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Wednesday 2 August 2023
St. Lawrence County Man Sentenced for Failing to Update Sex Offender RegistrationRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK - John Arthur Nolan, III, age 48, of Norfolk, New York, was sentenced today to serve 15 months in federal prison, to be followed by 5 years of supervised release, for failing to update his sex offender registration.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and David L. McNulty, United States Marshal for the Northern District of New York.
As part of his previously entered plea, Nolan admitted that he was previously convicted of Unlawful Sexual Activity with Certain Minors in Florida, which required him to register as a sex offender for 25 years. Nolan further admitted that he moved from Pennsylvania to New York in July of 2022 and failed to notify either Pennsylvania or New York of his change in residence from that time until his arrest in October of 2022.
This case was investigated by the United States Marshals Service Sex Offender Investigation Branch and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Geoffrey J. L. Brown.
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney's offices, 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 identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/.
Springfield, Illinois, Man Sentenced to 41 Months in Prison for Possessing a Firearm as a FelonRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – A Springfield, Illinois, man, Parrionte H. Wallace, 22, of the 2000 block of South 12th Street, was sentenced on August 1, 2023, to 41 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by two years of supervised release, for possessing a firearm as a felon.
According to court documents and representations in open court, on June 23, 2022, law enforcement officers from the Menard County, Illinois, Sheriff’s Office stopped Wallace while he was traveling in a car in Menard County and discovered a loaded, semi-automatic firearm with an extended magazine. The defendant told officers he had illegally purchased the firearm in Chicago. The Athens, Illinois, Police Department assisted with the stop.
At the sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge Colleen R. Lawless found that Wallace had possessed a stolen, loaded weapon with one round in the chamber and an extended magazine while out at 12:30am in a car with a young child. Judge Lawless further found that the defendant’s prior criminal conviction was a crime of violence.
A federal grand jury returned an indictment against Wallace in July 2022. Wallace pleaded guilty before Magistrate Judge Karen L. McNaught in March 2023.
The statutory penalties for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person at the time of Wallace’s offense were up to 10 years’ imprisonment, a possible $250,000 fine, and up to a three-year term of supervised release. Congress raised the penalty for the offense of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person to 15 years’ imprisonment as part of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act just a few days after this offense occurred.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Illinois State Police; Menard County Sheriff’s Office; and the Athens Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah E. Seberger represented the government in the prosecution.
The case against Wallace 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.
Security Subcontractor Sentenced to Prison for Threatening to Bomb Local Democratic Campaign OfficeRead the Press Release
MACON, Ga. – A former security subcontractor working at the Athens-Clarke County Democratic Party coordinated campaign office was sentenced to serve 18 months in prison for sending a threatening message to bomb their local headquarters the day before the U.S. Senators from Georgia were in town for campaign events.
Jessica Diane Higginbotham aka Jessica Harriod aka Jessica Jones, 35, of Elberton, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 18 months in prison to be followed by two years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Tilman E. “Tripp” Self III on July 31. Higginbotham pleaded guilty to one count of communicating a bomb threat on May 16. There is no parole in federal prison.
“Threats of violence intended to disturb the peace and disrupt the democratic process are taken seriously in the Middle District of Georgia and will not be tolerated,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “I commend the many local and federal law enforcement agents whose collaboration in this case ensured a safe outcome for our community.”
“The FBI and our partners take each threat seriously and will always fully investigate and analyze each threat to determine its credibility,” said Robert Gibbs, Supervisory Senior Resident Agent of FBI Atlanta’s Macon office. “Higginbotham’s threat, although a hoax, diverted precious law enforcement resources and wasted taxpayer dollars, and for that she will be held accountable by spending time behind bars.”
“The ACCPD takes threats of violence seriously. Once we learned of these threats our officers and detectives worked alongside state and federal partners to identify and arrest the offender,” said Athens-Clarke County Police Chief Jerry Saulters. “I appreciate the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their work, and we will continue to work together to keep our community safe.”
According to court documents, on Dec. 3, 2022, at 6:01 p.m., an employee of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) in Athens received a text message: “Hello, I am writing this message to you to let you know that I am coming by either tonight or in the morning to set a bomb up. So I can blow all the Democrats up. I have other people going to other offices also. If I can’t stop you by breaking in and destroying the property then I will blow every one up. So be ready to be blown up. This is going to either happen tonight or in the morning. Hope you like being on the wrong team.”
The FBI began investigating the threat immediately, and officers with the Athens-Clarke County Police Department (ACCPD) responded to the area of the threat. The U.S. Senate runoff election was scheduled to take place on Dec. 6, and elected officials were in Athens participating in campaign events, including both U.S. Senators from Georgia on Dec. 4. Using a series of emergency disclosure requests (EDRs), FBI agents discovered the cell phone belonged to the defendant, who was also working as a contract security officer for a firm employed by the local Democratic coordinated campaign. The U.S. Capitol Police were also investigating the bomb threat, and independently determined that the bomb threat was sent from Higginbotham’s cell phone.
On Dec. 4, FBI task force officers located Higginbotham at a coffee shop in Athens with the cell phone in her hands. When she saw the agents approach her, she vomited. At first, she denied sending the bomb threat. A federal search warrant was executed on her cell phone, which linked the email account used in the bomb threat to her. While investigating the bomb threat, agents learned that there had been a break-in at the local Democratic campaign building in Athens on Nov. 27, and a laptop belonging to the campaign was stolen. At the time of the burglary, investigators noted that it appeared to be staged as tables were turned over, but the building was locked with no evidence of a forced entry. Investigators later recovered the stolen laptop with Higginbotham’s personal items. Higginbotham now admits that she used a cell phone to willfully threaten to kill or injure people and unlawfully destroy a building with an explosive.
The case was investigated by the FBI, the U.S. Capitol Police, the Athens-Clarke County Police Department and the Elbert County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputy Criminal Chief Will R. Keyes prosecuted the case.
Russell Laffitte Sentenced to 7 Years in Federal Prison for Conspiracy, Wire Fraud, Bank Fraud, and Misapplying Bank FundsRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA — Russell Lucius Laffitte, 53, of Estill, was sentenced to 7 years in federal prison after being convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud; wire fraud; bank fraud; and three counts of misapplication of bank funds.
“Russell Laffitte used his position of power and trust to steal from unusually vulnerable victims,” said U.S. Attorney Adair F. Boroughs. “His crimes undermine the public’s trust in the judicial and banking systems, and we are grateful to the FBI, South Carolina Attorney General’s Office, and South Carolina Law Enforcement Division for their partnership in ensuring he is held accountable.”
“This sentencing is the culmination of an exhaustive investigation by South Carolina law enforcement, the diligent efforts of the prosecutors, and the unwavering resolve of the victims,” said Steve Jensen, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Columbia Field Office. “This outcome sends a clear message that the FBI and its partners will continue to pursue justice and protect the rights of innocent victims of complex financial crimes.”
Laffitte was convicted following a nearly three-week jury trial in November 2022. Evidence introduced at trial showed that Laffitte conspired with Hampton personal injury attorney Alex Murdaugh to commit wire fraud and bank fraud. During the conspiracy, Laffitte was an officer of Palmetto State Bank (“PSB”), and Murdaugh was a customer of the bank.
Laffitte—while serving as conservator for Murdaugh’s personal injury clients—extended $355,000 in personal loans to himself and $990,000 in personal loans to Murdaugh from funds held at PSB and belonging to the personal injury clients. Laffitte knew that the funds loaned to Murdaugh were used to cover hundreds of thousands of dollars in overdraft on Murdaugh’s personal account. Laffitte also knew that Murdaugh used funds stolen from other personal injury clients to pay back the loans. Laffitte misapplied PSB funds by extending over $284,000 from a line of credit that was supposed to be used for farming to repay Murdaugh’s remaining loans from the conservatorship.
Laffitte, as conservator or personal representative for Murdaugh’s personal injury clients, received disbursement checks from Murdaugh’s law firm, then negotiated and distributed the funds according to and at Murdaugh’s direction. Laffitte transferred the disbursed settlement funds into bank money orders, cash, and other wire transfers for Murdaugh’s benefit. He collected nearly $400,000 in fees for serving as conservator and personal representative for Murdaugh’s clients.
On two other occasions, Laffitte, as an officer and director of PSB, willfully misapplied bank funds. Specifically, on July 15, 2021, Laffitte willfully misapplied $750,000 of PSB funds by extending a commercial loan to Murdaugh knowing that the loan was essentially unsecured and that the loan proceeds would be and were used to pay an attorney and to cover hundreds of thousands of dollars in Murdaugh’s overdraft. And October 28, 2021, when Murdaugh’s law firm discovered that Laffitte had negotiated checks Murdaugh stole from a client, Laffitte paid the law firm $680,000 of PSB funds without notice to or consent from PSB in an attempt to settle the matter with the firm.
United States District Judge Richard M. Gergel presided over the trial and imposed an 84-month sentence, followed by a five-year term of supervised release. Additionally, Judge Gergel imposed a restitution judgment totaling $3,555,884.80 and ordered Laffitte to forfeit $85,854.73 in illegal proceeds.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emily Limehouse, Kathleen Stoughton, and Winston Holliday are prosecuting this case.
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Robbery Crew Charged with Perpetrating $1.1 Million Jewelry HeistRead the Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO – The Office of the United States Attorney has charged five defendants—Sunia Mafileo Faavesi, Ryan Kentrell Montgomery, Paul Christopher Tonga, John Ioane Tupou, and Kyle Vehikite—with conspiracy to commit robbery affecting interstate commerce for their roles in the March 17, 2023, robbery of Heller Jewelers in San Ramon, Calif., announced United States Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey and Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Special Agent in Charge Jennifer Cicolani. All the defendants except Tupou made their initial federal court appearance on July 27 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Alex G. Tse to face the charges. Tupou remains at large.
According to a federal criminal complaint, filed July 21, 2023, and unsealed at the initial appearance, Faavesi, 30, Montgomery, 35, Tonga, 33, Tupou, 30, and Vehikite, 34, planned and executed the armed heist, which involved at least eleven individuals, some armed, taking approximately $1.1 million in stolen watches and jewelry from the family-owned San Ramon jewelry store. The complaint alleges that while some of the participants were inside the store or immediately outside it during the armed robbery, others acted as lookouts and get-away drivers of at least four waiting vehicles. The robbery took place at a bustling mall in San Ramon in the middle of the afternoon and resulted in multiple bystanders, including children, fleeing the masked and armed robbers.
The complaint affidavit provides details regarding how the defendants originally cased the location a week prior to the robbery and then returned on March 17, 2023, with co-conspirators to execute the robbery. The complaint alleges investigators were able to identify one of the defendants by evaluating GPS information emitted from a stolen Rolex watch. Law enforcement investigators thereafter conducted a covert investigation that ultimately enabled them to identify each of the five defendants and to piece together the movements of the defendants on the day of the robbery.
Faavesi, Montgomery, Tonga, and Vehikite all were arrested on July 26, 2023. The government has filed a motion asking that they be detained pretrial. Defendants’ next scheduled appearances are on August 1, 2023, and August 4, 2023, for their respective detention hearings.
A complaint merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, the defendants each face a maximum sentence of 20 years, and a fine of $250,000. As part of any sentence, the court also may order defendants to pay restitution, if appropriate, and to serve an additional period of supervised release to begin after a prison term. However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Alethea M. Sargent is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Kay Konopaske. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the San Ramon Police Department and the ATF, with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration, the IRS, and Bureau of Customs and Border Protection.
Rhode Island Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Traffic “Ghost Guns” and to Laundering MoneyRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that ROBERT ALCANTARA pled guilty today in Manhattan federal court to conspiracy to traffic firearms and conspiracy to launder money from his firearms trafficking. ALCANTARA conspired to sell more than 100 “ghost guns” to individuals in the Dominican Republic.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Robert Alcantara built untraceable ghost guns and conspired to sell more than 100 of them to individuals in the Dominican Republic. Thanks to the work of our law enforcement partners, his brazen gun trafficking scheme has been stopped.”
According to the Indictment and statements made in court proceedings and filings:
On November 20, 2021, ALCANTARA was stopped in his vehicle in possession of kits to build approximately 45 ghost guns. ALCANTARA was interviewed by law enforcement agents and stated that he was planning to turn the 45 kits into working firearms and that he had 50 additional similar ghost guns at his home. A photograph of the 45 seized ghost gun kits is below:
ALCANTARA used his Rhode Island home as a factory to machine ghost gun kits into working firearms. Below is a photograph of his home factory:
After ALCANTARA purchased ghost gun kits and machined them into working firearms, he sold those working firearms in the Dominican Republic. Below are photographs of firearms ALCANTARA sent to buyers in the Dominican Republic to advertise the firearms he had available for sale:
ALCANTARA received payments for the guns he sold in the Dominican Republic and laundered those funds.
