will use all tools available and go to the farthest reaches of the globe to bring to justice those who seek to harm Americans.”
Vitel’homme Innocent remains at large and is believed to reside in Tabarre, Haiti. Vitel’homme Innocent faces additional charges in the District of Columbia related to his role in the kidnapping of 16 U.S. citizens in the Fall of 2021, for which he was indicted. In the Fall of 2022, the U.S. State Department announced a reward offer of up to $1 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Vitel’homme Innocent. The reward is being offered under the Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program.
If convicted, Vitel’homme Innocent faces a maximum penalty of life imprisonment or could face the death penalty.
This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Miami Field Office, with the assistance of the FBI Legal Attaché Office in Haiti and with valuable assistance from the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack F. Korba with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Michael Watts for the District of Columbia.
Charges in an indictment are merely allegations, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Guilty on All Counts, Jury Convicts Utah Woman in Online Romance Scam that Cost Victims over $6MRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY – A federal jury convicted the final defendant involved in an online romance scheme that cost dozens of victims more than $6 million. On Oct. 19, 2023, a Utah County woman, was found guilty of one count of money laundering conspiracy and two counts of money laundering.
According to court documents and the evidence presented at trial, Nelly Idowu, 39, of Provo, Utah, participated in an online romance scheme from 2017 to 2019 that involved creating fake online dating profiles to befriend and romance victims. These victims were primarily single women over 65-years-old who were led to believe the fake persona they were engaging with had an urgent financial need. Some of the bogus financial needs included helping family members with emergency medical costs, helping a United States military member stranded overseas, or claims of unique investment opportunities. None of these financial needs were legitimate. Victims sent money to Idowu and her codefendants for these false purposes. Idowu and her codefendants then sent a significant amount of the victim funds to overseas accounts in China and Nigeria.
At trial, the United States presented evidence that Idowu’s personal and business accounts received more than $1 million from 2017 to 2019, and that additional amounts were received by Idowu’s coconspirators. Victims testified they were victims of scams involving fictitious online romance partners. They testified they sent the money to Idowu or her coconspirators as a result of the scam involving fictitious online romance partners.
Idowu’s sentencing is scheduled for January 30, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. in courtroom 3.4 before Senior U.S. District Court Judge, Ted Stewart at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City. Codefendants Emmanuel Osaigbovo Adesotu, Nnamdi Joel Chukwu, and Julius Omene Fredrick were each previously convicted by guilty plea to a money laundering conspiracy. Adesotu was sentenced to a term of 36 months’ imprisonment and ordered to pay $6.3 million in restitution jointly with codefendants. Fredrick was sentenced to a term of 46 months’ imprisonment. Chukwu’s sentencing is set for January 16, 2024.
U.S. Attorney, Trina A. Higgins for the District of Utah made the announcement.
The case was investigated by the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office.
Assistant United States Attorneys Carl LeSueur and Mark Woolf of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah presented the case at trial.The FBI encourages those engaged in online relationships to review and become familiar with information about romance scams on its website FBI.gov. Additionally, if you or someone you know has been a victim of elder fraud, help is available at the National Elder Fraud Hotline 833-FRAUD-11 or 833-372-8311 and online at the Office for Victims of Crime.
Four Men Charged for Their Roles in $21 Million Catalytic Converter Theft RingRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – Four Minnesota men have been indicted for their roles in a multi-million dollar scheme to transport stolen catalytic converters across state lines, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
According to court documents, from May 2020 through October 2022, John Charles Kotten, 41, of Hutchinson, Justin Tyme Johnson, 32, of St. Paul, Soe Nye Moo, 31, of St. Paul, and James Dillon Jensen, 34, of Minneapolis, and others knowingly participated in a lucrative scheme in which they acquired stolen catalytic converters and transported them across state lines to buyers who paid large sums of money for the stolen car parts. Catalytic converters are emission control devices that contain valuable, precious metals—including palladium, platinum, and rhodium—in their center or “core” to reduce the toxic gas and pollutants from a vehicle’s engine and filter them into safer emissions.
As part of the conspiracy, individuals who operated as street-level cutters stole catalytic converters from vehicles throughout the state of Minnesota and transferred them to Kotten or Johnson. At times, Kotten and Johnson met with cutters directly to buy stolen catalytic converters, other times they instructed cutters to transfer the catalytic converters to intermediary buyers acting on their behalf, such as Jensen and Moo. After receiving stolen catalytic converters, the defendants concealed and stored the inventory in preparation for shipment across state lines. After sorting, categorizing, and pricing out the anticipated loads, the defendants transported the stolen catalytic converters across state lines using rented U-Haul trailers and personal vehicles. Payments for the stolen catalytic converters were typically in the form of wire transfer, cash, check, or a combination thereof.
In order to conceal their scheme, Kotten and others purchased scrap or junk cars from individual sellers or at auction to make it appear as though they were involved in a legitimate automotive scrapping and recycling business in the event they were audited or investigated.
In total, the conspiracy yielded approximately $21 million in payments to the defendants, most of which came from a small number of high-volume buyers based in New Jersey, Oklahoma, Colorado, and New York.
The indictment charges Kotten, Johnson, Moo, and Jensen with conspiracy to transport stolen property interstate. Kotten and Johnson are charged with interstate transportation of stolen property, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and false statements to a financial institution. Johnson was also charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering – concealment, and Moo was charged with possession of a machinegun. All four defendants made their initial appearances earlier today in U.S. District Court before Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Cowan Wright.
This case is the result of a joint investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations, IRS – Criminal Investigations, Minnesota Commerce Fraud Bureau, Minnesota Department of Public Safety, St. Paul Police Department, Anoka County Sheriff’s Office, Blaine Police Department, Blue Earth County Sheriff’s Office, Brown County Sheriff’s Office, Carver County Sheriff’s Office, Coon Rapids Police Department, Eagan Police Department, Fridley Police Department, McLeod County Sheriff’s Office, Montevideo Police Department, Plymouth Police Department, Roseville Police Department, and Sleepy Eye Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lindsey E. Middlecamp and Emily A. Polachek are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Craig Baune and Quinn Askew are handling the forfeiture of assets.
An indictment is merely an allegation and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Former deputy sent to prison for second time on child pornography convictions that began via online gameRead the Press Release
GALVESTON, Texas – A 29-year-old Beeville resident has been sentenced for producing and possessing child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Pasquale Salas was a former deputy with the Matagorda County Sheriff’s Office at the time of his crimes. He pleaded guilty June 6.
U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Brown has now ordered him to serve 360 and 24 months for the production and possession convictions, respectively. They will run consecutively for a total 384-month-term of imprisonment. In handing down the prison terms, the court noted that the fact Salas was a law enforcement officer weighed heavily on him. Salas was further ordered to serve 15 years on supervised release following completion of his prison term. During that time, he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. He will also be ordered to register as a sex offender.
He was previously sentenced to 220 months in prison in a related case in the District of Massachusetts. The term imposed today will run concurrently to that sentence for a total federal prison term of 384 months.
“Salas used Minecraft, a child’s game, to lure some of his victims inside his vicious web,” said Hamdani. “Not only did he exploit young girls, but he also violated the public trust. He was a law enforcement officer who was sworn to protect and serve. Instead, he chose to manipulate and exploit young girls for his own deviant sexual gratification. The sentence handed down today will make sure he can’t access the places our children play online or have contact with them in person for decades to come.”
“For years, Pasquale Salas controlled, manipulated, sexually assaulted, and remotely monitored his underage victims,” said FBI Houston Acting Special Agent in Charge David Martinez. “Salas disgracefully used his status as a Texas lawman to threaten young girls into sending hundreds of sexually explicit photos and videos. Thanks to the bravery of his victims who came forward, Salas now sits behind bars unable to ever again target, threaten, or molest other children.”
The investigation began after authorities learned Salas had been communicating with a minor in Massachusetts for years, beginning when she was just 12 years old. Salas met her and another minor female online while playing Minecraft.
Over the years, he developed a controlling, manipulative and sexually exploitive relationship with the victim. He knew her true age, but still had a virtual, but sexually-explicit relationship with the child. During that time, he made her send hundreds of nude photos and videos of herself, required her to follow specific strict rules and to wear only clothing he approved. He also tracked her location. Sales threatened the victim’s well-being and that of her family if she left him.
In July 2019, authorities executed a search warrant in Southern District of Texas as part of the Massachusetts investigation. At that time, they found incriminating evidence on his phone, including child pornography of several minor females, including that of minor female relative.
Forensic analysis revealed he produced those images of the relative. She identified herself and the hands of Salas in the images/videos. In one video, he appears to be fondling the victim. She is asleep in all of the images and videos he produced.
He has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined on the near future.
FBI Texas City conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Matagorda County Sheriff’s Office and Pearland Police Department as well as FBI in the Boston/Worcestor area and Worcestor Police Department in Massachusetts.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sherri L. Zack is prosecuting the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources link on that page.
Former St. Bernard Parish Assistant District Attorney and Co-Defendants Sentenced to Prison for Defrauding First NBC BankRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that on October 19, 2023, U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo sentenced GLENN E. DIAZ, age 72, to 87 months in prison, for his role in leading a scheme to defraud First NBC Bank (FNBC), the New Orleans-based bank that failed in April 2017. DIAZ, along with codefendants PETER J. “PETE” JENEVEIN, age 58, of Panama City, Florida; and MARK S. GRELLE, age 68, of Chalmette, were convicted in April 2023, of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and substantive bank fraud charges. DIAZ previously worked as an assistant district attorney for St. Bernard Parish for over thirty years. Between June and December 2016, the defendants defrauded FNBC of over $550,000.
In addition to his sentence of incarceration, DIAZ was also ordered to pay a $10,000 fine, and restitution in an amount to be determined at a later hearing. Further, Judge Milazzo sentenced DIAZ to two years of supervised release, and payment of a mandatory $1000 special assessment fee.
Citing JENEVEIN’S substantial health issues, Judge Milazzo sentenced JENEVEIN to 6 months in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release, 18 months of which must be spent in home confinement. JENEVEIN is also required to pay restitution and a mandatory special assessment fee of $3,100.
Judge Milazzo sentenced GRELLE to 24 months in prison followed by 2 years of supervised release, 6 months of which must be spent in home confinement. GRELLE also is required to pay restitution and a mandatory special assessment fee of $1,900.
According to the evidence at trial, from at least April 2016 through December 20, 2016, DIAZ, JENEVEIN, and GRELLE conspired to defraud FNBC through a series of false invoices and other fake documents for work purportedly done at a Florida warehouse owned by DIAZ.
DIAZ was a customer of FNBC from 2006 through the bank’s closure in 2017. By late 2015, DIAZ had been overdrawing his checking account for purported business expenses. In actuality, DIAZ was depositing these overdrafts into his personal account at another bank. In June 2016, FNBC officers began requiring invoices from DIAZ to prove that he was spending bank funds to improve the Florida warehouse, that had served as collateral for DIAZ’s loans at FNBC Bank.
In response to the FNBC’s requirement, DIAZ had JENEVEIN and GRELLE provide fake invoices for improvements on the Florida warehouse that were purportedly performed by GRELLE’s company, Grelle Underground Services LLC. FNBC officers approved the overdrafts based on these invoices. However, after DIAZ wrote the check to GRELLE’s company, GRELLE would then write a check back to DIAZ, that DIAZ deposited into his personal account at JPMorgan Chase bank, to hide it from FNBC. DIAZ then used the money for expenditures unrelated to the Florida warehouse project including, vintage automobiles, plastic surgery, precious metals, and online shopping. In total, DIAZ, JENEVEIN, and GRELLE executed 17 round-trip transactions through GRELLE’s accounts. Evidence at trial also showed that DIAZ and JENEVEIN created other false invoices and credit card itemizations claiming false business expenses, and fabricating business names to make DIAZ’s personal expenses look like legitimate construction expenses.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the agencies that conducted this years-long investigation: the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Office of Inspector General, Miami Field Office; the Federal Bureau of Investigation, New Orleans Field Office; and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Office of Inspector General, Dallas Regional Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew R. Payne of the Financial Crimes Unit, Nicholas D. Moses, Healthcare Fraud Coordinator, J. Ryan McLaren of the Appellate Unit, and Rachal Cassagne of the Narcotics Unit are in charge of the prosecution.
Former Reality Show Cast Member and St. Louis DJ Sentenced to 4 Years in Prison for Multiple FraudsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Tuesday sentenced a former “Basketball Wives” reality show cast member and St. Louis, Missouri area radio personality to four years in prison for committing $564,000 worth of frauds, including tax fraud, bank fraud, insurance fraud and three separate pandemic fraud schemes.
Brittish Cierrah Williams, 33, pleaded guilty in May to 15 felonies: five counts of misuse of a Social Security number, four counts of bank fraud, three counts of making false statements to the IRS and three counts of wire fraud.
Assistant United States Attorney Diane Klocke called Williams’ conduct part of a roughly decade-long series of frauds during Tuesday’s sentencing hearing. Her crimes continued after she was initially contacted and interviewed by federal agents and even after she was indicted, Klocke said.
