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Saturday 20 May 2023
Rapid City Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Jeffrey L. Viken has sentenced a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted of Robbery and Assault with a Dangerous Weapon. The sentencing took place on May 18, 2023.
Eric Blue Bird, 31, was sentenced to two ten-year terms in federal prison, to run consecutively, followed by three years of supervised release. Blue Bird was also ordered to pay restitution and a $200 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Blue Bird was indicted for Kidnapping, Assault on a Federal Officer, and Assault with a Dangerous Weapon by a federal grand jury in January of 2022. He pleaded guilty on November 14, 2022.
The conviction stems from Blue Bird robbing and assaulting a federal law enforcement officer on January 16, 2022, while he was incarcerated at the Oglala Sioux Tribe Adult Offender Facility.
This case was investigated by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah B. Collins prosecuted the case.
Blue Bird was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Alcester Woman Charged with Wire FraudRead the Press Release
SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a federal grand jury has indicted an Alcester, South Dakota, woman for ten counts of Wire Fraud.
Michelle Warner, age 56, was indicted in May of 2023. She appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Veronica L. Duffy on May 18, 2023, and pleaded not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 20 years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, three years of supervised release, and up to $1,000 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The Indictment alleges that beginning on or about June 1, 2018, and continuing through May 17, 2022, Warner, who was employed as a bookkeeper/accountant, and later as a business administrator, devised and intended to devise a scheme and artifice to defraud and obtain money and property from others by means of false and fraudulent pretenses, representations, and promises.
The Indictment alleges that Warner, in her capacity as bookkeeper/accountant and business administrator, falsely and fraudulently paid herself additional and unauthorized payroll payments and then used the funds for her own purposes. Warner also caused her employer to remit payroll tax to the Internal Revenue Service on her behalf. Such funds purportedly came from withholding from Warner’s payroll check, when in fact, as Warner then and there knew, she did not actually withhold those funds from her payroll check. Additionally, Warner used her employer’s credit card without authority for her own personal use.
The charges are merely accusations and Warner is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the FBI, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Union County Sheriff’s Office, and the South Sioux City (NE) Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ann M. Hoffman is prosecuting the case.
Warner was released on bond pending trial. A trial date has not been set.
Friday 19 May 2023
Wendell Armed Robber Targeting Aldi Grocery Stores Sentenced to Nearly 30 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. –Lionel Robinson, 43, of Wendell, was sentenced to 356 months in prison for a string of armed robberies targeting Aldi stores across Eastern North Carolina between January and March of 2019. In October of 2022, a jury convicted Robinson for two counts of Hobbs Act robbery, two counts of using a firearm during a crime of violence, and possession of ammunition by a convicted felon.
“This defendant engaged in violent behavior in a grocery store where families do their shopping,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “Through a collaborative investigation between state, local and federal partners, we took a dangerous criminal off the street, and placed him behind bars for nearly 30 years. This sentence should serve as a deterrent to those that are engaged in violence in our communities.”
From January 2019 until March 2019, Robinson, sometimes with an accomplice, targeted Aldi stores in Lexington, Rocky Mount, Fayetteville, Winterville, Indian Trail, and Kernersville, North Carolina. Robinson would ring the back doorbell to the Aldi pretending to be a delivery driver. When an employee would answer the door, he would force his way inside, holding the employee at gunpoint and make them take him to the manager’s office where the store’s safe was located. He would keep the gun pointed at the employee while giving directions to open the safe. Robinson wore disguises, including masks, gloves, and reflective vests. When law enforcement identified Lionel Robinson as a suspect, they executed a search warrant at his residence and recovered evidence relevant to the robberies, including gloves and clothing consistent with what was used in the robbery, rolled coins similar to what Aldi stores would have, and the suspect vehicle that was observed on camera. They also recovered a large quantity of ammunition.
Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan. The Rocky Mount Police Department, Fayetteville Police Department, Greenville Police Department, Lexington Police Department, Kernersville Police Department, Union County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chad Rhoades and Yasir Sadat prosecuted and tried the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:21-cr-00017-FL.
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Waynesboro Man Found Guilty of Murder of Three IndividualsRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Torey White, age 32, of Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, was found guilty yesterday on three counts of murdering three individuals after a three-week trial before United States District Court Judge Christopher C. Conner.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, White’s conviction was the result of an almost seven-year investigation into murders of three individuals that occurred on June 25, 2016, on a property along Welsh Run Road in Mercersburg, Franklin County. When Pennsylvania State Police officers were called to the crime scene, they found the bodies of Wendy Ann Chaney, 39, Hagerstown, Md, Brandon Cole, 47, Fayetteville, PA, and Phillip Matthew Jackson, 36, Mercersburg, PA, in a barn on victim Jackson’s property. All were shot. The three victims had their hands zipped-tied behind their backs and had been set on fire. Jackson and Cole were shot once in the head. Chaney was shot twice, once in the back and once in the neck. Wendy Chaney and Brandon Cole were already dead when the police responded to the scene. Phillip Jackson was transported to York Hospital where he died shortly after arrival.
The evidence presented at trial established that Wendy Chaney was in a relationship with Torey White and a coconspirator and had been previously assisting both with their drug distribution operations. White and co-coconspirator Kevin Coles learned that Chaney was cooperating with federal authorities and contracted for her to be murdered. Co-defendants Jerell Adgebesan and Kenyatta Corbett recruited members of a Baltimore based gang known as the Black Guerilla Family and others from Baltimore to travel to the Jackson property to kill Wendy Chaney. The killers were promised that they could take as payment $20,000 that was to be in a safe in the barn and any drugs and firearms that they could locate on the Jackson property. Once there, the killers encountered not only Wendy Chaney but also Brandon Cole and Phillip Jackson. Chaney was killed to protect the drug trafficking activities of Coles, and his co-conspirators. Jackson and Cole were murdered to prevent them from being witnesses to the crimes of violence that were committed at the Jackson property. The killers never found any money on the property but stole some drugs and firearms.
The following individuals were charged along with White as a result of the investigation:
- Kevin Coles, age 37, of New York and Hagerstown, Maryland, was sentenced to three consecutive terms of life imprisonment for multiple crimes, including murder for hire, robbery, and drug trafficking;
- Jerell Adgebesan, age 35, of Baltimore and Hagerstown, Maryland, pled guilty in June 2022 to Hobbs Act robbery and to being an accomplice to the use of a firearm during Hobbs Act robbery. Judge Conner sentenced Adgebesan in February 2023 to life imprisonment and a consecutive 10-year term of imprisonment;
- Mark Johnson, 35, Baltimore, Maryland, pled guilty to obstructing the grand jury’s investigation and was sentenced to 110 months’ imprisonment;
- Terrance Lawson, age 31, Baltimore, sentenced to time served for attempting to intimidate a witness;
- Tyrone Armstrong, age 30, Baltimore, sentenced to time served for attempting to intimidate a witness;
- Devin Dickerson, age 31, Hagerstown, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute heroin and crack cocaine and is awaiting sentencing;
- Kenyatta Corbett, age 38, Hagerstown, pleaded guilty to Hobbs Act robbery and to being an accomplice to the use of a firearm during Hobbs Act robbery and is awaiting sentencing;
- Michael Buck, age 30, Hagerstown, pleaded guilty to Hobbs Act robbery and to being an accomplice to the use of a firearm during Hobbs Act robbery and is awaiting sentencing;
- Nicholas Preddy, age 29, Baltimore, pleaded guilty to attempting to kill a witness and is awaiting sentencing;
- Johnnie Jenkins-Armstrong, age 22, Baltimore, pleaded guilty to Hobbs Act robbery and to being an accomplice to the use of a firearm during Hobbs Act robbery and is awaiting sentencing;
- Christopher Johnson, age 31, Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty to multiple counts including murder for hire and is awaiting sentencing;
- Llesenia Woodard, 46, Hagerstown, Maryland, pled guilty to providing false testimony to the grand jury investigating the murders and is awaiting sentencing; and
- Yolanda Diaz, 31, Hagerstown, was indicted on multiple counts of perjury and obstruction of justice based upon her testimony at the Coles trial. Her trial is currently scheduled for May 2023.
Joshua Davis, age 30, previously pled guilty to participating in the conspiracy to locate and kill an individual believed to be cooperating with federal authorities in the investigation of the triple murders. Davis was sentenced to serve 100 months’ imprisonment.
White faces three mandatory life sentences, one for each count of conviction. Each count dealt with a separate victim.
The following federal, state and local law enforcement agencies participated in the investigation: Drug Enforcement Administration Harrisburg Resident Office; Pennsylvania State Police, Chambersburg; Pennsylvania State Police, Troop H; Franklin County Drug Task Force; Franklin County Adult Probation; Pennsylvania State Probation and Parole; Hagerstown Police Department, Criminal Investigation Division; Drug Enforcement Administration, Hagerstown Resident Office; Washington County Narcotics Task Force; Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office, Strike Force Group 1; Maryland State Police Homicide Unit; Baltimore Police Department Narcotics, Fugitive And Homicide Units; Baltimore County Police Department Narcotics and Gang Unit; Federal Bureau of Investigation Evidence Management Unit, Quantico, VA; US Marshal’s Service Harrisburg, PA and Phoenix, AZ; Franklin County District Attorney’s Office; United States Attorney’s Office, District Of Maryland; and the Washington County State’s Attorney’s Office.
Judy Fernandez, Manager of Analytic Services at LexisNexis Special Services, Inc., (LNSSI) provided expert assistance to investigators and the prosecutors in the areas of analysis, support, and the rendering of her expert opinion.
Assistant United States Attorney William A. Behe, Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, and Senior Litigation Counsel Michael Consiglio 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.
This prosecution is also part of an extensive investigation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) identified as “Retribution for Welsh Run.” OCDETF is a joint federal, state, and local cooperative approach to combat drug trafficking and is the nation’s primary tool for disrupting and dismantling major drug trafficking organizations, targeting national and regional level drug trafficking organizations and coordinating the necessary law enforcement entities and resources to disrupt or dismantle the targeted criminal organization and seize their assets.
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Wayne County Man Charged with Committing $1.5 Million in Covid-19 Pandemic FraudRead the Press Release
SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Christopher J. Miller, age 35, formerly of Newfoundland, Pennsylvania, was charged in an indictment with 54 combined counts of wire fraud, bank fraud false statements, identity theft, and unlawful monetary transactions.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the indictment alleges that Miller owned and operated multiple corporate entities in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and Florida. Miller allegedly filed, and helped others to file, dozens of fraudulent applications for pandemic stimulus funds, including under the Payment Protection Program (PPP), for Economic Injury and Disaster Loans (EIDLs), and for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) benefits. Miller was charged with 16 counts of wire fraud, two counts of bank fraud, two counts of false loan applications, and 17 count of making false statements to the United States Small Business Administration, for the fraudulent applications. Miller also is charged with one count of aggravated identity theft, for using a stolen identity to file an application.
The applications allegedly submitted by Miller were filed on behalf of corporate entities that did not, in fact, have actual business operations, and that bore false addresses, false IRS-issued Employee Identification Numbers, false dates of business establishment and operation, false employee headcount information, and fabricated gross income, gross receipts and payroll obligation information. The applications also included forged IRS income tax returns, and federal employment tax documents. Miller allegedly failed to disclose in the applications that he was previously convicted of a felony.
Miller and his associates allegedly obtained approximately $1,500,000 in PPP, EIDL, and PUA funds through filing the fraudulent applications. In addition to the personal funds that he received, Miller also allegedly received cash kickbacks from other individuals on whose behalf he filed the fraudulent applications. Instead of using the funds on business expenses, Miller allegedly used them to purchase automobiles, vacations, and real estate, among other personal expenses. Miller is charged with 16 counts of making unlawful monetary transactions with the proceeds of his fraud.
