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1 May 2023
Romanian man sentenced for car burglary crimes in the Chattahoochee River National Recreation AreaRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Mihail Ilie has been sentenced for violations of the federal Assimilative Crimes Act for possession of burglary tools and attempted car burglary in the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area.
“National Parks and Recreational Areas serve as refuges for people to relax and enjoy the outdoors without fear of being targeted by criminals like Ilie,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “This case is an example of the importance of citizens reporting property crimes. Without the reports from other visitors to the park who were victims of car burglaries, Rangers would not have identified and arrested Ilie in the act of committing another offense.”
“Parks are places where people tend to let their guard down. Their minds enter a safe mode and they become less vigilant when they start their hike or bike ride,” said Jeston Fisher, Chief Ranger, Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area. “Law Enforcement at Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area and around the Metro Atlanta area work very hard to deter crime and more importantly, educate the visitors. Please help by remembering to leave your valuables at home or take them with you when you recreate.”
According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court: In August and September 2022, Park Rangers at the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area began investigating a rash of car burglaries. The burglaries fit a pattern. The passenger door lock of the car would be forced with a special tool, and any credit and debit cards left in the car would be stolen. The cards would then be used almost immediately at local malls to make high dollar amount purchases, such as jewelry and Apple products.
Hikers returning to their cars sometimes did not immediately recognize they had been victimized because many drivers unlocked their cars with key fobs and approached from their driver’s side door. Using trail cameras and other investigative techniques, Rangers identified two vehicles frequently present when burglaries were reported.
On September 10, 2022, a Law Enforcement Park Ranger saw Ilie crouched between one of these suspicious vehicles and another car he appeared to be tampering with, and arrested him in the act of breaking into the other car. Ilie was using a young girl, then just 12 years old, as a lookout. A search of Ilie’s car revealed receipts for jewelry and Apple products, including some out of state purchases, and burglary tools.
After an initial appearance on September 12, 2022, Ilie was detained pending trial as a flight risk. On October 4, 2022, a grand jury indicted Ilie with two felony violations of the federal Assimilative Crimes Act for possession of burglary tools and attempted car burglary. Ilie was convicted of these charges on December 12, 2022, after he pleaded guilty.
Mihail Ilie, 24, of Lawrenceville, Georgia, was sentenced on April 25, 2023, to one year and a day in prison to be followed by one year of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $802.
This case was investigated by the National Park Service.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Alana R. Black prosecuted the case.
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.
Rapid City Man Sentenced for Illegal Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Jeffrey L. Viken has sentenced a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted of Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition by a Prohibited Person. The sentencing took place on April 28, 2023.
Marcel Boyd, 37, was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Boyd was indicted for Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition by a Prohibited Person by a federal grand jury in October of 2022. He pleaded guilty on February 2, 2023.
In August of 2022 in Rapid City, Boyd, a previously convicted felon who is prohibited from possessing firearms, was found in possession of a Taurus, 9x19 mm Luger caliber, semi-automatic pistol, as well as 9mm caliber ammunition, which was found when Boyd came into contact with law enforcement after officers responded to a domestic violence call for service.
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 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Rapid City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson prosecuted the case.
Boyd was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Orleans Parish Man Sentenced to 57 Months for Violation of the Federal Gun Control ActRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – On Thursday, April 27, 2023, REGIS GRIMES, age 34, a resident of New Orleans, Louisiana, was sentenced in the United States District Court after previously pleading guilty to a one-count indictment charging him with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2), announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.
On May 4, 2022, the New Orleans Police Department arrested GRIMES after receiving a concerned citizen’s call that he was distributing narcotics on the steps of Triumph Church, in the 3400 block of Loyola Avenue, New Orleans, Louisiana. When officers approached GRIMES, they saw he had a pistol concealed in his waistband. GRIMES is convicted felon, and is prohibited from possessing a firearm.
United States District Court Judge Eldon E. Fallon sentenced GRIMES to 57 months of imprisonment. Following his imprisonment, GRIMES will be placed on supervised release for 3 years. The court did not impose a fine, but imposed a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00.
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 Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the New Orleans Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Brittany Reed of the Public Integrity Unit.
Orleans Parish Man Charged with Concealment of Bankruptcy Related AssetsRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – JOSHUA BORGES (“BORGES”), age 37, of New Orleans, Louisiana, was indicted by a federal grand on April 28, 2023 for Concealment of Assets, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 152(1), announced United States Attorney Duane A. Evans.
According to the indictment, on or about April 17, 2018, in the Eastern District of Louisiana, BORGES knowingly and fraudulently failed to disclose property that belonged to him in Bankruptcy Case No. 18-10985, titled In re Joshua Borges, specifically, $9,000.00 in cash on hand, and his business interest in Elite Enterprise Holding, LLC, which had a value of at least approximately $89,771.08, to the trustee charged with control of the debtor’s property as well as to the creditors and the United States Trustee.
United States Attorney Evans reiterated that an indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
If convicted, BORGES faces a maximum penalty of five (5) years imprisonment, followed by up to three (3) years of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000.00, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office would also like to acknowledge the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations, and the Office of the U.S. Trustee for the Eastern District of Louisiana with this matter. The prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Edward Rivera and Andre Lagarde of the Financial Crimes Unit.
New Orleans Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Weapons OffenseRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JUSTIN HENRY, age 41, a resident of New Orleans, Louisiana, pleaded guilty on April 27, 2023 before U.S. District Judge Carl J. Barbier to being a felon in possession of a firearm in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1) announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.
According to court documents, NOPD officers observed HENRY, a convicted felon, in an SUV that was suspected to be stolen from the Norfolk Southern railyard. HENRY attempted to flee from the officers on foot and in the process discarded a semi-automatic pistol loaded with an extended magazine.
HENRY faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, up to 3 years of supervised release, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00.
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 Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations and the New Orleans Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Berman of the Violent Crimes Unit.
Morgantown man and Detroit man sentenced for drug operationRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Two men have been sentenced today for working together to sell large quantities of methamphetamine and cocaine in the Morgantown area.
Aaric Murray, 33, of Morgantown West Virginia, was sentenced today to 170 months in federal prison. Richard Kirkland Johnson, 26, of Detroit, Michigan, was sentenced to 147 months. Murray and Johnson were found guilty of multiple charges during a trial in September 2022.
According to trial testimony, officers were called to Murray’s home on reports of a hostage situation. Upon arrival, officers determined there wasn’t a threat but found evidence of a drug operation. A subsequent search of the home found crack cocaine, methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia and two firearms with ammunition. Murray and Johnson had thousands of dollars in cash during the initial search, as well as communications on their cell phones of recent drug deals.
Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh heard evidence today of Murray’s extensive criminal history, including more than 40 interactions with law enforcement since 2012.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives and the Mon Metro Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Zelda Wesley and Clayton Reid prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.
Missouri Woman Accused of Multiple Pandemic FraudsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A woman from St. Peters, Missouri has been indicted in federal court and accused of fraudulently obtaining a total of $137,000 during the COVID-19 pandemic via two assistance programs.
Regina Brand, 51, was indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis April 5 on three counts of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. She pleaded not guilty April 13 and is next scheduled to appear in court Tuesday.
The indictment alleges that between Sept. 1, 2021, and at least March 30, 2022, Brand submitted at least 12 fraudulent applications for rental assistance under the Missouri State Assistance for Housing Relief Program to the Missouri Housing Development Commission. The program was intended to provide emergency assistance to landlords and renters to prevent a wave of evictions during the pandemic. Brand lied on each application, listing two fake landlords, Angels Voices and Brand Construction, and submitting fraudulent lease agreements, the indictment says.
She received a total of $96,825 in assistance.
Brand also submitted several fraudulent applications for Paycheck Protection Program loans between April 1, 2020 and at least August 25, 2021, the indictment says. In one example listed in the indictment, Brand submitted a fraudulent application for a loan for Angels Voices and received $40,535.55. The loan application contained false and inflated information about payroll and the number of employees, and Brand spent the money for personal and vehicle expenses, the indictment says.
The wire fraud charges carry a potential penalty of up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both. The aggravated identity theft charge carries a penalty of at least two years in prison consecutive to any other charge.
Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case was investigated by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman is prosecuting the case.
Military impersonation scheme lands local man in prisonRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 30-year-old Houston man has been ordered to federal prison following his conviction of conspiracy to commit mail fraud in a scheme to defraud victims through a variety of internet scams, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Ganiyu Abayomi Jimoh pleaded guilty Aug. 1, 2022.
