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30 May 2023
Five Columbia Men Sentenced to Federal Prison Following Armed Bank RobberyRead the Press Release
COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA – Following the armed robbery of a bank ATM on Fairfield Road in Columbia, five Columbia men have been sentenced collectively to more than 42 years in federal prison:
- Anthony Bernard Hopkins, a/k/a “Tony Cash,” 34, was sentenced to more than 12 years (154 months) in prison after pleading guilty to Armed Bank Robbery and Brandishing a Firearm in Furtherance of Crime of Violence.
- Kenneth Boyles, Jr., a/k/a “Kilo”, 22, was sentenced to more than 11 years (141 months) in prison after pleading guilty to Armed Bank Robbery and Brandishing a Firearm in Furtherance of Crime of Violence.
- Aquan Shanard Hopkins, 28, was sentenced to more than 8 years (97 months) in prison after pleading guilty to Armed Bank Robbery and Possession of a Stolen Firearm.
- Denzel Malik Goodwin, a/k/a “Zell”, 26, of Columbia, South Carolina, and Kansas City, Missouri, was sentenced to more than 6 years (73 months) in prison after pleading guilty to Armed Bank Robbery and Possession of a Stolen Firearm.
- Antwan Kanard Hopkins, 35, was sentenced to more than 4 years (50 months) in prison after pleading guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute a Quantity of Marijuana.
Evidence presented to the Court showed that around 4:00 PM on May 31, 2020, six subjects (Anthony Hopkins, Kenneth Boyles, Aquan Hopkins, Denzel Goodwin, and two minors) participated in the armed bank robbery an ATM on Fairfield Road in Columbia while it was being serviced by a technician and protected by an armed security guard. Evidence presented also indicated all of the defendants are relatives: Aquan Hopkins, Anthony Hopkins, Antwan Hopkins, and Kenneth Boyles are brothers, and Denzel Goodwin is their cousin.
Surveillance video showed a Dodge Charger parked behind the ATM and a Chevrolet Caprice parked in the drive-through lane of the ATM. Both vehicles belonged to Aquan Hopkins.
The private security guard noticed the Caprice pull in, and she approached the vehicle to advise that the ATM was closed. While she was walking toward the Caprice, Aquan Hopkins, wearing a ski mask, placed the muzzle of a long gun to her head; that gun had an extended drum magazine attached. Aquan Hopkins laid the security guard face-down on the ground at gunpoint. A minor who participated in the robbery then stole the security guard’s Glock 9mm service pistol.
The ATM service technician then fled on foot, and with the ATM open, Anthony Hopkins and Kenneth Boyles stole $108,940 from the ATM. The defendants returned to the two cars and fled to an apartment complex where a family member lived to split the proceeds. Denzel Goodwin and the second minor remained in the vehicles throughout the robbery.
Homes associated with the defendants were searched. Law enforcement recovered more than $32,000 in robbery proceeds, four firearms (including the long gun used), ammunition, and the drum magazine used, which was loaded with 46 rounds. At the time of the robbery, Aquan Hopkins served as a Staff Sergeant in the United States Air Force as a security forces Airman.
Antwan Hopkins was prosecuted in a related case. When a house was searched following the robbery, he was found in possession of more than 200 grams of marijuana packaged for distribution, two firearms (an Anderson AM 15 rifle loaded with 22 rounds and an FN Five-Seven 5.56mm pistol loaded with 21 rounds), a bill counter, a digital scale, and vacuum-seal bags. Antwan Hopkins had numerous prior drug and firearm-related felony convictions that prohibited him from possessing firearms under federal law. Anthony Hopkins and Kenneth Boyes also had prior felony convictions at the time of the robbery.
Anthony Hopkins was arrested by the FBI and the United States Marshals in California, where he fled after his photograph in the robbery was broadcast on the news. Denzel Goodwin was arrested by the United States Marshals in Missouri. Kenneth Boyles was arrested in Florence, South Carolina, on a bus with fake identification.
United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis sentenced Anthony Hopkins, Kenneth Boyles, and Denzel Goodwin, and United States District Judge J. Michelle Childs sentenced Antwan Hopkins and Aquan Hopkins. All five defendants are subject to between 3 and 5 years of court-ordered supervision following their terms of imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system.
Anthony Hopkins, Kenneth Boyles, Aquan Hopkins, and Denzel Goodwin were ordered to pay $108,940 in restitution to the victim bank.
This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the City of Columbia Police Department, and the United States Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elliott B. Daniels prosecuted the case.
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Fentanyl Trafficker Pleads Guilty to Distributing More Than 1,000 PillsRead the Press Release
A fentanyl trafficker responsible for distributing thousands of counterfeit pills across north Texas pleaded guilty today to federal drug charges, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton.
Stephen Paul Brinson, aka “Steve-O,” 18, was charged in March. He pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a Schedule II controlled substance (fentanyl) before U.S. Magistrate Judge Irma Carrillo Ramirez.
In plea papers, Mr. Brinson admitted he dealt fentanyl-laced counterfeit pills out of a home in Flower Mound.
He used an Instagram account to facilitate the sale of the round blue pills, which were imprinted “M/30” to resemble legitimate 30mg oxycodone pills.
According to court documents, Mr. Brinson acted as the source of supply for fentanyl to Donovan Jude Andrews, the Carrollton dealer who allegedly capitalized on the arrest of Luis Navarrete and Magaly Cano to advertise his pill business. (Mr. Andrews is allegedly tied to at least one juvenile fentanyl overdose – that of a 14-year-old girl who paid her dealer through CashApp; Mr. Navarrete and Ms. Cano, along with their supplier, Jason Villanueva, are allegedly tied to more than ten others.)
During a search of Mr. Brinson’s residence, law enforcement recovered approximately 1,800 fentanyl-laced pills along with cocaine, marijuana, and two firearms.
In plea papers, he admitted that at the time of the search, he was armed and en route to deliver an M/30 pill to a customer in Flower Mound.
Mr. Brinson is the second defendant charged in the wake of the Carrollton / Flower Mound juvenile overdoses to enter a guilty plea. Magaly Cano, 29, pleaded guilty earlier this month. Six other defendants – including Mr. Andrews, Mr. Villanueva, and Mr. Navarrete – have been charged but not yet convicted. (All are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.)
Mr. Brinson now faces up to 40 years in federal prison.
The Drug Enforcement Administration’s Dallas Field Division and the Carrollton Police Department conducted the investigation with the assistance of School Resource Officers from the Carrollton – Farmer’s Branch Independent School District and the Lewisville Independent School District. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Phelesa Guy and Rick Calvert are prosecuting the case.
Note: Illicitly produced, fentanyl-laced pills often look similar to legitimate prescription pills like Oxycontin or Percocet, but can pose significantly more danger. On the street, these pills are often referred to as “M30s” (a reference to the markings on some of the pills), “blues,” “perks,” “yerks,” “china girls,” or “TNT.” DEA research shows that six out of ten pills laced with fentanyl contain a potentially lethal dose. One pill can kill. For resources, visit https://www.dea.gov/onepill.
Expatriate Charged with Making Multiple Threats to Kill U.S. Senator and U.S. MarinesRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – Eric Charles Welton, an American citizen living in Thailand, was arrested last Thursday on a criminal complaint charging that he threatened a U.S. senator and members of their staff in September of 2021. He is also alleged to have made threats against U.S. Marines and others working the U.S. Consulate in Chiang Mai, Thailand, in late 2022. Welton was arrested at the Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport as he returned to the United States from overseas by FBI Charlotte and FBI Atlanta Special Agents.
“Our elected representatives and the public servants who staff their offices must be free to do the people’s work without threats of violence,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “Violent threats against our democratically elected representatives do not just erode our civil discourse – they can undermine our democracy. We will hold accountable anyone who threatens violence targeting our bedrock institutions.”
“It is unacceptable to make violent threats against anyone. And when threats are directed at elected officials or members of the armed forces it can impact their ability to serve our country effectively,” said Robert M. DeWitt, the Special Agent in Charge of FBI Charlotte.
According to the complaint, Welton, age 51, made multiple harassing and intimidating calls to the offices of Republican elected officials and associated organizations in the United States due to a large number of unsolicited political emails he claimed he was receiving. In September of 2021, he allegedly spoke with a staff member at the Senator’s Raleigh office and, among other things, threatened to show up and “put a bullet through each of [their] heads.” The complaint also states that Welton threatened to cut off the hands of the individual that had decided to send him the emails.
The complaint further alleges that in October and November of 2022, Welton began making threats against U.S. Marines and others working at the U.S. Consulate in Thailand. In one voicemail, Welton allegedly stated that he was “going to kill a bunch of Marines” due to anger over an immigration issue.
Welton is currently charged with one count of threatening a federal official, a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 115(a)(1)(B). If convicted, he faces up to ten years in prison. Additional charges may follow.
Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating the case, and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the U.S. Department of State's Diplomatic Security Service provided significant assistance to return him to the United States. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lori Warlick is prosecuting the case.
A complaint is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
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Dublin Man Charged with Damaging Computers Belonging to His Former EmployerRead the Press Release
OAKLAND - A federal grand jury in Oakland indicted Vamsikrishna Naganathanahalli, charging him with a felony related to the alleged improper accessing and damaging of a protected computer, announced United States Attorney Ismael J. Ramsey and Federal Bureau of Investigation, Special Agent in Charge Robert K. Tripp.
According to the indictment filed May 11, 2023, and unsealed earlier today, Naganathanahalli, 47, of Dublin, Calif., accessed a computer system belonging to his former employer, Vituity, after his company login privileges had been revoked. The indictment alleges Naganathanahalli used his access to the computer system to replace real data with masked data causing damage to an important Vituity database.