Judge Autrey told Williams, “You knew what you were doing. You knew it was wrong and you did it anyway.” Williams will be on supervised release for five years after her release from prison and Judge Autrey ordered her to pay $564,069 in restitution.
“The defendant launched a scheme that led to a variety of financial crimes including tax fraud, bank fraud, COVID loan fraud and identity theft,” said IRS Criminal Investigation (CI) Special Agent in Charge Thomas F. Murdock, St. Louis Field Office. “Ms. Williams displayed a blatant disregard for the victims of her deceit. Financial crimes of this magnitude deserve to be punished to the fullest extent of the law.”
“Brittish Williams was getting paid to portray her celebrity lifestyle on “Basketball Wives” when in fact she was a typical fraudster,” said Special Agent in Charge Jay Greenberg of the FBI St. Louis Division. “After today’s sentencing, her reality is now a life of a felon.”
“This sentence demonstrates our commitment to hold accountable those who intentionally misuse Social Security numbers for their own personal gain,” said Gail S. Ennis, Inspector General for the Social Security Administration. “Ms. Williams’ criminal actions brought financial harm upon individuals, businesses, and government programs, damages the integrity of Social Security numbers. I thank the FBI and the IRS-CI for their investigative efforts, and I thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office and Special Assistant United States Attorney Diane Klocke for prosecuting this case.”
In her plea agreement, Williams admitted under-reporting her income on tax returns for 2017-2019 and falsely claiming a niece and nephew as dependents, thereby avoiding $29,366 in tax.
She fraudulently used Social Security numbers not assigned to her to open accounts with credit card companies and banks. When she failed to pay on the accounts, victim companies lost $28,537.
Williams also used those Social Security numbers to open bank accounts and commit bank fraud. She deposited thousands of dollars’ worth of checks taken from other peoples’ accounts without their knowledge and then withdrew the money, causing another $23,850 in losses.
Williams admitted submitting nine applications for Economic Injury Disaster Loans, intended to help struggling business during the pandemic. The applications contained false information about business income and payroll, as well as her criminal history. She used the $144,400 that resulted from two of the applications to fund her personal lifestyle, her plea agreement says.
Williams also received $52,647 from four Paycheck Protection Program loans.
After her indictment, Williams on Jan. 3, 2022, applied for the California COVID-19 Rent Relief program, falsely claiming that she was a state resident with a total annual household income of $50,000 and that she couldn’t pay her rent due to a “Reduction in hours of work” due to the pandemic, her plea agreement says. She received $27,801. She had stopped paying rent in July of 2021 and she failed to disclose that her $3,803 rent was more than reimbursed by a $4,000 payment from the network that produces “Basketball Wives LA.” Her work hours and pay were not reduced by the pandemic.
Williams submitted fake medical bills to at least one insurance company, resulting in $139,479.92 paid to her, co-conspirators or both.
Finally, Williams has not filed annual tax returns since her indictment in October of 2021. She listed herself as “exempt” on a form with her radio station employer resulting in no taxes being withheld from her $90,000 salary, her plea says. Williams is no longer employed by the station.
The total known actual and intended losses from all the frauds and schemes, including the relevant conduct listed in the plea agreement, is $564,069.
This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service, the Social Security Administration and the FBI. Special Assistant United States Attorney Diane Klocke is handling the case for the Eastern District of Missouri.
Former Owner of Drug Paraphernalia Store Sentenced to Federal Prison After Pleading Guilty to a Conspiracy to Import, Transport and Sell Drug Paraphernalia and to Tax EvasionRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III sentenced Sean Weston, age 56, of Windsor Mill, Maryland, yesterday to 15 months in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release, after Weston pleaded guilty to federal charges of conspiracy to import, transport, and sell drug paraphernalia and to tax evasion.
The sentenced was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division; Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) - Washington Division; Special Agent in Charge Kareem A. Carter of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation (“IRS-CI”), Washington, D.C. Field Office; and Commissioner Richard Worley of the Baltimore Police Department.
According to his guilty plea, from January 2015 through at least July 2019, Weston operated the Northwest Variety store, where he sold empty gel capsules, colored plastic tops, dust masks, metal strainers, electric weighing scales, razor blades, and mannite and quinine, which are used as drug cutting agents. Weston admitted that he purchased hundreds of kilograms of quinine from China. Quinine’s only approved use is a prescription medication for the treatment of uncomplicated malaria. Importation of quinine for any other use is illegal. To conceal his purchase of quinine, Weston communicated with his foreign supplier and requested that the quinine be labelled as something else, such as “beta glucan.”
As detailed in his plea agreement, Weston also failed to file federal income tax returns with the IRS for tax years 2016 through 2018. In addition to owning the Northwest Variety Store, which had significant profits during that time, Weston was on the payroll of a water treatment facility. To conceal his income from the IRS, Weston conducted his finances substantially in cash. For example, from 2016 through 2018, Weston paid $29,835 in cash for the monthly rent for the Northwest Variety Store and deposited $352,026 in cash into two personal bank accounts. In 2016 and 2017 Weston paid cash down payments of $25,000 and $15,000, respectively, for the purchase and lease of Bentley automobiles, with fair market values of more than $117,000 and $139,000. In 2016, Weston signed a credit application stating that his annual income was $180,000 and in 2017, he had an individual prepare his 2016 tax return, which reflected a gross income of $358,984. Instead of submitting the return to the IRS, Weston submitted it to the car dealership. By failing to report his income for tax years 2016 through 2018, Weston caused a tax loss to the United States of more than $98,000.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron and Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg commended the DEA, the IRS-CI, and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron and Mr. Goldberg thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth S. Clark and Senior Litigation Counsel John E. Sullivan of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, who are prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psn and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
# # #
Federal jury convicts member of transnational organized crime group of money laundering, migrant smuggling, trafficking stolen property, and bribery of public officialsRead the Press Release
MIAMI –Following a one-month trial, a federal jury convicted a Miami Beach man for his role in a violent transnational organized crime group operating in Cuba, Mexico, Spain, and South Florida since as early as 2009.
Javier Hernandez, 50, of Miami Beach, Florida, was convicted on Oct. 18, following a jury trial of conspiracy to commit alien smuggling, conspiracy to transport stolen vessels, conspiracy to traffic in certain motor vehicles, trafficking in certain motor vehicles, and conspiracy to launder money to promote stolen property trafficking, and the bribery of public officials.
According to evidence introduced at trial, Hernandez and his codefendant, Ramon Reyes Aranda, 38, of Naples, Florida, stole vessels from the west coast of Florida. Reyes Aranda would identify the vessels, and Hernandez transported them to Mexico, where they would be used to fund and facilitate the enterprise’s illegal activities. Prior to the trial, Reyes Aranda pleaded guilty to participating in a money laundering conspiracy to promote stolen property trafficking and the bribery of public officials.
The stolen property, which included boats and vessels, were transported to a coconspirator in Mexico, who would then use the stolen property to facilitate and promote the organization’s activities. For example, evidence introduced at trial showed that Hernandez transported a vehicle to Mexico for use in bribing a foreign official so that the organization could continue conducting migrant smuggling without interference from law enforcement.
An extensive multi-national operation, led by American and Mexican law enforcement authorities, was formed to combat the activities of a violent transnational organized crime group known collectively in Mexico as La Mafia Cubana en Quintana Roo, or the Cuban Mafia in Quintana Roo. Through this operation, law enforcement officials learned that Jose Miguel Gonzalez Vidal, 36; Reynaldo Abreu Garcia, 56; Yohismy Perez Gonzalez, 40; Yosvani Carbonel Lemus, 43; Reynaldo Crespo Marquez, 44, and Jancer Sergio Ramos Valdes, 37, all Cuban citizens residing in Mexico at the time of the charges, along with Maikel Antonio Hechavarria Reyes and Monica Susana Castillo, both of Mexico, were part of an organized crime group that profited from various schemes, including the smuggling and extortion of Cuban migrants held hostage in Mexico for the payment of smuggling fees (United States v. Vidal, et al., Case No. 21-cr-20050-CMA).
According to evidence contained in the court record, Gonzalez Vidal introduced Hernandez to Reyes Aranda so that they could work together to transport stolen vessels for the organization. Both Hernandez and Reyes Aranda were paid by Gonzalez Vidal and other members of the organization for their transportation of the stolen property.
The members of the migrant extortion racket required the victims to provide contact information of a family member from whom they would later demand a $10,000 USD ransom fee. The men contacted the victims’ relatives, some of whom were in Miami, and threatened to torture, starve, and kill the victims if the relatives refused to pay. If a victim’s relative was able to pay the ransom, the organization released the victim and sent them by bus to the United States-Mexico border with instructions to seek political asylum. The victims whose relatives were unable to pay the fee were beaten, threatened with knives and guns, and shocked with stun guns until they were finally rescued by Mexican authorities. Members of the organization also sought to profit from drug trafficking and fraud schemes.
Further, once the defendants were charged in the United States and detained pending trial, they continued operating the organization by seeking to obstruct justice, violating court orders, and distributing contraband in a federal detention center. As part of their prison racket, the organization paid bribes to a federal employee to introduce contraband and controlled substance for distribution into the Federal Detention Center (FDC), in Miami.
For their participation in the criminal scheme, Gonzalez Vidal, Crespo Marquez, Abreu Garcia, Perez Gonzalez, Carbonel Lemus, and Ramos Valdes previously pleaded guilty to Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) conspiracy and migrant smuggling. Their sentencing hearings have been scheduled for November and December in Miami.
Reyes Aranda’s sentencing hearing is set for Dec. 15, at 10:00 a.m. in Miami. Hernandez’s sentencing hearing is set for Jan. 5, 2024, at 10:30 a.m. in Miami.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida; Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI, Miami Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Anthony Salisbury of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Miami; Acting Special Agent in Charge Matthew J. Margelot, U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service (CGIS), Southeast Region; Warden Gio Ramirez of the Federal Detention Center (FDC), Bureau of Prisons (BOP);; Interim Director Stephanie V. Daniels of the Miami-Dade Police Department (MDPD); Chief of Police Tracy Frazzano for the Marco Island Police Department, and Interim Police Chief Matt Fletcher of the Naples Police Department, made the announcement.
The prosecution of this organization has involved significant support from the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, FBI’s International Violent Crimes Unit, and the Justice Department’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section.
These multinational prosecutions are the result of ongoing efforts of the Operation Sisyphus Task Force, a multi-agency partnership established by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Priority Transnational Organized Crime Program. Since 2012, Operation Sisyphus Task Force participants have secured the conviction of over thirty members and associates of the criminal organization.
The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, and other priority transnational criminal organizations that threaten the citizens of the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence driven, multi-agency approach to combat transnational organized crime. The OCDETF program facilitates complex, joint operations by focusing its partner agencies on priority targets, by managing and coordinating multi-agency efforts, and by leveraging intelligence across multiple investigative platforms.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Arielle Klepach and Brian Dobbins prosecuted U.S. v. Hernandez, et al., Case No. 22-cr-20557.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Manolo Reboso, Quinshawna Landon and Ignacio J. Vázquez, Jr. prosecuted U.S. v. Vidal, et al., Case No. 21-cr-20050. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Davis conducted collateral litigation regarding obstruction of justice activities in the Vidal, et al. prosecution.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Annika Miranda handled asset forfeiture.
If you believe you are a victim of migrant coercion or extortion, or know someone who is, you are encouraged to call 1-800-CALLFBI (225-5324).
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under the case numbers referenced above.
###
Dover Man Pleads Guilty to Two Child Exploitation OffensesRead the Press Release
CONCORD – A Dover man pleaded guilty in federal court to possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young announces.
Evan Gadarowski, 29, waived indictment and pleaded guilty to an information charging one count each of possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material. U.S. District Court Judge Samantha Elliott scheduled sentencing for February 2, 2024.
Between 2018 and 2021, Gadarowski solicited, received, and disseminated sexually explicit images and videos depicting numerous minor survivors. Gadarowski posed as a teenage girl using sexually explicit images and videos of one minor survivor and adopting them as part of a fictious online persona, a practice sometimes referred to as “catfishing.” Using this fictious persona, Gadarowski posed as a bisexual female and pursued online relationships with high-school aged girls. Gadarowski sent sexually explicit images and videos depicting one minor survivor to others and induced unsuspecting minor survivors to send him sexually explicit images and videos of themselves in return. The investigation also revealed that Gadarowski sold collections of sexually explicit images depicting some of the minor survivors to others online.
The charging statute provides a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, a minimum of 5 years of supervised release, a fine of $250,000 and mandatory restitution. 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.
Homeland Security Investigations led the investigation. Valuable assistance was provided by the Nashua Police Department and the New Hampshire Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kasey Weiland is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
###
District Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Firearms OffenseRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Julian Wesley Gentry, 33, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today to a federal firearms charge stemming from his possession of a loaded firearm on May 1, 2022, in the 600 block of H Street Northwest, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Acting Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department.