Today, U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen ordered Jimoh to serve 36 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. Jimoh was also ordered to pay $405,427.80 in restitution. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence including that at least one of the victims was an 84-year-old man who was defrauded of money by an online “girlfriend” and how $13,500 of his losses were deposited into accounts Jimoh opened.
In 2019, Jimoh began working with co-conspirators pretending to be U.S. military soldiers deployed to Afghanistan. They would solicit victims wishing to assist soldiers stationed overseas and persuaded them to contribute monies toward non-existent real estate deals.
As part of his plea, Jimoh admitted to using counterfeit passports to open bank accounts to receive funds from the victims for his personal benefit.
Jimoh will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Hileman prosecuted the case.
Metairie Residents Indicted for Federal Drug and Firearms ViolationsRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LA – DESHAUN WHATLEY, age 43, and LEATRICE FRANKLIN, age 36, both of Metairie, LA, were indicted on April 28, 2023 on one (1) count of Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Dangerous Substance in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Section 841 and one (1) count of Possession of Firearms during a Drug Trafficking Offense in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A). WHATLEY was additionally indicted on one (1) count of Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(g)(1), announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.
According to the indictment, both FRANKLIN and WHATLEY possessed firearms while possessing with the intent to distribute large quantities of cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl. WHATLEY was further prohibited from possessing a firearm due to a previous felony conviction. If convicted on the drug charge, both FRANKLIN and WHATLEY face a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, up to a $10,000,000 fine, and at least five years of supervised release. As to the firearms possession while trafficking charge, both FRANKLIN and WHATLEY face a minimum of five years up to life imprisonment. Any sentence imposed must be served consecutive to any other sentence, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to five years of supervised release. As to the felon in possession of a firearm charge WHATLEY faces up to ten years imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine and up to three years of supervised release. Each count also requires a payment of a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.
United States Attorney Evans reiterated that the indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendants must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
United States Attorney Evans praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Jefferson Parish Sherriff’s Office. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Stuart Theriot of the Narcotics Unit.
Massachusetts Man Sentenced for Gun and Fentanyl OffensesRead the Press Release
Burlington, Vermont – The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that on May 1, 2023, Varian Lefebvre, 29, of Springfield, Massachusetts, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Christina Reiss to 77 months’ imprisonment to be followed by a 7-year term of supervised release for possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl and for being a felon in possession of a loaded firearm on January 21, 2021. Lefebvre had previously pleaded guilty to the offenses.
According to court records, on January 21, 2021, two women were walking down a hallway at the Holiday Inn in Rutland, Vermont, when they encountered Varian Lefebvre, who was at that time in the middle of an armed confrontation with another person. Lefebvre pointed his handgun at the women and ordered them back to their room. When Vermont State Police responded to the hotel, they encountered Lefebvre wearing a backpack as he was leaving the hotel. A search of the backpack turned up a fully loaded handgun (including a bullet in the chamber) and 220 bags of fentanyl. DNA evidence from the gun confirmed that Lefebvre had possessed the weapon.
The case was investigated by the Vermont State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.Mary Nerino of the Office of the Federal Public Defender represented Lefebvre. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kimberly Ang and Michael Drescher represented the government.
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 .
Mason City Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison for Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
A Mason City, Iowa man who possessed over 150,000 depictions of child pornography was sentenced on Friday, April 28, 2023, to 240 months imprisonment after a jury returned a guilty verdict against him on November 17, 2022.
Brandon Manning, age 41, from Mason City, Iowa, was convicted of two counts of possession of child pornography at trial. The verdict was returned following more than four hours of jury deliberations.
The evidence at trial and his sentencing showed that Manning possessed thousands of images and videos of child pornography, including pornography of children under the age of 12 years old—including infants, on an SD card in a cellphone he attempted to destroy, as well as an internal hard drive that was found in his home, hidden in his bedroom.
Manning was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand to 240 months’ imprisonment. He was also ordered to pay $118,000 in restitution to the victims. Manning must also serve a 5-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Manning is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ron Timmons and was investigated by the Mason City Police Department and the State of Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 22-3002.
Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Lincoln Man Sentenced for Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to DistributeRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Brian Norman, 52, of Lincoln, Nebraska, was sentenced on April 28, 2023, by Senior United States District Court Judge John M. Gerrard to a term of 210 months’ imprisonment following his conviction for possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. After he completes his prison sentence, Norman will serve seven years on supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
On January 4, 2022, an individual working with law enforcement purchased cocaine from Norman. Following the sale, investigators contacted Norman in the front passenger seat of a car that was parked in a parking lot of a Lincoln business. Investigators found cocaine, psilocybin mushrooms, MDMA tablets, hydrocodone tablets, and suspected LSD in a bag located at Norman’s feet. Investigators also located numerous baggies, a digital scale, and other drug paraphernalia consistent with drug distribution.
Investigators found about one and a half pounds of methamphetamine in two bags in Norman’s coat pockets. He also had $816 cash in his pocket. The methamphetamine was sent to the Nebraska State Patrol Crime Lab where a forensic scientist found the methamphetamine to be 99% pure resulting in at least 630 grams of pure methamphetamine.
This case was investigated by the Lincoln/Lancaster County Narcotics Task Force, the Nebraska State Patrol, and the Omaha Police Department.
- Lebanon Man Sentenced to 20 Years’ Imprisonment for Sexually Exploiting A Child
Kingsport Woman Sentenced to 21 Months for Lying on ATF Form to Purchase Firearms and Providing Firearms to A FelonRead the Press Release
GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – On May 1, 2023, Tonya Rae Saine, also known as Tonya Rae Bowles, 56, currently of Kingsport, Tennessee, was sentenced to 21 months in prison by the Honorable J. Ronnie Greer, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Greeneville.
Saine was found guilty of Making a False and Fictitious Written Statement to a Licensed Dealer of Firearms, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(a)(6) and Disposing of a Firearm to a Convicted Felon, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(d)(1) by a federal jury in December 2022. Following her release from imprisonment, Saine will be on supervised release for 3 years.
According to filed court documents and evidence presented at trial, on September 4, 2021, Saine traveled to the business premises of a Federal Firearms Licensee (“FFL”) in Sevierville, TN. While at the FFLs gun counter, she and another person (a convicted felon) looked at several firearms before selecting two firearms – a pistol and a rifle, to purchase. Saine, who was not prohibited from purchasing a firearm, completed the required paperwork using her information and paid for the two firearms. She also purchased a laser aiming device for the pistol.
Surveillance video from the FFL showed Saine at the FFL’s gun counter handing the firearms to the felon who was accompanying her and, after she completed the purchase, the felon leaving the FFL’s premises while carrying one of the firearms. Saine admitted to law enforcement that she had met the felon while she was a contract employee of the Tennessee Department of Correction, and that the felon was incarcerated on a felony conviction at the prison where she had worked as a nurse. She also admitted that she was in a relationship with the felon, knew he was a felon, and that he had traveled to and from the FFLs premises with her.
Law enforcement also recovered a text message from a cell phone that Saine sent the felon after the purchase of the firearms that said, “I’ve got your gun and stuff in the house.” A cooperating witness testified that they saw the felon with the pistol and were able to recognize the firearm because of the attached laser aiming device and distinctive markings on the firearm.
U.S. Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III of the Eastern District of Tennessee; and ATF Special Agent in Charge Marcus S. Watson made the announcement.
The criminal indictment was the result of an investigation by the Kingsport Police Department and ATF. This investigation was led by ATF Task Force Officer Mike Slater.
Assistant United States Attorney B. Todd Martin and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Blake Watson represented the United States.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
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Ketchikan Man Pleads Guilty to Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
JUNEAU – A Ketchikan man pleaded guilty to distribution of child pornography charges.
According to court documents, Walter William Onstad, of Ketchikan, plead guilty to a charge of distribution of child pornography. Onstad admitted in court that he was an administrator of a Kik group “Anything Goes,” which was used exclusively for the purpose of distributing child pornography. As administrator of the group, Onstad solicited images of child pornography to be posted to the group from others as a requirement to be admitted to the group. Once images were verified and approved by Onstad, those individuals were admitted to the group where they had complete access to images of children being sexually exploited on the Kik group “Anything Goes.”