Vituity comprises a group of related companies based in Emeryville, Calif., including physician partnerships and other entities. According to the indictment, Vituity maintained a computer database that was central to its business and was connected to systems responsible for hiring and payroll, among other functions. The indictment alleges that in late May of 2022, Naganathanahalli was informed that his employment with Vituity would be terminated in mid-June. The indictment alleges that after he was informed his employment would be terminated, but before his last day on the job, he changed a password to another employee’s account so he would be able to gain access to a Vituity computer system after access to Vituity’s computers using his own password was revoked. Further, the indictment alleges that in September 2022, Naganathanahalli used the changed password to access a Vituity computer system remotely, change yet another employee’s password, and then use that employee’s account to overwrite the company’s personnel data. In doing so, Naganathanahalli uploaded generic, “masked” data to overwrite the real data for thousands of current and former employees.
Defendant was arrested on May 25, 2023, and made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kandis A Westmore in federal court in Oakland this morning. Magistrate Judge Westmore ordered Naganathanahalli released on a $100,000 bond. Naganathanahalli’s next scheduled appearance is at 2 p.m. on June 15, 2023, for before the Honorable Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, U.S. District Judge for a review of case status.
An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum sentence of 10 years of imprisonment, and a fine of $250,000, plus restitution if appropriate for each violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1030(a)(5)(A), (c)(4)(A)(i)(I). 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.
This case is being prosecuted by the Special Prosecutions Section of the United States Attorney’s Office. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Court Sentences Mobile Man to Five Years Imprisonment for Trafficking FentanylRead the Press Release
On May 24, 2023, Senior United States District Court Judge Callie V. Granade sentenced Lavarance D. Nettles to 60 months imprisonment for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute fentanyl. Nettles had previously plead guilty to the offense.
Documents filed with the Court in connection with Nettles’s guilty plea established that on September 3, 2020, the Mobile Police Department Tactical Intelligence Unit seized eighty-four pills from the defendant’s vehicle. The pills were tested and found to contain fentanyl. Officers also executed a search warrant at the defendant’s apartment in Mobile and found hundreds more fentanyl pills. Officers also located and seized $64,990.00 in cash at the apartment. The money was previously forfeited to the United States as drug proceeds in a separate civil forfeiture action filed in federal court.
United States Attorney Sean P. Costello praised the outstanding work of the federal and local law enforcement agencies in bringing this fentanyl trafficker to justice and forfeiting the illegal drug proceeds. Costello stated that the federal asset forfeiture statutes present a powerful tool in depriving criminals of their ill-gotten gains. The statutes also allow most of the forfeited assets to be used to fund law enforcement operations.
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The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Mobile Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney George F. May.Co-Conspirator in Middle Georgia Criminal Meth Organization SentencedRead the Press Release
MACON, Ga. – Two co-conspirators involved in an armed drug trafficking organization responsible for distributing 16 kilograms of methamphetamine in Middle Georgia had court hearings recently.
Tamara Hall, 40, of Warner Robins, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 210 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release after she previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine on April 19, 2022. Benjamin Luopa, 48, of Warner Robins, pleaded guilty to two counts of use of a communication facility. Luopa faces a maximum sentence of four years in prison to be followed by one year of supervised release and a $250,000 fine for each count. The hearings occurred before U.S. District Judge Tilman E. “Tripp” Self, III on May 25. Sentencing for Luopa is scheduled for Sept.7. There is no parole in the federal system.
“Tamara Hall played a significant role in co-conspirator Ontarrio Veal’s armed criminal organization pushing many kilograms of methamphetamine into the Warner Robins area,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “With the rise of fentanyl, it’s no secret that street drugs are even more dangerous, plus the other crimes that develop around this level of armed drug trafficking all contribute to community erosion. Thanks to the effort of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, a significant supply of methamphetamine is cut off and the community is safer for it.”
“This investigation deals a fatal blow to a once-thriving ‘meth’ ring,” said Robert J. Murphy, the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “The citizens of Warner Robins and elsewhere can rest assured that their communities are much safer today thanks to the outstanding case work by DEA and our local law enforcement partners.”
“ATF considers the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force a critical partner in its long-term mission of removing armed gangs, criminals and narcotics traffickers from our communities,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Beau Kolodka, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Atlanta Field Division.
“The Warner Robins Police Department is honored to have worked in conjunction with our federal partners through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force which resulted in the outcome of this case,” said Assistant Chief Wayne Fisher, Warner Robins Police Department. “It is through such local, state and federal partnerships that impacts such as these can be realized. It was with great work and effort from the men and women of this task force which resulted in these arrests that will have an immeasurable impact for the good of our shared communities.”
According to documents and other evidence admitted into court, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents and Warner Robins Police Department officers investigated Ontarrio Veal’s Warner Robins-based drug trafficking organization from Jan. to June 2020. Law enforcement obtained court orders to intercept the phone calls and text messages from Veal’s and Hall’s cell phones. Agents learned that Veal was a multi-kilogram methamphetamine dealer and surveilled Veal, Hall and various co-defendants conducting methamphetamine transactions and traveling to Atlanta to purchase large quantities of methamphetamine.
Veal was taken into custody in June 2020, on a return trip from Atlanta in possession of three kilograms of methamphetamine and a Glock .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol with a 50-round drum magazine. Agents executed search warrants at various locations in Middle Georgia, seizing multiple firearms and ammunition, methamphetamine and more than $100,000 cash. Hall is being held responsible for distributing 4.5 kilograms of methamphetamine. The organization is responsible for distributing more than 16 kilograms of methamphetamine.
The following co-defendants have pleaded guilty and/or been sentenced:
Ontarrio Veal aka “Torrie,” 33, of Warner Robins, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine on Nov. 15, 2022, and was sentenced to serve 420 months in prison to be followed by four years of supervised release on April 4;
Matthew Kay, 36, of Warner Robins, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine on Sept. 6, 2022, and was sentenced to serve 235 months in prison to be followed by four years of supervised release to run consecutively to three sentences he is currently serving in Houston County, Georgia, on Jan. 19.;
Reginald Lowe, 41, of Warner Robins, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine on Aug. 30, 2022, and was sentenced to serve 240 months in prison to be followed by four years of supervised release to run consecutively to a state sentence he is currently serving in Houston County, Georgia, for an aggravated assault conviction on Dec. 6, 2022;
Milton Simmons aka Mann, 41, of Macon, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine on Aug. 1, 2022, and was sentenced to serve 120 months on Jan. 10;
Donna Ussery, 31, of Warner Robins, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine on April 19, 2022, and was sentenced to serve 100 months in prison on Oct. 4, 2022;
Parsa Ervin, 45, of Warner Robins, pleaded guilty to two counts of use of a communication facility to conspire to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine on Aug. 30, 2022, and was sentenced to serve 57 months in prison to be followed by one year of supervised release to run consecutively to any term of imprisonment that may be imposed in three separate cases in Houston County on Jan. 19.;
Marquell Gaines aka Paris, 38, of Warner Robins, pleaded guilty to use of a communication facility to conspire to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine on July 19, 2022, and was sentenced to serve 48 months in prison on Oct. 11, 2022;
Victor Mendoza, 34, of Warner Robins, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to drugs on Dec. 1, 2022, via a global plea agreement in the Southern District of Alabama and sentencing is scheduled for June 2; and
Eddie Linkhorn, 42, of Warner Robins, pleaded guilty to two counts of use of a communication facility to conspire to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine on Oct. 20, 2022, and sentencing is scheduled for June 6.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
This case was investigated by Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the Warner Robins Police Department.
The case was prosecuted by Deputy Criminal Chief Will Keyes.
Clarkdale Resident Sentenced to Prison for Sexually Abusing Young ChildRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Damian Andrew Wathogoma, 22, of Clarkdale, Arizona, was sentenced last week by United States District Judge Steven P. Logan to 51 months in prison, followed by lifetime supervised release. Wathogoma was convicted by a federal jury of Abusive Sexual Contact with a Minor in March 2023.
The evidence presented at trial revealed that Wathogoma sexually abused a seven-year-old girl on the Yavapai-Apache Indian Reservation, on or about December 11, 2021. Wathogoma is an enrolled member of the Yavapai-Apache Nation.
The Yavapai-Apache Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-22-08029-SPL
RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-079_Wathogoma# # #
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.Chinese national charged with attempting to bring child pornography into the United StatesRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – A 45-year-old man from Suqian in the Jiangsu province of China has been indicted for transporting child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
A federal grand jury returned the one-count indictment today against Tong Sun. Already in custody following charges in a criminal complaint, he is expected to make his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Scott Hacker in the near future.
Authorities allegedly encountered Sun illegally entering the United States in early May.
They conducted a search of Sun’s phone on May 8 and allegedly found videos containing child pornography. According to the charges, one video depicted a minor female believed to be younger than five years of age and was over three minutes in length.
If convicted, Sun faces up to 20 years in prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.
Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of Border Patrol.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter I. Brostowin is prosecuting the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources link on that page.
An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.
Charlottesville Bodybuilding Coach Indicted on Child Exploitation ChargesRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – In an indictment unsealed today, a federal grand jury has charged a Charlottesville-based virtual bodybuilding coach with the sexual exploitation of a minor, enticement of a minor, and possession of child pornography.
In an indictment returned May 24 and unsealed today following the defendant’s arrest, the grand jury has charged Elliott Atwell, 33, of Charlottesville, with four counts of the sexual exploitation of a minor, one count of enticing a minor for the purposing of engaging in sexual activity, and one count of possessing child pornography.
According to the indictment, between December 2013 and April 2020, Atwell enticed at least six minors to record themselves engaging in sexually explicit conduct and then send the recordings to him.
The investigation into this matter remains ongoing. Any individuals who believe they or someone they know may have been victimized by this defendant should contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI.