Gentry pleaded guilty in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia to one count of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a person convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year. Judge Timothy J. Kelly scheduled a sentencing hearing for January 12, 2024.
According to the government’s evidence, on May 1, 2022, shortly after 1:00 a.m., a security guard who was working at a bar in the 600 block of H Street Northwest, in the District’s Chinatown neighborhood, called 911 to report that a man wearing a white dress shirt—later identified as Gentry—had displayed a firearm that he was carrying in his underwear. The 911 caller provided a detailed description of armed suspect and his two companions, and he stated that the suspect was sitting on the steps of a closed restaurant just across the street. Officers of the Metropolitan Police Department located and approached Gentry, who ran into the middle of the street, where he was stopped seconds later. During a protective pat down, officers recovered a loaded semi-automatic firearm from the Gentry’s waistband, consistent with the 911 caller’s report. During a search of Gentry’s person following his arrest, an additional, loose round of ammunition was found in his pants pocket.
Gentry was arrested on May 1, 2022, and has remained in custody ever since.
Federal law prohibits Gentry from possessing a firearm because he has previously been convicted of crimes punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year, including a 2019 conviction for reckless endangerment in Montgomery County, Maryland, for which he was on probation at the time of this offense.
Gentry faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine. The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentence imposed in this case will be determined by the Court after considering the United States Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Graves and Acting Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department.
Finally, they commended the efforts of Assistant United States Attorney Paul V. Courtney, who prosecuted the case.
Convicted Ponzi schemer arrested in Florida after failing to show up for sentencingRead the Press Release
Seattle – A federally convicted Ponzi schemer was arrested today in South Florida following an hours-long stand-off with FBI Miami, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. In December 2022, Volodimyr Pigida, a Miami area resident who previously resided in Bellevue, Washington, was found guilty by a jury in the Western District of Washington of 26 felony counts, including conspiracy, wire fraud, mail fraud, and bankruptcy fraud, among other crimes.
In his $11 million Ponzi scheme Pigida defrauded thousands of victims. Pigida and his wife operated a ‘work-at-home’ email scheme named Trend Sound Promoter that ultimately crashed – but not before the two raided the company’s accounts to purchase homes, expensive cars, and a yacht.
On August 4, 2023, Pigida failed to appear at his sentencing hearing before the district court in Seattle. A warrant was issued for his arrest. Pigida is a naturalized U.S. Citizen who was born in Ukraine.
Pigida will appear in U.S. District Court in Fort Lauderdale tomorrow. Prosecutors will ask that he be detained and transferred to the Western District of Washington by the U.S. Marshals Service.
The FBI wanted poster is here: https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/wcc/volodimyr-pigida
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Philip Kopczynski.
Convicted Felon Sentenced to 15 Years for Firearm OffenseRead the Press Release
PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Cameron Dain Gillilan, 31, of Navarre, Florida, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The sentence was announced by Jason R. Coody, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
“This sentence ensures that our community will be safer and sends a message that there are real and severe consequences for federal firearm offenses,” said U.S. Attorney Coody. "Thanks to the outstanding work of our law enforcement partners, this armed felon has been called to account for his continued criminal conduct."
During the evening hours on October 25, 2022, Escambia County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a structure on Mobile Highway in Pensacola, Florida. Bail bondsmen of Billy Clark Bail Bonds were executing a warrant service on Gillilan, who had failed to appear for court in Santa Rosa County. The failure to appear warrant related to a case against Gillilan involving trafficking of methamphetamine and fentanyl. After the bail bondsmen handcuffed Gillilan behind his back and walked him outside, Gillilan pulled a loaded and chambered firearm out of his backside waistband. Fortunately, the bail bondsmen quickly seized the firearm, cleared it, and set it aside. Gillilan had previously been convicted of several felony offenses to include three drug trafficking convictions, an additional conviction for carrying a concealed firearm, and a prior misdemeanor crime of domestic violence battery involving strangulation. Such prior convictions prohibited Gillilan from possessing firearms. Gillilan was well-known to the law enforcement community as a drug dealer who often carried weapons on his person.
“This is a huge public safety win for residents of Northwest Florida,” said ATF Tampa Field Division Special Agent in Charge Kirk Howard. “It’s also a reminder of the risks law enforcement officers face every day to protect their communities.”
This conviction was the result of an investigation conducted by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Callahan prosecuted the case.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access available public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
Chester Man Indicted for Felon in Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA — A federal grand jury in Columbia returned a single-count indictment against Montell De’Angelo Cousar, 32, of Chester, for felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
The indictment alleges that on May 5, 2023, Cousar unlawfully possessed a loaded Glock 9mm pistol after having been convicted of a previous felony.
Cousar faces a maximum penalty of 10 years and is currently detained pending trial.
This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Rock Hill Police Department (RHPD). Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher D. Taylor is prosecuting the case.
U.S. Attorney Adair F. Boroughs stated that all charges in the indictment are merely accusations and that defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
###
Charleston Man Sentenced for Possessing Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office stated that on October 20, 2023, Daniel Blow, 41, of Charleston, Vermont was sentenced to a 10-year term of imprisonment, following his guilty plea to possessing child pornography, also referred to as child sexual abuse material. The 10-year sentence was the mandatory minimum required by law due to Blow’s prior felony conviction in New York State related to possession of child sexual abuse material. United States District Judge Christina Reiss also ordered Blow to serve an eight-year term of supervised release following his release from prison.
According to court records, a social media company reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) that a user had uploaded 41 files of suspected child sexual abuse material. NCMEC referred the tip to the Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Records from the social media company provided IP address information for the user which corresponded to the residence of Daniel Blow in Charleston. A check of Blow’s criminal history revealed his prior conviction in New York. Agents with Homeland Security Investigations conducted additional investigation and obtained a federal search warrant for Blow’s residence. During the execution of the search warrant, a Vermont State Police forensic examiner discovered images of child sexual abuse material on Blow’s cellular phone and his desktop computer. On a small video recording device, agents discovered a covertly recorded video of a teenage child changing clothes, with Blow visible at the beginning of the video while hiding the camera, and at the end of the video while retrieving the camera. In addition, agents seized multiple rifles and shotguns from Blow’s residence, including an M-4 style Colt rifle.
U.S. Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the investigatory and collaborative efforts of Homeland Security Investigations, the Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and the Vermont State Police.
The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan Ophardt. Blow is represented by the Assistant Federal Public Defender Mary Nerino.
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 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and Child Exploitation Obscenity Section, Criminal Division (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Bronx Man Charged with Shooting on Edward L. Grant HighwayRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, James Smith, the Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), and Edward A. Caban, the Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), announced the unsealing of a Complaint charging MIGUEL DIAZ with firing a weapon outside a Bronx deli, wounding a victim in the arm. DIAZ was arrested this morning and was presented today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Katharine H. Parker.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “As alleged, Miguel Diaz — who was previously convicted of reckless endangerment — fired a bullet outside a deli in the middle of the day at the corner of Edward L. Grant Highway and Jesup Avenue in the Bronx. Thanks to the swift action of our law enforcement partners and the prosecutors of this Office, Diaz will now be held accountable for his alleged reckless and violent actions.”
NYPD Commissioner Edward A. Caban said: “The dedicated men and women of the NYPD, who have accomplished a 26 percent reduction in shootings so far this year in New York City, are still battling a scourge of gun violence that threatens everyone who lives, works, and visits here. And just as New Yorkers expect and deserve, we and our law enforcement colleagues vow to keep working tirelessly to investigate and arrest anyone brazen enough to carry and shoot an illegal weapon on our streets.”
According to the allegations in the Complaint:[[1]]
On October 4, 2023, at approximately 6:00 p.m., as captured by surveillance video, DIAZ walked southbound to the corner of Edward L. Grant Highway and Jesup Avenue and stopped for several minutes outside a Bronx deli. As DIAZ’s victim emerged from the deli, DIAZ approached the victim from behind, pulled a firearm from his right pocket, and fired a shot. DIAZ was then seen returning the firearm to his pocket and fleeing the scene.
Below are still images of DIAZ, as captured by surveillance video, showing DIAZ as he fired the gun:
NYPD officers recovered a 9mm FC Luger shell casing from the scene. Below is a photograph of the recovered shell casing:
DIAZ was not permitted to possess ammunition because of a prior felony conviction for reckless endangerment. DIAZ was released from state custody on June 1, 2023, after serving a sentence of nearly five years in prison. The Bronx shooting occurred only four months later.
* * *
DIAZ, 40, of the Bronx, New York, is charged with possession of ammunition after a felony conviction, which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.
The maximum potential sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI and the NYPD.
This case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan T. Nees is in charge of the prosecution.
The charge contained in the Complaint is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Complaint and the description of the Complaint set forth below constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
Billings man accused of threatening to murder U.S. Representative Kevin McCarthyRead the Press Release
BILLINGS — A Billings man accused of threating to murder U.S. Representative Kevin McCarthy appeared today for arraignment on an indictment, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.
Richard Lee Rogers, 44, pleaded not guilty to an indictment charging him with threats to injure and murder a member of the United States Congress and with harassing telephone calls. If convicted of the most serious crime, Rogers faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Cavan presided. Rogers was released pending further proceedings.
The indictment alleges that on Feb. 3, near Shepherd, Rogers threatened to assault and murder Kevin McCarthy, who is a member of the U.S. Congress and was the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, with the intent to retaliate against him for the performance of his official duties. The indictment further alleges that on Feb. 3, Rogers made repeated interstate phone calls to harass a person at the called number.
An indictment is merely an accusation, and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey K. Starnes is prosecuting the case, which was investigated by the FBI and U.S. Capitol Police.
PACER case reference. 23-112.
The progress of cases may be monitored through the U.S. District Court Calendar and the PACER system. To establish a PACER account, which provides electronic access to review documents filed in a case, please visit http://www.pacer.gov/register.html. To access the District Court’s calendar, please visit https://ecf.mtd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/PublicCalendar.pl
XXX
Baton Rouge Man Sentenced for Conspiring to Stage Automobile Accidents to Defraud Insurance and Trucking CompaniesRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that RODERICK HICKMAN (“HICKMAN”), age 52, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was sentenced today after previously pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Mail Fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371, arising out of staged automobile accidents with tractor-trailers occurring in New Orleans.
According to court documents, on March 27, 2017, HICKMAN along with four other defendants, intentionally collided with a tractor-trailer at the intersection of Chef Menteur Highway and Downman Road and then fled the scene.
HICKMAN was referred to attorneys who paid him and another co-defendant to stage the accident. In some cases, the attorneys knew that the participants were uninjured but referred them to medical providers for treatment to increase the value of subsequent lawsuits. In total, the victim trucking and insurance companies paid out $277,500.00 for these fraudulent claims.
HICKMAN was sentenced to 42 months in the Bureau of Prisons by U.S. District Judge Lance M. Africk and ordered to pay restitution of approximately $5.7 million. He also will be on supervised release for three years following incarceration and must pay a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office would also like to acknowledge the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Louisiana State Police, and the Metropolitan Crime Commission with this matter. The prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Klebba, Chief of the Financial Crimes Unit, Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward Rivera, Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria Carboni and Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Long, also of the Financial Crimes Unit.
Bangor Man Sentenced to 10 Years after Transporting Fentanyl from MassachusettsRead the Press Release
BANGOR, Maine: A Bangor man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Bangor for possessing fentanyl with intent to distribute.
U.S District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. sentenced Chad Savage, 34, to ten years in prison followed by five years of supervised release. Savage pleaded guilty on June 13, 2023.
According to court records, in June 2022, Maine Drug Enforcement Agency (MDEA) investigators, after receiving information that Savage had purchased large quantities of drugs in Massachusetts to sell in the Bangor area, executed a search warrant on a vehicle Savage was operating. Savage directed investigators to the glovebox of the vehicle where 50 pressed “sticks” of suspected fentanyl were recovered. A lab later confirmed the drugs seized were 588.7 grams of fentanyl. Less than two milligrams of fentanyl can be fatal, depending on a person’s body size, tolerance and past usage. In an interview with authorities, Savage stated that he had traveled to Massachusetts to obtain the drugs, that the drugs were “fronted” to him, and that he estimated that he had been provided with 1000 grams.
MDEA, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.
###
Baltimore-Area Man Sentenced to 15 Months in Prison After Pleading Guilty to Tax Evasion and Drug ConspiracyRead the Press Release
A Maryland man was sentenced yesterday to 15 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release after pleading guilty to tax evasion and conspiracy to import, transport and sell drug paraphernalia. Sean Weston, of Windsor Mill, was also ordered to make restitution to the United States.
According to court documents and statements made in court, from January 2015 through at least July 2019, Weston operated the Northwest Variety Store in Baltimore, where he sold empty gel capsules, colored plastic tops, dust masks, metal strainers, electric weighing scales, razor blades and mannite and quinine, which are used as cutting agents in illicit drugs. Weston admitted that he purchased from China hundreds of kilograms of quinine, a prescription medication for the treatment of uncomplicated malaria. Importing quinine for any other use is illegal. Weston concealed his purchases by requesting his foreign supplier label the quinine something else, such as “beta glucan.”