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ALCANTARA, 36, of Providence, Rhode Island, pled guilty today to one count of conspiring to traffic firearms, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, and one count of conspiring to launder money, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge. ALCANTARA is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Broderick on November 15, 2023, at 2:00 p.m.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Department of Commerce. Mr. Williams also thanked the New York City Police Department, the New York State Police Department, the Providence Police Department, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island for their assistance in the case.
The case is being handled by the Office’s Narcotics Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Mead is in charge of the prosecution.
Resident of Tacoma hotel indicted for drug and gun crimesRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 43-year-old Tacoma man, who was taken into custody in February 2023, was indicted today by a grand jury for three federal felonies: Unlawful Possession of Firearms; Possession of Controlled Substances with Intent to Distribute; and Possession of Firearms in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime. Cesar Leonel Contreras-Arias will be arraigned on the indictment next week.
“This defendant was being sought on a Washington Department of Corrections warrant for escape, when he was found to have multi-pound quantities of fentanyl and methamphetamine,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. “Equally concerning was his possession of firearms – many of them reported stolen from across the Puget Sound region. Prosecuting armed drug traffickers remains a top priority for federal law enforcement.”
According to records filed in the case, Contreras-Arias was arrested February 2, 2023, outside Tacoma’s Clarion Inn on Tacoma Mall Blvd.. Contreras-Arias had been living at the hotel for about a year, and law enforcement had received information that he was dealing drugs from that location. When approached by law enforcement, Contreras-Arias tried to flee, smashing his truck into a police vehicle that had parked behind him. When law enforcement searched Contreras-Arias, they found two cell phones, $7,000 in cash and keys to three rooms at the Clarion Inn. Inside Contreras-Arias’ truck, officers found a .22 caliber Ruger handgun which had been reported stolen in Grays Harbor County.
Law enforcement searched the three rooms at the hotel and found 90 pounds of methamphetamine and five pounds of fentanyl powder. They also found eleven passports – some of them reported stolen. There were four firearms in one of the hotel rooms: a 9 mm Sig Sauer handgun that had been reported stolen in Tukwila; a tactical shotgun; a 9mm semi-automatic Glock; and a Springfield Hellcat 9mm handgun.
Law enforcement also searched a storage unit that Contreras-Arias and his companion had rented. Inside was another stolen handgun – a Colt Model Anaconda 44 magnum revolver. The Colt had been reported as lost and suspected stolen in Kitsap County. Two firearm magazines were in the storage unit, an extended 9mm magazine, and a polymer rifle magazine containing 30 rounds of 7.62x39 ammunition.
Contreras-Arias is prohibited from possessing firearms due to a 2016 conviction in Benton County for violating a protection order.
Illegal possession of firearms is punishable by up to 15 years in prison. Due to the drug quantities involved, possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute is punishable by a mandatory minimum ten years in prison and up to life in prison. Possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime is punishable by a mandatory five years in prison to run consecutive to any sentence imposed on the other counts of conviction.
The charges contained in the indictment are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The case was investigated by the South Sound Gang Task Force, composed of agents and officers from the FBI, Washington Department of Corrections, Pierce County Sheriff’s Office, and the Tacoma Police Department, among others. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF) assisted with the investigation.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Marci Ellsworth.
contreras-arias_indictment.pdfProperty Manager for Senior Residential Buildings Pleads Guilty to Financial Exploitation of Two Elderly District ResidentsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Nicole Freeman Smith, 51, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, pleaded guilty today in Superior Court to one felony count and one misdemeanor count of financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult or elderly person (FEVA) for stealing more than $133,000 from two elderly District residents suffering from cognitive impairment. The plea was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, D.C. Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb, and Special Agent in Charge Shawn Rice, of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Inspector General.
According to court documents, Smith, who worked as a property manager at several residential buildings for seniors in Washington, D.C., targeted vulnerable building residents to steal thousands of dollars from their accounts and other sources of income after befriending them and gaining their trust. After unduly influencing one victim to provide Smith with access to her financial account information, Smith stole over $94,000 from the victim’s accounts, and attempted to steal $25,000 more. Smith used the stolen funds to pay for personal expenses, including paying off credit card and utility bills, back taxes, and multiple auto loans. Smith further stole more than $38,000 from a second victim, depositing two of the victim’s personal injury settlement checks in Smith’s bank account and keeping the money for herself.
The Honorable Lynn Leibovitz accepted Smith’s guilty plea and scheduled sentencing for September 29, 2023. As part of her plea, Smith agreed to pay restitution to the victims and will be prohibited from working or volunteering with elderly or vulnerable adults.
This prosecution is part of the Office’s wider efforts to combat crimes against seniors and vulnerable adults. In 2018, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia simultaneously launched initiatives to address the abuse and exploitation of older adults. The Elder Abuse and Financial Exploitation Initiative at the U.S. Attorney’s Office expanded its response to criminal and civil violations targeting older adults. The initiative has enabled the U.S. Attorney’s Office to develop and coordinate further its prosecution of these cases and enhance its overall support of older or vulnerable victims. The team consists of experienced prosecutors and victim advocates from across the Office, to include the Superior Court, Criminal, and Civil Divisions, as well as the Victim Witness Assistance Unit. This prosecution is indicative of the continued collaboration between the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Office of the Attorney General to prosecute cases of this kind.
In announcing the guilty plea, U.S. Attorney Graves, D.C. Attorney General Schwalb, and Special Agent in Charge Rice commended the work of those who investigated the case from HUD-OIG. They also cited the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin D. Bleiberg, and former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Nina Torabzadeh, on detail from the Office of the Attorney General to prosecute financial crimes cases involving elderly victims, who investigated and prosecuted the matter.
Prince George’s County Felon Convicted After Two-Day Federal Trial for Illegal Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – After a two-day trial, a federal jury convicted Antjoun Riddick, age 45, of Accokeek, Maryland, late on August 1, 2023, for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The conviction was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Toni M. Crosby of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; and U.S. Marshal Robert Anthony Dixon for the Superior Court for the District of Columbia.
According to the evidence presented at trial, on January 21, 2022, U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) Deputies were conducting surveillance on Riddick’s residence in Accokeek, Maryland to serve an outstanding arrest warrant for him issued by the Superior Court for the District of Columbia. When they saw Riddick exit the residence and walk toward his vehicle, they activated the emergency equipment on their vehicles and approached Riddick, telling him to step away from the car and show his hands. As detailed in trial testimony, Deputies saw Riddick quickly raise his left hand, but his right hand hesitated near his waist area before he was handcuffed. After his arrest, Riddick admitted that he had a gun in his waistband and Deputies recovered a 9mm pistol loaded with 18 rounds of ammunition, including one in the chamber.
Riddick knew he had been previously convicted of a felony and was prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition. As detailed in court documents, at the time of his arrest Riddick was on supervised probation for a 2015 conviction in the Prince George’s County Circuit Court for second degree murder.
Riddick faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang has scheduled sentencing for November 3, 2023 at 2:30 p.m.
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.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the ATF and the USMS for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy F. Hagan and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua A. Rosenthal, who are prosecuting the case. U.S. Attorney Barron also thanked Paralegal Specialists Andrew Branigan, Derek Harwerth and Mark Phares for their assistance.
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.
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Nicholas County Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Shawn K. Bever, 45, of Craigsville, was sentenced to one year and three months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on November 17, 2021, law enforcement officers investigating the illegal shooting of a bear encountered Bever outside his Craigsville residence. Officers saw an ATI .22-caliber pistol in Bever’s side-by-side all-terrain vehicle, parked on the property. Winchester .22-caliber ammunition was recovered from Bever’s pants pocket. Bever admitted to possessing the firearm and ammunition.
Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Bever was prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition because of his prior felony conviction for delivery of a controlled substance in Nicholas County Circuit Court on November 14, 2011.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources Police and the assistance provided by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorneys Nowles Heinrich and Lesley C. Shamblin prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:22-cr-164.
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Missouri Man Sentenced for Setting Fire to Islamic CenterRead the Press Release
A Missouri man was sentenced today for the arson of the Cape Girardeau Islamic Center in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
Nicholas John Proffitt, 44, was sentenced to 191 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $551,217.91 in restitution. He previously pleaded guilty on Dec. 12, 2022, to using fire to damage religious property and to using fire in the commission of a federal felony.
According to court documents and statements made during the plea and sentencing hearings, Proffitt intentionally set fire to the Cape Girardeau Islamic Center on April 24, 2020, which was the first morning of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, because of the building’s religious character. The fire resulted in significant damage to the Islamic Center.
“This defendant has now been held accountable for setting fire to an Islamic center that served as a meeting place for Muslim community members in Cape Girardeau, Missouri,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Attacks on mosques in our country are attacks on people of faith that undermine the fundamental right to practice one’s religion free from fear or violence. The Justice Department will continue to vigorously enforce federal laws that protect all houses of worship, regardless of denomination.”
“This is the third time Nicholas Proffitt has attacked Islamic institutions, in Missouri and elsewhere,” said U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming for the Eastern District of Missouri. “He has now been sentenced to a significant prison term that will protect the community from further persecution for a long time.”
“The right to pray as you wish is at the core of our nation’s ideals,” said ATF Director Steven Dettelbach. “When someone attacks a house of worship, they attack that American right, and they need to be help accountable. I commend the work of the ATF and all our federal partners in bringing this defendant to Justice.”
“Nicholas Proffitt destroyed a religious building, but he couldn’t take away the constitutional right to religious freedom,” said Special Agent in Charge Jay Greenberg of the FBI St. Louis Field Office. “The FBI’s mission is to protect the American people and uphold the U.S. Constitution.”
The FBI St. Louis Field Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Cape Girardeau Police Department, the Missouri State Fire Marshal’s Office and the Perryville Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Hahn for the Eastern District of Missouri prosecuted the case with assistance from Trial Attorney Daniel Grunert of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section.
For more information and resources on the department’s efforts to combat hate crimes, visit www.justice.gov/hatecrimes.
Michoacan trafficker captured in Panama sent to U.S. prisonRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – A 48-year-old Mexican national has been sent to prison following his conviction for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute meth for Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG), announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Homero Guerra-Moreno pleaded guilty Dec. 6, 2022.
Today, U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo ordered Guerra-Moreno to serve 324 months in federal prison. Not a U.S. citizen, Guerra-Moreno is expected to face removal proceedings following his imprisonment. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence that described how, from 2013 to 2018, Guerra-Moreno was responsible for monthly transportation and distribution of hundreds of kilograms of crystal meth into the United States from Mexico.
“Today we dealt a blow to the Mexican cartels. Guerra-Moreno trafficked drugs into local communities like Laredo, Texas, for years, trafficking about 15,000 kilograms of meth for the CJNG, a ruthless Mexican cartel,” said Hamdani. “He tried to run and hide abroad, but the prosecutors and investigators of the Southern district of Texas are relentless; law enforcement located and detained him before he could escape. Guerra-Moreno’s capture and sentence sends a message to those who work with the cartels, you can run, but you cannot hide.”
“Reaching the source of supply is crucial in stopping the flow of devastating drugs into our communities,” said Special Agent in Charge Daniel C. Comeaux of the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) Houston Division. “The exemplary collective and persistent efforts between DEA and its federal partners brought down one of CJNG’s most significant meth source of suppliers in South Texas."
The investigation revealed a complex conspiracy which began in 2014. Authorities identified Guerra-Moreno as the source of supply for several drug trafficking organizations importing “ice” from Mexico through the United States. Guerra-Moreno worked in association with the CJNG and personally recruited traffickers to transport meth into Laredo.
Guerra-Moreno resided in Mexico and evaded capture for years. On May 26, 2022, law enforcement detained Guerra-Moreno at Tocuman International Airport as he was attempting to depart for Mexico. He was subsequently deported to Texas to face conspiracy charges.
Guerra-Moreno will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The DEA conducted this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation with Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Marshals Service, Laredo Police Department, Dallas County Sheriff’s Department, Georgia State Patrol, U.S. Embassy Panama City, Panama Immigration, Panama National Police Interpol Unit and the Panamanian government.
OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, mutlti-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found on the Department of Justice’s OCDETF webpage.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Francisco J. Rodriguez is prosecuting the case.
Methamphetamine Trafficker Is Found Guilty of Drug and Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – U.S. Attorney Dena J. King announced today that a federal jury has convicted Jonathan Craig Otuel, 36, of Stallings, N.C., of conspiracy to traffic methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Otuel previously pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
According to court documents, trial evidence, and witness testimony, on November 19, 2019, officers with the Pineville Police Department responded to a call for service at a hotel room, where they located Otuel and three other individuals. Officers also located methamphetamine. Trial evidence established that a search warrant for the hotel room was issued. During the search, law enforcement recovered multiple bags of methamphetamine, and a firearm. Law enforcement also recovered from the hotel parking lot an additional firearm, which the defendant had thrown over the balcony. Over the course of the investigation, law enforcement determined that Otuel was responsible for trafficking significant amounts of methamphetamine in Mecklenburg and Gaston Counties.