United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh of the Western District of Virginia and Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Richmond Division made the announcement.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Melanie Smith and Trial Attorney Jessica Urban of the Department of Justice’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section are prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Charleston Man Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Timothy Blake Parsons, 54, of Charleston, pleaded guilty today to possession of prepubescent child pornography.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on November 2, 2022, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Parsons’ residence and seized several electronic devices including Parsons’ cell phone. A forensic analysis of Parsons’ cell phone and cloud backup revealed an extensive history of searching for and viewing child pornography. Over 1,000 images and a video of child pornography were identified. Some of these images depict prepubescent minors, including toddlers, subjected to sexually explicit conduct, as well as bestiality. One image depicts an adult male sexually assaulting a prepubescent minor female.
Parsons is scheduled to be sentenced on September 21, 2023, and faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 20 years in prison, five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Chief United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorneys Julie M. White and Holly Wilson are prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:22-cr-230.
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California Man Sentenced to 87 Months for Methamphetamine Trafficking in Saratoga CountyRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Roderick Meskell, age 53, of Sacramento, California, was sentenced today to 87 months in prison for his role in a drug trafficking organization that distributed crystal methamphetamine in Saratoga County in 2020.
United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Janeen DiGuiseppi, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.
In previously pleading guilty, Meskell admitted that from June 2020 through October 2020, he worked with others, including co-conspirators Ali Hassan Ahmed III and Jordan D. Lopez, to transport and distribute Mexican cartel-sourced crystal methamphetamine from Sacramento to redistributors in Saratoga County. In total, the organization trafficked approximately 5 kilograms of methamphetamine.
United States District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby also ordered Meskell to serve a 5-year term of supervised release following his release from prison.
Lopez previously pled guilty in connection with the conspiracy and was sentenced to 78 months in prison.
Ahmed III has also pled guilty in connection with the conspiracy, and faces at least 10 years and up to life in prison, a term of supervised release between 5 years and life, and a maximum fine of $10 million. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statutes the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.
The FBI and the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Emmet O’Hanlon is prosecuting this case.
Bodybuilding Coach Arrested for Child ExploitationRead the Press Release
A bodybuilding coach was arrested today in Charlottesville, Virginia, for multiple child exploitation offenses.
According to court documents, between 2013 and April 2020, Elliott Simon Atwell, 33, of Charlottesville, allegedly enticed and coerced at least six minors to engage in sexually explicit conduct in order to produce recordings of the conduct. Atwell also allegedly enticed a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity and possessed images of minors – including prepubescent minors and minors under 12 years of age – who were engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
Atwell is charged with four counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, one count of enticement of a minor, and one count of possession of child pornography. If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and up to life in prison.
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh for the Western District of Virginia, and Special Agent in Charge Stanley M. Meador of the FBI Richmond Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI is investigating the case.
Trial Attorney Jessica L. Urban of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Melanie Smith for the Western District of Virginia are prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Any individuals who believe they or someone they know may have been victimized by Atwell are encouraged to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Bakersfield Man Sentenced to 4.5 Years in Prison for Being a Felon in Possession of a Shotgun and Stealing MailRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — Christopher Smith, 36, of Bakersfield, was sentenced today to four years and six months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a shotgun, stealing checks and debit cards from the mail, and committing related financial fraud, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court records, Smith, a previously convicted felon, unlawfully possessed a 12‑gauge shotgun that he was keeping in a storage unit. From March 2020 through July 2020, Smith also obtained hundreds of pieces of stolen mail that included 200 checks with a face value of over $100,000 and 27 debit cards belonging to other individuals and businesses. Smith then altered and forged the stolen checks and used the stolen debit cards to deposit the checks into victims’ bank accounts and make cash withdrawals.
This case was the product of an investigation by U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Barton is prosecuting the case.
Armed Career Criminal Pleads Guilty to Possessing Firearms and Ammunition as A Convicted FelonRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Samuel Robert Bruner (47, North Fort Myers) today pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition. Bruner faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years, up to life, in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to court documents, Bruner was found in possession of two revolvers, a shotgun, and assorted ammunition in a vehicle he was operating on December 1, 2021. Court records confirm that he had previously been convicted of a felony, which prohibits him from possessing firearms and ammunition under federal law. Bruner has at least three prior felony convictions that qualify under federal law as either a “violent felony” or a “serious drug offense” subjecting him to enhanced punishment as an Armed Career Criminal.
This case was investigated by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being 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.
Ada Resident Sentenced for Child Neglect in Indian CountryRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Dylan Tyler Neal, age 23, of Ada, Oklahoma, was sentenced to time served followed by five years of supervised release for child neglect in Indian Country. Neal was also sentenced to time served followed by three years of supervised release for receiving a firearm and ammunition while under felony indictment.
The charges arose from investigations by the Pontotoc County Sheriff’s Office, the Shawnee Police Department, the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Lighthorse Tribal Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
On March 4, 2022, Neal pleaded guilty to one count of willfully and maliciously failing to provide adequate and appropriate care, supervision, and medical care to an Indian child under eighteen years of age while responsible for the child’s health, safety, and welfare, resulting in injury to the child. That same day, Neal also pleaded guilty to one count of receiving a firearm and ammunition while under indictment for felony Child Neglect in Indian Country.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma prosecuted these cases because the defendant is a member of a federally recognized Indian tribe and the crimes occurred in Indian Country, within the boundaries of the Chickasaw Nation Reservation and the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The Honorable Jodi W. Dishman, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, sitting by appointment, presided over the hearings in Oklahoma City.
Special Assistant United States Attorney Genevieve Ozark represented the United States at sentencing.
12 Quad Cities Gang Members and Associates Indicted on Federal ChargesRead the Press Release
DAVENPORT, IA – A federal grand jury in Davenport returned an indictment on May 22, 2023, charging 12 Quad Cities men with offenses related to a racketeering conspiracy, who conspired to engage in a years-long pattern of violence, including murder, attempted murders, robbery, and drug trafficking.
As alleged in this indictment, those charged were members and associates of a criminal organization or Enterprise known as the “Arsenal Courts Posse a/k/a Zone Fifth a/k/a Fifth Street Mafia a/k/a Rock Town Money Getters (RTMG) a/k/a Money Team,” whose members and associates engaged in acts of violence. The Enterprise’s origins began in Rock Island, Illinois, in the late 1990s and early 2000s. At that time, members and associates of the Enterprise referred to themselves as the Arsenal Courts Posse. Arsenal Courts was the former name of Century Woods, a housing complex which members or associates of the Enterprise lived in or frequented on a regular basis. The housing complex is located in the 1400 block of Fifth Street. Between 2009 and 2011, the younger members and associates of the Enterprise began referring to themselves as “Zone Fifth” or “Fifth Street Mafia” continuing to represent the location of the Enterprise’s territory. As alleged in this indictment, the principal purposes and objectives of the Enterprise were to distribute controlled substances, obtain money and things of value, and earn and maintain respect in the Quad Cities. To achieve those purposes and objectives, members and associates of the Enterprise committed acts involving murder, robbery, threatened to commit acts of violence, and trafficking of controlled substances.
The following members and associates of the Enterprise are charged in the Indictment and are all from Rock Island, Illinois:
• Ricky Lee Childs, Jr., 38, is charged with racketeering conspiracy. As part of this investigation, he was previously charged with felon in possession of a firearm and sentenced to 110 months of imprisonment (Southern District of Iowa, 3:22-cr-21). Between both charges, he is facing a maximum sentence of 30 years of imprisonment.
• Don Christopher White, Jr., 37, is charged with racketeering conspiracy and felon in possession of a firearm. As part of this investigation, White was previously charged with felon in possession of a firearm (Southern District of Iowa, 3:23-cr-22). White is facing a maximum sentence of 40 years of imprisonment.
• Devell Carl Lewis, 35, is charged with racketeering conspiracy. He is facing a maximum sentence of 20 years of imprisonment. In addition, Lewis is scheduled to be sentenced in August 2023 on federal drug charges out of Rock Island, Illinois (Central District of Illinois, 4:20-cr-40022).
• Deaguise Ramont Hall, 34, is charged with racketeering conspiracy. He is facing a maximum sentence of 20 years of imprisonment.
• Simmeon Terrell Hall, 34, is charged with racketeering conspiracy. He is facing a maximum sentence of 20 years of imprisonment.
• Brandon Deshane Branigan, 32, is charged with racketeering conspiracy. As part of this investigation, Branigan was previously charged with felon in possession of a firearm (Southern District of Iowa, 3:22-cr-110). Branigan is facing a maximum sentence of 30 years of imprisonment.
• Rasheem Damonte Bogan, 31, is charged with racketeering conspiracy and felon in possession of a firearm. He is facing a maximum sentence of 30 years of imprisonment. In addition, Bogan is scheduled to be sentenced in August 2023 on federal drug charges out of Rock Island, Illinois (Central District of Illinois, 4:20-cr-40022).
• Raheem Jacques Houston, 30, is charged with racketeering conspiracy and felon in possession of a firearm. He is facing a maximum sentence of 30 years of imprisonment. In addition, in August 2023, Houston is scheduled to be sentenced on federal drug charges out of Rock Island, Illinois (Central District of Illinois, 4:20-cr-40022).
• Michael Linn Cross, 30, is charged with racketeering conspiracy. He is facing a maximum sentence of 20 years of imprisonment.
• Lashawn D James Hensley, 30, is charged with racketeering conspiracy. He is facing a maximum sentence of 20 years of imprisonment.
• Devante Atwell French, 29, is charged with racketeering conspiracy and felon in possession of a firearm. He is facing a maximum sentence of 30 years of imprisonment.
• Timothy Justin Beaver, 28, is charged with racketeering conspiracy. He is facing a maximum sentence of 20 years of imprisonment.
The Indictment is attached below.