The PPP and EIDL programs, both funded by the March 2020 CARES Act, were designed to help small businesses facing financial difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic. PPP funds were offered in forgivable loans, provided that certain criteria are met, including use of the funds for employee payroll, mortgage interest, lease, and utilities expenses. EIDL funds are offered in low-interest rate loans, designated for specific business expenses, such as fixed debts, payroll, and business obligation. The PUA program was created by the CARES Act, as part of the United States government’s efforts to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the public’s health and economic well-being. The PUA program was designed to provide unemployment benefits to individuals not eligible for regular unemployment compensation or extended unemployment benefits.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and by the Department of Labor, Office of the Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Phillip J. Caraballo is prosecuting the case.
The maximum penalty under federal law for the most serious charges are 30 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. The aggravated identity theft offense carries a mandatory two-year sentence of imprisonment that is to run consecutive to any other term of imprisonment imposed. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
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Waterbury Man Who Trafficked Cocaine and Fentanyl Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that LANDDY RODRIGUEZ, also known as “Oso,” 37, of Waterbury, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall in New Haven to 120 months of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release, for trafficking cocaine and fentanyl.
According to court documents and statements made in court, an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Bridgeport High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force and the Connecticut State Police determined that a drug trafficking organization headed by Rodriguez was obtaining kilogram-quantities of cocaine through the U.S. Mail from Puerto Rico. In the summer of 2021, investigators also intercepted phone calls during which Reinaldo Colon Oliveras, while incarcerated in a federal prison in Atlanta and using a smuggled cell phone, arranged the shipment of cocaine to Rodriguez and his associate, Thomas Marra. Rodriguez and Marra further distributed the drug to a network of associates.
During the investigation, Rodriguez also directed his cousin, Jaime Rodriguez, to deliver to him five kilograms of cocaine from Florida. Landdy Rodriguez was also supplied with cocaine from Salvador Crespo, who ran an underground bar in Bridgeport.
The investigation further revealed that Landdy Rodriguez facilitated multiple transactions of fentanyl.
Landdy Rodriguez has been detained since his arrest on October 18, 2021. On December 21, 2022, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute cocaine.
Colon, Marra, Jaime Rodriguez and Crespo pleaded guilty to related charges. On March 7, 2023, Colon, of Kissimmee, Florida, was sentenced to 78 months of imprisonment. On May 18, 2023, Marra, of Ansonia, was sentenced to 60 months of imprisonment. On December 22, 2022, Jaime Rodriguez, of Red Lion, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 60 months of imprisonment. Crespo awaits sentencing.
This investigation has been conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Bridgeport High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force, and the Connecticut State Police, with the assistance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Waterbury Police Department. The Task Force includes personnel from the DEA Bridgeport Resident Office, the Connecticut State Police, and the Bridgeport, Danbury, Milford, Norwalk, Stamford, and Stratford Police Departments.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kenneth L. Gresham, John T. Pierpont, Jr., and Brendan J. Keefe 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.
Wakonda Man Sentenced for Theft in Connection with Health CareRead the Press Release
SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Wakonda, South Dakota, man convicted of Theft in Connection with Health Care. The sentencing took place on May 15, 2023.
Cody Carstensen, age 47, was sentenced to two years of probation and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100. Carstensen was also ordered to pay restitution.
Carstensen was indicted by a federal grand jury in October of 2022. He pleaded guilty on January 23, 2023.
The conviction stemmed from incidents between June of 2019 and February of 2022, when Carstensen, who was a registered pharmacist in Scotland, South Dakota, knowingly and willfully embezzled, stole, and converted without authority several drugs valued at more than $100.
Carstensen, in his capacity as pharmacist, received deliveries of controlled substances intended for a hospital and pharmacy. Instead of placing all of the delivered controlled substances in the inventory for the hospital and pharmacy, he stole the substances from several deliveries and used them for his own purposes.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ann M. Hoffman prosecuted the case.
United States Army National Guardsman and Former Rockville, Maryland Police Officer Sentenced to 42 Months in Federal Prison for Possessing over 12,000 Depictions of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland - U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher today sentenced Daniel Morozewicz, age 38, of Frederick, Maryland, to 42 months in federal prison, followed by lifetime supervised release, for possession of child pornography. Judge Gallagher also ordered that Morozewicz must pay $14,000 in restitution.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge James C. Harris of Homeland Security Investigations ("HSI") Baltimore; Frederick County State's Attorney J. Charles Smith; and Colonel David Benjamin, Chief Deputy of the Frederick County Sheriff's Office.
According to his guilty plea, from September 2020 to January 2021, while employed as a Rockville Police Officer and an Army National Guardsman, Morozewicz received, possessed, and distributed child pornography on the BitTorrent file sharing network. Morozewicz also used multiple electronic devices to download and distribute child pornography involving prepubescent minors.
During that time, Morozewicz repeatedly distributed child pornography to undercover law enforcement officers. On at least four instances in 2020, investigators determined that the devices associated with Morozewicz’s IP address downloaded and shared child pornographic files on the BitTorrent; including eight packages of child pornography.
As stated in his guilty plea, on March 4, 2021, Morozewicz received a tip that federal law enforcement wished to conduct an in-person interview with him. The next day, on March 5, 2021, law enforcement executed a series of search and seizure warrants on Morozewicz’s residence, vehicle, and his person. As a result of the search of Morozewicz’s person, law enforcement seized a smartphone which had been recently factory reset and erased in light of the impending visit from federal law enforcement. He also admitted that he discarded his computer in anticipation of a visit from law enforcement. Morozewicz’s actions were viewed as an attempt to impede the investigation and prosecution of his child pornography offenses.
Multiple electronic devices were seized in connection the warrants executed at Morozewicz’s residence and in his vehicle. A forensic examination of Morozewicz’s devices revealed that he possessed over 12,300 depictions of child pornography and erotica, including over 200 depicts involving the sexual abuse of infants and toddlers, and over 90 child pornographic images involving sado-masochistic conduct.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc and click on the "Resources" tab on the left of the page.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended HSI, the Frederick County State’s Attorney’s Office, and the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul A. Riley and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Joyce King, Chief Counsel with the Frederick County State’s Attorney’s Office, who prosecuted the federal case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-childhood and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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U.S. Office of Personnel Management Employee Pleads Guilty to Conflict of Interest ViolationRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON - Sheron Spann, 54, of Washington, D.C, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to steering government contracts to companies under her control and the control of her spouse. The plea was entered before United States District Judge Royce C. Lamberth, who scheduled sentencing for September 21, 2023.
According to court documents, starting as early as 2011, Spann, a former employee, began to steer U.S. Office of Personnel Management information technology contracts to companies under control of Spann and her husband without disclosing the nature or extent of her relationship to the companies. In sum, between 2011 and 2023, companies associated with Spann or her husband received over $10 million from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.
Spann pleaded guilty to one felony count of taking acts affecting a personal financial interest. She faces up to five years in prison.
This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and the Office of the Inspector General for the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Aloi, with assistance from former Assistant U.S. Attorney Molly Gaston.
Two Prominent Hells Angels Members Convicted of Racketeering Conspiracy and Murder Conspiracy in Second TrialRead the Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO – A federal jury found Raymond Foakes, a/k/a Ray Ray, and Christopher Ranieri, a/k/a Rainman, guilty of racketeering conspiracy, murder conspiracy and related crimes for their participation in the criminal enterprise of the Sonoma County charter of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club (HASC), announced United States Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agent in Charge Robert K. Tripp. The verdicts follow a two-month trial before the Honorable Edward M. Chen, United States District Judge. A third defendant, Brian Burke, was acquitted of a single count of witness intimidation.
“Foakes and Ranieri followed a malicious code of conduct that permitted—and sometimes encouraged—the beating, maiming, and even killing of anyone who dared to cross their criminal enterprise,” said U.S. Attorney Ramsey. “The defendants now will be sentenced for their conduct and face the consequences of their violent racketeering activities.”
“This criminal enterprise tried to intimidate the community through fear into silence,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Tripp. “The prosecution of a dozen members and associates of the Sonoma County Hells Angels brings an end to that fear and keeps our community safe. I commend the witnesses who did not succumb to this group's intimidation tactics and came forward to law enforcement. I am proud of the collaboration of the FBI with our partners at the United States Attorney's Office, California Highway Patrol, and Santa Rosa Police Department. All of us stand committed to removing violent criminals from our neighborhoods.”
The trial is the second following the October 10, 2017, indictment from a federal grand jury. The indictment described the Hells Angels as a violent transnational outlaw motorcycle gang and the HASC as a subset of the gang whose members primarily operate in Sonoma County, California. The indictment charged eleven members and associates of the HASC with being part of the criminal conspiracy that engaged in a broad swath of criminal activity including murder, conspiracy to commit murder, narcotics distribution, assault, robbery, extortion, illegal firearms possession, obstruction of justice, and witness intimidation. With yesterday’s jury verdict, nine of the eleven defendants, one of whom became deceased, have been convicted of crimes related to HASC activities, five by jury verdicts. The convicted defendants include five former Presidents of three Hells Angels charters: Sonoma County, Fresno, and Salem (Boston).
The first trial in 2022 centered on the murder of former HASC members, Joel Silva, a/k/a Doughboy. The jury convicted Jonathan Nelson, a/k/a Jon Jon, 46, of Santa Rosa; Brian Wayne Wendt, 45, of Tulare; and Russell Taylor Ott, a/k/a Rusty, 69, of Santa Rosa, each of whom played a role in carrying out the July 15, 2014, murder of Silva.
In the second trial, Christopher Ranieri, President of the Salem charter of the Hells Angels, was convicted for his role in hatching the plan to murder Silva, along with Wendt, President of Fresno charter of the Hells Angels, and Nelson, President of the Sonoma charter of the Hells Angels. In 2014, at a motorcycle event in Laconia, New Hampshire, Silva threatened a member of the Salem charter close to Ranieri, which was perceived to be disrespectful to Ranieri, Wendt, and Nelson. The three agreed that Silva had to be killed. On July 15, 2014, Silva was lured to the Fresno Hells Angels clubhouse and shot in the back of the head by Wendt. The next morning, Silva’s body was incinerated at a local crematory and his truck set on fire. Ranieri met with Wendt and others at Ranieri’s home in Lynn, Massachusetts, after the Laconia event, where they decided to kill Silva. Ranieri also met with Wendt and Nelson two days before the murder and was in frequent phone contact with Wendt and Nelson the day before and following Silva’s murder. Ranieri returned to Fresno, California for a party to celebrate the successful killing of Silva afterwards.
Foakes, former President of the Sonoma charter of the Hells Angels, was convicted of assault with a firearm in aid of racketeering, in connection with the multi-hour beating of a former HASC member by Foakes and other HASC members to expel the former member from the enterprise. The former member had an affair with Foakes’ then common law wife, which was a violation of HASC rules. During the expulsion, among other acts of violence, Foakes beat the victim with a baseball bat, forcibly tattooed the victim’s forehead, and induced Nelson to pistol-whip the victim in the face. Foakes was also convicted of witness intimidation, in connection with his sexual assault of the victim’s wife while the victim was still being beaten at the HASC clubhouse and threatening her to comply with his demands and not report to the authorities.
Ranieri and Foakes were additionally convicted of racketeering conspiracy for their agreement to conduct the affairs of the HASC through a pattern of racketeering activity, to include conspiracy to commit murder, robbery, drug dealing, witness intimidation, obstruction of justice, and arson. Ranieri was found to have understood that murder was a part of the pattern of racketeering activity.
In sum, the jury convicted both Ranieri and Foakes of participating in a racketeer influenced and corrupt organizations (RICO) conspiracy, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1962(d). In addition, the jury convicted Foakes of assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1959(a)(2), and witness intimidation, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §1512(b)(1). Further, Ranieri also was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1959(a)(5).
Ranieri faces a statutory maximum prison term of life. Foakes faces a statutory maximum prison term of 60 years. Further, additional fines, forfeitures, and restitution may be ordered; however, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court only after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
Both defendants are in federal custody pending sentencing. Judge Chen has not yet scheduled the defendants’ sentencing hearings.Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lina Peng and Kevin Barry conducted the trial with the assistance of paralegal specialist Kevin Costello. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI, the Santa Rosa Police Department, the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department, and the California Highway Patrol.