Otuel remains in federal custody. A sentencing date has not been set. The charges of conspiracy to traffic methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime each carry a statutory maximum sentence of life in prison. The charge of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon carries a maximum sentence of ten years in prison. A sentencing date has not been set.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney King thanked Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Pineville Police Department and the Gaston County Police Department for their investigation of the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Regina Pack and Timothy Sielaff of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte are prosecuting the case.
Marion County Man to be Sentenced in Federal Court for Kidnapping, Carjacking, and Murder of 80-Year-Old VictimRead the Press Release
FLORENCE, SOUTH CAROLINA — Dominique Brand, 31, of Marion, is scheduled to be sentenced in federal court on Thursday, August 3, for kidnapping resulting in death, carjacking resulting in death, and using or carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence in a manner constituting murder.
Brand was convicted following a multi-day bench trial in September 2022. Evidence presented at trial established that on Sunday, March 28, 2021, Brand entered Mary Ann Elvington’s home in Nichols, South Carolina. At about 6:11 p.m. that Sunday, Brand forced Ms. Elvington to drive him from her house to Lake Waccamaw, North Carolina, and back into South Carolina. During this trip, Mr. Brand sat behind Ms. Elvington with the shotgun.
Later that evening, Brand drove Ms. Elvington to a remote crossroads in Marion County and walked her behind the abandoned Zion Grocery store. He held the shotgun to the back of her head and pulled the trigger, executing her. Brand then drove Ms. Elvington’s car to Marion, where he hid it behind an abandoned club. Ms. Elvington’s body was located the following evening, March 29, 2021. After learning he was a suspect, Brand turned himself in to authorities on March 31, 2021.
United States District Judge Sherri A. Lydon presided over the trial and will impose the sentence. Brand faces a penalty of life imprisonment on each count.
WHEN: Thursday, August 3, 2023, at 1:00 pm
WHERE: McMillan Federal Building
Courtroom 1
401 West Evans Street
Florence, South Carolina
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Louisville Couple Sentenced to 8 Months in Federal Prison for Preparing False Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
Louisville, KY – A Louisville couple was sentenced yesterday to 8 months in federal prison for preparing false tax returns.
U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky and Special Agent in Charge Bryant Jackson of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, Cincinnati Field Office made the announcement.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Krlos Hidalgo, 40, and Esther Baldeon, 41, added false dependents to their clients’ tax returns, which enabled the clients to receive additional child tax credits to which they were not entitled. Hidalgo and Baldeon were each sentenced to 8 months in prison, followed by 1 year of supervised release for preparing false tax returns. There is no parole in the federal system.
Hidalgo and Baldeon also agreed to surrender, to the IRS, $127,015 in currency seized during the investigation.
The IRS Criminal Investigation investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda E. Gregory prosecuted the case.
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Local woman handed 40-year-sentence for sexually exploiting toddlerRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 29-year-old Houston resident has been sentenced to federal prison following her conviction on four different child pornography convictions, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Elexis Kiera Sidney pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of a child as well as distribution, receipt and possession of child pornography May 24, 2022.
Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane has now ordered Sidney to serve a total of 480 months in federal prison - 360, 120, 120 and 120 months for the sexual exploitation of a child, distribution, receipt and possession convictions, respectively. The distribution, receipt and possession convictions will run concurrently for a total of 120 months which will run consecutive to the 360 months imposed in the sexual exploitation of a child conviction for a total of 480 months. At the hearing, the court heard from the mother of a three-year-old relative that Sidney had recorded herself sexually abusing. This woman detailed how she felt betrayed by what Sidney did to her daughter when she was supposed to be babysitting her.
During the hearing, the court noted a psychological evaluation Sidney underwent in which the doctor concluded she was at an average to high risk to reoffend. The court also heard how Sidney has a strong interest in children and has had since she was 10-years-old.
Sidney was further ordered to pay $18,ooo in restitution to the victims and will serve the rest of her life on supervised release for the sexual exploitation conviction following completion of his prison term. During that time, she will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict her access to children. Sidney will also be ordered to register as a sex offender.
“The depravity of what this woman did to her own relatives – two and three-year-old children - is abhorrent,” said Hamdani. “Instead of protecting the toddlers, she used them to feed her sick sexual deviancy, one she displayed on social media. Thankfully, we can now protect these young lives and mitigate future dangers by helping put Sidney where she belongs for the next few decades – behind federal prison bars.”
Sidney came to the attention of law enforcement in December 2018 when authorities had observed her posting sexually-explicit material involving children in a private Kik chat group.
After posting an image of herself naked in the bathroom, she then posted a video of herself again in the same situation. However, this time, a nude, pre-pubescent male child approximately two years of age was with her while she was touching herself. Other videos included the minor and Sydney touching each other in a sexual manner.
On Dec. 10, 2018, authorities went to her residence, at which time she admitted to creating the videos and utilizing the Kik account. At the residence at the time was the minor victim who was identified as her relative.
A forensic examination of her electronic devices and online storage account revealed Sidney had been distributing and receiving child pornography in the Kik chat group since November 2018. Authorities also found additional images and videos of Sidney sexually abusing the same minor victim as well as two images of a three-year-old minor relative.
Law enforcement also found approximately 100 images and 120 videos of child pornography.
Sidney will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Ann Leo 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.
Leader of St. Louis Fentanyl Ring Sentenced to 15 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Wednesday sentenced the leader of a large-scale, long-term St. Louis fentanyl trafficking ring to 15 years in prison.
Jamore Clark, 40, of unincorporated St. Louis County, admitted in a guilty plea in January that he had been caught with over 800 grams of fentanyl on March 6, 2020 after fleeing law enforcement. He also admitted possessing firearms while involved in fentanyl dealing.
"The fentanyl Drug Enforcement Administration investigators seized the day Jamore Clark was arrested would have been the equivalent of nearly 45,000 lethal doses," said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Colin Dickey, lead of DEA investigations in Eastern Missouri. "DEA investigators know the seriousness of fentanyl’s impact on the safety and health of St. Louis citizens, which is driving drug-induced deaths to new highs. That makes this sentence particularly satisfying.”
Clark pleaded guilty in January to possession with intent to distribute more than 40 grams of fentanyl. All nine others indicted in the case have also pleaded guilty and received sentences of up to 10 years in prison. They include Jason Stanley Jones, 38, of Ballwin; Arie T. Graham, 34; Clarence Lee Totten, 33; Justin Lee Hughes, 36, of Florissant; Martez Lamar Murphy, 29, of Florissant; Keven Treyvon Huddlen, 30, of Florissant; Kevin Cunningham, 37, of St. Louis; Alaena C. Patrick, 37, of Flordell Hills; and Natalie J. Westerman, 46, of St. Peters.
The case was investigated by the St. Louis County Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Lead Defendant in Federal Case Charging White Supremacist Group with Violence at Political Rallies Extradited from RomaniaRead the Press Release
INDICTMENT
LOS ANGELES – The lead defendant in an indictment that charges three Southern California men linked to a white supremacy extremist group with planning and engaging in riots at political rallies across California has been extradited to the United States from Romania, the Justice Department announced today.Robert Paul Rundo, 33, of Huntington Beach, allegedly a founding member of the Rise Above Movement (RAM), was transported by special agents with the FBI from Romania to Hollywood Burbank Airport, where he arrived Tuesday evening. Rundo is in federal custody and is expected to make his initial appearance and be arraigned this afternoon in United States District Court in Los Angeles.
Rundo, along with two other defendants, is charged with conspiracy to violate the Anti-Riot Act for his activities in connection with RAM, a white supremacist organization that represented itself “publicly…as a combat-ready, militant group of a new nationalist white supremacy and identity movement,” according to a federal grand jury indictment.
In addition to the conspiracy charge, Rundo also is charged with one count of rioting.
The other defendants charged in this case are:
- Robert Boman, 30, of Torrance; and
- Tyler Laube, 27, of Redondo Beach.
Boman and Laube are charged with conspiracy to violate the Anti-Riot Act. Boman also is charged with one count of rioting.
The trial date in this matter is scheduled for December 12.
According to the indictment, the defendants participated in the conspiracy in varying ways, including by engaging in recruitment of RAM members, coordinating and participating in hand-to-hand and other combat training, traveling to political rallies to attack protesters and other persons, and publishing photographs and videos of violent acts to recruit other members for future events.
The indictment alleges that various members of the conspiracy directly participated in attacks at political rallies in Huntington Beach on March 25, 2017; in Berkeley on April 15, 2017; and in San Bernardino on June 10, 2017. In the months following these events, the defendants allegedly trained for future events and celebrated their assaults, which included online posts with photos of RAM members assaulting people.
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.
In June 2019, a federal district court dismissed the indictment against Rundo and the other defendants, finding that the federal Anti-Riot Act violated the First Amendment. In March 2021, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reversed the district court’s dismissal and the criminal charges were reinstated.
Both the conspiracy and rioting charges carry statutory maximum sentences of five years in federal prison.
The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force is investigating this case.
The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the FBI’s Legal Attaché Office in Bucharest provided substantial assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of Rundo.
The Romanian National Police, Directorate of Combatting Organized Crime and Terrorism (DCCO), Fugitive Unit; the Romanian General Prosecutor's Office and Border Police; the U.S. Embassy Bucharest Regional Security Office and Consular Section/American Citizen Services, in coordination with Interpol Romania, provided substantial assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of Rundo. The Romanian Ministry of Justice, Directorate for International Law and Judicial Cooperation, Division of International Judicial Cooperation in Criminal Matters, also provided significant assistance.
Assistant United States Attorneys Solomon Kim and Kathrynne N. Seiden, both of the Terrorism and Export Crimes Section, are prosecuting this case.
Klamath Falls Man Indicted for Kidnapping and Sexually Assaulting Seattle Woman, Additional Victims SoughtRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.—A federal grand jury in Portland returned an indictment today charging a Klamath Falls, Oregon, man with kidnapping and sexually assaulting a Seattle woman and forcing her into a makeshift cell he constructed in his garage.
Negasi Zuberi, 29, also known as Sakima, Justin Hyche, and Justin Kouassi, has been charged with interstate kidnapping and transporting an individual across state lines with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.
According to court documents, on July 15, 2023, Zuberi was in Seattle when he is alleged to have posed as a police officer, pointed a taser at an adult woman, placed her in handcuffs, and forced her into the backseat of his vehicle. Zuberi then transported the woman approximately 450 miles back to his home in Klamath Falls, stopping along the way to sexually assault her and cover her face with a sweatshirt.
When Zuberi arrived at his residence, he moved the woman from his vehicle into a makeshift cell he had constructed in his garage. The woman repeatedly banged on the cell door until it broke open and she escaped. She retrieved a handgun from Zuberi’s vehicle, fled his garage, and flagged down a passing motorist who called 911.
The next day, on July 16, 2023, two Nevada State Patrol officers located Zuberi in a retail parking lot in Reno, Nevada. After a short standoff, Zuberi surrendered to law enforcement and was taken into custody.
On July 26, 2023, Zuberi made his first appearance in federal court before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in the District of Nevada. He was ordered detained pending his transfer to the District of Oregon.
Interstate kidnapping is punishable by up to life in federal prison and transporting an individual across state lines with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity is punishable by up to 10 years in federal prison.
This case was investigated by the FBI Portland Field Office, Klamath Falls Police Department, and Oregon State Police with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada; Klamath County District Attorney’s Office; Reno, Nevada Police Department; Washoe County, Nevada District Attorney’s Office; and Nevada State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney John C. Brassell is prosecuting the case for the District of Oregon.
An indictment is only an accusation of a crime, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Zuberi has lived in ten different states over the last ten years including California, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Utah, Florida, New York, New Jersey, Alabama, and Nevada, and federal law enforcement has reason to believe he may have victimized additional women.
If you or someone you know have information about possible crimes committed by Zuberi, please visit fbi.gov/sakimavictims or call 1-800-Call-FBI.
Kenner Man Sentenced to 30 Months for Stealing Mail in Elmwood Area Using Stolen Postal KeyRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – On August 2, 2023, U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced the sentencing of ADOLPH KENDRICK, age 27, of Kenner, who previously pleaded guilty on April 18, 2023, to Unlawful Possession and Use of a United States Postal Service (USPS) “arrow” key used by USPS employees to access authorized mail receptacles.
According to the indictment, on November 14 and 15, 2022, KENDRICK stole mail from the Citrus Post Office in New Orleans, Louisiana. On November 15, 2022, KENDRICK was observed stealing mail and was caught after a brief police chase near Williams Boulevard. KENDRICK was also found in possession of a United States Postal Service “arrow” key.