Timothy Beaver, Simmeon Hall, and Deaguise Hall made their initial court appearance on May 25, 2023, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephen B. Jackson, Jr. of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa. The remaining defendants will make their initial court appearances on later dates.As part of this investigation, in September 2022, Sinae Coral Lucille Tate, 33 of the Quad Cities, was charged with making false declarations to a federal grand jury regarding Don White’s use of her 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix during two of the overt acts in the racketeering conspiracy (Southern District of Iowa, 3:22-cr-77). On April 20, 2023, Tate pled guilty to one count of False Declarations Before a Grand Jury. She is facing a maximum sentence of five years of imprisonment and is scheduled to be sentenced on August 8, 2023.
“To those that choose criminal violence this case is an example of the fate that awaits you. We will continue to place violent crime as our highest priority. With our law enforcement partners like the Davenport Police Department, we are dedicated and motivated to use every legal tool to help protect the Davenport community,” said United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa.
“The tremendous work of our investigators and federal partners delivered justice for those impacted by these violent crimes,” said Davenport Police Chief Jeffery Bladel. “These cases demonstrate, the outstanding partnership and collaboration between federal prosecutors and local law enforcement that has a long-term impact on the safety of our community. The Davenport Police Department is dedicated to the safety and wellbeing of our community and bringing those who commit violent crimes to justice.”
The Davenport and Rock Island Police Departments are investigating the case, with assistance from the Scott County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa Department of Criminal Investigations, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Drug Enforcement Administration.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
arsenal_courts_posse_indictment.pdf
28 May 2023
White River Man Sentenced for Abusive Sexual ContactRead the Press Release
PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court, has sentenced a White River, South Dakota, man convicted of Abusive Sexual Contact. The sentencing took place on May 22, 2023.
Justin Moreno, age 34, was sentenced to nine years and six months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Moreno was indicted by a federal grand jury in May of 2022. He pleaded guilty on February 9, 2023.
The conviction stems from conduct that occurred on January 2, 2022, in Mellette County, South Dakota, wherein Moreno engaged in sexual contact with an adult female by the use of force.
This case was investigated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson prosecuted the case.
Richards was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Texas Man Sentenced to 19 Months in Federal Prison for Role in ATM LarcenyRead the Press Release
SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier sentenced a Houston, Texas, man, convicted of Bank Larceny. The sentencing took place on May 15, 2023, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Alton Himes, age 25, was sentenced to 19 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. He was ordered to pay approximately $100,000 in restitution and $100 as a statutorily required special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Himes was indicted for Bank Larceny and Transportation of Stolen Money by a federal grand jury in September 2022. He pleaded guilty to Bank Larceny on March 1, 2023.
According to court documents, on December 2, 2021, in the early morning hours, Himes, and his three co-defendants, approached an automated teller machine (ATM) belonging to Dakotaland Federal Credit Union located in Madison, South Dakota. One of the vehicles that Defendant Himes and his co-defendants were driving at that time was a stolen Ford F-350 pickup truck. The truck was stolen from a parking lot located on the campus of South Dakota State University in Brookings, South Dakota.
Himes and his co-defendants used the stolen truck and towing equipment, including straps and J-hooks, to physically break into the ATM and remove three cash boxes. After forcefully removing the boxes, Himes and his co-defendants stole the boxes and fled the area in the stolen pickup truck. They then traveled across state lines with the stolen cash.
The ATM was destroyed in the process of the larceny and was deemed a total loss, costing over $30,000 to replace. The total amount of cash stolen was $32,300, and it belonged to Dakotaland Federal Credit Union.
Himes’s co-defendants – Kytorrion Young, Keivon Jones, and Kendrick Kennedy – knowingly participated with Himes in carrying out bank larceny. Each is awaiting sentencing.
This case was investigated by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy R. Jehangiri prosecuted the case.
Himes was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service to continue serving his sentence.
Sioux Falls Man Sentenced to Nearly 2 Years in Federal Prison for Role in Fraud & Money Laundering SchemesRead the Press Release
SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier sentenced a Sioux Falls, South Dakota, man, convicted of Conspiracy to Launder Monetary Instruments. The sentencing took place on May 17, 2023, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Keyvon Hamilton Hogan, age 23, was sentenced to 23 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. He was ordered to pay $563,127.06 in restitution, to forfeit his interest in money and personal property, as well as to pay $100 a statutorily required special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Hogan was indicted for Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud and Conspiracy to Launder Monetary Instruments by a federal grand jury in April 2022. He pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Launder Monetary Instruments on November 9, 2022.
According to court documents, from 2020 to April 2022, Hogan, along with his co-defendants, conspired with others to commit bank fraud. The scheme impacted multiple financial institutions and individuals throughout the Sioux Falls area and elsewhere, as the defendants obtained money from those banks by means of false or fraudulent pretenses, representations, and promises. After obtaining funds through fraud, Hogan and his co-conspirators engaged in depositing, transferring, wiring, and withdrawing currency and electronic funds at financial institutions to conceal and disguise the proceeds of the fraud scheme.
This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation; Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations; Sioux Falls Police Department; U.S. Postal Service; and South Dakota Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy R. Jehangiri prosecuted the case.
Hogan was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service to continue serving his sentence.
Sioux Falls Man Sentenced for Failure to Register as a Sex OffenderRead the Press Release
PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court, has sentenced a Sioux Falls, South Dakota, man convicted of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender. The sentencing took place on May 22, 2023.
Adrian Fast Dog, 43, was sentenced to three years and seven months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Fast Dog was indicted for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender by a federal grand jury in August of 2022. He pleaded guilty on February 13, 2023.
Fast Dog was convicted of Aggravated Sexual Abuse on October 15, 2001. As a result of this conviction, he is required to register as a sex offender and update his registration within three business days of relocation or changing employment or student status. Fast Dog last registered in June of 2021, providing a motel in Sioux Falls as his address. Subsequent address verification checks conducted by law enforcement revealed Fast Dog was not residing at the motel. Fast Dog’s whereabouts were unknown until he was arrested on July 27, 2022.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service and the Sioux Falls Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Abby Roesler prosecuted the case.
Fast Dog was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Porcupine Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Court Judge Jeffrey L. Viken has sentenced a Porcupine, South Dakota, man convicted of Voluntary Manslaughter. The sentencing took place on May 22, 2023.
Trey New Holy, 30, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
New Holy was indicted for Second Degree Murder by a federal grand jury in September of 2022. He pleaded guilty on February 17, 2023.
The conviction stems from New Holy beating an individual after an altercation on September 3, 2022, in Porcupine. The victim sustained multiple blunt traumatic injuries to his head and body. He ultimately succumbed to his injuries.
This case was investigated by the FBI and the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan Poppen prosecuted the case.
New Holy was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Mission Man Sentenced for Distribution of a Controlled Substance to a Person Under Age 21Read the Press Release
PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court, has sentenced a Mission, South Dakota, man convicted of Distribution of a Controlled Substance to a Person Under Age 21. The sentencing took place on May 22, 2023.
Jeremy Richards, age 29, was sentenced to five years and one month in federal prison, followed by six years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Richards was indicted by a federal grand jury in August of 2022. He pleaded guilty on February 27, 2023.
The conviction stems from conduct that occurred between January 1, 2021, and January 1, 2022, in Todd County, South Dakota, wherein Richards distributed methamphetamine to a juvenile who was between 16 and 17 years old.
This case was investigated by the Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force and the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson prosecuted the case.
Richards was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
26 May 2023
Woodville Woman Faces up to 5 Years, $250K Fine for Social Security Fraud, Health Care Fraud and Theft of Public MoneyRead the Press Release
BANGOR, Maine: A Woodville woman pleaded guilty yesterday in U.S. District Court in Bangor to Social Security fraud, health care fraud and theft of public money.
According to court records, from about January 2005 through March 2021, Rella Austin-Kimball, 51, concealed the presence of her husband in her household and her receipt of alimony payments following divorce from the Social Security Administration (SSA) to maintain her eligibility to receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments. SSI benefits are paid to people with limited income who are blind, disabled or elderly. Austin-Kimball also concealed her husband’s presence from the Maine Department of Health & Human Services (ME/DHHS) from about January 2005 to July 2017, during which time she received MaineCare and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. Her concealment of her husband’s presence in her household also allowed her then-minor child to receive SSI benefits from about November 2006 through January 2015 and MaineCare and SNAP benefits through February 2013.
In multiple benefit eligibility reviews, Austin-Kimball falsely represented to the SSA and ME/DHHS that she and her husband had separated in January 2005 and had lived separately since that time. Following her divorce, she failed to disclose her receipt of alimony payments during eligibility reviews. She failed to disclose these events despite knowing that she was required to and that they would affect her eligibility to receive benefits for herself and on behalf of her son.
Austin-Kimball faces up to five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release on the Social Security fraud and health care fraud charges. She faces up to 1 year in prison, a fine of up to $100,000, and up to one year of supervised release on the theft of public money charge. She will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
SSA’s Office of the Inspector General and ME/DHHS’s Fraud Investigation & Recovery Unit investigated the case.
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Winooski Man Sentenced for Receiving Firearm While Under IndictmentRead the Press Release
Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office stated that Edward Lamson, 23, previously of Winooski, Vermont, was sentenced today following his guilty plea to receiving a firearm while under indictment for numerous state felony offenses. Lamson was found in possession of the firearm in May 2022, after he was involved in a single-vehicle accident in South Burlington, Vermont. Lamson was facing eight state felony charges, including multiple burglaries, and numerous simple assault charges at the time of his arrest.
Chief U.S. District Court Judge Geoffrey W. Crawford sentenced Lamson to time served (after serving approximately 9 months in prison), to be followed by a 3 year period of supervised release. In imposing the sentence, the Court noted not only the seriousness of Lamson’s offense, but also his history of mental health issues.