For tax years 2016 through 2018, Weston did not file federal income tax returns with the IRS. In addition to owning the Northwest Variety Store – which had significant profits during that time – Weston was on the payroll of a water treatment facility. To conceal his income from the IRS, Weston dealt substantially in cash. For example, from 2016 through 2018, Weston paid $29,835 in cash for the monthly rent of the Northwest Variety Store and deposited $352,026 in cash into two personal bank accounts.
In 2016, Weston made a $25,000 cash down payment for the purchase of a 2013 Bentley Continental GT – worth approximately $117,000 – and signed a credit application stating that his annual income was $180,000. In May 2017, Weston made a $15,000 cash down payment on the lease of a 2014 Bentley Flying Spur, worth more than $139,000. To obtain the lease, Weston had an individual prepare his tax return for 2016 that reflected a purported gross income of $358,984. Weston submitted the return to the car dealership but did not file it with the IRS.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron for the District of Maryland made the announcement.
IRS-Criminal Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration are investigating the case as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF), with the assistance from the Baltimore Police Department.
Senior Litigation Counsel John Sullivan of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth S. Clark for the District of Maryland are prosecuting the case.
Baltimore Man Pleads Guilty to the Armed Robbery of a Baltimore Jewelry StoreRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Davontay Conner, age 27, of Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty yesterday to the armed robbery of a jewelry store and to using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
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; and Commissioner Richard Worley of the Baltimore Police Department.
According to his guilty plea, on October 13, 2019, Conner and three co-conspirators robbed a jewelry store in Baltimore. During the robbery, four masked men entered the store with guns. While three of the robbers held up the security guard at gunpoint, Conner used a hammer to smash a display case and steal several pieces of jewelry. Conner and his co-conspirators then fled the store, with one of the robbers firing a shot back toward the store. The robbers escaped in a waiting SUV. Another shot was fired from inside the vehicle, breaking the rear window and leaving glass in the parking lot.
Conner and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Conner will be sentenced to between seven and 10 years in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander has scheduled sentencing for January 17, 2023 at 10:00 a.m.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney LaRai Everett, who is prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psn and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
# # #
Albion Man Pleads Guilty to Guns for Drugs SchemeRead the Press Release
BANGOR, Maine: An Albion man pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Bangor today for knowingly making false statements to a Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL) while purchasing firearms.
According to court records, between June and August 2022, Jason Palmer, 42, obtained five pistols in five separate transactions with an FFL located in Fairfield. In each of those transactions, Palmer completed the required Form 4473 and misrepresented that he was the actual buyer of the firearm when he was in fact purchasing it for another individual. He also falsely indicated on the form that he was not an unlawful user of any controlled substances. In an interview with law enforcement, Palmer admitted that he had been offered heroin/fentanyl in exchange for purchasing the firearms.
Palmer faces up to five years in prison, a fine up to $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Waterville Police Department investigated the case.
STRAW PURCHASING: A straw purchase is an illegal firearm purchase where the actual buyer of the gun, being unable to pass the required federal background check or desiring to not have his or her name associated with the transaction, uses a proxy buyer who can pass the required background check to purchase the firearm for him/her.
###
Alabama Man Sentenced to Nine Years in Prison for Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Gulfport, Miss. -- A Grand Bay, Alabama man was sentenced to 108 months in federal prison, followed by 20 years of supervised release, for possession of child pornography.
According to court documents, Walton Stephen Vaughan, 67, was found to be in possession of hundreds of visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct when, on February 27, 2019, FBI agents and local law enforcement personnel executed a search warrant at his residence in Lucedale, Mississippi.
Vaughan was indicted by a federal grand jury and pled guilty on February 23, 2023.
In addition to his term of imprisonment, Vaughan was ordered to pay restitution to victims totaling $29,500, and a $3,000 assessment under the Amy, Vicky, and Andy Child Pornography Victim Assistance Act of 2018. Vaughan was also ordered to register as a sex offender.
U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee of the Southern District of Mississippi, Special Agent in Charge Paul Brown of the FBI in Mobile, Alabama, and Special Agent in Charge Jermicha Fomby of the FBI in Mississippi made the announcement.
The case was investigated by the FBI in Mobile, Alabama, with assistance from the FBI in Mississippi. Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Jones prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov
AECOM to Pay $11.8 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations in Connection with Hurricane Disaster ReliefRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – AECOM, an architecture and engineering firm based in Dallas has agreed to pay $11.8 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act (FCA) by knowingly submitting false claims to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for the replacement of certain educational facilities located in Louisiana that were damaged by Hurricane Katrina.
Under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act and corresponding rules, FEMA provided institutional applicants, such as schools and universities, with public assistance (PA) funds for the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by Hurricane Katrina. Funding was limited to the cost of repairing a damaged facility, unless that cost exceeded 50% of the facility’s replacement cost, in which case full-replacement funding was available.
Between 2006 and 2010, AECOM served as a technical assistance contractor in support of FEMA disaster recovery efforts following Hurricane Katrina. In this role, AECOM prepared requests for PA funds on behalf of applicants that included, among other things, damage descriptions, estimates of the cost to repair damage and estimates of the cost to replace structures.
The settlement resolves allegations that an AECOM project officer deployed to Louisiana for the Hurricane Katrina recovery effort submitted to FEMA fraudulent requests for disaster assistance funds for several educational facilities in New Orleans, which resulted in certain applicants receiving PA funds in excess of what FEMA rules permitted, including in some cases because the facility was entitled only to repair rather than replacement costs. These facilities included the gymnasium, student center and electrical grid at Xavier University of Louisiana and a cafeteria building at the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans’ St. Raphael the Archangel School. According to the allegations in the government’s complaint, AECOM supervisors reviewed and did not correct disaster assistance applications that included materially false design, damage and replacement eligibility descriptions.
“FEMA plays an essential role in helping communities recover from natural disasters,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “Today’s settlement sends a strong message that FEMA contractors, as well as funding recipients, must provide truthful and accurate information so that FEMA’s resources are used to help those truly in need.”
“Federal disaster funds are instrumental in the effort to aid disaster victims with their recovery,” said the U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans for the Eastern District of Louisiana. “The favorable resolution of this False Claims Act matter illustrates the collaborative efforts and firm commitment by our federal partners to use all available remedies to address signs of fraud, waste and abuse.”
“With our law enforcement partners - the Department of Justice Civil Division and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana - DHS-OIG worked tirelessly to ensure that these defendants were brought to justice and that nearly $12 million in disaster relief funds will be returned to the U.S. taxpayer,” said Inspector General Dr. Joseph V. Cuffari of DHS.
The settlement with AECOM resolves claims brought in a lawsuit filed under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act, which permit private parties to file suit on behalf of the United States for false claims and share in a portion of the government’s recovery. The United States may intervene in the action, as it did in part in this case. The lawsuit is captioned United States ex rel. Robert Romero v. AECOM, Inc., et al., No. 16-cv-15092 (E.D. La.). As part of the settlement with AECOM, the whistleblower, Robert Romero, will receive more than $2.4 million.
The United States has now recovered nearly $25 million in connection with the disaster assistance applications prepared by AECOM. The United States previously settled with Xavier University of Louisiana and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans with respect to their alleged role in the submission of the false certifications for FEMA funding prepared by AECOM.
The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort among the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana, with substantial assistance from FEMA’s Office of Chief Counsel. Investigative support was provided by the DHS-OIG's Major Fraud and Corruption Unit and New Orleans Resident Office.
This matter was handled by Trial Attorneys Laura Hill, Richard Hagner, Gavin Thole, and Robin Overby of the Civil Division, along with Assistant U.S. Attorney Mimi Nguyen for the Eastern District of Louisiana and Charles Schexnaildre of FEMA’s Office of Chief Counsel.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.
AECOM to Pay $11.8 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations in Connection with Hurricane Disaster ReliefRead the Press Release
AECOM, an architecture and engineering firm based in Dallas has agreed to pay $11.8 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act (FCA) by knowingly submitting false claims to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for the replacement of certain educational facilities located in Louisiana that were damaged by Hurricane Katrina.
Under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act and corresponding rules, FEMA provided institutional applicants, such as schools and universities, with public assistance (PA) funds for the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by Hurricane Katrina. Funding was limited to the cost of repairing a damaged facility, unless that cost exceeded 50% of the facility’s replacement cost, in which case full-replacement funding was available.
Between 2006 and 2010, AECOM served as a technical assistance contractor in support of FEMA disaster recovery efforts following Hurricane Katrina. In this role, AECOM prepared requests for PA funds on behalf of applicants that included, among other things, damage descriptions, estimates of the cost to repair damage and estimates of the cost to replace structures.
The settlement resolves allegations that an AECOM project officer deployed to Louisiana for the Hurricane Katrina recovery effort submitted to FEMA fraudulent requests for disaster assistance funds for several educational facilities in New Orleans, which resulted in certain applicants receiving PA funds in excess of what FEMA rules permitted, including in some cases because the facility was entitled only to repair rather than replacement costs. These facilities included the gymnasium, student center and electrical grid at Xavier University of Louisiana and a cafeteria building at the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans’ St. Raphael the Archangel School. According to the allegations in the government’s complaint, AECOM supervisors reviewed and did not correct disaster assistance applications that included materially false design, damage and replacement eligibility descriptions.
“FEMA plays an essential role in helping communities recover from natural disasters,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “Today’s settlement sends a strong message that FEMA contractors, as well as funding recipients, must provide truthful and accurate information so that FEMA’s resources are used to help those truly in need.”
“Federal disaster funds are instrumental in the effort to aid disaster victims with their recovery,” said the U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans for the Eastern District of Louisiana. “The favorable resolution of this False Claims Act matter illustrates the collaborative efforts and firm commitment by our federal partners to use all available remedies to address signs of fraud, waste and abuse.”
“With our law enforcement partners - the Department of Justice Civil Division and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana - DHS-OIG worked tirelessly to ensure that these defendants were brought to justice and that nearly $12 million in disaster relief funds will be returned to the U.S. taxpayer,” said Inspector General Dr. Joseph V. Cuffari of DHS.
The settlement with AECOM resolves claims brought in a lawsuit filed under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act, which permit private parties to file suit on behalf of the United States for false claims and share in a portion of the government’s recovery. The United States may intervene in the action, as it did in part in this case. The lawsuit is captioned United States ex rel. Robert Romero v. AECOM, Inc., et al., No. 16-cv-15092 (E.D. La.). As part of the settlement with AECOM, the whistleblower, Robert Romero, will receive more than $2.4 million.
The United States has now recovered nearly $25 million in connection with the disaster assistance applications prepared by AECOM. The United States previously settled with Xavier University of Louisiana and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans with respect to their alleged role in the submission of the false certifications for FEMA funding prepared by AECOM.
The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort among the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana, with substantial assistance from FEMA’s Office of Chief Counsel. Investigative support was provided by the DHS-OIG's Major Fraud and Corruption Unit and New Orleans Resident Office.
This matter was handled by Trial Attorneys Laura Hill, Richard Hagner, Gavin Thole, and Robin Overby of the Civil Division, along with Assistant U.S. Attorney Mimi Nguyen for the Eastern District of Louisiana and Charles Schexnaildre of FEMA’s Office of Chief Counsel.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.
Settlement
23 October 2023
White Swan Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Sexual Abuse of a Young GirlRead the Press Release
Yakima, Washington – Vanessa R. Waldref, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Charlie Jim Peters, age 35, of White Swan, Washington was sentenced after pleading guilty to one count of Sexual Abuse. Chief United States District Judge Stanley A. Bastian imposed a sentence of 120 months imprisonment to be followed by five years of supervised release and sex offender registration.
According to Court documents, on or about July 12, 2020, on the Yakama Nation reservation, Peters molested a sixteen-year-old victim while the victim was asleep inside a camper van. DNA analysis later confirmed Peter’s DNA from a sample recovered from the crime scene.
U.S. Attorney Vanessa R. Waldref for the Eastern District of Washington commended the efforts of the FBI Agents, Yakama Nation Police Officers and Yakima County Sheriff’s Deputies which led to this case: “Our hearts go out to the victim and the victim’s family. No sentence can undo the emotional trauma the victim suffered in this case. I am grateful for the investigative efforts that identified Mr. Peters and for the agents and prosecutors who devote their careers to this challenging, but most important work.”
“Mr. Peters will fortunately spend the next ten years in prison.” said Richard A. Collodi, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Seattle field office. “While no sentence may seem long enough to a victim of his reprehensible actions, I commend her for taking the steps necessary which ultimately led to this sentence. The FBI and our partners are committed to making our state’s reservations safer for the citizens who call them home.”
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Yakama Nation Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Michael Murphy, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington.
1:20-CR-02046-SAB
Verona, PA Resident Sentenced for Violating Federal Narcotics and Firearm LawsRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA - A resident of Verona, PA, has been sentenced in federal court to 5 years in prison on his conviction of violating federal narcotics and firearms laws, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.