Onstad was detained at his change of plea hearing pending his sentencing scheduled on August 17, 2023. Onstad faces a mandatory minimum of five years and/or maximum penalty of life in prison and five years to life on supervised release. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker of the District of Alaska made the announcement.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Schmidt is prosecuting the case.
This case is 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 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, Project Safe Childhood combines federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
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Jackson Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Possession with Intent to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – A Jackson man was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, announced U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Special Agent in Charge Jermicha Fomby of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
According to court documents, Mario Butler, 42, was indicted by a federal grand jury on January 26, 2021, for two counts of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Butler was also charged in a third count with possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon.
Butler subsequently pled guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.
The case is the result of an extensive Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation, “Hailstorm,” which began as an operation targeting illegal methamphetamine distribution in central Mississippi. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigations, the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics and the Jackson Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Keesha Middleton prosecuted the case.
Huntington Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Brennon Michael Adkins, 22, of Huntington, pleaded guilty today to possession of a stolen firearm.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Adkins admitted that he and another individual broke into Tri-State Pawn and Jewelry in Huntington on July 15, 2022, to steal various electronics from the store’s inventory. After entering, the other individual stole three firearms. Adkins admitted that he possessed one of the stolen firearms, a Stoeger, model M3000, 12-gauge shotgun, following the breaking and entering.
Adkins is scheduled to be sentenced on August 14, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Huntington Police Department.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Troy D. Adams is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:22-cr-214.
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Huntington Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Robert Lee Taylor, 42, Huntington, pleaded guilty today to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on October 8, 2022, a law enforcement officers encountered Taylor asleep in the driver’s seat of his running vehicle, parked at a Milton gas station. The officer saw controlled substances in Taylor’s lap. Taylor admitted that he possessed approximately 28 grams of methamphetamine and 16 grams of fentanyl that he intended to distribute. Taylor further admitted to possessing $24,724 in drug proceeds.
Taylor also admitted to conspiring with Phillip Antoine Rucker, also known as “Chocolate,” 43, of Proctorville, Ohio, and Marshall Luther Williams, also known as “Chuck” and “Chubs,” 41, of Chicago, Illinois, to distribute heroin in the Southern District of West Virginia from around February 2021 to around September 2022. Taylor was provided heroin and fentanyl on consignment at the direction of Williams. Taylor gave the proceeds from selling the controlled substances to Williams.
Taylor is scheduled to be sentenced on August 14, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $1 million fine.
On March 14, 2023, Rucker pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and a quantity of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine. On that same date, Williams pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and a quantity of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine. Rucker and Williams are scheduled to be sentenced on July 10, 2023, and face a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 40 years in prison, four years of supervised release, and a $5 million fine.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Milton Police Department, and the Huntington Police Department.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorneys Courtney L. Finney and Joseph F. Adams are prosecuting the cases.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:23-cr-58 (Taylor) and 3:22-cr-34 (Rucker and Williams).
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Haverhill Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Steal Firearms from Second Amendment Outdoors in DerryRead the Press Release
CONCORD – A Haverhill, Massachusetts man pleaded guilty today in federal court to conspiring to steal firearms from a federal firearms licensee, U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young announces.
Gary Ortiz, Jr., 19, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to steal firearms from a federal firearms licensee. U.S. District Court Judge Joseph Laplante scheduled sentencing for August 10, 2023. Ortiz and one of his co-conspirators, Jaythean Diaz, were indicted on July 11, 2022. Diaz pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to steal firearms from a federal firearms licensee. U.S. District Court Judge Joseph Laplante scheduled Diaz’s sentencing for July 25, 2023.
On December 8, 2021, Ortiz and his co-conspirators broke into Second Amendment Outdoors in Derry, New Hampshire and stole 12 firearms—11 pistols and one rifle. Videos recovered from the phone of a co-conspirator show Ortiz holding the stolen firearms, and messages recovered from Ortiz’s phone show searches for Second Amendment Outdoors before the burglary, as well as, searches for news about the burglary afterward. Additional text messages from Ortiz’s phone show that he was attempting to sell a firearm hours after the burglary.
The charging statute provides a sentence of no greater than 5 years in prison, 3 years of supervised release, a maximum fine of $250,000 and restitution in an amount to be determined at sentencing. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (“ATF”) led the investigation. Valuable assistance was provided by the Lawrence Police Department, Methuen Police Department, Massachusetts State Police, Derry Police Department, Atkinson Police Department, Plaistow Police Department, Kingston Police Department, Windham Police Department, Hooksett Police Department, and Salem Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney John J. Kennedy is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (“PSN”), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities; supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place; setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities; and measuring the results.
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Hartsville Man Sentenced to Ten Years in Federal Prison for Drug and Firearms CrimesRead the Press Release
FLORENCE, SOUTH CAROLINA — Darnikius Trayvon Sutton, 31, of Hartsville, was sentenced to ten years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
Evidence presented to the court showed that in August 2022, the Darlington County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at a Hartsville home from which Sutton had previously sold methamphetamine. Inside the home, law enforcement found approximately 58 grams of methamphetamine, quantities of cocaine and crack cocaine, three firearms, and more than 100 rounds of ammunition. Sutton claimed responsibility for everything in the home.
Chief United States District Judge R. Bryan Harwell sentenced Sutton to 120 months in prison, to be followed by a 5-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.
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 Hartsville Police Department, Darlington County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Flynn prosecuted the case.
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Guam Drug Trafficker Sentenced to 78 Months in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Hagatña, Guam – SHAWN N. ANDERSON, United States Attorney for the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, announced that defendant Vhavna Kumari Damai, age 29, from Dededo, Guam, was sentenced to 78 months imprisonment by the District Court of Guam. Damai was convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute Fifty or More Grams of Methamphetamine Hydrochloride, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 846 and 841(a)(1). The Court also ordered three years of supervised release, in addition to the forfeiture of $32,531.00 and a 2013 Infiniti G37 coupe. Defendants convicted of a federal drug offense may no longer qualify for certain federal benefits.
Between January 1, 2019, and July 5, 2020, the Damai conspired with others to purchase and distribute 839 grams of methamphetamine in Guam. She was found with the drugs, in addition to morphine tablets, following a vehicle crash in Mangilao on July 5, 2020. Agents later executed search warrants on Damai’s residence and car. At the residence, investigators found scales and a drug ledger, indicating quantities sold by and money owed to Damai. Her car was seized as proceeds of illegal drug distribution. The DEA Southwest Laboratory later determined that the methamphetamine was 100% pure.
“As this case demonstrates, drug traffickers face substantial time in prison and the loss of any property used in their illicit trade,” stated United States Attorney Anderson. “I applaud the efforts of DEA in pursuing this investigation following the report by GPD. Working together, our law enforcement partners make Guam a safer place to live.”
This investigation was conducted by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration and Guam Police Department. The matter was prosecuted by Rosetta L. San Nicolas, Assistant United States Attorney in the District of Guam.
Fruitland Man Pleads Guilty to AssaultRead 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 Anderson Buck pleaded guilty to assault resulting in serious bodily injury. Buck, 40, of Fruitland New Mexico, and an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, will remain in custody pending sentencing, which has not been scheduled.
According to the plea agreement and other court documents, Nov. 17, 2022, Buck assaulted his girlfriend while they were intoxicated and in Buck’s vehicle. The victim was seriously injured during the assault and was hospitalized in the ICU for several weeks where she was intubated while fighting for her life. The assault took place on the Navajo Nation.
Under the terms of his agreement, Buck can be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison followed by up to 3 years of supervised release.
The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Alexander F. Flores is prosecuting the case.
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Former Lafayette and Vermilion Parish Educator Arrested on Federal Criminal ComplaintRead the Press Release
LAFAYETTE, La. - United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced that Jacob Conrad De La Paz is in federal custody pursuant to an arrest warrant issued by United States Magistrate Judge David J. Ayo on a federal criminal complaint for attempted production of child pornography. An initial appearance will be held in the John M. Shaw United States Courthouse on May 1, 2023, at 1:00 p.m. He has been held without bond.
Following the initial appearance, a detention hearing will be held later in the week and the government will argue that De La Paz be held without bond pending a formal charging decision and possible presentment of the case to a federal grand jury. Pursuant to federal law, this must take place within 30 days of the arrest date and the government will continue its investigation, while evaluating all evidence.