The U.S. Attorney recognized the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) for their work on the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eugenia Cowles and Michael Drescher represented the government. Michael J. Straub, Esq. represented Mr. Lamson.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psn .Waterbury Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Narcotics Distribution and Firearm Possession OffensesRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that RAMON OQUENDO, also known as “Mimo,” 46, of Waterbury, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall in New Haven to 120 months of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release, for narcotics trafficking and firearm possession offenses.
According to the evidence disclosed during the trial, this matter stems from an investigation led by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Bridgeport High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force of a drug trafficking network led by Landdy Rodriguez of Waterbury. In August 2021, investigators intercepted phone calls during which Rodriguez arranged for Oquendo to supply fentanyl to other drug distributors, including Sylvester Vann, also known as “Bug,” of Waterbury, and Pedro Diaz of Red Lion, Pennsylvania. Between August and October 2021, investigators conducted physical surveillance and observed Oquendo engaging in multiple drug transactions with Vann and Diaz. After one transaction, in August 2021, a Pennsylvania State Trooper stopped Diaz’s car in Pennsylvania and seized 48 grams of fentanyl.
Oquendo was arrested on October 26, 2021. On that date, a court authorized search of his residence revealed approximately 100 grams of fentanyl, 64 grams of crack cocaine, 102 grams of methamphetamine, a large quantity of marijuana, a polymer 80 privately made firearm (“ghost gun”), ammunition, narcotics processing and packaging materials, and nearly $50,000 in cash.
Oquendo’s criminal history includes convictions for felony drug and firearm offenses. It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.
Oquendo has been detained since his arrest. On March 2, 2023, a jury found him guilty of conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute, 40 grams or more of fentanyl; possession with intent to distribute 40 grams of fentanyl; possession with intent to distribute cocaine base (“crack”) and fentanyl; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; and unlawful possession of ammunition by a felon.
Rodriguez, Vann, and Diaz pleaded guilty to related charges and have been sentenced.
This investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Bridgeport High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force, with the assistance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Connecticut State Police, 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 was 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.
Two defendants plead guilty to multiple charges concerning child sexual exploitationRead the Press Release
BRUNSWICK, GA: A Camden County man and woman face substantial prison terms after pleading guilty to multiple charges that concern the sexual exploitation of children.
Michael Williams Kersey, 45, of St. Mary’s, Ga., and Lesley M. Henry, 47, of Kingsland, Ga., each await sentencing after pleading guilty to multiple charges before U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.
Kersey faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison, up to 140 years, after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Engage in Sexual Exploitation of Children; two counts of Sexual Exploitation of Children; and Possession of Child Pornography. Henry faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison, up to 60 years, after pleading guilty to two counts of Production of Child Pornography. Each defendant also is subject to pay a special assessment of $5,000 and substantial financial penalties and restitution, serve a period of supervised release upon completion of their prison terms, and to register as sex offenders.
There is no parole in the federal system.
“It is exceptionally difficult to fathom the level of victimization of vulnerable children through the despicable acts of these defendants,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “Our law enforcement partners did exceptional work in identifying these defendants and protecting innocent children from further harm.”
FBI agents in 2020 began working to find the origin of child sexual abuse images shared through an internet messaging application, and identified Kersey as the registered user of the account. Agents searched Kersey’s home and found multiple electronic devices with hundreds of images and videos of child sexual abuse, and subsequently identified Henry as a codefendant. Agents determined she had produced multiple images and videos of child sexual abuse and shared them with Kersey.
Both defendants are in federal custody. Sentencing will be scheduled before Judge Wood upon completion of a pre-sentence investigation by U.S. Probation Services.
“The victimization of a child is particularly heinous when the sexual predators are creating the content to share with other predators. Our office remains relentless in the pursuit to ensure the safety of our children and the punishment of their abusers,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Anyone who suspects a child is being victimized is urged to contact their local law enforcement agency or child protective services.”
The case is being investigated by the FBI, with assistance from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service/Kings Bay, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Camden County Sheriff’s Office, the St. Marys Police Department, and the Kingsland Police Department, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer S. Kirkland and Criminal Division Deputy Chief Tania D. Groover.
Anyone with information on suspected child sexual exploitation can contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 800-843-5678, or https://report.cybertip.org/.
Two Utah Men Charged with Federal Hate Crime OffenseRead the Press Release
Two Utah men were charged with a federal hate crime April 26 following the return of an indictment by a federal grand jury in Salt Lake City, Utah.
According to the indictment, Nathan Thomas, 22, and Sebastian West, 22, both of Payson, allegedly assaulted a person identified by the initials D.J. because of D.J.’s actual and perceived race.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins for the District of Utah and Acting Special Agent in Charge Cheyvoryea Gibson of the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI Salt Lake City Field Office is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Drew Yeates and Andrea Martinez for the District of Utah and Trial Attorney Andrew Manns of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section are prosecuting the case.
Two Portland Area Drug Traffickers Sentenced to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.—On May 25, 2023, two Portland area drug traffickers were sentenced to more than ten years in federal prison for their roles in a Mexican drug trafficking organization responsible for distributing fentanyl, heroin, and methamphetamine in and around Portland and elsewhere.
Rodrigo Diaz-Lopez, 53, of Gresham, Oregon, and Jonathan Avila-Suarez, 31, of Portland, were sentenced to 135 and 120 months in federal prison, respectively. Both men must also complete five-year terms of supervised release following the completion of their prison sentences.
According to court documents, Diaz-Lopez and Avila-Suarez were part of a drug trafficking organization (DTO) led by two brothers based in Nayarit, Mexico. Diaz-Lopez, who has three prior felony drug trafficking convictions and has been repeatedly removed from the United States following those convictions, served as a sub-distributor in the DTO responsible for receiving illegal narcotics from couriers and other distributors and brokering local sales. Avila-Suarez was a sub-distributor and stash house operator.
In early February 2021, as part of a long-term investigation into the DTO’s operations, special agents from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) obtained information that Avila-Suarez had arranged for the delivery of 400 grams of heroin to a Portland hotel room. Agents observed the delivery and seized the heroin from Avila-Suarez’s customer. The next day, agents executed a federal search warrant on Avila-Suarez’s Portland apartment. They located and seized large quantities of heroin, methamphetamine, and fentanyl packaged for distribution and two firearms.
Around the same time, agents identified Diaz-Lopez and arranged for a controlled purchase of methamphetamine from him. On March 12, 2021, they executed a federal search warrant on Diaz-Lopez’s Gresham residence and seized several kilograms each of methamphetamine, heroin, and counterfeit Oxycodone pills containing fentanyl. Agents also located and seized $30,000 in cash, an assault rifle, and a handgun.
On February 21, 2021, Avila-Suarez was charged by criminal complaint with possessing with intent to distribute controlled substances, using communications facilities in the commission of drug trafficking offenses, and maintaining drug involved premises. On March 15, 2021, Diaz-Lopez was charged by criminal complaint with possessing with intent to distribute controlled substances. Both men were later indicted on related charges.
On January 25, 2023, Avila-Suarez pleaded guilty to possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine. One month later, on February 21, 2023, Diaz-Lopez pleaded guilty to possessing with intent to distribute heroin.
These cases were investigated by DEA. They were prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon.
These prosecutions were the result 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 U.S. 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.
Two Men in $7 Million COVID Fraud Scheme Plead GuiltyRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Manassas and a Bealton man pleaded guilty today to engaging in a joint scheme to defraud banks and the Small Business Administration of over $7 million in COVID relief funds.
According to court documents, from approximately April 2020 to March 2021, Bennie Earl Magee, 54, falsified payroll records, created fake IRS business tax returns, and submitted to lenders and the SBA falsified revenue reports of multiple companies to obtain over $7 million in PPP and EIDL loans for himself and others. Gilcher, 45, obtained $1.4 million of the total, but wrote checks back to Magee’s company, Bull Run Capital, totaling approximately $620,000. Magee used the PPP funds to invest in crypto currency, home renovations, to purchase vehicles, and to pay other personal expenses.
Magee and Gilcher are scheduled to be sentenced on August 25. Magee faces a up to 20 years in prison, while Gilcher faces up to five years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division; and Brian Miller, Inspector General for the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery (SIGPR), made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton accepted the plea.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Russell L. Carlberg and Kathleen Robeson are prosecuting the case.
This case was investigated by an agent assigned to the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) Fraud Task Force. The PRAC was established to serve the American public by promoting transparency and facilitating coordinated oversight of the federal government’s COVID-19 pandemic response. The PRAC’s 21 member Inspectors General identify major risks that cross program and agency boundaries to detect fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement in the more than $5 trillion in COVID-19 spending. The PRAC Fraud Task Force brings together agents from 16 Inspectors General to investigate fraud involving a variety of programs, including the Paycheck Protection Program. Task force agents who are detailed to the PRAC receive expanded authority to investigate pandemic fraud as well as tools and training to support their investigations.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case Nos. 1:23-cr-86 and 1:23-cr-91.
Two Clayton County men sentenced to prison after discharging machinegun at federal agentsRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Anthony Maseda and Erik Arreola-Torres have been sentenced for their roles in a scheme to convert semi-automatic firearms into machineguns and sell the fully automatic firearms out of a Clayton County, Georgia, residence. Arreola-Torres fired at federal special agents and local law enforcement officers using a fully automatic machinegun when the investigators arrived at the home to execute a search warrant.
“Maseda and Arreola-Torres jeopardized the lives of multiple law enforcement officers and community residents during an investigation by law enforcement officers of the defendants’ machinegun trafficking scheme,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “This office and its law enforcement partners will identify, target, and prosecute those individuals who threaten the safety of our communities by creating and selling automatic firearms. We commend the work of our dedicated agency partners in this case and are grateful no one was injured during this violent incident.”