Senior United States District Judge Joy Flowers Conti imposed the sentence on Daimere Wilmer, 30, Verona, PA.
According to information presented to the court, Wilmer possessed with intent to deliver 12 kilograms of marijuana and possessed firearms and ammunition as a previously convicted felon.
Assistant United States Attorney Gregory C. Melucci prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Olshan commended the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Pittsburgh Police Department for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Wilmer.
U.S. Attorney’s Office and WHYY Present Philadelphia Premiere of “Repairing the World: Stories from the Tree of Life” as Part of Fight Against HateRead the Press Release
Philadelphia, PA – On Thursday, October 19, 2023, community members and leaders gathered at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre to watch the first screening in Philadelphia of Repairing the World: Stories from the Tree of Life, United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced today. The documentary tells the story of Pittsburgh’s powerful community response to hate in the aftermath of the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history. Next week marks the fifth anniversary of the attack.
“Through the voices of survivors, family members, diverse Pittsburgh residents, and leaders, Repairing the World shows the powerful display of unity in a moment of crisis, the resilience of a vibrant city, and a community working together to stand united against hate,” said U.S. Attorney Romero. “In this painful and challenging time in the world, it is a message that we all can learn from and put into action in our own communities.”
Following the screening, host and producer of WHYY’s “Morning Edition” Jennifer Lynn led a panel discussion that included Patrice O’Neill, the film’s producer and director, Alan Mallinger, whose mother was killed and sister was wounded in the shooting, and Maggie Feinstein, director of the 10.27 Healing Partnership. United States Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania Eric G. Olshan and members of the trial team that prosecuted and convicted the shooter were also in attendance and shared remarks.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania hosted the screening and discussion as part of the Department of Justice’s United Against Hate Initiative, in partnership with WHYY and Not In Our Town. The American Jewish Committee, the Anti-Defamation League, the Board of Rabbis of Greater Philadelphia, HIAS Pennsylvania, the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, and the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History cosponsored the screening.
“Hate-based violence and threats hurt not just the victims; they destroy entire communities,” said U.S. Attorney Romero. “In addition to prosecuting these crimes to the fullest extent of the law, my Office, along with our community and law enforcement partners, will continue to shine a light on the impact of these crimes and work with our partners to build the community connections needed to prevent them.”
U.S. Attorney Olshan added, “We were proud to join our colleagues from the Eastern District of Pennsylvania for a viewing of this film, which showcases what those of us who worked on this case have witnessed firsthand for the last five years—the unbelievable strength and resolve of the entire victim community. We will continue to stand beside them in solidarity and to show that together we are stronger than hate.”
“Not In Our Town is honored to present this film to the Philadelphia community with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, WHYY, and our community partners,” said the film’s director and Not In Our Town CEO Patrice O’Neill. “The Pittsburgh community presents powerful lessons about how we can build alliances in our cities and towns that will help us become stronger than hate. We look forward to seeing how Pittsburgh’s story helps spark these discussions here in Philadelphia and across the country.”
WHYY will broadcast the film on Thursday, October 26, 2023, at 9:00 p.m., with an encore presentation on Sunday, October 29, 2023, at 12:30 p.m.
Learn more about the film by visiting https://repairingtheworldfilm.org/. Report suspected hate crimes first to your local law enforcement, then to the FBI at tips.fbi.gov or 1-800-CALL-FBI. You can also report a hate crime, find resources, and learn more about the Department of Justice’s hate crimes prevention and enforcement work by visiting www.justice.gov/hatecrimes.
U.S. Attorney Parker honors citizen & law enforcement efforts to reduce crime, build stronger communities in second annual awards ceremonyRead the Press Release
CINCINNATI – Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, presented Law Enforcement and Community Service Awards, honoring individuals and groups for their work to reduce gun violence, provide alternatives to armed responses to mental health crises, improve school safety, volunteer to support crime prevention programs, aggressively investigate child exploitation, and help restored citizens return to the community after serving time behind bars.
“Building safe communities requires a mosaic of people and groups who look out for each other and bring their own individual skills and abilities to work together for a greater good,” U.S. Attorney Parker said. “Our office wants to call attention to these dedicated agents, officers, volunteers, and citizens for their accomplishments. We work together, we stand together, and at times we may suffer together, but we make positive change together.”
The awards include:
Kaia Grant Badge of Bravery and Sacrifice Award
Cincinnati Police Sergeant Donald Elsaesser, Cincinnati Police Officers Joshua Jordan, Rachel White, Jeremy Randolph and Lilgenia Wharton
This group of Cincinnati police officials put themselves in harm’s way and risked serious injury to themselves to disarm an individual who was repeatedly stabbing himself as he was going through a mental health crisis on July 6, 2023.
“The bravery, quick response, and teamwork of these officers allowed the man to receive the medical treatment he desperately needed, saving his life,” Parker said.
Law Enforcement Excellence Award
Cincinnati Police Officer Jeremy Burroughs
Officer Burroughs is a 22-year veteran who is currently a third shift uniformed patrol officer in an area that generates some of the most calls for service in the city.
“Throughout his career, Officer Burroughs has demonstrated exemplary patrol strategies that aid in achieving the mission of the Cincinnati Police department. He is consistent in his dedication to solving crimes in progress,” Parker said, noting that Officer Burroughs has also served as a field training officer, helping sculpt the next generation of law enforcement officers to operate with the same high values and sense of community that he holds.
Project Safe Neighborhood’s Guardian Award
Dayton Police Detectives Dustin J. Phillips, Geoffery T. Orndorff and Lucas A. Rose
The Dayton police detectives received this year’s Project Safe Neighborhood’s Guardian Award for their efforts to reduce gun violence as members of the FBI Safe Streets Task Force.
They have been directly responsible for the recovery of 93 firearms in the last 12 months, leading to federal firearms charges against 37 individuals. Detective Phillips has worked for the Dayton Police Department for 16 years and has been a Task Force Officer with the FBI for eight years. Detective Orndorff has worked for the Dayton Police Department for 10 years and has been a Task Force Officer with the FBI for one year. Detective Rose has worked for the Dayton Police Department for 10 years and has been a Task Force Officer with the FBI for one year.
The Project Safe Childhood Shield of Innocence Award
FBI Special Agent Andrea Kinzig
Over the course of her 18-year career with the FBI, Special Agent Kinzig has set an almost impossible standard of excellence while pursuing justice for children who have been the victims of sexual abuse or exploitation. Special Agent Kinzig has built cases that have resulted in the successful prosecution of dozens of now-convicted sex offenders, investigating all manner of crimes against children, from production, distribution, receipt and possession of child pornography to coercion and enticement.
“Special Agent Kinzig has chosen a particularly noble and difficult path,” Parker said. “She focuses on protecting the public from predators and on making sure that child victims are heard, vindicated and cared for.”
Polaris Community Service Award
Coordinator Raven Cruz-Loiaza
Dayton Mediation Response Unit (MRU)
The City of Dayton created the MRU in May 2022 to provide an alternative response to armed uniformed responders to calls for service when an armed response was not necessary. Since it was established, the MRU has handled more than 3,500 calls for service and received closure and positive outcomes in 74 percent of its interaction with citizens.
“Thanks to the MRU, people are getting connected to health care, mental health and addiction services, mediation and other services, instead of facing negative outcomes such as incarceration or criminal charges,” Parker said.
Serve Thy Neighbor Award (Dayton)
Centerville Safe
Shortly after the Oregon District mass shooting in 2019, seven Centerville City School students’ parents put their fears and concerns to use and organized Centerville Safe, a non-profit organization, to focus on raising funds to support implementation of safety and security best practices within the City of Centerville school district. They’ve worked with first responders and Dayton Children’s Hospital to present seminars on safety, equipped every classroom with safety kits, and helped schools upgrade their safety systems.
“I join the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office and the Centerville Police Department in commending Centerville Safe for providing invaluable crime prevention support among the community’s youth by partnering with local law enforcement and the school district,” Parker said. “They are fulfilling their worthy mission.”
Serve Thy Neighbor Award (Cincinnati)
Mr. Bob Weidlich
Mr. Weidlich went through the first Springdale Police Citizen’s Police Academy class in 2011 and was quick to give back on the opportunity. He has volunteered more than 2,080 hours to work with the police on crime prevention and community safety programs.
“In addition, Bob has been a participant in the Honor Flight Program, served honorably in active duty in Vietnam and is active within Springdale beyond his service through the police department,” Parker said.
Serve Thy Neighbor Award (Columbus)
U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus Jr., Pastor Donald Fitzgerald, former Chief of U.S. Probation John Dierna, and Alfred Young
Restored Citizens
After speaking on several occasions during the sentencing of individuals in the federal courthouse, Pastor Fitzgerald and U.S. District Judge Sargus established The Restored Citizens program. The program involves meeting with former inmates at the Pastor’s church to discuss positive ways to transition from a life of imprisonment back into the communities they left. The group also discuss the means and resources available to assist them in overcoming systemic barriers to their transition home.
The men paired up with then Chief of U.S. Probation Dierna and Mr. Young, and together, the group provided resources related to topics like housing, employment, transportation and mental health.
“When an individual is calling for another chance, the Restored Citizens program is answering that call. These many men and women of the Restored Citizens program are an instrumental part of the fabric of our community. They represent resiliency and positive change,” said Parker.
U.S. Attorney’s Special Commendation
Ms. Hope L. Harvey Dudley
Ms. Dudley “embodies the spirit of everything we would want in a fighter for law enforcement, victims and the community as a whole,” said Parker.
After gun violence killed her son, Daniel Chaz Dudley, in September 2007, Dudley founded UCanSpeakForMe, a place where families suffering in anguish know they are not alone, and that there are others who are working tirelessly to solve the crimes committed against their loved one and bring accountability to the forefront.
Ms. Dudley has hosted countless vigils and community events, and created playing cards that hold the information and faces of loved ones who were victims of unsolved homicides. These cards have been distributed throughout the community and placed in jails to give prisoners and others the understanding that they can come forward to provide information to law enforcement regarding the crime.
For more information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s annual law enforcement awards, please contact Law Enforcement Coordinator Mitchell Seckman at 614-469-5715.
# # #
U.S. Attorney Mark Totten Announces Civil Rights Team, United Against Hate InitiativeRead the Press Release
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN — U.S. Attorney Mark Totten today announced the formation of a Civil Rights Team in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan. This team will focus on enforcing federal civil rights laws across the Western District of Michigan, as well as conducting regular community outreach regarding civil rights and hate crimes.
“Protecting civil rights is central to our mission and we’re prepared to take on hate and discrimination wherever we have the power to do so,” said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten. “Every person and every community deserve equal protection under the law. It’s part of the American promise and we’re committed to making sure it’s a reality here in Michigan.”
U.S. Attorney Totten previewed this announcement during his remarks at the Greater Grand Rapids Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s (NAACP) Freedom Fund Program last Friday.
VIEW VIDEO OF U.S. ATTORNEY TOTTEN’S REMARKS HERE.
The Civil Rights Team includes federal prosecutors and staff from the Office’s Criminal and Civil Divisions. Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) Nils Kessler and AUSA Stephanie Carowan will serve as the lead prosecutors on criminal matters, including hate crimes and unlawful threats. AUSA Laura Babinsky and AUSA Kalen Pruss will serve as lead on civil matters, enforcing federal civil rights laws regarding discrimination, disability access, environmental justice, sexual harassment, voting rights, and other matters. U.S. Attorney Mark Totten has appointed AUSA Kessler as the Civil Rights Coordinator on Criminal Matters and AUSA Babinsky as the Civil Rights Coordinator on Civil Matters. The team will work closely with the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division and coordinate with other Department components and local, state, federal, and tribal agencies as needed.
In addition, U.S. Attorney Totten also announced the launch of the Office’s United Against Hate Initiative. This program, part of a nationwide effort by the U.S. Department of Justice, aims to combat unlawful acts of hate. The program will consist of ongoing local forums that connect community groups to federal, state, and local law enforcement to increase community understanding and reporting of hate crimes; build trust between law enforcement and communities; and create and strengthen alliances between law enforcement and other government partners and community groups to combat unlawful acts of hate.
“Combatting hate requires close relationships between law enforcement and civil rights, faith, and other community groups,” said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten. “Our United Against Hate Initiative is designed to educate the public about civil rights, the work we are doing to protect civil rights, and how to report violations. At the same time, we will also listen to people’s experiences, so we better understand what people are facing.”
Program topics include defining hate crimes versus hate incidents; the importance of reporting unlawful acts of hate; providing options for responding to hate incidents when situations do not constitute a federal or state crime; and distinguishing unlawful conduct from protected First Amendment activity, including identifying protected speech versus speech that advocates violence or encourages people to commit hate crimes.