A criminal complaint is merely an accusation, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
The case is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Louisiana Bureau of Investigation, Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office and Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office. Individuals with relevant information are encouraged to contact HSI at 337-262-6619.
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Former Financial Advisor Sentenced for Scheme to Steal Funds from Elderly Bank CustomersRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Tyler Rigsbee, 33, of Cameron Park, was sentenced today to two years in prison and ordered to pay $158,960 in restitution for committing aggravated identity theft, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, from 2016 to 2021, Rigsbee worked as a FINRA-registered financial advisor at a major bank in Sacramento. During his employment, Rigsbee targeted elderly bank customers and stole $158,960 from these victims’ accounts.
Rigsbee stole $113,160 from one elderly victim’s account by using the name and identity of the account beneficiary to fraudulently transfer the funds into another account that Rigsbee had set up and controlled in the beneficiary’s name. Rigsbee next stole $45,800 from the account of a second elderly victim by transferring funds in incremental amounts into a separate account that Rigsbee had set up and controlled in the victim’s name. Rigsbee then pocketed the money by transferring these funds into his own personal bank account.
Toward the end of his scheme, Rigsbee attempted to conceal his theft by stealing $16,700 from a third elderly customer’s account and attempting to funnel that money into the second victim’s account to partially replace what he previously stole. However, this transaction was flagged, and the funds were reverted.
This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elliot C. Wong prosecuted the case.
Former Creve Coeur Pharmacy Owner Admits Paying Kickbacks for PrescriptionsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – The former owner of a Creve Coeur pharmacy on Monday admitted paying illegal kickbacks to marketing companies to generate prescriptions for expensive medications.
Michael J. McCormac, 55, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel to two counts of violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute.
At the time of the crimes, McCormac owned GoLiveWell Pharmacy, which operated primarily as a mail-order pharmacy supplying customers across the country. McCormac admitted striking deals with marketing companies in which GoLiveWell would illegally kick back a percentage of the pharmacy’s net profit on prescriptions obtained through the marketing companies’ efforts.
In exchange, the pharmacy received prescriptions obtained by the marketing companies in various ways, including by running ads in hopes that patients would “opt in” to receiving prescriptions for expensive drugs. The companies also engaged in the so-called “doctor chase,” in which they fax prescriptions to doctors’ offices in hopes that the doctors sign them.
Those prescriptions included topical creams, oral medications and antibiotic and antifungal “foot bath” drugs. Claims for payment for the drugs were submitted to federal health plans including Medicare and the Missouri Medicaid and Ohio Medicaid programs.
GoLiveWell paid one company 60 percent of the pharmacy’s net profit and another 45 percent. One month, GoLiveWell paid one marketing company $260,836.
In total, the government alleges that Medicare paid GoLiveWell $4.7 million to which it was not entitled, with another $490,000 coming from Missouri Medicaid and $330,000 from Ohio Medicaid.
McCormac is scheduled to be sentenced August 16. Each charge carries a potential penalty of up to 10 years in prison and a $100,000 fine. He will also be ordered to pay restitution.
The case was investigated by the Office of Inspector General for the United States Department of Health and Human Services, the Medicaid Fraud Control Units of Missouri and Ohio, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Meredith Reiter and Derek Wiseman are prosecuting the case.
Florida Doctor Charged for Unlawfully Distributing OpioidsRead the Press Release
MIAMI – A South Florida doctor has been arrested on charges of illegally distributing opioids at his pain management clinic.
According to court documents, Dr. Daniel Alberto Carpman, 70, of Miami, allegedly engaged in the unlawful distribution of oxycodone at his pain management clinic, Daniel Carpman MD Medical Center. The indictment alleges that Dr. Carpman conspired to illegally distribute opioids with two other individuals, both of whom have already pleaded guilty for their roles re-selling the oxycodone acquired at Dr. Carpman’s pain management clinic.
Dr. Carpman is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute opioids and four counts of illegally distributing opioids. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on each count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI, Miami Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Deanne L. Reuter of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Miami Field Division, made the announcement.
FBI Miami and DEA Miami Field Division are investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Clark for the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorney Alexander Thor Pogozelski of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole S. Grosnoff is handling asset forfeiture.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 23-cr-20175.
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Federal judge convicts Missoula man of firearms crimes in trialRead the Press Release
MISSOULA — A federal judge today convicted a Missoula man on multiple firearms crimes after presiding in a bench trial, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.
U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen found Michael Blake DeFrance, 29, guilty on all counts charged in a second superseding indictment, including prohibited person in possession of a firearm and three counts of false statement during a firearms transaction. The trial began on April 26 and concluded the next day.
DeFrance faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release on each count. Sentencing was set for Sept. 21. DeFrance was released pending further proceedings.
“These verdicts are victories for Montana women, domestic partners, and families. The verdicts show that those like DeFrance who illegally possess firearms despite having been convicted of a domestic violence crime and make false statements on firearms forms so he could obtain guns at a pawn shop will be held accountable for their actions. I thank Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer S. Clark and Timothy J. Racicot, along with the FBI, for their extraordinarily hard work on this case,” U.S. Attorney Laslovich said.
In court documents and at trial, the government alleged that on June 27, 2018, a Missoula Police Department detective located a Smith and Wesson .357-caliber revolver and a box of .357-caliber ammunition in the console of DeFrance’s truck. Two .22-caliber rifles were located under the back seat. On Oct. 2, 2018, law enforcement executed a search warrant on DeFrance’s residence and located a .357-caliber revolver on a desk by the front door. The detective recognized this gun as the revolver DeFrance had in his truck in June. DeFrance also had two rifles in his bedroom. When asked if he knew he was not supposed to have guns, DeFrance replied, “I was never clear on that.”
The government further alleged that in May 2013, DeFrance was sentenced for partner or family member assault on Jermain Charlo in Sanders County. A justice of the peace presided over DeFrance’s change of plea hearing and imposed sentence. DeFrance signed a waiver of rights form in which he acknowledged his rights, which included – on a list of possible consequences of pleading guilty – the loss of firearms rights. The same form contained space for DeFrance to explain the basis for his guilty plea, and his form stated, “On 4-14-2013, in Sanders County I caused bodily injury to my girlfriend.”
In addition, the government alleged that on three occasions in 2018, DeFrance completed Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives forms at a Missoula pawn shop in which he represented that he had not been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence. Prior to and after the assault in 2013, Charlo stayed with DeFrance in a camper on property belonging to the DeFrance family. Charlo and DeFrance were in an intimate relationship.
The government alleged DeFrance was prohibited from possessing firearms because he had been convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence and that he knowingly made false written statements on three occasions in 2018 at a Missoula pawn shop in connection with his acquisition and attempted acquisition of three firearms.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer S. Clark and Timothy J. Racicot prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the FBI.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
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Fallston Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland - U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher today sentenced Robert Jackson Wyatt, Jr., age 54, of Fallston, Maryland, to 15 years in federal prison, followed by lifetime supervised release, for distribution of child pornography. Wyatt had a previous federal conviction for possession of child pornography. Judge Gallagher ordered that, upon his release from prison, Wyatt must 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; Special Agent in Charge James C. Harris of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; Colonel Roland L. Butler, Jr., Superintendent of the Maryland State Police; Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey R. Gahler and Harford County State’s Attorney Alison Healey.
According to his guilty plea, on August 31, 2021, members of the Maryland State Police (“MSP”) were conducting an investigation into offenders sharing child pornography using a communication protocol for peer-to-peer file sharing that enables users to distribute data and electronic files over the Internet in a decentralized manner. An IP address that was sharing suspected child pornography was identified as belonging to Wyatt and a search warrant for his home was executed on October 1, 2021. Investigators learned that Wyatt was not home but was at a nearby marina on his boat where he often spent time. Investigators went to the marina and watched as Wyatt walked from his boat to his car. Wyatt then drove back to his residence, where he was confronted by investigators.
Wyatt consented to a search of his cell phone and an MSP digital forensic examiner found several files of child pornography on the phone. A peer-to-peer filesharing program was installed on the phone, as well as a virtual private network application and an anti-forensic application. On a chat application, Wyatt belonged to chat groups including “Incest and Little Girl” and “mommy and daughter.” On October 26, 2021, a search warrant was executed on Wyatt’s boat. Two thumb drives were found with multiple images and videos of child pornography, including several known series involving depictions of babies, toddlers, and sadomasochistic abuse of children. Several of the files located on Wyatt’s devices matched those that were distributed during the MSP investigation via the peer-to-peer file sharing originating from the suspect IP address.