“Because of the combined efforts of ATF and its law enforcement partners, criminal elements have been surgically removed from the community of Clayton County and placed where they belong: into the criminal justice system to be processed and prosecuted for illegal gun activity,” said Alisha Jones, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of ATF’s Atlanta Field Division.
“This investigation re-affirms the importance of our agency’s collaboration with our federal partners. The arrests resulting from this joint investigation with the ATF surely saved lives in Clayton County and likely in the metropolitan region. The Clayton County Police Department will continue to partner with our Federal and State law enforcement agencies to reduce violent crimes in our community,” said Clayton County Police Chief Kevin Roberts.
According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court: From January through March of 2022, Anthony Maseda and Erik Arreola-Torres conducted a firearm and machinegun trafficking operation out of a home in Jonesboro, Georgia. Maseda, a previously convicted felon, and leader of the operation, illegally imported auto sear devices, also known as “switches”, from China. Possessing an auto sear is a felony offense under federal law, even when the device is not installed in a firearm.
Using auto sears, Maseda converted numerous firearms into fully automatic machineguns and then advertised the sale of machineguns, auto sears, and semi-automatic firearms on his public Instagram page. Federal special agents obtained a warrant to search the Jonesboro residence after Maseda and Arreola-Torres sold a machinegun, a semi-automatic firearm, and multiple switches to an undercover informant at the home.
On the morning of March 3, 2022, special agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with assistance from the Clayton County Police Department, executed the search warrant at the Jonesboro house. As law enforcement officers stood outside the home, Arreola-Torres picked up a machinegun and fired towards agents and officers from inside the residence, unloading dozens of rounds in the investigators’ direction. Fortunately, no one was hit or injured.
After securing the scene and taking Maseda and Arreola-Torres into custody, agents located within the residence six fully automatic machineguns, four additional auto sears, five additional firearms, numerous firearm parts and magazines, ammunition, bullet proof body armor, and distribution quantities of marijuana and digital scales. One of the firearms had an obliterated serial number.
Erik Arreola-Torres, 20, of Jonesboro, Georgia, was sentenced on May 7, 2023, by U.S. District Judge Steven D. Grimberg to ten years and one month in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. He pleaded guilty to possession of a machinegun and conspiracy to engage in the business of dealing in firearms without a license on October 17, 2022.
Anthony Maseda, 21, of Jonesboro, Georgia, was also sentenced by Judge Grimberg to nine years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. He pleaded guilty to possession of a machinegun on October 13, 2022.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Clayton County Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Annalise K. Peters 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.
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 Allentown Residents Charged in Stolen Identity Refund Fraud (SIRF) Scheme, Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) Fraud, and Aggravated Identity Theft ConspiracyRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Jose Baez and Jessenia Cordero, a married couple, both of Allentown, PA, were charged by way of complaint with one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States with respect to certain claims, conspiracy to commit aggravated identity theft, and conspiracy to commit mail fraud, all stemming from Baez and Cordero filing fraudulent tax returns and PUA applications with stolen identities.
The complaint alleges that Baez and Cordero used stolen identities to file at least 316 fraudulent federal tax returns and 168 fraudulent PUA applications. Baez and Cordero filed the false returns with designated tax preparer identification numbers registered under their name. According to the complaint, Baez and Cordero used the corporate alter ego, JB Multiservices, a company owned by Baez, and of which Cordero was an employee, to file the fraudulent returns. The false returns were filed using an IP address registered to Baez at the business's location. Additionally, according to the complaint, at least 674 false returns were filed by the IP address registered to that location by Baez, Cordero, Person 1, and Person 2. As outlined in the complaint, per Internal Revenue Service (IRS) records, the 316 false returns filed by Baez and Cordero requested at least $1.8 million dollars in fraudulent tax refunds.
As also alleged in the complaint, the IP address registered to Baez at his and Cordero's home was used to file 168 fraudulent PUA applications. After the fraudulent applications were filed, the respective state workforce agency responsible for administering the PUA benefits dispersed funds on the fraudulent PUA applications by mailing PUA debit cards to addresses in Allentown and elsewhere. Over $1.4 million dollars in PUA benefits were withdrawn at ATMs on the cards. PUA debit cards were also issued under Baez and Cordero's names and mailed to an Allentown address. The PUA debit cards issued under the names of Baez and Cordero were often used at ATMs immediately before or after PUA debit cards were issued on other applications filed with stolen identities.
As alleged in the complaint, during a July 6, 2022 search warrant, that was executed pursuant to a federal search warrant issued in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania of Baez and Cordero's home, federal agents recovered lists of identities and documents that were used to file the fraudulent tax returns and PUA applications.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Allentown Resident Agency, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, and the Department of Labor's Office of the Inspector General, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Timothy M. Lanni and Mary A. Futcher.
An indictment, information, or criminal complaint is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Steuben County Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
ROCHESTER, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that John Buckley, 59, of Wayland, NY, pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography before Chief U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle P. Rossi, who is handling the case, stated that between August and December 2021, Buckley used his cellphone to take sexually explicit photos of a minor female. On August 30, 2022, the FBI executed a federal search warrant on the cellphone and recovered 31 images containing child pornography, including images of the minor female. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle P. Rossi, who is handling the case, stated that between August and December 2021, Buckley used his cellphone to take sexually explicit photos of a minor female. On August 30, 2022, the FBI executed a federal search warrant on the cellphone and recovered 31 images containing child pornography, including images of the minor female.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia. Additional assistance was provided by the FBI Chicago Field Office and the Joliet, Illinois Police Department.
Sentencing will be scheduled at a later date before Judge Wolford.
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Sexual Predator Sentenced to More Than 16 Years in Federal Prison for Receipt of Child Sex Abuse ImagesRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – Chief U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan has sentenced Dennis William Sheffield, Jr. (52, Keystone Heights) to 16 years and 3 months in federal prison for receipt of child sex abuse materials. Sheffield was also ordered to serve a life term of supervised release and to register as a sex offender. In addition, he was ordered to pay $15,000 in restitution to victims of his offenses. Sheffield had pleaded guilty on December 16, 2022.
According to the plea agreement, in February 2022, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) began investigating Sheffield in response to a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The CyberTip indicated that child sex abuse material had been uploaded to a search engine. An IP address for the individual who had uploaded the materials was traced to Sheffield and law enforcement learned that Sheffield was listed as a predator on the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Sexual Offenders and Predators registry because of two convictions (1996) of attempted sexual battery on a child under 12 years old.
On March 3, 2022, based on the CyberTip and identification of Sheffield as the subject, law enforcement obtained a federal search warrant for Sheffield’s residence. The following day, authorities executed the search warrant and encountered Sheffield, who was holding a phone in his hand. A preliminary examination of the cellphone revealed multiple files of child sex abuse materials on the phone. Sheffield admitted to having a problem and that he liked looking at child sex abuse images, which he admitted to having viewed as recently as a couple of days earlier. Sheffield also admitted to saving some of the images on his phone.
“This sexual predator has already served prison time for sexually exploiting children; he clearly did not learn his lesson,” said Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Jacksonville Assistant Special Agent in Charge K. Jim Phillips. “Thanks to the Northeast Florida INTERCEPT Task Force, Clay County Sheriff's Office and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, this predator will spend a significant amount of time behind bars, again.”
This case was investigated by the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Northeast Florida INTERCEPT Task Force. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ashley Washington.
It 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.
San Antonio Man Found Guilty of Supporting TerroristsRead the Press Release
SAN ANTONIO – A federal jury convicted a San Antonio man yesterday for conspiring to provide material support to terrorists.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Imad Eddin Wadi, 66, conspired to funnel funds to members and affiliates of U.S. designated foreign terrorist organizations, including al-Nusrah Front, a Syrian militant organization aligned with Al Qaeda. As part of the conspiracy Wadi communicated with others to secure a wealthy investor to invest funds to support Wadi’s purchase of a business. A percentage of the investment funds and subsequent profits from the investments were to be used to purchase weapons for foreign militants, including members and affiliates of al-Nusrah Front.
Wadi was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to murder and maim in a foreign country; one count of conspiracy to provide material support to designated foreign terrorist groups; and one count of conspiracy to provide material support or resources to terrorists.
Wadi faces up to life in prison on the murder and maim charge; up to 20 years in prison on the material support to designated foreign terrorist group charge; and up to 15 years in prison on the material support or resources to terrorists charge.
Wadi was taken into federal custody to await sentencing set for August 23, 2023.
U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza of the Western District of Texas and FBI Special Agent in Charge, Oliver E. Rich Jr., made the announcement.
The FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark T. Roomberg and William R. Harris are prosecuting the case.
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Rutland Woman Sentenced for Making False Statements when Purchasing a FirearmRead the Press Release
Burlington, Vermont – The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that Morgan Gates, 28, of Rutland, Vermont, was sentenced by Chief United States District Judge Geoffrey W. Crawford to time served (after serving approximately 10 months in prison) for making false statements to a federal firearms dealer in connection with the purchase of a firearm. Judge Crawford also ordered that Gates serve three years of supervised release starting today.
According to court documents, on June 29, 2022, Gates attempted to purchase a firearm at a Rutland dealer with a federal firearms license (“the FFL”). The FFL had reason to believe that Gates was an active drug user, delayed her purchase, and contacted the Rutland Police Department. While law enforcement investigated the attempted purchase, Rutland Police detectives learned that Gates had successfully purchased a Glock Model 45 9x19mm handgun from a different FFL located in Rutland on June 29, 2022. In coordination with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and Homeland Security Investigations, Rutland Police detectives located Gates on June 30, 2022 and arrested her. A search of Gates’s residence in Rutland did not recover the Glock firearm but did result in the seizure of ammunition of multiple calibers, an empty box of 9x19mm ammunition, and evidence that demonstrated Gates’ participation in a conspiracy to distribute cocaine base. The Glock Model 45 9x19mm handgun purchased by Gates was ultimately recovered on July 19, 2022, in Rutland, Vermont.