Two Men Plead Guilty to Large Scale Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that HAKIM SHABAZZ, age 46, of New Orleans, and RENE WASHINGTON, age 54, of Houston, pleaded guilty on May 16, 2023 before United States District Judge Jay C. Zainey to violating the Controlled Substances Act.
According to court records, law enforcement officers stopped WASHINGTON in Calcasieu Parish as he traveled from New Orleans to Houston on Interstate 10. Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office officers seized $948,174 from WASHINGTON’S vehicle, in addition to several cell phones. Those phones contained text messages about drug trafficking, as well as ledgers. DEA agents in New Orleans executed a search warrant at a business where Washington visited shortly before leaving for Houston and found almost 250 grams of crack cocaine and another $84,803 in cash. By analyzing text messages and phone records, agents determined that SHABAZZ, who operated an auto body shop, was receiving the shipments of cocaine. Both men admitted that their conspiracy involved between 50 and 150 kilograms of cocaine.
Sentencing is set for September 5, 2023. SHABAZZ and WASHINGTON each face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years, up to life imprisonment, a fine of up to $10,000,000, and at least 5 years of supervised release. The count also carries a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney David Haller of the Violent Crime Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
Two Honduran Nationals Residing in Gresham Indicted for Roles in Fentanyl Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.—Two Honduran Nationals residing in Gresham, Oregon have been indicted in federal court for transporting hundreds of thousands of counterfeit prescription pills containing fentanyl and several pounds of powdered fentanyl from California to Portland for resale.
Kevin Martinez-Avila, 27, and Allen Moya-Vargas, 29, have been charged with conspiring with one another and others to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl.
According to court documents, in February 2023, investigators from the Westside Interagency Narcotics Team (WIN) learned a drug courier from California was transporting a large load of fentanyl to somewhere in or around Portland. On February 22, 2023, WIN investigators located the courier’s vehicle and followed it to a residence in Gresham. Soon after, investigators observed Martinez-Avila drive away from the residence. They stopped his vehicle, searched it pursuant to a state search warrant, and located 47 grams of powdered fentanyl.
Inside the Gresham residence, investigators located Moya-Vargas, 150,000 counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl and more than seven pounds of powdered fentanyl. Investigators believe the residence was being used by Martinez-Avila and Moya-Vargas’ drug trafficking organization to unload and store fentanyl brought to the Portland area before it was distributed to others.
Both men made their initial appearances in federal court today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jolie A. Russo. They were arraigned, pleaded not guilty, and ordered detained pending a jury trial scheduled to begin on June 27, 2023.
If convicted, Martinez-Avila and Moya-Vargas face maximum sentences of life in federal prison with 10-year mandatory minimum sentences.
This case was investigated by WIN. It is being prosecuted by Scott M. Kerin, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.
An indictment is only an accusation of a crime, and defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
WIN includes representatives from the Washington County Sheriff's Office, Beaverton and Hillsboro Police Departments, Oregon National Guard Counter Drug Program, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, and Homeland Security Investigations.
Two Georgians indicted for pandemic-related fraudRead the Press Release
ATLANTA – A federal grand jury has indicted individuals in two separate cases for fraud related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Kenneth Wilkerson was indicted for his fraudulent acquisition of several Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) for small businesses as well as his illegal possession of multiple firearms. Jeremy Graves was indicted for filing multiple fraudulent applications for unemployment insurance benefits using victims’ stolen personal identifying information.
“While communities suffered from the effects of the pandemic, the federal government worked to help small businesses and individuals avoid catastrophic economic disaster through the CARES Act,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “We will continue to investigate and prosecute those who illegally obtained these loans and work diligently to recover these funds intended to support struggling business owners and families.”
Robert J. Murphy, the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division stated, “No matter how much Wilkerson tried to conceal his money laundering activities behind Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) funds, this was a drug trafficking operation, generating hundreds of thousands of dollars in illicit proceeds.”
“The defendant allegedly chose to illegally possess firearms,” said Alisha Jones, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of ATF’s Atlanta Field Division. “We will continue to pursue those who seek to circumvent the law.”
“An important part of the mission of the Office of Inspector General is to investigate allegations of fraud related to unemployment insurance programs. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to aggressively investigate these types of allegations,” said Mathew Broadhurst, Special Agent-in-Charge, Southeast Region, U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General.
According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the indictments, and other information presented in court: Kenneth Wilkerson allegedly submitted at least nine loan applications to financial institutions, authorized lenders, and the Small Business Administration that contained fraudulent information regarding gross revenues and fake employees at his various companies. He also allegedly submitted fraudulent tax forms and bank statements to support his loan applications. Wilkerson allegedly received more than $383,000 from Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) that he failed to spend on authorized business purposes.
Jeremy Graves allegedly used stolen identification documents to apply for and obtain unemployment insurance (UI) benefits – a program that was expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic with CARES Act funds, in multiple states, including Georgia, California, Maryland, and Nevada. In his applications, Graves listed various addresses, including his own, as the applicant’s mailing address. Debit cards loaded with UI benefits were then mailed to those addresses. Graves allegedly called the bank associated with the debit cards to activate the cards, request new cards, and make other inquiries. The individuals whose identities were stolen and used to apply for the UI benefits did not apply, or give anyone permission to apply, for UI benefits on their behalf. Graves allegedly received over $230,000 in UI benefits to which he was not entitled.
Kenneth Wilkerson, 39, of Atlanta, Georgia, was charged in a 16-count superseding indictment with two counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, two counts of bank fraud, eleven counts of wire fraud, and one count of money laundering. Wilkerson allegedly submitted fraudulent applications seeking more than $800,000 in PPP and EIDL funds for various, seemingly defunct businesses.
Jeremy Graves, 38, of Atlanta, Georgia, was charged in a 26-count indictment with 11 counts of wire fraud, eight counts of aggravated identity theft, and seven counts of theft of government funds. Graves allegedly applied for and obtained UI benefits in multiple states using stolen identities.
Members of the public are reminded that the indictment only contains charges. The defendants are presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendants’ guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
The Kenneth Wilkerson case is being investigated by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The Jeremy Graves case is being investigated by the Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rebeca M. Ojeda and Mary Webb are prosecuting Kenneth Wilkerson. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane C. Schulman is prosecuting Jeremy Graves.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Two Defendants Charged in Nationwide Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (“PUA”) SchemeRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Ardavan Alamoutinia, 33, of Hummelstown, PA, and Aryanah Davison, 23, of Harrisburg, PA, were charged by Indictment with one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, ten counts of mail fraud, one count of theft of government money, and eight counts of aggravated identity theft, all stemming from their scheme to fraudulently obtain emergency funds meant for those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Indictment alleges that Alamoutinia and Davison used stolen identities to file over 500 fraudulent PUA applications. These over 500 fraudulent applications were filed using at least 375 identities of current or former employees of Company 1. A co-conspirator stole these identities from Company 1 and transferred them to Davison. After receiving the identities, Alamoutinia and Davison filed or caused to be filed the fraudulent PUA applications in 27 different states resulting in a loss of at least $2,886,876.
According to the Indictment, after the fraudulent applications were filed, the respective state workforce agencies responsible for administering the PUA benefits dispersed funds based upon the fraudulent PUA applications either by direct deposits or mailing checks and PUA debit cards. Defendants then cashed the checks, deposited the checks, received the direct deposits into bank accounts controlled by them, and collected and possessed the PUA debit card issued on the applications. Defendants also made direct expenditures using the PUA debit cards, withdrew the money from those cards at ATMs, and transferred the money to financial accounts controlled by them.
The Indictment also alleges that Alamoutinia and Davison converted at least $2,500,000 of the fraudulent proceeds in this case. Alamoutinia and Davison spent the fraudulent proceeds, in part, on hundreds of thousands of dollars in cryptocurrency purchases and on a luxury sports vehicle.
The case was investigated by the Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General, Department of Homeland Security – Office of Inspector General, United States Postal Inspection Service, National Aeronautics and Space Administration – Office of Inspector General, and the Social Security Administration – Office of Inspector General, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Timothy Lanni.
An indictment, information, or criminal complaint is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Three Individuals Sentenced to Lengthy Prison Terms for the Carjacking Murder of a College Student in Utuado, Puerto RicoRead the Press Release
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – On May 18, 2023, U.S. District Judge Raúl Arias-Marxuach sentenced Richard Montalvo-Otero, Yabdier Hernández-Camacho, and Luis Rodríguez-Otero to serve prison sentences of 360 months, 262 months, and 240 months, respectively, announced W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. All three defendants had previously pleaded guilty to federal offenses relating to the carjacking and killing of Álvaro Torres-De Jesús.
Specifically, on October 1, 2019, Montalvo-Otero, Hernández-Camacho, and Rodríguez-Otero traveled to the Bar de Hery, a commercial establishment near the University of Puerto Rico campus in Utuado, Puerto Rico. Once there, the three men met with Torres, a classmate of Rodríguez-Otero. After socializing with Torres for a while, Montalvo-Otero, Hernández-Camacho, and Rodríguez-Otero, aiding and abetting each other, forced Torres into his Toyota Rav4 at gunpoint.
Montalvo-Otero and Hernández-Camacho then drove Torres to an alleyway where they met with Rodríguez-Otero. At the alleyway, Montalvo-Otero and Hernández-Camacho opened fire on Torres, shooting and killing him as Rodríguez-Otero recorded the incident. After the shooting, Montalvo-Otero and Hernández-Camacho drove the Toyota Rav4 to a separate location, where they abandoned it. The following evening, Montalvo-Otero and Hernández-Camacho set the Toyota Rav4 on fire and shot and wounded Rodríguez-Otero in an attempt to kill him.
“Although today’s sentences cannot undo the devastation that these men inflicted upon Torres’ family, they reflect our resolve to ensure that those who menace our communities with senseless acts of violence face the consequences of their actions,” said United States Attorney Muldrow.
The FBI and the Puerto Rico Police Bureau investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. States Attorneys Alexander L. Alum and Daynelle M. Álvarez Lora prosecuted the case.
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Three Cass County Residents Sentenced for Distributing Fentanyl Causing Serious Bodily Injury or DeathRead the Press Release
COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA –Three Cass County (Iowa) residents were sentenced on May 16, 2023 for conspiring to distribute fentanyl causing serious bodily injury or death.
Cam Christopher Jahnke, 33, was sentenced to 193 months in prison. Chase Daniel Jahnke, 29, was sentenced to 204 months in prison. Kelsi Thurman, 27, was sentenced to 156 months in prison. There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court documents, each defendant plead guilty to agreeing to obtaining fentanyl pills from sources in Omaha, Nebraska, and selling those pills in and around Cass County, Iowa. The investigation determined that between August 2019 and June 2022, the group obtained and distributed over 10,000 pills containing fentanyl. Fentanyl distributed by the group caused two fentanyl overdose deaths.
Two additional co-defendants, Colby Clarken, 20, and Collin Clarken, 25, have also plead guilty to the same charge of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl causing serious bodily injury or death. Both are scheduled to be sentenced in August 2023.
United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa stated the convictions disrupted a major source of supply of fentanyl in Western Iowa and was accomplished through the cooperation of numerous law enforcement agencies. Agencies involved in this investigation included the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Atlantic Police Department, Cass County Sheriff’s Office, Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, Southwest Iowa Narcotics Enforcement Task Force (SWINE) Task Force, Council Bluffs Police Department, Iowa Division of Intelligence, Iowa State Patrol, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Crime Lab, United States Postal Inspection Service, and Omaha Police Department.
Fentanyl has become the leading cause of drug overdose deaths in the United States. Counterfeit, fentanyl-laced pills often resemble pharmaceutical pills, but contain potentially lethal doses of fentanyl. Visit the Drug Enforcement Administration’s website to learn more about One Pill Can Kill.