Wyatt admitted that he was the person who shared the files with the MSP investigator on August 31, 2021. In total, over 1170 images files and over 170 video files were located on Wyatt’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, the Maryland State Police, the Harford County Sheriff’s Office and the Harford County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation and prosecution. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Colleen E. McGuinn, who prosecuted 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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FBI Disrupts Virtual Currency Exchanges Used to Facilitate Criminal ActivityRead the Press Release
DETROIT - On April 25th, the FBI’s Detroit Field Office, with assistance from the Virtual Currency Response Team (VCRT), the Cyber Police Department and Main Investigation Departments of the National Police of Ukraine, and the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine conducted coordinated, court authorized activity involving nine virtual currency exchange services.
Domain names offered by organizations which were engaged in cryptocurrency conversions and provided assistance to cyber-criminals were seized, and related servers were shut down. U.S. based servers used in the scheme were taken offline by U.S. authorities. These nine seized domains, 24xbtc.com, 100btc.pro, pridechange.com, 101crypta.com, uxbtc.com, trust-exchange.org, bitcoin24.exchange, paybtc.pro, and owl.gold offered anonymous cryptocurrency exchange services to website visitors.
Noncompliant virtual currency exchanges, which have a lax anti-money laundering program or collect minimal Know Your Customer information or none at all, serve as important hubs in the cybercrime ecosystem and are operating in violation of Title 18 United States Code, Sections 1960 and 1956. Many of these services are advertised on online forums dedicated to discussing criminal activity. By providing these services, the virtual currency exchanges knowingly support the criminal activities of their clients and become co-conspirators in criminal schemes.
Much of the criminal activity occurring at the affected exchanges involved cyber actors responsible for ransomware, but also other scammers, and cybercriminals. The service’s website offered support in both Russian and English.
The investigation is ongoing. Visitors to the sites will now find a seizure banner that notifies them that the domain name has been seized by federal authorities and operating an unlicensed money service business and facilitating money laundering is a federal crime.
Ellsworth Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Federal Prison for Child Pornography OffensesRead the Press Release
Bryan Ross, 26, from Ellsworth, Iowa, was sentenced April 28, 2023, to 25 years in federal prison for Producing and Distributing Child Pornography.
At the hearing, evidence established that between July 2019, and February 2022, Ross knowingly harassed and coerced minors online via Facebook and Snapchat to take sexually explicit photos and videos of themselves to send to him. Evidence further established that Ross received and attempted to receive visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct and distributed them to others online.
Ross was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand to 300 months’ imprisonment and fined $1,000. Ross was also ordered to pay $18,649 in restitution to the victims. Ross must also serve an 8-year term of supervised released following the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”
The case was investigated by HSI and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kraig R. Hamit.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 22-3016. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Eighth Defendant Pleads Guilty to Porterville-Based Drug RingRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — Xochil Aguilera, 39, of Porterville, pleaded guilty today to a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
Aguilera is the eighth defendant in this case to plead guilty. According to court documents, Aguilera served as a courier of drugs and money for the drug trafficking operation. On July 14, 2020, she delivered 800 counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl; on Sept. 23, 2020, she received $2,000 from co-defendant James Cox for a half pound of methamphetamine; and on Nov. 12, 2020, she received $1,850 from an undercover agent for the sale of 1,100 fentanyl pills. Aguilera is the wife of Pedro Delgado-Montenegro, 43, who is also charged with participating in the drug trafficking organization. In pleading guilty, Aguilera agreed to the forfeiture of $27,021, which represents drug proceeds seized in this case.
Other defendants who have entered guilty pleas to drug charges in this case include:
- Ignacio Alcantar-Torres, 33, of Porterville, is scheduled for sentencing on July 10, 2023;
- Alexis Mendiola, 37, of Northridge, is scheduled for sentencing on July 10, 2023;
- Ana Margarita Valdez-Torres, 43, of MacFarland, is scheduled for sentencing on July 24, 2023;
- Maria Delgado, 32, a citizen of Mexico, was sentenced to four years in prison;
- Renato Aguilera, 31, of Porterville, was sentenced to seven years and three months in prison;
- Roberto Cavazos, 44, of Porterville, was sentenced to 12 years and seven months in prison;
- James Cox, 60, of Visalia, was sentenced to 16 years and six months in prison.
Charges are pending against Delgado-Montenegro; he is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Porterville Police Department, the Coalinga Police Department, and the Fresno Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Escobar is prosecuting the case
Aguilera is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston on Aug. 14, 2023. Aguilera faces a mandatory minimum term of 10 years in prison and a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison, and a fine of up to $10 million. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
EDVA Announces Continued Availability of Grant Funding for Project Safe Neighborhood InitiativesRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia (EDVA), announced today the continued availability of approximately $325,000 in grant funding for Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN) initiatives.
On March 10, 2022, EDVA announced the availability of $535,653 in grant funds to programs and initiatives that support the PSN violence reduction strategy. Since then, four organizations have received grants totaling approximately $500,000. The initiatives that received funding last year were:
- The City of Richmond RVA League for Safer Streets, which seeks prevention and intervention for young individuals who may be susceptible to or involved in gangs;
- Ballistic IQ technology for the police departments of the cities of Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Portsmouth, Chesapeake, and Hampton;
- A three-year research grant on the impact of effectiveness of Group Violence Intervention by the George Mason Center for Evidence Based Policy; and
- Real Life Group Violence Intervention and services for individuals making re-entry into the community from correctional facilities.
EDVA’s PSN violence reduction strategy, which is supported by these initiatives, sets the following goals to reduce violent crime:
- Engage, collaborate, and invite community stakeholders to share responsibility in efforts to reduce violent crime.
- Build trust between law enforcement and the community through effective communication, regular interaction, and the support and protection of crime victims.
- Reduce accessibility and possession of handguns among minors.
- Reduce re-offending and break the cycle of re-victimization.
- Disrupt and dismantle the region’s most organized and violent gangs.
- Identify chronic violent offenders responsible for a disproportionate level of violent crime.
- Work with citizens in neighborhoods most impacted by violent crime on harm reduction strategies.
In the fall of 2021, the U.S. Attorney’s office formed a Grant Committee in collaboration with local, state, and community partners to help identify and allocate grant funds to programs and initiatives that support EDVA’s PSN violence reduction strategy. The Committee is currently prioritizing three regions impacted most by violent crime—Richmond, Newport News, and Norfolk—but will evaluate grant applications from across the Eastern District.
The U.S. Attorney and the PSN Grant Committee encourage organizations and local and state agencies whose programs support our PSN goals within the district to apply for the remaining grant assistance by visiting the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) website at https://www.dcjs.virginia.gov/grants/programs/fy-2023-project-safe-neighborhoods-psn-grant-solicitation. Applications must be submitted in the DCJS Online Grants Management System (OGMS) no later than 5:00 p.m. on May 26, 2023.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Drug Trafficker Sentenced to 57 Months in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Hagatña, Guam – SHAWN N. ANDERSON, United States Attorney for the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, announced that defendant Matthew J.V. Salas, age 29, from Agana Heights, Guam, was sentenced to 57 months imprisonment by the District Court of Guam. Salas was convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute Fifty or More Grams of Methamphetamine Hydrochloride, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 846 and 841(a)(1). The Court also ordered three years of supervised release and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee. In addition, defendants convicted of a federal drug offense may no longer qualify for certain federal benefits.
On May 17, 2022, a United States Postal Service package was intercepted by law enforcement. The package contained 112 grams of methamphetamine with a purity of 99 percent. Salas claimed the package at the Barrigada Post Office two days later. Following his arrest, he admitted receiving drug packages mailed to him from Arizona for further distribution in Guam. He received two other packages, each containing about two ounces of methamphetamine, the previous month. Salas re-packaged the drugs into 10-gram and 5-gram bags for further distribution.
“The Postal Inspection Service and Guam law enforcement agencies continue to target drug traffickers who use the mail system in furtherance of illegal activity,” stated United States Attorney Anderson. “Their frequent seizures of methamphetamine demonstrate that this conduct does not go undetected. Those associated with this activity will be held accountable.”