U.S. District Judge Wendy B. Vitter sentenced KENDRICK to 30 months in the custody of the Bureau of Prisons and a $300 mandatory special assessment fee.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office in investigating this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jon Maestri of the General Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
Justice Officials Participate in 2023 National Night OutRead the Press Release
Yesterday, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland, Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco, and Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta joined police departments and local communities across the country yesterday for the 40th annual National Night Out.
National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make our neighborhoods safer, better places to live. It began in 1984, when the Justice Department awarded a Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) grant to establish National Night Out with the goal of helping foster relationships between communities and law enforcement. Over the past 40 years, National Night Out has partnered with over 17,000 communities and has positively impacted the lives of over 38 million Americans. Most neighborhoods participate in the annual celebration on the first Tuesday of August.
“Everyone in our country deserves to be safe in their communities,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “National Night Out is an important opportunity to reaffirm the importance of the close partnership between law enforcement and the communities we serve.”
Attorney General Garland participated in National Night Out events in the Philadelphia area – a current BJA Public Safety Partnership (PSP) site. Since its selection in 2021, Philadelphia has worked with local law enforcement agencies, including the Philadelphia Police Department, to reduce violent crime around the city. The Attorney General attended National Night Out events hosted by the Philadelphia Police Department’s 22nd District and Bensalem Township, where he spoke with community residents and law enforcement officials about the importance of community partnership and celebrated the city’s crime reduction efforts. Attorney General Garland was also joined by U.S. Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and visited the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Deputy Attorney General Monaco was in Nashville to highlight how the Justice Department is combatting violent crime through strong partnerships with both law enforcement and community leaders. She attended National Night Out events with U.S. Attorney Henry Leventis for the Middle District of Tennessee and Metropolitan Nashville Police Department (MNPD) Chief John Drake in the Edgehill and East Park neighborhoods. While in Nashville, the Deputy AG attended roll-call at the MNPD precinct that responded to the March 2023 shooting at the Covenant School, to thank the officers for their commitment to public safety. The Deputy AG also visited the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee, where she met with state, local, and federal law enforcement leaders and thanked the men and women of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their hard work.
Associate Attorney General Gupta was joined by Director Hugh T. Clements of the Department’s Office for Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) and U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves for the District of Columbia at Washington, D.C.’s National Night Out kickoff event at the Rosedale Recreation Center in Northeast D.C. Alongside Pamela A. Smith, the newly appointed Acting Chief of Police for the Metropolitan Police Department, and other local leaders, Associate Attorney General Gupta delivered opening remarks and met with local law enforcement and community members. Washington, D.C. is a current PSP member and has partnered with the Metropolitan Police Department to reduce crime through interagency coordination and community policing techniques.
ATF Director Steven Dettelbach attended National Night Out events in Pleasanton, California, during his visit to the ATF San Francisco Field Division. He joined Pleasanton Police Department Chief David Swing in celebrating the events.
Many U.S. Attorneys’ Offices also participated in National Night Out festivities around the country to celebrate crime reduction efforts and partnership between local law enforcement and the communities they serve.
Justice Department closes language access and retaliation civil rights matter in Fort Bend CountyRead the Press Release
Note: This press release has been translated in various languages. See attachments below.
HOUSTON – The Justice Department announced it has secured a final resolution in its civil rights matter involving the Fort Bend County (FBC) courts. FBC has complied with all the terms of a June 2021 Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) and as a result, the department is closing the matter.
The department initially opened the matter based on allegations that FBC courts discriminated against people with limited English proficiency (LEP) based on their national origin and retaliated against a complainant in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI) which prohibits race, color and national origin discrimination by any recipient of federal financial assistance. One complaint alleged that the FBC District Court denied a criminal defendant with LEP a Vietnamese interpreter he needed for a plea hearing and said that the defendant or his attorney must find and pay for a Vietnamese interpreter. On June 29, 2021, the department and FBC resolved the investigation with an MOA that required significant changes to FBC’s language access policies for court users with LEP.
Since then, FBC has made significant changes to improve access for court users with LEP and to comply with Title VI requirements. For example, FBC:
- Provides interpreter services at no cost to anyone with LEP, regardless of income, in all civil and criminal cases as described in the court’s language assistance policy;
- Revised its language access plan;
- Created a language access training for court staff and a Judge’s Guide to Language Access;
- Maintains a public webpage that explains how to request interpretation or translation services;
- Provides a language access complaint form in several languages on its website; and
- To ensure Title VI compliance, FBC staff have also received Title VI retaliation training.
“The new policies and practices adopted by the Fort Bend County courts are helping to provide meaningful language access for people with limited English proficiency,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “I hope other court systems follow Fort Bend County’s example and take action to provide interpreter services to court users at no cost. Access to justice in our country should not be limited or denied simply because of your proficiency in English.”
“Fort Bend County is one of the most diverse counties in Texas where almost half the population is of Spanish, East Asian and South Asian origin. As a prosecutor, an immigrant and the son of Indian-born, working-class parents, I have seen, first-hand, the struggles of America’s newest residents who speak English as a second language, and the need for interpreters, especially during court proceedings,” said U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani for the Southern District of Texas. “Because of the hard work of the prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas and at the Civil Right Division, all residents, irrespective of national origin, will have full access to the court system to handle everything from family court matters, criminal and general civil matters. I look forward to working with other counties and the Office of Court Administration to replicate these efforts throughout the Southern District of Texas.”
This matter was handled jointly by attorneys in the Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas.
Additional information about the Civil Rights Division is available on its website, and information about limited English proficiency and Title VI is available here.
Translations:
- العربية
- 简体字
- 簡體字
- Gujarati
- हिन्दी
- Malayalam
- Español
- Tagalog
- اُردُو
- Tiếng Việt
Justice Department Secures Agreement with Miami-Based Manufacturer to Resolve Immigration-Related Discrimination ClaimsRead the Press Release
The Justice Department announced today that it has secured a settlement agreement with three corporate entities, Mr. Glass Doors and Windows Inc., Mr. Glass Doors and Windows Manufacturing LLC, and Powder Coating Technologies LLC (collectively Mr. Glass Group). The settlement resolves the department’s determination that Mr. Glass Group violated the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) by discriminating against non-U.S. citizens when checking their permission to work in the United States.
“Requiring workers to provide specific or unnecessary documents to prove their permission to work creates an unlawful barrier to employment for people who are eager to begin working and providing for themselves and their families,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department will not stand for unlawful discrimination and will continue to ensure that employees have equal opportunity in the hiring process and in the workplace.”
The department’s investigation determined that from at least March 1, 2018, to Sept. 16, 2020, Mr. Glass Group routinely required lawful permanent residents to present a specific immigration document when checking their permission to work, based on the employees’ citizenship or immigration status.
Under the terms of the settlement, Mr. Glass Group will pay $120,000 in civil penalties to the United States. The agreement also requires Mr. Glass Group to train its personnel on the INA’s requirements, revise its employment policies and be subject to departmental monitoring and reporting requirements.
Federal law allows all workers to choose which valid, legally acceptable documentation to present to demonstrate their identity and permission to work, regardless of citizenship, immigration status or national origin. The INA’s anti-discrimination provision prohibits employers from asking for specific or unnecessary documents because of a worker’s citizenship, immigration status or national origin. Indeed, many non-U.S. citizens, including lawful permanent residents, are eligible for several of the same types of documents to prove their permission to work as U.S. citizens (such as a driver’s license and an unrestricted Social Security card). Employers must allow workers to present whatever acceptable documentation the workers choose and cannot reject valid documentation that reasonably appears to be genuine.
The Civil Rights Division’s Immigrant and Employee Rights Section (IER) is responsible for enforcing the anti-discrimination provision of the INA. Among other things, the statute generally prohibits discrimination based on citizenship status and national origin in hiring, firing or recruitment or referral for a fee; unfair documentary practices; retaliation; and intimidation.
Learn more about IER’s work and how to get assistance through this brief video. Applicants or employees who believe they were discriminated against based on their citizenship, immigration status, or national origin in hiring, firing, recruitment or during the employment eligibility verification process (Form I-9 and E-Verify); or subjected to retaliation, may file a charge. The public can also call IER’s worker hotline at 1-800-255-7688 (1-800-237-2515, TTY for hearing impaired); call IER’s employer hotline at 1-800-255-8155 (1-800-237-2515, TTY for hearing impaired); sign up for a live webinar or watch an on-demand presentation; email [email protected]; or visit IER’s English and Spanish websites. Sign up for email updates from IER.
Justice Department Announces Final Resolution of Language Access Civil Rights Matter in Fort Bend County, TexasRead the Press Release
The Justice Department announced it has secured a final resolution in its civil rights matter involving the Fort Bend County (FBC) courts. FBC has complied with all the terms of a June 2021 Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) and as a result, the department is closing the matter.
The department initially opened the matter based on allegations that FBC courts discriminated against people with limited English proficiency (LEP) based on their national origin and retaliated against a complainant in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI) which prohibits race, color and national origin discrimination by any recipient of federal financial assistance. One complaint alleged that the FBC District Court denied a criminal defendant with LEP a Vietnamese interpreter he needed for a plea hearing and said that the defendant or his attorney must find and pay for a Vietnamese interpreter. On June 29, 2021, the department and FBC resolved the investigation with an MOA that required significant changes to FBC’s language access policies for court users with LEP.
Since then, FBC has made significant changes to improve access for court users with LEP and to comply with Title VI requirements. For example, FBC:
- Provides interpreter services at no cost to anyone with LEP, regardless of income, in all civil and criminal cases as described in the court’s language assistance policy;
- Revised its language access plan;
- Created a language access training for court staff and a Judge’s Guide to Language Access;
- Maintains a public webpage that explains how to request interpretation or translation services;
- Provides a language access complaint form in several languages on its website; and
- To ensure Title VI compliance, FBC staff have also received Title VI retaliation training.
“The new policies and practices adopted by the Fort Bend County courts are helping to provide meaningful language access for people with limited English proficiency,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “I hope other court systems follow Fort Bend County’s example and take action to provide interpreter services to court users at no cost. Access to justice in our country should not be limited or denied simply because of your proficiency in English.”
“Fort Bend County is one of the most diverse counties in Texas where almost half the population is of Spanish, East Asian and South Asian origin. As a prosecutor, an immigrant and the son of Indian-born, working-class parents, I have seen, first-hand, the struggles of America’s newest residents who speak English as a second language, and the need for interpreters, especially during court proceedings,” said U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani for the Southern District of Texas. “Because of the hard work of the prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas and at the Civil Right Division, all residents, irrespective of national origin, will have full access to the court system to handle everything from family court matters, criminal and general civil matters. I look forward to working with other counties and the Office of Court Administration to replicate these efforts throughout the Southern District of Texas.”
This matter was handled jointly by attorneys in the Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas.
Additional information about the Civil Rights Division is available on its website at www.justice.gov/crt, and information about limited English proficiency and Title VI is available at www.lep.gov. Members of the public may report possible civil rights violations at www.civilrights.justice.gov/report/ or with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the for the Southern District of Texas at www.justice.gov/usao-sdtx/civil-division/civil-rights-section.
Jury Recommends Sentence of Death for Pennsylvania Man Convicted for Tree of Life Synagogue ShootingRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH – After two months of trial, a federal jury in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, unanimously recommended today that a Pennsylvania man be sentenced to death for killing 11 congregants at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, critically wounding two others, and injuring five responding police officers in October 2018.
On June 16, after three weeks of hearing evidence, the jury found Bowers guilty on 63 counts, including hate crimes resulting in death and obstruction of the free exercise of religion resulting in death, that were potentially punishable by a death sentence.
After hearing additional evidence, the jury found on July 13 that Robert Bowers, 50, was eligible to receive a death sentence. During the Sentence Selection phase of the trial, which lasted from July 17 through July 31, 2023, the jury then heard testimony on aggravating and mitigating factors before arriving at its unanimous recommendation of a death sentence.
“The horrific attack at the Tree of Life Synagogue on October 27, 2018, stole the lives of 11 innocent victims, shattered their families, gutted their congregation and the Pittsburgh community, and struck fear in the lives of Jewish people across the country,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “Hate crimes like this one inflict irreparable pain on individual victims and their loved ones and lead entire communities to question their very belonging. All Americans deserve to live free from the fear of hate-fueled violence and the Justice Department will hold accountable those who perpetrate such acts.”
“The evidence in this trial proved that the defendant acted because of white supremacist, anti-Semitic and bigoted views that unfortunately are not original or unique to him,” said U.S. Attorney Eric Olshan for the Western District of Pennsylvania. “Our Constitution protects a person’s right to hold repugnant beliefs. But our Constitution also protects every person’s right to practice his or her faith. When people who espouse white supremacist, anti-Semitic, and bigoted views pick up weapons and use them to kill or try to kill people because of their faith, our Office and our partners in law enforcement will hold them accountable to the fullest extent of the law. Each and every time.”