Terrebonne Parish Meth Dealer Sentenced to Serve 192 Months in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – SPENCER ROUNDS, JR., a/k/a “BoBoy,” age 29, of Gray, La., was sentenced on May 17, 2023 to serve 192 months imprisonment followed by five years of supervised release by the Honorable Judge Lance M. Africk announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans. ROUNDS and two co-defendants were charged in 2019, in a multi-count indictment by a federal grand jury with several narcotics offenses, including conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing methamphetamine, distribution and possession with intent to distribute a mixture or substance containing methamphetamine, and felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court records, on May 13, 2019, the DEA Task Force in New Orleans learned that ROUNDS and a co-conspirator were in Los Angeles, California, preparing to ship methamphetamine via United Parcel Service (UPS). Task Force officers identified two UPS parcels in the mail stream that arrived in Louisiana, one had been sent by ROUNDS. Officers seized the parcel pursuant to a federal search warrant. Inside, officers located vacuum sealed packages containing approximately 50 pounds of methamphetamine. The vacuum sealed packages were further wrapped in dryer fabric softener sheets in an attempt to mask the methamphetamine’s odor. A search of ROUNDS’s car revealed a Taurus Model PT111 G2 A, nine-millimeter caliber, semi-automatic firearm. ROUNDS is a convicted felon and is prohibited from possessing firearms.
This prosecution was part of an extensive investigation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). OCDETF is a joint federal, state, and local cooperative approach to combat drug trafficking and is the nation’s primary tool for disrupting and dismantling major drug trafficking organizations, targeting national and regional level drug trafficking organizations and coordinating the necessary law enforcement entities and resources to disrupt or dismantle the targeted criminal organization and seize their assets.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office, the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office, the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office, the St. James Parish Sheriff’s Office, and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office. The prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Maurice E. Landrieu, Jr. of the Narcotics Unit.
Tehama County Man Indicted for Dealing in Firearms and Related OffensesRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a 39-count indictment Thursday against James Lane Winslett, 65, of Corning, charging him unlawful manufacturing and dealing in firearms, engaging in the business as a dealer in firearms without registering or paying tax, unlawful sales of firearms to prohibited persons, and multiple counts of possessing unregistered firearms, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. The indictment was unsealed today.
According to court documents, between Jan. 27, 2018, and Oct. 28, 2021, Winslett was manufacturing and dealing in firearms while he was not a licensed manufacturer or dealer. Winslett also had not registered or paid the taxes necessary to deal in firearms, and in June 2020 he sold a firearm to a person prohibited from possessing it. Winslett is additionally charged with 36 counts of possession of an unregistered firearm for the 36 silencers found at his residence. Silencers are firearms and are required to be registered under the National Firearms Act.
This case is the product of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with assistance from Customs and Border Protection and California Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Sauvageau is prosecuting the case.
If convicted of manufacturing and dealing in firearms, Winslett faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison and a fine up to $250,000. If convicted of any of the remaining counts, Winslett faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine up to $250,000. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after considering any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice 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.
Steinhatchee Man Indicted for Methamphetamine TraffickingRead the Press Release
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – A federal grand jury has returned a one-count indictment charging Ryan Tyler Newman, 29, of Steinhatchee, Florida, with distribution of methamphetamine. The indictment was announced by Jason R. Coody, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
The indictment alleges on or about August 17, 2022, Newman distributed a quantity of methamphetamine. Newman was identified through an ongoing, multi-agency investigation targeting illegal drug distribution in the Taylor County, Florida area.
If convicted, Newman faces up to 20 years in prison.
This case resulted from an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Taylor County Sheriff’s Office, and the Perry, Florida Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Eric K. Mountin is prosecuting the case.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. 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, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. More information about OCDETF may be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
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 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 for the Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
St. Petersburg Man Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison for Distributing and Possessing Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Mary Scriven has sentenced David Blackmer (34, St. Petersburg) to 7 years in federal prison, to be followed by 20 years of supervised release, for distributing and possessing child sexual abuse material. The court also ordered Blackmer to register as a sex offender and pay $114,000 in restitution. Blackmer had pleaded guilty on February 7, 2023.
According to court documents, on September 7, 2021, Blackmer distributed child sexual abuse videos and images to an undercover computer belonging to Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) through a peer-to-peer program. Federal agents executed a search warrant at Blackmer’s residence and recovered electronic devices containing thousands of images and videos of children being sexually abused.
“This predator engaged in the collection and sharing of thousands of images and videos of children being sexually abused,” said Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Tampa Assistant Special Agent in Charge Kristopher Pagitt. “Our HSI Tampa special agents are proud to be a part of Project Safe Childhood to combat the epidemic of people exploiting our most vulnerable.”
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ilyssa M. Spergel.
This is another case 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.justice.gov/psc.
Siblings Convicted, Sentenced in Federal Court for COVID Relief FraudRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – A Brandon woman was sentenced to two years of probation for theft of unemployment insurance benefits related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and her brother was convicted of conspiring with her to commit wire fraud in obtaining these benefits.
U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca, Mississippi State Auditor Shad White, and Special Agent in Charge Mathew Broadhurst of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Southeast Region made the announcement.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Aubrey D. Martinez assisted her brother, John Evans, Jr., in applying for benefits with the Mississippi Department of Employment Security. As an inmate in the Mississippi Department of Corrections, Evans was not entitled to receive unemployment insurance benefits. Evans is serving a 20-year sentence in MDOC custody for armed robbery and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
The unemployment insurance benefits were federally subsidized through the CARES Act in response to the pandemic.
Her brother, John Evans, is scheduled to be sentenced on August 21, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. The pair will be required to pay restitution in the amount of $10,732.
The U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General and the Mississippi Office of the State Auditor investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly T. Purdie is prosecuting the case.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s National Unemployment Insurance Fraud Task Force (NUIFTF). In response to the unprecedented scope of Unemployment Insurance (UI) fraud, the Department of Justice established the NUIFTF. The NUIFTF is a prosecutor-led multi-agency task force with representatives from FBI, DOL-OIG, IRS-CI, HSI, DHS-OIG, USPIS, USSS, SSA-OIG, FDIC-OIG, and other agencies. Members of the NUIFTF are working with state workforce agencies, financial institutions, and other law enforcement partners across the country to fight UI fraud, and consumers should be vigilant in light of these threats and take the appropriate steps to safeguard themselves.
The CARES Act is a federal law enacted on March 29, 2020, designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans who are suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. One source of relief provided by the CARES Act is the authorization that expands states’ ability to provide unemployment insurance for many workers impacted by COVID-19, including for workers who are not ordinarily eligible for unemployment insurance benefits.
Anyone with information about attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866‑720‑5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Sex Offender Charged with Sexual Exploitation of a MinorRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Andrew Edick, age 36, of Mohawk, New York, was arrested and charged today with one count of sexual exploitation of a minor.
United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Matthew Scarpino, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), made the announcement.
Edick appeared today in Albany before United States Magistrate Judge Daniel J. Stewart and was ordered detained after reserving his right to seek a detention hearing at a later date.
According to a criminal complaint, Edick, who is a registered sex offender in the State of New York, videotaped the genital region of a child, and shared the video recording over an internet social networking application in August 2022. Edick also shared numerous additional videos containing depictions of child pornography using the same social networking application. The charges in the complaint are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The charge filed against Edick carries a sentence of at least 25 years and up to 50 years in prison. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.
HIS is investigating this case. Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin S. Clark is prosecuting this case as part of Project Safe Childhood.
Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorney’s offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), and is designed to marshal federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Seven People Sentenced to Prison in COVID-19 Paycheck Protection Program Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
MIAMI – The last of seven defendants in a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) fraud scheme has been sentenced. Yunior Barrera Almaguer (Barrera) 39, of Miami, Florida was sentenced to 87 months in prison for leading a conspiracy to defraud the PPP out of loan proceeds. These loans are guaranteed by the Small Business Administration under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.
Barrera was the leader of the conspiracy, who conspired with Jorge S. Alvarez, Dariel Garcia Carmona, Jose Raul Amaro, Leiner Pena Infante, Yandre Garcia Hernandez, Eduardo Ramos Leyva, and others to submit approximately 20 fraudulent PPP loan applications. According to facts admitted by the defendants as part of their guilty pleas, Barrera recruited his co-conspirators and others for necessary information to apply for the PPP loans, such as each business name and bank account routing number, and the business owner’s personal identifying information. Barrera then applied for the loans with an unindicted co-conspirator, causing approximately $9 million in fraudulently issued PPP loans. After each business received their PPP loans, Barrera instructed the co-conspirator business owners to give him blank, pre-signed checks drawn on the business so that Barrera could access the PPP funds. Barrera also instructed the co-conspirator business owners to write checks on the companies’ accounts at his direction. By doing so, Barrera and his co-conspirators laundered the fraudulently obtained loan funds by transferring the proceeds between their companies, to each other, and to others.
Barrera pled guilty on November 9, 2022, to one count of conspiracy to launder money. In addition to prison time, Barrera must pay $9,007,887 in restitution. Alvarez, Garcia Carmona, Amaro, Pena Infante, Garcia Hernandez, and Ramos Leyva also pled guilty for their roles in the conspiracy, were sentenced to imprisonment terms ranging from one year and one day to 36 months and must pay restitution in amounts ranging from $381,600 to $720,860.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI, Miami Field Office, announced the sentence imposed by U.S. District Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks.
FBI Miami, West Palm Beach Resident Agency investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Susan Osborne prosecuted it. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emily Stone and William T. Zloch are handling asset forfeiture.
In March 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act was enacted. It was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Among other sources of relief, the CARES Act authorized and provided funding to the SBA to provide Economic Injury Disaster Loans (“EIDLs”) to eligible small businesses, including sole proprietorships and independent contractors, experiencing substantial financial disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic to allow them to meet financial obligations and operating expenses that could otherwise have been met had the disaster not occurred. EIDL applications were submitted directly to the SBA via the SBA’s on-line application website, and the applications were processed and the loans funded for qualifying applicants directly by the SBA.
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.
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-80118.
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Scrap Metal Reseller Pleads Guilty to Filing a False Corporate Tax ReturnRead the Press Release
A Texas businessman pleaded guilty today to filing a false 2015 corporate tax return for his company.
According to court documents, Martin Skolnik owned and operated Houston-based Spartan Metals Inc. (Spartan), a company that bought and resold scrap metal, for more than 30 years. On several occasions between 2014 and 2017, Skolnik directed customers to wire payments to his personal bank account rather than to Spartan’s business bank account. Skolnik intentionally did not record these payments as income in Spartan’s QuickBooks records, which he then provided to his accountant, willfully causing the accountant to prepare false corporate tax returns. As a result, Spartan’s corporate tax returns underreported more than $2.3 million of gross income for tax years 2014 through 2017.
Skolnik is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 24 and faces a maximum penalty of three years in prison for filing a false tax return, as well as a period of supervised release and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine the sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Alamdar Hamdani for the Southern District of Texas made the announcement.
IRS-Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Senior Litigation Counsel Sean Beaty and Assistant U.S. Attorney Shirin Hakimzadeh for the Southern District of Texas are prosecuting the case.
San Francisco Man Charged with Felony Violations for Firing Gun at U.S. Postal WorkerRead the Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO – A federal grand jury indicted Vo Nguyen, charging him with attempted murder and related crimes in connection with firing a gun at a U.S. Postal Service (USPS) employee who was delivering a package to his residence, announced U.S. Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey and San Francisco Division Postal Inspector in Charge Rafael Nuñez. Nguyen made his initial federal court appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Laurel Beeler.
The indictment, filed May 2, 2023, and unsealed earlier today, alleges that on April 1, 2023, Nguyen used a Sig Sauer 9mm pistol while assaulting and attempting to murder the letter carrier.