“This sentence is a statement that Postal Inspectors will not allow the U.S. Mail to be used to distribute harmful narcotics in our communities in Guam or anywhere else. I would like to thank the Guam Customs and Quarantine Agency, and the Guam Police Department for their tireless work to keep dangerous substances out of the mail and out of the community,” said U.S. Postal Inspection Service San Francisco Division Inspector in Charge Rafael Nuñez.
This was a multi-agency investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration Los Angeles Field Division – Guam Resident Office, United States Postal Inspection Service, and Guam Customs and Quarantine Agency. The case was prosecuted by Marivic P. David, Assistant United States Attorney in the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.
Construction Company Owner and Former Residential Facility Employee Indicted for Rigging Bids for Public ContractsRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, Jamie DePaepe, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of the Interior (DOI) Office of Inspector General, and Andy Tsui, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation Denver Field Office, announced that William Ross Badoni and Elroy Harry made initial appearances in federal court on April 27 and April 25 on an indictment charging them with conspiracy to commit federal program fraud. The indictment also charges Badoni with one count of committing theft or bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds and eight counts of laundering of monetary instruments. Badoni, 59, of Shiprock, and Harry, 59, of Aztec, will remain on conditions of release pending trial, which has not been scheduled.
A federal grand jury indicted Badoni and Harry on April 11. According to the indictment, Badoni was the owner and director of Badoni Construction Company, located in San Juan County. During the time relevant to the indictment, Harry was employed by Kinteel Residential Campus, Inc. (KRCI) as a maintenance supervisor. KRCI is a residential facility which offers free or low-cost housing and meal accommodations for students attending school in Aztec. As such, KRCI receives federal funds from the Department of Interior through the Bureau of Indian Education.
From about April of 2018 to June of 2019, Badoni and Harry allegedly conspired to falsify and submit to KRCI bids in the names of other construction companies in order to make it more likely that Badoni’s bids would be selected for KRCI construction projects. Harry also allegedly provided Badoni with non-public information about construction projects and the bidding process. In return, Badoni allegedly gave, offered, or agreed to give things of value, namely sums of money, to Harry. Once Badoni had won the initial award of construction contracts, Harry and Badoni allegedly worked together to increase compensation for Badoni by submitting fraudulent “change orders” for KRCI’s approval. Further, Badoni and Harry allegedly caused KRCI to issue new construction contracts on an urgent basis under false pretenses in order to justify deviating from standard policies and procedures relating to KRCI’s bidding process.
“This indictment shows IRS-Criminal Investigation’s commitment to ensuring fair and open competition opportunities for companies seeking to work with the federal government,” said Andy Tsui, IRS-CI Special Agent in Charge. “IRS-CI will continue working with our law enforcement partners to ensure an even playing field for those attempting to obtain federal contracts for their businesses.”
“The Department of the Interior (DOI) Office of Inspector General (OIG) is committed to protecting our Indian Country schools and dormitories, so the students receive the education and opportunities they deserve, and the educators and staff have the resources they need,” said Jamie DePaepe, Special Agent in Charge for the DOI OIG. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to aggressively investigate fraud in DOI programs to ensure those who defraud DOI programs are held accountable.”
“We will ardently protect taxpayer dollars invested in our youth,” said United States Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez. “Protecting the integrity of contracting processes involving federal funds helps make sure that when we invest in our communities, that investment pays off.”
An indictment is only an allegation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, Badoni faces up to 20 years in prison and Harry faces up to 5 years in prison.
The Criminal Investigators Division of the U.S. Department of the Interior, Office of Inspector General investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney Taylor F. Hartstein is prosecuting the case.
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Columbia County Man Sentenced for Threatening the President, Congressman Bennie Thompson, and A Federal JudgeRead the Press Release
SCRANTON- The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that United States District Court Judge Juan R. Sanchez, Chief Judge for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, sentenced Robert Maverick Vargo, age 26, of Berwick, Pennsylvania, to 37 months in prison for threats against a sitting congressman, a federal judge, and the President of the United States.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, in October of 2022, Vargo mailed a letter to United States Representative Bennie Thompson, threatening to kill him, his family, President Joseph Biden, and United States District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani. Vargo mailed the letter from Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania to Congressman Thompson in Washington, D.C., with intent to intimidate and interfere with Congressman Thompson’s official duties. Congressman Thompson is the Chair of the Committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the United States Capitol Complex. Vargo cited Thompson’s role as Chairman of that committee in making his threats. Vargo also invoked the name of domestic terrorist Timothy McVeigh, who bombed the Oklahoma City federal building in 1995.
Judge Sanchez noted Vargo’s lengthy criminal history and the disturbing nature of the threats in imposing the 37-month sentence. Upon release from prison, Vargo must serve three years on federal supervised release. Vargo’s federal sentence will begin after he finishes serving a three to six year term in state prison for a 2022 escape conviction.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Capitol Police, Protective Service Bureau and the Secret Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jenny P. Roberts prosecuted the case.
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Chicago Heroin Dealer Sentenced to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
A Chicago man who distributed heroin in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on four different occasions was sentenced today to more than 3 years in federal prison.
Jerry Lamont Granville, age 52, from Chicago, Illinois, received the prison term after an October 31, 2022 guilty plea to four counts of distribution of a controlled substance and one count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.
Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearings showed that law enforcement utilized a confidential informant to conduct four controlled purchases of heroin from Granville between October 2020 and January 2021. On January 5, 2021, following one of the controlled purchases of heroin, law enforcement officers stopped Granville’s vehicle. During a search of the vehicle, officers found heroin and cocaine base.
Granville was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams. Granville was sentenced to 37 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a 5-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. Granville is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Adam J. Vander Stoep and was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Task Force consisting of the DEA; the Linn County Sheriff's Office; the Cedar Rapids Police Department; the Marion Police Department; and the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 22-CR-36.
Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Charlotte Auto Repair Auto Shop Owner Is Sentenced and Fined for Violating the Clean Air ActRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Today, U.S. District Judge Frank D. Whitney sentenced Jamal Saymeh, 59, of Charlotte, N.C., to 12 months and one day in prison followed by two years of supervised release for violating the Clean Air Act, by fraudulently coding over 15,000 vehicles that would have otherwise failed the required State emissions inspection, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Judge Whitney also ordered Saymeh to pay a $1,202,288.50 fine and $82,026 in restitution to the State of North Carolina.
Michael Sparks, Special Agent in Charge of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Inspector General (EPA-OIG), Charles Carfagno, Special Agent in Charge of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Criminal Investigation Division (EPA-CID), and Colonel Michael Oates of the North Carolina Department of Transportation License and Theft Bureau (NCDOT) join U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement.
Saymeh is the owner and operator of Friendly Auto Repair (FAR) shop, located in Charlotte. In addition to auto repairs, in 2017, FAR became licensed by the North Carolina Department of Transportation to perform emissions inspections. According to filed documents and court proceedings, between 2017 and 2022, Saymeh used his business to execute a scheme to violate the Clean Air Act by falsely changing the information of vehicles that would have otherwise failed the required State emissions testing, so that they were no longer required by the State’s registration system to have a passing emissions test.
According to court records, in some instances Saymeh executed the scheme by doing “county swaps,” meaning by falsifying in the system the county of registration for 11,568 vehicles from a county that required an emissions test to a county where no emissions testing was required. In other instances, Saymeh changed in the system the characterization of 3,622 trucks, from light duty trucks that require emissions inspections to heavy duty trucks that do not require such testing. During the relevant time period, court documents show that Saymeh falsified the information for at least 15,190 vehicles that would have otherwise failed their State emissions inspections.
In exchange for falsifying vehicle information, Saymeh received cash payments from customers that far exceeded what customers would have paid to have an emissions inspection. In addition, Saymeh paid the State of North Carolina only $0.85 per non-emissions/safety inspection, instead of the $6.25 per vehicle charge he should have paid for an inspection.
“Vehicle emissions testing is required to protect the health and safety of our communities,” said U.S. Attorney King. “As part of my Office’s Environmental Justice Initiative, we will hold polluters accountable for their actions and protect communities harmed by environmental violations.”
“Today, Jamal Saymeh faced the consequences of knowingly and intentionally making false material statements affecting an EPA program,” said Special Agent in Charge Sparks. “Fraudulent activities like these harm our fellow Americans and diminish the public’s trust in EPA programs and operations. The EPA Office of Inspector General will continue to diligently protect both.”