“The men and women of the FBI hold the Tree of Life Synagogue victims and the Pittsburgh community in our hearts as we continue to protect communities of faith from violent acts of hate,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “The damage caused by antisemitism cannot be understated, just as the tragic loss of the eleven victims cannot be measured. Healing will be a life-long journey for the survivors, families, and communities affected by this vile attack, and the FBI will be there to support them throughout that journey.”
“The massacre at the Tree of Life Synagogue imposed grievous and far-reaching harms and is a reminder about the ongoing threat that we face as a result of antisemitic violence and hatred in our country,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The victims of these senseless murders were community and religious leaders and loving family members and friends. A jury of his peers held the defendant accountable for his hateful actions and provided justice for those killed and injured. The verdict, though, cannot bring back the 11 people killed at the Tree of Life Synagogue. Nor can it heal the physical and psychological wounds of the survivors or dispel the hurt and fear of community members. We hope that this civil rights prosecution brings a measure of closure and highlights the determination of the Justice Department to protect people from antisemitic violence and other hate crimes in our country.”
“I hope today’s decision brings some comfort to those impacted by this terrible crime and to our community,” said FBI Pittsburgh Special Agent in Charge Mike Nordwall. “As we all work to heal together, I want to remind the community that none of us can do this alone. I want to commend the work by my FBI personnel, the Assistant U.S. Attorneys, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police and our partner agencies who put in countless hours at the scene that day and every day since preparing for this trial. I want to assure everyone that the FBI will keep doing everything we can for the people who need it most in every community across the country.”
The evidence showed that, on Oct. 27, 2018, Bowers drove to the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where members of the Tree of Life, Dor Hadash and New Light Jewish congregations gathered to engage in religious worship. Bowers entered the building armed with multiple firearms, including three Glock .357 handguns and a Colt AR-15 rifle. While inside the Tree of Life Synagogue, Bowers opened fire, killing and injuring members of the three congregations, as well as injuring multiple responding police officers as they attempted to rescue surviving victims.
The victims include 11 worshippers at the Tree of Life Synagogue who were killed: Joyce Fienberg, 75; Richard Gottfried, 65; Rose Mallinger, 97; Jerry Rabinowitz, 66; Cecil Rosenthal, 59; David Rosenthal, 54; Bernice Simon, 84; Sylvan Simon, 86; Daniel Stein, 71; Melvin Wax, 87; and Irving Younger, 69. In addition, the defendant critically injured two congregants. Another 12 congregants escaped physical injury. Additionally, the victims include five responding police officers who were injured while attempting to rescue surviving victims and apprehend the defendant.
The evidence showed that the defendant meticulously planned his attack based on his violently antisemitic beliefs, reflected in dozens of online posts admitted into evidence.
The court will impose the sentence on Aug. 3.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, and the Allegheny County Police conducted the investigation leading to the conviction in this case, with assistance from many other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. The case was prosecuted by United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Troy Rivetti, Soo C. Song, and Nicole Vasquez Schmitt of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania; Trial Attorney Mary J. Hahn of the Civil Rights Division; and Barry K. Disney of the Capital Case Unit of the United States Department of Justice. Special Litigation Counsel Julia Gegenheimer of the Civil Rights Division and Trial Attorney Sonia Jimenez of the Criminal Division also made significant contributions to the prosecution of this case.
Jury Recommends Sentence of Death for Pennsylvania Man Convicted for Tree of Life Synagogue ShootingRead the Press Release
After two months of trial, a federal jury in Pittsburgh unanimously recommended today that a Pennsylvania man be sentenced to death for killing 11 congregants at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, critically wounding two others, and injuring five responding police officers in October 2018.
On June 16, after three weeks of hearing evidence, the jury found Bowers guilty on 63 counts, including hate crimes resulting in death and obstruction of the free exercise of religion resulting in death, that were potentially punishable by a death sentence.
After hearing additional evidence, the jury found on July 13, that Robert Bowers, 50, was eligible to receive a death sentence. During the Sentence Selection phase of the trial, which lasted from July 17 through July 31, the jury then heard testimony on aggravating and mitigating factors before arriving at its unanimous recommendation of a death sentence.
“The horrific attack at the Tree of Life Synagogue on October 27, 2018, stole the lives of 11 innocent victims, shattered their families, gutted their congregation and the Pittsburgh community, and struck fear in the lives of Jewish people across the country,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “Hate crimes like this one inflict irreparable pain on individual victims and their loved ones and lead entire communities to question their very belonging. All Americans deserve to live free from the fear of hate-fueled violence and the Justice Department will hold accountable those who perpetrate such acts.”
“The men and women of the FBI hold the Tree of Life Synagogue victims and the Pittsburgh community in our hearts as we continue to protect communities of faith from violent acts of hate,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “The damage caused by antisemitism cannot be understated, just as the tragic loss of the eleven victims cannot be measured. Healing will be a life-long journey for the survivors, families, and communities affected by this vile attack, and the FBI will be there to support them throughout that journey.”
“The massacre at the Tree of Life Synagogue imposed grievous and far-reaching harms and is a reminder about the ongoing threat that we face as a result of antisemitic violence and hatred in our country,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The victims of these senseless murders were community and religious leaders and loving family members and friends. A jury of his peers held the defendant accountable for his hateful actions and provided justice for those killed and injured. The verdict, though, cannot bring back the 11 people killed at the Tree of Life Synagogue. Nor can it heal the physical and psychological wounds of the survivors or dispel the hurt and fear of community members. We hope that this civil rights prosecution brings a measure of closure and highlights the determination of the Justice Department to protect people from antisemitic violence and other hate crimes in our country.”
“The evidence in this trial proved that the defendant acted because of white supremacist, anti-Semitic and bigoted views that unfortunately are not original or unique to him,” said U.S. Attorney Eric Olshan for the Western District of Pennsylvania. “Our Constitution protects a person’s right to hold repugnant beliefs. But our Constitution also protects every person’s right to practice his or her faith. When people who espouse white supremacist, anti-Semitic, and bigoted views pick up weapons and use them to kill or try to kill people because of their faith, our Office and our partners in law enforcement will hold them accountable to the fullest extent of the law. Each and every time.”
The evidence showed that on Oct. 27, 2018, Bowers drove to the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, where members of the Tree of Life, Dor Hadash, and New Light Jewish congregations gathered to engage in religious worship. Bowers entered the building armed with multiple firearms, including three Glock .357 handguns and a Colt AR-15 rifle. While inside the Tree of Life Synagogue, Bowers opened fire, killing and injuring members of the three congregations, as well as injuring multiple responding police officers as they attempted to rescue surviving victims.
The victims include 11 worshippers at the Tree of Life Synagogue who were killed: Joyce Fienberg, 75; Richard Gottfried, 65; Rose Mallinger, 97; Jerry Rabinowitz, 66; Cecil Rosenthal, 59; David Rosenthal, 54; Bernice Simon, 84; Sylvan Simon, 86; Daniel Stein, 71; Melvin Wax, 87; and Irving Younger, 69. In addition, the defendant critically injured two congregants. Another 12 congregants escaped physical injury. Additionally, the victims include five responding police officers who were injured while attempting to rescue surviving victims and apprehend the defendant.
The evidence showed that the defendant meticulously planned his attack based on his violently antisemitic beliefs, reflected in dozens of online posts admitted into evidence.
The court will impose the sentence on Aug. 3.
U.S. Attorney Eric G. Olshan and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Troy Rivetti, Soo C. Song and Nicole Vasquez Schmitt for the Western District of Pennsylvania, Trial Attorney Mary J. Hahn of the Civil Rights Division, and Trial Attorneys Barry K. Disney and Aaron J. Stewart of the Criminal Division’s Capital Case Unit prosecuted the case. Special Litigation Counsel Julia Gegenheimer of the Civil Rights Division and Trial Attorney Sonia Jiminez of the Criminal Division also made significant contributions to the prosecution of this case.
Johnstown Resident Indicted on Child Sexual Exploitation ChargesRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA. A resident of Johnstown, PA, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh for federal child pornography charges, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.
The three-count Superseding Indictment named Mikhail Martin, 25, of Johnstown, PA, as the sole defendant.
According to the Superseding Indictment, Martin is alleged to have produced and attempted to produce material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor on or about February 20, 2023, and April 22, 2023. Martin is also alleged to have possessed material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor on or about May 13, 2023.
The law provides for a minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum of 70 years, a fine of $750,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney DeMarr W. Moulton is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigations and the Northern Regional Police Department conducted the investigation leading to the Superseding Indictment in this case.
This case is being prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
A superseding indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Iowa Man Pleads Guilty in Federal Court to Failure to Pay Employment Taxes and File Federal ReturnRead the Press Release
DES MOINES, Iowa – On Monday, July 31, 2023, an Iowa man pled guilty to Willful Failure to Pay Over Employment Taxes and Willful Failure to File an Income Tax Return.
As described in public court records, Thomas James Morford, 50, operated a concrete construction business within the Southern District of Iowa. During the fourth quarter of 2019, Morford collected and willfully failed to pay more than $9,000 in employee Federal Insurance Contribution Act (FICA) taxes to the United States. Additionally, for the year 2020, Morford willfully failed to file a federal tax return.
Morford is scheduled to be sentenced on December 1, 2023. A federal district court judge will determine the sentence after considering the United States Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division is investigating the case.
Independence Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Meth Trafficking, Illegal FirearmRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – An Independence, Mo., man who was arrested after he drove two victims of an accidental shooting to the hospital emergency room was sentenced in federal court today for his role in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and for illegally possessing firearms.
Jason Ruben Breedlove, 42, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to 15 years in federal prison without parole.
On March 28, 2022, Breedlove pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and one count of possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.
After two people were shot at a residence in Butler, Mo., on Feb. 5, 2018, Breedlove drove the gunshot victims to the Bates County Memorial Hospital in Butler and dropped them off at the emergency room. Deputies of the Bates County Sheriff’s Department apprehended Breedlove and took him into custody the same day.
When deputies searched the residence where the shooting occurred, they found 25 grams of methamphetamine, which Breedlove admitted belonged to him, and a loaded Smith & Wesson .40-caliber pistol. Breedlove told investigators this was the pistol that had discharged and wounded the two shooting victims. An additional round of ammunition was found in Breedlove’s pants.
When deputies searched Breedlove’s vehicle, they found a Savage 6.5 Creedmoor caliber rifle and ammunition. The firearm had been reported as stolen.
Breedlove admitted that he purchased methamphetamine for others to distribute. Breedlove told investigators he could obtain kilogram amounts of methamphetamine from several individuals, for which he took money off the top as the middleman.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph M. Marquez. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Bates County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, and the Butler, Mo., Police Department.
Project Safe Neighborhoods
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Hartford Man Sentenced to More Than 5 Years in Federal Prison for Distributing FentanylRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that MILTON ROSARIO, also known as “Little,” 41, of Hartford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 70 months of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release, for distributing fentanyl.
According to court documents and statements made in court, this matter stems from an investigation into gang-related drug trafficking and firearm possession by members of Los Solidos. The investigation, which included court-authorized wiretaps, revealed that Luis Feliciano, also known as “Louminaty,” distributed fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and crack to customers and other distributors in the Hartford area, including Jose Tirado, also known as “Joselito” and “Leet,” and also to individuals in New York and Maine. Tirado further distributed fentanyl to Rosario, who sold the drug to his own customer base.
On June 8, 2022, a grand jury returned an indictment charging Rosario, Feliciano, Tirado, and 13 others with various narcotics distribution and firearm possession offenses.
Rosario was arrested on June 9, 2022. On February 9, 2023, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl. He has been detained since his arrest.
Feliciano and Tirado pleaded guilty and await sentencing.
This investigation has been conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force and the Hartford Police Department. The Task Force includes members of the FBI, Hartford Police Department, East Hartford Police Department, New Britain Police Department, West Hartford Police Department, Connecticut State Police and Connecticut Department of Correction.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian P. Leaming and Robert S. Ruff through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and transnational criminal organizations through a prosecutor-led and intelligence-driven approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Harnett County Man Sentenced to 27 Years in Prison for Producing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – A Cameron, N.C. man was sentenced today to 324 months in prison followed by a lifetime term of supervised release for the production of child pornography between August and July of 2019. Additionally, he was ordered to pay $122,000.00 in restitution to the minor, hands on production victim. On August 3, 2022, Ivan Velez, 26, pled guilty to the charges.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, in August of 2020 Velez posted a video of a female infant in a chat room on the messaging platform known as KIK. The following day, Velez sent an undercover Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Agent a private message containing another video, constituting child pornography, of the same infant. The IP address was traced to an address in Cameron, and Velez’s registered vehicle was parked in the driveway of the residence. Investigators with HSI, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (NCSBI), and the Harnett County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) worked together quickly to obtain a search warrant for the residence which was executed on August 14, 2020.