According to documents filed by the government in connection with its request to detain Nguyen prior to trial, the government alleges that Nguyen assaulted and attempted to murder a postal worker who was delivering mail to his residence on April 1, 2023. The USPS employee was attempting to deliver mail to a woman outside Nguyen’s residence when Nguyen allegedly came out of the house and started to yell at the USPS worker and aggressively approached him. The USPS employee escaped down the street, but Nguyen allegedly gave chase and caught up. The USPS employee used pepper spray to repel Nguyen. Nguyen returned to his home for a couple of minutes before allegedly leaving and getting into a Toyota Land Cruiser. Nguyen allegedly found the USPS employee on a nearby street and rapidly fired a pistol approximately seven to eight times at the USPS employee. As the USPS employee tried to run away, Nguyen allegedly fired an additional five shots. The government further alleges that the USPS employee took cover behind a parked SUV in a driveway, and Nguyen made a U-turn, drove back up the street, and fired three more shots at the USPS employee before running out of ammunition. Nguyen then allegedly briefly drove away, returned in the Land Cruiser, and attempted to fight the USPS employee. The USPS employee pepper sprayed the defendant again and SFPD arrived shortly after, placing Nguyen under arrest.
The indictment charges with one count of assault on a federal employee with a deadly or dangerous weapon, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 111(a) and (b); one count of attempted murder of an employee of the United States, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1114; and one count of using, carrying, and discharging a firearm in connection with a crime of violence, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c).
The charges presented in an indictment are merely allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
The assault with a deadly weapon and attempted murder charges both carry a statutory maximum of 20 years, and the firearm charge carries a minimum 10 years in prison and maximum term of life in prison In addition, as part of any sentence, the court may order a term of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000 for each count, restitution, and additional assessments. 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.
Nguyen is scheduled to make his next federal court appearance on June 15, 2023, before Judge Orrick.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelsey Davidson is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Veronica Hernandez. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the US Postal Inspection Service and the San Francisco Police Department.
SW Georgia Resident Charged with Fentanyl Distribution Resulting from GBI-led InvestigationRead the Press Release
ALBANY, Ga. – A federal criminal complaint charging an Albany resident with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine was unsealed this week.
Larry Sparks aka “Detroit,” 45, had his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Court Judge Thomas Q. Langstaff at the U.S. Courthouse in Albany on May 18 and was ordered detained by the Court. Sparks is charged by criminal complaint with one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. If convicted, Sparks faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. Sparks is scheduled to have his detention hearing in Macon, Georgia, next week. The criminal complaint was unsealed on May 18.
According to court proceedings and the criminal complaint, in March 2023, a GBI-led wire-tap undercover investigation began into the defendant’s alleged distribution of fentanyl, heroin and methamphetamine in Southwest Georgia from his residence at 1501 Pinecrest Dr. in Albany and other locations in the city. Sparks is allegedly associated with several controlled substances overdoses resulting in deaths dating back to 2018. A federal search warrant was executed at the Pinecrest Dr. residence on May 16; agents seized 1,265 grams of fentanyl, 3,027 grams of methamphetamine and seven firearms. Sparks is a convicted felon.
The case was investigated by the GBI Southwestern Drug Enforcement Office in Albany, the DEA, the Albany Police Department, the Dougherty County Sheriff’s Office, the Dougherty County Police Department, the Dougherty County District Attorney’s Office, the Americus Police Department, the Colquitt County Sheriff’s Office and the Crisp County Sheriff’s Office.
Criminal Chief Leah McEwen is prosecuting the case.
A complaint is only an allegation of criminal conduct, and all defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt.
Readout of Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr.’s Trip to KenyaRead the Press Release
On May 15 to 18, Assistant Attorney General (AAG) Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division traveled to Nairobi, Kenya, to deliver remarks at the first colloquium bringing together 20 African countries to collaborate on pretrial detention issues. The colloquium was sponsored by the Criminal Division’s Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development Assistance and Training (OPDAT), the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Counterterrorism and Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement, and several other partners. He met with OPDAT’s Resident Legal Advisors in the region, numerous foreign law enforcement officials, and U.S. Embassy Nairobi staff to build closer partnerships and further the department’s mission to advance the rule of law and combat transnational crime.
AAG Polite delivers remarks at the Africa Regional Colloquium.On Tuesday, AAG Polite had separate bilateral meetings with the Honorable Chief Justice of the Kenya Supreme Court Martha Koome and Kenya Director of Public Prosecutions Noordin Haji. He also met with Idrissa Nibilma Bado, Chief Judge of the Anti-Terrorism Court of Burkina Faso; Justice Peter Kekemeke, High Court Judge and Chairman of the Remand Decongestion Committee of Federal Republic of Nigeria; Hafid Bahaddou, Chief, Division de la coopération judiciaire internationale, Ministère public of Morocco; and Augustin Yao Kouame, Senior Judge and Director of Civil and Criminal Affairs for the Ministry of Justice of Cote d’Ivoire. AAG Polite thanked foreign officials for their ongoing cooperation and affirmed continued support in extradition matters and mutual legal assistance requests.
AAG Polite stands with participants and other speakers at the Africa Regional Colloquium in Nairobi.On Wednesday, he met with U.S. Ambassador to Kenya Meg Whitman, Deputy Chief of Mission Mark Dillard, and embassy personnel from OPDAT, the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. He also had brief meetings with Senior State Attorney Judith Mwakyusa of Tanzania; Justice Afia Serwah Asare-Botwe of Ghana Court of Appeals; Dr. Moustapha Fall, Technical Advisor to the Minister of Justice of Senegal, as well as Julien Nguan Ndour, Director of Human Rights at the Ministry of Justice of Senegal; and Ibrahim Boukary Sally, President, Judgement Chamber for cases of Terrorism and Transnational Crime of Niger.
AAG Polite and U.S. Ambassador to Kenya Meg Whitman.In his meetings, AAG Polite discussed enhancing cooperation in the fight against transnational crime, including narcotics trafficking, financial fraud schemes, corruption, child sexual exploitation, and counterterrorism.
“Today, more than ever before, the security of each state increasingly depends on the security of all states – and we in the justice sector must therefore supplement national vigilance with international cooperation,” said AAG Polite. “I am committed to furthering our bilateral law enforcement relationships in Africa.”
On Thursday, AAG Polite visited Nairobi National Park with DEA personnel and met members of Kenyan law enforcement. He learned about environmental sustainability and wildlife trafficking and conservation. He concluded his visit by attending a working lunch organized by Kenyan Director of Public Prosecution Haji, along with Directors of Public Prosecution from Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, and Uganda.
AAG Polite at Nairobi National Park with Criminal Division and DEA personnel and Kenyan law enforcement.AAG Polite is committed to enhancing cooperation between the United States and our judicial and law enforcement counterparts in the region.
Pittsburgh Resident Indicted on Violating Embezzlement and Fraud LawsRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA - A resident of Pittsburgh PA, have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of violating embezzlement and fraud laws, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
The five-count Indictment named Corey Mizell, of Pittsburgh, PA.
According to the indictment, on multiple occasions from in and around June 2020, October 2020, December 2020, January 2021 and February 2021, Mizell embezzled money from veterans as an employee of the United States. On or about June 5, 2020, Mizell also committed mail fraud.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of ten (10) years in prison, a fine of $250,000 or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Brendan J. McKenna is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General and Department of Veterans Affairs – Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Pineville Man Sentenced to 35 Years for Conspiracy to Commit Forced Labor and Transporting a Minor for Criminal Sexual ActivityRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, La. – Department of Justice Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke, United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown of the Western District of Louisiana, and Special Agent in Charge Douglas A. Williams, Jr. of the FBI New Orleans Field Office, announced that a Louisiana man was sentenced today to 35 years in prison for conspiracy to commit forced labor and transporting a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. The defendant was also ordered to pay restitution of $979,800 to the victims.
Between June 2016 and May 2019, Darnell Fulton, 39, of Pineville, used violence, sexual abuse, withholding of food, degradation, and intimidation to coerce multiple minors to work for his brownie baking business and provide him the profits. The defendant required the victims to travel to as many as 20 to 30 locations a day, such as plazas, car dealerships, law firms, restaurants, and parking lots, to sell brownies. The victims worked late into the night either selling or baking the brownies and sold them during the day. In fact, the victims typically worked seven days a week with very few breaks and had to meet a daily sales quota the defendant set. The defendant regularly assaulted the victims because he was not satisfied with their daily work performance, especially if they did not meet his projected sales daily quota. For example, the defendant frequently required the victims to stay in a push up or plank position for hours, and he often whipped them with a belt if they got out of proper form. The defendant also made the minor victims perform sexual acts with him and transported them across state lines to engage in criminal sexual activity with him.
“Forced labor, especially when it involves sexual abuse of children, violence, and mental and physical anguish, is heinous conduct that has no place in our society today. The defendant mercilessly exploited children for his own financial gain and personal gratification, and we will not tolerate it,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This sentence demonstrates the Justice Department’s commitment to standing up for the survivors of forced labor schemes. We will not only pursue and prosecute human and child traffickers, but also seek restitution and use those funds to help survivors rebuild and reclaim their lives.”
“The defendant’s actions in this case were deplorable and despicable,” said U.S. Attorney Brandon B. Brown for the Western District of Louisiana. “Forced labor is a form of modern-day slavery and we have a duty to protect the most vulnerable of our society. He had no hesitation in torturing and demoralizing these victims, his own children. We are grateful for this sentence and hope that the victims can begin the healing process. This defendant is a danger to society, has no regard for human life, and we believe it is appropriate that he will be spending a long time in the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.”
“Mr. Fulton’s guilty plea and the sentencing today should be of great comfort to the victims of his depravity,” said Special Agent in Charge Douglas A. Williams, Jr. of the FBI New Orleans Field Office. “We thank our partners, the Alexandria Police Department, United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Louisiana, and DOJ’s Civil Rights Division for their assistance in this case. We will continue the work of rooting out those who seek to target minors for their own bizarre obsessions.”
The case was investigated by the FBI and Alexandria Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John Luke Walker for the Western District of Louisiana and Trial Attorney Maryam Zhuravitsky of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit in Washington, DC.
Anyone who has information about human trafficking should report that information to the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
For more information about human trafficking, please visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org. Information on the Justice Department’s efforts to combat human trafficking can be found at www.justice.gov/humantrafficking.
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Philipsburg Man Charged with Drug Trafficking and Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Jeremy Stephen Heeman, age 46, of Philipsburg, Pennsylvania, was indicted on May 16, 2023, for drug trafficking and firearms offenses.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the indictment charges Heeman with possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, possession of an unregistered firearm and felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, related to conduct that occurred on January 9, 2023, in Centre County.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Luisa Honora Berti 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.
Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
The maximum penalty under federal law for these offenses is up to life imprisonment, a term of life supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
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Perry Woman Indicted for Large-Scale Drug Trafficking Conspiracy and Methamphetamine DistributionRead the Press Release
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – A federal grand jury has returned a three-count indictment charging Miranda Stafford, 55, of Perry, Florida, with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of over 500 grams of methamphetamine, distribution of over 50 grams of methamphetamine, and possession with intent to distribute over 50 grams of methamphetamine. The indictment was announced by Jason R. Coody, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
The indictment alleges that between on or about March 1, 2023, and on or about April 11, 2023, Stafford conspired with other individuals to possess with intent to distribute and distribute over 500 grams of methamphetamine. The indictment further alleges that on or about April 4, 2023, Stafford distributed over 50 grams of methamphetamine, and on or about April 11, 2023, possessed with intent to distribute over 50 grams of methamphetamine.
Based on prior felony drug trafficking convictions, if convicted, Stafford faces not less than 25 years up to life in prison for all three charges.
This case resulted from a large-scale, regional investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Suwannee County Sheriff’s Office, Taylor County Sheriff’s Office, Madison County Sheriff’s Office, and the Perry Police Department, as well as members of the Northstar Drug Task Force, including the Wakulla, Bay, Gulf, and Leon County Sheriff’s Offices. Assistant United States Attorney Eric K. Mountin is prosecuting the case.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. 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, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. More information about OCDETF may be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
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 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 for the Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
Pearl River Woman Sentenced for Drug ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – A Pearl River woman was sentenced to 46 months in prison for her role in a conspiracy to distribute hydrocodone and methamphetamine on the Choctaw Indian Reservation, announced U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca, Special Agent in Charge Brad Byerley of the Drug Enforcement Administration, and Regional Agent in Charge Whitney Woodruff of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
According to court documents, Joyce Cauthen, 55, of Pearl River, participated in a conspiracy to distribute hydrocodone and methamphetamine on the Choctaw Indian Reservation. She was indicted by a federal grand jury and pled guilty on February 10, 2023, to possession with intent to distribute hydrocodone.