“Mr. Saymeh was sentenced today for conspiring to violate the Clean Air Act and for fraudulent vehicle emissions testing,” said Special Agent in Charge Carfagno. “The defendant’s criminal activity intentionally increased air pollution in communities where these vehicles operate further exacerbating respiratory illnesses and environmental degradation. Today’s sentence serves as a reminder that EPA and our partners are steadfast in our commitment to protect human health and the environment.”
On December 14, 2022, Saymeh pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the Clean Air Act, and two counts of violating the Clean Air Act. Saymeh will be ordered to report to the federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney King thanked the EPA-OIG, EPA-CID, and NC DOT for their coordination and investigation of the case.
Assistant United States Attorney Steven Kaufman, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte, prosecuted the case.
Charleston Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Taylor Womack, 28, of Charleston, pleaded guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on September 7, 2020, Womack possessed a loaded FEG, Model PA-63, 9mm firearm in Amandaville.
Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Womack knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony convictions for delivery of a controlled substance and conspiracy to commit delivery of a controlled substance in Wayne County Circuit Court on September 15, 2017, and for daytime burglary by breaking and entering in Kanawha County Circuit Court on October 16, 2014
Womack is scheduled to be sentenced on September 14, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office.
United States District Judge Irene C. Berger presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorneys Jonathan T. Storage and Monica D. Coleman are prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:23-cr-12.
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Camden County Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Distributing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – A Camden County, New Jersey, man was sentenced today to 120 months in prison and 10 years of supervised release for distributing videos and images of child sexual abuse. Ryan Osinski, 33, of Cherry Hill, New Jersey, pleaded guilty on Nov. 17, 2022, before U.S. District Judge Christine P. O’Hearn in Camden federal court to an information charging him with one count of distribution of child pornography.
Californian convicted of fraudulently passing over $1M in counterfeit savings bonds at South Texas banksRead the Press Release
BROWNSVILLE, Texas – A 58-year-old resident of Hemet, California, has pleaded guilty to passing counterfeit U.S. savings bonds over three years, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani along with Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.
Daniel Alan Lewis and others conspired to create counterfeit U.S. Series I savings bonds. They then passed them at financial institutions using other people’s identities and split the proceeds.
As part of his plea, Lewis further admitted that in November and December 2021, he passed numerous counterfeit savings bonds at banks in both the Houston and Brownsville areas.
U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. accepted the plea and set sentencing for Aug. 10. At that time, Lewis faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.
He has been and will remain in custody pending that hearing.
Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Secret Service, Department of the Treasury - Office of Inspector General and the Cameron County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Edgardo J. Rodriguez is prosecuting the case along with Trial Attorney David D. Hamstra.
CNMI Inmate Sentenced to 27 Months in Federal Prison for Assaulting Corrections Officer and Possessing ContrabandRead the Press Release
Saipan, MP – SHAWN N. ANDERSON, United States Attorney for the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, announced that defendant Derik Jonathan Camacho Reyes, age 41, from Saipan, was sentenced to 27 months imprisonment by the District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands. Reyes was convicted of Assault on a Federal Officer or Employee, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 111(b), and Possessing Contraband in Prison, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1791(a)(2). The Court ordered three years of supervised release, 100 hours of community service, and a mandatory $200 special assessment fee. This federal sentence will run consecutive to the sentence Reyes is currently serving by prior order of the Superior Court for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI).
On February 15, 2022, Reyes was an inmate at the CNMI Department of Corrections in Susupe Village on Saipan. He was held in a maximum-security section with 22 other inmates, including three federal inmates. CNMI corrections officers attempted to seize a drug pipe from Reyes after observing suspicious behavior in his cell. Reyes resisted and attempted to flush the pipe and a small baggie containing methamphetamine down a toilet. During the struggle, one of the officers hit his head on the corner of Reyes’s cell doorway. The officer was treated at a local hospital for a contusion on his head, and minor chemical burns on his hand from methamphetamine and contaminant residue.
Given there is no federal detention facility in the CNMI, the United States Marshals Service contracts with the CNMI for federal prisoners to be housed at the CNMI jail. As a result, CNMI corrections officers perform a federal function and serve in the capacity of federal employees when the corrections officers care for federal inmates.
“Acts of violence toward detention facility employees will not be tolerated,” stated United States Attorney Anderson. “The Court’s sentencing order is a strong measure of accountability. We will continue to pursue cases that improve the safety of these facilities.”
This investigation was led by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration in partnership with the CNMI Department of Corrections, and prosecuted by Albert S. Flores, Jr., Assistant United States Attorney in the District of the Northern Mariana Islands.
Boston Man Pleads Guilty to Firearm Trafficking and Straw Purchasing ConspiracyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Boston man pleaded guilty today to conspiring to illegally traffic and straw purchase firearms.
Shakim Grant, 21, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to make false statements in records required to be kept by an FFL and one count of aiding and abetting making false statements in records required to be kept by an FFL. U.S. District Court Judge Patti B. Saris scheduled sentencing for Aug. 9, 2023. Grant was initially charged by complaint on Jan. 17, 2023 along with alleged co-conspirators Cory Daigle and Gustavo Rodriguez. He was subsequently charged by an Information on March 16, 2023.
From in or about August 2022 through November 2022, Daigle and Rodriguez conspired to create false entries in records required to be maintained by Daigle, an FFL, in order to conceal the illegal sale of multiple firearms via Grant to Rodriguez, who could not lawfully purchase or possess firearms. Specifically, Grant and, allegedly, Daigle made and signed false representations on required forms to disguise Rodriguez’s identity as the true firearm purchaser. Rodriguez is prohibited from possessing a firearm. It is further alleged that the defendants attempted to coverup the illegal straw purchase by providing false information to law enforcement.
The charge of conspiracy to make false statements in records required to be kept by an FFL provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of aiding and abetting making false statements in records required to be kept by an FFL provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins; James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives, Boston Field Division; and Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox made the announcement today. Valuable assistance in the investigation was provided by the Revere Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Luke A. Goldworm of Rollins’ Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Baltimore Felon Sentenced to over 12 Years in Federal Prison for a Conspiracy to Distribute Large Amounts of FentanylRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III today sentenced Romesh Vance, age 32, of Baltimore, Maryland, to 150 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute between four and 12 kilograms of fentanyl and for violating his supervised release from a previous federal drug conviction. Judge Russell also ordered that Vance must forfeit his interest in any assets derived from his criminal activities, including almost $41,000 in cash and jewelry which were recovered from Vance and his residence in the 200 block of Westowne Road in Baltimore; and a 2017 Mercedes Benz recovered from Vance.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of the Drug Enforcement Administration - Washington Field Division; Baltimore City Sheriff Sam Cogen; Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department; and Chief Robert McCullough of the Baltimore County Police Department.
According to his guilty plea, from October 2020 through March 1, 2021, Vance was engaged in a drug trafficking conspiracy involving large amounts of fentanyl and other controlled substances. Vance operated a stash house in Pikesville, Maryland, where he and his co-conspirators processed fentanyl and other drugs, mixed the drugs with cutting agents, and packaged the drugs for re-sale. Vance and his associates then drove the packaged drug products to drug shops operated by their drug trafficking organization, along Stricker, School and Gilmor Streets in Baltimore.
On March 1, 2021, law enforcement saw Vance leave the Pikesville stash house and travel to the drug shop at 1515 Stricker Street, where he delivered approximately one kilogram of fentanyl to co-conspirator Vashawn Watkins, who brought the drug products into 1515 Stricker Street. Law enforcement subsequently executed a search warrant at that location and recovered the drugs. Law enforcement later conducted a search warrant at the stash house in Pikesville and recovered 6.8 kilograms of fentanyl, along with cutting agents and other drug-related paraphernalia. Vance admitted that it was reasonably foreseeable to him that he and his co-conspirators would distribute more than four kilograms but less than 12 kilograms of fentanyl in furtherance of this conspiracy.
Co-defendant Vashawn Watkins, age 22, of Baltimore, previously pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and to illegal possession of a firearm in a school zone and was sentenced to nine years in federal prison.
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 is also part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the DEA, the Baltimore City Sheriff’s Office, the Baltimore Police Department, and the Baltimore County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jason D. Medinger and Ariel Evans, who prosecuted the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psn and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Atlanta man indicted on multiple counts of bank fraud and identity theft based on falsified money ordersRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Jeremiah Carbon has been indicted on federal bank fraud and aggravated identity theft charges, arising from a scheme to defraud banks by depositing hundreds of fraudulent money orders into multiple bank accounts to enrich himself and his co-conspirators by more than $1.5 million. He also has been charged with possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.