In addition to his work in the Western District of Michigan, U.S. Attorney Mark Totten also serves as a member of the Attorney General Advisory Committee’s Civil Rights Subcommittee since taking office in May 2022. In March 2023 he traveled to the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama to join more than 30 other U.S. Attorneys from across the county as part of a delegation to commemorate the 58th Anniversary of “Bloody Sunday” and the subsequent passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Anyone wishing to report a civil rights violation related to voting, housing, employment, education, the workplace, business, healthcare, or other public spaces can call the Office’s Civil Rights Hotline at 616-808-2195 or email [email protected]. Individuals reporting a hate crime or criminal threat can call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI. Anyone facing imminent harm should call 911.
###
U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich announces $3.2 million in Justice Department 2023 grants for three Montana tribesRead the Press Release
BILLINGS — The Justice Department on Oct. 20, through its Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation (CTAS), announced that it has awarded 182 grants to 111 American Indian and Alaska Native communities, totaling more than $96.7 million. Included in the awards are grants totaling $3.2 million to three tribes in Montana.
“This grant program was created in recognition of the fact that Tribes are in the best position to determine how to meet the most urgent public safety challenges facing their communities,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “These resources will go directly to supporting Tribes’ efforts to bolster their law enforcement capabilities, combat gender-based and domestic violence, and provide support to victims. The Justice Department will continue to serve as partners to Tribes as they work to ensure the safety of their communities.”
“The Justice Department is committed to ensuring that our resources support Tribal sovereignty and address acute public safety challenges in Indian Country and in rural Alaska,” said Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta, who announced the awards Oct. 20 in remarks to the Alaska Federation of Natives in Anchorage. “We are committed to working with our Tribal partners to make our resources more accessible to Tribal communities.”
“I am pleased three of our tribal nations in Montana will be receiving funds to help improve and support their critical work in making their communities safer. The money will help in a variety of ways, from strengthening justice programs, law enforcement, and public safety to supporting services for victims of domestic violence and services for youth,” said U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich, for the District of Montana.
Montana tribes receiving CTAS grants are:
Chippewa Cree Tribe of the Rocky Boy’s Reservation, $1,435,232 total.
- Tribal Justice Infrastructure Program (Bureau of Justice Assistance), $1,335,237.
- Tribal Youth Program (Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention), 99,995.
Crow Tribe of Indians, $500,000 total.
- Tribal Youth Program (Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention), $500,000.
Northern Cheyenne Tribe, $1,328,909 total.
- Public Safety and Community Policing (COPS Office), $629,138.
- Comprehensive Tribal Justice Systems Strategic Planning (Bureau of Justice Assistance), $149,831.
- Children’s Justice Act Partnerships for Indian Communities (Office for Victims of Crime), $449,992.
- Tribal Youth Program (Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention), $99,948.
The tribal grant awards are designed to help enhance Tribal justice systems and strengthen law enforcement responses, improve the handling of child abuse cases, combat domestic and sexual violence, support tribal youth programs, and fund an array of services for American Indian and Alaska Native crime victims. The awards are administered through the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) and the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS).
In addition to the CTAS awards, several other Justice Department components announced grant awards to Tribes. For example, OJP’s Office for Victims of Crime has awarded almost $70 million through the Tribal Victim Services Set-Aside to provide services for crime victims in tribal communities and to increase the quantity and quality of victim-centered services available to assist tribal victims of human trafficking in urban areas.
The Justice Department also awarded more than $8.5 million through OJP's Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking to 24 tribes to assist in their compliance with federal law on sex offender registration and notification.
Of the more than $96.7 million in grants awarded under CTAS, a streamlined application that helps Tribes apply for tribal-specific grant programs, OJP made more than $66 million in awards, and the COPS Office made nearly $30 million.
The COPS Office used these funds to assist 49 Tribes in hiring personnel, equipment, and training grants to expand the implementation of community policing. Specifically, this funding can be used to hire or re-hire full-time career law enforcement officers, Village Public Safety Officers and school resource officers and to procure essential equipment, technology, and training to assist in initiating or enhancing tribal policing efforts.
About the Office of Justice Programs
OJP provides federal leadership, grants, training, technical assistance, and other resources to improve the nation's capacity to prevent and reduce crime, advance equity and fairness in the administration of justice, assist victims, and uphold the rule of law.
More information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.
About the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services
The COPS Office is the federal component of the Justice Department responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. The only Justice Department agency with policing in its name, the COPS Office was established in 1994 and has been the cornerstone of the nation’s crime-fighting strategy with grants, a variety of knowledge resource products, and training and technical assistance. Through the years, the COPS Office has become the go-to organization for law enforcement agencies across the country and continues to listen to the field and provide the resources needed to reduce crime and build trust between law enforcement and the communities served. Since 1994, the COPS Office has appropriated more than $20 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to over 13,000 state, local, territorial, and Tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of more than 136,000 officers.
XXX
Three Individuals Charged in Multi-Million Dollar Scheme to Defraud Automobile AuctionRead the Press Release
NASHVILLE – A federal grand jury returned an indictment last week charging Stephanie Louise Baker, 53, of Mount Juliet, Tenn., Brian Baker, 52, of Mount Juliet, Tenn., and Jerry W. Hutchins, 48, of Dowelltown, Tenn., for engaging in a wire fraud and money laundering scheme to defraud a used automobile auction business in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, announced United States Attorney Henry C. Leventis for the Middle District of Tennessee.
All three defendants surrendered to federal agents last Friday and made an appearance before a U.S. Magistrate Judge that day.
The federal indictment charges Stephanie Baker and Brian Baker, who are married, and Hutchins with a wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy. The indictment also charges all three defendants with substantive offenses for acts of money laundering.
According to the indictment, between February 2017 and November 2018, Stephanie Baker was the General Manager of the Dealers Auto Auction Group’s Murfreesboro auction location. Brian Baker and Jerry Hutchins each owned and operated used car dealerships and did business at the auction. The defendants devised a scheme to defraud Dealers Auto Auction Group, LLC by creating fake transactions to make it appear that the defendants’ businesses had sold cars at the auction and were entitled to receive funds from Dealers Auto Auction Group, when in fact the defendants had not sold vehicles at the auction. Based on the fake transactions, Stephanie Baker caused Dealers Auto Auction Group to issue checks to Brian Baker’s and Hutchins’ businesses. Then, monthly, the defendants would create additional fake transactions using the same vehicles in order to conceal the original fraud and avoid detection. Brian Baker and Hutchins then converted proceeds of the fraud scheme for their own personal use and benefit.
As a result of this scheme, the defendants defrauded Dealers Auto Auction Group of more than $2 million.
If convicted, the defendants face up to 20 years in prison for the wire fraud conspiracy, the money laundering conspiracy, and the concealment money laundering offenses, and up to 10 years in prison for money laundering. The indictment also contains a forfeiture allegation in which the government seeks to forfeit any property derived from the proceeds of the crimes, including a money judgment in the amount of at least $2,041.170 from Stephanie Baker, $1,357,310 from Brian Baker, and $683,830 from Jerry Hutchins.
This case was investigated by the IRS-Criminal Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Suedekum is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an accusation. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
# # # # #
Tewksbury Man Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Bank RobberyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Tewksbury man was sentenced in federal court in Boston for the September 2020 robbery of a Santander Bank branch in Tewksbury.
Nicholas O’Neil, 40, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Judge William G. Young to five years in prison and three years of supervised release. In February 2023, O’Neil pleaded guilty to one count of bank robbery.
Just before 10 a.m. on Sept. 22, 2020, an individual – later identified as O’Neil – entered a Santander Bank branch in Tewksbury, handed the teller a demand note and a red cloth bag. After obtaining cash from the teller, O’Neill exited the bank and sped away in a white pickup truck which was reported to police by a banking customer who had observed the robbery and followed the vehicle. The pickup truck was located a short time later and O’Neil was arrested without incident. The red cloth bag containing the stolen cash and demand note was found inside the vehicle.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Tewksbury Police Chief Ryan M. Columbus made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Benjamin Tolkoff and John J. Reynolds III of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case.
Straw Purchaser Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Daniel Lee Ferguson, 45, of Huntington, pleaded guilty today to making false statements in acquisition of firearms.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on February 22, 2023, Ferguson purchased a Springfield Armory model Hellcat 9mm pistol at a Barboursville business. Ferguson admitted that he bought the firearm for an individual who accompanied him to the business, directed him which firearm to buy, and provided the money to purchase the firearm. Ferguson further admitted that he knew the individual had previously been convicted of a felony offense and could not purchase or possess a firearm. Ferguson falsely certified on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Federal Firearms Transaction Records Form 4473 that he was the buyer of the firearm when Ferguson knew he was purchasing it for the individual who was prohibited from possessing firearms.
Ferguson further admitted that he purchased two other firearms at Cabell County businesses for the individual, a Bersa model Thunder 380 .380-caliber pistol on August 14, 2019, and a Springfield Armory model Prodigy 9mm on February 25, 2023. Ferguson falsely certified on the ATF Form 4473 for each purchase that he was the buyer of the firearm when he knew he was purchasing it for the individual who was prohibited from possessing firearms
Ferguson is scheduled to be sentenced on January 29, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Huntington Police Department.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Joseph F. Adams is prosecuting the case.
This case was prosecuted under the criminal provisions of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA), which Congress enacted and the President signed in June 2022. BSCA is the first federal statute specifically designed to target the unlawful trafficking and straw-purchasing of firearms.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:23-cr-42.
###
Serial Armed Robber Pleads Guilty to Robbery and Firearm ChargesRead the Press Release
An Amarillo man who violently robbed a Family Dollar store pleaded guilty today to robbery and firearm charges, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton.
Shane Ray Bursie, 36, was indicted in March 2023. He pleaded guilty today to one count of affecting commerce by robbery and one count of discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
The investigation began in August 2021 when the FBI and Amarillo Police Department investigated a string of armed robberies that occurred in the Amarillo area. During the investigation, Bursie was identified as a primary suspect, including of a violent robbery that occurred on October 23, 2022.
Court documents indicate that Bursie, armed with a revolver, robbed an Amarillo Family Dollar store on October 23, 2022. Burise approached the store clerk, grabbed her and forced her behind the counter with another employee. He pointed the revolver at the employees and demanded them to open the safe. While the cash register was being opened a customer ran out the front door, and Bursie shot at the customer, he missed and struck the glass door. Bursie grabbed approximately $1,349 in cash from the register, threw the register drawer off the counter and ran out the front door. Prior to running out the door, Bursie told one of the employees he would be back to shoot them.
Mr. Bursie now faces up to 20 years in federal prison on the robbery count and 10 years to life on the firearm count. His sentencing will be set at a later date.
The case was brought under the Project Safe Neighborhoods Initiative, a program that surges federal and local law enforcement resources to communities’ most violent neighborhoods in order to root out offenders and build positive relationships with victims and witnesses.
The Federal Bureau of Investigations and the Amarillo Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Frausto is prosecuting the case.
Sarasota Multi-Time Convicted Felon Sentenced to Six Years for Possessing FirearmRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge William F. Jung has sentenced Terrence Thompson (42, Sarasota) to six years in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Thompson had pleaded guilty on June 28, 2023.
According to court documents, on December 9, 2022, deputies from the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) received a 911 call about a disturbance involving Thompson at a residence near Lalani Boulevard and Bee Ridge Road in Sarasota. The SCSO Aviation Unit tracked Thompson from the residence and the helicopter camera recorded Thompson stopping his vehicle and throwing a small pistol-shaped object in the bushes near Crescent Ridge Road and Bee Ridge Road. SCSO deputies searched the area and located the loaded Bersa Thunder 380 pistol that Thompson had discarded.
Thompson was arrested a short time later. During an interview with ATF agents, Thompson admitted to being a convicted felon and possessing the pistol. He further admitted to discarding the pistol when the helicopter spotted him. As a convicted felon Thompson is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.
This case was investigated by the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David W.A. Chee and Diego F. Novaes.
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.
Sanbornville Man Pleads Guilty to Money Laundering Charges in Connection to Romance Scams Targeting the ElderlyRead the Press Release
CONCORD – A Sanbornville man pleaded guilty today in federal court in connection to his role in a romance-scam money laundering scheme, U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young announces.
Steven Ferrill, 72, waived his right to indictment and pleaded guilty to an information charging one count of concealment money laundering. U.S. District Court Judge Joseph Laplante scheduled sentencing for January 26, 2024.
In October 2019, federal agents approached Ferrill to question him about financial transactions totaling more than $1 million involving his bank accounts. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) provided the defendant a “money mule” warning letter, which explicitly warned him that engaging in wire transfers on behalf of people he did not know could facilitate fraudulent schemes and expose him to criminal liability. Despite the warning, the defendant continued to engage in transactions involving victims of romance scams. For example, in February 2020, Ferrill facilitated a wire transfer to his bank account from a victim, which he then re-routed overseas.
The charging statute provides a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, 3 years of supervised release, a fine of $250,000 and restitution. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation led the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles L. Rombeau is prosecuting the case.