U.S. Attorney LaMarca commended the work of the Choctaw Police Department of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs who investigated the case.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin J. Payne and Special Assistant United States Attorney Brian K. Burns.
North Fort Myers Man Indicted for Possessing A Firearm as A Convicted FelonRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, FL – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Chester Lewis Risco, III (19, North Fort Myers) with possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. If convicted, Risco faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison. The indictment also notifies Risco that the United States intends to forfeit the firearm and ammunition, which are alleged to be traceable to proceeds of the offense.
According to the indictment, Risco was in possession of a pistol on April 27, 2023. Risco was previously convicted of two felony offenses in March 2023, making him federally prohibited from possessing a firearm.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This is case was investigated by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark R. Morgan.
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.
New Orleans Man Sentenced to Federal Drug Trafficking ChargeRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that SOLOMON BURKE, of New Orleans, Louisiana, was sentenced on May 17, 2023 by the Honorable Judge Jane Triche Milazzo to 17 months imprisonment for possessing with the intent to distribute controlled substances. BURKE also received three years of supervised release following his term of imprisonment, along with a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
BURKE was sentenced to Count 1 of the superseding bill of information, to which he previously pled pursuant to a plea agreement, and which charged him with possessing with the intent to distribute a quantity of heroin and a quantity of marijuana, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(C).
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, New Orleans Police Department, and St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Maurice Landrieu of the Narcotics Unit and Elizabeth Privitera, Chief of the Violent Crimes Unit.
Nearly 1,000 Pounds of Methamphetamine Seized in Tulare and Kings County, Two Methamphetamine Labs DismantledRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — Armando Rosales Gonzalez, 35, of Tulare; Rogelio Ceniceros Flores, 37, of Jalisco, Mexico; and Carlos Bobadilla, 39, of Tulare, were arrested on May 17, 2023, during a coordinated law enforcement operation and have been charged in a criminal complaint with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, the arrests were made as part of an investigation of a drug trafficking organization in California’s Central Valley. On May 17, 2023, law enforcement searched five properties in Tulare, Earlimart and Corcoran, resulting in the seizure of nearly 1,000 pounds of crystal methamphetamine and 14 firearms. Law enforcement also discovered and dismantled two active methamphetamine conversion laboratories with numerous 55-gallon drums filled with liquid methamphetamine in various stages of conversion to crystal methamphetamine.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration with assistance from the Sacramento Multi-Jurisdictional Methamphetamine Enforcement Team (CALMMET); the Sacramento Sheriff’s Office, the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office, the Kings County Sheriff’s Office, the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, the Tulare Tactical Narcotics Team (TNT), the Tulare Police Department, the Clovis Police Department, the Fresno Police Department, the Woodlake Police Department, and the Porterville Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Antonio J. Pataca is prosecuting the case.
If convicted of the charges, the defendants face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison, a maximum penalty of life in prison and a fine of up to $10 million. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Nanty Glo Man Sentenced to 106 Months in Prison and 5 Years of Supervised Release for Possessing Firearms and NarcoticsRead the Press Release
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A former resident of Nanty Glo, PA, has been sentenced in federal court to a total of 106 months in prison followed by 5 years of supervised release on his convictions of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking fine, and possession with intent to distribute LSD, cocaine, MDMA, methamphetamine, morphine, ketamine, cocaine, and PSP Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
United States District Judge Stephanie L. Haines, imposed the sentence on Seth Long age 38, of Nanty Glo, Pennsylvania.
According to information presented to the court, on or about June 3, 2020, Long was found in possession of numerous firearms and ammunition by a convicted felon, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Further, on or about June 3, 2020, Long possessed with intent to distribute quantities of a mixtures and substances containing detectable amounts of methylenedioxymethampehtamine (MDMA), heroin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), methamphetamine, morphine, phencyclidine (PCP), cocaine and ketamine.
Assistant United States Attorney Maureen Sheehan-Balchon prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
Mr. Rivetti commended the Department of Homeland Security Investigations, United States Postal Inspection Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Pennsylvania State Police for the investigation that led to the successful prosecution of Long.
Maryland Woman Sentenced to 108 Months in Prison for Distributing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Defendant Distributed Child Sex Abuse Material in an Online Group
WASHINGTON – Shemara Shay Mack-Smith, 42, of Accokeek Maryland, was sentenced today to 108 months in prison, to be followed by 120 months of supervised release for distribution of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Special Agent in Charge Wayne A. Jacobs, of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Crime Division, and Chief Robert J. Contee, III, of the Metropolitan Police Department. In addition to the prison term and supervised release, U.S. District Court Judge Trevor N. McFadden ordered Mack-Smith to pay $3,000 in restitution to one of the minor victims in the case.
According to court documents, in late April of 2020, a concerned citizen reported to law enforcement that he met Mack-Smith at a friend’s house in the District of Columbia. Mack-Smith showed him child pornography, and she told him that she was sexually attracted to children. This concerned citizen also informed law enforcement that, while exchanging messages with Mack-Smith, she sent him several videos depicting the sexual abuse of children as young as toddlers.
During the course of the ongoing investigation, in early May of 2023, Mack-Smith distributed several images of child pornography to a law enforcement officer, acting in an undercover capacity. A search warrant was executed at Mack-Smith’s residence on May 8, 2020. Numerous digital devices belonging to Mack-Smith, including an Apple iPhone 11, were recovered by law enforcement. The Apple iPhone 11 contained several videos and images depicting the sexual abuse of young children.
This case was brought as part of the Department of Justice's Project Safe Childhood initiative and investigated by the FBI's Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes members of the FBI's Washington Field Office and MPD. In February 2006, the Attorney General created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. 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 www.projectsafechildhood.gov. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amy Larson and Jocelyn Bond.
Maryland MS-13 Gang Member Sentenced to 28 Years in Federal Prison for Participating in A Racketeering Conspiracy, Including Two MurdersRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis today sentenced Franklyn Edgardo Sanchez, a/k/a “Freddy,” “Magic,” “Miclo,” and “Delinquente,” age 26, of Adelphi, Maryland, to 28 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for his participation in a racketeering conspiracy, including two murders, related to his activities as part of the MS-13 gang. Judge Xinis also ordered that Sanchez must pay restitution in the full amount of the victims’ losses, including any funeral costs incurred by Victim 1 and Victim 4’s estates.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Special Agent in Charge James C. Harris of Homeland Security Investigations Baltimore; and Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department.
According to court documents, La Mara Salvatrucha gang, also known as “MS-13,” is an international criminal organization composed primarily of immigrants or descendants of immigrants from El Salvador, with members operating in the State of Maryland, including Montgomery County, Prince George’s County, and Frederick County, and throughout the United States. In Maryland and elsewhere, MS-13 members are organized in “cliques,” smaller groups that operate in a specific city or region. MS-13 members are required to commit acts of violence, both to maintain membership and discipline within the gang and against rival gangs. One of the principal rules of MS-13 is that its members must attack and kill rivals, known as “chavalas,” whenever possible. Participation in criminal activity by a member, particularly in violent acts directed at rival gangs or as directed by gang leadership, increases the respect accorded to that member, resulting in that member maintaining or increasing his position in the gang and opens the door to promotion to a leadership position.
As detailed in the plea agreement and other court documents, from at least August 2018 through July 2021, Sanchez was a member and associate of Weedams Locos Salvatrucha, (WLS) an MS-13 clique operating primarily in Adelphi, Maryland.
According to the plea agreement, on February 23, 2020, at the direction of an MS-13 leader, Sanchez and co-defendant MS-13 member Hernan Yanes-Rivera, shot and killed Victim 1, a former WLS member, in retaliation for the victim’s suspected cooperation with law enforcement. As a result of his participation in the murder, Sanchez was promoted within the hierarchy of MS-13.
As detailed in court documents, on August 8, 2020, Sanchez and several WLS members agreed to the murder of Victim 4, who was suspected of cooperating with law enforcement and to whom Sanchez owed a debt. After driving to a wooded area in Prince George’s County, Maryland, WLS leader Brayan Alexander Torres called Victim 4 and told him to come to the wooded area to participate in a disciplinary beating of Sanchez. In fact, Sanchez knew that the gang intended to murder Victim 4.
Sanchez was armed with a revolver, and Torres gave a second revolver to another MS-13 member to participate in the murder. When Victim 4 arrived, Sanchez and the other MS-13 member each fired multiple shots at Victim 4, causing Victim 4 to fall to the ground. Sanchez then pistol-whipped Victim 4 and stabbed him with a knife. Torres and other WLS members dragged Victim 4’s body to a stream and left it there. As he was leaving the woods, Sanchez noticed he was bleeding and became concerned that his DNA was left on the body. To prevent the discovery of DNA or other evidence and to hinder the investigation and prosecution of Victim 4’s murder, Torres called other WLS members, including co-defendant Agustino Eugenio Rivas Rodriguez, and ordered them to bring shovels to the wooded area, where they dug a hole and buried Victim 4’s body. Victim 4’s body was later recovered with a bullet wound to the head.
Sanchez also participated in money laundering by transferring gang funds to MS-13 members and associates in El Salvador. Sanchez knew the money he transferred was the proceeds of the gang’s extortion activities.
The government and the defendants have agreed that, if the Court accepts their guilty pleas, Brayan Alexander Torres, a/k/a “Spooky,” age 29, of Adelphi, Maryland, will be sentenced to 28 years in federal prison, and Hernan Yanes-Rivera, a/k/a “Recio,” age 22, of Adelphi, Maryland and Agustino Eugenio Rivas Rodriguez, a/k/a “Terrible,” age 25, of Silver Spring, Maryland, will be sentenced to 22 years and 16 years in federal prison, respectively. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis has scheduled sentencing for Torres on August 31, 2023; for Rivas Rodriguez on July 21, 2023; and for Yanes-Rivera on July 28, 2023.
Anyone with information about MS-13 is encouraged to provide their tips to law enforcement. The FBI and Homeland Security Investigations both have nationwide tiplines that you can call to report what you know. You can reach the FBI at 1-866-STP-MS13 (1-866-787-6713), or you can call HSI at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods ("PSN"), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serves to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. PSN, an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime, is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice's violent crime reduction efforts. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
This case is also part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (“OCDETF”) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
United States Attorney Barron and Assistant Attorney General Polite commended the FBI, HSI and the Prince George’s County Police Department for their work in the investigation and thanked the Montgomery County Police Department and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for their assistance. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel Crespo, and Trial Attorneys Brendan Woods and Christopher Taylor of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section, who are prosecuting the federal case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney's Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Man Found Guilty of Murder While Within Indian CountryRead the Press Release
Salt Lake City, Utah – A federal jury convicted a Utah man yesterday for murder in the second degree while within Indian Country and use, carry and discharge of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
According to court documents and the evidence presented at trial, Perry Maryboy, 59, of Bluff, Utah, unlawfully shot and killed another man while within Indian Country on April 13, 2018. Court documents allege Maryboy, who was parked on the side of the road at the intersection of Country Road 443 and Summerhouse Road, escalated an argument with the victim after being told to leave the area by the victim, who drove up behind him. Maryboy exited his truck and grabbed a revolver. He fired two shots, each allegedly intended as warning shots, but the second shot struck the victim in the back of the head. The victim died on scene in front of his common law wife and her 7-year-old child. Maryboy then fled the scene in his truck.
“The defendant acted with complete recklessness,” said Assistant United States Attorney, Mark Hirata, for the District of Utah, during trial. “If firing a bullet to the back of a person’s head isn’t a crime of violence, I don’t know what is.”