Velez was present when the search warrant was executed and agreed to speak with investigators. During the conversation, Velez admitted to utilizing the username associated with the KIK account that sent the video and to distributing child pornography on KIK. Velez further admitted to creating child pornography videos depicting his sexual abuse of the minor child approximately a year earlier. Investigators determined that Velez recorded his sexual abuse of the minor child, who was less than two years old at the time of the abuse, on no less than three separate occasions.
The search of the residence yielded a cell phone and other media storage, containing a total of 5,150 image files and 383 video files depicting sexual exploitation of minors. The content discovered in the search included at least five different videos of depicting Velez’s sexual abuse of the minor child.
Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. The Department of Homeland Security, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, and the Harnett County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan M. Stephany prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the 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 www.justice.gov/psc.
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. 5:21-cr-00214-D.
Guatemalan National Sentenced to Federal Prison for Illegally Re-Entering the United StatesRead the Press Release
MIAMI – Rubio Ruben Sales aka Ruben Mendez-Sales, a Guatemalan national, has been sentenced to 70 months in prison for illegally re-entering the United States after deportation or removal.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents became aware of Sales as a result of his March 1, 2018, arrest for five counts of sexual battery on a victim 12-17 years of age. ICE agents placed a detainer on Sales. After Sales was sentenced to 35.5 years in state prison for the sexual battery offenses, he was brought to federal court to face charges for illegally re-entering the United States after having been previously deported in October 2012. In addition to the sexual battery convictions, Sales has prior convictions for aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, and felony death by vehicle.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and Acting Field Office Director Liana J. Castano of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), announced the sentence imposed by Senior U.S. District Court Judge Kenneth A. Marra.
ICE ERO investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rinku Tribuiani prosecuted it.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 22-cr-80204.
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Groton Man Sentenced to Prison for Role in Cocaine Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that STEVEN COLLAZO, 32, of Groton, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 18 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for his involvement in a conspiracy to receive large quantities of cocaine from Puerto Rico through the U.S. Mail for distribution in Connecticut and elsewhere. Collazo must serve the first three months of his supervised release in home detention.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in April 2021, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Narcotics and Bulk Cash Trafficking Task Force and the Drug Enforcement Administration began investigating a cocaine trafficking operation headed by Carlos Antonio Crespo-Febus. The investigation revealed that Crespo-Febus was coordinating the shipment of parcels, typically containing two kilograms of cocaine, from U.S. Post Offices in Puerto Rico to various “drop addresses” in New London County. Collazo, who served as the primary “runner” for Crespo-Febus, picked up parcels from the drop addresses and delivered them to Crespo-Febus at Crespo-Febus’s New London residence.
Investigators intercepted and seized approximately 16 kilograms of cocaine that were mailed from Puerto Rico to Connecticut, and identified dozens of other suspicious parcels that likely contained kilogram quantities of cocaine.
Crespo-Febus and Collazo were arrested on September 20, 2021. On November 10, 2022, Collazo pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute cocaine.
Collazo, who is released on a $100,000 bond, is required to report to prison on October 4.
Crespo-Febus, of New London, pleaded guilty on October 21, 2022. He is detained while awaiting sentencing.
This matter has been investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Narcotics and Bulk Cash Trafficking Task Force and the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from the New London and Town of Groton Police Departments. The Task Force includes members from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Postal Service – Office of the Inspector General, the Connecticut Army National Guard, and the Hartford, New Britain, Meriden and Town of Groton Police Departments. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Konstantin Lantsman.
Four Extradited Defendants Plead Guilty to Participating in Deadly International Human Smuggling ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Four Guatemalan nationals pleaded guilty to their involvement in a deadly Guatemala-based human smuggling conspiracy.
Juan Gutierrez Castro, aka Andres, 46, pleaded guilty today, joining co-conspirators Felipe Diego Alonzo, aka Siete, 39; Nesly Norberto Martinez Gomez, aka Canche, 38; and Lopez Mateo Mateo, aka Bud Light, 43, who all pleaded guilty in July.
According to court documents, the defendants admitted to conspiring with other smugglers to facilitate the travel of large numbers of migrants from Guatemala through Mexico, and ultimately, into the United States. They charged the migrants and their families approximately $10,000 to $12,000 for the perilous journey. One of the journeys resulted in the death of a young indigenous Guatemalan woman, who died in Texas in May 2021. The woman’s family had paid the defendants approximately $10,000 for the journey to the United States. The defendants and their co-conspirators guided her for several days on foot through the desert to Odessa, Texas, where she ultimately died. The defendants and their co-conspirators dumped her body on the side of a road in Crane County, Texas. The defendants and their co-conspirators then arranged to pay the victim’s family in Guatemala.
Each defendant pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to bring an alien to the United States resulting in death. They are expected to be sentenced later this year and face a statutory maximum penalty of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
As announced last year, extensive coordination between U.S. and Guatemalan law enforcement authorities led to the indictment and arrest of these four defendants, as well as the apprehension of 15 additional co-conspirators in Guatemala. Pursuant to an extradition request, in March 2023, Guatemalan authorities extradited Diego Alonzo, Martinez Gomez, Mateo Mateo, and Gutierrez Castro to the United States – the first ever extraditions from Guatemala to the United States on charges of human smuggling resulting in death and the first Guatemalan human smuggling extraditions to the United States in nearly five years.
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas, and Executive Associate Director Katrina W. Berger of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) made the announcement.
HSI Midland led the investigation, working in concert with HSI Guatemala and the HSI Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C. HSI received substantial assistance from U.S. Immigration and Customs (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations; ICE’s Parole and Law Enforcement Programs Unit; U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s National Targeting Center/Operation Sentinel; U.S. Border Patrol; the U.S. Marshals Service; the Odessa and Midland Police Departments; the Texas Department of Public Safety; and the Ector County, Midland County, and Crane County Sheriffs’ Offices. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs (OIA) and Office of Prosecutorial Development, Assistance, and Training (OPDAT) provided significant assistance in this matter. The Justice Department is grateful to Guatemalan law enforcement, who were instrumental in furthering this investigation.
The indictments, extraditions, and convictions of Diego Alonzo, Martinez Gomez, Mateo Mateo, and Gutierrez Castro, as well as the assistance provided by U.S. authorities to Guatemalan law enforcement, were coordinated under Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA).
JTFA Co-Director James Hepburn of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP), Assistant U.S. Attorney Jose Luis Acosta for the Western District of Texas, and Assistant U.S. Attorney John Fedock for the Western District of Texas are prosecuting the case, with substantial assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrian Gallegos for the Western District of Texas and HRSP Historian/Latin America Specialist Joanna Crandall.
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland created JTFA in June 2021 in partnership with DHS to strengthen the Justice Department’s overall efforts to combat the rise in prolific and dangerous smuggling emanating from Central America and impacting our border communities. JTFA’s goal is to disrupt and dismantle those human smuggling and trafficking networks operating in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico, with a focus on networks that endanger, abuse or exploit migrants, present national security risks, or engage in other types of transnational organized crime. Since its creation, JTFA has successfully increased coordination and collaboration between the Justice Department, DHS, and other interagency law enforcement participants, and with foreign law enforcement partners, including in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico; targeted those organizations who most significantly impact the United States; and coordinated significant smuggling indictments and extradition efforts in U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the country. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in over 200 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of human smuggling; several dozen convictions; significant jail sentences imposed; and substantial asset forfeiture.
JTFA is comprised of detailees from southwest border U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, including the Southern District of Texas, the Western District of Texas, the District of New Mexico, the District of Arizona, and the Southern District of California. Dedicated support for the program is also provided by numerous components of the Criminal Division that are part of JTFA, led by HRSP, and supported by ODPAT, the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section, the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, the Office of Enforcement Operations, OIA, and the Organized Crime and Gang Section. JTFA also relies on substantial law enforcement investment from DHS, FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and other partners.
Fort Wayne Man Sentenced to 120 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
FORT WAYNE –Derriel L. Jones, 39 years old, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Chief Judge Holly A. Brady after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.
Jones was sentenced to 120 months in prison to be followed by 5 years of supervised release.
According to documents in this case, from July through October 2021, Jones conspired with others to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine. These charges stemmed in part from a traffic stop in October 2021, during which officers seized cocaine, fentanyl, and cash.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Fort Wayne Safe Streets Gang Task Force, with the task force members being the FBI, the Indiana State Police, the Allen County Police Department, and the Fort Wayne Police Department. Also assisting in this investigation were the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Anthony Geller and Brent Ecenbarger.
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.
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Former DEA Task Force Officer Pleads Guilty to Unlawfully Assaulting Individual During ArrestRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Ryan T. Geach, the Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office of the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General (“DOJ-OIG”), announced today that DUSTIN GENCO, a former Task Force Officer with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) employed by the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office, pled guilty to depriving an individual (the “Victim”) of his constitutional right to be free from excessive force. On October 20, 2022, GENCO assaulted the Victim while the Victim was restrained in handcuffs. GENCO pled guilty today before U.S. Magistrate Judge James L. Cott. The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “As he admitted today, Dustin Genco, a former DEA Task Force Officer, violated the constitutional rights of an individual by using excessive force during that person’s arrest. This officer violated his oath and abused his power to deprive the victim of his rights protected by the U.S. Constitution. He now faces the serious consequences of his actions.”
DOJ-OIG Special Agent in Charge Ryan T. Geach said: “No law enforcement officer should ever use excessive force. These charges send a clear message that the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General will aggressively pursue allegations of excessive force by DOJ law enforcement and its Task Force Officers.”
According to the Information that was filed today in Manhattan federal court as well as other public statements made in court:
On or about October 20, 2022, GENCO was employed as a Task Force Officer with the DEA. GENCO was assigned to assist with the arrest of the Victim. During the arrest, GENCO assaulted the Victim by forcefully kicking the Victim in the chest and stomach area while the Victim was restrained in handcuffs, resulting in injury to the Victim. After the assault, GENCO intentionally misled a federal law enforcement agent about the assault, claiming that the Victim had continued to resist arrest after he was handcuffed. GENCO also failed to truthfully disclose that he had kicked the Victim in the chest and stomach area while the Victim was restrained in handcuffs. As a condition of his guilty plea, GENCO agreed, among other things, to permanently cease and refrain from seeking or obtaining law enforcement employment on behalf of any federal, state, or local entity.
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GENCO, 51, of Seaford, New York, pled guilty to deprivation of constitutional rights under color of law, which carries a maximum sentence of one year in prison.
The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the DOJ-OIG.
The prosecution is being handled by the Office’s Civil Rights Unit in the Criminal Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mitzi Steiner is in charge of the prosecution.
Federal Jury Convicts Man of Armed Robbery in Pensacola Shooting CaseRead the Press Release
PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – After a three-day trial, a federal jury in Pensacola, found Quinton L. Pete, 34, of Ocala, Florida, guilty of Attempted Hobbs Act Robbery and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. The guilty verdict was announced by Jason R. Coody, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
On March 9, 2022, a few minutes before 4:00 a.m., two employees at Coyote’s Sports Bar, which is next to Cordova Mall in Pensacola, were shot at point blank range by Pete during an attempted robbery of the business. The victims were not able to identify the shooter at the time because of their wounds, but they provided a general description to law enforcement. Law enforcement obtained surveillance videos from surrounding businesses and identified a white Jeep Grand Cherokee in the area at the time of the crime. Pete was apprehended the next day in Dallas, Texas driving a matching white Jeep Grand Cherokee that was registered to him. Pete was in possession of the firearm that was used in the commission of the robbery, as later identified by ballistics comparison. Pete’s phone location also placed him in the area at the time he committed the crime.
Pete has prior felony convictions for Burglary of a Dwelling with a Firearm, Grand Theft, and Shooting at within or into a Dwelling, and was released from prison only seven months prior to these offenses.
Sentencing in the case is set for October 26, 2023, at 1:00 p.m., at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola before United States District Judge T.K. Wetherell. Pete faces a maximum of 30 years imprisonment.
This conviction was the result of an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Pensacola Police Department, Department of Homeland Security, Grand Prairie Police Department in Dallas, Texas, the United States Marshals, and the Office of the State Attorney, First Judicial Circuit. Assistant United States Attorneys David L. Goldberg and Jessica S. Etherton prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
As part of its PSN strategy, the United States Attorney’s Office is encouraging everyone to lock their car doors, particularly at night. Burglaries from unlocked automobiles are a significant source of guns for criminals in the Northern District of Florida. Please do your part and protect yourself by locking your car doors.
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.