The case is part of the Department of Justice’s Elder Justice Initiative. If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has experienced financial fraud, experienced professionals are standing by at the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD- 11 (1-833-372-8311). This U.S. Department of Justice hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, can provide personalized support to callers by assessing the needs of the victim and identifying relevant next steps. Case managers will identify appropriate reporting agencies, provide information to callers to assist them in reporting, connect callers directly with appropriate agencies, and provide resources and referrals, on a case-by-case basis. Reporting is the first step. Reporting can help authorities identify those who commit fraud and reporting certain financial losses due to fraud as soon as possible can increase the likelihood of recovering losses. The hotline is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET. English, Spanish and other languages are available.
More information about the Department’s efforts to help American seniors is available at its Elder Justice Initiative webpage. For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts, visit its website at https://www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. Elder fraud complaints may be filed with the FTC at www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov or at 877-FTC-HELP. The Department of Justice provides a variety of resources relating to elder fraud victimization through its Office for Victims of Crime, which can be reached at https://www.ovc.gov.
###
San Bernardino County Man Sentenced to 17 Years in Prison for Leading Drug Trafficking Efforts, Including Smuggling into JailsRead the Press Release
RIVERSIDE, California – The central figure in three conspiracies in which members and associates of a San Bernardino-based street gang deliberately got themselves arrested to smuggle narcotics and syringes hidden in their body cavities into San Bernardino County jails was sentenced today to 204 months in federal prison.
Carlos Antonio Aznaran, 29, of San Bernardino, was sentenced by United States District Judge Jesus G. Bernal.
Aznaran, the lead defendant charged in three separate indictments in April 2019, pleaded guilty in October 2022 to two counts of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, five counts of international money laundering, one count of conspiracy to distribute heroin, and one count of being a felon in possession of firearms. Aznaran has been in federal custody since his arrest in April 2019.
From at least July 2017 until April 2019, the Westside Verdugo street gang smuggled narcotics inside San Bernardino County’s jail system. Aznaran contacted drug suppliers to obtain and arrange for narcotics to be smuggled into the jails by people who were willing to be arrested and who hid the drugs inside their body cavities. The smugglers then distributed the drugs to other inmates inside the jails.
During at least four smuggling attempts, law enforcement intercepted approximately 121 grams of methamphetamine, 86 grams of heroin, and at least 10 syringes, according to court documents.
Aznaran also was the primary link between the Mexican source of supply for methamphetamine and heroin and the street level dealers in his neighborhood. He was responsible for routine multi-pound orders, paying the Mexico source of supply, and accepting the bulk shipments from Mexico. Using other co-conspirators, including his wife, Elisa Montes, 32, of Palm Desert, Aznaran the repackaged the methamphetamine into smaller quantities then distributed it to other drug dealers in the conspiracy in exchange for a portion of their profits. From October 2017 to January 2018, Aznaran obtained more than 10 kilograms of methamphetamine.
In his plea agreement, Aznaran admitted to conspiring to distribute at least one kilogram of heroin, and to possessing in January 2018 approximately 18.5 grams of heroin and nearly 111 grams of fentanyl. He further admitted to possessing three firearms in January 2018. Aznaran knew he was not permitted to possess firearms because of his 2014 felony convictions, including a conviction in Riverside County Superior Court for assault with a deadly weapon.
“For some inmates, prison is one of the few places they are separated from the destructive influences in their lives, including drugs,” prosecutors argued in a sentencing memorandum. “[Aznaran’s] role in procuring smugglers and introducing drugs into the prison system threatened that opportunity for these inmates, all for his own personal benefit. [His] conduct showed a willingness to prey on a vulnerable group of people, many of whom were undoubtedly taking advantage of their custody time to regain sobriety.”
Federal prosecutors have secured convictions against 35 defendants in these cases, with some defendants receiving sentences of up to 10 years in federal prison. Montes pleaded guilty in November 2019 to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Judge Bernal in March 2020 sentenced her to two years in federal prison.
The FBI, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, and the San Bernardino Police Department investigated this matter. The Fontana Police Department; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the Drug Enforcement Administration; IRS Criminal Investigation; Homeland Security Investigations; and the San Bernardino County Probation and Parole Departments provided substantial assistance.
Assistant United States Attorney Scott M. Lara of the Violent and Organized Crime Section prosecuted these cases.
Rose Man Sentenced for Sexual Abuse of a 2-Year-Old Toddler and Filming the AbuseRead the Press Release
A man from Rose was sentenced Friday in federal court, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour sentenced Billy Scott McDonald, 48, to 30 years in prison followed by a lifetime of supervision upon release. On November 30th, 2022, McDonald plead guilty to Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Minor in Indian Country, Production of Child Pornography, and Possession of or Access with Intent to View Child Pornography.
"Billy Scott McDonald not only engaged in sexual acts with a toddler. He also photographed the sexual acts resulting in the producing and possessing child pornography charges,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “Federal prosecutors and our law enforcement partners will do everything in our power to protect minors from sexual exploitation and bring to justice those who have harmed them.”
“This individual preyed on the innocence and vulnerability of a child to fulfill his demented desires,” said Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Dallas Special Agent in Charge Lester R. Hayes Jr. “Thanks to the outstanding teamwork of HSI Tulsa, the Mayes County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Oklahoma, he will spend the next 50 years behind bars where he will no longer be able to take advantage of our children.”
According to court documents, Billy Scott McDonald engaged in oral sex with a 2-year-old toddler in 2022. The disturbing images and video of McDonald sexually abusing the toddler were discovered by a family member on McDonald’s phone. The family member reported the images and video to Mayes County Sheriff’s Office. The toddler is a member of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma and the crimes occurred in the Cherokee Nation.
During a post-Miranda interview with Homeland Security Investigation Agents, McDonald admitted that he had “sexual thoughts about children for a very long time” and often tried to “keep himself away from children to avoid getting in trouble.” That while he watched the toddler for a neighbor, he photographed and videoed himself engaging in sexual abuse with the toddler.
McDonald will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the Mayes County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Valeria Luster prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Registered Sex Offender Sentenced to over 10 Years in Prison for Attempted Child EnticementRead the Press Release
Gregory J. Haanstad, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on October 23, 2023, Senior United States District Judge William C. Griesbach sentenced Scott J. Meyer (age: 52), formerly of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, to 130 months in federal prison for attempted child enticement. Following his prison sentence, Meyer will serve a lifetime of supervised release.
According to court documents, in June 2021, Meyer communicated with an undercover officer who he believed was a 15-year-old girl. Meyer requested sexually explicit photos from the girl and encouraged her to run away from home. On July 14, 2021, Meyer planned to pick the girl up and bring her back to his residence in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, for the purpose of having sexual intercourse. He expressed some concern about the possibility of getting caught and sent the undercover officer a message that stated, “If I show up to meet with you and you’re not who you say you are, I’m going straight to prison for 5-10 years!” Meyer was arrested that day.
Meyer began communicating with the undercover officer just two months after he was released from prison for a similar offense committed in Shawano County, Wisconsin. In that case, Meyer communicated with an undercover officer who he believed was a 15-year-old girl and sent her sexually explicit photographs.
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 U.S. Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
This case was investigated by the Fox Valley Metro Police Department and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Alexander E. Duros.
# # #
For Additional Information Contact:
Public Information Officer
414-297-1700
Follow us on Twitter
Recidivist Fraudster Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for over $10 Million COVID-19 Loan Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that ADEDAYO ILORI was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil to 25 years in prison for his participation in a sophisticated identity theft and COVID-19 loan fraud scheme.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Even while on bail for federal fraud offenses, Adedayo Ilori could not help but continue his repeated fraud and identity theft crimes. He saw the hardships and disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic and the federal government’s efforts to address those in need as an opportunity for fraud. He lined his own pockets and recklessly used the identities of dozens of victims. Today’s sentence sends a message to Ilori and others engaged in similar crimes that such conduct, especially when it is repeated, will be severely punished.”
According to court filings and evidence introduced during court proceedings:
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act is a federal law enacted on March 29, 2020, designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans who suffered the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. One source of relief provided by the CARES Act was the authorization of hundreds of billions of dollars in forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses through the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”). Pursuant to the CARES Act, the amount of PPP funds a business was eligible to receive was determined by the number of employees employed by the business and their average payroll costs. Businesses applying for a PPP loan were required to provide documentation to confirm that they had previously paid employees the compensation represented in the loan application. The CARES Act also expanded the separate Economic Injury Disaster Loan (“EIDL”) Program, which provided small businesses with low-interest loans of up to $2 million to help overcome the temporary loss of revenue they experienced due to COVID-19. To qualify for an EIDL loan under the CARES Act, the applicant must have suffered “substantial economic injury” from COVID-19.
From at least in or about August 2020 through at least in or about October 2021, ILORI and his co-defendant, Chris Recamier, engaged in a rampant COVID-19 loan fraud scheme. Utilizing false identities, sham tax records, and corporate documents, ILORI and Recamier successfully obtained more than $1 million, and attempted to obtain more than $10 million, through the PPP and the EIDL Program. In particular, ILORI and Recamier applied for 14 PPP and EIDL loans. In applying for these loans, ILORI and Recamier claimed stolen identities of third parties and claimed full control of a number of companies, which they purported, cumulatively, employed more than 200 people and paid monthly salaries of more than $3.2 million in wages. In reality, they did not operate these companies. In submitting these applications, ILORI and Recamier, among other things, submitted falsified tax documents which were never actually filed with the Internal Revenue Service.
ILORI and Recamier used the majority of the over $1 million in stolen government funds for cryptocurrency investments, the purchase of stocks, cash withdrawals, and personal expenses, including leasing luxury apartments and a Mercedes car. The investment accounts were also opened by ILORI and Recamier in the stolen identities of third parties.
ILORI committed these offenses while facing charges in a separate case filed in the Southern District of New York involving fraud, identity theft, and money laundering in United States v. Ilori, 20 Cr 378 (LJL). As part of that case, ILORI was sentenced on March 3, 2022, to 63 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman in connection with a commercial loan fraud and bank bribery scheme.
* * *
In addition to the prison term, which is to run consecutive to ILORI’s term of 63 months in prison that was imposed by Judge Liman, ILORI, 43, of Queens, New York, was sentenced to five years of supervised release and ordered to forfeit $1,039,424 and pay restitution in the amount of $1,120,462.40.
ILORI’s co-defendant, Chris Recamier, 59, of New York, New York, previously pled guilty to major fraud against the United States and was sentenced on October 17, 2022, by Judge Vyskocil to nine years in prison.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General, which conducted the investigation on behalf of the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (“PRAC”) COVID-19 Task Force.[1] Mr. Williams also thanked the U.S. Secret Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the New York City Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Federal Aviation Administration for their assistance in this investigation.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Juliana N. Murray, David R. Felton, and Daniel G. Nessim are in charge of the prosecution.
[1] Created by the CARES Act, the PRAC serves the American public by promoting transparency and facilitating coordinated oversight of the federal government’s COVID-19 pandemic response. The PRAC’s 22 member Inspectors General identify major risks that cross program and agency boundaries to detect fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement in the more than $5 trillion in COVID-19 spending.
Readout of Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta’s Trip to Alaska to Meet with Tribal Leaders and Speak at the Alaska Federation of Natives 2023 Annual ConventionRead the Press Release
From Tuesday, Oct. 17 through Friday, Oct. 20, Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta traveled to Alaska to speak at the Alaska Federation of Natives’ annual convention, meet with Alaska Native and local partners, and reaffirm the Justice Department’s commitment to promoting Tribal sovereignty and to keeping all Alaskans safe. The Associate Attorney General was joined on the trip by Director Tracy Toulou of the Office of Tribal Justice and Director Rosemarie Hidalgo of the Office on Violence Against Women, as well as by U.S. Attorney Lane Tucker for the District of Alaska. The Associate Attorney General’s travel to Alaska continues a series of meetings with Tribal governments and follows recent remarks at the Justice Department’s 18th Annual Government-to-Government Violence Against Women Tribal Consultation. It also follows an August visit to Alaska by the Attorney General and is part of the Justice Department’s continued efforts to engage with American Indian and Alaska Native leaders.
Outlining Justice Department Commitments to Support Tribal Jurisdiction and Safety: Alaska Federation of Natives 2023 Annual Convention
In remarks to the 2023 Annual Convention of the Alaska Federation of Natives, the Associate Attorney General announced the launch of the Justice Department’s Alaska Pilot Program, along with other Justice Department initiatives, litigation, and grants to support Tribal sovereignty and keep all Alaskans safe.
The 2022 Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA 2022) provides a path for Alaska Tribes to exercise special Tribal criminal jurisdiction over non-Indians who commit certain crimes, including crimes of sexual or domestic violence, in Native Villages. Through the Alaska Pilot Program, the Justice Department will provide Tribes with guidance and resources to consider exercising this jurisdiction. The Associate Attorney General also announced that the Justice Department’s Office of Tribal Justice is releasing a memorandum confirming Tribes’ inherent civil and criminal jurisdiction over Natives present in their Villages.