Sentencing is scheduled for August 4, 2023, at 9:00 a.m. before U.S. District Court Judge David Nuffer at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse.
U.S. Attorney, Trina A. Higgins for the District of Utah made the announcement.
The case was investigated jointly by the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office's Monticello Resident Agency, Navajo Nation Police Department and Navajo Nation Criminal Investigations.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys, Mark Y. Hirata, Angela Reddish-Day, and Stephen Dent are prosecuting the case.
Man Charged for Alleged Participation in $45M CoinDeal Investment Fraud Scheme Involving over 10,000 VictimsRead the Press Release
A Nevada man has been charged for his alleged participation in CoinDeal, an investment fraud scheme that defrauded more than 10,000 victims of over $45 million.
Bryan Lee, 57, of Las Vegas, will make his initial appearance in federal court today in Las Vegas.
According to court documents, Lee allegedly conspired with Neil Chandran and others to defraud investors in companies that Chandran controlled. The companies operated under the banner of “ViRSE,” and included Free Vi Lab, Studio Vi Inc., ViDelivery Inc., ViMarket Inc., and Skalex USA Inc., among others. The companies were supposedly developing virtual-world technologies, including their own cryptocurrency, for use in a metaverse. Chandran allegedly misled investors by falsely promising extremely high returns on the premise that his companies were about to be acquired by a consortium of wealthy buyers. As further alleged, Lee was the nominee owner and director of ViMarket, and took direction from Chandran for how to disburse investor funds received into ViMarket’s bank accounts. Lee and Chandran allegedly misappropriated millions of dollars of investor funds and spent it on luxury cars and real estate.
Lee is charged by indictment with one count of conspiracy, two counts of mail fraud, one count of wire fraud, and three counts of engaging in monetary transactions in criminally derived property. If convicted, Lee faces up to 20 years in prison for each of the wire fraud, mail fraud, and conspiracy counts, and up to 10 years in prison for each count of engaging in unlawful monetary transactions.
Chandran was arrested in June 2022 and charged for his alleged role in the scheme. Michael Glaspie, who fraudulently marketed the investment with Chandran’s companies under the name “CoinDeal,” pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud in February 2023 and is scheduled to be sentenced on June 16.
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Steven A. Russell for the District of Nebraska, Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division, and Assistant Director in Charge David Sundberg of the FBI Washington Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI Washington Field Office is investigating the case with significant assistance provided by the FBI Las Vegas and Omaha Field Offices.
Assistant Chief William E. Johnston and Trial Attorney Tian Huang of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Donald Kleine for the District of Nebraska are prosecuting the case. Senior Policy Advisor Darrin McCullough of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section is handling forfeiture.
All investor victims of this fraud are encouraged to visit the webpage www.justice.gov/criminal-vns/case/united-states-v-neil-chandran-united-states-v-michael-glaspie to identify themselves as potential victims and obtain more information on their rights as victims, including the opportunity to submit a victim impact statement.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
MS-13 Gang Member Sentenced for Racketeering Conspiracy and MurdersRead the Press Release
A Maryland man was sentenced today to 28 years in prison for his part in a racketeering conspiracy, including two murders, related to his participation in La Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13).
According to court documents, from at least August 2018 through July 2021, Franklyn Edgardo Sanchez, aka Freddy, aka Magic, aka Miclo, aka Delinquente, 25, of Adelphi, was a member of MS-13, a transnational criminal enterprise and one of the largest street gangs in the United States that is composed primarily of immigrants or descendants from El Salvador and other central American countries. Sanchez was a member and associate of Weedams Locos Salvatrucha (WLS), an MS-13 clique operating primarily in Adelphi.
As part of the conspiracy, MS-13 members are required to commit acts of violence to maintain membership and discipline within the gang as well as against rival gangs. One of the principal rules of MS-13 is that its members must attack and kill rivals, known as “chavalas,” whenever possible. Participation in criminal activity by a member, particularly in violent acts directed at rival gangs or as directed by gang leadership, increases the respect accorded to that member, resulting in that member maintaining or increasing his position in the gang and opens the door to promotion to a leadership position.
On Feb. 23, 2020, at the direction of an MS-13 leader, Sanchez and co-defendant Hernan Yanes-Rivera, aka Recio, shot and killed a former WLS member (Victim-1), in retaliation for the victim’s suspected cooperation with law enforcement. As a result of his participation in the murder, Sanchez was promoted within the hierarchy of MS-13.
On Aug. 8, 2020, Sanchez and several WLS members agreed to murder another individual (described in the indictment as Victim 4), who was suspected of cooperating with law enforcement and to whom Sanchez owed a debt. After driving to a wooded area in Prince George’s County, Maryland, WLS leader Brayan Alexander Torres, aka Spooky, called Victim 4 and told him to come to the wooded area to participate in a disciplinary beating of Sanchez, even though the gang intended to murder Victim 4. When Victim 4 arrived, Sanchez and another MS-13 member shot Victim 4. Sanchez then stabbed Victim 4 with a knife.
To prevent the discovery of DNA or other evidence and to hinder the investigation and prosecution of Victim 4’s murder, Torres called other WLS members, including Agustino Eugenio Rivas Rodriguez, aka Terrible, and ordered them to bring shovels to the wooded area, where they dug a hole and buried Victim 4’s body.
Sanchez also participated in money laundering by transferring gang funds to MS-13 members and associates in El Salvador.
Sanchez, Torres, Yanes-Rivera, and Rivas Rodriguez all previously pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy. By the terms of their plea agreements, Torres faces 28 years in prison, Yanes-Rivera faces 22 years in prison, and Rivas Rodriguez faces 16 years in prison. Torres is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 31, Yanes-Rivera is scheduled to be sentenced on July 28, and Rivas Rodriguez is scheduled to be sentenced on July 21.
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron for the District of Maryland, Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI's Criminal Investigative Division, Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the FBI Baltimore Field Office, Special Agent in Charge James C. Harris of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore Field Office, and Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department made the announcement.
The FBI, HSI, and Prince George’s County Police Department investigated the case, with assistance from the Montgomery County Police Department and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Trial Attorneys Brendan Woods and Christopher Taylor of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel Crespo for the District of Maryland 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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. PSN, an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime, is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
This case is also part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
MPD Lieutenant Charged with Obstruction of Justice and False StatementsRead the Press Release
Def Allegedly Leaked Law Enforcement Information to Proud Boys Leader Enrique Tarrio
WASHINGTON – A District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Lieutenant was arrested today on an indictment charging that he obstructed an investigation into the December 12, 2020 destruction of a Black Lives Matter (BLM) Banner and made false and misleading statements to federal law enforcement about having done so, including that he leaked to Enrique Tarrio, the leader of “The Proud Boys,” the fact that law enforcement had an arrest warrant for him related to that offense.
Shane Lamond, 47, of Stafford, Va., was indicted by a grand jury in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on one count of obstruction of justice and three counts of making false statements. Lamond will be arraigned today before the Honorable Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Special Agent in Charge Wayne A. Jacobs of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division.
According to the indictment, Lamond worked as the supervisor of the Intelligence Branch of MPD’s Homeland Security Bureau. Beginning in July 2019 and continuing to at least January 2021, Lamond and Tarrio were in regular contact regarding Proud Boys planned activities in the District of Columbia. The indictment alleges that, as early as at least July 2020, Lamond began using Telegram to provide information to Tarrio about law enforcement activity relating to Proud Boys’ activities in Washington, D.C.
For instance, the indictment alleges that beginning on December 18, 2020, Lamond gave Tarrio confidential law enforcement information into the investigation of the December 12, 2020 burning of a banner that read “#BLACKLIVESMATTER.” As set forth in the indictment, Tarrio would then pass this information along to other Proud Boys members and take action based on the sensitive information. On or about January 4, 2021, following the issuance of an arrest warrant for Tarrio in connection with the burning of the BLM banner, while Tarrio was on a flight from Miami, Florida to Arlington, Virginia, Lamond, using Telegram, sent Tarrio a notification that a warrant had been signed for his arrest in the District of Columbia. After arriving in Arlington, Virginia and driving in to the District of Columbia, Tarrio was arrested on the warrant and subsequently pleaded guilty to one count of destruction of property in connection with the burning of the banner.
As the indictment alleges, on June 2, 2021, during an interview with federal law enforcement, Lamond made false and misleading statements regarding his communications and contacts with Tarrio. These false and misleading statements related to: (1) the methods by which Lamond and Tarrio would communicate; (2) whether Lamond had provided Tarrio with sensitive law enforcement information; (3) whether Lamond had notified Tarrio about the status of the MPD investigation into the banner burning; (4) whether Lamond notified Tarrio about his pending arrest warrant; and (5) the content and extent of Lamond’s discussion with Tarrio prior to and after January 6.
The obstruction of justice charge carries a statutory maximum of 30 years in prison. Each charge for making a false statement carries a statutory maximum of 5 years in prison. The maximum statutory sentence for federal offenses is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes. The sentencing will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
This case is being jointly investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the United States Attorney's Office Criminal Investigations Unit. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Rothstein, 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.
Louisiana Man Sentenced to 35 Years for Conspiracy to Commit Forced Labor and Transporting a Minor for Criminal Sexual ActivityRead the Press Release
A Louisiana man was sentenced today to 35 years in prison for conspiracy to commit forced labor and transporting a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. The defendant was also required to pay restitution of $979,800 to the victims.
Between June 2016 and May 2019, Darnell Fulton, 39, of Pineville, used violence, sexual abuse, withholding of food, degradation and intimidation to coerce multiple minors to work for his brownie baking business and provide him the profits. The defendant required the victims to travel to as many as 20 to 30 locations a day, such as plazas, car dealerships, law firms, restaurants and parking lots, to sell brownies. The victims worked late into the night either selling or baking the brownies and sold them during the day. In fact, the victims typically worked seven days a week with very few breaks and had to meet a daily sales quota the defendant set. The defendant regularly assaulted the victims because he was not satisfied with their daily work performance, especially if they did not meet his projected sales daily quota. For example, the defendant frequently required the victims to stay in a push up or plank position for hours, and he often whipped them with a belt if they got out of proper form. The defendant also made the minor victims perform sexual acts with him and transported them across state lines to engage in criminal sexual activity with him.
“Forced labor, especially when it involves sexual abuse of children, violence, and mental and physical anguish, is heinous conduct that has no place in our society today. The defendant mercilessly exploited children for his own financial gain and personal gratification, and we will not tolerate it,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This sentence demonstrates the Justice Department’s commitment to standing up for the survivors of forced labor schemes. We will not only pursue and prosecute human and child traffickers, but also seek restitution and use those funds to help survivors rebuild and reclaim their lives.”
“The defendant’s actions in this case were deplorable and despicable,” said U.S. Attorney Brandon B. Brown for the Western District of Louisiana. “Forced labor is a form of modern day slavery and we have a duty to protect the most vulnerable of our society. He had no hesitation in torturing and demoralizing these victims, his own children. We are grateful for this sentence and hope that the victims can begin the healing process. This defendant is a danger to society, has no regard for human life, and we believe it is appropriate that he will be spending a long time in the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.”
“Mr. Fulton’s guilty plea and the sentencing today should be of great comfort to the victims of his depravity,” said Special Agent in Charge Douglas A. Williams Jr. of the FBI New Orleans Field Office. “We thank our partners, the Alexandria Police Department, United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Louisiana and the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division for their assistance in this case. We will continue the work of rooting out those who seek to target minors for their own bizarre obsessions.”
Assistant Attorney General Clarke, U.S. Attorney Brown and Special Agent in Charge Williams made the announcement.
The FBI New Orleans Field Office investigated the case, with assistance from the Alexandria Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney John Luke Walker for the Western District of Louisiana and Trial Attorney Maryam Zhuravitsky of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit prosecuted the case.
Anyone who has information about human trafficking should report that information to the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
For more information about human trafficking, please visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org. Information on the Justice Department’s efforts to combat human trafficking can be found at https://www.justice.gov/humantrafficking.