Federal Jury Convicts Charles City Man Falsely Applying for a PassportRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A federal jury convicted a Charles City man yesterday of attempting to obtain a passport using false identifying information.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, O’Ryan Jones, 54, after having been denied a passport in his own name, applied for a passport in the name and using the identifying information of his brother. In preparation for the passport fraud, the defendant also obtained his brother’s birth certificate and a driver’s license in his brother’s name featuring the defendant’s own photograph.
Jones was convicted of false statement in application for a passport and aggravated identity theft, and faces a mandatory minimum penalty of two years in prison with a maximum penalty of 12 years in prison when sentenced on December 4, 2023. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia and Karen Brown Cleveland, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Washington Field Office for the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), made the announcement after U.S District Judge Roderick C. Young accepted the verdict.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Julie Podlesni and Brian Samuels are prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:22-cr-09.
Enid Man Pleads Guilty to Threatening Government OfficialsRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – Today, TYLER JAY MARSHALL, 36, of Enid, pleaded guilty to the interstate transmission of threatening communications against various government officials, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.
On June 6, 2023, a federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment against Marshall. Count 1 charged him with threatening to murder a United States official. Count 2 charged him with interstate transmission of threatening communications. According to court records, on or about May 15, 2023, the FBI learned that Marshall had been using Twitter to post threats to shoot or bomb several government officials and their families, including Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and United States Senator Ted Cruz.
On Wednesday, Marshall pleaded guilty to Count 2. As part of his plea, Marshall admitted that he knew his posts would be viewed as real threats.
At sentencing, Marshall faces up to 5 years in federal prison, and a fine of up to $250,000.00. He has been in federal custody since May 19, 2023.
This case is the result of an investigation by the FBI Oklahoma City Field Office, with assistance from the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and the Enid Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Stoneman is prosecuting the case.
Reference is made to public filings for more information.
El Dorado Springs Sex Offender Sentenced to 35 Years for Coercing a Child for Illegal Sexual ActivityRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – An El Dorado Springs, Mo., man with a history of child sex crimes was sentenced in federal court today for making plans to coerce the fictional child of an undercover federal agent to engage in illegal sexual activity.
Jarrett Lee Vann, 49, was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips to 35 years in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Vann to spend the rest of his life on supervised release following incarceration.
On Oct. 11, 2022, Vann pleaded guilty to one count of coercing and enticing a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity and one count that charges additional penalties for registered sex offenders. At the time of the offense, Vann was required to register as a sex offender due to a federal conviction for receiving or distributing child pornography in the District of Idaho.
Vann admitted that he engaged in an online conversation with an undercover federal agent, whom he met in a chat room on the dark web on Nov. 1, 2021. The conversation continued through a mobile instant messaging application through February 2022. Vann expressed interest in engaging in sexual acts with the purported four-year-old daughter of the undercover agent and engaged in graphic discussions about what he wanted to do to her. Vann discussed having a long-term sexual relationship with the child, which included graphic details about specific sex acts, dressing her up like a bride, keeping souvenirs of his rape of the purported child, and having the undercover agent show her “daughter” pornography so that she would be prepared for the sexual encounters.
During those conversations, Vann claimed he had many relationships with “young girls,” from three years old to 15 years old. He clarified his favorite ages were four to five years old. He admitted that he was emailing with an individual he believed to be a minor, had sent nude images to individuals he believed to be minors, and was chatting with others about exploiting children.
They made plans for the undercover agent to travel to Missouri with her purported daughter for the purpose of Vann having sexual contact with her. Vann met the undercover agent at a restaurant in El Dorado Springs. When they left the restaurant, Vann was arrested. His electronic devices were seized and searched, and files of child sexual abuse material were located.
In addition to his federal conviction in the District of Idaho, which followed his attempt to meet a fictional nine-year-old victim for sex, Vann was caught in an undercover Air Force police operation trying to meet another child for sex. This conduct was also underlying conduct for his District of Idaho conviction, for which he was sentenced to 78 months in federal prison. While Vann was on supervised release following incarceration, his probation officer found child sexual abuse material on his electronic devices. Vann received an additional prison term when his supervised release was revoked. In 2008, he was convicted of possessing sexually exploitative material and sentenced to 10 years in Idaho state prison.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie L. Wan. It was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force.
Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
El Departamento de Justicia llega a un acuerdo con un fabricante radicado en Miami que resuelve acusaciones de discriminación relacionada con la inmigraciónRead the Press Release
El Departamento de Justicia anunció hoy que ha llegado a un acuerdo conciliatorio con tres entes corporativos, Mr. Glass Doors and Windows Inc., Mr. Glass Doors and Windows Manufacturing LLC, y Powder Coating Technologies LLC (en su conjunto Mr. Glass Group). El acuerdo resuelve la determinación del Departamento que Mr. Glass Group vulneró la ley de Inmigración y Nacionalidad (INA, por sus siglas en inglés) cuando discriminó a no ciudadanos de los EE. UU. al comprobar su permiso para trabajar en los Estados Unidos.
«Requerir que los trabajadores proporcionen documentos específicos o innecesarios para probar su permiso para trabajar crea una barrera ilegal al empleo para esos individuos que están tan ansiosos por comenzar a trabajar y mantener a sí mismos y sus familias», afirmó Kristen Clarke, la Fiscal General Auxiliar de la División de Derechos Civiles del Departamento de Justicia. «El Departamento de Justicia no tolerará la discriminación ilícita y seguirá garantizando que los empleados tengan la igualdad de oportunidades en el proceso de contratación y en el lugar de trabajo».
La investigación del Departamento determinó que, al menos desde el 1 de marzo del 2018 hasta el 16 de septiembre del 2020, Mr. Glass Group requería, de forma rutinaria, que residentes permanentes legales presentaran un documento migratorio específico en el momento de la verificación de su permiso para trabajar, con base en la ciudadanía o el estatus migratorio del empleado.
Conforme los términos del acuerdo, Mr. Glass Group pagará $120,000 por concepto de sanciones civiles a los Estados Unidos. El acuerdo también requiere que Mr. Glass Group capacite a su personal en cuanto a los requisitos de la INA, que revise sus políticas de empleo y que se someta a los requisitos de supervisión y declaración del Departamento.
Las leyes federales permiten a todo trabajador elegir la documentación válida y legalmente aceptable que desea presentar para demostrar su identidad y permiso para trabajar, independientemente de su ciudadanía, estatus migratorio o nacionalidad de origen. La disposición antidiscriminatoria de la INA prohíbe que los empleadores soliciten documentos específicos o innecesarios por motivos de la ciudadanía, estatus migratorio o nacionalidad de origen de un trabajador. De hecho, muchos no ciudadanos de los EE. UU., entre ellos los residentes permanentes legales, son elegibles para varios de los mismos tipos de documentos para demostrar su permiso para trabajar como lo son los ciudadanos de los EE. UU. (como, por ejemplo, una licencia de conducir y una tarjeta de Seguro Social sin restricciones). Los empleadores deben permitir que los trabajadores presenten cualquier documentación aceptable que tales trabajadores deseen y no pueden rechazar documentos válidos que parecen ser genuinos.
La Sección de Derechos de Inmigrantes y Empleados («IER», por sus siglas en inglés) de la División de Derechos Civiles es responsable de hacer cumplir la disposición antidiscriminatoria de la INA. Entre otras cosas, la ley prohíbe la discriminación por motivos de estatus de ciudadanía y nacionalidad de origen en los procesos de contratación, despido o reclutamiento o recomendación por comisión; prácticas documentales injustas y represalias e intimidación.
Aprenda más sobre el trabajo de la IER y cómo conseguir ayuda mediante este vídeo corto. Aquellos aspirantes o empleados que creen haber sido discriminados por motivos de su ciudadanía, estatus migratorio o nacionalidad de origen en los procesos de contratación, despido, reclutamiento o verificación de la elegibilidad para trabajar (Formulario I-9 e E-Verify) o sujetos a represalias pueden presentar una denuncia. El público también puede llamar a la línea directa de la IER para trabajadores al 1-800-255-7688 (1-800-237-2515, TTY para personas con discapacidades auditivas); llamar a la línea directa de la IER para empleadores al 1-800-255-8155 (1‑800‑237‑2515, TTY para personas con discapacidades auditivas); inscribirse a un seminario en línea en vivo o ver una presentación a pedido; enviar un correo electrónico a [email protected]; o visitar los sitios web de la IER en inglés y español. Inscríbase para recibir actualizaciones por correo electrónico de la IER.
El Departamento de Justicia Anuncia la Resolución Definitiva sobre el Asunto de Derecho Civil en torno al Acceso Lingüístico en el Condado de Fort Bend, TexasRead the Press Release
Nota: Este comunicado de prensa ha sido traducido a varios idiomas. Consulte los archivos adjuntos.
El Departamento de Justicia anunció que ha alcanzado una resolución definitiva sobre el asunto de derecho civil que involucra a los tribunales del condado de Fort Bend (Fort Bend County, FBC). El FBC ha cumplido con todos los términos de un memorando de entendimiento (Memorandum of Agreement, MOA) de junio de 2021 y, como resultado, el departamento da fin al asunto.
Inicialmente, el departamento abrió el asunto tras denuncias de que los tribunales del FBC discriminaban a personas con dominio limitado del inglés (limited English proficiency, LEP) por su país de origen y habían tomado represalias por un reclamo, lo cual infringe el Título VI de la Ley de Derechos Civiles de 1964 (el Titulo VI), que prohíbe la discriminación por raza, color o país de origen por parte de cualquier beneficiario de ayuda financiera federal. Una denuncia sostenía que el Tribunal de Distrito del FBC le negó a un acusado por un delito penal con LEP un intérprete de vietnamita que necesitaba para una audiencia de declaración y afirmó que el acusado o su abogado debían buscar y pagar un intérprete de vietnamita. El 29 de junio de 2021, el departamento y el FBC resolvieron la investigación con un MOA que requirió cambios significativos en las políticas de acceso lingüístico del FBC para los usuarios de los tribunales con LEP.
Desde entonces, el FBC ha hecho importantes cambios para mejorar el acceso de usuarios de los tribunales con LEP y para cumplir con las disposiciones del Título VI. Por ejemplo, el FBC:
- ofrece servicios de interpretación sin costo a cualquier persona con LEP, independientemente de sus ingresos, en todos los casos civiles y penales, como se describe en la política de asistencia lingüística del tribunal;
- modificó su plan de acceso lingüístico;
- creó una capacitación sobre acceso lingüístico para el personal del tribunal y una Guía para Jueces sobre el Acceso Lingüístico;
- mantiene una página web pública en la que se explica cómo solicitar servicios de interpretación o traducción;
- proporciona un formulario de reclamo de acceso lingüístico en diversos idiomas en su sitio web; y
- para garantizar el cumplimiento con el Título VI, el personal del FBC también debe recibir capacitación sobre represalias basada en el Título VI.
“Las nuevas políticas y prácticas adoptadas por los tribunales del condado de Fort Bend contribuyen a proporcionar un acceso lingüístico significativo a las personas con dominio limitado del inglés”, explicó Kristen Clarke, Fiscal General Adjunta de la División de Derechos Civiles del Departamento de Justicia. “Espero que otros sistemas judiciales sigan el ejemplo del condado de Fort Bend y tomen medidas para proporcionar servicios de interpretación sin costo a los usuarios de tribunales. El acceso a la justicia en nuestro país no debería verse limitado o denegado simplemente por su dominio del inglés”.
“Fort Bend es uno de los condados con mayor diversidad en Texas: casi la mitad de la población es de origen hispano, de Asia del este o de Asia del sur. Como fiscal, inmigrante e hijo de padres indios y de clase trabajadora, he visto con mis ojos la lucha de los residentes más recientes de los Estados Unidos, cuya lengua madre no es el inglés, y la necesidad de intérpretes, en especial durante los procesos judiciales”, afirmó el Fiscal Federal por el Distrito Sur de Texas Alamdar S. Hamdani. “Debido al trabajo duro de los fiscales en la Oficina de la Fiscalía Federal para el Distrito Sur de Texas y en la División de Derechos Civiles, todos los residentes, independientemente de su país de origen, tendrán acceso pleno al sistema judicial, para asuntos de toda clase, incluidos los de derecho familiar, penal y civil. Anhelo trabajar con otros condados y con la Oficina de Administración Judicial para replicar estas medidas en todo el Distrito Sur de Texas.
Este asunto fue resuelto conjuntamente por abogados de la División de Derechos Civiles y la Oficina de la Fiscalía Federal para el Distrito Sur de Texas.
Hay información adicional disponible sobre la División de Derechos Civiles en su sitio web en www.justice.gov/crt, y puede encontrar información disponible sobre el dominio limitado del idioma inglés y el Título VI en www.lep.gov. Los ciudadanos pueden denunciar posibles violaciones de derechos civiles en civilrights.justice.gov/report/ o en la Oficina de la Fiscalía Federal para el Distrito Sur de Texas en www.justice.gov/usao-sdtx/civil-division/civil-rights-section.