This case was investigated by the Rutland Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and Homeland Security Investigations.Assistant United States Attorneys Jonathan Ophardt and Zachary Stendig represented the government. Katina Ready, Esq. represented Gates.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psn .
Rochester Woman Sentenced for Assaulting Two People on an AirplaneRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Cynthia McKnight, 24, of Rochester, NY, who was convicted of simple assault in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States, was sentenced to time served and three years’ probation by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys John D. Fabian and Charles M. Kruly, who handled the case, stated that on April 19, 2022, McKnight was a passenger on an American Airlines flight from the Buffalo Niagara International Airport to Chicago O’Hare International Airport. After the aircraft’s doors were closed, and while the aircraft was preparing to depart, McKnight made her way to the front of the aircraft and engaged in a verbal altercation with one passenger, then spat on another passenger. As a result, the aircraft was required to return to the gate. McKnight then attempted to exit the aircraft as it was in motion on the ground, pushing a flight attendant in the process who had attempted to prevent her from opening an aircraft door. McKnight was able to open an aircraft door, which deployed the aircraft’s emergency slide, and exited the aircraft.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia and the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority Police, under the direction of Chief Brian Patterson.
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Rochester Man Who Fled Police Going to Prison on Gun ConvictionRead the Press Release
ROCHESTER, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Joshua Massey, 32, of Rochester, NY, who was convicted of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, was sentenced to serve 46 months in prison by Chief U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Katelyn M. Hartford, who handled the case, stated that Massey was previously convicted of multiple felonies in 2012 and 2013 and is legally prohibited from possessing a firearm and ammunition. On July 30, 2022, as Rochester Police officers attempted to initiate a traffic stop on the vehicle Massey was driving, Massey crashed the vehicle at the corner of Perkins Avenue and Norran Drive. Massey then exited the vehicle and fled on foot but was apprehended after a foot chase. Officers saw, in plain view on the driver’s side floorboard of the vehicle, a loaded 9mm pistol.
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 sentencing is the culmination of an investigation by the Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Chief David Smith and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge John Devito.
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Previously convicted felon sentenced to 37 months in prison for firearms chargeRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, announced today that Lionel Vallo was sentenced to 37 months in prison. Vallo, 39, of Albuquerque, pleaded guilty on Nov. 14, 2022 to being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition and failure to update his sex offender registration.
According to the plea agreement and other court records, Vallo, who previously was convicted of aggravated sexual abuse in Indian Country in 2003, failed to update his sex offender registration after moving to a new address in Albuquerque. Vallo also failed to update his quarterly registration on July 1, 2020.
On July 26, 2022, in Albuquerque, members of the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) Southwest Investigative Fugitive Team (SWIFT) Task Force initiated a traffic stop on Vallo, who was subject to an arrest warrant for absconding from supervised release. Vallo did not stop immediately, and once stopped, initially was non-compliant with commands to exit the vehicle. After Vallo eventually exited the vehicle and was taken into custody, SWIFT members located loaded firearms in the vehicle.
Upon his release from prison, Vallo will be subject to 10 years of supervised release.
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the U.S. Marshals Service investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorneys Nicholas Marshall and Matthew McGinley are prosecuting the case.
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Previously Charged Virginia Man Admits Additional $3.4 Million Insider Trading SchemeRead the Press Release
TRENTON, N.J. – A Virginia man who previously pleaded guilty to insider trading admitted engaging in another insider trading scheme that netted millions of dollars in illegal profits, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today.
Sean Wygovsky, 42, of Centreville, Virginia, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Georgette Castner on May 25, 2023, to an information charging him one count of securities fraud/insider trading. Wygovsky previously pleaded guilty to an insider trading scheme in the Southern District of New York.
“This defendant admitted using nonpublic information from his job at an asset management firm to further a multimillion-dollar insider trading scheme,” U.S. Attorney Sellinger said. “Combatting securities fraud and market manipulation schemes is a top priority for this Office. This prosecution demonstrates our commitment to holding accountable those who seek to undermine our markets through insider trading.”
“Federal insider trading laws protect the integrity of the markets and preserve the public's confidence in them,” FBI Newark Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy said. “No one wants to play a game when the rules are unfair. Wygovsky upset this balance of fairness when he misused his position of authority to serve his own greed. The FBI is committed to weeding out the bad actors like Wygovsky to ensure the financial markets maintain equal opportunity for all.”
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From May 2020 through February 2021, Wygovsky worked as a portfolio manager, securities analyst, and trader at a Canada-based asset management firm that received material, nonpublic information regarding confidential merger negotiations involving special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs). Wygovsky received this information every time a SPAC was placed on his firm’s confidential restricted list, meaning that the firm’s employees were prohibited from buying or selling the SPACs’ securities, either personally or via another person or third party. Despite knowing about these trading restrictions, Wygovsky shared the nonpublic information with his friend, Christopher Matthaei, who was a partner at a New Jersey broker-dealer firm. Matthaei purchased securities in the SPACs using his personal brokerage accounts. In June 2020, Matthaei paid for a private plane and extended trip with Wygovsky and their families to a luxury resort on the island of St. Barth, where they continued to engage in the insider trading scheme. Matthaei made approximately $3.4 million in illegal trading profits from the insider trading scheme.
Matthaei was previously arrested on March 30, 2023, and charged by complaint with one count of securities fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud. The charges and allegations against Matthaei contained in the complaint, which are still pending, are merely accusations, and Matthaei is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The securities fraud count carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $5 million fine. Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 27, 2023.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Dennehy, with the investigation leading to the guilty plea.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer Kozar and Marko Pesce of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Economic Crimes Unit in Newark.
wygovsky.information.pdfPasadena Man Sentenced to over Four Years in Federal Prison for Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander sentenced Raymond Martin Shamer, III, age 21, of Pasadena, Maryland, late yesterday to 50 months in federal prison, followed by 45 years of supervised release for possession of child pornography. Shamer admitted that he also distributed child pornography. Judge Hollander also ordered that, upon his release from prison, Shamer will be required to register as a sex offender in the places where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (“SORNA”).
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron and Special Agent in Charge James C. Harris of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore.
According to his guilty plea, from at least July 7, 2019 through June 24, 2020, Shamer used online accounts to communicate with others about child pornography, to distribute child pornography, and to collect child pornography. Many of the files Shamer collected documented adults sexually abusing of infants and toddlers while they are bound and subjected to other violent conduct.
Shamer admitted that he used a secure communication application to upload images of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct, and that he shared links to those images with a group of users with whom he engaged in group chat conversations.
On June 24, 2020, a search warrant was executed at Shamer’s residence and investigators seized Shamer’s cell phones and computer. A subsequent forensic examination of the devices revealed a total of more than 1,000 images of child pornography on Shamer’s devices.
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 for its work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul E. Budlow, who is prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-childhood and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Paroled Murderer Pleads Guilty to Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
ROCHESTER, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Israel Rivera-Reyes, 48, of Rochester, NY, pleaded guilty before Chief U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford to production of child pornography. The charge carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 30 years.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan K. McGuire, who is handling the case, stated that between August 2021 and February 2022, Rivera-Reyes had sexual intercourse with a Minor Victim on an almost daily basis, knowing that the victim was a minor. During this time, Rivera-Reyes produced multiple videos of himself engaging in sexual intercourse with the Minor Victim. At the time of his arrest, Rivera-Reyes was on parole for a March 1995 conviction of Murder 2nd Degree.
The plea is a result of an investigation by the Irondequoit Police Department, under the direction of Chief Scott Peters, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia. Additional assistance was provided by the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office.
Sentencing is scheduled for October 2, 2023, before Judge Wolford.
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North Carolina Man and New York Woman Charged with Conspiracy and Damaging National Gallery of Art ExhibitRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Timothy Martin of North Carolina, and Joanna Smith of New York, both 53, were taken into custody today following an indictment charging conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States and injury to a National Gallery of Art exhibit. Martin self-surrendered this morning in Raleigh, North Carolina; Smith self-surrendered this morning in Washington, D.C.
According to the indictment, unsealed today, Martin and Smith smeared paint on the case and base of Edgar Degas’ Little Dancer, Age Fourteen, a priceless work of art which has drawn visitors for years to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Following the attack, a group called Declare Emergency claimed credit. Over the last year, in addition to this offense, Declare Emergency has blocked roadways around the Washington, D.C. area.
The indictment further alleges that Martin and Smith agreed, along with other currently uncharged co-conspirators, to enter the National Gallery of Art for the purpose of injuring the exhibit. Martin and Smith entered the National Gallery of Art armed with plastic water bottles filled with paint. Martin and Smith handed their phones to other conspirators and waited until patrons cleared the area in front of the Little Dancer. Martin and Smith proceeded to smear paint on the case and base of the exhibit, at times smacking the case with force. Prior to the attack, members of the conspiracy had alerted the Washington Post, and two reporters from the Post recorded and photographed the offense. Additionally, other members of the conspiracy filmed and photographed the offense. Smith and Martin caused approximately $2,400 in damage and the exhibit was removed from public display for ten days so that it could be repaired.
Each charge carries a statutory maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. 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.
The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, specifically the FBI’s Art Crime Team, with assistance from National Gallery of Art Police, and U.S. Park Police. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron A. Tepfer 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.
New Orleans Woman Sentenced for Violation of Federal Drug Control ActRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LA – TONI JONES, age 33, of New Orleans, Louisiana, was sentenced on May 25, 2023, to time served (15 months imprisonment) by U.S. District Judge Carl J. Barbier for possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl, cocaine base, and methamphetamine, a violation of the Federal Controlled Substances Act, Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C), announced United States Attorney Duane A. Evans. JONES was additionally ordered to serve a three (3) year term of supervised release and to pay a $100 special assessment fee.