“Carbon allegedly engaged in a scheme in 2019 through 2022 to defraud multiple banks by copying hundreds of blank money orders that he used to pay himself and his co-conspirators,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “He also allegedly stole and used the identities of others to perpetrate and conceal the scheme.”
“The Secret Service is committed to defending our nation’s financial security and pursuing those who aim to exploit it,” said Steven R. Baisel, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service’s Atlanta Field Office. “We appreciate our partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and will continue to work alongside each other to ensure that individuals who engage in fraudulent activities are held accountable.”
According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the indictment, and other information presented in court: Carbon allegedly used multiple fake driver’s licenses, and stolen driver’s license numbers belonging to several individuals, to purchase hundreds of blank money orders from dozens of different locations of a popular retail store in the Atlanta area. He and his co-conspirators then made copies of the blank money orders and deposited them into multiple bank accounts, often listing a fictitious purchaser’s name.
After depositing funds from the fraudulent money orders into bank accounts opened in his and his co-conspirators’ names, Carbon returned the original money orders to the retail store locations for a full refund. Between 2019 and 2022, Carbon allegedly purchased, copied, and returned more than 1,500 money orders, resulting in stolen funds of over $1.5 million.
Jeremiah Carbon, 34, of Atlanta, Georgia, was indicted on April 18, 2023, in an 11-count indictment alleging charges of conspiracy to commit, and commission of, bank fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1344 and 1349; aggravated identity theft, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1028A; and possession of a firearm while being a convicted felon, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(g)(1). Members of the public are reminded that the indictment only contains charges. The defendant is presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case is being investigated by the U.S. Secret Service.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Bethany Rupert is prosecuting the case.
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.
Armed Waterbury Drug Dealer Sentenced to 5 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that on April 28, 2023, CORNELIUS CONEY, also known as “C Nizzy,” 35, of Waterbury, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to 60 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in July 2021, Waterbury Police retrieved a bag from Coney’s vehicle, which had been towed by a private towing company. The bag contained a loaded 9mm semiautomatic handgun that had been reported stolen, approximately 50 grams of crack cocaine, approximately 50 does bags containing fentanyl, a digital scale, and other items. Subsequent lab analysis revealed the presence of Coney’s DNA on the firearm.
Coney was arrested on September 21, 2021. On January 3, 2023, he pleaded guilty to possession of firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
Coney has been detained since his arrest.
This investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Waterbury Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Natasha M. Freismuth and John T. Pierpont, Jr.
U.S. Attorney Avery thanked the State’s Attorney’s Office for the Judicial District of Waterbury for its close cooperation in investigating and prosecuting this matter.
The prosecution 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. In May 2021, the Justice 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.
Antioch Man Sentenced to over 19 Years in Prison for Sex Trafficking of Minors at the Bakersfield Desert Star MotelRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — Darnell Bernard Edwards, 33, of Antioch, was sentenced today to 19 years and seven months in prison to be followed by 15 years of supervised release for the sex trafficking of two minors, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, in April and May 2019, Edwards transported two minors to the Desert Star Motel in Bakersfield and had them engage in prostitution. Edwards also transported the minors to other locations within California, supplied them with marijuana, and all three had the letter D and a crown tattooed on their bodies.
This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Bakersfield Police Department with assistance from the Antioch Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Gappa prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet-safety education.
Abingdon Man Sentenced to Seventy-Seven Months in Prison for Gun CrimesRead the Press Release
PEORIA, Ill. – An Abingdon, Illinois, man, Micah Mowen, 44, was sentenced on April 26, 2023, to 77 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for possessing a shotgun with a barrel less than 18 inches long and for possessing a firearm as a felon.
At the sentencing hearing in front of Chief U.S. District Judge Sara L. Darrow, the government proffered evidence that in August 2019, deputies from the McDonough County Sheriff’s Office found Mowen sleeping in a truck in an unauthorized area. Upon further investigation, they found a stolen handgun and a sawed-off shotgun in the truck. Mowen initially fled but was quickly apprehended. Mowen has been in the custody of the United States Marshal since his federal arrest in August 2020.
Mowen faced statutory penalties of up to ten years imprisonment, up to three years of supervised release, and up to a $250,000 fine for both counts.
The McDonough County Sheriff’s Office, Galesburg Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jen Mathew and Sarah Seberger represented the government in the prosecution.
The case against Mowen 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.
30 April 2023
Plymouth Man Arrested, Charged in Federal Complaint with Arson Following Fires at Two Minneapolis MosquesRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – Jackie Rahm Little, aka Joel Arthur Tueting, has been arrested and charged in a federal criminal complaint with arson following fires at two Minneapolis mosques, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
Little was apprehended and arrested last night in Mankato by the Blue Earth County Sheriff’s Office and taken into federal custody today by FBI and ATF agents, with assistance from the Minneapolis and St. Paul Police Departments.
According to court documents, on April 23, 2023, at approximately 7:00 p.m., Little, 36, started a fire in the bathroom of the Masjid Omar Islamic Center. On April 24, 2023, just before 7:00 p.m., Little was captured on surveillance video entering the Masjid Al Rahma Mosque. Shortly thereafter, a fire broke out on the third floor of the mosque and the building was evacuated.
According to court documents, prior to the arson incidents, on January 5, 2023, Little was captured on surveillance video entering the Minneapolis district office of a U.S. Representative. Little spray-painted the text “500” on the front door of the U.S. Representative’s office and photographed the graffiti. Later that same day, Little spray-painted the same text (“500”) on the side of a patrol vehicle assigned to a Somali Minneapolis Police Department officer as well as in an entryway at a marketplace, colloquially referred to as the “Somali Mall.”
Little will make his initial appearance in U.S. District Court before Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Cowan Wright on Monday, May 1, 2023.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Minneapolis Police Department, the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, the Blue Earth County Sheriff’s Office, and the St. Paul Police Department, with assistance from the Justice Department’s Civil Rights and National Security Divisions, and the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Manda M. Sertich is prosecuting the case.
A complaint is merely an allegation and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
28 April 2023
Wormleysburg Man Sentenced for Theft from Federal Courthouse Construction SiteRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Christopher Gontaryk, age 48, of Wormleysburg, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 17 months of imprisonment, to be followed by a three-year term of supervised release, and was ordered to pay $10,736.01 in restitution.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Gontaryk stole about $9,919.61 of construction materials, which belonged to the United States, from the construction site of the Sylvia H. Rambo U.S. Courthouse in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on October 11, 2021. The following day, he sold copper and brass construction materials that he had stolen at a metal scrapyard located in Pottsville, PA.
In March 2022, while on release pending trial for the foregoing theft, Gontaryk returned to the same location and committed another theft of construction materials worth about $816.40. He again sold the stolen materials at a scrapyard, this time in York, PA. Gontaryk was sentenced to 15 months of imprisonment for the first offense and two months for the second offense, resulting in the total sentence summarized above.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Federal Protective Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ravi Romel Sharma prosecuted the case.
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Worcester Tax Preparer Pleads Guilty to False Tax Returns SchemeRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A tax preparer has pleaded guilty in federal court in Worcester to preparing false tax returns in the names of taxpayers.
Kwasi Kwarteng, 51, of Worcester, pleaded guilty on April 26, 2023 to 13 counts of aiding and assisting in the filing of false federal tax returns. U.S. District Judge Margaret R. Guzman scheduled sentencing for Aug. 3, 2023.From at least 2014 through 2018, Kwarteng operated under the name KK Tax Service –despite not being registered with the IRS as required by law – to file more than 1,195 tax returns in the names of clients, charging approximately $150 per return. Kwarteng added false information to hundreds of the returns to claim deductions for fictitious medical expenses, personal property taxes, gifts to charity, Individual Retirement Account (IRA) contributions, and unreimbursed employee business expenses. The false returns resulted in some clients paying lower taxes than they owed and, in most cases, resulted in clients receiving tax refunds for which they were not entitled. Kwarteng caused more than half a million dollars in losses to the IRS.
The charges of aiding and assisting in the filing of false federal tax returns each provide for a sentence of up to three years in prison, one year of supervised release a, fine of $250,000 and restitution to the IRS. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins and Joleen D. Simpson, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation in Boston made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Victor A. Wild of Rollins’ Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case.