Lackawanna County Man Sentenced to 70 Months’ Imprisonment for Methamphetamine TraffickingRead the Press Release
SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that David Paul Quick, age 26, of Scranton, Pennsylvania, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Court Judge Malachy E. Mannion, to 70 months’ imprisonment for possession with intent to distribute more than fifty grams of methamphetamine.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Quick previously pleaded guilty and admitted to possessing more than fifty grams of methamphetamine for distribution in the Scranton area in 2022. The charge stems from an incident in June 2022, in which members of the Scranton Police Department and Pennsylvania State Police conducted a search of a residence on South Webster Avenue in Scranton and found Quick in possession of several packages of methamphetamine for distribution as well as a loaded .380 caliber handgun.
The charges against the defendant resulted from an investigation conducted by the Scranton Police Department, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant United States Attorneys Robert J. O’Hara and Brian J. Gallagher 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.
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Justice Department Statements on District Court Ruling Enjoining American Airlines and JetBlue’s Northeast AllianceRead the Press Release
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter for the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division issued the following statements today regarding the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts’s ruling in favor of the Justice Department and the Attorneys General of six states and the District of Columbia in their civil antitrust lawsuit to stop the Northeast Alliance between American Airlines and JetBlue:
“Today’s decision is a win for Americans who rely on competition between airlines to travel affordably,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The Justice Department will continue to protect competition and enforce our antitrust laws in the heavily consolidated airline industry and across every industry.”
“We are pleased with the court’s decision. The outcome of this litigation recognizes the value of competition in the airline industry,” said Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “We are grateful to our state law enforcement partners and the dedicated and talented Antitrust Division staff that investigated and tried this important case.”
The court’s decision follows a multi-week trial that began in September 2022. The Justice Department sued to stop American Airlines and JetBlue from continuing the Northeast Alliance. The Northeast Alliance is a series of agreements between American Airlines and JetBlue through which the two airlines have consolidated their operations in Boston and New York City. The court ruled that JetBlue and American Airlines’ decision to stop competing in Boston and New York, where they are major players, violated Section 1 of the Sherman Act because it increased fares and reduced choice for American travelers in many domestic markets for scheduled air passenger service.
Justice Department Hosts Ukrainian Prosecutors for Training on Investigating and Prosecuting Environmental CrimesRead the Press Release
This week, the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division’s (ENRD) Environmental Crimes Section hosted eight guests from the Ukraine Prosecutor General’s Office for a series of training and study sessions relating to the investigation and prosecution of environmental crimes, including environmental crimes committed in the wake of Russia’s unlawful invasion of Ukraine.
“This training on investigating and prosecuting environmental crimes is just one part of our efforts to hold accountable under law those who bear responsibility for the Russian regime’s brutal crimes,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The Justice Department will work with our Ukrainian partners to hold the Russian regime accountable for the atrocities it is committing in the course of its unjust war in Ukraine.”
The study visit began on Monday and concluded on Wednesday. Attorney General Garland welcomed the group on Wednesday, as the study visit is a part of a broader collaboration between the Justice Department and the Ukraine Prosecutor General’s Office. The two departments entered into a Memorandum of Understanding when the Attorney General and Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin met in Washington in September 2022. The Department and Prosecutor General’s Office committed to cooperate on investigations and prosecutions related to potential war crimes and related criminal offenses committed following or during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Pursuant to that agreement, ENRD has been providing requested assistance to Ukraine as it explores several avenues to hold Russia accountable for the environmental toll of its invasion. During the training, U.S. and Ukrainian prosecutors and experts provided overviews of Ukrainian and U.S. environmental crime statutes and enforcement programs, shared investigative techniques, considered a number of relevant case studies and identified additional areas for collaboration.
Joining ENRD for the training were personnel from the Department’s War Crimes Accountability Team, which is based in the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP), as well as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Coast Guard. Support was also provided by the Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group (ACA), which is funded by the U.S. State Department, the European Union, and the Government of the United Kingdom.
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland with members of the Ukraine Prosecutor General’s OfficeJustice Department Files Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Against Pennsylvania Rental Property Owners and OperatorsRead the Press Release
The Justice Department announced today that it has filed a lawsuit against Timothy Britton, the owner and operator of rental properties in the Falls Creek, Pennsylvania, area and Britton Enterprises LLC, doing business as “Tim’s Apartments,” which operates the rental properties, alleging sexual harassment and retaliation in violation of the Fair Housing Act.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, alleges that Timothy Britton has sexually harassed female tenants since at least 2016. According to the complaint, Britton made repeated and unwelcome sexual comments to female tenants, touched female tenants’ bodies without their permission, requested sexual contact, offered reduced or free rent in exchange for sexual contact and took retaliatory actions against female tenants who refused his sexual advances.
“In this day and age, no one should have to endure sexual harassment to keep a roof over their head,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This lawsuit makes clear that the Justice Department stands ready to hold accountable those landlords and housing providers who unlawfully harass and retaliate against tenants. We encourage survivors to speak out when their rights are violated so that we can vindicate their fair housing rights and secure the relief they deserve.”
“The complaint alleges that Mr. Britton has violated federal fair housing laws through acts of sexual harassment and retaliation,” said Acting U. S. Attorney Troy Rivetti for the Western District of Pennsylvania. “The harm caused by this type of unlawful behavior is compounded when committed by someone who has control over the place where individuals have the right to feel the most safe – in their homes. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to protecting vulnerable members of our community and holding individuals accountable who prey upon them.”
“It is unacceptable and illegal to subject tenants to sexual harassment and retaliation; it must stop. Tenants deserve a safe place to call home,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Demetria L. McCain of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. “HUD will continue to work with the Justice Department to hold housing providers accountable and work toward justice for those whose civil rights have been violated.”
The lawsuit seeks monetary damages to compensate persons harmed by the alleged harassment, civil penalties to vindicate the public interest and a court order barring future discrimination.
Individuals who believe that they may have been victims of sexual harassment or other types of housing discrimination at rental dwellings owned or managed by Timothy Britton or Britton Enterprises, or who have other information that may be relevant to this case, can contact the housing discrimination tip line at 1-833-591-0291, select 1 for English, and select option number 2, then option number 2 to leave a message. Individuals may also e-mail the Justice Department at [email protected] or submit a report online. Reports also may be made by contacting the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development at 1-800-669-9777 or by filing a complaint online.
The Justice Department launched its Sexual Harassment in Housing Initiative in October 2017. The department’s initiative is led by the Civil Rights Division, in coordination with U.S. Attorneys’ offices across the country. The initiative seeks to address and raise awareness about sexual harassment by landlords, property managers, maintenance workers, loan officers or other people who have control over housing. Since launching the initiative, the Department of Justice has filed 32 lawsuits alleging sexual harassment in housing and recovered over $10.8 million for victims of such harassment.
The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability and familial status. More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at www.justice.gov/crt.
Justice Department Files Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Against Pennsylvania Rental Property Owners and OperatorsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – The Justice Department announced today that it has filed a lawsuit against Timothy Britton, the owner and operator of rental properties in the Falls Creek, Pennsylvania, area and Britton Enterprises LLC, doing business as “Tim’s Apartments,” which operates the rental properties, alleging sexual harassment and retaliation in violation of the Fair Housing Act.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, alleges that Timothy Britton has sexually harassed female tenants since at least 2016. According to the complaint, Britton made repeated and unwelcome sexual comments to female tenants, touched female tenants’ bodies without their permission, requested sexual contact, offered reduced or free rent in exchange for sexual contact and took retaliatory actions against female tenants who refused his sexual advances.
“In this day and age, no one should have to endure sexual harassment to keep a roof over their head,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This lawsuit makes clear that the Justice Department stands ready to hold accountable those landlords and housing providers who unlawfully harass and retaliate against tenants. We encourage survivors to speak out when their rights are violated so that we can vindicate their fair housing rights and secure the relief they deserve.”
“The complaint alleges that Mr. Britton has violated federal fair housing laws through acts of sexual harassment and retaliation,” said Acting U. S. Attorney Troy Rivetti for the Western District of Pennsylvania. “The harm caused by this type of unlawful behavior is compounded when committed by someone who has control over the place where individuals have the right to feel the most safe – in their homes. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to protecting vulnerable members of our community and holding individuals accountable who prey upon them.”
“It is unacceptable and illegal to subject tenants to sexual harassment and retaliation; it must stop. Tenants deserve a safe place to call home,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Demetria L. McCain of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. “HUD will continue to work with the Justice Department to hold housing providers accountable and work toward justice for those whose civil rights have been violated.”
The lawsuit seeks monetary damages to compensate persons harmed by the alleged harassment, civil penalties to vindicate the public interest and a court order barring future discrimination.
Individuals who believe that they may have been victims of sexual harassment or other types of housing discrimination at rental dwellings owned or managed by Timothy Britton or Britton Enterprises, or who have other information that may be relevant to this case, can contact the housing discrimination tip line at 1-833-591-0291, select 1 for English, and select option number 2, then option number 2 to leave a message. Individuals may also e-mail the Justice Department at [email protected] or submit a report online. Reports also may be made by contacting the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development at 1-800-669-9777 or by filing a complaint online.
The Justice Department launched its Sexual Harassment in Housing Initiative in October 2017. The department’s initiative is led by the Civil Rights Division, in coordination with U.S. Attorneys’ offices across the country. The initiative seeks to address and raise awareness about sexual harassment by landlords, property managers, maintenance workers, loan officers or other people who have control over housing. Since launching the initiative, the Department of Justice has filed 32 lawsuits alleging sexual harassment in housing and recovered over $10.8 million for victims of such harassment.
The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability and familial status. More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at www.justice.gov/crt.
Jury Convicts Jacksonville Man for Receiving and Paying Illegal Healthcare KickbacksRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that a federal jury has returned guilty verdicts on the indictment charging Mario Correa Jackson (38, Jacksonville) with illegally soliciting and receiving healthcare kickbacks as well as illegally offering and paying health care kickbacks. Jackson faces a maximum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment on each of the charges. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to the evidence presented at trial, Jackson received illegal healthcare kickbacks for recruiting individuals to sign up for prescription compound creams. While working in the linen department of the NAS JAX Hospital, Jackson specifically targeted members of the military to ensure that the military members’ health insurance, TRICARE, would pay for the cost of the compound creams focusing on pain, scar, and migraine creams because they were the most lucrative for kickback purposes. The compound creams themselves cost TRICARE on average tens of thousands of dollars per cream. In addition to receiving kickbacks for receiving his own creams, Jackson also paid kickbacks to others once he had signed them up to get their creams and automatic refills, regardless of whether they actually needed the creams.
Jackson was responsible for signing up at least 40 individuals, for whom he would receive an additional kickback for recruiting them as “patients.” Once the individuals showed proof of obtaining their prescription cream, Jackson paid them their illegal kickbacks of several hundreds of dollars per cream they received.
This case was investigated by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys John Cannizzaro, Mai Tran, and Julie Hackenberry.
Johnstown Man Sentenced to 108 Months in Prison and 4 Years of Supervised Release for Possessing with Intent to Distribute NarcoticsRead the Press Release
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A former resident of Johnstown, PA, has been sentenced in federal court to a total of 108 months in prison followed by 4 years of supervised release on his convictions of possession with intent to distribute marijuana, LSD, cocaine, MDMA, ketamine, and THC, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
United States District Judge Stephanie L. Haines, imposed the sentence on Andrew Colvin age 30, of Johnstown, Pennsylvania.
According to information presented to the court, in connection with the guilty plea, on or about October 7, 2019, Colvin possessed with the intent to distribute a quantity of marijuana. Further, on or about October 9, 2019, Colvin possessed with the intent to distribute one gram or more of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), and quantities of marijuana, cocaine, methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), ketamine, and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). .
Assistant United States Attorney Maureen Sheehan-Balchon prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
Mr. Rivetti commended the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, Cambria County Drug Task Force, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Safe Streets Task Force for the investigation that led to the successful prosecution of Colvin.