According to previously filed court documents, JONES was arrested on February 10, 2022 at the intersection of North Claiborne Avenue and Tupelo Street in the lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans, Louisiana after she had been observed conducting hand-to-hand drug transactions. At the time of her arrest, JONES was in possession of controlled substances packaged for distribution.
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. It is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Rayburn of the Violent Crimes Unit.
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New Orleans Man Sentenced for Federal Weapons OffenseRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – NEWMAN HOOKER, age 30, of New Orleans, Louisiana was sentenced on May 25, 2023 by U.S. District Judge Barry W. Ashe to 42 months imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee for being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.
According to court documents, on May 30, 2022, New Orleans Police Officers executed a search warrant at HOOKER’s residence. Officers seized a loaded Glock Model 22 pistol with an extended magazine and a loaded Panzer Arms shotgun belonging to HOOKER. Officers also recovered ammunition for the pistol and shotgun, shotgun drums, and firearms accessories.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New Orleans Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys David Berman of the Violent Crimes Unit and Rachal Cassagne of the Narcotics Unit handled the prosecution.
New Orleans Man Sentenced on Federal Weapons ChargesRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – QUENDRICK BAILEY, age 27, a resident of New Orleans, LA, was sentenced on May 25, 2023 by U.S. District Court Judge Carl J. Barbier to 30 months imprisonment, 3 years of supervised release, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee in connection with a one-count indictment pending against him, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.
BAILEY was indicted for possessing a firearm on June 12, 2022, as a convicted felon, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2).
BAILEY was involved in a shooting that took place on June 12, 2022. After the shooting, BAILEY drove to a local Winn-Dixie where he crashed and subsequently left his vehicle. He then entered the Winn-Dixie, discarded his gun in a box full of bouncy balls meant for children and fled the scene. Later, police were able to arrest BAILEY for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
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.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New Orleans Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Inga Petrovich of the Violent Crime Unit .
Navajo Man Pleads Guilty to Abusive Sexual ContactRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, announced today that Brandon Yazzie pleaded guilty to two counts of abusive sexual contact. Yazzie, 28, of Standing Rock, New Mexico, and an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, was remanded into custody pending sentencing, which has not been scheduled.
According to the plea agreement and other court records, between December 1, 2020, and January 31, 2021, Yazzie sexually abused the victim, identified in court records as Jane Doe, who was less than 12 years old. Specifically, Yazzie engaged in and caused sexual contact with the victim—by touching her genitalia and breasts directly and through the clothing—and afterward, told her “this never happened” with the intent that his acts would remain secret. Yazzie committed the crimes at his father’s residence in Standing Rock on the Navajo Nation.
Yazzie faces any term of years up to life in prison followed by 5 years of supervised release.
The Gallup Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Avondale (Arizona) Police Department, Navajo Police Department and Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Alexander F. Flores is prosecuting the case.
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Muskegon Man Sentenced to 40 Months in Federal Prison for Illegally Possessing Destructive DeviceRead the Press Release
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN — U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Mark Totten announced that Casey Richard Newman, 40, of Muskegon, Michigan was sentenced to 40 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Janet T. Neff for knowingly possessing a destructive device. Destructive devices, commonly referred to as “homemade bombs,” are illegal to possess unless registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record. Newman’s destructive device was not registered as required under federal law. Judge Neff also ordered Newman to spend 3 years on supervised release after his confinement. Newman previously pleaded guilty to the offense on January 25, 2023.
“The citizens of the Western District of Michigan should be able to move about their communities without fear of harm or danger by homemade destructive devices,” said U.S. Attorney Totten. “Those who engage in these dangerous crimes will be held accountable.”
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Grand Rapids Police Department (GRPD). In August 2019, officers were dispatched to a residence in Grand Rapids regarding a suspicious device, which was ultimately determined to be a destructive device. The device consisted of a tape-wrapped plastic bottle that was filled with explosive powder and BBs. It was wrapped in electrical tape with a fuse at each end. No victims were harmed as the device was not detonated. The GRPD Bomb Squad made the device safe and conducted preliminary testing, and the ATF Forensic Science Laboratory conducted additional testing.
“Accountability for criminal conduct is paramount in ensuring public safety in the community. Casey Newman’s reckless actions could have resulted in an explosion that killed and injured many people while a at work,” said ATF Detroit Special Agent in Charge James Deir. “We investigated this in conjunction with our state and local law enforcement partners, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office. This partnership was essential in ensuring Newman was held accountable.”
"The conviction is a direct result of the interagency cooperation between the Grand Rapids Police Department, the ATF, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Western District of Michigan,” said GRPD Captain Michael Maycroft, Bomb Squad Commander. “Although this type of investigation and conviction is a rare event in the city of Grand Rapids, it was our primary mission to take a dangerous improvised explosive device off the streets and identify the culprit before anyone got hurt.”
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren F. Biksacky.
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Moline Man Sentenced to 72 months in Prison for Attempted Receipt of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Rock Island, Ill. – A Moline, Ill., man, Dylan A. Campbell, 30, of the 4000 block of 11th Avenue C, was sentenced on May 24, 2023, to 72 months in prison, to be followed by 15 years of supervised release, for attempted receipt of child pornography.
On January 11, 2023, Campbell entered a plea of guilty to the indictment, which charged him with one count of attempted receipt of child pornography. According to the government’s commentary at sentencing, Campbell had been using various online means to obtain child pornography over multiple years. In pronouncing the sentence, Chief Judge Sara L. Darrow commented on the alarming nature of the imagery Campbell had been obtaining, depicting the sexual abuse of toddlers and infants, and the need to protect the public.
Campbell has remained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals since his change of plea in January of 2023.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Springfield Field Office. Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer L. Mathew represented the government at sentencing.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
McAlester Resident Sentenced for Possession with Intent to Distribute FentanylRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Garrett Jeffery Freeman, a/k/a Gee, age 27, of McAlester, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 154 months in prison for possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute.
The charges arose from investigations by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
On May 9, 2023, Freeman pleaded guilty to one count of Possession with the Intent to Distribute Fentanyl. On October 12, 2021, DEA Agents and DEA Task Force Officers serving an arrest warrant located Freeman at a McAlester hotel. Freeman attempted to flee on foot but was apprehended and arrested. Agents discovered Freeman in possession of multiple firearms, magazines of ammunition, digital scales, and baggies of pills containing over 35 grams of fentanyl.
“The excellent work of DEA agents and task force officers resulted in a drug dealer being arrested, prosecuted, and sentenced to more than 10 years in prison,” said United States Attorney Christopher J. Wilson. “The sentence imposed should send a clear message to the defendant and others tempted to sell illegal drugs that you will be held accountable for the misery your crimes inflict on our communities.”
The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearings in Muskogee. Freeman will remain in custody of the U.S. Marshal pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.
Assistant United States Attorney Jordan Howanitz represented the United States at sentencing.
Maryland Resident Sentenced to over Five Years in Federal Prison for Illegally Transporting Firearms with Obliterated Serial Numbers and Smuggling Firearms to NigeriaRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced Wilson Che Fonguh, age 41, of Bowie, Maryland, yesterday to 63 months in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release, for conspiracy, for transporting firearms with obliterated serial numbers, and for smuggling firearms and ammunition from the United States to Nigeria. Judge Bennett also ordered Fonguh to pay a fine of $25,000. Fonguh was convicted of those charges on May 6, 2022, along with co-defendants Eric Fru Nji, age 42, of Fort Washington, Maryland and Wilson Nuyila Tita, age 47, of Owings Mills, Maryland, after a two-week trial.
On May 22, 2023, Judge Bennett sentenced co-conspirator Roger Akem, age 52, of Woodbury, Minnesota, to two years in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release, for his role in the smuggling operation.
The sentence was announced by Erek L. Barron, United States Attorney for the District of Maryland; Special Agent in Charge James C. Harris of Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”) Baltimore; Special Agent in Charge Toni M. Crosby of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (“ATF”) Baltimore Field Division; and Special Agent in Charge Christopher Dillard of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (“DCIS”) - Mid-Atlantic Field Office.
According to the evidence presented at trial, from at least November 2017 through July 19, 2019, Fonguh and his co-defendants conspired with each other and with others to export firearms, ammunition and other military typed items from the United States to Nigeria. Specifically, the evidence at trial established that Fonguh and his co-conspirators secreted 38 firearms, 28 of which had the obliterated serial numbers in a shipping container that they sent out of the Port of Baltimore in January of 2019. The guns included sniper rifles, SKS assault rifles (some with bayonets), other rifles and several handguns. There were 44 high-capacity magazines, two rifle scopes and over 35,000 rounds of ammunition.
As detailed in trial testimony, Fonguh and his co-conspirators contributed funds for the purchase of firearms, ammunition, reloading materials and other equipment for shipping overseas to separatists fighting against the Government of Cameroon. According to their plea agreements, co-defendant Tamufor St. Michael, Roger Akem and others purchased the ammunition, firearms, and other military-type items, both online in in person. The evidence proved that Fonguh and his co-conspirators concealed the firearms, ammunition, rifle scopes, and other items in duffle bags and heavily wrapped packages inside sealed compressor units, placing those items into a shipping container destined for Nigeria. Fonguh and his co-conspirators communicated about their efforts and plans to ship weapons and ammunitions using an on-line encrypted messaging application and code words in order to conceal their activities.
Tamufor St. Michael, age 42, of Rosedale, Maryland, Akem, and three co-conspirators pleaded guilty to their roles in the conspiracy and were sentenced to between two years and 46 months in federal prison. A ninth co-conspirator also pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended HSI, the ATF and DCIS for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron recognized the U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Export Enforcement; the U.S. Department of State, Diplomatic Security Service; the Naval Criminal Investigative Service; and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service for their contributions to the investigation. U.S. Attorney Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathleen O. Gavin, who is prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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