ENRD Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Kate Konschnik Readout on Combating Illegal Logging and Associated Trade During Meeting at APEC 2023Read the Press Release
On July 30, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Kate Konschnik of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division made the plenary opening remarks for the 24th meeting of the Experts Group on Illegal Logging and Associated Trade (EGILAT). EGILAT focuses on promoting trade in legally harvested forest products and combatting illegal logging and associated trade.
In her remarks, Konschnik emphasized the promotion of legal trade and sustainable use of forests to combat climate change and protect biodiversity, and to prevent the illegal trade of forest products from contributing to other issues.
“As the Asia-Pacific region and the world continue to recover from the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is ever more important to ensure that the illegal trade of forest products does not undermine this recovery, nor threaten the livelihoods of those participating in the legal supply chain,” Konschnik said. “We must recommit to ensuring the global forest products market does not become a financial playground to criminal elements who use illegally harvested forest products to drive other transnational crimes, perpetuate civil unrest, threaten global security, and fund terrorist organizations.”
Konschnik discussed U.S. initiatives consistent with the EGILAT mandate, including efforts to conserve critical rainforests around the world, the creation of the Timber Interdiction Membership Board and Enforcement Resources (TIMBER) Working Group and expanding efforts to tackle timber trafficking. She closed by emphasizing the importance of bilateral and regional collaborations in achieving EGILAT’s goal and highlighting the unique place EGILAT has in the global effort to promote the trade of legally harvested forest products and combat illegal logging and associated trade.
As part of the broader EGILAT meeting, the economies discussed activities in support of the policy theme “Advancing the Trade and Distribution of Legally Harvested Forest Products: Navigating to Legal Timber.” Members had opportunities to participate in field trips, including one to view the National Fish and Wildlife Forensic Mobile Lab, which can identify illegally traded timber from endangered species. EGILAT also planned to host a technology workshop with members joining six other work groups in a half-day meeting on Policy Partnership on Food Security.
EGILAT was created in 2011 by the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), which is a regional economic forum of 21 members, including the U.S. APEC was established in 1989 with the aim to promote prosperity in the region through sustainable, innovative, and secure growth. The United States is the 2023 host of APEC.
Dudley Man Sentenced to Prison for Theft and Misuse of COVID-19 Pandemic AssistanceRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Dudley man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for his involvement in a fraudulent scheme to obtain and misuse COVID-19-related unemployment assistance.
Norman Higgs, 35, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Patti B. Saris to one year in prison and one year of supervised release. Higgs was also ordered to pay $353,551 in forfeiture. In September 2021, Higgs pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud conspiracy.
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) created a temporary federal unemployment insurance program called Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA). PUA, administered by the Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance, provides unemployment insurance benefits for individuals who are not eligible for other types of unemployment benefits (e.g., the self-employed, independent contractors or gig economy workers).
From April to June 2020, Higgs conspired with Dquintz Alexander to submit fraudulent PUA claims using stolen identifying information of other individuals. The PUA payments were directed into bank accounts controlled by Higgs and Alexander. In total, accounts controlled by Higgs received over $353,551 in fraudulent PUA payments. While the majority of the funds were frozen by Higgs’ banks or recovered through the efforts of law enforcement, Higgs and Alexander were able to use a portion of the funds for their personal benefit, including to pay off credit card debt and to fund digital currency and online retail brokerage accounts.
On April 28, 2023, Alexander pleaded guilty to five counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 10, 2023.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Christopher DiMenna, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Jonathan Mellone, Special Agent in Charge of Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations-Labor Racketeering and Fraud made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Markham of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit prosecuted the case.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
D.C. Man Charged in a Six Count Federal Indictment for String of Armed RobberiesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Mark Thomas Moore, 32, of the District of Columbia, is charged by indictment in a series of armed robberies he is alleged to have committed in the Fall of 2022.
The indictment, filed yesterday in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Acting Special Agent in Charge David Geist, of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division, Damon Wood, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Washington Division, and Acting Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department.
According to the government’s evidence, Moore robbed three commercial establishments and a U.S. Post Office, all in Southeast Washington, D.C., at gunpoint, between October 21, 2022, and November 22, 2022. In addition, Moore held a store employee at gunpoint during one of the commercial robberies and robbed her of her cell phone.
Moore was arrested on November 28, 2022, following the robbery of a commercial establishment in Arlington, Virginia, and has been in custody ever since.
Moore fled the scene of the November 28 robbery on a distinct bicycle that was identical in appearance to the bicycle he used to flee the D.C. postal robbery. After this link was established, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service was able to determine that Moore left a fingerprint inside the cash register drawer during the postal robbery. In addition, a large BB gun and clothing recovered from Moore at the time of his arrest—and additional, unique clothing recovered during the search of a residence associated with Moore—further connects Moore to the string of armed robberies.
The indictment charges Moore with three counts of interference with commerce by robbery (also known as “Hobbs Act” robbery), which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and one count of armed postal robbery, which carries a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison. Under the D.C. Code, Moore is charged with one count of robbery while armed, and one count of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, each of which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison.
This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office’s Violent Crime Task Force, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Washington Division, and the Metropolitan Police Department’s Carjacking Task Force. Valuable assistance was provided by the Arlington County Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul V. Courtney of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Convicted Felon Pleads Guilty to Drug and Firearm OffensesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A convicted felon has pleaded guilty in connection with firearm and drug offenses that occurred in 2019 and later possessing a variety of firearms and narcotics while on pre-trial release for the charged offenses.
Christian Soares, a/k/a “Eazy,” 30, of Brockton, pleaded guilty on July 27, 2023 to two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition; one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, fentanyl and buprenorphine (suboxone); and one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, methamphetamine, MDA (methylenedioxyamphetamine) and 40 grams or more of fentanyl. U.S. District Court Judge William G. Young scheduled sentencing for Nov. 15, 2023.
In 2019, Soares fled on foot from law enforcement during a traffic stop. Soares threw a backpack during the chase before he was ultimately apprehended, arrested and searched. A firearm with rounds of assorted ammunition, as well as a digital scale, firecrackers, a hooked knife and buprenorphine (Suboxone) strips were recovered from Soares’ backpack. Additionally, cocaine and fentanyl intended for distribution were recovered from Soares’ person. As a result, Soares was indicted by a federal grand jury for drug and firearm offenses.
In December 2020, following a period of detention, the Court ordered Soares released on pre-trial conditions that included 24-hour confinement to a residence. Those conditions also prohibited Soares from possessing firearms, dangerous weapons, narcotic drugs, or other controlled substances.
In March 2021, while still on pre-trial release, a search of Soares’ residence resulted in the recovery of over 100 grams of fentanyl, over 30 grams of MDA, over 40 grams of methamphetamine and over 70 grams of cocaine, as well as multiple firearms and numerous rounds of assorted ammunition.
Soares is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition due to a 2013 state conviction of possession of a firearm, for which he served more than one year in prison.
The charge of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, fentanyl, and buprenorphine, provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $5 million. The charge of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, methamphetamine, MDA and 40 grams or more of fentanyl provides for a sentence of at least five years and up to 40 years in prison, at least four years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $5 million. The charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition each provide for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Boston Field Division; Brian Kyes, U.S. Marshal for the District of Massachusetts; John E. Mawn, Jr., Interim Colonel of the Massachusetts State Police; and Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox made the announcement. Assistance with the investigation was provided by the Suffolk, Norfolk and Bristol County District Attorneys’ Offices; the Suffolk, Plymouth and Norfolk County Sheriffs’ Office; and the Braintree, Cambridge, Canton, Randolph and Weymouth Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kaitlin R. O’Donnell of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
This effort is also part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Connecticut Resident Pleads Guilty in Federal Court in Rhode Island to a Charge of Bank FraudRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A Bridgeport, Connecticut man admitted to a federal court judge in Rhode Island that he fraudulently created an online bank account in the name of a Rhode Island resident without that person’s knowledge, and then accessed and transferred $65,500 to that account from a separate bank account controlled by the Rhode Islander, again without that person’s knowledge, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
Michael Joshua Saint-Victor, 26, also admitted that he submitted an application for an ATM/debit card tied to the bank account that he opened in the Rhode Island resident’s name, and that he also used this individual’s name to apply for a credit card with a second bank.
According to information presented to the court, when the banks discovered the fraudulent activities, the bank returned the $65,500 that Saint-Victor had transferred to his Rhode Island victim, and both the ATM/debit card and the credit card applications were denied.
Saint-Victor pleaded guilty on Tuesday to a charge of bank fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced on November 1, 2023. The defendant’s sentence will be determined by a federal judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Milind M. Shah.
The matter was investigated by the United States Secret Service.
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Connecticut Resident Indicted, Arraigned in Federal Court in Rhode Island in Multi-State Scheme to Defraud Home DepotRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A West Hartford, CT, resident has been arraigned in U.S. District Court in Providence, RI, on charges of conspiracy and wire fraud, as reflected in an indictment that alleges that he participated in a scheme to defraud Home Depot stores in eight states, including Rhode Island, of approximately $297,332, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
It is alleged in charging documents that, from at least June 2021 to February 2022, Alexandre Henrique Costa-Mota, 26, executed non-receipted return fraud schemes at more than two dozen Home Depot stores located primarily in Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Massachusetts, but also in Maine, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey.
It is alleged that Costa-Mota entered stores empty handed, dressed to appear like a contractor. He then collected Anderson doors, which he brought to each store’s Service Department where he made non-receipted returns of the doors. With each successful return, Costa-Mota was provided with a store credit that he later redeemed at other stores, mainly located in Connecticut. At times, when the stores refused to accept the receiptless returns, Costa-Mota simply exited the stores with the Anderson doors without paying for them and then returned the doors at other stores for store credit.
It is alleged that Costa-Mota received approximately 370 fraudulent store credits, valued at $297,332.
A federal grand jury in Providence returned an indictment on July 26, 2023, charging Costa-Mota with wire fraud and conspiracy. He was arraigned before a United States Magistrate Judge on August 1, 2023, and ordered detained.
A federal criminal indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dulce Donovan.
The matter was investigated by the United States Secret Service.
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Columbus man sentenced to 10 years in prison for armed robberyRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A local man was sentenced in U.S. District Court here today to 120 months in prison for a January 2019 armed robbery.
Michael John Smith, 29, of Columbus, pointed a pistol at two store clerks at the Circle K on Hall Road in Columbus on Jan. 27, 2019. Smith demanded money from the register and threatened to kill both women if they moved. Smith fled the store on foot with $280 in cash.
According to court documents, Smith was also involved in another armed robbery in March 2019 at a Dollar General. The same gun used in both robberies was recovered in a car that was involved in a shooting on the highway near Circleville that same month. Smith and several individuals – including a 1-year-old child – had been in the vehicle on the highway.
In its sentencing memorandum, the United States noted Smith’s extensive criminal history with multiple convictions beginning in 2014. In prior crimes, Smith shot two individuals in the head.
“While all threats of violence should be taken seriously, there is an elevated sense of danger inherent in someone who brandishes a gun and threatens to kill people, and whose past actions demonstrate no reluctance in pulling the trigger,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker. “A significant term of imprisonment is warranted in this case.”
Smith was charged by criminal complaint and arrested in January 2019. He pleaded guilty in March 2023 to committing robbery and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.
Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Daryl S. McCormick, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF); Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant; Fairfield County Sheriff Alex Lape; and Col. Charles A. Jones, Superintendent, Ohio State Highway Patrol announced the sentence imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Sarah D. Morrison. Assistant United States Attorney Nicole Pakiz is representing the United States in this case.
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Chalmette Man Pleads Guilty to Cares Act FraudRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA -- U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that JULIO A. GONZALEZ, JR. of Chalmette, LA, has plead guilty on July 26, 2023 to one-count of making false statements related to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) pursuant to Title 18, United States Code, Section 1001.
On March 27, 2020, The CARES Act established several new temporary programs and provided for the expansion of others to address the COVID-19 pandemic. Among these programs, the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) authorized forgivable loans backed by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to small businesses to retain workers and maintain payroll, make mortgage interest payments, lease payments, and utility payments.
GONZALEZ made false statements to an approved lender for the purpose of fraudulently obtaining a PPP loan, which he later received in the amount of approximately $20,832.00. GONZALEZ stated in his PPP application that he was an independent contractor impacted by the pandemic when, in truth, he had no such business in 2020. GONZALEZ faces a sentence of up to five years in prison, up to $250,000 in fines, and up to three years of supervised release for the false statements. There is also a $100 mandatory special assessment fee due after conviction. Sentencing is scheduled for November 8, 2023.
For more information on the Department of Justice’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus. Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations in investigating this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney M. Irene González of the General Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.