The Associate Attorney General also unveiled nearly $97 million in new Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation (CTAS) grant funding for American Indian and Alaska Native communities. These grant awards will help enhance Tribal justice systems and strengthen law enforcement responses, improve the handling of child abuse cases, combat domestic and sexual violence, support Tribal youth programs, and fund an array of services for American Indian and Alaska Native crime victims. The awards are part of the Justice Department’s commitment to providing funding to advance public safety in rural Alaska, as well as to ensuring that the Department’s grant resources are as accessible as possible to Tribes and Native organizations. The Associate Attorney General also outlined ongoing efforts by the Justice Department’s grantmaking offices to engage directly with Alaska Native communities and make grant and technical assistance resources more accessible.
In addition to these announcements, the Associate Attorney General reaffirmed the Justice Department’s commitment to supporting Tribal sovereignty and Tribal issues through litigation, including in the Department’s successful defense of the Indian Child Welfare Act at the Supreme Court, and in ongoing litigation against the State of Alaska to protect subsistence resources from depletion.
Meetings with Tribal and Community Leaders, Public Safety Officials, and Advocates in Nome, Alaska
The Associate Attorney General began her trip by traveling to Nome to meet with leaders from local Tribal nonprofit Kawerak, Inc., which represents the 20 Tribes in the Bering Strait Region; the City of Nome; and surrounding Tribal Villages.
The Associate Attorney General met with Kawerak’s leadership, discussed the organization’s work to enhance Tribal justice systems, heard about the region’s subsistence-use needs, and learned about Kawerak and other organizations’ work to support survivors of domestic violence and sexual abuse. The Associate Attorney General also toured Kawerak’s child advocacy center, which provides resources for minors who are victims of physical or sexual abuse. Kawerak receives grant funding from the Justice Department for its work to prevent and respond to domestic and sexual violence in Alaska Native communities throughout the Bering Strait Region.
The Associate Attorney General also met with officials from the Nome region’s Tribal governments and Tribal associations. She heard from a representative of the Village of Solomon about the importance of addressing the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP). And she spoke with a Village Public Safety Officer from the Village of Shishmaref about the unique challenges of ensuring public safety in rural Alaska. Finally, the Associate Attorney General visited Norton Sound Regional Hospital and met with the supervisor of the hospital’s sexual assault medical forensic examination program. Norton Sound receives Justice Department funding to partner with other members of the Bering Strait Sexual Assault Response Team to increase access to forensic exams for sexual assault survivors in the region’s remote Villages.
In addition, the Associate Attorney General met with leadership in the City of Nome, including the police chief and city manager, as well as the superintendent of the Anvil Mountain Correctional Center, a local facility. The Associate Attorney General engaged with these officials about the importance of recruiting and retaining police officers and other public-safety officials, as well as the need to ensure reentry services for the correctional facility’s incarcerated population.
Meetings with Justice Department Officials, Native Leaders, and Local Legal Community in Anchorage, Alaska
On Thursday, Oct. 19, the Associate Attorney General spent time in Anchorage visiting with the U.S. Attorney’s Office leadership, attorneys, and staff. During her visit, the Associate Attorney General was briefed on civil and criminal issues arising in Alaska. She also participated in a fireside chat with U.S. Attorney Tucker at an event hosted by the Federal Bar Association’s Alaska chapter.
In addition, Associate Attorney General Gupta met with leaders of the Alaska Court System’s Eviction Diversion Program, which is employing strategies to avoid contested landlord-tenant litigation. The program was established with a grant through the National Center for State Courts, which followed a letter that the Associate Attorney General sent to state court administrators in June 2021 encouraging them to consider novel solutions “that can help families avoid the disruption and damage that evictions cause.”
Associate Attorney General Gupta also attended the second meeting of the Alaska Tribal Public Safety Advisory Committee. Created by VAWA 2022, the Advisory Committee includes representatives from Alaska Tribes, federal, Tribal, State, and local law enforcement, and Tribal nonprofit organizations. The Associate Attorney General delivered remarks recognizing the region’s public-safety challenges and expressing the Justice Department’s commitment to partnering with Tribes and Native groups.
On Friday, Oct. 20, the Associate Attorney General held additional meetings with Native leaders, including with representatives from the Association of Village Council Presidents, a nonprofit Tribal consortium supporting the 56 Tribes of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, and the Alaska Native Justice Center, which recently received a Justice Department grant to provide technical assistance to Tribes seeking to exercise the special Tribal criminal jurisdiction authorized in VAWA 2022. The Associate Attorney General also met with family members of Alaska Natives who were victims of the MMIP crisis and who died in state custody.
Associate Attorney General Gupta addresses the Alaska Federation of Natives Annual Convention. Justice Department officials meet with the supervisor of the Norton Sound Regional Hospital’s sexual assault medical forensic examination program. Associate Attorney General Gupta meets with attorneys and staff of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska. The Associate Attorney General is briefed by U.S. Attorney Lane Tucker (left) and First Assistant U.S. Attorney Kate Vogel (right) on issues affecting Alaska Native communities. Associate Attorney General (right) and U.S. Attorney Tucker speak at the Alaska Tribal Public Safety Advisory Committee. Associate Attorney General Gupta, U.S. Attorney Tucker, and OTJ Director Toulou (far right) meet with leaders and advocates from the Association of Village Council Presidents and the Alaska Native Justice Center.Readout of Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke’s Trip to FloridaRead the Press Release
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division traveled to Jacksonville, Florida, on Oct. 19 to continue the division’s tour to engage with stakeholders in underserved communities and reaffirm the department’s commitment to protecting the civil rights of all Americans.
In the morning, Assistant Attorney General Clarke joined Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and U.S. Attorney Roger Handberg for the Middle District of Florida to announce a $9 million agreement with Ameris Bank to resolve allegations that the bank engaged in a pattern or practice of redlining predominantly Black and Hispanic neighborhoods in Jacksonville, Florida. Since 2021, the department has secured 10 resolutions and over $107 million in relief for communities of color nationwide. Read her full remarks here.
After the announcement, Assistant Attorney General Clarke and U.S. Attorney Handberg held a meeting with community leaders and stakeholders to discuss the agreement with Ameris Bank, as well as other civil rights issues, including hate crimes, law enforcement accountability, voting rights and LGBTQI+ rights.
In the afternoon, Assistant Attorney General Clarke visited the Pace Center for Girls, a nationally recognized day program that offers counseling, academic and life-skills services for girls ages 12-17 who are at risk of entering the juvenile justice system or experiencing difficulties at home or school. There, she spoke to a group of young girls about the Justice Department’s work to protect civil rights, efforts to advance equity for women and girls and her career in public service. She encouraged the girls to continue to strive for academic excellence and also toured the campus with Executive Director Chantell Miles and other program leadership.
Assistant Attorney General Clarke concluded her trip at Edward Waters University, the state of Florida’s first historically Black college. There, she and U.S Attorney Handberg met with President Dr. Zachary Faison Jr. and student leaders. She commended the school leadership, faculty, campus officers and the students for their resilience during the moments preceding the tragic Aug. 26 shooting at a nearby Dollar General store. Assistant Attorney General Clarke also detailed the department’s efforts to prosecute hate crimes through the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, and underscored efforts to promote prevention and education through the department’s United Against Hate initiative.
Assistant Attorney General Clarke and U.S. Attorney Handberg at a meeting with Jacksonville community leaders and stakeholders. Assistant Attorney General Clarke addressing students at the Pace Center for Girls. Assistant Attorney General Clarke and U.S. Attorney Handberg with students and faculty of Edward Waters University.Polk City Man Sentenced to 30 Years’ Imprisonment for Sexual Exploitation of a MinorRead the Press Release
DES MOINES, IA – A Polk City man was sentenced on October 6, 2023, to 30 years in prison for sexual exploitation of a minor.
According to public court documents, Daniel Todd Little, 44, produced child sexual abuse material when he videorecorded himself sexually abusing a minor child.
The Court imposed the 30-year sentence to be served consecutively to Little’s sentence for his 2022 convictions in the Iowa District Court for Polk County for sexual abuse, controlled substance, and firearm charges. After completing his term of imprisonment, Little will be required to serve 10 years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. Little was also ordered to pay $3,000 in restitution.
United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Department of Homeland Security and the Ankeny Police Department investigated the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Placerville Man Sentenced to 15-Years in Prison for Sexual Exploitation of a MinorRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Jordan T. Piper, 38, of Placerville, was sentenced today to 15 years in prison to be followed by seven and a half years of supervised release for sexual exploitation of a minor, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, in 2019, Piper made approximately 30 surreptitious recordings of a minor victim while living in Groveland. Piper created screenshots from surreptitious video recordings that focused on the minor victim’s genitals and pubic area. During the execution of a search warrant, law enforcement found approximately 433 nude images of the minor victim on Piper’s cellphone.
This case was the product of an investigation by the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Roger Yang prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet-safety education.
Parma Man Indicted for Child Pornography CrimesRead the Press Release
CLEVELAND – A Parma man was indicted for child pornography crimes. Brandon N. Crites, 32, of Parma, was indicted on one count each of receipt and distribution of child pornography and possession of child pornography.
Crites, between 2022 and 2023, received and distributed numerous images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, and possessed a laptop and hard drives that contained child pornography in September 2023, according to the indictment. At the time of the offenses, Crites was employed as a patrolman with the Cleveland Police Department.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer King following an investigation by the FBI.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Orange County Man Sentenced to 7½ Years in Prison for Firearms Crimes and Check Fraud Scheme That Illicitly Sought $1.2 MillionRead the Press Release
SANTA ANA, California – A convicted felon from Orange County who used social media to instruct his Instagram followers on how to defraud banks was sentenced today to 90 months in federal prison for conspiring with a bank employee and others to commit a check fraud scheme in which they sought $1.2 million.
Meshach Samuels, 26, of Placentia, was sentenced by United States District Judge Cormac J. Carney, who also ordered him to pay $423,087 in restitution.
Samuels pleaded guilty on May 25 to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and two counts of being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition.
From May 2021 to March 2022, Samuels urged his Instagram followers to join his Telegram chat groups, where – for a fee of up to thousands of dollars – he would provide instructions on how to recruit accomplices and commit check fraud to steal money from banks.
Samuels and his accomplices would create fraudulent checks drawn on victim accounts, frequently using stolen information obtained from a bank teller and other sources. Samuels’ co-conspirators, with Samuels’ help, would deposit the fraudulent checks into third-party accounts.
Once the check amounts were credited to the third-party accounts, Samuels’ co-conspirators, again with Samuels’ assistance, fraudulently withdrew money in amounts below $10,000 to avoid triggering bank scrutiny. The corrupt bank teller was paid a portion of the cash the conspirators obtained from negotiating fraudulent checks.
This check fraud scheme attempted to obtain at least approximately $1.2 million and caused actual losses of at least $423,087.
Samuels also participated in a scheme in 2021 to defraud the California Employment Development Department (EDD) through the submission of fraudulent applications for pandemic-related unemployment insurance that contained stolen identity information. Those fraudulent applications included information from individuals who resided outside California, were deceased, or who otherwise were not eligible for unemployment insurance. Members of the scheme provided EDD with a set of common mailing addresses they controlled for multiple applications.
After EDD approved the fraudulent applications and disbursed the pandemic benefits to EDD debit accounts, Samuels and his co-schemers used the debit cards to withdraw cash at ATMs.
In total, Samuels caused at least $14,250 in actual losses to EDD.
In addition, Samuels, whose criminal history includes felony convictions in Florida for aggravated battery on a law enforcement official, admitted to unlawfully possessing firearms and ammunition. Specifically, during an August 2021 traffic stop in Costa Mesa, police officers found a firearm and ammunition concealed on his person. In March 2022, federal agents searched Samuels’ residence and seized five firearms and ammunition.
“As reflected by the voluminous actual and intended losses, [Samuels’] conduct was not the product of a short-term lapse in judgment but was calculated behavior that was mass-marketed on social media and engaged in for months, affecting scores of victims,” prosecutors argued in a sentencing memorandum. “The proceeds of the fraud were used to purchase luxury and high-end items and firearms.”
In a related case, Sasha Lizette Jimenez, 26, Samuels’ former girlfriend, pleaded guilty on May 22 to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud for running the EDD fraud scheme in which Samuels participated. Jimenez, who was the conspiracy’s bookkeeper, caused the issuance of at least $2.8 million in fraudulent UI benefit debit cards – and at least $2.3 million was withdrawn from those debit cards. Judge Carney has scheduled a December 4 sentencing hearing for Jimenez.
The investigation into this scheme was conducted by the Los Angeles El Camino Real Financial Crimes Task Force, a multi-agency task force led by Homeland Security Investigations that includes federal and state investigators who are focused on financial crimes in Southern California. The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration also participated in this investigation. The Costa Mesa Police Department, the Inglewood Police Department, the Placentia Police Department, the New York City Police Department, and the Miami Beach Police Department provided assistance.
Assistant United States Attorney Rachel N. Agress of the International Narcotics, Money Laundering, and Racketeering Section prosecuted this case.
Anyone with information about allegations of fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at (866) 720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.